Set WoodhavenLanes rally

For almost 50 years, the Woodhaven Lanes bowling alley has been a common meeting ground for residents of Forest Hills, Glendale, Middle Village and surrounding neighborhoods.
The Brunswick Corporation, which has held the lease on the property, decided not to renew, and when the lease expires in late May, generations of local bowlers may find themselves in the gutter.
Apparently, their scores don’t measure up to another number - dollars per square foot.
According to reports, Parkwill Management, the Manhattan-based landlord, is leaning toward converting the 60-lane facility into retail space, which they calculate would generate far more revenue under the same roof.
Indeed, even though a three-generation family bowling operating company has stepped forward to keep the lanes open, prospects are looking grim.
Schuckman Realty, the Woodbury, Long Island agent for the property has the location listed on its web site as “Proposed Re-Development of Woodhaven Lanes.”
The agent boasts that it “has been responsible for the development of shopping centers totaling over 10 million square feet,” and that it has been selected by a number of “big box” chain stores, “to facilitate market penetration” in New York and other areas.
They declare that the site “will soon be available to one lucky retailer,” and predict that “this location will be the hottest box in Queens.”
That doesn’t sit well with the thousands of local bowlers who find their lives and the lanes intertwined.
Jim Santora has lived in Middle Village for 20 years and bowled at the Woodhaven Lanes for most of them. Among the league bowlers he would watch while waiting his turn on the alley was Donna Fazio.
“I used to watch her bowl in the women’s league,” Santora recalled. “After a while, I would give her a ride home, and one night, after bowling, I asked her to marry me.”
Santora and Fazio are not the only couple who found more than the strike zone at the Woodhaven Lanes and they are helping lead public demonstrations in support of keeping the de facto community center open.
During recent public demonstrations, Santora could be seen brandishing a bullhorn, exhorting the crowd to “save Woodhaven Lanes.” As president of the “Ball and Chain” bowling league, with more than 40 co-ed teams and 180 bowlers, he and Fazio, the secretary for the league, are committed to the cause.
Community concerns haven’t been lost on local elected officials and political hopefuls. Recent demonstrations have brought State Senator Serphin Maltese, who has offered assistance in fostering negotiations and Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer, who expressed concerns about the lack of physical outlets for the area’s youth.
Local attorney Anthony Como, a candidate to fill the vacant City Council seat once held by Dennis Gallagher, is a staunch defender of the bowling alley, saying it “should be saved and remain open so that it can continue to be a place where the community can come together to thrive, to strengthen relationships and to have fun.”
Right now, Santora, Fazio and the others have their hopes pinned on John LaSpina, who owns four other alleys, two in Brooklyn and two in Suffolk.
“I’ve given them a letter of intent and would love to take over the lanes,” he said. “The problem is that bowling takes a lot of room for a set return, and I understand that the representatives for the owner have to do the best for them.”
LaSpina revealed that he has a special fondness for the place. “It’s a sister-site to my father’s first bowling alley, Maple Lanes in Brooklyn - it was designed by the same architect and built by the same contractors.”
“I’m willing to sink a million dollars into the project - I wanted to buy the building, but they’re not looking to sell - they want to rent.”
LaSpina said that his dealings with the people at Brunswick, who brought him into the negotiations, and Robert Corroon, the Chief Operating Officer for owner Parkwill Management as ‘cordial.’ “They have to make a business decision; I understand that,” he conceded.