Sunday, January 18, 2009

SCA won't locally zone new high school

From the Daily News:

The School Construction Authority announced at a community board meeting Wednesday night that it has scaled back its original plan to build a 1,650-seat intermediate/high school on the site of an old Restaurant Depot building on 74th St.

But judging by the response at the Community Board 5 meeting, the new proposal has not exactly won over the neighborhood.

Several community board members and local residents said the school must be locally zoned in order to ease the burden on high schools in District 24, which Leas said is the most overcrowded in the city.

"Preference will be given to Queens residents," Leas said, but not specifically residents of the local district, Community Education Council 24.

The issue prompted newly elected City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) to take perhaps her first public stance since taking office this month.

"We are not going to stand for this school unless we are assured it is locally zoned," Crowley said at the meeting.


Apparently, Forest Hills is good enough for a locally zoned school, but Maspeth isn't.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

WHAT IS WRONG WITH EVERYONE! WE DO NOT NEED A SCHOOL OVER HERE ON THIS END OF MASPETH PERIOD. WE ARE ALREADY OVERCROWDED WITH SCHOOLS ON THIS END OF MASPETH. TEACHERS ARE PARKING ALL OVER OUR COMMUNITY, WE DON'T NEED TO ADD TO THAT. CHILDREN CAN TRAVEL ONE BUS DOWN TO THE OTHER SITE THAT WAS OFFERED TO THE SCHOOL AUTHORITY, WHICH IS LARGER SITE. WE DON'T NEED TO BRING MORE TRAFFIC TO THIS END AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT A MESS IT IS WITH THE TRAFFIC,SCHOOL BUSES,OH AND LET'S NOT FORGET "ESPECIALLY THE PARENTS".
LINDA DAQUARO

Anonymous said...

You're going to have a bunch of kids bussed into the area. They should build the school in Corona where the kids who actually would go to it live.

Anonymous said...

Hey Grover Cleveland is across the street from Maspeth. Maspeth is already within walking distance of a public high school. Don't see the need for another one. If the Middle Village whiners want one so badly, they should put it in their neighborhood instead of dumping it on us.

Anonymous said...

The Gas Tanks Park is going to become a teenaged afterschool hangout.

Anonymous said...

I did not fight for 2 years for a park at the West Maspeth site so a public high school could be put there instead. There are alternative locations that would not be disruptive to residential areas. There are empty lots all along Queens Boulevard where a school could be built which would be more accessible to public transportation instead of further overburdening the only lifeline through the heart of Maspeth.

Anonymous said...

The primary reason for overcrowding in schools is the presence of so many illegal aliens who use the schools as taxpaid baby-sitters while the adults work at illegal jobs and go home to illegal apartments.

These school-age kids come from families where speaking English is almost forbidden, reading and writing are unheard of, and the benefits of an education are not part of the lives of these people.

Drain the city of the illegals, and see all the problems that are solved. Less crime, jobs available for younger citizens, school that function as uncrowded places for education.

And, we won't need to jam another 2000 teens into a neighborhood already overloaded with overcrowded schools.

We don't need the school building. We don't need that many students. The only winner of the jamming of kids is the UFT.

Anonymous said...

How about at St. John's if it closes?

Anonymous said...

How about all the Catholic schools that are closing? Why can't they be repurposed for public schools instead of spending millions on reinventing the wheel?

Anonymous said...

Yes, its time to thin out the herd. We have hardly any room left to build anything, and soon will be using eminent domain exclusively to build things like schools. We are in this situation because of our sanctuary city policy. Let's wake up and realize that we can't sustain this any longer.

Anonymous said...

Taxpayer - thanks for posting more of your ignorant racist babble.
You all are the only ones who would whine and complain about getting a school built and also whine and complain that your schools are overcrowded. This blog is good for a laugh.

Anonymous said...

Taxpayer was saying if we weren't bursting at the seems with illegals, we wouldn't need a new school and he is correct.

No one said a school shouldn't be built at this point in time; there is a question of the appropriateness of this particular site with 2 other schools within blocks of this location. The highway and railroad block traffic access from one side of town to the other and putting a school here also impacts that. Of course, the SCA couldn't care less how the neighborhood is impacted by this, just so long as they can spend our money in the most imprudent fashion.

Queens Crapper said...

Maybe the guy who made the diversionary "babble" comment can explain why this school shouldn't be locally zoned for the kids who actually live in the neighborhood, but it's good enough for Forest Hills and other areas to have their schools zoned locally.

Anonymous said...

I didn't comment about the local zoning issue. I commented that Taxpayer is an ignorant racist.

As for local zoning, I don't disagree, but I would want to know what you mean by "local." I don't think the high school should be for Maspeth residents only, but it should be focused to serving the area around its location.

Queens Crapper said...

It's actually on the border of Maspeth, Middle Village and Elmhurst, so naturally it should serve all of those communities. The formula they use for other schools is that those within a mile (or maybe 2 mile) radius get first dibs.

Anonymous said...

I commented that Taxpayer is an ignorant racist.

-------

If taxpayer is a citizen and well taxpayer, he has every right to voice his opinion.

Maybe he has no reason to benefit from exploiting people like a classic tweeder and calls things like he seems them.

If you don't like citizens voicing an opinion, why dont you move to the countries that the tweeded are coming from.

