Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together

COMET

Newsletter Winter 2014

NYS DOT and 104th Precinct

Target Maspeth Truck Traffic

Photo by Tom Porembski

Queens Quiet Skies Holds Successful Rally

On Sunday, September 14th, elected representatives
joined with Queens residents at Cunningham Park
to call attention to the proliferation of loud, low
and frequent planes that are adversely affecting our
communities. Those of us who live in Maspeth and
Middle Village noticed the flight change sometime
around June, 2013.
COMET President Roe Daraio, Vice President Richie
Doyle and COMET members Rita and Tom Porembski
were among the attendees.
In late September the Port Authority reached out to
COMET and asked if we would submit some locations
where noise monitors could be placed. We were
told the monitors would remain at that location for
one year and the Port Authority would reimburse
the property owner $5.00 monthly for the minimal
electricity for the monitor. The sites could not be
located near firehouses, trains or other noisy places.
Unfortunately, we didnt receive an overwhelming
response from volunteers so we have to assume
residents have just become accustomed to the noise
or just dont want a noise monitor in their yard. We
submitted some locations to the Port Authority, but to
our knowledge no noise monitors have been installed
at any of the locations.
Janet McEneaney from Queens Quiet Skies, who
has been doing a fabulous job working on this issue,
told us that Representatives Steve Israel, Grace
Meng and Mike Quigley (Illinois) have spearheaded an
initiative to institute a more restrictive aviation noise
measurement. Every other developed country in the
world limits noise to what is called a day-night average
level of 55. Only in the U.S. can you find the much
higher legal limit of 65 DNL. Reps Israel, Meng and
most of the NY metro Congressional delegation have
signed a letter calling on the FAA to reduce the legal
noise limit to 55 DNL. We thank Reps. Meng and Israel
and Quigley for all the work their staffs have put in
on this letter, as well as for persuading so many other
members of Congress to sign it.
Pg. 2 Winter 2014 COMET

Report Plane Noise!

http://www.planenoise.com/panynj/daPRAbr9
or call

1-800-225-1071

Important Reminder
Please make sure your house
numbers are clearly displayed and
can be easily seen from the street.
This will help emergency responders
get to you sooner in the event of a
fire, medical or police emergency.

Important Message from 104th Precinct

to Owners of Older Vehicles!

Captain Christopher Manson, Commanding Officer & Captain Gregory Mackie, Executive Officer
The 104th Precinct is happy to report that major crime
in the precinct is down 5.2% for the year. Although we
are doing a great job in reducing robberies, burglaries
and felony assaults, auto theft remains a problem in the
neighborhood, which by itself is up 4.1% from last year.
Auto thieves are targeting older model cars,
particularly Hondas, Toyotas and Ford Econoline vans
that are eight years of age or older. They target these
vehicles because New York State law does not require
a title for these older vehicles, and the thieves can
scrap these cars for quick cash at junkyards without
being asked to produce a title. We urge our community
members to exercise care when parking vehicles by
ensuring their car doors are always locked, and no

valuables are left inside the glove box, door pockets or

passenger compartment. Spare keys should never be left
anywhere inside your car, as these will enable a thief to
simply drive away after gaining entry to your car. A good
deterrent to prevent auto theft is to use the Club to
lock the steering wheel.
Please take advantage of the Police Departments
many auto theft programs such as Combat Auto Theft,
Beat Auto Theft and VIN Etching by contacting our Crime
Prevention Officers PO Hyatt or PO Collado at 718-3866223. Also, as the holiday season approaches, we urge
our community to be aware of their surroundings and
protect their valuables, as this is a time where property
crimes tend to increase. Thank you and be safe.

School Bus Parking

Woes at PS 229

104th Precincts Maspeth

Graffiti Removal Operation

Residents and school Photo by Tom Porembski

officials were finding
private school buses,
not contracted by the
City, being parked
overnight, weekends and even longer on 67th Street,
51st Road as well as Maurice Avenue in the confines of
the 104th Precinct around PS 229. It was suspected that
an auto repair business on 51st Avenue, located in the
108th Precinct, was the culprit. However, the body shop
owner said they didnt belong to him even though folks
saw his workers parking them there.

