Queens Botanic Garden has signs against drinking toilet water

From DNA Info:

Signs put up in the restroom cubicles of the Queens Botanical Garden take the prize for stating the obvious: "Toilet water is not safe for drinking."

The messages hang over toilet bowls full of water that is often colored blue.

Because it's not potable and has not been treated by facilities operated by the city's Department of Environmental Protection, the garden said it was required to install the signs.

Forest Park cameras a victim of red tape

From the Queens Tribune:

In 2013, Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) announced that money was allocated to place NYPD security cameras in the park in response to crimes occurring that year, including an attempted rape.

The $250,000 project, which was done in conjunction with State Sen. Joe Addabbo (D-Middle Village), aims to serve as a deterrent to crime in the park and help the local police precinct catch criminals if something does happen, Miller has said in the past.

While it was announced nearly two years ago, the plan has not yet become a reality, but appears to be happening soon.

Angel Vazquez, chief of staff for Miller’s office, said the cameras have to clear one more bureaucratic hurdle before they are placed in the park.

According to Vazquez, The Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee, as well as the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, approved the cameras and now it must get the green light from Gov. Cuomo’s State Division of Budget.

The reason for the delay, Vazquez said, was over a small conflict in deciding who would pick where the cameras are installed. Because the money was allocated to be placed in a specific area, Vazquez said Miller’s office wanted control the NYPD, to make sure the cameras were placed in Forest Park instead of another part of the city. The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.

LIC getting thousands more people - with no increase in services

From LTV Squad:

As anyone who has been paying attention (or read my last article) knows, the neighborhoods of Greenpoint, Williamsburg, LIC (and soon Astoria) have been seeing massive increases in population without significant associated increases in city services (first responders, transit, schools, hospitals, etc).

We already know this is a problem. This article is will focus on LIC and clarify the scope of this problem.

Let’s look at several large planned development projects – many of which have already begun and will be completed in the next 3-5 years:

• The residential towers being built at the former 5ptz will result in 1000 new apartments.
• The residential towers being built at the former C.N. West factory will result in 1,789 new apartments.
• The building going up next to where 5ptz was will have 182 new apartments.
• The former site of one of the Eagle Electric factories on Queens Plaza will have 400+ apartments.
• The former site of another Eagle Electric factory will have 780 apartments.
• A new tower on Purves street (former site of 3 low rise factories) will have 270 apartments.
• Two other towers will bring 119 new apartments near Queens Plaza and on Vernon.
• There are dozens of smaller projects in LIC as well – enough to keep an entire blog very busy with updates. Together they add up to hundreds more new apartments.

Just the above large projects alone will result in 4,540 new apartments. If we assume two residents per apartment, that will be 9,080 new residents moving to LIC within the next 3-5 years. When you consider there’s at least a dozen other smaller ‘development’ projects in the works my estimate of 9000+ new residents is actually a conservative estimate.

• There are no plans for any new first responders to support these residents.
• There are no plans for any new first responders, or even additional trash collection to support these residents.
• There is currently one new school planned which will have 456 seats. It will be in a leased space and not a proper city owned school building.

All of the above ‘development’ projects pale in comparison to Hunters Point South, which will bring 5000 new apartments and up to 10000+ new residents to a previously vacant/industrial area.

The ‘Hunters Point South’ area was under water during Hurricanes Sandy and Irene, and is a ‘Zone A’ flood zone.

Read the whole thing. It's quite informative and 100% on the money.

Massage parlors proliferating everywhere

From WPIX:

On a rainy Monday approaching midnight, PIX11 Investigates took a drive along Northern Boulevard in Little Neck, Queens, heading east toward the Great Neck border. We noticed blinking, neon lights in two storefronts standing side by side. One of them was called “Relax Station,” and the blue and white sign indicated it was open. The next store had a red awning; the sign advertising $19.99 rubs for 30 minutes.

These are the spas of Little Neck and Douglaston in eastern Queens, and in the last couple of years, the name FOOT SPA has appeared increasingly on the signs.

PIX11 took note of the trend in our travels and decided to look into the phenomenon.

Steinway warehouse renderings revealed

From George the Atheist: