COMET

Newsletter Winter 2013

Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together

More Safety Improvements Needed on Elmhurst Footbridge

Photo by Shirley Warren

IS 5, 51st Avenue Academy and Kneeland Avenue Signage

On October 1st, we heard from Dominic Panakal, Queens Borough Director at the Mayors Office, in response to signage concerns brought to our attention by Block Captains Howard and Indiera Moskowitz. The concerns raised were: Motorists driving down Kneeland Avenue the wrong way. Not enough signage around the schools in the vicinity of Jacobus Street. NYC DOTs response: An investigation has been completed along Kneeland Avenue. Each intersection has the appropriate number of one-way signs, however we did issue repair orders to upgrade the existing signage to newer high reflectorized signage; this work was completed on August 21, 3013. New School Zone signage will be installed on Jacobus Avenue between Queen Boulevard and 51st Avenue. We thank Dominic for following up on these issues for us.

COMET and NYPD Sponsor Paper Shredding and Safety Event

On Saturday, October 2nd, a group of volunteers from Comet joined with the NYPD at the NY Bethzatha Church of God, 85-20 57th Avenue, to encourage people to sign up for free programs offered by the Police Department and shred valuable paperwork to help avoid identity theft. We handed out key chains with a whistle and a light that can be used for safety purposes. Officers from the New Immigrant Outreach Unit were on hand to speak to Asian residents and hand out tote bags Pictured above: Comet volunteers Lillian Rankin, Lucille Winsko, Shannon with writing on it warning people Connor, John Conner, Laraine Donohue, Roe Daraio, Walter Fressle, Richie Doyle about the Spiritual Blessing and Richie Polgar. NYPD officers in photo: PO Eli Gani, Crime Prevention Officer, scam. A SPECIAL THANK YOU goes to Pastor and Mrs. Kim for letting us use their parking lot and supplying tables and chairs. We also want to thank Pastor Rein and his youth group for helping us for the day. They did a great job and we all had a good time.
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108th Precinct, PO Luis Diaz, Community Affairs Officer, 108th Precinct, Detectives Sue Too and Leslie Leon, Community Affairs of the New Immigrant Outreach Unit. Also pictured are volunteers from the Bethzatha Church and Detective Toos daughter. Not in photo is PO David Saponieri, Community Affairs, and the 110th Precinct. Photo provided by Richie Polgar

Looking for Ideas to Reduce Traffic Congestion

other direction. We agree with Anthonys suggestion consider moving the loading zone to the front of the building and free up parking for residents and shoppers in the rear. It may be a small inconvenience for shoppers to park around the block, but ultimately we think this will lessen congestion, make a safer environment for pedestrians and motorists in the area. We passed the suggestion along to NYC DOT and Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and are waiting for the results of the agencys investigation. If anyone has a suggestion to make our community safer, we would love to hear from you.

We are always trying to find ways that will make our neighborhood safer, less congested and less polluted. We believe the best ideas come from the folks who live or work in our community because they encounter these problems daily. One such idea came from Anthony of Maspeth Press whose building is across the street from Key Food on Grand Avenue. He noticed that although there is a loading zone behind Key Food the delivery trucks never use it and pull up in front of the business instead and double-park, when necessary, to unload. As a result, motorists and buses must drive around the trucks and cross the yellow line impeding traffic heading in the

