Smells like crap at Pomonok

From PIX11:

Janice Rodriguez says the smell inside the Pomonok Houses where she lives with her children is unbearable.

"It's smells like raw sewage in our lobby, in our elevator, in our hallways, and even inside our homes," said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez says she worries for the dozens of families who live inside the city complex, including her grandchildren.

PIX11 news reached out to the New York City Housing Authority.

A spokesperson says,"This situation is unacceptable and our residents deserve better. This morning, the clogged sewer line was cleared and the area was disinfected.”

Kissena Blvd stores have no entrances on street

From Citizen of the Month:

[In 2008] I wrote a blog post titled, “The Slummification of Kissena Boulevard,” where I talked about the decline of the street’s shopping district. I couldn’t understand the logic behind all these stores left empty. The neighborhood wasn’t fancy, but it wasn’t impoverished. Surely a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise would do OK. Was it possible that a landlord could make more money NOT renting the property, under some sort of tax loophole reminiscent of “The Producers?” To this day, I still get comments on that post from people who used to live in the neighborhood.

I’m glad to say that a lot has changed since then. Not long after I wrote that post, there was movement on the street, and workmen began making repairs to the infrastructure. Rather than the structure being demolished, it was strengthened, and smaller storefronts were consolidated. While no Target or Kmart ever moved in, new stores DID arrive. Today, 95% of the original Kissena Boulevard shopping area is back in use, the centerpieces being a supermarket, a National Wholesale Liquidators, and an established electronics/computer store. I enjoy each store and shop there often.

One aspect of this neighborhood revival disappoints me, and that is the suburban mentality that is foisted on our urban folk. While the once empty parking lot is now busy with shoppers filling up the trunks with purchases, Kissena Boulevard is still a ghost town. All entrances that were once directly on Kissena Boulevard have been locked, boarded over, or bricked over. The only way to enter the stores is through the parking lot. It feels as if the stores have open arms to visitors driving in from other parts of Queens, while sending a message of distrust to the actual residents of the neighborhood.

Pomonok graffiti threatens to kill NYPD

From DNA Info:

Graffiti threatening to kill police was found in Queens Monday, sources said .

It comes amid a rash of violence against members of the NYPD.

Two officers were shot responding to a robbery Monday night and, on Dec. 20, Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were killed while sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn.

The department has also fielded dozens of threats against police in recent weeks and made several arrests.

The graffiti that reads “PSA-9 'n' 107 Pct R Next to Die" was spotted in the basement of a building at the Pomonok Houses on Parsons Boulevard, near 65th Avenue, sources said.

Police Service Area 9 serves the Pomonok Houses. The housing project is also part of a larger area covered by the 107th Precinct, which includes Fresh Meadows, Cunningham Heights, Hilltop Village and Kew Gardens Hills as well.

It was not immediately clear if the NYPD is investigating the graffiti as a threat. The NYPD's Citywide Vandals Task Force is handling the case, sources said.

Queens cops save 2 people that OD'ed on heroin

From PIX11:

NYPD officers were able to save two people who overdosed on heroin in separate incidents in Queens.

Officers Brett Devine and Lieutenant David Goldstein reported to a second-floor St. Albans apartment on Dunkirk Street just before 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

While there, they found a 51-year-old man lying on his back in bed, losing consciousness and barely breathing. A female friend of the man said he had just snorted heroin and quickly became unresponsive.

Officer Devine immediately recognized the overdose symptoms including pin-point pupils unaffected by light and blue lips and fingertips.

The officers immediately administered a single lifesaving dose of naloxone nasal spray. Moments later, the man regained consciousness and his breathing was nearly at full-strength. He spoke coherently and opted to walk down the stairs where he was able to step into an ambulance.

The man was transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in stable condition.

Hours later, Officers Kevin Mooney and Matilde Leonardi reported to a building on 71st Avenue in Pomonok, where a woman told cops her 18-year-old daughter fell unconscious after taking heroin.

The teen was completely unresponsive, not breathing, turning blue and had no pulse. The officers quickly administered the naloxone spray and minutes later, she regained consciousness and stong breathing.

She was able to walk to a waiting ambulance from her second-floor apartment. She was transported to Queens Hospital Center in stable condition.

More mosquito spraying tonight

From the Queens Courier:

On Monday, Sept. 8, there will be West Nile spraying in parts of Queens to help reduce the mosquito population and the risk of the disease.

The spraying will take place between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next morning. In case of bad weather, the application will be delayed until Tuesday, Sept. 9 during the same hours.

The following neighborhoods are being treated due to rising West Nile virus activity with high mosquito populations, according to the city’s Health Department:

Parts of Auburndale, Flushing, Fresh Meadows, Murray Hill Pomonok, and Queensboro Hill (Bordered by 46th Avenue, Holly Avenue and Kissena Boulevard to the north; Main Street and Elder Avenue to west; Long Island Expressway to the south; and Hollis Court Boulevard to the east).

