Less than Delight-ful

When Ben Sangare first spotted the new Bedford-Stuyvesant home he won in an affordable housing lottery, he was so stunned by his good fortune he got into a fender bender.

Bedford-Stuyvesant buyers say contractor is slow and shoddy

Now, more than two years later, Sangare feels less lucky.

Delight Construction, the community developer behind the project, still hasn't finished Sangare's Lexington Ave. house and five others in the neighborhood, despite taking the buyers' down payments - and getting nearly $2.2 million in government subsidies.

Meanwhile, the owners of some of the 23 Bedford-Stuyvesant homes Delight did complete last year have been locked in a battle over chronic leaks and allegedly shoddy work - which they charge the contractor has been slow to fix.

Construction camouflage

Yes, those are orange zebra stripes on the traffic barriers along lower Broadway. Yes, the 14-foot-tall plywood lightning bolts on John Street take the place of common sidewalk scaffolding. And yes, that tartan pattern on the construction fence along Fulton Street is made of security netting.

Dressing Up Those Bleak Downtown Construction Sites

Trying to convert an environmental liability into an artistic asset, the Alliance for Downtown New York and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council have transformed three commonplace street impediments into objects that are meant to be more aesthetically appealing. They are certainly more whimsical.

The works were installed over the weekend.

Photo from NY Times

Getting a clue on Kissena

We're liking this reporter's attitude:

You would think that someone who is paid to put up buildings would have a clue.

Stop work order on Wendy’s site

What was found was a small hole in the fence, through which several pictures were taken of workers floating a concrete slab at the bottom of a steep-sided, deep excavation with no visible “shoring” to hold back the earth.

Construction safety experts acknowledge that excavation collapses are one of the leading causes of death or severe injury to construction workers. In New York City, any excavation more than four feet deep must either be at a 45 degree angle or “shored up.”

Interestingly, we couldn't find a stop work order listed for either address mentioned in the article:

73-02 Parsons Boulevard

73-15 Kissena Boulevard

But DOB says it's there.

A supervisor for the DOB noted that given the nature of the violations at the Kissena Boulevard site, it would be “quite a while” before construction resumed.

However, one bit of work had been done. They fixed the hole in the fence.

Photo from Queens Courier

Queens Noir

Queens has a dark side, a very dark side - or at least its writers do.

19 writers shed light on Queens' dark side

Nineteen of the borough's notable authors, including Daily News columnist Denis Hamill, wove gloomy tales about its neighborhoods, from Astoria to the Rockaways, into a soon-to-be released book, "Queens Noir."

Compiling the twisted tales wasn't daunting at all. The book's editor, Robert Knightly, who has also contributed to noir collections about Brooklyn and Manhattan, found Queens a particularly fertile ground for the eerily ironic.

"Queens is bigger than Brooklyn physically, and it has more pockets of different people, more opportunities for the bizarre," said Knightly, who lived in Jackson Heights for 13 years.

The terrifying tome is 340 pages of wickedness, including an ill-fated ride on the No. 7 train, a disturbing pickup at JFK Airport baggage claim and Hamill's story of a Bayside dinner date gone horribly wrong.

It hits shelves Dec. 18 at select bookstores - including the Barnes & Nobles in Bayside and Forest Hills - but early Christmas shoppers can reserve copies at AkashicBooks.com or Amazon.com.

Jail owner to residents: let's compromise

Queens homeowners who have been fighting to rid their Springfield Gardens neighborhood of a federal prison could get a break - if they're willing to compromise.

Springfield Gardens homeowners hope to lock out prison

The recent expiration of a contract between the feds and owners of a building at 182-22 150th Ave. may provide an opportunity to finally oust the prison from the residential community.

Officials of The Geo Group, which owns the building, said that if approached, they would consider other uses for the drab 64,000-square-foot facility, which has a dorm layout with 229 beds.

The community has simply never asked, a spokesman said.

"I have not heard of anything that has been broached," said Walter McCaffrey, a former City Councilman and adviser to the company. "We are wide open to that type of discussion with the community. We really are."

