Willets Point United Inc.

P.O. Box 560191 College Point, New York 11356 Web site: willetspoint.org Email: unitedtriangle@gmail.com Testimony of Willets Point United Inc. Public hearing on the Mayor's Fiscal Year 2014 Preliminary Expense and Capital Budgets February 20, 2013

Dear Borough President Marshall: As you know, the roadways throughout the neighborhood of Willets Point are in absolutely horrendous condition due to perpetual neglect by the New York City administration and the New York City Department of Transportation ("NYCDOT"). Such severely deteriorated conditions hinder efficient public access to functioning businesses, thus discouraging beneficial economic transactions; and they expose the City to financial liability for accidents, injuries, and the effects of any untimely arrival of emergency responders at sites throughout Willets Point due to the lack of proper roadways. Please take a look at the attached photographs. There is no reasonable debate, that such severely deteriorated conditions must be addressed, and that necessary funds must be allocated to do so. This is not a difficult spending choice. It is quite obvious that there is a dire need for substantial funding to repair roadways throughout Willets Point. The membership of Willets Point United Inc. requests that you designate such funding as a highest priority. We emphasize that "development plans" provide no excuse to avoid repairing Willets Point roadways, because (a.) the overwhelming majority of Willets Point property is not within "Phase One" and not to be developed any time soon, and no one should be expected to tolerate increasingly dilapidated streets; and (b.) even the planned partial "Phase One" development presently lacks key approvals and cannot proceed now. Moreover, existing property and business owners have remitted and continue to remit tax payments, and deserve to receive services in return. NYCDOT claims that to repair Willets Point streets requires a capital reconstruction project that will cost more than $15 million. In our opinion, the horrendous conditions of Willets Point streets qualify for immediate emergency handling, and would receive such handling if they were located anywhere other than Willets Point. In any case, whatever funds are needed must be made available now. We note that highly-respected contractors based in Willets Point can probably make the streets passable, without invoicing $15 million. One such contractor, St. John Enterprises, has written a letter (attached) expressing interest in working with NYCDOT to provide some relief at Willets Point. We think that you, Madame Borough President, should encourage NYCDOT to pursue such a solution. WPU is appalled that Queens Community Board 7 ("CB7") has not included any funding request for the repair of Willets Point roadways within its formal Budget Priorities and Requests for Page 1 of 2

2014 despite CB7 having been clearly informed multiple times of the very obvious and dire need for roadway repairs via oral and written presentations by WPU during every CB7 meeting held between May, 2012 and February, 2013, inclusive. Instead, CB7 chose to prioritize such items as a "Horticultural Design Study" for some historic sites in downtown Flushing. With all due respect to horticultural designers, there should have been a place for desperately needed Willets Point improvements within CB7's 2014 budget priorities. WPU is also appalled by your complete lack of response at any time to our letter to you dated May 19, 2012, in which we requested your help to correct the atrocious roadway conditions at Willets Point. Duplicates of some of the materials that we have previously provided to CB7, to the Queens Borough Board, and to you concerning the need for roadway repairs throughout Willets Point are attached to this testimony and incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. The present budgeting process is an opportunity for you to prioritize the urgently needed roadway repairs at Willets Point, instead of continuing to neglect this area and all of your constituents who work, own businesses, and are customers here. Sincerely, Willets Point United Inc. Submitted by Joseph Ardizzone

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