Nostalgia trains and buses roll through Queens

...every Sunday through Dec. 28, the MTA will run vintage trains between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. between Queens Plaza and Second Avenue in Manhattan.

Vintage trains are back for the holidays

The agency that runs New York City's public bus system is bringing back some classic coaches that commuters can ride for the price of a regular fare.

New York City Transit's vintage fleet consists of 19 buses such as a 1917 wood-bodied double-decker called the Queen Anne and a 1956 model that was the first to have air conditioning.

The vintage buses are in service on several Manhattan and Queens routes weekday rush hours during the holiday season.

City offers vintage bus rides for holidays

Sorry, they don't mention which lines they'll be on.

NYC Construction Fatalities Rise

Due to a recent rise in construction fatalities, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration recently accelerated their annual review process in an attempt to reduce onsite worker deaths.

Following a nontraditional 2008 third quarter review, OSHA gathered industry members from Building Trade Employers’ Association and Building and Construction Trades Council to reveal startling statistics and offer recommendations.

In 2006, there were 29 fatalities in the five boroughs of New York City, which OSHA considered the worst year in its analysis of fiscal years 2002-2008. The industry experienced 22 fatalities in 2007. To date in 2008, 26 fatalities have been reported. “We are already in second place in terms of fatalities and we still have a few months to go,” explained Richard Mendelson, area director at OSHA as well as speaker at the recent meeting.

OSHA Releases Fatality Numbers

Bird crap in the belfreys

Crappy contacted BushwickBK to find out if they knew what the deal was at St. Aloysius in Ridgewood, since you used to be able to see through the belltowers, and now they're boarded up.

The answer was "they’re just cleaning decades of pigeon crap and installing louvers in the opening so that the birds can’t get in there anymore."

Now if they can only get all the clocks to say the same time...

Historic Belltowers Boarded Up — for Cleaning

P.S. This church should have been landmarked when they designated Stockholm Street.

Did Tony Avella bop someone?

I was perusing Tony Avella's website and came upon this photo. While I doubt he hauled off and punched a tweeder in the face, I'll just fantasize that he did, since so many of his colleagues would deserve it.

Crowley moving up in Congress?

Representative Joe Crowley could soon find himself in a leadership battle.

With newly minted House Democratic Caucus vice chair Xavier Becerra widely seen as likely to accept an offer to serve as U.S. trade representative in the Obama White House, Crowley is poised to enter the race to replace Becerra at the Democratic leadership table, sources close to Crowley said Wednesday.

Crowley's Leadership Bid

Dedicated Councilpersons

For both Eric Gioia and Bill de Blasio, a seat on the City Council was always supposed to be a stepping-stone.

Mr. Gioia, 35, has been preparing for higher office since his election to the Council seven years ago, and has raised more money since then than all but three of his Council colleagues. Mr. de Blasio, 47, was a White House aide and the manager for Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate bid before he decided to run for Council, and is still a respected name in national Democratic circles.

Clash of the Council Inevitables

Vote for Norm Siegel.

Building in Jamaica is literally crappy

A sewage backup in Queens had inches of human waste surrounding an apartment building Tuesday.

Tenants at 88-22 Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica said raw sewage had flooded the perimeter of their building for the past week.

They said the issue is a health concern and claimed their landlord had not taken action.

"It's human waste. There were chunks of poopies all over the place and urine and toilet paper. In the past when it happened, [it was] not like this when it's finished,” said a local. “And I've complained about that they leave the toilet paper, they leave the dry poop. I just asked the guy, who’s going to clean that poop up?"

Sewage Floods Queens Building For A Week

Looks like you're up shit's creek...

City has loose definition of "clean"

DIRT ON NYC 'CLEAN' POLL
By DAVID SEIFMAN, NY Post

City government took a hit yesterday in a new survey that found 19 percent of residents rated the cleanliness of their neighborhoods as "poor."

That's a comedown from the city's own ratings, which claimed 96.1 percent of streets were "acceptably clean" as of October.

The opinions of residents were revealed yesterday by Mayor Bloomberg in the "NYC Feedback Citywide Customer Survey."

Bloomberg said such stark differences are one reason the ambitious survey was undertaken.

