DSNY Recounts Storm Response
Following the winter storm that left the city blanketed in 10 inches of snow two weeks ago, a Sanitation Department (DSNY) official visited Community Board 6′s monthly meeting last Tuesday, Jan. 7, to explain the department’s response to heavy snowfall.
Bruno Iciano, a community affairs liaison for the DSNY said the early January snow storm posed a tougher challenge to the city than previous storms have.
“The snow just kept coming down on us,” he said.
Iciano said that snow operations take so much manpower that the DSNY often suspends trash pick-up.
“Collection ceases until we complete snow operations,” he explained.
Instead, sanitation workers focus their efforts on preparing hundreds of trucks for plowing and spreading salt, he said.
As of Jan. 7, the department was still catching up on a backlog of garbage collection, made worse by back-to-back, mid-week holidays on Christmas and New Years.
He explained that residents whose trash is not picked up during snow events may leave the garbage on the curb without fearing a fine from the city.
Several board members stated that crosswalks were left icy.
“We are a community of seniors,” Board Chairperson Joseph Hennessy reminded Iciano.
Iciano said he would take the feedback to the DSNY.
Other board members asked how to report neighbors that habitually leave their sidewalks unshoveled.
Residents can call 311 to file a complaint. Iciano said response times can vary, however, and may take up to 48 hours.
“If you call on a Tuesday, they should be there no later than Wednesday night/Thursday morning,” he said.
Iciano noted that footbridges are under the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) jurisdiction, meaning DSNY is not responsible for mitigating icy conditions on such paths.
Crime update
Capt. Thomas Conforti, commanding officer of the 112th Precinct, was also on hand to provide an update on crime for the year 2013.
Overall, the precinct was down 7.5 percent in the major crime categories versus 2012, he said.
While auto thefts seemed to plague Forest Hills early in the year (by February the crime was reportedly up 166 percent), the area stabilized, and precinct-wide, there were fewer car thefts reported in 2013 than any other year since the department began keeping track, Conforti explained.
Similarly, there were fewer robberies reported in the 112th Precinct this year than any year since 1989, he said.
Liquor licenses
The board recommended approval of new liquor license applications for Naju Inc. at 110-60 Queens Blvd. and El Coyote at 70-09 Austin St.-both in Forest Hills.
It also supported renewals for King David at 101-10 Queens Blvd. in Forest Hills and Shalimar Diner at 63- 68 Austin St. in Rego Park.
Consumer Affairs Committee Chair Norman Leibowitz also announced the board received an application for a new license from Palazzo at 63-36 99th St. in Rego Park, but a vote whether to support the application was deferred until next month’s meeting
Anyone wishing to comment on any of the applicants can call the board’s office at 1-718-263-9250.
Community Board 6 typically meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month in the Kew Gardens Community Center on the second Wednesday of the month. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 12.