Since 1996, residents from nearby blocks have complained and protested against the Queens Private Correction Facility.

I'd like to amend an earlier statement about compromise in western Queens. It apparently extends to Springfield Gardens as well.

Look out below!

Here we are on Corona Avenue in Elmhurst at the site of an old factory. Looks like they want to convert it to - get this - luxury condos! Well, what else?
Hmmm...how can they do that when they don't have a permit for that? They do have a bunch of alteration permits, though.

Let's take a peek at the building.
Oops!

Notice how the SWO is for a fallen scaffold, not for the obvious demo without a permit. And P.S. there were workers walking around the property when the photo was taken.

Parkside contacts Pinky

If you're an elected official in NYC, you know better than to have lobbyists contact you directly through the city e-mail system. The smart way is to have them send correspondence to a Yahoo e-mail account used by one of your employees. And speaking of employees:
What does Councilman Dennis Gallagher do when half of his staff is out? Answer: the same thing he does when his office is fully staffed. Nothing - except make backroom deals with foreign developers who want to tear down our history.

A shout out to NY Magazine, who posted this on their Intelligencer blog today...

Maspeth: Councilman Dennis "Pinky" Gallagher (yeah, the one indicted for rape) says he really tried to save a historic church here rather than sell it out to developers, but locals say he's a lying S.O.B.

And then there's this from Curbed:

Maspeth's St. Saviour's church, so brutally stripped of its trees and greens as a big "F-you!" to area residents who were fighting like mad to save the property and turn it into a park, appears finally headed for —wait for it— residential development. The Daily News reports that embattled Councilman Dennis Gallagher — who residents have argued is acting in collusion with the St. Saviour's developers — has been secretly lobbying city officials to push ahead approval of the plan to build 70 new units on the 1.5-acre property. Gallagher denies it, and says he's done everything he can to preserve the property, but multiple sources say that's not the case. Queens, everybody!

Daily News exposes Gallagher lies

Dennis Gallagher has let down community, activists claim
by John Lauinger, NY Daily News, 11/13/07

Councilman Dennis Gallagher has been keeping a low public profile since his indictment on rape charges this summer - even as torrential rains swamped his district in August.

Oddly enough, some of Gallagher's constituents wish he would keep things that way.

Instead, the embattled Councilman has been quietly lobbying city planners and Borough President Helen Marshall on behalf of a foreign developer who wants to build houses on the grounds of the historic St. Savior's Episcopal Church in Maspeth.

Gallagher's efforts have infuriated residents and civic leaders who have fought for some two years to preserve the church and surrounding property as a park. Gallagher flatly denied engaging in hush-hush influence peddling in an interview with Queens News on Friday.

"I've done everything humanly possible to try to maintain this property and this church," Gallagher said. "Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the cooperation necessary from the mayor's office and the Parks Department."

However, a planning source told Queens News that as recently as two weeks ago, Gallagher had inquired about the status of the development's application, wondering why it was taking so long to be certified.

The source said Maspeth Development LLC's application to build roughly 70 residential units on the once-wooded property has been snagged by environmental concerns.

But a Planning Department spokeswoman said Friday that it was a "definite possibility" that the developer's application could be certified by year's end.

James Trent, president of the Metropolitan Historic Structures Association, said Gallagher has deprived the community of much-needed parkland.

"This is really a betrayal of the community," Trent said. "Whose interests rule the roost here?"

Gallagher said he tried to have the property landmarked, then looked into designating it as parkland. But in both instances, he said he was thwarted by institutional opposition.

He also said he put $1 million into the city's 2008 budget to preserve the church property, but couldn't come up with $2 million more needed to seal the deal.

Gallagher said he met with Marshall three times regarding efforts to preserve the church, but Marshall refused to discuss details of the meetings.

However, Marshall said the property is "an eyesore right now" and suggested the development would likely move forward. A portion of the grounds would be used as a park, "but mostly for people who live in the development," she said.

Paul Ditta, 51, who lives near St. Savior's, accused Gallagher of never intending to preserve the church.