In mid-October Captain Manson and his team spent

the morning covering the graffiti scribble at numerous
Maspeth locations that were passed on to us by
community residents. Comet provided money towards
paint and supplies thanks to funding from Assembly
Member Marge Markey and Council Member Elizabeth
Crowley.
Photos by Tom Porembski

Captain Christopher Manson, 104th Precinct

Then, along came Captain Gregory Mackie our new

Executive Officer at the 104th Precinct. We provided
him with the list of buses contracted by the City which
was passed on to us by Jo Ann Berger our School
Liaison. Captain Mackie went to the location and issued
summonses on November 6th. Except for a couple of
stragglers, which Captain Mackie said hell monitor, most
of the buses have been moved. The 104th School Unit
issued violations for double parking and no standing. As
a result, residents have more parking after school hours
and children can get on and off the buses safely at the
curb rather than walking into the street to their doubleparked bus. Great job, Captain Mackie!!
COMET

Winter 2014 Pg. 3

108th
Precincts
Great Taxi Tow

104th Precinct & NYS DOT

Target Maspeth Truck Traffic
On October 28th, the 104th Precinct and the NYS
Department of Transportation conducted a truck
operation on Grand Avenue at Remsen Place in
Maspeth. Numerous summonses were written and
NYS DOT towed five trucks for various violations.
Local residents and businesses are adversely
impacted daily by the several thousand huge tractor
trailers, looking to avoid tie-ups on the BQE that use
Grand Avenue.
Captain Manson, 104th Precinct, said he hopes to
do more operations on a regular basis.

We couldnt have been

happier to see the numerous
livery cabs that have been
hogging parking spaces in
the vicinity of St. Marys
Winfield, 70th Street at 48th
Avenue, being towed by
the 108th Precinct! Captain
Brian Hennessy, the former
Commanding Officer at the
108th Precinct, did a fabulous
Tiffany Annese,
job helping us address this PO
108th Precinct
and other chronic problems
in Winfield during his stay with us. We were sorry to
hear he was transferred to the 115th Precinct.
Unfortunately, the liveries have returned. PO Tiffany
Annese, the 108th Conditions Team Officer assigned
to our community, has promised to continue the tow
and summons operations in the area.

108th Precinct Crime

Prevention Tip
PO Eli Gani, 108th Precinct Crime Prevention
Officer, warns motorists not to leave licenses,
registration cards or other identifying papers a
thief could misuse in your vehicle. The National
Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) recommends the
following:
If you park in a commercial lot or garage, leave
only the ignition key with the attendant. Do not
keep your license, registration or title in the car.
If left, thieves can use these documents to sell
your car if it is stolen, or impersonate you when
they are challenged by the police. Owners who
indiscriminately leave keys, registrations and
other identifiable material in their vehicles may
return to their residence only to find that they
are the victim of a burglary!

Photo by Geraldine Walsh

Photos by Tom Porembski

Pg. 4 Winter 2014 COMET

Winfield Quality of
Life Conditions

OK, we know a lot more work has to be done in the

Winfield/Woodside area that is zoned manufacturing.
The 108th Precinct is working with us to address the
problems. What amazes us is once we address an
issue, another one seems to crop up! We hear your
concerns and will continue to be persistent. Heres
what we spotted in early November

108th Precinct Targets

Winfield/Woodside Graffiti
In mid-October, we spotted Captain Brian Hennessy
and his troops, including our Community Affairs
Officers PO Luis Diaz and Marc Torres, covering graffiti
in the vicinity of 70th Street and 48th Avenue which is
a short distance from St. Marys. They not only cleaned
the graffiti, they also picked up trash and weeds
making it look much
cleaner. Their presence
added to the activity in the
area since the Long Island
Railroad was working on
the trestles. See our story
about the railroad work.
Thank you!

48th Avenue at 70th Street - liveries returned within a couple of

weeks of the 108th Precinct's "Great Taxi Tow"

69th Place between Garfield and 51st Avenues bakery business storing trucks

Numerous vehicles parked without plates,

especially along 70th Street between 48th
and 51st Avenues

48th Avenue at 70th Street - sign

covered with pigeon droppings. Council
Member Elizabeth Crowley's office has
reported this to NYC DOT

School buses being stored on 51st

Avenue shortly after 104th Precinct did
enforcement by PS 229

We were pleased to see a

"boot" on an ambulette.

Photos by Tom Porembski

COMET

Winter 2014 Pg. 5

Good News from Councilman Danny Dromm

We were pleased to hear that the city will be cracking down on illegal clothing bins that have sprung up
throughout the City under a bill passed by the City Council. The legislation allows NYC Department of Sanitation
to remove the bins immediately and fine the owner $250 or up to $500 for repeat
offenders. The number of bins reported skyrocketed from 97 in 2012 to 2,093
by the end of the fiscal year in June. Councilman Dromm is a strong supporter
of this legislation.
Comet member Richie Polgar reported one of these clothing bins that was
dumped near Elmhurst Park during the summer. It laid there for a couple of
months and became a magnet for even more dumping. We want to thank
Michael Mallon from Councilman Dromms office for pushing the agency to get
rid of this eyesore.

