Steve Israel endorses Avella

From the Observer:

Congressman Steve Israel, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, has endorsed State Senator Tony Avella’s re-election bid, Mr. Avella’s campaign announced today.

Mr. Israel, a Long Island-based congressman who represents a chunk of eastern Queens that overlaps with Mr. Avella’s district, said the Queens Democrat worked closely with him since Mr. Israel recently began representing Queens.

“When Congressional redistricting brought me to Queens, Senator Avella was one of the first elected officials to reach out,” Mr. Israel said in a statement. “He partnered with me on combating airplane noise, fighting for our veterans and standing up for New York’s middle-class families. I’ve seen firsthand his relentless work ethic and dedication to his district. For these reasons, I endorse Tony Avella’s candidacy.”

Firecracker damages memorial

From the Queens Chronicle:

For many in Howard Beach, the namesake of Charles Park is a mystery. But for those who know who Frank Charles was, his is a story every neighborhood resident should know.

That’s why several years ago, the American Legion Post #1404, based in Broad Channel but including a number of Howard Beach residents as members, sought to construct a memorial sign telling the story of Charles, the first resident of Howard Beach to die in action at war.

In May, five years, one hurricane and over $5,000 later, they unveiled a sign on the east side of the park facing Hawtree Creek where Charles lived, only to find last weekend that it had been damaged.

“It’s terrible,” said Ed Murray, past commander of American Legion Post #1404. “There’s no respect.”

A hole blew open in the Plexiglas panel protecting the sign and a large dent mars the back of the sign.

“I think it was a firecracker, an M-80 probably,” said Ray York, another past commander of the troop. “Some kids, probably on the Fourth of July. They must have taped it on the glass and lit it.”

Initially, some residents, including Dorothy McCloskey, president of Friends of Charles Park, thought it was a bullet, but no fragments were found, nor did it penetrate through the steel skin.

“If it was a bullet, it would have gone right through,” York said.

Murray pointed to red powder on the bottom of the sign inside the glass as a sign that a firecracker was the likely culprit.

Nothing has changed on Roosevelt Ave

From DNA Info:

Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights is “a mecca of human trafficking” where women from countries including Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela are being sexually exploited, elected officials said Thursday.

And Queens is the center of the city's trafficking problem, with nearly 60 percent of the city's victims who come forward looking for help.

Roosevelt Avenue has a number of brothels, state Sen. Jose Peralta, who represents Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, said at a press conference where he discussed an initiative to provide foreign-born victims of sex trafficking with free legal representation on immigration issues.

“Roosevelt Avenue is a mecca of human trafficking in Queens and throughout the five boroughs,” Peralta said.

There are gangs “that are participating in bringing women from all over the world," he later told DNAinfo New York.

“They bring them right to Roosevelt Avenue,” the state senator said. “It’s really a hub and epicenter of human trafficking.”

Yes we've known about this for quite some time, yet it still hasn't been cleaned up. Why is that?

Collapsed building will be repaired instead of demolished

From the Queens Courier:

The owners of a partially collapsed Woodhaven building have prevented the city from demolishing their building by coming to a settlement to repair the collapsed roof by Oct. 15, according to court records and the lawyer representing its owners.

The building on 78-19 Jamaica Ave., considered an eyesore by many in the community, had originally been given a stay of demolition which expired on July 16. But the owners were able to prevent a demolition of the building after they sued the city for “arbitrary and capricious” conduct. The owners settled, agreeing to have the building fixed and completed by October.

“The engineer is working diligently to comply with the Department of Buildings,” , said Elio Forcina, the owners’ lawyer. “Once the building is finished, it will be very beautiful and the community will love it.”

A happy ending in North Flushing

Dear Queens Crapper,

Instead of complaining, there is some very good news to share about a recent story about illegal parking in North Flushing. I am very happy to report that after an inspection by the Department of Buildings, the homeowners have removed the paver stones covering the green space in front of their home where cars were being parked illegally. In addition, the homeowners have planted a very lovely garden in front of their home. I am attaching “Before” and “After” photos.

We want to thank the homeowners at 165-12 Crocheron Avenue for being good neighbors and removing the illegally parked cars in front of their home. Their new garden has made the neighborhood even more beautiful for everyone. We especially want to thank the Department of Buildings and Councilmember Vallone’s office for their diligence and support in resolving this problem in North Flushing. Grateful homeowner in Broadway-Flushing.

Thank you,

-Maria

Ognibene out

From the Queens Chronicle:

Despite circulating petitions earlier this month with his name as a candidate for state Senate, ex-Councilman Tom Ognibene will not run, GOP sources say.

Ognibene, of Middle Village, was listed on Republican petitions as a candidate for the seat now occupied by state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach).