"I talked to Gallagher about a year ago and he said, 'Do you want an asphalt plant or do you want houses?'" Ditta recalled. "He said, 'You're better off taking the houses.'"

Christina Wilkinson, who has led a campaign to save St. Savior's, said the Parks Department had initially shown interest in the property before the developer cut down 185 mature trees there.

Gallagher brought Parks officials to the site only after the tree-chopping, she noted. Parks later said they no longer had any interest in the property. "Either they lied directly to us or somebody got to them - and that somebody was Gallagher," Wilkinson said.

And Parkside Group, run by Gallagher's best friend, Bill Driscoll.

Towers at Water's Edge

This is luxury: Towers At Water’s Edge - Luxury Apartments In Bayside

The newly established real estate entity consists of 11 properties mostly in Queens, and specializes in breathing new life into classic buildings through its superb renovations.

New definition of "classic": Brown and beige - (the "Lefrak" look).
New definition of "breathing new life into" - add an ugly fountain out front to match.

Interesting title

The Richmond Hill resident worries about the poor conditions of the elevated J Line - including a dripping chemical called creosote, crumbling concrete pillars, chipping lead paint and falling pieces of metal.

J line crud gets attention

According to the MTA, regular and frequent maintenance will be performed until permanent repairs can be made - in 2009. Currently, the line is undergoing pre-repair testing.

In addition, workers will phase out the use of creosote and replace it with a less environmentally harmful substance, as well as install a more absorbent protective wrap along the J Line.

According to the website for FELA, or the Federal Employers Liability Act, “Creosote is the name used for numerous substances that are produced using high temperature treatment of coal, certain woods, or resin from the creosote bush. Widely used and unregulated for almost two centuries, creosote can be found in thousands of miles of railroad tracks and rail yards across the country. However, recent research has linked creosote to a number of health hazards, including convulsions, liver disease, cancer, and even death.”

See also: Goo from above

In other southern Queens subway news:

Trestle decay at Seaside A train station worries riders

Photos from NY Times and Daily News

Poll results are in

21% of you thought the Queens Ledge's banner would hold on until Thanksgiving. But the 79% majority of you had the funny feeling that it would split before then and become even more of an eyesore. You were right. A Maspeth resident wrote in to say that he observed that the sign had finally torn from top to bottom on November 11th, but was somehow fastened up so that it didn't fall off the building. And here's photographic proof.

St. Paul's for sale

St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Richmond Hill is on the market. The same realtor is also trying to unload a church building on Staten Island.

The bungalows of Rockaway

Jennifer Callahan and Elizabeth Logan Harris estimate that 7,000 bungalows covered the Rockaway peninsula during its heyday as a summer resort for working-class families.

They believe fewer than 400 remain.

Bungalows of Rockaway

For their documentary about Rockaway bungalows, the pair has more than 40 hours of footage including interviews with former vacationers such as AFL-CIO president John Sweeney and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. They’ve been collecting archival material, maps and rare footage such as the Marx brothers frolicking at a row of bungalows they owned in the 1920s before they moved to Hollywood.

They’ll screen some of this material at the Museum of the City of New York tomorrow.

The “Bungalows of Rockaway” film screening and discussion takes place at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd Street on Tues. Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m., $9.

Massage parlor owners convicted

Five women accused of running massage parlors as fronts for prostitution were convicted of conspiracy Friday in a trial that focused on a far-flung sex industry that brought Korean women to the United States to work as prostitutes along the East Coast.

Jury Convicts Massage Parlor Owners in Prostitution Ring

The women can expect to spend up to three years in prison after being convicted of conspiring to transport women across state or international lines so they can engage in prostitution, a prosecutor said.

Several of the women were found not guilty of two other charges, including one that alleged that some of them used threats to force the women to work. Lawyers for the women had claimed female masseuses sometimes performed sex acts without the knowledge of the parlor owners.

After the verdict had been read and the jurors left the room, U.S. District Judge Alvin E. Hellerstein said the prostitutes described by the government in the case as victims "clearly were victims, but (were) victims of circumstance and choice rather than anything the defendants did."

