Friday, August 19, 2011

Dutch Kills MTA facility a pig sty


From the Queens Gazette:

Residents in the Dutch Kills community are calling foul over the condition of a trash-strewn Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) training facility covered in discarded food, newspapers and other garbage that is spilling over the sidewalk and cluttering the southeast entrance to the 39th Avenue/Beebe Avenue N and Q subway station entrance in Long Island City.

Dutch Kills Civic Association Executive Director George Stamatiades last week said, the trash collects around a fence surrounding the MTA training center and ventilation system located on a triangular block that runs along 31st Street, from 39th Avenue to Northern Boulevard.

Stamatiades said area residents are sick and tired of the way MTA officials are ignoring the quality of life and appearance of the Dutch Kills community.

The trash problem has plagued the location for many years, but new development in the area demands that MTA officials clean up their act, Stamatiades said.

“This subway station is the gateway to the many new, major hotel chains featuring 1,000 rooms in the heart of the Dutch Kills community. What impression does this make on the hundreds of tourists that pass through this subway station on their way to visit our city,” he stated. “And here’s the big question—would the MTA allow this condition to exist at the Fifth Avenue/59th Street subway station in Manhattan?”

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

"And here’s the big question—would the MTA allow this condition to exist at the Fifth Avenue/59th Street subway station in Manhattan?"

-This guy doesn't ride the subways.

Granted, our system is old and the natives are not as civilized as some other parts of the world (such as BKK Thailand where you never see people pissing or dropping garbage on the platforms) but on some stations you have to play hopscotch to avoid pools of..whatever it is.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. Did the MTA generate this trash, or it collected there from the street and neighbor's trash? Here's an idea! I recommend concerned neighbors take 3 minutes out of their busy day and go sweep and bag what they can, no? Doesn't that make sense? Isn't that quicker and cheaper than having the the MTA send 6 union guys making $40 per hour to do it? I think it's about having pride in your neighborhood, right? Or, I guess they can just bitch, moan, complain, and sit on their asses.

Anonymous said...

The trash problem has plagued the location for many years, but new development in the area demands that MTA officials clean up their act, Stamatiades said.
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Key word: New Development.

Go to Steinway Street and see what they think of the Old Development.

Anonymous said...

Annon #2 - good question.

Well, there is a civic organization in that neighborhood. They are well funded. Very well funded indeed.

Many communities have clean up days with their members. Why don't they?

What do they do with the funds?

How active is their membership?

Anonymous said...

Wait till they get a 1000s of students in those 'dorms' they want to build in converted factories that have a rail yard on one side and an elevated train and busy highway on the other.... and nothing else for blocks in either direction.

It will be a study in raging hormones.

Anonymous said...

“This subway station is the gateway to the many new, major hotel chains featuring 1,000 rooms in the heart of the Dutch Kills community. What impression does this make on the hundreds of tourists that pass through this subway station on their way to visit our city,” he stated. “And here’s the big question—would the MTA allow this condition to exist at the Fifth Avenue/59th Street subway station in Manhattan?”

AH, WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE LIVING IN DUTCH KILLS? MAYBE YOU SHOULD CLEAN IT FOR THEM - THEY PAY THE TAXES FOR ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.

OR DON'T THEY MATTER?

Anonymous said...

A $20,000 state grant to Dutch Kills, delivered by state Senator George Onorato, came next. Walsh said again, as he had last month, that he sought suggestions about the best way to spend the funds and thus appear worthy of similar grants in the future. He held out a small shopping bag as a suggestion box and pleaded for written entries. Time is fairly short: the suggestions have to be acted upon and the money spent on them before next spring.
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Some people whisper that instead of helping the residents in the community, did it go to promote the new development?

Anonymous said...

Why don't we ask Jimmy Van Bramer - DKCA is a favorite of his and he gave the civic lots of money.

Why didn't they use it to clean this like other civics would?