Critical mass motorcycle and ATV gangs dominate Astoria Park.

 

LIC Post

Dozens of illegal riders on dirt bikes and ATVs ripped through Astoria Park Sunday pulling wheelies, revving engines and sending dust flying – before eventually being chased out of the park by police.

The unruly sight, which left park-goers angered – and others covered in dust – occurred at around 6 p.m. at the southern end of the park where families were soaking up the evening sunlight and skateboarders were riding the ramps of the skate park.

A long stream of raucous bikers were seen traveling southbound along a pathway inside Astoria Park before descending on the skate park that was full of young children who were forced to flee for safety, video footage obtained by the Queens Post shows.

One biker pulled a “doughnut” just before entering the skate park which showered people in dust, according to Ben Kennedy, a skateboarder who witnessed the disruptive scene.

“It was a complete dust storm for a couple of minutes,” said Kennedy, who estimated that the group consisted of more than 100 vehicles.

 The bikers essentially forced the pedestrians off the pathway and one mother pushing her child in a baby stroller could be seen waiting for the dangerous activity to subside before accessing the walkway, the footage reveals.

The bikers, Kennedy said, then essentially took over the skate park by driving around the concrete purpose-built area leaving irate skateboarders with no choice but to leave or else face being run down. Many of the bikers were not wearing helmets.

Around 10 cops showed up a few minutes later and chased the bikers away, Kennedy said. He said the police confiscated two dirt bikes at the scene after some riders decided to drop their vehicles in order to evade the cops on foot.

“It actually became even more dangerous when the cops attempted to apprehend the bikers because they started to scramble away at speed,” Kennedy said about the hectic episode.

It is unclear if any arrests were made. A police spokesperson did not have any information pertaining to the ugly incident when called for comment.

Kennedy said that bikers have been driving recklessly in groups at the park since the weather began to heat up this year.

“It wasn’t a surprise to see them and everyone is mystified as to why they are not being stopped,” he said. “It’s not safe.”

Other residents said that the illegal activity has been taking place at the park since last year.

 I'm surprised they didn't show up for AOC's little rally at this same spot a week ago.

 

 

Ocasio-Cortez comes alive

 

Impunity City 

AOC showed up to speak at Astoria Park to boost the Green New Deal during a protest against the proposed power plant coming to Astoria. 

 Sorry for the shakes but the audio's alright. 

 

Frosty the Deity

  

 

Queens Eagle

At the foot of the meadow in Astoria Park, just beyond a crop of trees and not far from the century-old Hellgate Bridge, a towering bust carved in snow and ice appeared Thursday evening. 

Rising more than six feet in height, his face was encircled with an icy mane of curls. A carrot dangled from the right side of his lips, reminiscent of an expensive cigar. His deep set eyes gazed southward, as if to halt the winds that a day earlier had brought an estimated nine inches of snow to western Queens. Thou shalt not pass, the wizened snowman seemed to say. 

But who was this mystery snowman? Who carefully chiseled his furrowed brow? What earthly beings wrought Old Man Winter of Astoria?

An Eagle investigation initially led only to dead ends. Photos showed several unidentifiable figures bundled up in coats and hats near the sculpture from a distance. 

Most of the responses to the Eagle’s inquiry on the neighborhood Facebook page simply marveled at the artistry and craftsmanship. One person joked it had been made by aliens. 

But then there was a break in the cold case. 

A woman noted that she had met the snow sculptors on Thursday. The mystery has been solved.

Meet artists Marios Tzavellas and Melissa Vadakara.

“I had been sitting on the bench waiting for him, and I said let’s build a snowman,” said Vadakara, 27. He and Vadakara simply picked a patch of untouched snow.

“We just started going,” Vadakara said.

The Astoria residents initially envisioned a Christmas tree, then switched to a portrait, then Santa Claus, and finally a Greek god. “Maybe it’s all of them,” Tzavellas said. 