Photos compliments of Maspeth Press

Footbridge on 55th Avenue between Haspel and 85th Streets

More Improvements Needed
After an Elmhurst resident tragically fell to his death on the footbridge in early August, we reached out to Senator Joseph Addabbo and Council Member Karen Koslowitz to ask that they contact the NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) to look into safety concerns that we believe need to be addressed. Our concerns focused on whether the lighting on the bridge is adequate, if the stairs are up to code and if the metal that is affixed to the steps could become slippery when wet or covered with snow or ice. The weeds that had overgrown the handrails made it difficult for people to grasp as they went up and down the stairs. We also called unkempt property on the Haspel side of the bridge to their attention because it makes an ideal dumping ground and provides cover for a perpetrator who might want to rob an innocent resident on his or her way home from work. Not long after we reached out to our elected officials, several residents contacted us to say that NYC DOT was doing some work at the location. The work took about two weeks. We reached out to Ed Misiura, a long time resident and Comet member, and asked him to take a look at the work
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the agency had done. The photo on page 3 is how the steps look now that the work was completed. All we can see is that some type of roofing-type material was affixed over the metal on the steps to perhaps make them less slippery. A Comet member told us when she rubbed her hand on the material some of the coating affixed to it flaked off. We passed their observations along to Council Member Karen Koslowitz as well as Council Member Daniel Dromm who will inherit our portion of Elmhurst effective January 1, 2014 and asked if they would contact the agency. While he was taking photos of the steps Ed noticed another problem. The fence on the side of the bridge is jutting out just enough to hurt someone if they fell or rubbed against it. We dont know if this was an existing condition or a new one created when the steps were being repaired. We asked our council members to have the agency look into this dangerous condition as soon as possible. Its obvious a lot more attention needs to be given to this footbridge, particularly since the community relies on it to get to the subway, schools and stores. We will continue to follow up and hope improvements will make it safer. In the meantime, if it snows or is icy, call 311 and ask that the Department of Sanitation salt the steps. You should follow up with your council member if the agency doesnt follow up. Photos by Ed Misiura

If You See Something, Say Something!

On Friday, November 1st, Block Captain Richie Polgar spotted suspicious containers and a duffel bag on the Queens Midtown Expressway service road (westbound) at 73rd Place. He immediately called 911 and received a quick response from the Fire Department who then notified the 104th Precinct about a suspicious package. Upon arrival and surveying the scene, the responding sector requested additional emergency services to respond. Any homes that were in close proximity to the suspicious containers were evacuated for safety precautions and Maspeth High School was notified but was not evacuated. Upon arrival, the Emergency Response Unit discovered the duffel bag contained personal necessities (soap, toothpaste, socks, deodorant, etc.) and the nearby multiple containers held degraded gasoline. The Hazmat Unit responded and rendered the gasoline inert and placed the remnants into a yellow container. We want to thank Richie for his vigilance and photos. Great job!

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56th Drive at 59th Place

Photos by Barbara Lauri

November 13th was not a good day for the owner of a parked vehicle that was hit by a huge tractor trailer truck on 56th Drive at 59th Place. Unfortunately, the narrow streets are not compatible with the businesses located in this manufacturing zone. Luckily the accident was observed by a local resident who called 911. We dont know what the outcome was.

What is a Boro Taxi?

The Taxi & Limousine Commission has created a new class of license called Boro Taxis which will enable drivers to pick up hailing passengers something that livery cabs are not allowed to do. Livery cabs can pick someone up only if an individual calls the livery company and requests a ride. On the other hand, boro taxis are considered a dual use vehicle, which means they can be prearranged or hailed from the street. Boro taxis can take street hails above east 96th Street and west 110th Street in Manhattan, as well as in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. The rate of fare for a boro taxi is the same as a current yellow cab. Like yellow taxis, boro taxis will have many distinct features such as a uniform color (apple green), distinctive markings, meter, a roof light, GPS, and credit/debit card reader. Boro taxis also have distinctive markings to help you identify a licensed vehicle. The boro taxi license number can be found on the rear quarter panel and on the roof light. Boro taxis are prohibited from picking up hailing passengers in Manhattan below east 96th Street and west 110th Street. They cannot pick up at LaGuardia, Kennedy or Newark airports. However, if prearranged, boro taxis are permitted to make pickups at these airports.

Winfield/Woodside Sewer Grate

Comet Vice President Dick Gundlach reported this damaged sewer grate on the south west corner of 72nd Street at 51st Avenue more than a year ago to Community Board 2. Although Community Board 2 has been vigilantly following up with the Department of Environmental Protection, the repair has not been done. There are many damaged sewer grates in our area. Hopefully the Department of Environmental Protection will step up their efforts before someone is injured.
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Airplane Noise!
File a Complaint: http://www.planenoise.com/panynj/daPRAbr9 or call 1-800-225-1071
We are making some headway in calling the noise created by planes heading to LaGuardia Airport to the attention of the Port Authority and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) thanks to the efforts of our elected officials and our new-found friends at Queens Quiet Skies, an organization that was formed by residents in eastern Queens to address the plane noise in their community. They have agreed to share their knowledge with folks in our community. We believe by partnering with them we can help pressure the agencies and get them to address the issue of planes flying over our community. When the issue of noise monitors was raised, the Port Authority representative said they will upgrade the existing four noise monitors that serve LaGuardia, but no additional monitors will be installed even though much smaller airports throughout the country have more than New York. Fines to companies exceeding the decimal level are negligible and it doesnt seem like anything is being done to bring them into compliance.

