Say Canine Park Will Get A Trial Run
A new dog park, a revamped public library and improved sewers were three Glendale projects outlined during a joint meeting of the Glendale Property Owners Association (GPOA) and the 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol (104COP) last Thursday night, Apr. 11, at St. Pancras Pfeifer Hall.
Kate Mooney, a representative of City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, informed residents the lawmaker has spoken with Parks Commissioner Veronica White about bringing a dog park/run to a portion of Forest Park off the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Union Turnpike.
As previously reported, dog owners in the eastern Glendale area had eyed the location as a potential site for a dog run. A spokesperson for Crowley, Eric Yun, told the Times Newsweekly in a phone interview on Monday, Apr. 15, the legislator had received a petition signed by hun- dreds of Glendale residents in support of the proposal. Those petitions were subsequently forwarded to the Parks Department.
Part of the proposed location was cleared naturally last fall, as Hurricane Sandy knocked down a number of trees in that location, Yun noted. With that site now more open, he said, the Parks Department “could do a pilot program, put up some fencing around it and see if a dog park would work there.”
Long-term plans for a permanent dog run would follow if the Parks Department finds that the temporary one is successful, Yun indicated.
At last Thursday’s meeting, Mooney stated information on the dog park would soon be presented to Community Board 5 and its Parks Services Committee for further review and comment.
Mooney also noted the legislator has allocated $2 million in city funds toward renovations at the Glendale library, located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and 73rd Place-but additional money is being requested.
The cornerstone of the planned improvements, she noted, is the installation of an elevator to provide access for persons with disabilities. In all likelihood, the elevator would be installed on the side entrance to the library near Myrtle Avenue rather than at the main entrance from 73rd Place.
Finally, Mooney mentioned crews from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have made repairs and cleaned out sewers in the area of 78th Avenue in Glendale. The effort was undertaken in order to help prevent localized flooding following heavy rainstorms, as experienced in that area of Glendale last summer.
Stop the slander, says patrol prez
Frank Kotnik, 104COP president, railed against another letter circulated by individuals claiming to represent “Ridgewood/Glendale Property Owners” which blamed two local officials for various quality-of-life problems in the neighborhood.
As previously reported, the GPOA and Assemblyman Mike Miller blasted at the March GPOA meeting a similar letter from the “Ridgewood/Glendale Property Owners” which branded the neighborhood “a slum” and blamed Miller for graffiti, litter and other problems.
In this second letter, Kotnik said, the author blamed Miller and Community Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano for quality-of-life problems in Glendale which-the author claimed-was compelling residents to leave in droves.
“These guys have really got to stop this slanderous behavior,” Kotnik said of the individuals responsible for the letter. He showed a security camera image of two men whom he said were responsible for distributing the letters. Kotnik charged that he never saw those allegedly responsible for the letters participating in activities to physically improve the community.
The patrol president sought to defend Miller and Giordano, noting that they have volunteered and worked for years to improve Glendale.
“They’re [the organization behind the letter] acting like its [Miller and Giordano] going out there and dumping garbage,” he added.
CURES has ‘a victory’
Returning to “where it all began” in 2009, CURES (Civics United for Railroad and Environmental Solutions) Co-Chair Mary Parisen celebrated the recent allocation of $3 million in state funds toward upgrades of a diesel locomotive at the Fresh Pond Railyard in Glendale. She hopes the funding is a down payment on future upgrades to the entire fleet of diesel engines in use at the freight facility.
Parisen recalled first coming to a GPOA meeting nearly four years ago to present ideas for “Glendale Clean and Green,” a local group which aimed to bring environmental and aesthetic improvements near the Fresh Pond Railyard. But those efforts, she noted, eventually evolved into the formation of CURES, which included the GPOA and other local civic groups in a coalition to reform local freight rail activity.
“Forty-three months later, we have a victory,” she said in referring to the budget request submitted by Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi to upgrade the diesel engine owned by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and leased to the New York and Atlantic Railway for use at the Fresh Pond Railyard.
As previously reported, the funding would be used to upgrade an engine currently meeting “tier 0” standards by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for emitting large amounts of noise and fumes. At last Wednesday’s Community Board 5 meeting, Alex Schnell, a representative of Hevesi, stated that efforts would be made to try and stretch the $3 million allocation to upgrade more than one locomotive.
Last Thursday, Parisen told residents that the allocation of state funds represents more than just a physical solution to a common complaint voiced by CURES and local residents.
“Now we’re at a point where we no longer need to convince anyone that this is a problem,” she said, noting that by their budget request, the government recognizes that “the problem exists.”
Parisen thanked Hevesi, GPOA members and all those involved in the CURES effort, adding that the organization would not only pursue additional funds in the coming years for other engine upgrades, but also for the containerization of household trash shipped in open container cars and a reduction of noise.
GPOA President Brian Dooley offered praise for Parisen and CURES’s other co-chair, Mary Arnold, for being “two of the most tenacious women” involved in local civic duty.
“Without them,” he said, “[the upgrades] never would have happened.”
Car show rolls to the casino
Weekly car shows held by the East Coast Car Association (ECCA) in Glendale and Forest Hills are being moved to the Resorts World New York Casino parking lot in South Ozone Park, Harold Mecabe of the ECCA announced.
Citing issues with management, the ECCA was recently informed by the McDonald’s restaurant on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills that the group could no longer hold their Tuesday night car exhibits in their parking lot. Mecabe stated the shows have been going on temporarily in the parking lot of The Home Depot store in Glendale, but efforts to find a permanent home in the Glendale area have proven futile.
However, Mecabe noted the ECCA was able to work out an agreement with Resorts World management to hold the Tuesday night car shows at the casino parking lot beginning in May. He credited State Sen. Joseph Addabbo for helping to work out the arrangement.
Other news
Kevin Burns of Glendale Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) invited all residents to register to receive farm-fresh produce on a weekly or bi-weekly basis this summer and fall.
Burns explained the Glendale CSA teams up with a farm based in Long Island to sell shares to families in Glendale and surrounding communities for the season’s crop of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products and eggs.
Over 24 weeks between June and November, the farm will deliver to a Glendale location products to be distribute to the shareholders. Depending on the growing season and harvest, Burns said, customers can get a bounty of organically-grown produce at a fraction of the cost of weekly trips to grocery stores.
For additional information, visit www.glendalecsa.com.
Kotnik thanked all 104COP members who helped accompany participants in the Good Friday procession through Ridgewood on Mar. 29 and the Ridgewood-Glendale-Middle Village Maspeth (RGMVM) Little League parade on Apr. 6. A combined 45 units took part in the two events, he added.
He also sought patrol members to assist with crowd and traffic control during the Maspeth Memorial Day Parade on May 26 and the Ridgewood Glendale Memorial Day Parade on May 27.
The patrol president credited the efforts of the group’s volunteers and those of the GPOA for helping to keep the neighborhood safe and lively.
“There’s a lot of rumors about crime, but it’s just not so,” he said. “It’s detrimental to the neighborhood. Glendale is a great place to live, and it will continue to be if you continue to take part” in their organizations, Kotnik concluded.
The next Glendale Property Owners Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday night, May 2, at 7:30 p.m., while the next 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol meeting is set to take place on Thursday night, May 9 at 8 p.m.
Both meetings will be held at St. Pancras Pfeifer Hall, located off the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and 68th Street.
