BP Richards Hosts a Rockaway Town Hall
By Katie McFadden
For a week, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards recently put the spotlight on Rockaway as part of his Borough Hall on Your Block initiative, which culminated with a Town Hall at the Rockaway YMCA on Monday, September 16, where constituents got to ask Richards and several city agencies questions about issues in the neighborhood.
Starting Monday, September 9, Richards was in Rockaway to have roundtable discussions with various local organizations, attend a street co-naming for the late Dr. Ed Williams, and tour areas where there have been ongoing problems, to announce significant funding to address some of them. Among those was $500,000 toward the reconfiguration of the seven-leg intersection at Beach Channel Drive, Seagirt Boulevard and Beach 35th Street in Edgemere, $3 million in funding for the Beach Channel Educational Campus and a ribbon cutting for the $6.2 million reconstruction of Nameoke Park.
As announced at the Town Hall, soon to come will be $3 million toward the reconstruction of Arverne Playground, $300,000 toward new security cameras at NYCHA’s Ocean Bay Houses and more. Richards also made mention of the $10 million recently allocated by the state towards the Arverne East Aquatic Center, a future NYC Parks pool facility, adding that more funding will still be needed to make it happen, so he plans on allocating capital funding toward it in the next budget. In another sneak peek, Richards also said that a new public school would be coming to the peninsula, but further details will be made in the future. As Richards ended his opening, he said, “We’re not out the woods, we have a lot of work to do,” before the representatives from the various agencies at the dais introduced themselves.
Among the agencies represented were the NYC Department of Buildings, Emergency Management, Parks, Transportation, Environmental Protection, Health, Social Services, Education, Sanitation, NYCHA, Community Board 14, the 100th and 101st NYPD Precincts and District 31 Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers, who were able to answer questions pertaining to their agencies. To keep things orderly and civil, guests were asked to write their concerns and questions on index cards, which were read by Richards’ staff members.
The first question was regarding when the road on Beach 20th near St. John’s Hospital will be repaired. DOT said there is a capital project in the works for the area but because capital projects can take up to five years, they are working the DEP to develop an interim solution to some of the issues there.
In a question to NYPD, someone suggested that Beach 41st Street and Mott Ave need more officers in the area. 101 Precinct Captain Timothy Schulz said they still have the additional 48 summer detail officers, some of which have been in that area, but if the person had specific concerns, they could discuss further after the town hall.
A question was asked about the evacuation plan for Rockaway if there’s a massive flooding incident. OEM said there are evacuation centers on the peninsula and advised people to take advantage of evacuation orders early so there’s less congestion with people trying to leave at the last minute. Rockaway’s centers can be found at: nyc.gov/knowyourzone
A question was asked about garbage being dumped from Beach 78th to Beach 84th Street and why it isn’t being cleaned as well. Brooks-Powers said because of budget cuts to sanitation, it diminished their ability to cover those areas the way they did before, but due to supplemental funding for her office, the service has been restored and should start picking back up again. Regarding other specific spots that need cleaning, DSNY advised folks to give them locations after. Richards also advised people to file 311 reports. A follow up was asked about a tree that has been hanging over a lot in the area, as Parks said it would take two years for them to address it. The NYC Parks rep asked for the address so it could be reinspected and made priority.
Someone asked why the SNAP process is taking so long. An HRA rep responded that there was a jump to 50K applications during the pandemic, so they’ve been trying to address the backlog, but they should be caught up by now and have hired additional staff to speed up the process. Another asked if lighting can be added around P.S. 43 on election night since the area is dark and they feel unsafe going to vote there. The NYPD said they could bring a light tower there.
A question was brought up about why folks need to leave the peninsula for special recycling events. DSNY said they would bring it back to the commissioner as a suggestion to have more local events.
Someone expressed concern over a speed bump needed on Fernside Place. DOT suggested they speak with them after. Brooks-Powers also mentioned that DOT has installed 50 speed bumps that were requested across her district and advised people to get their requests in now as funding is available.
A NYCHA resident asked when the new daycare at Redfern Houses would be open, as it was supposed to open in 2021. NYCHA said they didn’t have an exact date. Another resident asked why the floors at 433 Beach 40th Street have not been cleaned in six months. NYCHA said they would be there the next morning to address it. Another resident said Beach 42nd needed new elevators as they keep jumping and getting stuck. NYCHA said they would do an inspection. A staffer at the Sheldon. R Weaver School in Carlton Manor said the school bell has been broken, and a mat is coming apart, creating a hazard. She sent several emails to have it addressed but got no response. NYCHA said they would follow up.
Someone asked if something could be done about the bathrooms by the Beach 97th Street concessions smelling like urine. Parks said they would have it power washed by the next morning. Someone asked when the lights would be fixed at Cardozo Playground in Arverne, as they haven’t worked in five years. Parks said as part of a school, the playground was constructed under the School Construction Authority, which used different lighting that they don’t have the parts for, so the lights need to be rewired.
Someone asked for the medians at Beach 94th and Beach 108th Street to be regularly maintained and cleaned, and if a private company could be assigned to do it. Richards said it wasn’t a bad idea if DSNY was not handling it but was unsure about the legalities. He also spoke about Brooks-Powers’ proposed bill to create a system where people can track when medians are cleaned, so there’s more transparency.
Many had questions about DSNY’s new garbage can requirements. DSNY explained that by November 12, those in homes or buildings with nine of fewer units, need to have a garbage can with a secure lid. There will be a warning period for this and by January, homeowners will begin to receive fines. By June 2026, homeowners will be required to have DSNY’s specific bins, that are available to order now. Someone asked why this doesn’t apply to buildings with more than nine units. DSNY said they’re doing a pilot on that in Hamilton Heights and would likely be rolling it out for large buildings in the future.
Someone asked if bus stops could be cleaned regularly. DOT said they have a contractor that does it, and if they’re provided with specific locations, they would be looked at. Another made a comment about six garbage cans at Beach 94th Street being filled at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Parks said they address 700 garbage cans but that nothing should still be sitting by 11 a.m. Someone said they had filed a request for their sidewalk to be repaired due to tree damage and their request was denied two weeks ago. Parks said there is a very long wait for that program, a point that Richards reiterated as there is limited funding, so it was suggested that people try to do the repairs themselves and then ask to be reimbursed by the city comptroller’s office.
A resident asked if ferry service could be increased when the A train is temporarily shut down for 17 weeks in January. Brooks-Powers said she is advocating for this as well as ferry access on the east end of the peninsula. She also advised people to provide final public feedback on the Queens Bus Network Redesign (New.mta.info/project/queens-bus-network-redesign).
Another brought up the constant robberies at Walgreens on Beach 108th. Captain Carol Hamilton of the 100th Precinct said they have a Merchant Trespass Program in place, so when someone shoplifts, if they return to do it again, they are arrested and charged with burglary, and they have patrols stationed there when possible.
Someone asked why illegal vendors are allowed the operate all over Rockaway while local businesses are fined. Richards said this has become a boroughwide issue, and places like Corona have it worse. A pilot program was started there to keep vendors more organized and contained to one area, and he said Rockaway could be added to a list for a pilot.
A student brought up an issue of buses skipping stops in the morning because they’re so full, causing students to be late to school. She asked if more buses could be added. Richards said he was committed to working with the MTA and the principals of the schools to come up with a solution.
Lastly, Ozzie Edwards asked if there would be another town hall with all of Rockaway’s elected officials. Richards said, “We’re holding a town hall tonight. I can’t speak for everyone else.”
