Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together

COMET
Newsletter Fall 2014
Structural Concerns
on LIRR Overpasses in
Woodside/Winfeld
STORY ON PAGE 3
Assemblyman Michael DenDekker Works with C.O.M.E.T. to Insure Safety
Photo by Tom Porembski
Pg. 2 Fall 2014 COMET
Words cant describe the reacton of
community residents when they heard that
the Pan Am Hotel in Elmhurst, with about
216 rooms, was turned into a homeless
shelter behind the backs of elected ofcials
and the community. Nearby residents
in Maspeth and Woodside also voiced
concern since the hotel is in close proximity
to their border. Folks immediately reached
out to Comet saying they wanted to protest
this acton.
Residents argued that they reside near
another homeless shelter about a block
away in Woodside, are in close proximity
to the Elmhurst Adult Center where many
residents must take medicaton and not far from a State
mental home. They made it clear they have more than
their fair of social services. They expressed disbelief
that City Hall would even consider putng such a
massive shelter a stones throw from IS 5, 51st Avenue
Academy, PS 7 and a nursery school in District 24
which is one of the most overcrowded school districts
in the city. Residents were also appalled to hear that
hundreds of people, including children, would be all
stufed under one roof with entre families living in
one room.
Pan Am Hotel Homeless Shelter Controversy
The frst rally, pictured to the lef, drew a crowd
of about 1,000 people of diferent ethnicites.
Two more rallies were held, one of which was
outside the Elks Club where a Community Board
4 meetng was being held to discuss the shelter.
Thats when the real controversy started.
Some homeless shelter residents decided to
atend this protest. They walked down Queens
Boulevard to the Elks Club and began mingling
with the residents. Luckily the 110th Precinct saw
this maneuver, pulled them out of our protest,
and had them stand across the street. Shelter
residents started heckling the protestors, who
were predominantly non-English speaking, and
making derogatory comments to them. In response to
their comments, someone from our protest hollered,
Get a job.
The American media quickly picked up on the
Get a job response and before you know it the
community was being called uncompassionate. The
derogatory remarks from the homeless residents
were not reported so as to make it appear that the
aggression was from the community residents. The
irony of this is that three quarters of the protesters
Photos by Richie Polgar
COMET Fall 2014 Pg. 3
didnt speak English. How did the English-speaking
media even know what the crowd was saying other
than reportng on the one remark?
The ant-community reports by the media to sell
newspapers or to make a good story on television
overshadowed the true reason for the protests an
overcrowded school district, already having our fair
share of social services and to condemn warehousing
the homeless.
Since the protest a Community Advisory Board
to discuss the homeless shelter was introduced. It
was most likely created to make it appear as if the
community now has input; convincing residents
that the warehousing situaton is, in
fact, a viable soluton; that the school
overcrowding need not be considered
and homeless shelters should be
embraced by communites. No surprise,
Comet was not invited to the meetng
although we were told we would be.
An ongoing concern for residents is
the potental for an increase in crime.
The Asian community is partcularly
concerned about crime because they are
ofen targeted by criminals since they
are known not to report or resist. They
dont believe all homeless are criminals
but are concerned about those who
have arrest records.
Comet has received multple unconfrmed reports
about an increase in shoplifing at local stores and
verbal threats being made to store employees who
are mostly Asian. We will contnue to work with the
residents and educate them on how to report incidents
and will help them, when necessary, to follow through.
We are lucky to have Asian Comet members who have
been very involved in reaching out.
We were last told that the homeless shelter is flled
to capacity with 676 men, women and children.
Some local residents have spoken with a few of the
homeless who state that the conditons in the hotel
are deplorable and they are anxious to leave.
Residents hope that those who profess to
care for the homeless take measures to remove
them from these deplorable conditons, get
them an apartment and teach them to be self-
sufcient. By doing this, they would be helping
them and saving millions of tax dollars that
could be put towards other concerns.
Community residents state they will contnue
to fght this issue. Well keep you updated.
