At this month’s meeting of Queens Community Board 5, held on Wednesday, May 14, the board initiated the nomination process for its executive committee ahead of next month’s elections and residents raised growing concerns about quality-of-life issues in their neighborhoods.
During the public forum, Glendale resident and mother of two, Cynthia Balzaretti, voiced a detailed complaint about deteriorating conditions at Evergreen Park. She described how the once family-friendly recreational space has increasingly been taken over by large groups of men playing volleyball—often without permits or ties to the community.
Balzaretti noted that the issue is both behavioral and regulatory. Citing New York City park rules requiring adults in children’s parks to be accompanied by a child, she said these rules are routinely disregarded by the men frequenting Evergreen Park.
“Daily, hundreds and hundreds of men without children who do not live in our neighborhood are there taking over and destroying our park,” she said. “As men come to set up about 25-30 nets, they are aggressive and start to tell women and children who are playing to move.”
Balzaretti explained that once the nets are set up, the area becomes almost impassable due to the cords drilled into the ground. She estimated that more than 500 men are present on weekends, creating what she called a dangerous and unsanitary environment.
She further detailed a range of concerning activities taking place in the park, including illegal gambling, unlicensed vending of food and alcohol, unleashed dogs, and the accumulation of trash that poses hazards to both children and pets. She also alleged that men have been cutting into the wire fence by the railroad to store their equipment illegally and are vandalizing the bathrooms.
“Somebody’s got to do the job,” she concluded, emphasizing the need for law enforcement and city agencies to step in and restore order.
Another resident, Cole Jagdeo, addressed a separate but equally pressing issue in the Maspeth area. Jagdeo, who lives at the intersection of Maspeth Avenue and Melvina Place and commutes daily to Queensborough Community College, raised concerns about truck traffic near his home.
He explained that while he supports local industry, the trucks serving a nearby grocery store are damaging cars and public infrastructure due to the narrow and challenging turns they must make.
“The issue is that these trucks are making very risky turns. They have damaged cars on multiple occasions, and recently they’ve started driving over the pavement, damaging it and leaving me and my neighbors concerned about whether we’re going to have to pick up the cost for this,” Jagdeo said.
He asked the board to investigate ensuring that trucks make only legal and safe turns and stressed the need for better enforcement of parking regulations, particularly at corners that obstruct turning vehicles.
Following the public session, the board moved on to internal business: nominations for its executive committee positions, which are scheduled to be voted on during the next monthly meeting in June.
District Manager Gary Giordano outlined the structure of the executive committee, noting that it includes a Chairperson, First Vice Chair, Second Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, four Members at Large, and a Parliamentarian.
Current Chairperson Vincent Arcuri was nominated to retain his role. Walter Sanchez was nominated again for First Vice Chair, and Dmytro Fedkowskyj for Second Vice Chair. Eric Butkiewicz was the nominee for Treasurer.
Secretary Peggy O’Kane declined to seek another term, stating, “It’s time for me to retire.” She instead nominated Jasmine Valle-Bueno to fill the role.
Nominations for Members at Large included Rachel Caracci, Carol Benovic-Bradley, Walter Clayton, and Fred Haller. For the position of Parliamentarian, Kathy Masi, who currently holds the role, declined to continue and Daniel Heredia was nominated as her replacement.
The elections will take place during the next Community Board 5 meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, June 11.
As residents await action on the issues raised, the board prepares to transition into a new leadership phase, hoping to continue addressing the evolving needs of the Queens neighborhoods it represents.