"If there are significant discrepancies between the way they [city agencies] rate themselves and the way the survey respondents do, then maybe we need to take a second look at those self-evaluation measures," he said.

Overall, the quality of city services was rated "excellent" by 4 percent of residents, "good" by 38 percent, "fair" by 44 percent and "poor" by 15 percent.

Crap next door to crap next door to crap

It seems that developers in Fresh Meadows are becoming more brazen in expanding their brick boxes closer than ever to the sidewalk. The latest example is at 71-33 162 Street, where balconies protrude further than any other building on the block. Single-family homes once stood on this block. The DOB site has a few violations for the site. Its neighbor is the Garden Hills condo, by Tommy Dafna.
I've spoken to the residents of the Fedders box next door, and they said "That's life, there's nothing you can do about it," referring to the construction. Notice that there are two cars parked in front of that brick box.

- Sergey

Green Church demolished for nothing

Two years ago, developer Abe Betesh gladly signed a $9.75-million deal to buy the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church property. But now that the wrecking ball has demolished the historic 1899 building, it appears his plans have been knocked down, too.

At the site of the “green church” destroyed in mid-October, Betesh has posted a “For Sale or Lease” sign this week, the same week the site, at Fourth and Ovington avenues, was featured in a New York Times article about preservation of houses of worship in the city.

“Houses of Worship Choosing to Avoid Landmark Status” by Robin Pogrebin featured two front-page photos of the former 109-year-old church. A dramatic huge color photo shows the church building under demolition at dawn in October, and a small black-and-white photo from the Brooklyn Eagle shows the church in excellent shape some two or three decades ago.

The Bensonhurst-based firm of Abeco Management Corporation, headed by Betesh, posted the sign with Abeco’s phone number. The sign reads: “For Sale or Lease – School, Medical, Not-for-Profit or Residential.”

‘Green Church’ Co-op Plans Fall Through

Fat lady warming up voice for Atlantic Yards

A spokesman for developer Forest City Ratner said yesterday construction at the Vanderbilt Rail Yards - where an NBA basketball arena and 16 towers are planned - would not resume until a lawsuit against the developer is settled.

Lawsuit puts work on hold at Atlantic Yards, may delay Brooklyn Nets arena

The developer's decision to suspend work last week marks a reversal of an earlier commitment to continue construction despite a barrage of lawsuits that has slowed work on the project.

Forest City Ratner's long-deferred $100 million purchase of the MTA-owned rail yards, meanwhile, has also been delayed by the suit, said DePlasco and MTA officials.

Biss Tours in settlement with state & city

A Queens tour company that took more than 1,000 customers for a ride to the tune of some $350,000 has reached a deal with state and city authorities to pay them back.

Biss Tours, which was based in Rego Park until it went belly up 15 months ago, kept taking money from customers for prepaid trips - even after company officials knew they couldn't deliver, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Monday in announcing the settlement.

Biss organized popular day trips to the Hamptons and Atlantic City, among other places, for more than 40 years. It also ran special trips to locales such as the Philadelphia Museum of Modern Art, during a Salvador Dali exhibit.

Settlement deal reached for failed bus tour company in $350G scam

Gotbaum: Illegals CAN'T get benefits (not that we check status)

From Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and the New York Immigration Coalition’s Guide to Public Benefits for Immigrants:

Many immigrants also worry that a benefits administrator will report them to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This is not true. By law, city agencies are not allowed to ask you about your immigration status or disclose your immigration status to anyone.

Undocumented immigrants cannot get most state and federal public benefits, but these benefits are still available to their citizen children. For example, if you are an undocumented immigrant, you are not eligible for Food Stamps, but you can apply for Food Stamps for your citizen children.

Yes, please come to the USA illegally. We'll look the other way when you subdivide apartments into multiple dwellings and sleep in shifts. Then please multiply. We have a goal of shoehorning at least a million more people here by 2030. Don't worry, we'll feed your kids! The next generation will remember who helped you out each Election Day. Tweeding 101.

For more fun reading, try this:

Undocumented can't get public benefits: guide

Strip club ad offends border dwellers

Saying it is too risque for their neighborhood, concerned residents are outraged over a large advertisement for a strip club on the border of Queens and Nassau County.