Assembly Member Markey Hosts Town Hall Meeting Regarding Flight Pattern
In response to our complaints about the plane noise, Assembly Member Marge Markey hosted a meeting at Maspeth Town Hall on November 6th to give us the opportunity to speak with representatives from the Port Authority and the FAA. To say the least, some of the responses we heard from the agencies were quite interesting. When residents mentioned the noise from increased plane traffic during the summer into fall, a spokesperson from the FAA claimed nothing has changed. If nothing has changed, we are curious as to why so many people are being distracted by the noise when they werent

According to Bob Whitehair, a former pilot and representative from Queens Quiet Skies, the new technology of the GPS system can now guide planes down a much narrower path that they take to LaGuardia. That means more jets are lining up over the same houses in our community as they land. We believe he is right on target! If you watch the planes fly over, youll see they take a deliberate path. The bottom line is that the FAA and Port Authority are looking for more arrivals and departures and taking a more direct route to save time and money. Assembly Member Markey has promised to follow up on this important issue.

Meng, Addabbo and Dromm Add Pressure to FAA and Port Authority about Planes
We want to thank Congresswoman Grace Meng for her ongoing dialogue with the agencies and Senator Joe Addabbo for reaching out to his representative to discuss our concerns. Council Member Daniel Dromm wrote to Governor Cuomo urging him to sign a bill that would require the Port Authority to prepare a Noise Compatibility Study for JFK and LaGuardia airports since these studies have been done in more than 50 other airports around the country. Well keep you updated about any progress that is made.
Photos by Richie Polgar

impacted before? A representative from the Port Authority claimed maintenance was being done on runway 31 and, as a result, more planes were flying over our community. That still doesnt answer why were still hearing the planes over such a long period of time!!
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NYC DOT Proposes Grand/Flushing Avenue Change

NYC DOT is proposing to remove a portion of Grand and Flushing Avenues as a truck route in conjunction with the Maspeth Bypass. If approved, this will take hundreds of trucks out of Maspeths residential and commercial area. It will also help the NYPD in their summonsing efforts since any truck on Grand and Flushing Avenues would have to be making a delivery in the immediate area. Comet submitted testimony supporting the agencys effort but brought up two concerns. We asked that Grand Avenue between the Kings County Line and the LIE be removed as a truck route and leave the proposal that directs trucks to Rust Street. The second concern was their proposal to direct trucks on Flushing Avenue heading from the Kings County Line to Rust Street. We explained that Rust Street is not accessible from Flushing Avenue because of the underpass.

Council Members Elizabeth Crowleys staff member Eric Yun attended the hearing and brought up the same concerns as Comet. Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer wrote a letter to DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan asking that the agency look into our concerns about the proposed change. We will keep you updated as to the status of the proposal and when it will be implemented. Thank you Elizabeth and Jimmy for your support!! Photos provided by Council Member Elizabeth Crowleys office.
Bylaws Amendments Comets Board voted unanimously to amend the bylaws as follows: AMENDED 11/4/13 The President will also hold the title of Executive Director. The right to vote for the President/Executive Director has been rescinded. AMENDED 11/4/13 C.O.M.E.T. will pay a vendor to complete the necessary paperwork for the completion of a Grant Application on behalf of the Grantee. The vendor will also be responsible for completing the PERS for the Grantee. Any other necessary work with regard to the Grant Application may be done by C.O.M.E.T. on a volunteer basis. No member of C.O.M.E.T. receives compensation for their work.

COMET MEETINGS - 2014

Meetings are held at the Bethzatha Church of God, 85-20 57th Avenue, Elmhurst. 7:00 pm. Parking is available. Monday, February 3rd Monday, March 3rd Monday, March 4th Monday, April 7th

Newsletter Committee
Michael Fordunski, Dick Gundlach, Christina Wilkinson, Richie Polgar, Shirley Warren, Tom Porembski, Roe Daraio Thank You!

This newsletter is made possible by funding from Council Members Elizabeth Crowley, Daniel Dromm, Karen Koslowitz and Jimmy Van Bramer through the Department of Youth and Community Development.
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