Competition is so overrated!

From the Daily News:

In a special election, voters are denied the chance to choose nominees, as they would in an open primary. And, because the district is overwhelmingly Democratic, hand-picked candidates like Weprin romp in a special election without true public scrutiny or competition.

He and his family are masters at getting themselves appointed to office. Consider:

Weprin's father, Saul Weprin, was a product of the Queens machine who rose to be Assembly speaker. When he died in 1994, the party anointed David's brother Mark in a special election.

In 2001, David ran for City Council. He faced opposition in a primary, but the machine made his only real rival a judge. David won in a walk.

In 2009, David entered the only competitive election of his career, running for city controller. He finished fourth out of four in the primary.

A campaign highlight: Asked by this page what the controller's budget was, he said: "What office? The controller's office? Ummm. Good question. The controller's office budget. Ummm . . ."

Since David's Council seat was then open and he was jobless, brother Mark came to the rescue by running for Council. Mark won, creating an Assembly vacancy, which the party boss filled, you guessed it, by making David the candidate in a special election.

And now, barring a GOP miracle, he will be off to Congress, never having won a true election in his entire career.

By the way, Crowley - who won his own seat in Congress by bypassing a primary - will then fill Weprin's vacated Assembly seat in yet another uncompetitive special election.

The voters be damned.

Jerry Springer visits home

I never thought much of Jerry Springer's show but thankfully this string of clips shows his family history and a visit to his neighborhood of Kew Gardens and is kind of interesting to watch on a lazy Sunday.

Flushing Commons financing still in doubt

From the Times Ledger:

Financing for large developments has dried up across the United States, so the firm behind Flushing Commons, an $825 million, mixed-use project slated to break ground next year in the heart of downtown Flushing, has turned to Chinese money for help in getting a shovel into the ground.

Since the project cannot move forward until the city approves a financing plan, the company is looking “outside traditional financing methods because those methods are not available,” according to TDC President Mike Meyer.

“Our project is $825 million. That’s a heavy lift,” he said. “Since the financial markets here are not financing ground development in any substantial way, we’re going to have to utilize unconventional forms of financing, such as going to China.”

TDC, a Chinese-American firm with offices in China, is taking a number of steps in hopes of securing Chinese loans, including hosting a delegation of Chinese developers and real estate companies in Flushing, where they will tour Onex Real Estate’s $1 billion Sky View Parc development on College Point Boulevard and share a large dinner at TDC’s Queens Crossing building on Main Street.

TDC, which is currently building a “world trade center” project in Nanjing, China, that is 2.5 times the size of the 800,000-square-foot Flushing Commons, is also pursuing funding through the federal EB-5 visa program, which provides immigrant investors — TDC is looking mostly to Chinese nationals — with a pathway to obtaining green cards for investing $500,000 or more in American projects.

City suspends tow truck company

From the Daily News:

A company that chronically parked junk cars on Maspeth streets has been suspended from a city program that authorized it to tow cars from accident scenes - much to the delight of frustrated residents.

The city Department of Consumer Affairs has removed American Auto Body & Recovery from the program, pending a hearing Thursday.

"DCA inspectors have issued violations to American Auto Body & Recovery, and as of last Thursday they will be suspended from the DARP program," said agency spokeswoman Abigail Lootens.

The company was part of the Directed Accident Response Program (DARP) and Rotation Tow Program (ROTOW), which allow towing from accidents and removing abandoned or stolen vehicles, respectively. The DCA regulates both programs.

DCA officials said that during two separate inspections, the company failed to present its DARP service call records.

Many locals and civic leaders questioned American Auto's inclusion in the program after the NYPD issued 86 summonses to the company in the first three months of this year.

American Auto owner Polina Loumakos declined comment on the upcoming hearing but defended the way her company operates.

"They just caught us on a bad day. Everything is done correctly at my shop," she said, adding that the cars on the street during the day were waiting to be transported. "I feel like all the media is trying to attack me. When you guys come here it's always during business hours," she said.

I guess they are supposed visit you during non-business hours when you aren't there?

Mosquitos are getting worse in Rockaway

From the Daily News:

Mention summer in Rockaway and most people will conjure up carefree images of sunbathers and surfers.

But just a few short miles from the beaches, playgrounds sit empty and patio furniture is off-limits as summer has been hijacked by swarms of mosquitoes.

For years, local officials and the city have locked horns over the mosquito problem, which hits Bayswater, Arverne, Edgemere and other sections close to Jamaica Bay especially hard.

Decades ago, pesticides were used freely in parts of the Rockaways and elsewhere to control mosquitoes. But that was stopped due to environmental concerns and other issues.

Quinn cuts Vallone funding over bridge flap

From the NY Post:

Don't mess with Ed Koch's legacy.

City Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Queens) got that message when Council Speaker Christine Quinn slashed his annual discretionary funding -- a move widely seen as punishment for his vehement opposition to renaming the Queensboro Bridge in honor of the former mayor.

Vallone saw a 42 percent drop in district earmarks -- from more than $1.4 million last year to $838,321 in the budget that took effect last week.

By comparison, the overall discretionary budget dipped by only 2.3 percent --from $395 million to $386 million.

