Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together

COMET Newsletter Summer 2017

O nce again, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is cutting all the trees and vegetation on their property
with no regard for local residents who rely on the trees to help buffer the noise from the trains.
Some residents have alleged the LIRR is also cutting trees on city property as well as erected a fence
several years ago that encroached on city property. This photo was taken on 85th Street between
55th and 57th Avenues by a local resident.

C ouncil Member Dromms office said that although the LIRR has a right to cut down trees on
their property, they want residents to let them know this is occurring so they can reach out to
the railroad. His office said that if LIRR or anyone is cutting trees down on city property to call 911
immediately.
 Woodside/Winfield LIRR Elmhursts Crowley
Overpass Update Park Renovation
On Friday, March 10th, we The contractor for the
met with Assemblyman Department of Parks and
Michael DenDekker and Recreation began the
his staff member Andres renovation of Crowley
Vargas to look at the work Playground on March
that was done on the LIRR 2nd with a completion
overpass at 70th Street date slated for December.
and 48th Avenue near The project includes new
St. Marys. We had some play equipment, safety
concerns about the work done on the walls and pillars, but surfaces, asphalt, lighting, tables, benches, hydrants, a new
Assemblyman DenDekker said he believes the work done to water fountain and new horticulture. This nearly one million
reinforce the retaining walls and the metal pillars is fine. dollar project was made possible by funding from Council
Member Daniel Dromm.
While we were there we pointed out the water runoff from
the tracks that pours down the wall into the street and said
Little has been done to improve this playground for years so it
we believed much of it was a result of all the vegetation being
removed. The Assemblyman stated that the vegetation was was great to see Council Member Dromm included this in his
removed to control the rat population but said he would have priorities.
someone look into possibly installing some kind of drainage
system to keep the sidewalk and street from flooding during
heavy rain. The photo shows the water runoff and mud on the Maspeths Derelict Bicycles
sidewalk even though it hadnt rained in a couple of days.
With bike riding becoming
On Thursday, May 4th, COMET President Roe Daraio and more popular, its not
COMET member Tom Porembski met on site again with surprising that derelict
Assemblyman DenDekker (pointing out problems), Andres bicycles will pop up every
Vargas, LIRR Senior Director of External Affairs Hector Garcia, now and again. This was the
and the supervisor of the crew that did the work on the walls case on 69th Place at Grand
and pillars. The Assemblyman asked if some kind of drainage Avenue. Block Captain
system to redirect the water from flowing down the walls and Richie Polar called 311 and
onto the sidewalk could be installed. Mr. Garcia said they would reported two bikes chained to a pole in March 2016. A year
look into it and try to come up with a solution. While we were later the bikes were still there even after he called them in a
there we showed them where LIRR fencing had been knocked second time in March 2017.
down allowing easy access to the tracks. We were assured the
fencing would be replaced. We referred the problem to Council Member Crowleys office
and they were told by the Department of Sanitation that these
bikes, as bad as they look, did not meet the criteria for derelict
at the time of inspection. In January, the criteria was a little
more stringent than it is now. Prior to the change in regulations
the bikes had to meet three of the criteria below and now it is
only two.

The bike appears to be crushed or not usable.

Unfortunately, pigeons are still hanging out under the overpass
in spite of the grating that was installed overhead. They are
now using the pillars and we couldnt think of anything that
could be done to deter them. The construction supervisor
told us they power washed the pillars to remove the pigeon
dropping several times.
We will continue to follow this issue and hopefully Assemblyman
DenDekker will have some good news about the fencing and
water runoff by our next newsletter.
The bike is missing essential parts such as handlebars, pedals,
and rear wheel or bicycle chain.
The handlebars, pedals, spokes, frames or rims are damaged
or bent.
50% or more the bike is rusted, which includes parts like the
frame, handlebars, pedals and bike chain.
The good news is that the bikes have finally been removed. The
surprising news is that when Richie asked a local business how
long the bikes were there, he was told they were actually there
for two years, not one! Kudos to Richie for staying on the case!

Pg. 2 Summer 2017 COMET

 Traffic Studies
We want to thank Assemblyman Brian Barnwell for setting up a
meeting with DOT Queens Deputy Commissioner Jason Banrey
to discuss intersections in our area or streets that are causing
traffic concerns. Council Member Crowley also attended as did
Maspeth Federal representative Senior Vice President David
Daraio who discussed traffic concerns near the bank. We did
an on-site visit with the Deputy Commissioner at two locations:
69th Street at Grand Avenue and 74th Street at Grand Avenue.
Not long after the February 28th tour, Deputy Commissioner
Banrey advised us that, after several discussions with the
agencys units and preliminary reviews of the intersections of
concern, they have opened studies for the requests below.
It is important to know that when a study is requested it can
take at least six months and these projects can be tracked by
the project numbers. Hopefully well hear some good news
after the studies are completed.
DOT-329945-T2G8 Dedicated turn lane or signal requested
on 74th Street at Grand Avenue
DOT-329948-X2Q7 69th Street. and 52nd Drive traffic
Signal requested
DOT-329949-Z7H6 54th Avenue and 69th Street.
dedicated left turn lane or left turn signal requested
DOT-329951-F6C9 - 80th Street from LIE Service Road to Eliot
Avenue resurfacing requested
DOT-329955-M4F7 69th Street. and Grand Ave. dedicated
left turn signal requested on 69th Street onto Grand Ave
eastbound and Grand Ave onto 69th Street northbound
DOT-329957-F2K4 69th St. and 53rd Ave. Stop Here on
Red sign requested
DOT-329959-J1M4 65th Place at Hamilton Place.
dedicated lane markings requested
DOT-329962-Z7P0 Hamilton Place at Borden Avenue
dedicated lane markings requested
DOT-329963-F6W2 Hamilton Pl. at Queens Midtown
Expwy. Dedicated lane markings requested
DOT-329965-W4Y8 69th Street. from Queens Blvd to Grand
Avenue faded signs
DOT-329967-S4Z1 55th Avenue and Haspel Street
refurbish street markings at the intersection

Possible Solution to
Address LIE Traffic Noise
Many folks will be pleased to get this good news from
Assemblyman Barnwell and we all look forward to seeing the
work done.