Architect draws up better plan for Astoria Park diving pool

From DNA Info:

The Parks Department has planned for years to pave over the shuttered pool and turn it into a performance space, a proposal approved by Community Board 1 and the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2013.

But the plan has drawn criticism from some residents who would rather see the pool restored to its original use.

Andrew Tesoro, who runs the Manhattan firm Tesoro Architects, says he's come up with a design for the space that would keep it functional all year-round. He submitted it to the Parks Department earlier this month.

"As an architect, I object somewhat to the plans of the Parks Department," he said.

The diving pool should retain an "aquatic function" rather than be filled in, he added. "It should have at least other uses."

Tesoro envisions restoring Astoria Park's diving pool for swimming and using it as an ice rink in the winter, then adding a deck-like stage opposite the diving boards to use for events and performances.

He came up with the idea after being approached by Kathleen Springer, an Astoria resident who's spearheaded a campaign to get the pool reopened, Tesoro said, noting the "spectacular design" of the Astoria Park Pool complex.

"It's important to take this precious resource and do as much as we can with it," Tesoro said.

Tesoro doesn't have an exact figure for how much the plan would cost to implement, but thinks it could possibly be cheaper or close in cost to the Parks Department's current plan for the site.

"Filling a 17-foot basin with gravel and then paving over half an acre of that with attractive material — that's not inexpensive activity," he said.

Astoria Park getting an upgrade

From NY1:

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the funding for the five parks on Thursday: St. Mary's Park in The Bronx, Highbridge Park in Manhattan, Betsy Head Park in Brooklyn, Astoria Park in Queens, and Freshkills Park on Staten Island.

Each will get $30 million to add and improve amenities like soccer fields, comfort stations, running tracks, and hiking trails.

City officials said the parks were chosen based on historical underinvestment, high surrounding population, and potential for development.

Okay, but Astoria Park has had millions poured into it over the years and how much more can it be developed?

City says mosquitoes won't breed at Astoria Pool

From NBC:

Scan Astoria Park with your eyes and it is hard to miss the high dive pool. The towering diving platforms have been closed to the public for years, but the pool beneath never stopped capturing rainwater.

On a recent Thursday, you could seeas a faded basketball floating in the cloudy water, and knee-high weeds growing out of the pool.

"It’s definitely a mosquito breeding ground,” said neighbor Ian Eastwick, as he walked by the abandoned pool. "That’s where they hang out. That’s where they come from."

"I think they need to clean it up, man," added Les Fernandez, as he finished his workout in the park. "This is a popular park."

In April, Mayor de Blasio announced a $21 million campaign to fight Zika. The strategy includes public service announcements, travel advisories and warnings to get rid of stagnant water that might be collecting in old tires, birdbaths and pools.

Despite those warnings, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation suggested the Astoria Park high dive pool does not represent a mosquito risk.

"The diving pool is maintained regularly by NYC Parks staff, including weeding, removing debris, and spraying for insects," Meghan Lalor, a Parks spokeswoman, wrote in an email to the I-Team.

"However, due to the nature of the deep pool, this work is difficult and requires specialized equipment."

Astoria Park potties have been contaminating the East River since the '30s

From QNS.com:

Parents were dismayed earlier this month when they realized that the bathrooms in Astoria Park’s Charybdis Playground would be closed for a second summer due to plumbing problems.

City workers discovered last spring that sewage from the playground and Astoria pool bathrooms had been seeping into the East River since the 1930’s, according to Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski.

The discovery was made when construction of a new amphitheater began at the park’s neglected diving pool. Designers working on the project found that pipes from the playground and pool concession were not connected to city pipes, Lewandowski said at the monthly Astoria Parks Alliance meeting on Tuesday.

“The pool and playground were built in the 1930s at a time when people were unfortunately not as environmentally conscious as we are now,” a spokesperson for the Parks Department said.

