Lefferts Blvd station still under repair and covered in poop

From Impunity City:

It’s almost the middle of May, about 6 weeks into the 2nd quarter of 2017, and the notorious tardiness renovating the Lefferts Blvd. station continues unabated and sadly unconcerned by the higher administrative brass and even the thousands of commuters who rely on this heavily populated hub. The stairway and the handicap accessible elevator look complete but are still surrounded by machinery, giant orange thimbles and partition fencing obstructing the majority of the sidewalk. And it’s still causing massive bottlenecks of people exiting and entering the station.

But during my last visit, I happened to meet the curators of the year long fecal art exhibition at the turnstiles.

Flushing pigeon house is a big problem

From CBS2:

Residents of a Queens neighborhood said they’ve had enough of the pigeon problem that’s left their street a disgusting mess, but they don’t know who to ask for help.

As CBS2’s Steve Langford reported, residents turned to CBS2’s Facebook Page, saying the pigeons have taken over a house with droppings covering the sidewalk, forcing people to walk on the street, and stinking up the neighborhood.

Show a little pride!

Our wanderings reveal more trashification. Last week it was the unsightly, dirty property at 67-70 Yellowstone Blvd. This week it's the corner of Austin St. & Ascan Ave., apparently the permanent home of New Town Grocery's gigantic filthy rag oops we mean awning.

You thought this was Dean & DeLuca, right? Easy mistake to make. We wonder why this has been allowed to remain for so long. There are even apartments right over the awning. Compliments on the view, not to mention the sanitation aspect.

Haven't any nearby businesses complained? What could be better than kicking back with an overpriced glass of wine at Jack & Nellie's on Ascan and a view of the shredded, bird-pooped New Town awning? This might be one of the few instances when yet another Starbucks, eyewear place or hair salon would be an asset as long as we didn't have to look at that ratty thing. The interior of the store further reflects its dignity level.

Hey, we're all for Mom-and-Pop stores, as long as Mom and Pop have some self-esteem.

- Forest Hills Wanderer

DOT to clean pigeon poop from under LIE

From the Forum:

Maspeth’s councilwoman helped secure a new contract that would clean up the crud underneath several underpasses in the area.

City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Maspeth) announced an agreement with the state Department of Transportation honing in on the maintenance of underpasses below the Long Island Expressway on 74th Street and 80th Street in Maspeth. The spots have become nesting grounds for the unsightly things pigeons leave behind, the councilwoman said, but not for much longer.

“These underpasses are used by pedestrians going everywhere from P.S. 58 in Maspeth High School, to Elmhurst Park and the shops on Grand Avenue,” Crowley said in a statement. “This chronic pigeon nesting is a serious public health concern, and I am glad to see the DOT taking the appropriate steps.”

Under the new contract, the underpasses will be washed every three months with the first cleaning set for July, Crowley said. The contract was originally put out in February but was re-let by the state DOT because there was only one bidder.

The Birdman of Flushing

Indeed, there's more to New York than NY. There's also this guy. I hope he had food, otherwise, this scene would be extra creepy.

Photo by the Flushing Phantom

Anti-pigeon measures seem to be working

From DNA Info:

Commuters at a subway station in Queens are now being greeted with more than just the sounds of a rumbling train.

The MTA is using recordings of "predatory bird calls," at the 52nd Street station in Woodside, one tactic in a multi-faceted $250,000 effort to keep pigeons from roosting — and pooping — there.

The feature was installed at the station earlier this month, an MTA spokeswoman said and the Sunnyside Post first reported.

The squawking, shrieking and chirping sounds are meant to mimic birds of prey, like a hawk, and are played randomly through small speakers underneath the station.

Will it actually happen this time?

From the Queens Courier:

Sunnyside and Woodside residents and commuters will soon be able to walk under the No. 7 train without having to dodge pigeon poop.

After hearing concerns from residents, Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer announced he has allocated $250,000 in funding to install “state-of-the-art pigeon mitigation systems” along the No. 7 line at 46th Street-Bliss in Sunnyside, 52nd Street-Lincoln Avenue in Woodside and 61st Street-Woodside.

“Pigeon poop isn’t a joke,” said Van Bramer. “It is something that is terribly disgusting. It makes our neighborhood look unattractive and it is also a health hazard.”

The new alleviation systems, which will take three months to be fully installed, will include the addition of thin wiring and netting in nearby areas to the subway entrances, and installment of nylon spikes and angled edges on the ledges. New ultrasonic devices will also be installed releasing hawks’ and other predatory birds’ sounds that keep pigeons away but are silent to humans.

Hey, did anyone else catch that this was already announced last year?

Woodhaven Blvd block an eyesore

From the Daily News:

A run down, empty stretch of stores on Woodhaven Blvd. sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise tidy and bustling neighborhood on the border of Rego Park and Middle Village.

Civic leaders have been railing against the eyesore with limited results. A 2-year-old set of scaffolding that served as little more than a climbing post for raccoons and possum finally came down a few weeks ago and tattered awnings were removed.

