THE GOOD
Common sense prevailed.
The first phase of a master $656 million plan to construct a new police academy in College Point is well on track to completion – meaning by 2014 NYPD recruits will be centralized in one facility.
It just makes sense.
Currently, “firearms training is in the Bronx and driver training is in Brooklyn,” according to Inspector Terrence Riley of the NYPD.
So “2,000 to 3,000 recruits are moved all around the city to get all their training over a six month period.”
To eliminate the inefficiency, “the decision was made to make really a substantial investment in a new police academy” in College Point.
We think the move is brilliant.
Not only does it facilitate training new recruits, it also means 100 brand new positions will open up for jobs maintaining the site’s power facilities.
And though the project is not without its kinks – there is a severe lack of parking spaces on site, which officials are currently working on, and funding is still being sought – developing the 30 acre site, bordered by College Point Boulevard, 28th Avenue and Ulmer Street, is definitely a sign of progress and forward thinking by the NYPD.
THE BAD
Most people love to swim, just not in their homes.
Why is it that flooding affects major swaths of Queens – from southeast to Forest Hills?
At a recent town hall with DEP reps, Forest Hills residents and business owners recounted horror stories of sewage spouting from drains, of mold – and of thousands of dollars in damage.
What was the DEP response? Sorry, we can’t help.
PREPOSTEROUS!
The DEP spokesperson explained that because sewers are designed to handle one-and-a-half inches of rain per hour, the city is only liable for damage done to peoples’ homes when rainfall exceeds that amount. Since none of the storms this summer surpassed that quantity, it is unlikely that residents will receive any compensation.
Compensation? That’s almost besides the point. How about doing your job and fixing the problem?
In true bureaucratic form, people were told to provide information to the DEP regarding the locations of suspected faulty storm drains.
But many residents recounted how, when they tried, they received a response they found unsatisfactory – or no response at all.
This is unacceptable.
Queens is a borough of homes – and homeowners take pride in their investment.
It’s time the city did too.
