March Community Board 14 Recap
By Katie McFadden
The March Community Board 14 meeting on Tuesday, March 11, at the Knights of Columbus was full of updates from officials and committees.
The meeting kicked off with updates from the local NYPD precincts. An officer from Transit District 23 said “crime has gone down significantly” and arrests have gone up since there are more officers on the trains now. Deputy Inspector Carol Hamilton of the 100th Precinct and Captain George Ng of the 101st Precinct said they’ve seen a big decrease in crime. There was a shooting near Far Rockaway High School two weeks ago, but Ng said an arrest has been made. Both precincts are working together on a plan to have a successful summer.
Next were announcements from representatives for elected officials. Jose from Rep. Gregory Meeks’ office reminded everyone of the requirement to have a Real ID or Enhanced ID by May 7 for domestic air travel.
A representative said Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato is co-sponsoring a bill that would expand the Veterans Tuition Assistance Program to include veterans who served in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan, and a bill that would cap the maximum co-payment for EpiPens at $100. She’s also looking for nominations for amazing women in the district to be honored for Women’s History Month. For info, call 718-945-9550 or email greenbergj@nyassembly.gov
A rep for Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said he will be hosting an Irish American Heritage Celebration at Queens Borough Hall (120-55 Queens Blvd.) on Wednesday, March 26 at 6 p.m. RSVP at queensbp.nyc.gov/rsvp
Margaret Powers of Councilwoman Joann Ariola’s office said Ariola attended budget hearings in City Council last week and is fighting for more funding for the FDNY, NYPD, schools and projects in the community. She recently passed a bill providing official waste containers to eligible buildings and reimbursing owners for prior purchases, particularly those enrolled in a New York STAR benefit program. She’s working with Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers to try to delay the decision to close the Neponsit Adult Day Health Care facility.
Dan Brown of District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office spoke about the Animal Cruelty Unit, which is dedicated to investigating animal cruelty crimes. If anyone wants to come forward as a witness to such crimes, call 718-286-6622. Councilwoman Selvena Brooks Powers is hosting a Celebration of Women Movie Night on March 20 at 6 p.m. at the Rockaway YMCA. She’s also offering free tax prep services. For more info, call 718-784-0877.
Kevin Morris of the NYC Mayor’s Office announced that Mayor Eric Adams will be coming to P.S. 42 for a Town Hall on Wednesday, March 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Those who live within District 31 are welcome to join and ask questions. A town hall will be held for District 32 residents in the future.
CB14 Chairwoman Dolores Orr reminded everyone about the request for streets that regularly flood during high tides, so monitors can be placed in these areas. She spoke about meetings revolving around JFK Airport and said that people from Rockaway aren’t making complaints about plane noise anymore. She advised that people not become complacent about making complaints, as the Town of Hempstead is suing the Port Authority over plane noise to keep planes from flying over their neighborhood. As far as the JFK Airport redevelopment goes, Orr says there are many jobs available, particularly in construction related jobs. For info, head to www.anewjfk.com/work-with-us
As District Manager Felicia Johnson has officially been in the position for a year, she provided a rundown of some of her accomplishments. Most recently, CB14 sent a letter to City Council to fight to keep the Neponsit Day Adult Care center. A letter was also sent to elected officials regarding animal cruelty. She received a notification that a water pump will be coming to Broad Channel but it’s unclear when.
The DOT sent out a notification that 250 areas across the city will be getting reduced speed limits. In Rockaway, that area will be Beach 111th and Beach 112th from Rockaway Beach Blvd. to the boardwalk. Johnson said Edgemere Ave. is expected to reopen by the end of the month. A resident has been asking about a veteran’s flag and plaque that was in the area and was taken down due to construction. Johnson said they have located them, but they are weather worn, so the company doing to construction will replace them and find an appropriate location for them, likely closer to Seaview Towers.
The NYC Office of Management and Budget has approved a C-Arm mobile imagining unit for St. John’s Hospital. NYC Housing and Preservation Development has issued permits for a four-story building with 22 apartments at 2105 Birdsall Avenue. Spectrum will be doing cable construction at 1421 Augustina Ave. until April 4. Street resurfacing is planned for the east end of the peninsula this year, but only when it’s approved in the capital budget.
