By Mark Hallum
The name of the late Frank Skala will be emblazoned over Bell Boulevard and 40th Avenue this summer pending City Council approval.
A motion at the Monday meeting of Community Board 11 approved the street co-naming in honor of the much-loved Bayside teacher and community activist who died of a stroke in August 2015.
Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) will present the bill to City Council for the co-naming to be approved by the proper committee.
“Frank Skala was a fiercely dedicated community activist and civic leader. His enormous and lasting impact on the community is clearly evidenced by Community Board 11’s unanimous vote to have 40th Avenue and Bell Boulevard co-named in his honor,” Vallone said. “I look forward to submitting a bill to make this co-naming a reality.”
Skala, who grew up in Bayside and attended its schools, taught American History and Geography for 33 years at the now closed Campbell Junior High School 218 and Adrien Block Intermediate School 25 before retiring in 1992.
But Skala’s tireless work with the community advocating for projects and organizations that preserve the quality of life of residents in the neighborhood is what he is known for outside his professional life. He founded the East Bayside Homeowners Association in 1974 to preserve the suburban nature of Bayside, and later established the New Bayside High Alumni Association in 1991 which raised money and awarded scholarships for to students.
Skala was also an advocate for no-kill animal shelters.
A spokesman for Vallone said it is still early in the process, but if the bill passes the vetting process, the estimated date for the co-naming will be in mid- to late-summer.
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) wrote a letter of support for the co-naming to CB1l and Councilman Vallone on behalf of the activist’s daughter, Bonnie Skala Kiladitis.
“It was never Dad’s goal to be popular. It was to be remembered,” Kiladitis said, “remembered for doing what was right for his beloved hometown. Anyone who knew my father knew that there was only one way! The Frank Skala Way.”
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
