COMET Also Talks Pan-Am Shelter
Pigeon droppings on a local street and the ongoing fight against a temporary homeless shelter were hot topics during the Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET) civic association meeting last Monday, Sept. 8, at Bethzatha Church of God in Elmhurst.
COMET President Rosemarie Daraio updated residents on the unsightly droppings covering sidewalks and a bridge overpass on 57th Avenue between 74th and 80th streets.
Several attendees stated they believed the mess stems from local residents who feed the birds. Daraio recommended signs be placed around the area advising residents not to feed the pigeons.
Additionally, homeowners could set up surveillance cameras to catch the pigeon-feeding culprits and report them, it was noted.
Daraio is hoping for more response from the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to clean the 57th Avenue trestle and others nearby, and scrub the mesh under the railroad overpasses.
Representatives of City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley indicated the bridges will be power-washed every three months by the state Department of Transportation.
Turning to the temporary homeless shelter at the Pan American Hotel located on Queens Boulevard, residents blasted media coverage of recent protests which, they claimed, portrayed demonstrators in a negative light.
As previously reported, protestors rallied at the Pan American in the summer after the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) began housing homeless individuals there. Several attendees claimed the media reports of the rally portrayed those protesting the shelter as “discriminatory,” while those in favor of the shelter were considered “inconsiderate” to the community.
Attendees stated the only way to bring awareness and stop the shelter is to report crime happening at the former hotel and sign a petition against it. Several claims were made that entire families are living in single-room units in miserable conditions.
Daraio stated the group’s main goal “is to get them out of the shelter and into apartments,” and to close the hotel.”
Turning to police matters, P.O. Charles Sadler of the 104th Precinct reported the command will set up a “zero tolerance” enforcement program in school zones to help keep children safe while walking on sidewalks and across streets. Radar guns will be in place in police cars, and officers will enforce various moving and parking violations.
While robberies dropped 40 percent recently, Sadler added, grand larcenies were up 10 percent and auto thefts climbed by 40 percent. Sadler stated such an increase usually means a team is going around the command stealing various cars.
One particular model the thieves seem to be targeting, he noted, is the Honda Accord.
Sadler added the precinct is working to publish more crime prevention literature in multiple languages to help people learn their rights and know how to report a crime.
City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley dropped by to announce “a big win” for the community. She stated she secured enough funds to bring The Doe Fund and its supplemental sanitation services to the Grand Avenue shopping strip in Maspeth.
Crowley also noted the Doe Fund will also clean up parts of Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood.
The next COMET meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday night, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. at Bethzatha Church of God, located at 85-20 57th Ave. in Elmhurst. For more information, visit www.cometcivics.com.
