Joe Conley, Chair of Community Board 2 (Photo: QueensPost)
April 15, 2013 By Christian Murray
The street fair that was scheduled to take place on Skillman Avenue this Saturday has been canceled after the sponsor of the event decided to call it off.
The fair, which was to be hosted by the Sunnyside Kiwanis Club, was canceled this morning after the Kiwanis Club notified officials that it had decided to call off the event in light of the community’s opposition to it.
“We decided that we didn’t want to antagonize anyone,” said Gerald Lederman, the treasurer of the club. “People were speaking out against it so vociferously.”
Lederman, however, said that the club has lost a major source of funding since a significant portion of the street fair’s profits go to the Kiwanis. He said that the non-profit group uses those funds to help underprivileged children and many Sunnyside/Woodside organizations.
However, Joe Conley, chairman of Community Board 2, said he is looking for a venue where the group could hold a fundraiser, so it can replace the lost revenue. “I’m sure the community would get behind them,” he said.
The community board has heard a litany of complaints about the Skillman Avenue street fair from business owners and residents over the past two years—with most citing noise, smells, parking problems and litter.
Many residents had thought the event had been canceled months ago– after Community Board 2 announced that it would notify the city that the permit should be denied.
However, Conley said that the board initially advised the festival organizer—Clearview Festival Productions—to find an alternative location for the fair—rather than Skillman Avenue.
Conley said that Clearview did not get back to the community board after repeated requests. Therefore, the recommendation that the permit be denied was only sent to the city about a month ago.
Conley said the community board’s delay in submitting its recommendation (as it waited to hear back from Clearview) made its recommendation more susceptible to being overturned upon appeal. Therefore, when the appeal was made by the Kiwanis, it was overturned and the event was allowed to proceed.
The public outcry that led to the Kiwanis’ decision to cancel the event may well have financial ramifications for three other Sunnyside non-profits—namely the Sunnyside Woodside Lions Club, the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce and the Sunnyside Community Services Center
The Kiwianis and these three non-profits collectively sponsor four festivals/street fairs per year—with two held on Skillman Avenue and two on Greenpoint Avenue.
The four non-profits take the collective profits and then split them up evenly. With the cancellation of the two fairs on Skillman, all four non-profits are likely to have this revenue source slashed.
However, Conley said he is looking for a remedy– so the non-profits don’t lose these funds.
He said that he hopes that an alternative venue can be found for the other Skillman Avenue festival (August 31)—and that Sunnyside will come together and hold a fundraiser in lieu of the cancellation of Saturday’s event.
