Fall Newsletter 2012 Final
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Transcript of Fall Newsletter 2012 Final
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Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together
OMETNewsletter Fall 2012No End in Sight to Relieve
Dangerous Parking Problem
As a result of NYC Department of Transportations refusal to install a safety bar-
rier, bollards or even a No Parking sign on the LIE 69th Street exit at westboundservice road at Mazeau Street, dangerous illegal parking conditions persist.
The 104th Precinct has been relentless in their summonsing efforts, but it is
difcult for them to get a tow truck big enough to impound these vehicles on a
regular basis. The summonses are only the cost of doing business for the truck-
ers and clearly not an incentive for them to park elsewhere.
Photo taken by Linda Daquaro
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Pg. 2 Fall 2012 COMET
A motorists vehicle went out of control and hit six
pedestrians and Connollys Restaurant on Grand Av-
enue and 72nd Street in late June. There were no seri-
ous injuries reported. Luckily it wasnt a school day!
In early July, a motorists vehicle jumped the curb
and hit Isabellas Ice Cream Shop across the street
from the 69th Street Post Ofce. There were no inju-
ries and no criminality.
Illegal Commuter Van Activity
Continues to Plague our Area
Vehicles Hit Local Businesses
Parking problems and dangerous trafc conditions are a huge problem in our community!
After numerous complaints to our elected ofcials and the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission about commuter vans operat ing illegally in our
area, Comet President Roe Daraio received a call from Assistant Commissioner Jeff Hunt, Taxi and Limousine Commission Enforcement, asking
us to provide more detailed information. The information was sent to him and hopefully enforcement will begin shortly and be done frequently.
We are pleased the agency will do some enforcement, but remain skeptical as to whether or not it will resolve the problem. Summonses are only
a small cost of doing business. We just have to wait and see!
Photo by D Conlan
Photos by Linda Daquaro
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COMET Fall 2012 Pg. 3
Parking Woes on our BordersPhotos taken in July when school is out
What Next?
Its bad enough that residents on 67th Street
have to contend with dozens of school buses all
day at PS 229, but there are times when they im-
pacted with them at night too.
A repair shop on 51st Avenue that services
school buses has no room on the property to
store them. The owner parks them overnight on
the street. When the 108th Precinct summonses
them on 51st Avenue, they are moved to 67th
Street on the 104th Precinct side of the street.
When the 104th summonses them, theyre right
back on 51st Avenue again. It has become a reoc-
curring nightmare!
Photos by Saverio Ricotta, Dick Gundlach and Shirley Warren
Photo by Mike Fordunski
Last but not least, motorists heading down 57th
Avenue on the Maspeth/Elmhurst border usu-
ally see a couple of school buses parked on the
strip. During the school year, school buses line
up, leave their engines idling and folks have tobreathe in the fumes. I guess we dont get enough
from the LIE trafc!
Luckily, the 104th, 108th and 110th Precincts
work well together and take action when we
bring up these problems at our meetings. How-
ever, we need a permanent solution that will give
residents some peace and free up our precincts to
handle other issues!
In June, Maspeth residents had to contend with
this trailer parked all weekend on Jay Avenue
near Hamilton Place taking up several parking
spots. It had Colorado plates. Luckily for us,
Captain Cody, 104th Precinct, made arrange-
ments to have it towed.
If you see something like this, please report it to 311.
Correction: The Metrocard bus stops on 69th Street and Grand Avenue on the second Thursday
of each month from 1:00 - 3:00 pm. The new number to call for information is 511. Sorry for any
inconvenience this may have caused.
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Pg. 4 Fall 2012 COMET
Its mind boggling why some folks illegally
dump their trash in litter baskets on our corners
or just leave it in front of businesses on Grand
Avenue instead of just putting it out on their trash
and recycling days. An Elmhurst resident took a
walk up Grand Avenue to Maspeth one Sunday
and spotted this mess.
The people who suffer the consequences are our
local business owners who may get a ne from
Sanitation if they dont clean it up. When corner
litter baskets are full, the trash blows in front of
our local businesses forcing the store owner to
constantly sweep up. We all need to take pride in
our community.