In the hopes of coming up with a plan to do something about the Platinum Club's sign, New York City Council member James J. Sanders (D-Queens) and Nassau Legis. Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside) Monday night addressed an audience of about 200 at Congregation Kneseth Israel in Far Rockaway.

Many objected to the sign itself, which features a nubile woman barely clothed in straps of black.

Strip club's risque sign troubles residents

Good news for Kreischer Mansion

The owner of the Kreischer Mansion has delayed plans to build an active-adult community on the site in Staten Island's Charleston neighborhood until the market stabilizes, but is accepting proposals to donate the 19th century brick magnate's home to a charitable organization.

Turning over the landmark hilltop mansion to charity has been part of Ohio-based developer Isaac Yomtovian's master plan since he purchased the five-acre estate in 1999 for $1.4 million.

He just expected to do it after breaking ground on Kreischerville, an upscale, maintenance-free condominium development for adults 55 and over.

"I am not waiting until the market is 100 percent recovered to begin construction, but I have to see some stabilizing factor," Yomtovian said. "Either way, I don't want to delay the donation process any longer."

The criteria for interested organizations is two-fold: They must be in good standing with the financial wherewithal to maintain the 10-room home, and their mission must be compatible with the Kreischerville project -- such as a museum, art gallery, religious organization or a college.

Developer puts Staten Island senior housing plan on hold

Yankees screw neighborhood kids

While the law requires the city to replace all of the recreational facilities taken for the new stadium, most of the replacements are planned as rooftop parks on new garages, yet to be built.

But Heritage Field, the replacement for three of the four grass baseball fields, will be where the old stadium now stands, so work can't even begin until the House that Ruth Built comes down - which is expected to take a year, with work not set to begin until April.

For now, neighborhood sluggers can play on an interim baseball field just north of the old stadium, but that sits on land earmarked for Garage C of the new complex, scheduled to begin construction in the spring.

So between then and the completion of Heritage Field in 2011, the nearest regulation baseball fields open to the public will be at Public School 29 at Courtlandt Ave. and at the West Bronx Recreation Center more than a mile away.

The Yankees will play, but for now, kids won't

Tin Pan Alley no longer for sale?

As public opinion moves further against the plan and the economy plunges deeper into recession, a deal is looking increasingly unlikely. The five, mixed-use contiguous properties would yield over 111,000-square feet of “prime Chelsea Property” after demolition, according to the listing that first appeared on the real estate Web site LoopNet in the early fall, along with renderings of a 16-story residential building with 24 retail spaces proposed for the site. Though it remains up, the site says the “property is no longer available.”

The Local: Tin Pan Alley Sounds Cautious Tune

Sadik-Khan's dereliction of duty

The intersection of 64th Street and Grand Avenue is becoming more dangerous because of tractor trailers jumping the curb. This is at the site of the DOT triangle reconfiguration project which was intended to make the intersection safer for schoolchildren. Below are photos taken over the last few weeks that illustrate that it has had the opposite effect.

Nov 12: Notice the dent on the lamppost caused by a truck making a too-tight turn.

Nov 24: A truck toppled the lamppost and DOT placed a plastic bollard over it. This was not a wise move because drivers thought the bollard was hollow, and did not realize there was a stationary metal object beneath it.

Nov 24: A DOT supervisor stopped by but apparently didn't see anything wrong.

Dec 1: The lane was made narrower due to the presence of construction vehicles and...

...tractor trailers continued to run over the stump of the lamppost.

Dec 2: Another truck ran over the stump, which apparently still had live exposed wires. This caused all the signals at the intersection to go out which caused a major traffic problem. Police were dispatched to direct traffic while DOT workers fixed the lights and erected this temporary pedestrian signal. How long before another truck knocks this over?

DOT needs to divert trucks off Grand Avenue immediately before someone gets hurt or killed at that corner. DOT and CB5 were sent photos after each stage of the destruction of the lamppost but no corrective action has been taken.

Preceding article taken from junipercivic.com.


For disregarding the safety of area pedestrians (after being petitioned several times) and blocking the creation of a fully-funded firehouse, while bending over backwards to protect bicyclists, Queens Crap hereby presents our first ever Golden Bowl award to Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. Congratulations, lady!

