Friday, August 28, 2015

Funding provided to buy Brinckerhoff Cemetery

From the Queens Chronicle:

Details still need to be worked out but it looks like the historic Brinckerhoff Cemetery in Fresh Meadows will be purchased through the efforts of the Borough President’s Office.

Borough President Melinda Katz recently announced that she has allocated $150,000 to buy the burial ground that dates back to 1730. That was the asking price of its owner, Le Dan Cai, who cannot build on the property because it was landmarked in 2012.

Once the landmarking was in place, there was little the owner could do with the property.

Jim Gallagher, president of the Fresh Meadows Homeowners Civic Association, who has been fighting for years to save the neglected site, said Monday that he and members of Friends of the Brinckerhoff Colonial Cemetery have to meet with Katz to discuss a plan.

The nonprofit Friends group was organized after the city designated the site a landmark in an attempt to raise funds to purchase it. The group is headed by Yolanda Dela Cruz-Gallagher, the civic president’s wife, but fundraising has been difficult.

The belief is the land could go to the Parks Department as that agency does handle several other burial grounds, but most are located in larger park facilities. More than likely the city will retain ownership and the Friends group would maintain the property.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

No comments....eh? See....nobody cares.
Who would want to buy a cemetery anyway?
No rush for comments....no rush by buyers.

warp10 said...

This land should never have been for sale in the first place. I wonder if the city could use eminent domain to take it back and save some of the $150,000 for future maintenance.

Anonymous said...

Eminent domain doesn't mean you get it for free.

We would have to pay for it. If we (the taxpayer) didn't pay what he thinks its worth it will be years in court.

If it wasn't landmarked until 2012 it wasn't much of a landmark. Pay this guy what he wants or move on.

Until then it sits there looking more and more run down.

Nice.

Anonymous said...

Call the Soprano's Paulie "walnuts" to put him in his own ground. LOL!
He can join the Brinkerhoffs and be in good company.
Oopsy, daisy....now do not take me seriously. I was jesting about putting a contract out on the owner.
Ya nevah know who's eavesdropping on the Internet lately.....particulary...Homeland Insecurity....LOL!

Anonymous said...

Hope it works out, would be a great victory. Would save some history and honor the deceased and well as save Queens from another Shit box house!