But it’s unclear why the storefronts remain empty in an area where nearly every inch of commercial space is used.

“We were getting complaints about the scaffolding and people were really upset about the loss of stores,” said Robert Holden of the Juniper Park Civic Association.

The deteriorating Dana Court, an apartment building on that block, has neighbors worried about plummeting land values.

On a recent day, pigeons flew in and out of an open window in a vacant apartment. And some residents believe they are roosting inside.

The property is owned by California-based landlord Daniel Shalom and operated by his Keystone Management. Efforts by the Daily News to reach Shalom were unsuccessful and several calls to Keystone Management were not returned. One woman who answered the phone said she was “not allowed to speak with reporters.”

Shalom, also known as Daniel Ohebshalom, is part of a large real estate family that owns property in both New York City and California across several different companies.
Several of those companies have been cited in published reports for failing to maintain buildings and trying to push out low-income tenants.

Agency officials confirmed to The News on Wednesday that there are 12 open violations at Dana Court.

Mitigation for pigeon poop problem

From DNA Info:

Scores of pigeons that have built nests around the 7 train elevated tracks in Woodside and Sunnyside have for years forced straphangers and pedestrians to duck and dodge as they wait for trains or walk on the street beneath the tracks, residents and elected officials say.

Now, subway riders at three Queens stations hope that $250,000 in new City Council funding that will be used for a pigeon mitigation system will solve the problem.

Portions of the station's metal structure have become encrusted with thick layers of pigeon droppings over the years, and stretches of the pavement below the stations are covered with a gray mass of droppings mixed with feathers. Above, adult birds perch on the beams, feeding their young.

The stations that will receive the anti-pigeon systems are 46th Street/Bliss Street, 52nd Street and 61st Street/Woodside, where the issue has been particularly severe and where most of the complaints have come from, according to Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who requested the money to be allocated to the MTA.

The system, which Van Bramer hopes will be installed by summer, will include pigeon deterrent spikes, netting placed beneath the elevated tracks, and bird wire, according to the MTA.

There will also be an ultrasonic device installed at 52nd Street, reps from the agency said. It will make sounds that are unbearable to pigeons, but which can’t be heard by people.

If at first, you don't succeed...

From the Daily News:

The Triumph of Civic Virtue, the controversial, crumbling statue that sits outside Queens Borough Hall, has evoked a lot of squawking over the years from critics and supporters.

But now, even people casually passing the monument at the corner of Queens Blvd. and Union Turnpike are getting an earful.

The city has installed an electronic device that emits piercing bird calls in an effort to keep pigeons from roosting on the statue.

The intermittent screeching has caught the attention of people walking through the busy intersection.

The city’s unflappable pigeons, however, appear to be unimpressed by the effort.

On a recent day, a handful of pigeons barely stirred from their perches on the statue as the squawks emanated from the box.

Dromm shovels it

When it comes to pigeon poop, Danny Dromm gives a crap

NY1 VIDEO: City Councilman Daniel Dromm and Jackson Heights residents have raised a stink for a long time about the pigeon waste that falls down from the beams of the Roosevelt Avenue/Jackson Heights subway station, but Dromm says he has a tough time getting the MTA to regularly clean it.

Aqueduct opening delayed by bird crap

From the NY Post:

The opening of the city's first casino, at Aqueduct Race Track, has been delayed -- because of massive mounds of pigeon doo-doo.

"There were pigeon droppings everywhere -- on the floors, ceilings, walls, on every surface," said one stunned official.

Genting Resorts World New York has spent more than $15 million to remove lead paint, asbestos and, yes, pigeon waste.

That's a lot of poop -- and one reason why opening day has been pushed back from spring to early fall.

Who cleans the pigeon poop?

MTA tackling pigeon poop problem

From the Queens Courier:

Pigeons are common in the city, but they remain nuisances for many Queens residents who walk under elevated train tracks like the No. 7 line.

The New York City Transit Authority has been trying to do something about it. At numerous stations along the No. 7 line, NYC Transit has installed four different repellants to try to keep the pigeons from congregating in the stations.

The 103rd Street-Corona Plaza and 52nd Street stops are equipped with the “Bird B Gone” shock track. According to Charles F. Seaton, a spokesperson for New York City Transit, the cost of the installation of the track shocks at 103rd Street was $102,550 and 52nd Street was $154,750. However, he said NYC Transit does not monitor the electricity usage.

Another station is the 74th Street-Broadway stop, which has two systems in place to disperse pigeons, Seaton said. They are the “Avian” system, which operates the same way the shock track does, but has proved to be less effective, and the “Bird B Gone” gel repellant, which is applied to ledges and perches within the station confines.

The Mets-Willets Point stop has a “Bird Call” system installed in the mezzanine, which mimics the sounds of predators and keeps the pigeons away. The 111th Street stop has metal spikes installed above stairs and walkways to prevent roosting.