Dear Elliot Sander, Executive Director of the MTA:
As chair of Program Services for the Flushing Business Improvement District and a member of Community Board 7, representing Flushing, Whitestone, Bay Terrace, and College Point, I write to express the unacceptable disruption caused to thousands who work and live in Queens by the ongoing interruption in No. 7 train service.
Northeast Queens has fewer public transportation options than most other parts of the city, and many residents of Whitestone, Bay Terrace, College Point, Bayside and Fresh Meadows travel by bus to take the No. 7 train in and out of Manhattan. Any disruption in service is bound to cause much difficulty to residents without other means of transportation, particularly seniors, who are unable to realistically avail themselves of alternatives like the LIRR and shuttle buses provided.
The No. 7 train service disruption is especially problematic during this Lunar New Year Season, a prime shopping and tourist period upon which many neighborhood stores and retailers depend. Small business owners have informed me they have already been hit hard. The longer the delays persist, the greater the damage to the local economy in particular and Queens and New York City’s in general.
I am especially troubled by the prospect that the No. 7 train will not be running on the weekend of February 9, when the Lunar New Year Parade is scheduled. This is a major cultural event in which New Yorkers and visitors to our city from all walks of life come together in celebration. Clearly, this would negatively affect the attendance at the festivities, causing substantial confusion and lost business in the community and surrounding areas.
In view of the above, I urge you to complete the signal system installation on the No. 7 train as expeditiously as practicable and ensure, at least, that the No. 7 train is running to and from Main Street on February 9.
Peter A. Koo
Chair, Flushing Business
Improvement District
Program Services
Catholic School week
Catholic School week throughout the United States will celebrate the work they do starting January 27-February 2 and as reported in your paper this event and has been taking place for about 30 years.
I know first hand what these schools do in terms of educating children. At St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus Council #5911 in Douglaston we have seen the accomplishments of the students of St. Anastasia elementary school and that there are many that have been educated and have graduated and have gone on to fine Catholic high schools.
We have been involved with this school and helped raised money to help them with their various programs. We also realized these children are tomorrow’s leaders.
We’re also pleased to run an essay contest called, “The Responsibility of a Catholic Citizen in a Free Society,” which we have been doing for many years. We have found that these children have turned in quite impressive essays. I believe this is due in part to the dedicated and caring teachers who do their best to see these children become the best they can be. That is why I praise Catholic schools and their ongoing contribution to education and their key role in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for our nation.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Bellerose
Just a coincidence?
Bad news - Robert (Bobby) Fischer, a chess genius, died in Iceland. He was 64 - one year of life for each square on a chessboard.
Victor Maltsev
Sanitation clarification
Reader Marilyn Downing (January 17) was slightly misinformed about who collects the garbage and recycling from city schools. The Department of Sanitation is responsible for picking up both garbage and recycling from all city public schools, not private carters. Nevertheless, city public schools, just like residents and commercial establishments, are required to separate recyclables from their regular refuse. We will make sure to re-educate school staff on the need to recycle.
Matthew LiPani
Assistant Director
Public Information Office
New York City Department of Sanitation
Fine the litterbugs
I must comment about your editorial in the January 16 issue of The Courier Sun, concerning the pigeon population. While there is agreement, that the birds are unsanitary and their droppings can be dangerous, they do serve a purpose.
Pigeons will eat just about anything - because of that, they get to the food left behind by litterbugs before the rats, roaches and other vermin get to it.
Fine the litterbugs, not the pigeon feeders.
I do agree that droppings from pigeons that accumulate under train tracks can be slippery or do damage to car finishes. A simpler solution is to place garbage in a covered trashcan or a sealed bag.
Robert Lefcourt
Howard Beach
Rising milk prices
Here we go again! The increasing cost of living in New York City continues to suffocate working families and babies. Households are now forced to pay 36 percent more for a gallon of milk. The current price of a gallon of milk is now above $4.31, compared to $3.18 last January.
This price hike is partly due to a nationwide increase in the demand for the corn-based ethanol, which had the ripple effect of an appreciable markup price on cattle feed, hence the increase in milk prices.
Iowa State University compiled figures showing that ethanol has increased the average grocery bill $47 over the last 6 months. This, coupled with inflation, and the price increases in gas, utilities and other essentials, have saddled New Yorkers with an unfair burden.
We demand an immediate end to the tariff on ethanol and urge all elected officials to make concerted efforts to stop these burdensome increases on the necessities of living.
Albert Baldeo, Esq.
Ozone Park/Richmond Hill
Democratic Club
Letters To The Editor
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