"I would hope that children were not punished because I represented the will of the people of Queens, and I don't believe that happened," Vallone said.

Several sources said Quinn was furious at Vallone for stealing her State of the City speech thunder in February by holding a nearly simultaneous impromptu press conference opposing the bridge renaming.

Too many housing units, nobody to fill them

From The Real Deal:

While New York City has grown in the past decade, some areas have grown more than others. Staten Island posted the greatest increase in population among the five boroughs from 2000 to 2009, while Queens showed the slowest growth. In the suburbs, Long Island's Nassau County took the lead in a number of categories -- including the oldest population and the greatest percentage of homeowners -- as well as finishing second highest in household income. But perhaps the most notable change is that while the city's population grew by 3.2 percent, its total number of housing units jumped 4.6 percent.

Meeks' disclosure under scrutiny

From the NY Post:

Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks disposed of a $15,000 personal loan he owed last year -- despite declaring no assets whatsoever, his mandatory House financial disclosure revealed.

Meeks, whose financial dealings are the target of a House Ethics Committee probe, yesterday did not respond to The Post's questions about how he settled the debt.

For the second consecutive year, the Democrat also didn't report any extra income other than the salary of his wife, a community outreach director at New York Academy of Medicine.

Who needs Queens?

From the NY Post:

He may be the king of Queens, but the borough's Democratic Party boss has his castle in Virginia.

Rep. Joe Crowley, who has the power to remake the political landscape in the borough -- as when he handpicked a candidate yesterday to replace Anthony Weiner -- actually lives 250 miles away with his family in Virginia, The Post has learned.

The Crowleys live in an expansive home in the leafy Washington suburb of Arlington, Va., where his three kids attend the community's nationally renowned public schools -- shunning New York City's educational system, property records show.

Crowley was spied yesterday in his driveway, keying into his Ford Fiesta, which bears a Virginia license plate and a bumper sticker that proclaims one of his kids is an honor student at a nearby middle school.

But Crowley keeps a toehold in the borough, maintaining ownership of a longtime family home on 65th Street in Woodside -- though neighbors on the block don't know who he is. That's not surprising, since he bought his house in Virginia for $690,000 in 2004, six years after he went to Congress.

His decision to raise his family in the DC suburbs rather than Queens raises eyebrows because of his role as the county's powerful Democratic Party chairman, which requires him to oversee politics throughout the borough, and not just tend to his congressional duties.

Crowley's response, courtesy of the NY Observer:

St. Saviour's work explanation sounds like B.S.

---- Original message ----
Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2011 15:53:30 -0400
From: "Donald Ranshte"
Subject: 405/57-40 58th St. & 57-37/41/45 57 Dr.
To: "Christina Wilkinson", "Ira Gluckman", Byron Muñoz

All,

Please be aware that the four lots here are going to have DOB approved remedial work occurring over the course of the next few days. This will take place while the SWO's and/or PSWO's remain in place.

The water main & sewer contractor has permission to install water mains and sewers from the street, but will be entering into the site, mainly because the DEP permits issued expire after 60 days. Also, work on the perimeter of the lots, mainly consisting of work to the fence.
_________________________________________

Date: Thu Jul 7 16:14:05 EDT 2011
From: Christina Wilkinson
Subject: Re: 405/57-40 58th St. & 57-37/41/45 57 Dr.
To: "Donald Ranshte", "Ira Gluckman", "Byron Muñoz"

Thank you for responding, Mr. Ranshte. My thoughts are as follows:

First of all why should DOB or the community care if the owner's DEP permits expire and they have to reapply for them? That's their problem and they brought it on themselves.

The initial SWO rescind, dated 6/17, specifically says "RESCIND TO BACKFILL 45 ANGLE OF REPOSE AND REMOVE SHED, DEBRIS AND INSTALL GUARDRAILS." Now that's what most people would consider to be remedial work.

The next rescind, dated 7/1, says they may "COMPLETE THE INSTALLATION OF FOUNDATION, MASONRY WALLS AND SLABS" That is not making the site safe, that is allowing construction to proceed.

- Without a construction fence.
- With an undermined adjacent sidewalk.
- Without the required barrier 20' from the retaining wall.
- With plans that don't conform to zoning.
- With permits about to be revoked by the commissioner.

How is that correcting the violating conditions? Shouldn't these other problems be cured first? According to DOB's own records, the owner supposedly "cured" the fence violation on 6/17, then days later was cited for the same exact thing...

It seems to the community that strings are being pulled for these owners. I have never seen DOB partially rescind a stop work order to allow construction to advance. In fact, on most SWOs, the percentage of construction completed is noted and if there is a violation the amount of progress is also noted on that. I see that is not the case here.
_______________________________________

Question:

How does one get a DEP sewer work permit without first getting a DOB plumbing permit?

And if remedial work includes replacing the undermined sidewalk, why do they only have a DOT permit for sewer installation and not one for sidewalk installation/repair?



And if the City truly wants a park here, then what the hell is going on?

Barron under scrutiny for developer deal

From the Daily News:

Brooklyn City Councilman Charles Barron steered $3 million from a big developer to a community group run by a longtime political aide, the Daily News has learned.