A representative from the NYC Office of Emergency Management, Tyler Rosa, was on hand to let people know about the city’s text and e-mail alert system, Notify NYC. They’re hoping to increase the number of subscribers for the free service so people can get alerts from the city regarding things like severe emergencies, weather emergencies, subway disruptions, traffic delays, planned events like fireworks, public health issues like air quality and mosquito sprayings, pool and beach openings and more. The service is available in 14 languages. Three people signed up during the meeting. To register, head to: Nyc.gov/notify
Next up was public speaking. A board member from Perfect Piece of the Puzzle let everyone know about a Light the Night autism awareness event on April 2 at sundown (around 7:30 p.m.) at the Beach 94th Amphitheater. She also said a Little Library is coming to the Beach 59th Street Playground soon. Ralph Louis, the founder of STEM in the Rockaways, said they’re holding programs for kids to learn about science, technology and math and the next program will be during the week of April 14. For more information, see: Stemintherockaways.org
Mr. Richard thanked Johnson for the update on the veteran’s flagpole and plaque. In regard to the Neponsit Adult program, he urged officials to create subsidies to help cover the rent and bills for the location so they can remain open. He also brought up an issue of a recently damaged fire hydrant on Nasby Ave. and Cornage Ave., which he suspects was knocked down by a truck due to ongoing road work.
A woman named Harriet let everyone know about Ohel Social Services in Rockaway, offering older adult services with free programs for seniors 55 and over, particularly behavioral health and mental health services. For info, call 800-603-6435. David Tanis of Patrick B. Jenkins Associates spoke on behalf of Resorts World Casino, which is looking to expand on their property, an opportunity that could create 10K jobs. They’ve also partnered with RDRC on an incubator program, a 12-week class for local businesses looking for procurement opportunities, which could award businesses up to $10K. For info, call Tanis at 929-244-9769.
Diane from National Grid let people know about programs to help people cover their increasing gas bills, with grant programs such as HEAP. People can qualify for this assistance based on their income and can earn a $400 credit toward their gas bill. For information, reach out to 1-800-642-4272 or email: ConsumerAdvocatesUNY@nationalgrid.com.
Next up was an update from the Environmental Committee based on their February 4 meeting. At the meeting, Odette Wilkens of Wired Broadband, Inc. spoke about the dangers of 5G towers. This comes as LinkNYC is proposing to put several three-story 5G towers in Rockaway. A motion was made to write a letter opposing the 5G towers. The motion passed unanimously.
Next was an update from the Economic Development Committee based on their March 3 meeting. The first item was a request to change the location of a proposed cannabis shop, Rockway Beach Cafe, from 114-30 Rockaway Beach Boulevard to 114-19 Rockaway Beach Boulevard. The board passed a motion to object the move. A second issue was regarding food trucks and mobile businesses setting up in unpermitted locations, taking away from brick-and-mortar businesses, especially around Mott Ave. and Shore Front Parkway. A motion passed to write a letter to the local precincts, Parks Enforcement Patrol and Consumer Affairs to increase enforcement of the laws regarding these illegally positioned food trucks and carts. A third item concerned the proposed cannabis shop at 115-25 Beach Channel Drive, however the applicant withdrew their request for a letter of no objection.
Under new business, board member Isaac expressed concern over a lack of street sweeping on Mott Ave. He called 311 and claimed someone from sanitation said they’re no longer comfortable sweeping Mott Ave. since Officer Jonathan Diller was killed there. Felicia Johnson expressed doubt over the claim, saying there is a new superintendent and a new supervisor covering the area, who have not been communicative with the board, and that a street sweeper recently got into an accident with a bus on Mott Ave.
A board member requested more police, fire and EMS in the area as more developments are popping up. Johnson said they’ve been requesting more, but there simply aren’t enough people in these jobs anymore. Relating to this topic, Orr brought up the subject of a new firehouse coming to Beach 116th and Beach Channel Drive and shared that the city is now saying there was never a plan for this, despite several meetings on it. “We think they’ve rescinded the money for it,” Orr said.
