Also: Cops Tell JPCA Of ‘Knockdown’ Plans
Fed up with slow bus service, residents at last Thursday’s (Apr. 24) Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA) meeting at Middle Village’s Our Lady of Hope School kicked the tires on an idea to change one local route.
Alex Maureau pitched an unofficial proposal to reroute the Q38 bus route onto Juniper Boulevard South between 69th and 80th streets. The line currently zigzags between both points along Juniper Valley Road, 75th Place, Furmanville Avenue, 77th Place/78th Street and Penelope Avenue.
The recent harsh, snowy weather caused major delays on the Q38, Maureau stated, as buses had great difficulty traversing the current route since many of the streets are narrow, leading to bottlenecks.
Moving the route to Juniper Boulevard South has its pros and cons, he explained. Positive aspects include the wide nature of the roadway near Juniper Valley Park and that it would continue to serve both P.S./I.S. 128 and P.S./I.S. 49.
The change would also open up between 40 and 50 new parking spots on the residential streets along which the Q38 presently operates, Maureau added.
Some negative impacts, as outlined by Maureau and voiced by some residents in attendance, include the potential proximity of the bus to Juniper Valley Park. For some, the
–CONTINUED FROM PG. 3- bus line is too close for the safety of children and may impact the area’s air quality. Speed bumps on Juniper Boulevard South would also serve as an obstacle for buses passing through, it was noted.
Robert Holden, JPCA president, stated the proposed switch could help speed up service on the Q38, considered by many as a historically slow line. One resident, however, cautioned that the zigzag route forces bus drivers to travel slowly; moving it to a straighter, wider roadway, the resident claimed, may encourage operators to break the speed limit, thereby putting motorists and pedestrians in danger.
Maureau stated he would seek further feedback from Middle Village residents and hoped to have further details about the plan by the JPCA’s June meeting.
Prepared for ‘Knockdown’
Representatives of the 104th Precinct were quizzed about how the command would respond to events at the Knockdown Center, a Maspeth arts and entertainment venue seeking to hold attractions that could draw thousands of spectators at a time.
Capt. Timothy Brown, the precinct’s executive officer, and Lt. George Hellmer, the precinct’s special operations coordinator, reported that they met with Knockdown Center management about coordinating proper security and other services for its upcoming events, including two concerts next week featuring rap artist M.I.A.
Hellmer stated the Knockdown Center and other entertainment venues are obligated to provide their own security for large events, generally one agent for every 75 patrons. Last Tuesday, Apr. 22, however, the center lost its temporary liquor license permits for the M.I.A. concerts after it failed to provide the State Liquor Authority (SLA) with detailed security plans.
In meeting with Knockdown Center representatives prior to last Thursday’s meeting, Hellmer noted, the precinct was presented with a security plan deemed “competent.” He stated the command would dispatch a host of officers to the area of the Knockdown Center before, during and after each event to provide crowd and traffic control and stop any illegal activity.
“We don’t want them here, but we have to be prepared,” he added.
The SLA is expected to render a decision at its May 6 board meeting on a standard liquor license application for the Knockdown Center.
Talking crime
Brown also provided a general crime report, noting that grand larcenies and auto thefts have spiked thus far in 2014 while other major crime categories have dropped.
Many of the auto thefts, he noted, involved the removal of older-model vehicles between eight and 10 years of age. The suspects involved in the thefts tend to perpetrate a scam in which they claim to be a vehicle owner and have the automobile towed off the street to a junkyard, where they are sold for scrap.
The executive officer noted the crooks are taking advantage of a loophole in which individuals need only to present valid identification to have a vehicle eight years of age or older towed and scrapped. The individuals are not obligated to show title of the vehicle, which would list its rightful owner.
Hoping to combat these thefts, Brown noted, the 104th Precinct recently conducted an operation in which every tow truck observed hauling a vehicle through the precinct’s confines was stopped. The drivers were questioned by officers, informed of the scam and advised on how to report suspect individuals.
As for grand larcenies, Brown advised residents to be mindful of unattended property and to avoid storing valuables in parked vehicles in the view of passersby. He also warned about phone scams in which individuals claiming to represent a government agency or utility company demand immediate payment of an outstanding bill or fine under threat of arrest or termination of services.
The callers, Brown stated, generally ask the victims to purchase “Green Dot” prepaid debit cards for several thousand dollars, then call back and provide the scammer with the card’s serial number to process the payment.
“No legitimate government agency or utility company is going to call you and request that you pay your bill,” Brown warned. He advised residents who get such calls to report them to 911 immediately.
The war on graffiti is ongoing, and the 104th Precinct has arrested eight individuals for 56 graffiti incidents so far this year, Hellmer noted. P.O. Raymond York, the precinct’s graffiti coordinator, urged homeowners to report vandalism in progress to 911 and graffiti left on property to 311.
The precinct will come down and photograph the vandalism as part of its databank to catch serial vandals. Residents were advised to have the vandalism removed as quickly as possible after it is reported and documented to police.
Other news
Long-time education advocate and Middle Village resident Dmytro Fedkowskyj announced his candidacy for the 30th Assembly District’s Democratic nomination, challenging long-time incumbent Margaret Markey.
Fedkowskyj most recently served as the Queens representative on the Panel for Educational Policy and, prior to that, was a member of School District 24’s Community Education Council. He charged the district has not “been represented very well for the last 15 years,” and he hoped to make a change.
“My campaign will be about what we need as a community to survive,” he said. “I want to get to know you and your values and what you want to see changed.”
Fedkowskyj is facing Markey- who has been repeatedly criticized by the JPCA since taking office in 1999, in part, for failing to appear regularly at its meetings-in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary.
Holden said the United States Postal Service (USPS) is working with the JPCA to resolve mailing problems experienced in the recent distribution of the Juniper Berry, the civic group’s quarterly magazine.
The December 2013 and March 2014 issues arrived in many JPCA mailboxes as many as nine days after they were sent out, he stated. A number of residents reported they only received the magazine’s outside cover, and the remaining contents never arrived.
While the USPS “still doesn’t know what happened” to the magazines in transit, the civic president noted, the quasigovernment agency agreed to provide the group a free mailing on its last issue. The USPS also assured Holden they would give special attention to the June issue of the Juniper Berry after it is mailed out.
Holden commended long-time JPCA member Joseph Chiofolo, a 92- year-old World War II veteran, who is slated to receive the French Chevalier Legion of Honor award at a May 9 ceremony at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point. The award recognizes Chiofolo’s efforts while serving in the Army medical unit during the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France on June 6, 1944.
The next Juniper Park Civic Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 12, at 7:45 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope School, located at Eliot Avenue and 71st Street in Middle Village. For more information, call 1-718-651- 5865 or visit www.junipercivic.com.