The Parks Department brought in portable toilets to Charybdis Playground last summer and will do the same this summer. The new bathrooms are not expected to be completed until 2019. Bathrooms at the pool were fixed to ensure the pool could operate last summer, the spokesperson said.

At least Little Bay Park finally got their new potties.

Parents want playground potties repaired

From DNA Info:

The bathrooms at a playground in Astoria Park are still closed after being shuttered because of a plumbing issue this summer — and local parents are calling on the city to get them fixed before the warm weather returns.

More than 300 people signed an online petition as of Friday morning asking the Parks Department to reopen the restrooms at Charybdis Playground, a popular play space near the waterfront.

Though the playground’s bathrooms are always closed during the winter, parents are worried they will have to spend another summer without them if repairs aren't finished soon, according to the petition.

Public pools have a bunch of health violations

From NBC:

Soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity sent New Yorkers in droves to the nearest swimming pool this week, but with the flood of water-seekers, some may wonder how city pools measure up in terms of safety and sanitation.

The I-Team reviewed records of pool inspections and violations for all New York City Parks and Recreation Pools for 2013 and 2014. The investigation showed dozens of public health violations are issued each year for problems like lack of supervisory staff, overcrowding and, in some cases, failure to operate filtration and disinfection equipment continuously.

For example, the Astoria Pool in Queens had 10 violations in recent years. Five of the violations were considered "critical," including failing to provide a valid pool operator certificate, having inadequate water test kits and improperly operating the flow meter.

One violation involving chlorine levels during use of the pool was listed as a public health hazard.

Astoria Park amphitheater may be built next year

From the Queens Tribune:

The long intermission for a planned Astoria Park amphitheater is ending, according to the Parks Department.

Designs for the amphitheater, which will transform the park’s defunct diving pool into an outdoor performance space, are set to be completed by the end of March with construction tentatively slated to begin in 2016, a Parks spokesperson said.

Plans for this amphitheater have been years in the making. Parks started its design process in 2012, and brought preliminary plans to the community in February 2013, meeting a critical but mostly receptive audience, according to published reports from the time.

An original design completion date of October 2013 was then pushed back due to a delay in obtaining materials needed for grading and drainage, according to the Parks Department.

Once design is complete, Parks will file for work permits to begin construction.

Ice skating rink proposed for Astoria Pool

From the Queens Courier:

Astoria Park could soon be the next site to go skating for the holidays.

Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. sent a letter to Parks Department Commissioner Veronica White on November 19, asking the agency to develop the Astoria Park Pool area into an ice skating rink. The area being proposed for the rink is next to the pool and used for sprinklers during the summer.

“This area in the Astoria Park Pool would make the perfect space for an ice skating rink for the residents of Queens to enjoy during the winter months,” said Vallone. “With the addition of an ice skating rink to the existing skate park and upcoming amphitheater, Astoria Park will be a destination for every season.”

Vallone and White are both on their way out, so how is this even a "could soon" story?

Astoria Park beatdown

From CBS New York:

Two eighth grade students are now recovering from a terrifying attack in Queens.

The girls were jumped by a mob of high school students in Astoria and the fight was all caught on video.

Cellphone cameras were rolling as a wild mob scene broke out in Astoria Park on Friday.

Stuck in the middle was 14-year-old Samatha Gonzalez, seen on the video in a black and white striped shirt.

The honor student said she was badly beaten while trying to defend her friend Christina Campos, who was getting punched and kicked by more than a dozen high school students.

“About seven to 10 girls just started grabbing me and held my hands and just started kicking me in the face,” Gonzalez told CBS 2′s Hazel Sanchez. “They threw cones at me. They hit us with belt buckles, with Timberlands, umbrellas, guys kicking us — like guys, really?”

Isn't it great that thugs these days record video of themselves committing crimes and then post it online so that the cops have an easy time catching them?

DOT & Parks acknowledge problem with Astoria Park bike lanes

From the Queens Gazette:

Community Board 1 officials and members of the Astoria Park Alliance were shocked last fall when they realized newly-installed lanes at the park were too narrow to accommodate bicyclists and people out for a stroll in the park.

