By Michael Morton
Or rather, the hands of his employees. Depasquale, the manager of the Alley Pond Owners Corp. on Union Turnpike, had planned to send a crew out to spruce up the concrete divider that runs along the thoroughfare between Cloverdale Boulevard and 226th Street.
“The median on Union Turnpike is a mess,” Depasquale said, pointing out that the site made the area look bad in the eyes of drivers coming from Nassau County. “It's their first taste of Queens and it's a mess.”
Depasquale said the rubbish problem began two years ago, when holes were made in the concrete median so that trees could be planted. But while the tree wells now catch blowing refuse and provide a home for weeds, he said the city has not provided any upkeep.
Depasquale's crew had expected to weed-whack the tree wells and get rid of leaves and other debris. The workers also planned to prune the trees and fix the bracings that hold some of them straight.
But when the Sanitation Department, which is responsible for the median, heard about the plan, a spokesman said a truck would be sent Wednesday and again on Thursday to alleviate the problem.
“We saw that it needed to be cleaned,” the spokesman said, adding that the median cleaning had slipped through the cracks.
After Depasquale heard about the department's response, he said, “That's funny.” He said he would check on Sanitation's progress before deciding on whether to continue with his own cleanup effort.
Either way, Depasquale's initiative was applauded by Richard Murphy, Queens commissioner for the Parks and Recreation Department.
“I'd like to encourage that behavior everywhere,” Murphy said. “All those malls need care.”
Murphy said medians with grass fell under the auspices of Parks, while those with concrete were the responsibility of the Department of Sanitation.
The Sanitation spokesman said the department should clean the medians, but that private citizens were welcome to chip in.
“What are they going to do, say don't clean?” Depasquale asked rhetorically.
For his efforts, the 53-year-old did not want any credit.
Said Depasquale: “I don't have any intention of putting up a sign.”
Reach reporter Michael Morton by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
