F.H. Residents Fear Concerns Ignored
Attendees at the Forest Hills Community and Civic Association (FHCCA) meeting last Tuesday, June 10, were upset when they learned that Community Board 6 would not be invited to an upcoming meeting on the West Side Tennis Club’s first summer concert.
Board 6 Chairperson Joseph Hennessy told the civic group last Tuesday night of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit’s upcoming meeting of local city agencies to make sure the community’s safety and quality-of-life issues are met during the tennis club’s June 21 concert.
According to Hennessy, both the Bloomberg and Giuliani administrations welcomed Board 6 and its 40 board members to the event-prep meeting, as it is a paid city agency that fully understands the needs of the Forest Hills community.
However, the de Blasio administration has shown no such outreach, the chairperson stated.
FHCCA President Barbara Stuchinski expressed her displeasure.
“With this new administration, we have no rapport,” said Stuchinski. “No one came from de Blasio, not once.”
Last year, the tennis club held one of its first concerts in decades, bringing in folk band Mumford and Sons, which sparked a flurry of complaints from residents.
Residents called Board 6 directly with issues such as vandalism, noise, bright lights, traffic, and urination in lawns, also which were protested at a meeting last month held by the West Side Tennis Club to field complaints and develop solutions.
Such complaints led to Board 6 getting a commitment from the club that all concerts would promptly end at 10 p.m.
Hennessey later said, “I would think they’d like to have local input.”
Det. Gigi Redzematovic of the 112th Precinct Community Affairs Unit stated she was working with the 112th Precinct’s commander, Capt. Thomas Conforti, to hold a separate meeting to brief other city agencies not invited.
Hennessey said “the point is we’re not invited” to the mayor’s meeting.
Redzematovic warned residents for traffic operations for the concert night and announced the following road closures:
– Burns Street and 69th Avenue in the vicinity of the stadium, will be closed to the public, but residents with identification will be allowed to pass.
– Burns Street and 71st- Continental Avenue will serve as the primary exit for concert goers, and Austin Street will be frozen for 15 minutes after the show to “get everyone out,” according to Redzematovic.
The concert will start at 7 p.m. Despite assigned seating, they expect lines to start at 4 p.m., a contrast from last year’s 6 a.m. queue.
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Redzematovic reminded attendees, “don’t give your money away, no matter what,” after several residents explained suspicious calls and texts they have been receiving asking for their age or their name.
“If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably a scam,” the detective stated.
In line with recent scams citywide, Redzematovic reminded everyone that the Police and Fire departments, IRS, banks and Con Edison do not solicit money over the phone; they will do so through mail.
The Austin Street festival on June 8 was a success, she added, with minimal issues. Conforti opened the 112th Precinct stationhouse to over 1,000 visitors, serving hotdogs and hamburgs and giving tours.
Hennessy said the Department of Transportation (DOT) reported the two most dangerous intersection in the Board 6 area are both in Forest Hills at Metropolitan and 71st avenues and at 71st-Continental Avenue and Queens Boulevard.
Also, he noted, the DOT will start major road work in the area come September, and there will be heavy traffic enforcement through the summer to stay in line with the mayor’s Vision Zero program.
The Forest Hills Community and Civic Association will not meet in July and August. Their next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at American Legion Continental Post 1424, located at 107-15 Metropolitan Ave. For more information, visit www.fhcivic.org.