The lanes were constructed as part of the $3.4 million Queens East River and North Shore Greenway designed to connect the shoreline from Newtown Creek in Long Island City to the Flushing Bay Promenade, but the shared Bicycle/Pedestrian lanes measure a measly 4-feet wide – far too narrow to accommodate those sharing the paths, CB1 officials said.

Community Board officials reached out to the city Department of Parks for resolution of the condition, saying the crowded lanes are sure to cause collisions between bicyclists and visitors to Astoria Park – and that the lanes have already become a problem for area residents who view the symbols as “an eyesore.”

CB1 Parks Committee chairperson Richard Khuzumii said the city Department of Transportation and the Parks Department responded to the board’s inquiry by submitting a three-point proposal listing changes slated for the lanes.

The proposal calls for removal of “redundant” Greenway signs in tight spaces and a focus on locations where the bike paths diverge from pedestrian areas, attaching metal reflectors on barrier fences where the paths run alongside lanes of traffic and creation of wider shared lanes by removing some markings that separate pedestrian and bicycle lanes.

Khuzumi said anyone experiencing problems or collisions between bicycles, pedestrians, motor vehicles, “or visual pollutants,” should call 311 to report the condition(s).

Actually, if you're in a collision, 911 might be more appropriate...

Pool plan pricier than promised

From the Queens Chronicle:

Two weeks ago when plans were released for a once $1 million, now $4.3 million project to transform the defunct art deco diving pool next to the Astoria pool into an amphitheater, the reaction from some was “huh?”

How did a plan quadruple in price?

At first, based on a meeting held on Feb. 20, the price tag seemed to have skyrocketed because of materials. However, the cost of cement hasn’t matured like gold.
Asked to clarify, a city Parks Department spokesman said the scope of the project has grown.

Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) allocated the money for the proposal. He wants to see shovels in the ground before his term-limited tenure expires at the end of the year — although he does aspire to represent Queens as the next borough president — but is not happy with the escalated price.

As for comments online that the money should go toward oft-neglected Flushing Meadows Corona Park instead, Vallone responded that “the argument isn’t about if money should be going to different Queens parks, the argument should be why it goes to other boroughs and not Queens.”

Because our elected officials suck, that's why. And Vallone allocated $1M, not the whole $4.3M, so why are so many taxpayer dollars from outside Astoria being fed into this money pit?  They won't even have a $2M crapper like Elmhurst Park has.

No respect for Flushing Meadows

From the Queens Chronicle:

We’re tired of Flushing Meadows Corona Park being the Rodney Dangerfield of the city’s crown jewel green spaces. Why do we in Queens get no respect?

For weeks we’ve been covering Major League Soccer’s plan to eat up about a dozen acres of the old fairgrounds for a new stadium. Even leaving aside the myriad logistical, environmental and economic problems with the very vague plan, we’ve concluded that simply proposing it is offensive because Flushing Meadows is a public park —one that’s already suffered enough through city neglect.

Note that one selling point for the stadium is that MLS would refurbish the soccer fields in the park if its plan is approved. That should be a city function. But it’s no surprise that the city isn’t doing its municipal duty at FMCP. Though it’s far larger than the city’s true crown jewel, Central Park, the latter gets much more funding and much more staffing.

Underappreciated by the power brokers, the cocktail hour class and even our elected officials, yes. But not by the working-class and poor people, many of them immigrants, who live in the neighborhoods surrounding FMCP. Yes, the fact that they litter and tend to damage trees when they dump hot coals out of their barbecue grills is an affront — but one that better code enforcement could put a damper on. Still, the people who come to the park for a break from the concrete and steel of their neighborhoods love the place. Look at how adamantly many of them oppose the MLS plan —not to mention the much smaller, much more reasonable, much more feasible bid by the United States Tennis Association to take just another two-thirds of an acre.