Susan Gail Kellman, another defense lawyer, said the judge's comment opened the door for the lawyers to ask for leniency at sentencing.

"At the end of the day, these victims were raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars," she said of the prostitutes. "They were prostitutes because they wanted to be prostitutes."

She said the government prosecuted the owners of the massage parlors while failing to prosecute prostitutes who had lied to enter the country, sometimes engaged in false marriages to win citizenship and had committed tax fraud by failing to report their income.

"The quote-unquote victims were entrepreneurs," she said.

Temperatures in Alaska affecting NYC

Shishmaref has been under the watch of environmentalists for over a decade, one of three island villages the Anchorage Daily News recently called a "canary in the mine of global warming." In a worst-case scenario of global environmental change, Shishmaref shows what could happen to any populated island such as Manhattan if changing seas continue to eat away our shorelines.

Global warming may spell doom for New York of the future

If Shishmaref vanishes in 2015, other islands near the Arctic Circle may be quick to follow. Kostigen is quick to remind his doubters that every foot of sea level rise in an ice-melt-filled ocean means 100 feet of shoreline erosion, enough to obliterate lower Manhattan.

Photo from Daily News

SJU should go to confession

In the wake of the discovery that St. John’s University used semantics to bamboozle its neighbors - promising not to “build” off-campus student residences while contracting with a developer to do it for them - elected officials and residents of a quiet residential street in Jamaica Estates are steamed.

St. John’s dorm storm growing

The fact that construction at the site, located at 172-14 Henley Road in Jamaica Estates, has been halted by a “Stop Work Order” issued by the Department of Buildings has done nothing to cool off tempers.

Still on vacation

We guess that when Lynda goes on vacation, Councilman Dennis Gallagher can't function, because he has no events scheduled.

No, this isn't a joke!

Cuckoo Corcoran

On the heels of our post about Barbara Corcoran's mind-boggling real estate advice column comes Forgotten-NY with its own spin on the stupidity: Cuckoo Corcoran

This would be perfect in Flushing!

Sim Jae-duck has made his political career as South Korea's Mr. Toilet by beautifying public restrooms. Now he's got a home befitting his title: a toilet-shaped domicile complete with the latest in lavatory luxury.

Politician Builds Toilet-Shaped House

Sim is building the two-story house set to be finished Sunday to commemorate the inaugural meeting later this month of the World Toilet Association. The group, supported by the South Korean government, aims no less than to launch a "toilet revolution," by getting people to open their bathroom doors for the sake of improving worldwide hygiene.

"The toilet revolution should start with talking about toilet issues freely," said Song Young-kwon, head of the organizing committee for the five-day conference that opens Nov. 21.

The toilet theme is central to the house named Haewoojae, or a "place to solve one's worries," shaped like a 24 1/2-foot-tall toilet bowl. Thinking of how to push forward his cause of having better hygiene and sanitation, Sim tore down his former home to build the $1.1 million building.

Occupants gain access to the roof balcony around the rim of the "bowl" by climbing up stairs through what would be a toilet drain - which is equipped to collect rain for some functions to conserve drinking water. The home is encased in smooth, white-painted steel that appears similar to the ceramics used to make toilets.

No comment on this one. We'll leave it up to you.

Prison unwelcome in Jamaica

The nondescript building located at 182nd Street and 150th Avenue in Jamaica, which is actually a prison, is in the middle of a firestorm and has locals outraged.

Residents furious over prison in their backyard

City Councilmember James Sanders, Jr. held a community meeting where 50 residents voiced their concern over the prison and discussed ways about how they could have it removed from their community.

The prison started as a place where people awaiting deportation would be held. Then when the GEO group - a Florida based company in charge of running private jails all over the world - took over the Jamaica facility, they leased it to U.S. Marshals and now low-and medium-risk offenders occupy the prison.

Saluting our Veterans

Veterans Day is an American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is celebrated on the same day as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)

Origins Of Veterans Day

On June 1, 1954, the name of the holiday known as Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day as a tribute for the nobility of all soldiers who have fought for or who are fighting for the United States. The day is set aside as a national holiday.

