Board 2 Fights To Sway SLA
The fight against a proposed strip club on the south side of Queens Plaza is far from over, Community Board 2′s chairman warned those attending the advisory body’s Thursday, Jan. 5 meeting at Sunnyside Community Services.
According to Chairperson Joseph Conley and City Services Committee Chairperson Patrick O’Brien, the State Liquor Authority (SLA) is still considering granting GLC Entertainment a liquor license for a proposed adult establishment at 42-50 21st St. to be called Gypsy Rose.
According to Conley, the applicants are attempting to sell the SLA on the neighborhood being “a desolate area.”
O’Brien added that GLC submitted reports from trade associations that are not New York-based focusing on economic factors and the state of the area.
“It is about perception,” said Conley. “We have spent years trying to build up Long Island City, trying to get Long Island City on the map to be more than what [GLC] might have said it was. But it’s certainly not a desolate area; it’s a vibrant community.”
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The state agency had agreed to delay a vote on the license due to poor public turnout at the last hearing. The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 18 at 10 a.m. at the SLA’s NYC offices at 317 Lenox Ave. in Harlem.
A rally against the club is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 12 (today) at 10 a.m. at the site.
“We expect to win on this one, but we can’t win alone,” said Conley.
Comptroller Liu
Comptroller John Liu continued his tour of the city’s community boards with a visit to Board 2.
His speech to the crowd focused on his duties in the position, most notably rooting out waste in city government. As examples, he spoke of $125 million in extra cash found at the city’s Economic Development Corporation, and $17 million found at the Bureau of Housing and Preservation Development.
“That’s real money, and it affects people’s lives on a daily basis here in New York City,” said Liu.
In contrast, he pointed out, the city’s plan to close area senior centers last year would have saved the city $29 million.
His office also monitors city contracts, many of which have involved “immeasurable delays and cost overruns.” The most well-known of those contracts is the CityTime project, which was supposed to cost $63 million but ended up costing over $700 million.
Liu then turned to pensions, stating that “pensions costs have gone up significantly in recent years.” A series of reforms he is championing could, he claimed, make returns “one to two percent better every year.”
In response to a question from Board 2’s Al Volpe, Liu expressed an interest in ensuring that pensions are based on a base salary as opposed to an employee’s total income including overtime.
It “should be based on what someone actually earns,” said Liu, who added that a recent audit found deceased residents on the city’s pension roles.
In response to other questions from the crowd, he also stated that his office continues to monitor claims against the city (especially those stemming from NYPD actions), that his office is searching for ways to decrease the amount of paperwork for nonprofits to complete, and that he would like to see banks be more willing to lend to those looking for mortgages or other types of loans.
FDNY eyes L.I.C. warehouse
Board 2 voted to approve the acquisition by the FDNY for a warehouse at 34-02 Queens Blvd. in Long Island City, which is being used by the Technical Services Division to hold technical equipment, fire tools and the agency’s “disaster cache” of emergency supplies.
According to the FDNY’s Dave Harney, the warehouse has set up 10 years ago in an effort to centralize supplies. It has 24/7 access in the event that emergency equipment is needed.
Other news
Mike Halpin of the Building and Construction Trades Union presented a slideshow detailing the agency’s efforts to provide job opportunities to city residents.
According to Halpin, the union, made up of 44 separate unions representings painters, plumbers, ironworkers, boilermakers, electricians, elevator repairmen and the like, hired 7,418 apprentices, 88 percent of whom were city residents.
“We build and rehabilitate and maintain structures throughout the city of New York,” said Halpin.
Calling it “one of the last remaining pathways into the middle class,” he stated that several programs exist for veterans, women and low-income residents to begin an apprenticeship with a union.
Halpin claimed that the cost of a contractor using non-union labor include reduced wages and poor safety protocols and training. Pointing to the preponderance of day laborers in portions of Woodside, he urged the crowd to “try to influence which ‘hiring wall'” developers use.
Other news
Also in Conley’s report was news that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be repairing portions of the concrete on columns at the Woodside/61st Street 7 train/Long Island Rail Road station.
In addition, conversations between Board 2 and the city Office of TV and Film are ongoing, with a recent meeting between the two parties described as “very frustrating” by Conley.
While the city continues to tout the film industry’s economic benefits, Conley said that “in our community, we’re feeling the negative aspects of it.”
Board 2 is looking for increased notification of film permits in the area, as well as the ability to allow local merchants to bid on services and to limit the amount of residential parking shoots use. The advisory body has started a logbook of film shoots in the area to keep track of area issues.
Future meetings are planned, along with a possible town hall-style meeting.
Over 3,000 items have been donated to City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer’s office for victims of a November fire in Woodside, the lawmaker announced.
Van Bramer also stated that he is “working very closely” with the city to find a new school or space for an extension to P.S. 11, at 54-25 Skillman Ave. in Woodside.
The city is planning to change zoning regulations to make it easier for landlords and homeowners to use sustainable and green materials, according to Penny Lee of the Department of City Planning. A vote on the changes will take place later this year.
Board 2 will next meet on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. at Sunnyside Community Services, located at 43-31 39th St.