Clothing bin on Grand Avenue

near Elmhurst Park

Photo by Richie Polgar

LIRR Update Winfield/Woodside

Photos by Tom Porembski

Thanks to the efforts of Assemblyman Michael DenDekker, work is at full

throttle under the trestles of the Long Island Rail Road at 70th Street and
48th Avenue in Winfield/Woodside. While we were taking photos of the
liveries being towed by the 108th Precinct, Comet member Tom Porembski
spoke to one of the workers who told him the project will take approximately
one year.
The concrete from the base of the pillars is being removed, the crumbling
walls are being reinforced and any other structural issues will be addressed.
Both Assemblyman DenDekker and Council Member Crowley are trying to
get the trestles power washed on a regular basis to remove the huge amount
of pigeon droppings that constantly accumulates under the structure on
the sidewalk. Parked vehicles can be seen covered with droppings. We are
hopeful that either Assemblyman DenDekker or Council Member Crowley
will be able to obtain funding to install some deterrent to keep the pigeons
from cooping there.

Important Reminder: Snow & Ice Removal

Every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant, or other person having charge of any lot or building must
clean snow and/or ice from the sidewalk within 4 hours after the snow has stopped falling, or by
11:00 am if the snow has stopped falling after 9:00 pm the previous evening. Snow may not be
thrown into the street. If the snow or ice becomes frozen so hard that it cannot be removed, the
sidewalk may be strewn with ashes, sand, sawdust or a similar suitable material. The sidewalk must
be thoroughly cleaned as soon as the weather permits. Complaints can be called into 311. Fines
range from $100-$150 for the first offense.

Pg. 6 Winter 2014 COMET

Pan Am Homeless Shelter Update

On November 13th, Elmhurst, Maspeth and

Woodside residents attended a Public Hearing in the
matter of a proposed contract between the Department
of Homeless Services
and Samaritan Village to
operate a Stand Alone
Transitional Residence for
homeless families at the
former Pan Am Hotel. The
total contract amount is
$42,470,904. The contract
term would run from 12/6/14 to 6/30/19 with a fouryear renewal option from July 2019 to June 2023.

from the piles of trash outside the building. They also

stated that portions of the contract were not available
for public viewing prior to the hearing.
As this newsletter goes to press, we have not
received any updates with regard to this proposed
contract. A group of residents formed a coalition called
Elmhurst United. They will monitor this issue closely.
We commend them on the hard work they have been
doing on this important issue.
Photos by Geraldine Walsh

Some residents held up signs while others spoke

and voiced their concerns about the warehousing
of homeless families in one room with no cooking
facilities, more overcrowding of the already overcapacity schools in District 24, lack of transparency
and no advance notice to the community that a
shelter was slated for their community. The fact that
no criminal background checks are done to insure
no pedophiles or violent criminals are living there
was stressed as well as the rodent problem resulting

C.O.M.E.T. is Moving Our Meeting Place

Beginning February 2015, Comet will be holding meetings at St. Adalbert, 52-40 84th Street.
Enter through the side entrance closer to Grand Avenue. Parking is available.
The reason we are moving is because Pastor and Mrs. Kim advised us that the NY Bethzatha Church of God property
has been sold and they will be leaving at the end of December. They have been part of the Elmhurst Community for 20
years. They will be missed.

Monday, February 2nd

Monday, March 2nd
Monday, April 13th

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 graffiti removal.
COMET

Winter 2014 Pg. 7

C.O.M.E.T., INC

PRSRT STD
U.S.Postage
Paid
Flushing NY
Permit #1264

P.O.Box 780151
Maspeth, NY 11378

Please Deliver To:

Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together

We need
your support
to continue
our efforts in
the community.

COMET
Newsletter Fall 2014

Support your community!

COMET Dues for 2015 $10.00
Checks or money orders please

NAME
ADDRESS
EMAIL (optional)
Existing Member
To find out more about
C.O.M.E.T.
check out our website at
www.cometcivic.com

New Member
Mail to: COMET
P.O. Box 780151
Maspeth, NY 11378
Printed by www.MaspethPress.com