Beware of energy switching scammers

Dear Crappy,

This afternoon an aggressive salesperson from IDT Energy came to my apartment to offer me a discount on my energy bills. She claimed she was from Con Edison and asked for my latest gas and electric bills. She copied my account numbers to some forms. I was tricked into signing the forms under the explanation that I'll save on my bills by choosing IDT Energy as my supplier. When I asked to read the fine print she told me it was irrelevant.

After she left, I looked up IDT Energy and realized it was a scam and I'd end up paying more; it turns out that the discounts are for the first two months only. I called IDT Energy to cancel and also let ConEd and National Grid know that I am not switching my provider.

I hope you can post this to your blog as a warning to others who might fall for it and forget to cancel.

Sincerely,
Mr. P.
Jamaica Estates

Please consult Miss Heather for more information on this scam and how to put an end to it.

No new stationhouse for 110 Pct

Budget woes have forced the city to slow its timetable on a plan to replace the aging 110th Precinct building.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told City Council members last week that several important capital projects have been delayed. Specifically, $4 million in site acquisition funds and $6.4 million in design funds for construction of a new 110th Precinct house were postponed to fiscal year 2013 and fiscal year 2014, he said.

Kelly has previously said the department was looking at moving the precinct into the park. Some elected and community leaders had been lobbying for an additional precinct in the 1,255-acre park.

While a site for the stationhouse had not been determined, city officials were reportedly eyeing a portion of the New York Hall of Science's parking lot on 111th St., on the edge of the park.

Funds cuts park precinct's plans

Photo by Tal.Ent on Flickr.

Showtime shoot in Maspeth

"The Showtime pilot for "Possible Side Effects" was being shot in Maspeth yesterday. I was told that it had also been shot in Forest Hills the previous two days.
According to the info I dug up, this is written, directed and executive produced by Tim Robbins and will star Ellen Burstyn, Josh Lucas and Jason Butler Harner. Although I didn't see any of them because the filming was inside a house, I did see their trailers on Fresh Pond Road.
The shoot is actually taking place on 60th Drive near Mount Olivet Crescent.
It was something you don't see every day around here and it was interesting to watch how it's all done. You can visit my Flickr page for a few more photos."

- Christina

Mets: Citi Field Name Stays

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Mets say the name Citi Field will remain on their new ballpark and believe the struggling bank will survive its current economic crisis following a government bailout.

Citigroup is paying the Mets $400 million over 20 years for naming rights to the stadium, scheduled to open next year. Two New York City councilmen said last week that the ballpark's name should be changed to Citi/Taxpayer Field.

``We think we can bring the right people to help them market their product so that they can be a going concern,'' Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said Tuesday. ``It's not really Citi's fault that they're in this problem. They're a lot of other banks in the same situation.''

But my pal Andrew Fine is wondering Why Don't We Call It New Shea?

Daily News steals Empire State Building

In one of the biggest heists in American history, the Daily News "stole" the $2 billion Empire State Building.

And it wasn't that hard.

The News swiped the 102-story Art Deco skyscraper by drawing up a batch of bogus documents, making a fake notary stamp and filing paperwork with the city to transfer the deed to the property.

Some of the information was laughable: Original "King Kong" star Fay Wray is listed as a witness and the notary shared a name with bank robber Willie Sutton.

The massive ripoff illustrates a gaping loophole in the city's system for recording deeds, mortgages and other transactions.

The loophole: The system - run by the office of the city register - doesn't require clerks to verify the information.

It took 90 minutes for Daily News to 'steal' the Empire State Building

Of course, stealing the Empire State Building wouldn't go unnoticed for long, but it shows how easy it is for con artists to swipe more modest buildings right out from under their owners. Armed with a fraudulent deed, they can take out big mortgages and disappear, leaving a mess for property owners, banks and bureaucrats.

3 candidates sue Campaign Finance Board

Three City Council contenders whose 2009 bids were potentially complicated exponentially by the extension of term limits have filed a lawsuit against the Campaign Finance Board, arguing that its advisory opinion to address the change is unfair to non-incumbents.