A GOP source said attorney Ken Sullivan will instead be the Republican candidate for the seat, and Ognibene’s declining the Republican nomination was reported by Capital Tonight on Tuesday evening.

DeBlasio finally chooses DOB Commissioner

From the Observer:

Mr. de Blasio announced that he was making Hunter College’s assistant vice president of facilities Rick Chandler commissioner of the Buildings Department...

The mayor said that Buildings is badly in need of a change both in its dealings with New Yorkers, and in its office atmosphere.

“We have to change the culture of the Buildings Department. There has to be a totally different sense of time and efficiency,” Mr. de Blasio said, blaming bureaucratic delays and excessive fines on internal attitudes among personnel at the agency.

Mr. Chandler was part of the Buildings Department teams that inspected structures surrounding Ground Zero following 9/11 and damaged buildings after Hurricane Sandy, and said he was up to the task of guiding the agency. He promised to cooperate with the mayor in his ambitious goals of creating and maintaining 200,000 units of affordable housing, and of refitting school buildings to accommodate universal pre-K–as well as helping everyday families with work on their homes and properties.

Controversy over Astoria Cove continues

From Crains:

Affordable-housing advocates are concerned about the number of low-income units that will be a part of the new Astoria Cove project in northwestern Queens. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said she was worried about gentrification of the area and [held] a hearing on the 2.2 million-square-foot project Thursday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The developer of the project Alma Realty Corp. has offered to make 20% up from the original proposal of 17%, but some advocates want 50%.

From the NY Observer:

An anti-Walmart coalition and a Queens councilman are announcing a campaign today to keep Walmart, the big box superstore, out of a proposed residential and retail development in Astoria, Queens. It’s not clear yet if Walmart, thwarted before from building in New York City because of its anti-union approach, is planning on an attempt to bring a store to the 2.2 million square foot and 1,700 unit waterfront and retail complex known as Astoria Cove.

Anti-Walmart forces, though, aren’t taking any chances.

“Workers, consumers, and local businesses in Astoria need a retail component that preserves the small-business character of our community. Astoria Cove should prioritize employers that meet the highest standards,” Councilman Costa Constantinides, the area’s representative, said in a statement to the Observer. “The retail component of Astoria Cove should help build entrepreneurship both inside the development and within the greater Astoria community.”

Military truck mystery solved

From the Forum:

The camouflage military truck parked idly on 78th Street in Howard Beach belongs to resident Paul Marcel, a volunteer EMS worker, who used the large vehicle to rescue 120 neighbors from their homes that were rapidly filling with water during Hurricane Sandy.

The Forum Newsgroup ran a story in the July 10 issue detailing residents’ concerns with an abandoned army truck parked on 78th Street for several months without being moved. The owner reached out soon after to tell his story.

After buying the vehicle just days before the storm from a friend who had it shipped over from Afghanistan, Marcel said he started listening to his police scanner and preparing for the worst as the storm began barreling up the east coast.

When Sandy struck, the first emergency situation he responded to included an ambulance that became stuck in the water and needed to be pulled out. When he heard the call for help on the police scanner, Marcel said he rushed to the vehicle and had the medical personnel get into the truck.

The truck was hit repeatedly by large waves during his Hurricane Sandy rescue missions, causing damage to the radiator and the central tire inflation system, which keeps air in the truck’s tires. He said the truck is properly registered and hopes it will not be towed while he works on getting it up and running again.

“I have used it since Sandy, but it has been acting up like crazy,” Marcel said. “That is why it has been sitting there on the block like that. I was trying to fix it every week.”

Something in the Village is actually in danger

From WPIX:

A Greenwich Village neighborhood may be losing one of its main attractions: a quaint and quirky, historic, white little farmhouse at the corner of Charles and Greenwich Streets.

The nearly 5,000 square foot piece of property at 121 Charles Street was listed in the New York Times real estate section as a development site, with a $20,000,000 price tag.

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, was shocked to see the ad.

The current owner bought it in the late 1980’s. The old house wasn’t even located in the Village until 1967. That’s when it was moved from 71st Street and York Avenue to avoid being torn down by the property owner, the Archdiocese of New York, which wanted the space for housing for seniors.

Wow, if this were to be torn down, it would be like just about every historic property that had a preservation effort around it in Queens for the past 30 years or so!

Flushing's LIRR muni lot to be sold for $1

Photo from Queens Chronicle

From the Queens Gazette:

The city announced Tuesday it is seeking firms to develop a mixed-use building on the site of a municipal parking lot in Flushing, Queens. The move to replace the lot with a structure that would include affordable housing units is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's effort to build more such apartments on publicly owned, underused lots near transit hubs.

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development released a request for proposals for the 156-space lot, located on 41st Avenue near Main Street—steps from Flushing's Long Island Rail Road station and a few blocks from the No. 7 train, which stops at one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the entire city. In its place, the administration is seeking an affordable housing project with ground-floor retail, and possibly some combination of community facility and commercial space, along with parking.