Barron threw his support behind the Related Companies' plan for the massive Gateway II shopping complex in East New York after the firm signed a secret benefits agreement pledging the cash to a coalition run by Andre (A.T.) Mitchell, Barron's former aide.

The Daily News reported Wednesday that Barron and his wife, Assemblywoman Inez Barron, also pumped $350,000 in taxpayer money to Mitchell's nonprofit Man Up! Inc., which helps inmates reenter society.

More not guilty verdicts in Deutsche Bank tragedy

NEW YORK (AP) -- A toxin-cleanup director and a company have been acquitted of manslaughter in a blaze that killed two firefighters at a condemned bank tower at ground zero.

A judge delivered the verdicts Wednesday in the August 2007 fire at the former Deutsche Bank building.

She found the John Galt Corp. guilty of second-degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor. She acquitted worker Mitchel Alvo of all charges. Jurors had acquitted two other construction-company supervisors of all charges last week.

The fire killed Robert Beddia and Joseph P. Graffagnino. It also revealed poor regulation of the damaged building. It was being dismantled in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Ulrich says no thanks, Shafran moves to ESDC

From the Daily News:

Scratch one more name off the list of those possibly interested in replacing disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner in NY-9: Queens City Councilman Eric Ulrich tells NY1’s Errol Louis he will not run in the September 13 special election.



From the Daily News:

Austin Shafran, man of a million phone calls, is jumping from his berth as the pitbull spokesman for the state Senate Democratic conference to Vice President of Public Affairs and top mouthpiece for Empire State Development, Commissioner Kenneth Adams announced.

Rude awakening in Hollis

From the NY Post:

A Queens man went to sleep thinking he'd found the perfect parking space for his beloved 1991 Honda Civic, but got a rude awakening yesterday when he found it had been crushed by a toppling crane.

"I love that car," a stunned Kevin Singh said at his Hollis home. "A friend gave it to me as a gift in October last year."

Singh, 38, was in bed when the cherry-picker crane fell across Hollis Avenue at 195th Street shortly before 9 a.m.

As it turned out, workers were using it to make roof repairs on the building where Singh lives.

There were no injuries, but plenty of upset motorists forced to detour around the wreckage, which blocked the two-way street from sidewalk to sidewalk.

Party bosses choose David Weprin for Weiner's seat

From Capital Tonight:

A Democratic source has confirmed that Assemblyman David Weprin is going to be the Democrats candidate in the special election for NY-9, the seat that is vacant following Anthony Weiner’s resignation.

Weprin is going to be meeting with Democrats in the district tonight and the paperwork certifying him as the candidate will be filed tomorrow.

The source tells CapTon that Weprin was picked because he is the “most loyal” to the Queens Democratic party – which basically picks the candidate for the special election because close to 70% of the weighted vote is in Queens.

And as predicted, they picked Goldfeder for Pheffer's assembly seat.

Bloomberg a Walmart fan

From the NY Times:

He called Wal-Mart “one of the great corporate citizens in this country.” He praised its efforts to conduct background checks before selling guns. He flatly rebuffed suggestions that the company was killing jobs.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took on the role of ardent defender of big-box America on Tuesday at a news conference announcing a $4 million donation by Wal-Mart to a city program that offers summer jobs to young people.

With Wal-Mart in the midst of an aggressive campaign to open its first store in New York City, was the donation simply a coincidence?

Wal-Mart has encountered opposition from some City Council members and labor advocates, who have criticized its hiring practices and expressed concern that its presence in New York would hurt small businesses.

But the company’s donation, which will help finance some 3,400 jobs, seemed to help win over some skeptics.

Developers really love Quinn

From the Gotham Gazette:

Using Gotham Gazette’s Councilpedia, we examined Quinn’s major contributors for the 2013 race (many of who actually gave in 2007 and 2008, before the extension of term limits sunk Quinn’s 2009 run for Gracie Mansion). And we discovered a large number of $4,950 contributions — the maximum allowed for citywide candidates — from people involved in real estate.

In a number of cases, several people associated with a company anted up. At least six people with links to Rudin Management, one of the city’s largest building developers and owners, gave $4,950, as did five members of the Gural family of the global real estate firm Newmark Knight Frank and the president of Newmark, James Kuhn. Three members of the Walentas family of Two Trees Management, which has developed much of DUMBO, gave $4,950 each, as did two executives with the company, Amish Patel and Richard Shill.

Three people associated with Rose Associates opened their wallets for the maximum, as did two Roses with the Georgetown Co. At least five people with ties to The Benjamin Companies on Long Island gave Quinn $4,950, and so did at least four people with ties to Related. And so on.

Forest Hills tree lovers miss Weiner

From the Daily News:

[Council Member Karen] Koslowitz questioned whether the LIRR intentionally scheduled its latest pruning on Burns St. after the resignation of Rep. Anthony Weiner, who lives nearby and often criticized the LIRR.

"It's a really big coincidence," Koslowitz said. "It's hard to say. It seems kind of funny that it's happening at this time."

Residents of the nearby Tennis View Apartments contend Weiner's absence has left them without their biggest ally.

They have turned to Koslowitz and state lawmakers, but they say Weiner held the most sway since LIRR tracks fall under federal, not city or state, jurisdiction.