In the suit, the candidates - Yetta Kurland, Jo Anne Simon and Mel Gagarin - argue that the CFB's plan to essentially hit the re-set button on spending by candidates who had been seeking citywide office but decide instead to run for re-election runs counter to the goal of the public financing system, which is to create as level a playing field as possible for all participants.

'09 Hopefuls Sue CFB

Forest Hills LIRR station gets crappier

It's been more than a year since we visited the Forest Hills LIRR station, and despite having said back then, "It should be better taken care of, but if you look at the people actually USING the LIRR at Forest Hills, I don't think you'd be too worried about Forest Hills becoming a ghetto," Forest Hills 72 has now discovered graffiti along with non-canine "fecal matter" on the platform that has been there for days, which sounds exactly like something you would find in a ghetto.

Welcome to Queens in 1990 2008.

Patti Harris' kneeslapper

Patricia E. Harris, the first deputy mayor, who oversees the commission, counters that the administration has been vigilant in protecting the city’s landmarks. “We don’t think about development without thinking about preservation,” she said in an e-mail message. (She agreed to reply only to questions submitted in writing.) “During a time of unprecedented growth, preservation has always been front and center.”

Preservation and Development, Engaged in a Delicate Dance

City fines woman after tree found dead

The sidewalk in front of 178 Bowery is a dangerous place - for a tree, that is.

A Japanese pagoda sapling died last summer on the lower East Side block when workers at a nearby restaurant supply shop allegedly poured noxious cleaning fluid around its roots.

It was the second time in a decade that a leafy sidewalk denizen has bit the dust - another tree was chopped down there in 1998.

We know who poisoned poor Japanese pagoda sapling, officials bark

Thankfully, this time, the tree-slay squad says it knows who to blame for the tree's death.

It slapped Eagle Restaurant Equipment owner Penny Chung, 46, with a series of fines over the pagoda sapling, which still stands lifeless at the site.

Since 2000, the Department of Sanitation has hit Eagle with 76 violations citing "noxious liquid," "sidewalk obstruction," "dirty sidewalk" and "failure to clean," a spokesman said.

It ordered her to pay a grand total of $2,806 after determining the tree died as a result of the abuse.

The penalty would have been even harsher if someone had intentionally chopped down the tree, officials said.

Except in Queens where developers do it all the time and nothing is ever done about it.

A journalist who cares

By journalism student Sergey Kadinsky:

This is New York in 2008. Goodbye aesthetics, and welcome back functionalism. Where these homes stood, there was once beautiful architecture. Usually, only an affluent neighborhood like Park Slope can muster the clout to prevent ugliness from being built. In my home borough, it’s good to see minority and middle-class neighborhoods speaking out against crapitecture.

Architecture critics praise these new glass boxes. It’s the new black, but from a pedestrian’s point of view, there’s really not much to see here. In my opinion, the glass office boxes are related to the brick boxes. Both lack imagination and design.

Dreaming of a Better Block

I hope Sergey continues to write about this throughout his career.

His own kingmaker

There was so much good stuff in this one that I couldn't choose an excerpt. Just read the whole thing!

KING BLOOMBERG: MIKE IS A MAYOR RUN AMOK

And if you like Bloomberg portrayed as a king, you'll love him as an emporer.

As far as contemporaries go, he has something in common with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. But at least they're having a referendum on term limits down south...

Subway delay notes soon available online

Straphangers late for work because of transit delays can utilize a little-known MTA program to help them prove to skeptical bosses that their excuse is legit.

The agency's New York City Transit division issues the equivalent of a doctor's note for tardy riders - at the rate of 34,000 a year.

Passengers can call one of the MTA's 80 customer-service agents at (718) 330-1234 to request a delay-verification letter. And soon obtaining one will get even easier with an online version.

It currently takes one to two weeks to receive an official note by mail.

By mid-2009, however, the MTA expects to have an online request form that riders can fill out. MTA reps will still research the delay but issue paperless notes.

EXCUSES, EXCUSES!

Gay saint living above Maspeth bakery

The party of Ober, Van Bramer, Quinn and Dromm is besaddled with a bunch of Albany losers with no cojones.

