Keep Eyes On Racino, Parking, Redistricting
On a night in which they celebrated the 130th anniversary of Ozone Park’s founding, the Our Neighbors Civic Association (ONCA) also tackled quality-of-life issues during their meeting last Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church Parish Center.
State Sen. Joseph Addabbo kicked off the session by touting the milestone for Ozone Park, which was founded in 1882 by developers Benjamin Hitchcock and Charles C. Denton, who transformed the area from farmland into a residential community.
The name “Ozone Park” draws upon the term used at the time to describe the fresh sea breezes from the Atlantic Ocean which wafted through the air.
A native of Ozone Park, Addabbo described the community as “a snap- shot of Americana” filled with “hardworking, middle class people that are truly the backbone of this country.”
“Be proud of where you live,” Addabbo told residents, pointing out that his father-the late Rep. Joseph Addabbo Sr.-moved five different times in his life, but always within Ozone Park. “It is a great community with a great history.”
In addition to marking the occasion with a pizza party enjoyed by guests, Addabbo also presented ONCA President Sal Simonetti with a copy of the State Senate resolution he introduced commemorating the neighborhood’s 130th anniversary. The resolution noted that “remaining fruitful over the ebb and flow of decades of growth and change, Ozone Park continues its commitment to enhancing the quality of life of its citizens, ensuring a positive business, institutional and educational climate and providing all essential services.”
Speaking about one of the Ozone Park area’s newest attractions, the Resorts World New York Casino at Aqueduct Racetrack, Addabbo noted that he has been meeting regularly with the casino’s management to address quality-of-life problems. He added that he has called upon the city to increase the number of officers assigned to the 106th Precinct to help secure the neighborhood and combat a recent spike in crime.
With a plan to build the nation’s largest convention center at the Aqueduct site in the works, Addabbo indicated that the developers must proceed cautiously and with the input of local residents to ensure that the project does not impose an undue burden on neighbors.
“They (Resorts World) did the right thing when they constructed the racino. They need to do the right thing when building the convention center,” he added.
From sidewalks to streets
Hundreds of sidewalk slabs will be repaired in the months ahead free of charge by the city across the Ozone Park area, City Council Member Eric Ulrich informed residents. He stated that the city has approved a contract to fix over 400 broken sidewalks, many of which were damaged by nearby street trees.
“It won’t cost you a dime,” he told the audience, noting that “your taxes are already paying for it.” It is expected that the work will begin in March.
Continuing the theme of community projects, Ulrich also noted that the city Parks Department will begin in May building a new skate park and exercise area at the London Planetree Playground located off the corner of Atlantic Avenue and 88th Street. The project also includes the creation of two new basketball courts.
Ulrich stated that the project is a win-win for the community as it not only provides local youths with a safe place to ride and play, but also will reduce the number of skateboarders who use the nearby PathMark supermarket parking lot.
The legislator also noted that the City Council recently passed several bills designed “to make parking a little easier.” He noted that one of the pieces of legislation creates a grace period for drivers who park at Muni- Meter spots to purchase a ticket and place it on their dashboard.
Ulrich explained that a number of constituents have complained of being summonsed by traffic agents as they went to purchase parking time from a muni-meter moments after parking their car. If an agent erroneously gives a summons to a driver within the grace period, he noted, the agents will have the ability to invalidate the summonsed on the spot.
“They shouldn’t have to race to the muni-meter to make a payment,” he said. “The city is trying to balance the budget on the backs of hardworking people.”
Another bill approved by the City Council puts a freeze on late fees for traffic summonses, Ulrich noted. Currently, drivers can be charged a late fee 30 days after a ticket is issued, regardless of whether it is being protested in traffic court.
Finally, the City Council approved a bill outlawing the Sanitation Department’s use of stickers on the windows of cars found to be illegally parked during street cleaning hours. Ulrich noted that the stickers are very difficult for the drivers to remove, adding that the placement of such a decal is “punitive.”
While Mayor Michael Bloomberg indicated that he would veto the latter bill, Ulrich stated that the City Council has enough votes to override it.
‘Keep communities together’
Regarding the ongoing controversy over the redistricting process, Addabbo noted that the proposed 15th State Senate District (which he currently represents) cuts out portions of Ozone Park and Woodhaven near the Brooklyn/Queens border. Additionally, large sections of Richmond Hill were also removed from the proposed district.
“I’ve always been an advocate for keeping communities together,” he said. “Communities need a unified voice. Let’s not break them up.”
Addabbo pointed out that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has indicated that he would veto the proposed redistricting put forth by joint legislative committee tasked with realigning district boundaries based on the results of the 2010 Census. He urged residents to monitor the situation closely and make their voices heard on the matter.
The senator also noted that the redistricting must be completed quickly as New York is facing the possibility of up to four elections this year: the Republican presidential primary in April (if the national race remains undecided by that point), Congressional primaries in June, local and state primaries in September and the November general election.
“It’s very hard to get people to vote in two elections every year, let alone four,” he said, noting that the four separate contests could wind up costing New York State taxpayers “money that we don’t have.”
‘Eliminate’ the toll
With the state agreeing to revoke the toll charged to drivers from the Rockaways and Broad Channel to use the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder is calling for the complete elimination of the toll on the span, according to his representative, Larry Love.
“The amount of revenue from the Cross Bay Bridge is miniscule,” Love said. “Most of the people who use it live in the Rockaways.” While there are bond issues related to continuing the toll on the bridge, Love expressed confidence that a deal could be reached to make the Cross Bay Bridge free to cross.
“When there’s a will, there’s a way. It can be done,” he added. “Now everyone’s working on the next step, which is to eliminate it completely.”
Other news
Several Ozone Park residents informed Police Officers Joseph Martins and Jose Severino of the 102nd Precinct Community Affairs Unit of suspected prostitution activity in an alley off 81st Street between 97th and 101st avenues. One resident claimed that she recently chased several individuals away from the location by shouting at them.
Severino told residents who observe suspected prostitution and other criminal activities in their area to call 911 immediately.
Fred Kress of Citizens Against Graffiti Everywhere (CAGE) explained the organization’s efforts to help police catch vandals and remove tags from areas of eastern and southern Queens. In addition to assisting property owners in removing graffiti, the group works closely with the NYPD Vandals Squad to gather information on suspected vandals and build cases.
CAGE is also working to combat the proliferation of illegal advertisements posted on street signs and trees on area roads, Kress said.
Evelyn DelOrbe announced that she is launching an effort to create an “anonymous bullying report” where students can report their harassers in confidence to school officials. She also encouraged parents to watch out for signs that their child may be a victim of bullying-such as lower grades and a reluctance to attend school-and to help them report problems to school administrators.
The next Our Neighbors Civic Association of Ozone Park meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday night, Mar. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church Parish Center, located at the corner of 87th Street and 101st Avenue.