You can help medical, re and police respond-
ers get to your home faster by putting large house
numbers in a visible location in the front and rear
of your home. If the police are chasing a suspect
through yards or community driveways, or a re
is in the rear of a home, the address would be
helpful.
If you walk through our neighborhood youll
see many homes dont have an address clearly
visible from the street. Actually, some dont even
have an address at all! Responders must slow
down to nd the right address.
These numbers are inexpensive and can be pur-
chased at most hardware stores.
Illegal Dumping Large House Numbers
for Emergencies
Photo by Ivan Mossop, Jr.
Photo by Shirley Warren
Shanty McCondo RemovedThank you 104th Precinct!
Wed like to thank Captain Michael Cody, 104th Precinct, for personally looking into our concerns about a three-story Shanty McCondo that was
constructed by a homeless man on the 53rd Road side of the old Blockbuster site at 74th Street. Comet received a number of complaints from residents stating
that he was seen feeding rats in the vicinity of the site. Captain Cody reached out to the property owner and got a commitment it would be removed. Removal
was done at the end of June.
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COMET Fall 2012 Pg. 5
This poor Pin Oak tree on 59th Street in west
Maspeth is diseased. The large ball-sized pods
are breaking off from the branches and the are
hitting folks as they fall to the ground. The hom-eowner lled up half of a large garbage pail with
them!
When one species of tree is infected, it passes
on to other nearby trees of the same species. In
this case there are several oak trees on the block
that are starting to become infected. Saving ma-
ture trees in our community should be a priority.
They help curtail trafc pollution in our area.
Unfortunately, theres no City funding avail-
able to spray our mature trees that are infected.
In response to Comets request for a turn signal
at Grand Avenue at 69th Street, the NYC Depart-
ment of Transportation stated that they completed
their analysis in June. Factors such as peak hour
turning movements, accident experience and the
availability of gaps in the opposing trafc streamto accommodate turns were all taken into consid-
eration in making their determination.
Based upon their evaluation of the data col-
lected, it is their judgment that a special left-turn
signal is not recommended for Grand Avenue
eastbound. Looks like the intersection of Grand
Avenue at 69th Street will see no safety measures
at least in the near future. Drive safely!!
Some truckers servicing the businesses along 51st Avenue not
only double park, they think nothing of parking their tractor trailers
in the wrong direction.
This is not only illegal but creates a safety hazard for other drivers.
Diseased Trees
Its cheaper to pay a small ne than obey the law
Elmhurst ParkGrand Avenue at 69th
Street Intersection
Photo by Ivan Mossop, Jr.
Photo by Dick Gundlach
Comets Assistant Treasurer Ivan Mossop, Jr., exercises and listens to
traditional Chinese music in Elmhurst Park daily from 7:15-8:15 am,
weather permitting and when the temperature above 40 degrees. He
said the exercise is easier than Tai Chi making it a great option for
seniors. Everyone is invited to join the group. Its a great opportunit y
to meet your neighbors and improve your health. Johnny Kong is the
exercise leader. There is no charge. You can just show up.
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Pg. 6 Fall 2012 COMET
International Tool Manufacturing Corporation
Thank You for Caring!
Maspeth Press Glendale Bakery
We Commend our Local Businesses for Being Good Neighbors
Execut ive Vice President Al Paradiso of
International Tool Manufacturing Corporation
on 51st Avenue and 72nd Street in the Wineld
section of Woodside was overjoyed their work
in keeping the site in good order is recognized.
He told Comet Vice President, Dick Gundlach,
that they not only immediately painted over the
grafti, but totally repainted the entire building.
They did the same thing last year so this isnt a
one shot deal!
Anthony Mickalauskas, at Maspeth Press, 66-20 Grand Avenue, takes
pride in our communit y. He took time to mulch around the tree outside
his business and added decorative plants. Anthony, who is a member
of the Maspeth Chamber of Commerce, actively works to improve our
neighborhood. By the way, he and his staff also do a great job on our
newsletter too! Thank you.
