By Jeremy Walsh
Community Board 3 voted 32-4 by an unofficial count in favor of the New York School Construction Authority's proposal, which involves acquiring two properties on opposite corners of 73rd Street and 34th Avenue across the street from the current school.The annex building, expected to be four stories tall, would occupy the larger lot, while the smaller lot would become a school yard, officials said. The proposal will remain open for public comment until April 7, when it goes to the City Council for approval.Neighbors on 74th Street complained their street is already choked with children walking home after school, stealing flowers, breaking windows and vandalizing cars.More children mean more vandalism, said Brigitte Guillerme, who has lived in her home on 37th Avenue for 24 years. “We have to have someone stand on our porch when they get out of school to make sure they don't do anything,” she said.Mike Prages, who lives across the street from the school, complained about the noise the students make leaving school.”Every day I thank God there is no playground for them to loiter in,” he said. “They make noise for five minutes and then they're gone.”Other Jackson Heights residents were more supportive. Peter Block, a 26-year resident and teacher at IS 230, said overcrowding is a serious problem in Queens schools.”Speaking out against the school isn't the way to go about it,” he said. “These kids are being treated like cattle inside. We need the new building.”Another group of neighbors lashed out over the demolition of the 65-year-old home at 33-55 74th St.Neighbor Peter Mariotti said he was “ready, willing and able to buy and restore this noble house.”Daniel Karatzas, a real estate broker and Jackson Heights resident, called the building a “neo-Tudor home.” He said the property across the street from the home sold for $1.7 million a year ago.”I want to know we won't pay $5 million for something we could have bought one year ago for $1.7 million.Kenrick Ou, real estate director for the SCA, said he could not disclose how much the authority was looking to pay for the home.IS 230 Principal Sharon Terry said the school's maximum capacity is 756 students. It currently has 980, she said.”Our children cannot walk in our hallways,” she said. “They don't have a playground.”Jeffrey Saunders, who lives across the street, defended IS 230's students.”They're generally pretty good kids,” he said. But he warned the annex would wind up with more than 390 students.”What's going to happen is the population of this school will go down for a couple of years, but soon the new school is going to be 500 students and this school is going to be at 1,100.”He accused the SCA of “disingenuousness, when they know what's going to happen.”Jeannie Tsavaris-Basini, president of Community Education Council 30, the district where IS 230 is located, said state Assemblyman Ivan Lafayette (D-Jackson Heights) provided several site recommendations to the SCA in recent years, but the agency did not move on the sites quickly enough.Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e-mail at jwalsh@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