From the Queens Gazette:

Salute A Veteran, Honor The U.S.

Nice work if you can get it

Yet another busy day at the office for Councilman Dennis Gallagher.

Astoria eyesore

Another gem from Miss Heather, by way of Curbed:

Does Tagging Improve or Detract From This Astoria Building?

City Hall Park infested with rats

The infestation of rats in City Hall Park, clearly an embarrassment to the city, was acknowledged in interviews by senior officials of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the city’s lead agency for rodent control, and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Where the Rats Come Out to Play

“It’s just a big issue down there and we all recognize it,” said Jessica Leighton, the health department’s deputy commissioner for environmental health. Adrian Benepe, the commissioner of parks and recreation, said that City Hall Park provided “a perfect set of circumstances for rats.”

Actually, the fact that there are a bevy of rats scurrying around outside City Hall is not surprising. They actually are a lot more respectable than the ones that mill around inside the place from Monday thru Friday.

Miss Heather on this side of the Creek

Miss Heather knows crap when she sees it. And she saw it in Astoria.

Behold, The Other Face of Pistilli Realty!

If you're torn over which of those big LIC piles of shit you should invest in, you may want to give Miss Heather’s Condominium Select-O-Matic a try.

College Point catastrophe

A lifelong College Point homeowner was slapped with a vacate order by the Department of Buildings last week after construction work in an adjoining lot undermined his retaining wall, causing much of his backyard to begin to sink.

Kevin Stout said demolition work on two homes next door to his father's house at 122-16 14th Ave. resulted in damage to the retaining wall that lines James Stout's property. Heavy rains Saturday exacerbated the damage, shifting concrete sidewalks in the elder Stout's backyard and causing several feet of soil to wash away.

"They didn't have the permits to do this," Kevin Stout said. "They just do what they want and pay the fine later."

Stout, who often tends to the home for his father who is in his 80s, said damages to the property could be in excess of $50,000.

Willow Lake still inaccessible

An article in an August 2006 issue of the Tribune shed light on the dilapidated state of Willow Lake and the dangerous means by which residents were gaining access. It also cited the Parks Web site’s Willow Lake Trail 2001 update, which stated that a $22,000 grant was provided by the Department of Agriculture’s Urban Resources Partnership Program for the path’s restoration. According to Parks Spokeswoman Abigail Lootens that grant is no longer on hand.

Even Fixed Up, Lake May Stay Closed

Photo from Queens Tribune

Daily News columnist advocates paving

Q. My wife and I have lived in Queens for the past 10 years and we plan on staying in the area for about another five. We are noticing lately that all of our neighbors are paving their yards and then use the space to park their cars on.

My wife has spent many hours cultivating her plants and would like to keep the garden, but I think having a driveway will help us increase the price of the house when it comes time to sell. What do you think?

A. Hey, a flower garden might look pretty and keep your wife happy, but the space in front of your house is worth a hell of a lot more as a driveway.

You should know that the city council of Queens has just proposed a zoning change that would prohibit residents from paving their yards in some areas.

So get your wife on your side and get a cement truck over there fast.
____________________________________________________

Not only is this dingbat encouraging people to make illegal alterations but she also thinks that Queens has its own city council! On top of that, she alleges that the Queens City Council proposed the anti-paving amendment, which was actually introduced by the Department of City Planning. Tell her what you think: askbarbara@nydailynews.com

Great job

Yes, "Lynda" was still on vacation on October 1st. Apparently, so was her boss, Dennis Gallagher.

213 is an unlucky number

"Here are 2 photos of 213th between Northern Blvd and the RR, the old stuff hanging on, the new krapp taking over." - K.W.

The new Coney Island

The city yesterday unveiled an ambitious redevelopment plan for Coney Island that would transform the slumping beachfront into a year-round amusement park combining glitzy new hotels, restaurants and entertainment with the neighborhood's landmark rides and kitschy boardwalk attractions.