Slumlords getting billed big time

City fixing worst-of-the-worst housing and billing slumlords
BY ADAM LISBERG
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Monday, December 1st 2008, 7:45 PM

New York's most decrepit apartment buildings are getting fixed up, thanks to a new city policy of making repairs and billing the landlords, officials said Monday.

"We have an intercom! We have floors!" said Socorro Medina, 48, one of the grateful tenants of a Bushwick, Brooklyn, building where officials announced the policy.

Each year, the law requires the housing department to isolate the city's 200 worst buildings based on violations and inspections.

The agency spent $10 million on repairs this year and has recouped $2 million from landlords; the city goes after reluctant owners by putting liens on the buildings.

With repairs still underway on two-thirds of the first 200 buildings, the housing department has now targeted another 200.

Protecting distinctive houses of worship

Houses of worship are among the most sensitive issues facing the landmarks commission. Mandating that a church be preserved can not only impose a heavy financial burden on a congregation, it also raises the specter of state interference with religious freedom. So the commission has been especially loath to take on churches or synagogues that don’t want to be designated.

Preserving the City: Church and State

But many preservationists and at least one commission member argue that the landmarks commission has not been aggressive enough in protecting churches from the overheated real estate market of the last few years. Given that churches tend to be low-rise buildings in choice residential locations, they note, the structures became prime targets for developers intent on building high-rise apartment towers.

Mr. Tierney defended the commission’s record on houses of worship, citing 12 it has designated in his five-year tenure. Five were named individual landmarks and seven won protection as part of historic districts.

He then goes on to rattle off the names of a bunch of religious institutions in Manhattan...

Whitestone mall stores reopen after fire

More than three weeks after a fire gutted a large portion of the Whitestone Shopping Center, there are some signs that life is getting back to normal.

Four of the seven businesses damaged by the two−alarm fire Nov. 2 are once again operating in some capacity at the shopping center, located on the Cross Island Parkway service road near Clintonville Road in Whitestone.

Whitestone center shops reopen after massive fire

In their own words...

Let's be reminded of just what liars our City Council Members are. This is a video from April, when they vowed to stand by the Willets Point businesses and fight the City's plan to use eminent domain to take property there.



Everyone in this video (Gioia, Comrie, Sanders, Sears, Monserrate, Weprin, Reyna), except for Tony Avella, ended up voting in the City's favor and against the Willets Point businesses when the issue came before them in November. These are absolute pieces of trash that need to be tossed rather than recycled. Whether or not you want to see Willets Point redeveloped or believe eminent domain is justifiable for this purpose, you have to agree that these folks either outright lied or were easily bought. If we can't trust them to keep their word, then what the hell good are they? You have to wonder how they look at themselves in the mirror every morning.

Feds crack down on criminal re-entry after deportation

NEW PENALTIES FOR ILLEG-ALIENS
By DOUGLAS MONTERO, NY Post

Until now, thousands of illegal aliens deported after committing crimes didn't hesitate to sneak back into the New York area, knowing that if they were caught, their "punishment" would be a free flight home.

But under a new federal policy, they're getting free rides to prison instead.

So far, nearly 100 such illegal immigrants have been arrested in the area and charged with "illegal re-entry after removal," which could put them behind bars for a maximum of 20 years, authorities said.

The arrests come two months after Immigration Customs and Enforcement's New York office established the Violent Criminal Alien Section.

One criminal, who has been deported twice on drug charges, told The Post about a $3,000 "van service" that delivers immigrants from the Mexican border directly to New York City.

"Most of us do it because we've lived in New York and we have family and friends there," said the man, who was sent back to the Dominican Republic in 2005 - and then returned to Queens.

John Tsoukaris, a local ICE official, said, "We're focusing on individuals with violent backgrounds who are a threat to the public's safety."

Although the law was enacted in January 2007, ICE has ramped up enforcement under its multipronged Secure Communities program.

Miss Heather takes the 7 train

Miss Heather got artistic while waiting for a train at Woodside Station this weekend. She also found satisfaction in seeing the ruins of the Municipal Garage at Queens Plaza.

Plan to keep Flushing Airport green

Two lifelong northern Queens residents are pushing a new vision for the long−abandoned Flushing Airport, and if they get their way, the future of the College Point site will be very green.