"His constituents are left without their David to battle LIRR Goliath," said artist Russ Gundlach, 45, who has lived in the building for 13 years.

Pol tries to hand out rancid pork

From the Daily News:

While awaiting trial on corruption charges, Bronx Councilman Larry Seabrook is trying to steer taxpayer money to an unlicensed, unproven after-school program run by a crony.

The $66 billion budget approved by the City Council last week includes a $10,000 earmark from Seabrook to "Maria Gems," which calls itself an "innovative community program" that provides "music and health nutrition services" to kids after school.

"I found out that children were not eating fruits and vegetables...so I created a healthy nutrition program," said director Johnnie Goff, a nursery school owner and longtime Seabrook supporter who has an unpaid job as the councilman's liaison to the local education council.

A member of Community Board 12 in the Bronx, Goff briefly ran against Seabrook in 2009 before ending her campaign and working for his reelection.

Maria Gems does not appear to be a licensed after-school program, city and state officials say.

It also has not registered as a charity with the state attorney general, meaning it cannot solicit government or private money.

That means Seabrook's efforts to send pork to the program could get snagged by the new screening process City Council Speaker Christine Quinn implemented after a Council slush-fund scandal.

Don't you find it amazing and sad that the Congressional Democratic leadership bullied Weiner out of his job for sending out raunchy pictures of himself but the Council Democratic leadership not only stays silent about this corrupt jerk but also approves his shady spending?

Elevator museum in LIC

From the Daily News:

A Long Island City man hopes to lift Queens tourism with the nation's first elevator museum.

Retired elevator executive Patrick Carrajat, 67, has packed 4,000 artifacts he salvaged and bought online into his fledgling 44th Ave. institution. Displays range from White House elevator inspection certificates to an animation cel of the Pink Panther by an elevator.

"I saw the history disappearing and said to myself, 'Somebody has to preserve it,'" Carrajat said.

Carrajat transformed a former classroom for prospective cabbies into the museum at 21-03 44th Ave., where shelves are filled with buttons, cigarette lighters and golf balls with names of elevator manufacturers.

Carrajat said he chose to open in Long Island City because it's close to the subway and about 20 elevator companies operate in a 10-block radius.

Is any taxpayer money going toward funding this?

SWO infraction documented; records backdated to allow more work

So after getting a violation yesterday (apparently entered today) for not observing the SWOs at the St. Saviour's site, the DOB backdated an inspection report 7/1/11 to allow the partial rescind of one of the SWOs today so that foundations may be poured.

The rule seems to be that you can have multiple stop work orders for ignoring safety codes and problems with your paperwork and the DOB will give you just enough leeway to allow you to continue to build with no cures necessary. What exactly is the purpose of this agency?

Inadequate construction fence, unsafe excavation, undermined sidewalk, etc., etc.? No problem! Keep building! Simply amazing...

St. Saviour's work resumes in spite of multiple SWOs

"Well, today they are working full force at the St. Saviour's site despite still having active stop work orders. By the time I went out to look at what's going on they already had installed molds for new foundations. They are reinforcing a new trench with rebar wires." - anonymous

So much for DOB's SWO enforcement. Click on any BIN listed and see the SWOs are still very much in effect.

(I think I am going to use "Thumbs-up Mike" a lot on future posts.)

Is Rockaway really undergoing a revitalization?

From CBS 2:

Rockaway Beach’s comeback began with the influx of surfers after the city allowed surfing in two areas. Soon, others followed.

“As surfers, we’re hoping that the city sees that the surfing community can develop a community,” said Steve Stathis. “We hope that they recognize us and they give us more beaches to surf on.”

Developers took notice and new oceanfront condos are selling briskly.

“They come down here, their blood pressure drops by 20 points and they can breathe a little easier and they say this is really what life is supposed to be about,” said developer Michael Kerris.

Some old timers like what they see.

“Very good changes, new buildings and the situation is much safer, much better,” said Vladimir Rosenstein.

Now this just stinks

From the NY Post:

Please stop planting trees that make our sidewalks smell like puke.

That's the plaintive cry from city residents about ginkgo trees that have fruit so foul it can make you gag.

About 200 of the offending arbors were put in sidewalk strips this spring as part of Mayor Bloomberg's Million Trees campaign.

They provide lots of shade -- and plenty of putrid and mildly poisonous berries that outraged homeowners are picking off their cars and stoops.

Assemblyman William Colton of Gravesend has asked officials to stop planting ginkgos.

"They are only supposed to put in the male tree -- it doesn't produce the berries -- but they've been putting in females, which is driving everybody nuts," said a Colton rep.

City's Declaration signers are largely forgotten

From the Daily News:

With the American Revolution raging in the fall of 1776, a British battleship sailed to Whitestone to punish a patriot.

Mortar shells crashed into the home of Francis Lewis, who had recently signed the Declaration of Independence. He wasn't there, but soldiers destroyed his estate and imprisoned his frail wife.

He lost nearly everything for the fledgling nation.

Nearly two and a half centuries later, Lewis' descendants fear his sacrifice is largely forgotten in Queens, and they want to honor their ancestor with a tribute near the site of his home.

New York City was home to three signers of the Declaration of Independence, but not a single abode of theirs remains.