See how far you get.

Anonymous said...

A moron named Anon said:
"Taxpayer - thanks for posting more of your ignorant racist babble.
You all are the only ones who would whine and complain about getting a school built and also whine and complain that your schools are overcrowded. This blog is good for a laugh."

Here's the real laugh: It is the moron who immediately jumped to the conclusion that all illegal aliens are part of some minority race.

We have illegals from Ireland, Russia, Middle East, Poland, and so on.

Apart from the automatic racism on the part of the moron, would the moron like to comment on the racist aspect of the comment that's so offensive?

Bet you cannot.

Anonymous said...

Some of you need to learn how to read. I never said Taxpayer didn't have a right to spew his ignorant racist opinions in public, and thereby show everyone his low intellect level. And I have every right to state my opinion about his bigotry.
Taxpayer, so your focus on non-English speaking illegal aliens were the Irish? The Irish speak English Taxpayer. Not only are you an ignorant racist and bigot, you also are trying to lie about it to try to pretend that you are not an ignorant racist and bigot.

Crapper - I agree about the local zoning of the school. No argument here.

Anonymous said...

So by hiding behind "the Irish speak English" and diverting the discussion to whether or not Taxpayer is a bigot, are you declaring your belief that illegal aliens flooding our schools is acceptable?

Anonymous said...

The site on 74th Street is the wrong site. You have so many students from 72nd Place (PS 58) and 71st Street (IS 73)that you can't drive down Grand Avenue or 57th Avenue. There is so much congestion between the buses and the stupid parents that drive their kids to school from other areas, plus the school buses. It is just ridiculous! This area is saturated with kids, cars and parents in the morning and afternoon. I live on 72 Street and watch the teachers pull up to find parking at 7:30. A new high school is definitely needed for the Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood area. The other end of Maspeth is a more logical choice. While they plan out the school, they could plan teacher parking as well. The people who make these decisions are never from the area that they propose the space. I implore the powers that be to stand on Grand Avenue at 7:45 in the morning and afternoon and witness the congestion that already exists. It might make a difference on where they decide to place this high school. Hopefully, common sense will prevail and they will locate it at the other end of town where there is more space.

Queens Crapper said...

There is a huge lot on Metropolitan Avenue where Rite Aid previously was which would be easily accessible by kids from Midville, Maspeth and Ridgewood. SCA said they like that site for a school, and they should put the high school there where it will be minimally intrusive with regards to homes and traffic.

Anonymous said...

I'm for the Metropolitan Avenue site. There is much more room there for all the traffic. The Depot site has 3 schools in a ten block area. St. Adalbert's, PS58 and IS73. So many kids are bussed in and so many parents drive there, it's just a mess in the morning and afternoon. The 58 and 59 bus can't get through all the traffic. Tell the SCA to interview the crossing guards and the guards posted outside these schools. I'm sure they would give the SCA an earful. Hope they look over the Metropolitan Avenue site. It would be a much better scenario.

Anonymous said...

LETS NOT GET OFF THE SUBJECT THAT THIS AREA OF MASPETH/ELMHURST COULD NOT STAND FOR ANOTHER SCHOOL TO BE BUILT. THERE IS WAY TOO MUCH TRAFFIC AND PROBLEMS WE DON'T NEED TO ADD TO IT. LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT THE SENIORS THAT NEED TO SHOP IN OUR COMMUNITY, THEY DON'T NEED MORE CHILDREN TO BUMP INTO ON GRAND AVENUE AND GOING TO STOP AND SHOP. TAXPAYER HAS A RIGHT IN HIS OPINION. TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH ILLEGALS, MAYBE WE SHOULD HAND OUT BIRTH CONTROL.SO THEY CAN STOP POPPING OUT BABIES. BUILD THE SCHOOL ON THE OTHER SITE AND STOP ANNOYING US HERE IN MASPETH/ ELMHURST WITH SUCH B.S.. AND TO THE PARENTS WHO WANT THEIR CHILDREN TO GO TO A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, LET GO OF THE STRAP AND LET YOUR CHILDREN GROW UP AND TAKE A BUS.
LINDA DAQUARO

Anonymous said...

Yeah, at 16 years old, they are old enough to take the bus. There are Maspeth/Middle Village buses that go past at least one public high school.

Anonymous said...

hey Christiana what park in the west maspeth site are you talking about.What I need to know is what is or was the site and is there a park there now?
I not familiar to the area.

Anonymous said...

I heard a bowling alley may go there.

Anonymous said...

Why don't they use eminant domain and put the schools in the areas that need them instead of busing all these kids into other neighborhoods? Think of the money it would save the city in busing and gasoline. Kids should be able to go to school in the neighborhood that they live in. So many kids are bused into IS 73 from Ridgewood, Corona and Jackson Heights. Why doesn't the city condemn some space in those areas and build the schools there? Maspeth has more than it's fair share of kids. Most of them are not from this area. Schools should be zoned for kids in their area. Seats should go to the neighborhood kids first.

Anonymous said...

Thought you aprecciate this, as 2 why Liz Crowley wants locally zoning

http://www.queensledger.com/pages/
news_multimedia

video is called SCA Capital Plan, is the third one down, and she dis Grover Cleveland big time. "Queens Ledge" finally got it right!