Photos by Tom Porembski
Pg. 4 Fall 2014 COMET
While we were there we
couldnt help but notce
all the pigeon droppings,
partcularly on 70th Street
at 48th Avenue. There
are schools in the area,
St. Marys Church and
businesses. The pigeon
droppings are a serious
health concern for us. The
Assemblyman explained
that the Department of Sanitaton (DSNY) regularly
cleans the overpass on 69th Street at 48th Avenue
but not on 70th Street. We reached out to Roman
Paprocki, Chief of Staf, at Council Member Elizabeth
Crowleys ofce and asked if they could reach out to
DSNY or the LIRR for assistance and to determine if it
would be possible to schedule regular cleanups.
In the meantme, Assemblyman DenDekker said he
would look into the possibility of getng funding to
install meshing under the overpasses to deter pigeons
from cooping there.
Photo by Geraldine Walsh
Woodside/Winfeld Railroad Trestles
On Monday, August 4th, Comet President Roe
Daraio and Comet member Tom Porembski met with
Assemblyman Michael DenDekker to discuss the
deteriorated conditons of some of the Long Island
Railroad (LIRR) trestles in the Winfeld secton of
Woodside. The walking tour focused on the trestles
on 70th Street and 48th Avenue as well as two on 48th
Avenue at 69th Street.
Assemblyman DenDekker arranged to have workers
from the LIRR be on site to inspect the overpasses
while we were there. According to the Assemblyman,
any structural problems would be noted and put into a
report. He promised to give us their fndings when the
inspecton and report was completed and hopefully
well have it in tme for our next newsleter.
Important Message from 104th Precinct
Captain Christopher Manson, 104th Precinct, urges folks to follow this advice:
Please hang up on ANYONE who says they are from the IRS or says that
you owe money to ANYONE.
Photos by Tom Porembski
COMET Fall 2014 Pg. 5
Photo by Geraldine Walsh
Source of Mystery Lights Revealed
Please Dont Feed the Pigeons!
By Richie Polgar
We want to thank Captain Brian Hennessy, 108th
Precinct, for sending ofcers to the Winfeld secton
of Woodside to fnd the source of the bright lights that
are shining into residents windows.
The property where the stadium-type lightng is
located belongs to a business named Ko Hyong Truck
& Auto Repair, 50-04 73rd Place in Woodside. This
porton of 73rd Place is located under the railroad
overpasses on 51st Avenue which separates Woodside
and Elmhurst.
Comet Vice President Dick Gundlach will come up
with a plan and reach out to the owner and ask if he
could either point the lights downward or put covers
on them. Well keep you updated.
Photos by Dick Gundlach
The conditon of the sidewalks at the LIE underpasses
at 74 street and 80 street have moved local residents
Peter Sofo and Richard Polgar to take acton. The
sidewalks are very dirty and are slippery from all the
pigeon droppings and at tmes there are dead pigeons
on the ground. We feel this is unsightly and unsanitary.
The problem has existed for years and spikes
were installed years ago to discourage pigeons from
roostng there but it hasn't worked. In the past a call to
Councilwoman Crowley's ofce would get Sanitaton
to clean up the area. In the fall we were told that
NYCDOT will do monthly power washings afer the
winter. Then we were told by her ofce that NYSDOT
will be doing the cleaning every three months startng
in April. The frst wash was fnally done in the frst
week of August and already it is very dirty. We feel a
wash every three months is not ofen enough.
Part of the problem is caused by well-meaning
people who put piles of bread and seeds for the
pigeons. If you feed them they will come. There was
a woman who fed them at Garlinge Park on Grand
Avenue and each morning 50 pigeons waited on the
telephone wires and pooped all over the people and
cars below. When she stopped the pigeons lef. Now
they gather on the wires by Maspeth High School on
74 street so we have made a sign by the sitng area
telling people not to feed the pigeons. Our frst sign
was stolen afer a week so we made another. Feeding
pigeons in parks is against the law and it also atracts
rats which we have seen an increase in the area.
If you feel the sidewalks are dirty and disgusting
please call 311 to report a problem.