Like Francis Lewis' estate, the South Bronx home of signer Lewis Morris was trashed by the British. Housing projects and boarded-up buildings mark the site today.

The British also seized the Brooklyn Heights mansion of signer Philip Livingston and turned it into a hospital.

Among New York State’s four signers, the only home that still exists belonged to William Floyd, a wealthy land speculator who resided in Mastic Beach, L.I.

Holtzman wants Weiner's seat

From the NY Times:

When it comes to New York’s suddenly vacant Ninth Congressional seat, Elizabeth Holtzman is not exactly playing it coy.

She wants the job.

“I could hit the ground running,” she said of the post, now up for grabs since Representative Anthony D. Weiner resigned. “I know I could fight effectively for the people of this district. I was in Congress.”

Ms. Holtzman, the youngest woman to be elected to Congress, represented Brooklyn in the House from 1973 to 1981, later becoming the district attorney in Brooklyn and comptroller for New York City.

In a telephone interview the other day, Ms. Holtzman said she had already expressed her interest in the job to Representative Joseph Crowley, the head of the Democratic Party in Queens, who will play an influential role in selecting the party’s nominee. A special election is scheduled for Sept. 13, and there will be no primaries — instead, party leaders will select the candidates, and at this point there is no indication whom they have in mind.

Two openings on CB7

From the Times Ledger:

Gene Brennan began his long career in public service by serving nearly 20 years as a detective in the NYPD. During that time the Whitestone resident started to take part in the Dwarf Giraffe Little League, coaching, advocating, serving on its board and eventually rising to the level of league president.

It was through his work at Dwarf Giraffe that in 2003 Brennan found Community Board 7, where he hoped to have a greater impact and to get more work done for his community.

He has since served there as a board member and key member of its Public Safety Committee, but Eugene Kelty announced at the board’s June 13 meeting that health concerns have led Brennan, 70, to retire from his position there.

From the Times Ledger:

Robert LoPinto, one of the longest-serving members of Community Board 7, has stepped down from the board, giving up his seat as second vice president and taking decades of environmental engineering and community service expertise with him.

During his more than 20 years on the board, the Whitestone resident, who most know simply as “Bob,” has worked on a wide range of issues and for many years chaired its Environmental and Sanitation Committee.

But he is moving from Queens to Long Island and is president of Shapiro Engineering in Valley Stream, so he will no longer be eligible to participate on CB 7, so his tenure there is drawing to an early close.

Developers salivate over owning deBlasio

From the NY Post:

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is making improbable friends in an industry that's far removed from his progressive politics: real estate.

"Bill's going to be on the other side of almost every issue, but he'll listen to you," said an official with one of the city's most prominent developers.

Even de Blasio's close ties to municipal unions and the Working Families Party haven't dissuaded developers who tend to be wary of both.

Many developers are up for grabs in the 2013 mayoral race because of the demise of Rep. Anthony Weiner, considered the front-runner until he was done in by a sloppy Twitter tap that exposed more of his briefs than beliefs.

"Weiner was getting a lot of real-estate money," said one insider. "They're now trying to figure out where to go."

Hooking up with well-heeled donors in the real-estate world would help de Blasio stake out fresh political ground while collecting some large campaign checks.

How can you trust a guy who doesn't even use his own real name? Warren Wilhelm, Jr. apparently wasn't ethnic-sounding enough...

When is a boardwalk not a boardwalk?

From the NY Times:

Last summer, the city began replacing the wooden boards on two short stretches of boardwalk with concrete strips as a pilot project for a more extensive overhaul of the structure, which extends for two and a half miles along the Brooklyn shoreline.

The change is part of a move away from the tropical hardwoods like ipe (pronounced EE-pay) that have long been used by the city for benches, piers and walkways. The woods are tough enough to withstand a fleet of garbage trucks, but their sources in the Amazon rain forest are being depleted. Under pressure from environmental groups like Rainforest Relief, the city has since 2008 been trying to stop using them, and concrete has become the material of choice for boardwalks.

Officials at the Department of Parks and Recreation have promised that the section of several blocks of the Coney Island Boardwalk along the historic amusement area will remain hardwood. But everything else is vulnerable to conversion to concrete.

The officials say other solutions have drawbacks. North American hardwoods are not as sturdy or long-lasting. Concrete, already used for at least one mile of the five-mile Rockaway Beach Boardwalk, so far seems the cheapest, most durable alternative. Concrete, parks officials say, costs $95 a square foot, compared with $127 for hardwood.

No more free rides

From the NY Post:

Business sank like the Titanic on the new East River ferry service last week once passengers had to start paying.

Ridership plummeted from 10,900 a day for the 10 days that passengers could ride the newly expanded ferry service for free to just 3,613 a day in the first five days they had to pay.

And last Monday, the first work day passengers had to shell out $4 for one-way tickets, only 2,824 paying customers boarded the 149-seat ferries, compared to about 5,700 the Monday before.

More on the sweetheart land deal

From the NY Post:

State leaders went out of their way to push through a controversial land deal -- which robbed taxpayers of millions of dollars -- to gain the favor of a politically powerful Indian church, sources said.