Richie Polgar, Maspeth resident and community activist, can of ten be seen volunteering for a
community project. Last fall he helped us weed all the tree pits along Grand Avenue. In July,
instead of complaining about the trash in the tree pits, Richie went from 72nd Street to 64th
Street and picked up all the garbage that careless people threw out. He also takes time to report
potholes, abandoned or illegally parked vehicles, missing sewer grates and much more. Richie
has been a Citizen Tree Pruner since 1979, and is also a Tree Steward. We commend him for
caring about our neighborhood and the environment. We hope some folks follow his lead!
Anna from Glendale Bakery planted these owers, and she and her
employees make sure theyre watered every day. As you pass by, youll
notice how the plants bring some elegance to our community.
Photo by Dick Gundlach
Photo by Maspeth Press Photo by Richie Polgar
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COMET Fall 2012 Pg. 7
Message from Captain Terence OToole,Executive Ofcer, 108th Precinct
Thank You 108th Precinct!
Priority 911 versus 311
The 911 system is for emergency response of
police, re and emergency medical service. The
311 system is for non-emergency response fromthe proper City agency. Its important to know
which system can best handle the issue at hand.
Here are some helpful hints: To report a crime
is in progress, call 911. Be prepared to explain
to the operator EXACTLY what is happening.
Then, retreat to a safe place and standby in case
the operator needs to call you back for addition-
al information. Dont make other calls on that
phone because the responding ofcers or a de-
tective may contact you requesting additional in-formation. Remember, you may be the only one
who has seen exactly what happened.
Crimes are prioritized in the 911 system. For
example, a crime in progress would get an im-
mediate police response. Crimes such as robbery,
burglary or assault with a weapon would get a
much quicker response than crimes of trespass,
petit larceny or harassment. Its not that they are
less important, but priorities must be assigned.
Our meetings are held on the rst Monday of every month except for January, July and August. The meetings
are held at the Bethzatha Church of God, 85-20 57th Avenue. Meetings start at 7:00 pm. Directions to the meet-ing can be found on our website, www.cometcivic.com. We will hold additional meetings to alert residents about a
project or problem in their area and will translate our iers into different languages, if necessary. Our meetings are
open to everyone and we encourage you to attend with friends and neighbors. Meet and speak with representatives
of the 104th, 108th and 110th Precincts to hear whats happening in our neighborhood or voice a concern.
Michael Fordunski, Roe Daraio, Dick Gundlach, Christina Wilkinson, Michael Harte and Maspeth Press
This newsletter is made possible by funding from Council Members Elizabeth Crowley, Karen Koslowitz
and Jimmy Van Bramer through the Department of Youth and Community Development.
COMET MEETINGS
Newsletter Committee:
To report an ongoing problem that doesnt re-
quire an immediate response, call 311. The op-
erator will route complaints, such as illegal park-
ing, trafc conditions, and excessive noise, tothe proper agency. The Police Department will
respond to 311 calls as soon as conditions permit.
When calling either 911 or 311 try to be clear
as possible when talking to the operators. In a
city as diverse as New York callers and opera-
tors often speak different languages so that inac-
curate information could be passed on to units
in the eld. Numbers could be reversed, streets
not clearly named and car makes and models
that are incorrect. Such inaccuracies delay po-lice response and this often leaves a perception
of no response to the 311 call. Police Depart-
ment managers review calls and conduct eld
inspections to ensure that reported conditions
have been corrected. Remember, its important
to leave your contact information so that police
responding to your complaint can contact you to
resolve any questions. And, of course, never pro-
vide false or misleading information.
In late July, the 108th Precinct conducted a MARCH operation on the business in Wineld that is parking
all those liveries in the vicinity of St. Marys and surrounding area. They were hit with a stack of summonses
and violations. Hopefully this business owner gets the message and obtains a parking lot for the vehicles.
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C.O.M.E.T., INCP.O.Box 780151
Maspeth, NY 11378
PRSRT STD
U.S.Postage
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Flushing NY
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Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together
COMETNewsletter Fall 2012
Printed by www.MaspethPress.com
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COMET Dues for 2013 $10.00
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check out our website at
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