Glendale Group’s Prez Calls For Action
Glendale residents “must prevail on the administration” to stop the proposed homeless shelter at a neighborhood industrial site, the Glendale Property Owners Association (GPOA) president appealed during the organization’s May 1 meeting at St. Pancras Pfeifer Hall.
Brian Dooley encouraged members to attend Community Board 5’s May 22 public hearing in Middle Village on the proposed shelter, which would house up to 125 homeless families at 78-16 Cooper Ave. He claimed the process of rebuilding the structure is not an honest one.
“It bothers me when it seems like the owner of a property went out and solicited an agency of the city to take over his property,” said Dooley. “I just don’t believe it’s an honest process, and that alone should disqualify the property.”
Dooley, who chairs the Board 5 Environmental Committee, feared taxpayer dollars will be used for rezoning the building from manufacturing to residential when it lacks any environmental standards and is nowhere near the mass transit the families need.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” he said.
Alex Maureau, a liaison to State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, said the property is under an environmental study. If it passes muster, the structure’s fate will be in the hands of the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), which preliminarily approved the plan last year, as stated in an article in this paper’s previous issue.
Assemblyman Mike Miller, who also spoke at the meeting, said he hasn’t stopped fighting against it. He has set up a meeting with City Comptroller Scott Stringer to discuss the reasons why he believes the proposal needs to be stopped.
“The fact that they are still in an investigation of this use of money … the fact that Samaritan’s Village is taking out a loan to fix up the building to pay for it out of the contract is illegal for them to do,” Miller said. “The city doesn’t pay for rehabilitation of a building. This is the way, we think, for them to get around it.”
The DHS and Samaritan Village will be at the May 22 hearing. Maureau asked anybody who wants to speak at the meeting to register in advance by calling Board 5 at 1-718- 366-184. Each speaker will be allotted two minutes and people are encouraged to take public transportation as parking will be limited.
Disgusted by trash
Ingrid Huber of Glendale made note of trash building up on the Jackie Robinson Parkway. Miller suggested calling the Sanitation Department via 311 before bringing up Myrtle Avenue, which flared up anger among residents beside themselves about dirty neighborhood streets.
Aresident at 69th Street and Myrtle Avenue said there were four pails on the corner and was disgusted by the amount of garbage around them.
“I thought I was going to church in the ghetto,” she said, exclaiming she would be ashamed to bring friends or family around.
Residents gave plenty of stories of seeing neighbors leave their trash bags at the public cans and seeing them overflow on the weekends. More pick-ups would help, many agreed, but in the end the best solution would be to get rid of them all together.
Miller stated he has been, and will be, working on solutions.
Other news
Dominick Dale, representing City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, said the lawmaker supports the City Council’s latest effort to employ 1,000 more police officers. He also noted Crowley’s latest legislative action, a bill that would halt the sale of cats and dogs bred in poor conditions.
Dooley noted Crain’s New York Business published an interview with Queens Borough president Melinda Katz detailing her “new path for the borough.”
In the interview, she said she wants to rebrand Queens, starting with the NewYork State Pavilion and planning the 50th anniversary of the World’s Fair. When asked what Queens motto should be she said, “‘The world’s borough.”‘
Members at the meeting got a sneak peak at the summer event schedule for Forest Park and Highland Park, which is now available online at www.nycparks.gov.
Margaret Carrillo-Rosas from the city’s Parks Department said the carousel is open in Forest Park Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. After Memorial Day, it will be open one hour later on the weekends and weekdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Part-time coaching positions are open for Forest and Highland Parks’ 2014 sports clinics that will run six weeks in July and August, Carrillo added. The position pays $15 an hour for a few hours every week coaching skateboarding, basketball and soccer.
Those interested can email resumes to margaret.carrillorosas@ parks.nyc.gov or call 1-718-235-4100, Ext. 307.
Carrillo also noted the Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP) established a command post at Dry Harbor Playground.
The next Glendale Property Owners Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Pancras Pfeifer Hall, located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and 68th Street.