Former Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Queens) championed the sale of 4.5 acres of the old Creedmoor Hospital to the cash-poor Indian Cultural and Community Center, going so far as to hound state Dormitory Authority officials to OK the deal without the usual attorney general's review, state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens) claims.

"Why would you want to circumvent the normal contract-review process? Only if you want to hide something," charged Avella, who is pushing the AG's Office to investigate the fishy deal.

Padavan's 2006 legislation authorized the sale of the Queens psych-hospital parcel for $1.8 million, a fraction of its estimated market value of $7.3 million. The measure allows the Floral Park group to build a community center and apartment buildings.

Sale of state land is usually conducted through an auction to the highest bidder, or granted to public entities. Since 2006, the Creedmoor parcels were the only sale of state Dormitory Authority land to be pushed through with special legislation, according to state records.

This year, Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Queens) shopped around another bill to sell the group roughly six more acres as they seek to erect 126 potentially lucrative apartments.

Padavan -- who lost a re-election bid last year -- and Clark received a combined total of $5,201 in campaign contributions from the cultural group's members, elections records show.

The nonprofit is led by a circle of increasingly powerful Queens and Long Island businessmen.

Next door to the old Shaw Hotel...

"The building next to it which housed a Korean storefront church is knocked down. The property itself has a "for sale" sign in front." - anonymous

Looks like 30 apartments, 14 parking spaces and a day care "community facility". Always wondered how developers know what type of business they're going to rent it out to before it's even built. (Actually, they don't. They just put that down to get a larger FAR and then they convert it into something else and DOB does nothing.)

Meet Y. Phillip Goldfeder!

On this day as we reflect on liberty, freedom and democracy, let's find out more about the assembly candidate that the Democratic party and their fearless leaders have chosen on our behalf. After all, they know who's best for us. Welcome to the new monarchy.

Happy Independence Day!

Video tour of Astoria

The other side of the city

From the NY Times:

Kayaking on the tranquil waters of Jamaica Bay on a summer afternoon feels like a faraway vacation. It’s easy to forget your proximity to Wall Street, or even to Cross Bay Boulevard, which slices through the water to the island community of Broad Channel, Queens. Along the canals that run like side streets through this tiny neighborhood, people are quick with a smile and a wave. As the disco classic “Funkytown” blasted from a party on one porch, a duck, a goose and a great egret calmly observed from a nearby railing.

While Broad Channel has long had a reputation as a place wary of outsiders, you’re treated like a lifelong neighbor when you return your rented kayak to the Sunset Marina.

The marina — the only place in the five boroughs I could find to rent a kayak without having to join a club or a tour — is the kind of place where you can grab a beer and pull up a chair.

LIC wants fireworks back

From the Daily News:

Queens didn't just lose a great view of the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks display when the department store moved the annual show from the East River.

The borough's booming businesses also took a hit.

For more than a decade, local merchants in the neighborhood got a boost from the crowds that flooded its streets to catch a glimpse of the fireworks.

Macy's officials said the fireworks has changed locations over the years to accommodate different themes and maximize public viewing.

"This year's show design along the Hudson River celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty would not be possible on another waterway," said Macy's spokesman Orlando Veras.

What a country we've become

From the NY Post:

For most of our history, it was a given that success and failure were two sides of the same coin -- and that both were necessary. The world was a nasty place, and for generations of newcomers, liberty was blessing enough.

No more. Our culture now demands not just the chance for happiness, but also the result. Millions of Americans believe that are entitled to get what they want because they want it.

They are not pursuing happiness. They are demanding it.

Meanwhile, failure gets a bad rap. And why not? If happiness is available on demand, failure is for suckers.

This cultural switch is ruinous, and a betrayal of the spirit of 1776. The idea that their countrymen would demand bailouts for their businesses and homes, handouts for not working and a life without duty to family and community would shock the founders. They would find it hard to comprehend the popularity of notions like "spreading the wealth around" and the desire to punish earned success by seizing its fruits.

Never mind that you lived with the old values, that you sacrificed and worked and saved for what you have. Now you must pay and pay again for those who didn't. Oh, and shut up about it, too.

That is the fault line of America's culture war in 2011. Pray that the spirit and wisdom of the founders prevails. Otherwise, our nation won't.

Mets, economy and commerce all suck lately

Citi Field isn't nestled among bars, restaurants and retail outposts to the extent found immediately around Yankee Stadium. But there are numerous eateries in the areas nearby and the Mets faithful continue to stop at long-time favorites like Parkside restaurant in Corona, Donovan's and Sri Pra Phai in Woodside, Joe's Shanghai in Flushing and Taqueria Coatzingo in Jackson Heights, among others.

"We're still doing business but it's not how it used to be," said Jack Donovan, manager at Donovan's, which opened in 1966. "We still have old-timers stop by for burgers and beers before they run down to the game, but the new restaurants in Citi Field are definitely taking away some of our business."

The lackluster performance of the Mets since moving into the new stadium, coupled with the economic downturn, further eroded their bottom line.

"Last year was a disaster—some of our regulars came and told me they weren't going to continue paying for season tickets because of the product on the field," said Chuck Rose, owner of the Pine Restaurant of Queens.

Donovan's business is also off because DOH shut it down...

Developer opens hydrant....legally?