The makeup of the eventual project will depend on the proposals, but the city plans to rezone the 43,200-square-foot parcel to allow for nearly double the amount of housing that could be built today. If developers were to take full advantage of that higher limit, the project could include about 200 units.

U-Haul clock to get fixed

From the Queens Gazette:

A four-sided clock tower with a timepiece that has been frozen in place for decades is about to be rejuvenated.

The U-Haul building, situated on the Flushing River along College Point Boulevard in Flushing, was visited recently by New York City clock masters Marvin Schneider and Forrest Merkowitz who have both worked on clocks around the city, including the weekly winding of the timepiece atop the New York City Municipal Offices on Broadway and Leonard Street in Manhattan.

For years the hands of the clock have been stuck at about the 11 o’clock position.

Schneider and Merkowitz were pleased to find during a visit last December that all the original parts remained inside the clock tower.

The building, and its timepiece made by the Seth Thomas Clock Company in Connecticut, dates back to 1925. It was constructed by W & J Sloane Furniture Co. for their subsidiary, the Company of Master Craftsmen. Serval Zipper Company purchased the building in 1942. In 1979 it was taken over by U-Haul, which continues to operate a storage center in the space to this day.

Queens getting more homeless shelters

From the Queens Courier:

A community is outraged and looking for answers as they learned the city went behind their backs to turn an East Elmhurst motel into a permanent homeless shelter.

Last week, the city’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS) approved the conversion of the Westway Motor Inn, located at 71-11 Astoria Blvd., into a shelter to immediately house over 100 homeless families, according to officials. The shelter will be managed by social services provider Women In Need.

“The agreement was that the homeless people would be bused in at night and out in the morning, no permanent housing,” [Rose Marie] Poveromo said. “We have no voice, the government doesn’t follow the will of people.”

“We are deeply troubled by this decision and find it disturbing that neither elected officials nor community leaders were informed or consulted beforehand,” a group of elected officials wrote in a letter to DHS Commissioner Gilbert Taylor after being told about the plan the day before the families were expected to begin moving into the motel. “While we appreciate that DHS is legally required to provide shelter for the homeless, the agency’s failure to provide any notification to the people currently living in the area who are impacted by its implementation is unacceptable.”

The emergency town hall meeting on the Westway Motor Inn homeless shelter will be held on Wednesday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum of the Moving Image at 36-01 35th Ave.

Then there's this from the Daily News about a shelter in Rockaway:

The city's plan to quietly convert a former Rockaway rehab center into a homeless shelter has enraged residents and officials, who say their peninsula is being used as a dumping ground.

“Without any talk of essential services being added to Rockaway, this is not a good proposal,” said City Councilman Donovan Richards. “We have done everybody’s share for the last 30 to 40 years.”

The Department of Homeless Services is set to begin housing 155 homeless families at the site of the former Daytop Village drug rehabilitation center on Beach 65th St., officials confirmed Wednesday.

The city drew up a contract with Housing Bridge, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that operates 16 shelters throughout the city.

Shocked local leaders said they were misled by the city and had no idea the agency was eyeing the site for a shelter.

An official from the Department of Homeless Services told Richards’ office in June there were “no plans to build anything there,” according to emails obtained by the Daily News through a Freedom of Information request.

I've lost count, are we up to 4 shelters for Queens this year, 2 of which the City lied about? It's funny how Comptroller Scott Stringer signed off on these secret shelters then scolded the DHS in a letter for opening them without community input.

This crisis may be due in part to "migrant children".

Liquor license excuse sounds like a huge crock of crap

From the Queens Courier:

An arts center in Ridgewood is applying for a liquor license. Okay, sounds like Williamsburg so far.

But while it wants to serve alcohol for its weekend music shows, the owners also want to make more money so that they can continue to offer free services on weekdays to the local community — especially the intellectually disabled.

“The basic logic behind this place is we’re here in the community and the community needs space so we give them space,” said Sam Hillmer, one of the owners of the venue Trans Pecos. “We believe that we can be the new model for new art spaces opening up in the community.”

Every Tuesday afternoon, The Downtown Electric band can be found practicing its music set. The group is made up of six intellectually disabled people who have been practicing in the space since Trans Pecos opened in December 2013.

Harris, who is a Certified Safety Professional, explains that some days the venue gets too hot, causing them to have to cut the band’s practice short. But with the liquor license, Hillmer said there will be enough money to install an air conditioner and make the venue more tolerable for AHRC and other community groups.

The venue also houses a record label, Northern Spy, and a coffee shop is in the process of being built in the front of the building.

Hillmer and the other owner, Justin Todd Patrick, applied for a liquor license with the State Liquor Authority last week and they are also seeking the approval of Community Board 5.