While Central Park’s amenities are kept pristine, our Queens landmarks in Flushing Meadows, such as the New York State Pavilion, continue to deteriorate as if this was still the crumbling New York City of 1977. Meanwhile, the city plans to spend $4.5 million to turn the old Astoria Pool diving well into an amphitheater, in one of the more overpriced, harebrained schemes we’ve heard of late. How much plain old park maintenance would that money buy at FMCP?

As this page has said before, it’s City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras who holds the key to saving the park from the MLS plan. If she says no, the rest of the Council will fall in line and that will be that. She’s been noncomittal, and never said a word to us about laying the future of the park at her feet. We again urge you to urge Ferreras to reject the soccer stadium. And now we take it a step further: Demand that she and the rest of our City Council delegation start treating our park the way it should be treated. Fix the soccer fields. Restore the historic structures. Maybe even landmark the park, as state Sen. Tony Avella is asking — the first person ever to do so, according to the city (Prospect Park was landmarked in 1973, Central Park in 1974). And above all, pledge that the long period of neglect at FMCP is over.

Poorly planned bike lanes installed at Astoria Park

From DNA Info:

Parks advocates say the new bike lanes that the city installed in Astoria Park are too narrow and will be ripe for collisions between cyclists and pedestrians once the weather gets warm and the park is crowded with visitors.

They also say that the placement of the lanes on grass inside the park, instead of next to the waterfront on Shore Boulevard, will invite pedstrians to stroll on them, creating a dangerous situation.

"It's just too narrow — it doesn't seem to be big enough for pedestrians and bikes," said Martha Lopez-Gilpin, co-chair of the local group Astoria Park Alliance.

She said the group was originally thrilled with the idea of bike lanes being installed in the park, part of the city's Queens East River and North Shore Greenway, a $3.46 million urban trail project to connect the Queens waterfront.

But they were surprised this fall with the Parks Department's placement of the 4-foot wide lanes on park land, contrary to earlier dicussions that hinted they would be on the other side.

"It's where a greenway belongs — it belongs on the road," said Jules Corkery, the Alliance's other co-chair.

"By putting a bike-way into the park, you’re inviting bikes into the parkland," she said, saying it will inevitably lead to standoffs between cyclists and strolling pedestrians, or even between two bikes.

"You cant leisurely ride with a friend in the bike lane, side by side, the way you would in a park. It's too narrow," she said.

A spokesman for the Parks Department said the new bike lanes are intended for cyclists only, and that pedestrian lanes were added to the parts of the path that bordered the park's pedestrian walkways.

The bike-only lanes have been stenciled with a bicycle symbol to let pedestrians know to stay off, the spokesman said.

But Lucille Hartmann of Community Board 1 said that even with the markers, it's likely the lanes will be used by pedestrians making their way from inside the park to the waterfront.

"You're going to have people walking with carriages. They're not planned well," she said. "It doesn’t look like it's going to be safe for the bikers or for the pedestrians."

Astoria Pool "Theater" to be crapper-less

From the Daily News:

An ambitious project to transform a defunct Astoria Park diving pool into an amphitheater could begin in 18 months, with a pricetag more than four times originally envisioned.

The long-neglected pool will be paved with concrete to create a 37,000-square-foot performance space that will hold 500 people, Parks Department officials said Wednesday at a community board meeting.

When the project was initially unveiled in December 2011, its pricetag was estimated at $1 million, with hopes that shovels would be in the ground by 2012.

Despite the quadrupled pricetag, there won’t be enough money to create permanent bathrooms there initially — a fact that concerned some stakeholders.

Parks Department officials said they would instead provide portable bathrooms in the interim due to a tight budget.

Astoria Pool diving board: Asset or eyesore?