Hello Crapper

"I took this picture to question the powers that be. This is from that new construction site on Prince St and Roosevelt Ave. The construction site uses city water WE pay for. My water bill is high enough. Why are they NOT being charged for use and waste of water?

Have a Crappy Fourth Crapper..."

Pope of College Point
___________________________________

From NYC.gov:

Hydrants

What should I do if I see an open fire hydrant?

Open Hydrants should be reported to 311. In addition to the location of the hydrant, please report the time of day and the type of activity at the hydrant (recreation, car washing, etc.)

Can anyone use fire hydrants legally?

(RCNY §21-03 (f)) Hydrant use requires a DEP permit which is issued at DEP's discretion.

How do I get a permit to use a fire hydrant?

Permits are issued through BCS Borough Offices. If the use is approved, they cost $55.00 every 30 days, plus $13.50 per day it is actually used.

Was this opening legal? Don't know. How does one find out? Is a permit supposed to be posted somewhere?

Church property won't be developed

From the Times Newsweekly:

The United Presbyterian Church of Ridgewood has reportedly reached a tentative deal to sell its house of worship to nearby St. Mary-St. Antonio Coptic Orthodox Church, which will use it to expand its services.

The Times Newsweekly has learned that the Presbyterian congregation will continue to remain active at a location to be determined once the deal is finalized to sell its current home, the century old former First Presbyterian Church of East Williamsburgh located at 62-54/56 60th Pl.

“We are not retreating; we are re grouping,” said Rev. Henry Fury, pastor of United Presbyterian, in a phone interview with this paper. He noted that the sale of the house of worship will enable the church itself to unload a financial liability that hindered its continued operation.

According to Fury, St. Mary St. Antonio has indicated that it plans to use the 60th Place site as a second lo cation to hold worship services and other activities. The orthodox church is currently based at 606 Woodward Ave. in Ridgewood and is serving a burgeoning population of Coptic followers.

Last year, United Presbyterian of Ridgewood whose membership has declined in recent years had listed the church on a real estate website as being available. Soon after, however, the congregation opted to forgo the proposed open market sale of the structure and instead focus on developing a co operative senior housing complex at the location.

Under the preliminary plans which were later presented to Community Board 5’s Land Use Committee for its perusal the congregation would have developed 48 studio units adjacent to and behind the house of worship and on the site of its nearby parsonage. The congregation would continue to use the church for worship services and other programs, including a soup kitchen, a food pantry and a gymnasium.

But the sluggish real estate market ultimately doomed the congregation’s senior housing plans, Fury told the Times Newsweekly last Friday, June 17.

WTC assignment taking cops out of high crime areas

From the Daily News:

The NYPD'S vaunted Operation Impact is losing about 600 cops so police can staff the new World Trade Center command and add cops to other precincts, the Daily News has learned.

The personnel shuffling was panned in neighborhoods most likely to be affected.

The move comes amid concerns that the decreasing size of the force - compounded by a drop in response times - could lead to a summer crime surge.

Sources said the number of cops assigned to Operation Impact is being trimmed to 1,200 - with almost 300 heading to the WTC command. The rest are being reassigned to other precincts desperate for a manpower boost.

It's official: Meeks is under investigation

From the Daily News:

The House Ethics Committee announced for the first time yesterday that it is investigating Rep. Gregory Meeks for possible ethics violations.

The Queens Democrat is under a federal investigation that focuses, at least in part, on a $40,000 loan he received in 2007 from a Queens businessman.

As the Daily News previously reported, he failed to disclose the loan on his required financial disclosure forms for two years - and only paid it back once the FBI started asking questions.

It's unclear if the ethics committee inquiry is related to the loan.

Richmond Hill house landmarked

From HDC:

Even in a neighborhood as architecturally rich as Richmond Hill, the Daniel Eldridge House is a true stand-out. The striking Italianate style free-standing house topped with a cupola has long been considered by many here a landmark, whether officially designated or not. The cupola has the added history of being the spot from which Mr. Eldridge, a Tweed Ring member, is said to have watched for the arrival of policemen to arrest him on embezzlement charges. The incident is an interesting reminder of the connection between this then-rural area and Manhattan even in pre-consolidation days.

Illegal conversion adds to vibrant diversity

From the Queens Chronicle:

Dozens of Woodhaven residents packed the Moose Hall auditorium in Richmond Hill last week to demand that police take action against unruly neighbors residing at a house on 98th Street and 87th Avenue.

Residents who live on the block between 87th Avenue and Jamaica Avenue said at the 102nd Precinct Community Council meeting last week that the one-family residence has been subdivided into four or five apartments and currently houses 20 to 30 adults and children. The children are reportedly unsupervised and have been seen running around in the driveway, according to individuals at the meeting.

A source from the 102nd Precinct said that representatives from the city’s Administration for Children’s Services have been sent to the premises to check on the children.

Police have been called to quell loud noise coming from the house and late night disturbances, residents said.

They also reported that garbage left outside the house and on the street has led to a rodent problem on the block.

On 4/14/11, it was referred to the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement and then apparently forgotten about, since it's now July and nothing's happened.

Lost Battalion Hall finds itself a deal

From the Times Ledger:

Lost Battalion Park in Rego Park will be expanding its boundaries, thanks to a land swap between the city and a developer.