A Coney Island fantasy

The proposal, announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is designed to entice private developers to pump $2.5 billion into revitalizing a 19-block area along the boardwalk that includes the existing amusement park, the landmarked Cyclone roller coaster and Wonder Wheel, and stretches west past KeySpan ballpark and the former Parachute Jump ride.

Along with a new amusement park, the city also envisions more than 4,000 new apartments and almost a half-million square feet of shopping.

Pretty drawing, but will it become a reality?

Vacation on the agenda

Here's Pinky's schedule for 9-27. Busy day!

Immigrant citizen: "Toby's endangering us"

Dear Editor (of the Queens Chronicle):

As President of the Flushing Chinese Business Association and a member of Community Board 7, I write to respectfully express my strong disagreement with state Sen. Toby Stavisky’s recent vote to allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses in New York.

As someone who legally immigrated to America 40 years ago and achieved the American dream to which so many of my fellow citizens aspire, I find the idea of granting driver’s licenses to illegal aliens truly abhorrent. Doing so is a slap in the face to the millions of immigrants who entered America legally and would severely compromise the safety and security of all New Yorkers and Americans everywhere.

New Yorkers from all walks of life should be thankful to state Sen. Frank Padavan for introducing S.6484 in response to Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s misguided plan to provide driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. After it was discovered the Sept. 11 hijackers were able to obtain ID cards and licenses without proof of citizenship, the federal government and many states enacted more stringent policies under the REAL ID Act to correct this gaping security hole, which the governor wants to reopen.

Padavan’s bill is common sense legislation that requires applicants for driver’s licenses and non-driver ID cards to provide proof of citizenship or lawful presence here. S.6484 recently passed the state Senate with bipartisan support, though Stavisky voted against it and endorsed Spitzer’s policy to give driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.

It is unfortunate Stavisky opposed this legislation, which struck a fair balance in denying licenses to illegal aliens while not excluding legal non-citizens, such as temporary residents, visa holders and asylum seekers who provide sufficient documentation of their status.

Stavisky’s support for allowing illegal aliens to get driver’s licenses endangers our state, rewards lawbreakers and leaves us all more vulnerable to identity theft and fraud.

Peter Koo
President
Flushing Chinese Business Association

They move in shadows

They are a part of something big: an underground workforce, an unknown world within our own. Each day brings with it another chance to make a buck, or in the case of these men predominantly from Latin America, the chance to make upwards of $100 for a day's work, albeit by engaging in back-breaking manual labor that can leave them seriously injured or dead.

The Ghost Workers

Illegal immigration may be solved not by a legislative compromise in Washington but by an economic downturn in America.

That, at least, is the message from day laborers in New York City, where immigrants interviewed recently by The New York Sun said work has so slowed that they are planning to return home to Latin America — if they can save enough cash for the trip home.

The city's expected economic downturn and the slowdown in construction in the boroughs other than Manhattan is trickling down to the city street corners where immigrant day laborers vie for work and wages to support themselves and send to their families back home.

As N.Y. Economy Sours, Aliens Plan To Leave for Home

Water bill amnesty

Amnesty on late charges for those with unpaid water bills

More than 8,000 homeowners who owe the city a combined $50 million in unpaid water bills are being offered a one-time amnesty on late charges if they pay up in 90 days.

Letters notifying the deadbeats began going out yesterday, according to the city Department of Environmental Protection, which operates the water system.

The amnesty - called a Payment Incentive Program - will charge a reduced settlement rate of $2 per day, rather than late charges, for the outstanding bills. Customers who reject the offer will "be scheduled for service termination," DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd warned.

The notices are going to one-family homeowners who owe $1,000 or more in water bills and late charges. They are just a fraction of nearly 64,000 residential and commercial water-bill scofflaws who owe the city more than $500million.

Petition to save the Elmhurst Library

The Elmhurst Library (86-01 Broadway), a rare surviving “Carnegie Library” dating back to 1906, could meet the wrecking ball as early as 2008. Please sign the following petition to endorse preservation-friendly proposals that would spare it from demolition, while accommodating a growing number of users:

Save The Elmhurst Carnegie Library!

