City Re-Examining Long-Delayed Plans
City agencies are reassessing the long-delayed reconstruction of roadways in southern Middle Village-and depending on their findings, the project could be split up into smaller pieces, a representative for City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley announced at the Middle Village Property Owners/Residents Association (MVPORA) meeting last Monday night, Mar. 12.
Lydon Sleeper, Crowley’s chiefof staff, reported to residents at St. Margaret’s Parish Hall that the legislator contacted Mayor Michael Bloomberg and officials with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) regarding the project, which has been pushed back to fiscal year 2020.
As previously reported, the multimillion dollar project will include sewer and roadway upgrades to all streets in an area of southern Middle Village bounded by Metropolitan Avenue, 73rd Place, Cooper Avenue and 80th Street. Originally requested by Community Board 5 and added to the city’s capital project list in the mid- 1990s, the plans have been continually pushed back for reasons including budget restraints.
Meanwhile, Sleeper stated, roads in the project area continue to deteriorate, including 73rd Place. He noted that the project is “one of the longestrun and biggest projects.”
“What we found was that they lumped an entire resurfacing, re-piping, reconstruction project into one giant thing,” he said. “One of the things that happens when you have a giant project is it costs too much money-and people get a little gun shy and don’t go for it.”
In her conversation with Mayor Bloomberg, Sleeper said, Crowley told him that “this is a priority for us. It’s been put off year after year after year.”
Both the DOT and the DDC sent inspectors recently to the project area to re-evaluate the extent of the work and the estimated cost, he stated. “Once they come back with the cost of the project, we’re going to make the decision on whether or not to push the whole thing forward if it’s doable” or to “split it in half,” Sleeper added.
“There are streets that are desperate there. Anyone who’s gone on 73rd Place know that’s a problem,” he stated, noting that Crowley has stressed that the improvements will be needed with the coming expansion of P.S./I.S. 87, located at the corner of 80th Street and 68th Avenue and within the project area.
“We’re trying to put a big focus on that so it doesn’t keep getting kicked down the road,” Sleeper stated.
Other projects
Regarding P.S./I.S. 87, Sleeper also informed attendees that Crowley has secured $25 million for the construction of an extension, which will provide the school with a new gymnasium, labs and six additional classrooms.
With a number of new school construction projects already completed or underway, Sleeper stated that the legislator currently has no capital funding requests related to local schools in the coming budget. As a result, Crowley is considering requesting extra funds for the P.S./I.S. 87 expansion project “to see if we can get a little chunk added onto it to get more classrooms.”
“They needed a gym, but only six classrooms” were included. “There’s a lot of need for more classrooms in this area.”
Crowley’s chief-of-staff also stated that the DDC and DEP have begun the installation of a new sewer line beneath Metropolitan Avenue between Cooper Avenue and an entrance to St. John Cemetery, which has been a frequent spot for flooding over the years.
“They are putting 400′ of sewer from Cooper down Metro, and putting a series of catch basins in, around the area where it floods,” Sleeper said. “Instead of just sitting there, the water’s going to go right into the catch basins.”
Wall officially on the way
Salvatore Candela, MVPORA president, announced the Parks Department has officially approved the display of the Moving Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village between June 29 and July 2.
As previously reported in the Times Newsweekly, Candela and local veterans and community advocates have been working for years to bring the display-which is a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.-to the park for years. The wall has made stops at Cunningham Park in Fresh Meadows and at the U.S.S. Intrepid Air and Space Museum in Manhattan.
Though funding has been allocated by various local groups, the civic president stated that a committee has been formed to raise additional funds for the effort, including opening and closing ceremonies which will bookend the wall’s display.
“I’m looking forward to it being here,” Candela said. “It’s going to be a great event. Let’s get the word out about it.”
In a related note, MVPORA Corresponding Secretary Augie Trinchese informed residents that All Faiths Cemetery will dedicate on Sunday, Apr. 15, a memorial to soldiers of past wars who were declared “missing in action.” The remains of these soldiers were either never identified or never returned to American soil, he noted.
Tax tips
Robin Washington of the city’s Department of Finance provided information to residents about various property tax exemptions for which they may be eligible.
Owners of one- to three-family homes who reside in the dwellings and have an annual income of less than $500,000 are eligible to receive the Basic STAR (School Tax Relief) exemption of $200, Washington said. Seniors who are 65 years of age and older and have an annual income of less than $79,000 can receive the Enhanced STAR credit of $400.
Tax credits are also available to senior homeowners whose combined household income is $37,400 or less. Additional exemptions are also available to veterans and members of a clergy.
The deadline to file for the exemptions expired on Mar. 15, but Washington indicated that homeowners could still apply with the Department of Finance for the credits, which will be applied on next year’s taxes.
For additional information or to receive an application, call 1-212- 669-8745 or visit www.nyc.gov/finance.
The next Middle Village Property Owners/Residents Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday night, Apr. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Margaret Parish Hall, located on 79th Place south of Juniper Valley Road.