An oddly shaped parking lot and one end of the park currently fit together like puzzle pieces, but according to state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), the swap deal will make both the parking and park easier to use.

“Everybody benefits,” she said. “The developer benefits, the city benefits and the developer is going to do the improvements.”

The park is at 93-29 Queens Blvd., and with the new deal would stretch all the way from Queens Boulevard to Junction Boulevard.

A vast parking lot now sits beside the park and near the back it snakes around and encompasses the entire greenspace.

The developer, Vornado Realty Trust, owns part of the huge parking lot, while the city owns another.

In the swap, the city will give Vornado a piece of the lot that is near the park and Vornado will trade the portion of the asphalt that wraps around the back of the park. That way, both the greenspace and the parking lot will become more normally shaped.

Solid metal gates on their way out

From NBC:

The metal roll-down gate on storefronts, part of New York City's landscape for decades, will be officially phased out starting Friday, when a law takes effect that requires new gates to be partially transparent.

All businesses will ultimately have to replace their current opaque gates, but have until July 1, 2026 to do so.

The City Council voted in 2009 to ban the solid gates as a quality of life measure.

Public Safety Committee Chair Peter Vallone, Jr., said at the time that the gates attracted graffiti and transformed city blocks into "dark, graffiti-strewn metal alleyways" when they were rolled down at night.

Vallone also claimed the opaque gates blocked the view of the store's interior, frustrating first responders during emergencies.

What Anthony couldn't accomplish, Peter did.

Cuomo tweeds as expected

From NY1:

Governor Andrew Cuomo has chosen September 13th to hold the special election for the congressional seat formerly held by Anthony Weiner.

That's also primary day.

Special elections will also be held for vacant seats in six Assembly districts which include seats in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

Politicker speculates on - brace yourselves, CD9 - Claire Shulman's chances of securing the nomination.

Firetrap owners hit with criminal charges

From the Daily News:

The City Department of Investigation has started filing criminal charges against building owners who ignore citations for dangerous code violations, including illegal firetraps.

Starting this month, DOI teamed up with the Buildings Department - which has no authority to make arrests - to pursue deadbeat landlords who blow off code enforcers.

The new approach followed a Daily News series on city firetraps and landlords cited for unsafe conditions who have ignore summons for years.

In the last month, 110 owners have been charged in criminal court with failing to appear after being cited by the Buildings or Fire departments for a litany of safety problems.

That includes two Queens apartment buildings turned into illegal SROs whose owners repeatedly failed to answer court summons.

LIRR lied to Forest Hills community

From Forest Hills Patch:

Roughly a dozen Forest Hills Gardens residents gathered on Burns Street Wednesday morning, including representatives of the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, for a meeting with Long Island Railroad representatives that was not to be.

A representative of the LIRR cancelled an appearance at the meeting, residents said, when he was told that members of the local press would be present.

Frank Gulluscio, district manager of Community Board 6, said the biggest issue right now is that the LIRR has not filled in the previously cut trees with more “track friendly” species, like evergreens, which are safer along tracks because of the lack of falling leaves.

“I think the most important thing is that they never came back to give us ‘track-friendly’ trees,” Gulluscio said. “They knew that the quality of life here was disturbed, very much so.”

In a 2007 release, the transit authority pledged to work with the community, saying “LIRR representatives will be available to discuss replace trees at the Railroads expense with track-friendly trees such as evergreens.”

An LIRR spokesman said last week that currently there are no plans to do any replanting in the area.

Buyers get refunds from Sky View Parc

From the NY Post:

Sponsors of the massive, $1 billion Sky View Parc complex in Flushing will refund 75 percent of $5 million in down payments to buyers who backed out of contracts on $50 million worth of luxury apartments -- a settlement likely to send shivers through the ranks of the city's condo developers.

The agreement will recoup $3.69 million plus interest for 118 buyers represented by Adam Leitman Bailey, a lawyer who has filed suits for plaintiffs in numerous similar cases.

All the buyers sued under the once-obscure federal Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act, which requires condo sponsors to register their project with the Housing and Urban Development department and to provide buyers with "disclosure" reports. As at many other condo projects, that was not done at Sky View Parc, located on College Point Boulevard.

The suit also cited alleged failure by Onex Real Estate Partners to disclose "substantial problems" at the project to the buyers. Those issues, reported in The Post last August, included at the time a $160 million cost overrun and loan restructurings.

Bellerose mess

"For the last ten (10) years, there is a home on our street, 80-44 233rd St, Bellerose, that has been abandoned. There are 6 foot shrubs and grass growing. The house is simply a disaster.

When Padavan and Avella were campaigning not to long ago, the community brought it to their attention, they held a press conference, but nothing was done. It is uncertain who the owner is, the information is not clear on dob/acris.

Just thought I'd bring this giant piece of crap to your attention. (btw, I just started following your blog about a month ago, good stuff)"

- Queens Resident


This may come as a shock to my regular readers but work on a house down the street doesn't conform to approved plans. And while Tony Avella is known for these type of battles, the responsibility for rectifying both of these messes belongs to Council Member Mark Weprin. When he stops campaigning for congress, maybe he'll get around to it.

Be careful what you stick in your eyes