Historic Districts Council President and urban planner Paul Graziano and marine biologist James Cervino met with members of the city Economic Development Corp. last week to brief the agency on plans to identify a developer that would transform the 26 acres of developable property at Flushing Airport into a light recreation facility.

“We want to find someone that not only has a green thumb but has vision,” Cervino said. “We want something that empowers College Point, something that gives back to the community.”

Graziano and Cervino are hoping to find a developer who could put between $50 million and $75 million toward a recreation facility that could include baseball fields, a driving range, an education center and nature trails all designed within an environmentally sustainable framework.

“We see this as having the potential to be a model for green development,” Graziano said.

Cervino said the pair has been in talks with “a few” interested parties who would work closely with them to create something both profitable and that fits the needs of the community and local ecosystem.

Abandoned Flushing Airport sees plan for recreation center

Gennaro to introduce "Doorbuster" bill

A council member called for new legislation Sunday to protect store workers and shoppers, following the death of a Walmart employee on Black Friday.

Queens Councilman James Gennaro introduced a "Doorbuster Bill," which would require malls and large retailers to take appropriate security measures during so-called "doorbuster sales."

Measures include employing security personnel trained in crowd control and holding the retailers accountable for any injuries.

The legislation was made in response to the death of Jimmy Damour, 34, of Queens, who died when roughly 2,000 bargain shoppers stampeded over him at the Valley Stream Wal-Mart on Black Friday.

Queens Lawmaker Proposes Shopper Crowd Control Bill

Shocking news: City has less money than it thought

New York City, grappling with the aftershocks of the global financial crisis, has been forced to refund more than $800 million to companies that overpaid their taxes this year based on expectations of a more robust business performance.

The refunds — three times the amount typically returned — have triggered deep unease among city budget officials, who are already struggling with weakening revenue and face pressure to slash services and raise taxes.

They come as the city, according to the Bloomberg administration, faces a budget shortfall that is expected to climb to $4 billion over the next two years. And having to give back such a large amount of money is certainly going to make the situation even bleaker.

Each year, companies estimate their tax liabilities based largely on their performance in prior years. And because the first half of 2007 was so lucrative for many financial firms and other companies in New York, many prepaid millions of dollars more in taxes. But with revenues collapsing this year, companies owe the city much less in taxes.

In a departure from previous years, when the companies would simply instruct the city to apply any overpayment to subsequent tax bills, they are demanding the cash now.

City Refunds $800 Million in Corporate Taxes

The financial genius running our fair city said he looked into his crystal ball and knew all this would happen years ago. So what gives?

Four more years!

Shocking news: City mismanaging WTC funds

STOX-SOCKED FUND PAYS LAWYERS, STIFFS HEROES
By SUSAN EDELMAN, NY Post

The insurance fund created to cover claims by Ground Zero workers is losing millions of dollars on the stock market while spending mounting sums on lawyers and overhead, raising fears that little will be left for sick and dying 9/11 responders, The Post has learned.

The WTC Captive Insurance Co., a nonprofit governed by officials appointed by Mayor Bloomberg, has spent $172 million on administrative and legal costs since 2004 - but paid just $320,000 to five workers with orthopedic injuries, records show.

Some 10,000 rescue and cleanup workers - many suffering from respiratory ailments, cancer and other illnesses blamed on toxic exposure - have filed lawsuits.

Congress gave the city $1 billion in 9/11 aid to compensate rescue and cleanup workers, but the city has chosen to fight the claims in court.

The fund recently dipped below $1 billion for the first time - to $968 million as of Sept. 30 - as the economy hit a downturn. Previously, interest earned on its investments covered the overhead and attorney fees.

"It's a travesty that the lawyers and administrators given the task of distributing these funds have reaped all the money to compensate themselves," said Paul Napoli, a lawyer for the workers.

In reports obtained by The Post, Captive's chief financial officer, James Schoenbeck, blamed losses on the "difficult investment environment."

The fund lost more than $7 million alone in the three months ending Sept. 30, records show.

Four more years!

Shocking news: City mismanaging DEP project

Rising construction prices, design changes and a dearth of bidders have more than doubled the cost of a gigantic water filtration plant being built 10 stories beneath a Bronx driving range, budget experts have found.