From the NY Times:

Astoria, Queens, is about to get its first outdoor amphitheater, situated where an Art Deco diving pool, built in the 1930s, fell into disuse decades ago. Plans call for filling the pool, at Astoria Park, with concrete to make way for the performance space, but the pool complex has been declared a landmark, a designation that means any changes would require a review by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. Accordingly, there are a few things that probably will not change: namely, the triple-tiered Bauhaus-style diving board.

That will most likely remain, smack in the middle of downstage, posing quite a challenge to set designers.

Dorothy Lewandowski, the Queens parks commissioner, said demolishing the diving board was never considered. “We’re not looking to create a Lincoln Center; we’re paying tribute to what was once there before, and create a new adaptive use,” she said.

Not everyone sees it that way. “Having a diving board facing the majority of your audience in a center stage position is untenable,” said Melanie Joseph, the founding and artistic director of the Foundry Theater, who has staged performances in such unconventional settings as a tour bus. “The strongest place onstage is center stage, and you don’t have that as a playing area,” she said.

In theory, the Landmarks Preservation Commission could still approve a plan to remove the diving board, if one were submitted, said Elisabeth de Bourbon, a spokeswoman for the commission.

From diving pool to concert stage

From NY1:

Some big changes are on the way for one of the most iconic landmarks in Queens.

While Astoria Pool may be the busiest in the city, the diving pool nearby has not been used in some 30 years.

Now parks officials are set turn it into an outdoor performance space.

The city hopes the new project will make the park more accessible to residents.

Officials are also hoping to attract many community theaters, dance companies, and musicians in an effort to bring a whole new crowd to the park.

Let's read between the lines here. Does Astoria really need a "performance space?" Does the Bloomberg Administration suddenly like Peter Vallone again and think his constituents are deserving of a cultural venue? This is being done to spur more development. That rezoning happened just as the building brakes were put on and there's more gold in them thar hills.

Crime on the rise, cop numbers on the decline

From the Daily News:

LOCALS WHO have been grappling with an influx this summer of homeless people to Astoria's largest park are hanging their hopes on the autumn chill to accomplish what city agencies found a tough problem to crack.

Astoria Park has been a homeless hot spot, residents said, despite the addition of a police squad car to patrol the area and more outreach by the city Department of Homeless Services, both of which began in August.

Homeless men and women sleep in the park nightly, defecating and urinating in public, dismayed residents said.

"It really is one of the jewels of Queens," said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria). "But this problem shows that even safe neighborhoods are not immune to a bad economy and less police."

Vallone's office began getting complaints from the start of the summer. The cries for help grew louder after the murder and when another man was shot and killed nearby on 28th St.

"We met with the Department of Homeless Services and Deputy Inspector Stephan Ciribasi of the 114th Precinct," Vallone said. "The precinct responded and provided an extra squad car to patrol the area."

Queens has the lowest homeless population of the five boroughs, according to the Department of Homeless Services, but after agency officials met with Vallone, it upped the presence of outreach teams there.

Hey, it's not just Astoria Park!

Check this out from the Daily News:

Vehicle thefts are up 11.9% boroughwide in the first nine months of this year compared with the same period in 2009, new NYPD crime statistics show.

The number of major crimes in Queens has fallen about 1% overall, but the surge in auto thefts was just one of the surprising stats in the NYPD's latest CompStat figures.

In usually peaceful Astoria, violent crime spiked. Murders were up from two in 2009 to seven in 2010, and the number of shooting victims jumped from nine in 2009 to 19 in 2010.

One Astoria mom, who did not want to be named, described a recent scene at Astoria Heights Playground, on 45th St. near 31st Ave.

"There were a number of us there with small children," she said. "Then there was a gunshot and everyone ran. This was in the middle of the afternoon, in this neighborhood. I can't believe what is happening."

City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) said what is happening in Astoria is "a microcosm of what is happening all over the city."

"When you have less cops on the street, violent crime is going to go up," said Vallone, who heads the Council's Public Safety Committee. "We don't have a single beat or bicycle cop and sometimes you only have two or three patrol cars in an entire district."