At a 2007 Newtown Civic Association meeting, James Van Bramer, Dir. of Government & Community Affairs of the Queens Library, explained he is seeking dialogue from the community and preservationists. If enough people oppose the proposed demolition, he would be open to possibilities along the lines of historic preservation which highlight the much-needed expansion.

Therefore, it is highly recommended that petition signers post comments of quality. Please forward this e-mail and the link to your colleagues. Time is of the essence!

Thank you for your support,

Michael Perlman,
Queens Preservation Council, Preservationist
Rego-Forest Preservation Council, Chair

Something smells fishy in Dutch Kills

I'd be curious to hear from anyone out there in Crappyland who attended this meeting last night.

What wonderful overdevelopment plan did City Planning present to you? What was the reaction?

And why would a civic president warn about legal action? This is a bit strange.

Day-glo typo

Without question, the photos that I have attached are demonstrative of a construction renaissance. The superior building techniques that are evidenced in the photos are a prime example of the master craftsmen who have been retained to construct this project.
The fence, with its bright fluorescent orange paint and legible writing (note my sarcasm) has "Caution" spelled incorrectly. Its spelled "Costion". What really makes that sad is this building is across the street from PS 205. Of course the nearly collapsed fence is decorated with the typical graffiti.
As the children from PS 205 leave school, they get to see the giant day-glo orange sign that reads "Costion".
The building is located at 230-09 67th Ave (Lee Goldman La.) in Bayside, Queens.
In my personal opinion the building is oversized, poorly planned, horribly placed and unfortunately typical of the "Renaissance" that everyone keeps telling me about.

- Marcus

Pinky's in the poorhouse

Indicted politician Dennis Gallagher faces monetary problems
Thursday, November 8th 2007, NY Daily News

by Nicole Bode

Queens City Councilman Dennis Gallagher was newly separated from his wife but still living with her because of financial troubles when he had "consensual" sex with the woman he's charged with raping, he told a grand jury.

"I'm not happy that my wife and I are separated. I'm not happy that I don't have enough money to move into an alternate location," said Gallagher, who earns $112,500 a year and gets an additional $5,000 as minority whip.

Since his indictment last month, Gallagher's income has been reduced because he was removed from his whip position and other posts that provide extra pay.

"If I could afford to have my own place, I probably would have my own place, but I can't afford it," the Republican politician added, according to his grand jury testimony included in court papers filed by the defense.

The 43-year-old Middle Village councilman's personal woes emerged under grilling by Queens prosecutors.

Gallagher was indicted on 10 counts of rape, assault and sex charges after he allegedly forced himself on a 52-year-old grandmother he met in a neighborhood bar July 8.

He could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
________________________________________________

Hmmm...why were Pinky and his wife holding hands after the indictment if they are separated?

Wait til you see just how bad he is with money. More to come.

The western Queens way

A proposal to place a cellular tower on top of a 72nd Place house has been complicated by backlash from neighbors and attempts by the property owner to get out of the contract.

Cell Antenna on House a Tough Sell

Community Board 5’s Land Use Committee on Monday unanimously voted against the proposal by Omnipoint to place a 25-foot tower on top of Joseph Wroblewski’s house at 53-20 72nd Place.

On Tuesday, Wroblewski said he is trying to get out of his contract with Omnipoint due to the negative reaction from his neighbors.


[Assemblywoman Marge] Markey confirmed she is working with Omnipoint to find a better location. “We’re trying to see if we can avoid having this installed on top of a residential building in our community,” she said Monday.

This is typical of western Queens elected officials. Instead of saying, "We don't want this in our neighborhood, now get the hell out," as is done in other parts of the borough, city and country, our politicians try to help those with bad plans for our communities in order to spare them a financial hardship. We are told over and over that we must "compromise". That's the buzzword. Instead of standing in solidarity to fight intrusion, our elected officials invite the enemy in then try to convince us that they won a victory because they were able to tell them which table to sit at. Pathetic.