The plant is now expected to cost nearly $3.1 billion, up from $1.3 billion in 2003. Early estimates from the 1990s put it at $660 million.

The skyrocketing price tag has been one of several areas of concern on the part of critics, who say the plant has been horribly mismanaged by the city. Officials say the project, which the city was required to build, is making good progress after a slow start.

The plant, due to be completed in 2012, is designed to filter up to a quarter of the city's water supply, or about 300 million gallons a day. The project will be New York City's first drinking water filtration facility, and is believed to be the first subterranean water plant in the nation.

Cost of NYC Water Plant Doubles

Four more years!

Tenants' hell at Schleicher Mansion

Outwardly, 11−41 123rd Street — known as Schleicher’s Court — seems like an ideal place to live. Built sometime in the 1850s, the three−story Victorian home stands out on the block — a red brick behemoth with high ceilings separated into seven spacious apartments and a large yard outside.

But a quick check of DOB records shows the 19th century relic is plagued by problems.

The house currently has 17 open DOB and Environmental Control Board violations dating back to 1997, involving everything from boiler issues to illegal construction. The building’s woes culminated on July 9, when a DOB inspector came to investigate a complaint of an illegal conversion in the basement and discovered the house’s electrical wiring was in shambles.

The DOB placed a full vacate order on the property the next day until the building’s owner, Eva Rohan, fixed the problems. More than five months later, Rodriguez and her fellow tenants still have not been able to return to their homes.

Four of the seven tenants said they have been staying with relatives in various parts of Queens, two remain in shelters and one tenant cut ties with Rohan entirely, opting instead to search for permanent housing elsewhere.

The tenants contend that Rohan and her sister, Georgina, who acts as the building’s manager, have neglected to fix the archaic electrical system in the building for more than a decade despite numerous violations — and thousands of dollars in unpaid fines — from the DOB.

Tenants just want to be home for holidays

A tour of some of the residents’ apartments revealed newly installed fuse boxes, with no fuses or wiring attached.

Two-Ton Tony seeks plea deal

Longtime Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio is trying to negotiate a plea deal on his federal corruption charges, the Daily News has learned.

Seminerio's lawyer, Ira Cooper, confirmed he has been in discussions with the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office.

"You talk to them, you wait, and soon we'll have to make a decision on what to do," Cooper said.

The lawyer said because the Queens Democrat is 73 and in poor health, he's hoping to avoid prison time, which could be difficult under harsh sentencing guidelines for elected officials.

"An imprisonment for him would be much harder than for a healthy young man," he said. "It's very hard to tell someone in his health that if you say you're guilty, you could go to jail for years."

Queens Democrat Seminerio charged with corruption

Boulevard of Death bike lane a no go

The boulevard has become safer since the city’s Department of Transportation began introducing new safety measures in the late 1990s. From 17 pedestrian deaths in 1993, the annual toll has fallen to 2 so far in 2008. Still, every year, scores of people are struck by vehicles there, and advocates like those gathered on the off-ramp say much can still be done to make the roadway more amenable to cyclists as well as pedestrians.

As bike lanes sprout up all around the city, these cyclists are urging the installation of a protected bike lane with a barrier from vehicular traffic on this most notorious of boulevards.

On a 12-Lane Road Riders With an Agenda

Nicole Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Department, said, “Safety is our top priority as we build on the safety enhancements we’ve made along Queens Boulevard and throughout the city, which have led to a dramatic decrease in accidents.” As for a bike lane on the boulevard, Ms. Garcia said, there are no current plans for one. The high number of pedestrians and the heavy traffic, she said, present challenges for building a bike lane there.

There's also confirmation by way of the Times Newsweekly:

Chairman Joseph Conley stated that, in a meeting with DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, the rumor of a bike lane on Queens Boulevard was squashed.

"It's not in the works," he assured.

Hmmm...looks like the Queens Gazette messed up!

When will Rite Aid return?

This Rite Aid at 73-26 Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village has been closed since July 18th when its roof collapsed. (Click photo to read sign)
It still ain't open. They recently renewed their roof work permit. In the meantime, if you had prescriptions there you are forced to go to Rego Park to pick up your refills.