Ok, so in a nutshell, they're using the excuse that the kids need air conditioning in order to get their liquor license. Their temp C of O says restaurant and rehearsal studio. Here's what it looked like inside when the Silent Barn was illegally operating out of it.

[See last comment for update.]

Ad hoc Hunters Point bus bench!

Once upon a time, there was a bus shelter with a bench at Jackson Avenue and 11th Street.

When the B32 was brought into service, they had to change the sign. At the same time, they also removed the shelter. It has yet to return. However, someone has improvised seating.

Note the garbage can! I love it.

Anti-police harassment case in court

From WPIX:

Debra says things went south in a hurry on September 25th, when she began recording EMTS and two police officers attending to a disabled woman at the corner of Broadway and West 73rd street.

Debra is the plaintiff representing other police video documenters, in a federal lawsuit that seeks to give people the right – under the First Amendment – to record police officers working in public places.

That right already exists in several other cities, but there is no specific law on the books in New York.

While they haven’t seen the case, a spokesperson from the NYC Law Department issued a statement regarding the NYPD’s policy in bystanders filming police.

“Bystanders are allowed to film police officers as long they’re not interfering with the officers’ duties and/or police operations,” she said. “People are also allowed to film public officials with the same principles in mind.”

However, the Justice Department recognizes a citizen’s right to roll on the cops, writing in a 2012 memorandum,

“Officers should be advised not to threaten, intimidate, or otherwise discourage an individual from recording police officer enforcement activities or intentionally block or obstruct cameras or recording devices.”

“We’re pretty confident legally, especially with the precedent from the first, the seventy, the ninth, and eleventh court of appeals. Our sense is, this makes absolute sense. That as long as you’re not interfering with the police doing their job, why can’t you record it?” said Siegel.

Debra Goodman says her desire to turn ordinary walks into an exercise in law enforcement accountability, shouldn’t come with the gift of twenty five hours in custody…which is what she says happened following her own arrest.

Out come the wolves

From [on riker's wolves] by Matthew Kremer:

the costliness of imported cloths
had induced the practice of
making domestic woollens,
and the raising of sheep
for that purpose,
riker describes in one
of the opening segments
of his Annals of Newtown,
a record of the founding
of the settlement that would
centuries later become elmhurst.
the depredations of wolves offered,
however, a serious impediment
to the safe rearing of flocks.
this comedy occurred
in and around
the first few decades
of the dutch settlement,
when the terrain was dominated
by natural elements whose threat
outstripped the reach of man.

i like to walk around the parking lot
of the georgia diner and feel how
it would be to have been prone
to such a fantastic death
in a new, empty land.
the area would have abutted
horse brook, of course, so
it's likely that predators
would be lurking nearby.
now, there's only an
indonesian grocery store
with decent prices on meat
and a stretch of tall weeds
along a chain-link fence
on the southern side
of justice street.
and though the inhabitants
of this town were less annoyed
by these midnight prowlers than
their neighbors of the adjoining towns,
they found it necessary, in february, 1692,
to offer twenty shillings a head
for every wolf killed within
the limits of the town.

A man wearing too many hats

Warren Schreiber is not only the president of Bay Terrace, but he's also an employee of Paul Vallone and endorsed and is actively campaigning for John Liu.

I'm sure this candidates' night will be totally fair and unbiased.

Street tree destroyed, but Parks doesn't care

The description contained in the montage put together by a reader says it all. What looks to be a recently planted street tree was removed for a driveway.

For the record, DOB didn't see anything wrong here, either.

Timing is everything

From Crains:

Less than a month before Mayor Bill de Blasio struck a major contract agreement with the United Federation of Teachers, its parent union, the American Federation of Teachers, gave $350,000 to a nonprofit run by de Blasio advisers, which lobbies on behalf of the mayor's priorities, newly released records show.

The AFT's donation, on April 9, was the largest donation to the de Blasio-affiliated nonprofit, Campaign For One New York, since it was founded after the mayor was elected last November. Its timing raises questions about the ability of outside interests to advance their agendas before the city by supporting a nonprofit close to the mayor.

The group was formed to advance the mayor's signature social reform: universal prekindergarten. It was founded by Mr. de Blasio's campaign manager, and the pre-K campaign was run by consulting firms that worked on the mayor's political campaign. The AFT donation came after the state Legislature approved funding for pre-K in late March. The nonprofit is now transitioning to other areas of importance to the mayor, including signing up children for pre-K.

Less than a month after the $350,000 donation, the teachers union and the city struck a nine-year deal that included raises and retroactive pay for teachers while also promising future health care savings for the city.

A governmental spokesman for Mr. de Blasio said the AFT's hefty donation had no impact on the contract between the mayor and the city teachers' union.