Parts of Astoria, Jackson Heights, Steinway and Woodside (Bordered by 19th Avenue and 81st Street to the north; 45th Street to the west; 25th Avenue and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West to the south; and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway East, 25th Avenue, 77th Street and Grand Central Parkway to the east).

Pomonok a sad sight lately

From the Queens Chronicle:

Flushing’s Pomonok Housing was once considered the crown jewel of the NYC Housing Authority, but some tarnish has accrued over decades of neglect, mismanagement and budget cuts, according to tenants.

Monica Corbett, president of the Pomonok Residents Association, guided elected officials through the development last Thursday to show them the unkempt grounds, flooded parking lot, broken doors and overall lack of maintenance.

Corbett said the development was once a nice place to come home to, but at this point NYCHA is demanding more money from residents for very few services. She called on the agency to work with the residents to make Pomonok a better place to live.

State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz (D-Flushing) and City Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) observed the conditions and spoke about the root causes and the need for NYCHA to address the issues.

“This is an ongoing problem,” Stavisky said. “The Dumpsters are overflowing; there’s debris on the street; we have a little lake over there in the parking lot. I’m sorry for the person whose car is partially underwater, but this shows the lack of personnel here at Pomonok to take care of these situations.”

The submerged parking space in “Lake Pomonok” costs the tenant approximately $600 for the year.

Stavisky said there are only 12 caretakers for the entire complex, down from 45 about 10 years ago. NYCHA says there are 25. There used to be seasonal summer and winter workers, but they’re gone.
Pomonok consists of 52 acres with 14 buildings and 2,171 apartments.

Better safe than sorry?

From the Daily News:

A leaky pipe forced the shutdown of gas service to 249 apartments in a Queens housing project, the head of the tenants association said Saturday.

Residents of the Pomonok Houses in Flushing were warned that repairs could take up to two months, said irate association president Monica Corbett.

She said the gas service was shut down Thursday around 10 p.m., with NYCHA workers going from apartment to apartment to disconnect stoves and cap the pipes. NYCHA gave the residents hot plates.

Security cameras coming...eventually

From the Queens Courier:

Police will install new sets of eyes in parts of Briarwood, Jamaica and Pomonok, according to a Queens lawmaker.

Seventeen NYPD security cameras are coming to the area’s high-traffic locations thanks to $600,000 in funding secured by Councilmember James Gennaro.

They can be found around Rufus King Park in Jamaica, near Archbishop Molloy High School and along Hillside Avenue, Jamaica Avenue and Parsons Boulevard, officials said.

Installation is slated to be completed by the city’s police department within two years.

It takes 2 years to install cameras?

West Nile found at Pomonok

From the Queens Courier:

The West Nile virus has been detected in Flushing and Staten Island for the first time this season, city officials said.

Infected mosquitoes were collected from the Pomonok area of Queens and the Huguenot Beach neighborhood in Staten Island, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said.

While no human cases were reported, the department advises residents to take preventative measures to safeguard themselves against the virus.

Barry kicks off BP campaign

From the Daily News:

Barry Grodenchik is entering the crowded field of Democratic candidates for Queens Borough President with an official party/fundraiser on January 8th at Young Israel of Jamaica Estates from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Grodenchik, a former Assemblyman and long-time staffer at Queens Borough Hall, said his experience sets him apart from the pack which includes City Councilman Leroy Comrie, City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., former City Councilwoman Melinda Katz, State Sen. Tony Avella and State. Sen. Jose Peralta.

“I have the most county-wide experience of any of the candidates,” said Grodenchik, 52. “Combined - I have worked in the Borough President’s office for 14 years.

Grodenchik, who grew up in the Pomonok Houses in Flushing, started as an aide to former Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn.

He also worked at the Parkside Group, the lobbying and political consulting firm.

We can see by the company he keeps that he'd be a traditional choice for borough president...

Photo from the Queens Courier

Pomonok in bad shape

From the Queens Tribune:

Pomonok Houses is a sprawling 60-year-old public housing development, and Eli Goldstein is one of its earliest tenants. When Pomonok creeps into the news lately, it is usually for the random acts of violence that plague any housing development, or in one instance, garbage that piled up on a handball court. Life there is generally free of the greater strife that plagues the more desperate, crime-riddled developments in the city.

Yet interviews with residents reveal a troubling truth. Life in Pomonok isn’t what it used to be, and relief is not around the corner. Mailboxes are ripped up and not repaired. Toilets are fixed, only to break again. Lolloway, who is unemployed like her husband, lives with her three children in her father’s asbestos-tainted apartment. They are supported by the money her brother brings home, the disabled veteran checks her father receives – he was awarded the Purple Heart – and his pension, which he earned as a retired postal worker.

“We can’t get answers,” Lolloway said. “The apartment looks like a bomb hit.”

