I grieve with my fellow New Yorkers, for we have lost one of our brave police officers, hero cop Russel Timoshenko. Our prayers now go out to his mother and father who have lost their only child. Here was a police officer who did what he had to do with his partner Herman Yan, to protect you and me, in this great city of ours.
Yet what is saddest to me is that he was only 23-years-old and had his whole life ahead of him. Nevertheless, in doing his job he has removed three extremely dangerous criminals from the streets, unfortunately at a great price to himself and his family. As a New Yorker, I salute Russel Timoshenko as a true “Hero.”
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Bellerose
Pro Landmarking
The difficulty in acquiring landmark status for a Queens neighborhood, is immense. The great effort to do so is monumental, but so is the value each Historic District adds to the community and to greater Queens as a whole.
It should be noted that the designation of Douglas Manor and Douglaston Hill as the fifth and sixth districts so anointed by the Landmarks Preservation Commission required a total of more than fifteen years of intense work by area residents.
In light of all of that, one wonders why anyone would want to remove his own property from an existing Historic District. So eager to do so, in fact, that he would try to overturn the designation of the entire neighborhood just to serve his own needs, notwithstanding the wishes of ALL of the other residents of the District.
That is precisely what Kevin Mosley and his wife, Diana, both attorneys, did. Fortunately, they were unsuccessful in pressing their bogus lawsuit. Although they have made substantial renovations to their home on 240th Street in the Douglaston Hill Historic district, all with the approval of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, they claim that the five thousand plus square foot structure is not big enough to house their family of four and one grandmother.
Whatever their reasons, removal of the Mosley property would seriously damage the contiguous nature of the district, possibly removing three other homes which would become disconnected. Those homeowners, along with all of the other residents of the Douglaston Hill Historic District, consider it unconscionable for the Mosleys to attempt to dash the dreams of so many other families and to try to invalidate the many years of work they put into achieving landmark status for Douglaston Hill.
An important hearing on this matter will take place at the New York City Council on Monday, July 23, before the Sub-Committee for Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses. As has occurred at all earlier hearings, a large contingent from Douglaston Hill will be present, continuing their efforts to keep the Douglaston Hill Historic District intact.
Stuart Hersh,
Trustee, Douglaston/Little Neck Historical Society
Douglaston
Mr. Softee jingle fan
I truly commend Mr. Softee driver Paul Ferguson for acknowledging that the jingle can be a bit annoying for any neighborhood resident.
I am sorry to say 100 percent thumbs down to Bayside resident Joe McMann who is glad the jingle has to be turned off now. Hey Joe, you were never a kid? No Bungalow Bar or Good Humor truck bells for you?
The Mr. Softee jingle still motivates us off the couch to have a cone or a nice cup of ice cream, especially the KIDS!
Ferguson advertises himself with the song, and lets face it, are there not thousands of great memories from a time long ago when you hear that song?
Boo to anyone who really wants another ridiculous law, another layer of childhood and innocence ripped away. Apply the law to noisy motorcycles, construction sites, dogs and loud neighbors. Yes, yes, yes! The law applies to those noises!
Leave Mr. Softee alone, or soon, people like Joe McMann will be banning yelling at the Yankee or Met games … way, way too loud!
Joe Makowski
Maspeth
Smoking with kids in car
Rockland County, north of New York City, recently took the lead in our state by implementing a law that protects the health and safety of children under the age of 18 who are passengers in a vehicle. What Rockland County did, and what the New York State legislature has failed to do yet is prohibit smoking in a vehicle when a child is a passenger.
I think it is incumbent upon the Senate and Assembly to pass a law similar to those in effect in the states of Louisiana and Arkansas, the city of Bangor, Maine and other countries including Australia.
If adults do not have enough knowledge or concern for the health and welfare of children who ride as passengers in a car with them to refrain from smoking, then the state needs to step in.
When you stop and think about it, smoking should be prohibited in vehicles when there is a passenger no matter what age they are. However, let us take one step at a time. Ladies and gentlemen in Albany, please step forward. Governor Spitzer, you are next.
Phil Konigsberg
Bay Terrace, Bayside
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