Pg. 6 Fall 2014 COMET
These photos were taken on September 3rd the day
before school started. According to Council Member
Crowleys ofce, a problem with the electric wiring was
discovered during the constructon.
West Maspeth is in dire need of trafc-calming
measures because of the high volume of vehicular and
truck trafc that fows along Grand and Flushing Avenues.
We are hopeful, that
once completed, this
initatve will help make
a safer environment for
everyone in the area.
During the summer Comet President Roe Daraio and
Treasurer Geraldine Walsh had the opportunity to take
Michael Mallon, staf member of Councilman Daniel
Dromm, on a tour of the Comet area. No surprise, the 55th
Avenue footbridge was at the top of our list.
We showed him the deteriorated steps that do not
appear to be up to code. Not only are the steps not the
right height and width, some seem to slant making
conditons dangerous for pedestrians crossing in snow
and ice. We asked if it would be possible to upgrade the
inadequate lightng and replace the handrails adjacent to
the fence that dont appear to be the right height. Another
chronic problem we brought to his atenton was the weeds
55th Avenue Footbridge Still a Concern
Weeds along 85th Street
Safe Routes to Schools for West Maspeth
overgrowing the handrails as well as the entre strip of land
adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road from approximately
55th Avenue to 58th Avenue on 85th Street.
Comet member Ed Misiura has taken the initatve to
clean up the strip on 85th Street in the vicinity of 55th
Road, but we believe the city should put this on a list for
routne cleaning. Local residents shouldnt have to take on
the task of cleaning up illegal dumping.
Lastly, we asked Michael to reach out to NYC Department
of Transportaton to insure this footbridge is put into the
311 system. In past years the bridge wasnt shoveled in the
winter and caused a dangerous conditon for pedestrians
trying to get to work, school or home.
Photos by Geraldine Walsh
Photos by Richie Polgar
Its been a very actve summer in west Maspeth.
Constructon for the Safe Routes to Schools initatve had
residents scrambling to fnd parking and walking around
barriers.
COMET Fall 2014 Pg. 7
COMET MEETINGS - 2014
Meetings are held at the NY Bethzatha Church of God, 85-20 57th Avenue, Elmhurst, 7:00 pm.
Parking is available.
Monday, October 6th
Monday, November 3rd
Monday, December 1st
Newsletter Committee
Mike Fordunski, Dick Gundlach, Christina Wilkinson, Richie Polgar, Tom Porembski, Geraldine Walsh,
Linda Daquaro, Shirley Warren, Roe Daraio, Maspeth Press
A Special Thank You!
This newsletter is made possible by funding from Council Members Elizabeth Crowley, Daniel
Dromm and Jimmy Van Bramer though the Department of Youth & Community Development.
State funding allocated to Comet by Assembly Member Marge Markey went towards the
Memorial Day Parade and graffti removal.
Do You Recognize this Elmhurst Street?
Elmhurst folks probably recognize this street which
is located at 84th Street and 57th Avenue. We bet
no one knows the name of the street even though a
street sign says 84th Street.
The 84th Street sign is for the street across from
this locaton. Actually, the name of this street is
Madison Street. About a decade ago we discovered
this was a city-owned street and reached out to NYC
Department of Transportaton and asked for a street
name. They responded back with Madison Street.
We never believed this name made any sense since
surrounding blocks have street numbers. We always
thought the name should be changed to 84th Place or
something like that.
Photos by Geraldine Walsh
When we met with Michael Mallon from Council
Member Dromms ofce we showed him the street
and he agreed it was odd, not only because of the
Madison Street designaton but because there was
no street sign with the name on it.
He has spoken with Council Member Dromm who
thinks it would be a good idea to pursue changing the
name to a street number and getng a sign statng
just that. We believe this is important in the event
someone needs to call 911 with an emergency or
311 for a quality of life concern. We are also looking
at possibly improving the street lightng there. Well
keep you posted.
Photos by Geraldine Walsh
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Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together
COMET
Newsletter Fall 2014
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