West Nile mosquitoes are back

From the Queens Courier:

The New York City Department of Health has detected West Nile Virus in city mosquitoes for the first time this season. The infected mosquitoes were detected in Auburndale and Pomonok in Queens, as well as in East Williamsburg and Bushwick in Brooklyn and Old Town in Staten Island.

No human cases have been detected this season and, in order to keep it that way, the Health Department has increased mosquito surveillance and mosquito larvae control efforts in affected areas.

Anti-crime cameras to be installed at Pomonok

From the Queens Gazette:

Pomonok Houses in Flushing, a city Housing Authority development, is set to get an infusion of $700,000 to install closed circuit television cameras in buildings that have been identified by the police department as high crime buildings, two Flushing lawmakers announced.

Assemblymember Nettie Mayersohn said she has acquired $500,000 in capital funding for the anti-crime project and state Senator Toby Ann Stavisky received $200,000 in state funds for the project. Stavisky’s funds will be used for the installation of additional cameras in strategic places.

The goal of the funding, the Democratic lawmakers said in a release, is to begin installing cameras in high-crime buildings to reduce crime and improve the quality of life for the residents of the targeted buildings.

Stavisky added. “The residents of Pomonok Houses deserve the peace of mind and security that these surveillance cameras will offer in terms of crime deterrence.” Stavisky added. “The residents of Pomonok Houses deserve the peace of mind and security that these surveillance cameras will offer in terms of crime deterrence.” The cameras, they said, would be strategically placed in specially designated areas that are prone to criminal activity, such as building lobbies, including mail boxes and elevators, interior elevator cabs and building entrances and exits, and also the building exteriors.

Savage attack at Pomonok

by JAMIE SCHRAM, NY Post

Three thugs plunged a screwdriver into a Chinese-food deliveryman's back outside a Queens housing project -- leaving him paralyzed, cops said yesterday.

Chen Zhou was ambushed near the Pomonok Houses in Flushing at about 4 p.m. Tuesday. Cops busted Dijon Bright, Devante Tarver and Cody Youmans in connection with the attack and the theft of a bag of Chinese food.

Deadly fire labeled suspicious

From NY1:

Officials are investigating the cause of a two alarm fire that killed a woman and injured three others early Sunday morning in Queens.

Investigators say the fire started around 3 a.m. on the fifth floor of a building inside the Pomonok Houses complex at 71st Avenue and 156st Street in Kew Gardens Hills.

The victim has been identified as Bianca Kuros, 44.

Officials say it took more than a hundred firefighters and an hour to contain the flames.

Three other people were taken to the hospital with serious injuries and four firefighters suffered minor injuries.

The Red Cross is also helping a displaced family find housing.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Q74 on the chopping block

From the Times Ledger:

More than 50 Queens legislators, college students and seniors railed against the MTA’s proposal to eliminate the Q74 bus line at a rally Friday afternoon outside the Pomonok Houses in Flushing.

Individuals slammed the move, which could take effect as early as this spring, and said it would cut off what they called a lifeline for residents going to work and school.

The Q74 runs from Kew Gardens to Flushing and was one of the lines the Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposed to cut in December.

A Crap Sandwich

The house on 159th Street and 72nd Avenue in Fresh Meadows was built in 1935, making it one of the oldest in the neighborhood. At the time, its backyard faced the Pomonok Country Club. Even after most of the club’s land became housing projects, a small part remained as an undeveloped block into the late 1980s. For many years, a John Burns resided in it. By early 2008, a new owner, Brian Tsabari’s Alaska Group, Inc. became its new owner. The home became vacant and neglected, as the neighborhood around it continued to crappify. Today, the home is a “Crap Sandwich,” surrounded by taller neighbors.
To my surprise, last week, a sign was installed, announcing the sale of this house. Potential homeowners need not apply, because the sign targets either condo builders, schools, or temples. When I called the broker, Impact Homes, Inc., I was told it was worth $2.5 million and that it has been vacant for 3 and a half years. I was also told that the sale was not intended for potential homeowners. It is a land sale for investors or developers. But, “If you think you can afford it, stop by my office,” the broker told me, before ending the brief phone conversation.

Need a Condo built?

I also called the owner of Boulevard ALP, the massive senior residence that adjoins the old house. They said they have nothing to do with it.

As a neighbor, my question is - What is going on?

More skeeter spraying for Queens

The city's Health Department will spray parts of Queens and Staten Island for mosquitoes starting Tuesday to reduce the risk of West Nile virus.

On Tuesday, the following areas of Queens will be sprayed:

South Flushing
Murray Hill
Auburndale
Fresh Meadows
Kissena Park
Pomonok
Queensboro Hill

On Wednesday and Thursday the following parts of Queens will be sprayed:

Cambria Heights
Saint Albans
Springfield Gardens
Laurelton

Photo from NY1