After months of back and forth with the State Department of

Transportation (NYS DOT), they finally agreed to conduct work Principe/Maurice Park
to alleviate the noise problems along the LIE from Maurice
Avenue and 108th Street. The following are the proposed Footbridge
treatments that will help lessen the ambient noise
We want to thank COMET member Paul Hogan for letting us
The pressure relief joints will be repaired on the collector know the fencing on the pedestrian overpass at Principe/
distributor road at the Queens Boulevard and Woodhaven Maurice Park had fallen down. We immediately reported it to
Boulevard Interchange. The pavement expansion has NYC DOT and it was repaired. Queens Deputy Commissioner
caused the joints to bump out therefore generating noise as Banrey stated that the fencing needs to be permanently
cars/trucks are driven over them. repaired by NYS DOT. Lets hope NYS DOT is quick to respond
Minor pavement repairs will also be made along this stretch because Paul alerted us to the fact that the fence had fallen
of road. down again. The second incident was also reported.
Diamond grinding this area will also minimize the noise
output at these locations by removing potential surface
irregularities in the pavement.

COMET Summer 2017 Pg. 3

 LinkNYC Kiosks
Some of you may have seen kiosks cropping up
in the area, particularly on Queen Boulevard in
Woodside and Elmhurst. We havent spotted
any in Maspeth yet, but thats not to say we
wont get any. Regardless of whether or not
you like them, about 7,500 are being installed
all over the city to replace pay phones. The
kiosks are paid for by advertising.

We are listing some key features that we took

from LinkNYC.

Use your personal device to connect to LinkNYCs

On April 4th a bus leaking
super-fast, free Wi-Fi
oil was parked by the
Access city services, maps and directions from the tablet school. Thank goodness
Make free phone calls to anywhere in the U.S. using a resident called 311,
the Vonage app on the tablet or the tactile keypad and the Fire Department
microphone. Plug in your personal headphones for more responded and put down
privacy. a substance to soak up the
oil. A fire could easily have
Use the dedicated red 911 button in the event of an started if someone threw
emergency down a lit cigarette.
Charge your device in a power-only USB port
The 104th Precinct wrote summonses and conducted two
Enjoy more room on the sidewalk with Links sleek, ADA-
towing operations. The bus parking stopped for a while,
compliant design by Antenna
but unfortunately were being told theyre back. Captain
View public service announcements and more relevant Mastronardi, 104th Precinct, said hell continue working on
advertising on two 55 HD displays the problem.
For visually impaired users, access a complete description of
Link's layout. Under NYC DOT regulations, only school buses chartered or
owned by the school can park the buses there for an extended
period of time. None of these buses met those requirements.

Woodside Residents Get

Additional Parking
Residents in the vicinity of 51st Road, 67th Street and Maurice
Avenue now have additional on-street parking thanks to
Captain John Mastronardi, our new Precinct Commander at
the 104th Precinct.
Illegal school bus parking around PS 229 has been a problem
for years even though in the past summonses were issued
and buses were towed. The illegal bus parking would stop for
a short time and continue again. Residents allege the buses
are being parked around the school by a local repair shop that
doesnt have room on the property to store them.
Pg. 4 Summer 2017 COMET
NYC Sanitation Bulky Item
Disposal and Recycling
Put oversized (larger than 4 feet x 3 feet), non-recyclable
items like sofas and wooden furniture out after 7:00 pm the
night before your LAST garbage collection day of the week.
DSNY will collect these items by Saturday.
Put metal and rigid plastic items out after 4:00 pm the night
before your recycling day. This includes bed frames, patio
furniture, buckets, baskets and file cabinets.
Call 311 or visit nyc.gov/dsny for guidelines on special
handling which includes refrigerators, electronics, air
conditioners, mattresses, construction material, items
infested with bedbugs, and wood debris in Brooklyn and
Queens.
You can file missed collection complaints for any large
items that have not been collected starting Sunday
at 8:00 am.
 Great Job informing us about dirty water.
The Woodside resident,
by 110th COMET Vice President Dick
Gundlach, said he usually
Precinct!! changes his water filter every
couple of months. However,
Great job by 110th Precinct after two weeks he found
officers who conducted a car the filter caked with what appears to be mud. The Maspeth
stop on April 14th at 57th resident stated for two days she found residue in her water.
Avenue at 85th Street. They Since Calamus Avenue intersects with 72nd Street where the
confiscated about two pounds sewer reconstruction project is ongoing, we immediately sent
of marijuana. out a blast to residents advising those who live in the vicinity
of Calamus Avenue to check their water. We then reached out
to Council Member Crowley.
This doesnt come as a
surprise for some area According to Crowleys Deputy Chief of Staff Kate Mooney,
residents who state this there was a phone conversation between the projects
is a well-known location resident engineer and a representative of the Department
for people to use drugs. of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP representative
One local resident, who stated they will survey all the fire hydrants as well as the new
likes to keep 85th Street water main valves on Calamus Avenue. Water samples will be
clean, picked up all this tested by the agency.
drug paraphernalia
when cleaning trash On May 5th, Council Member Crowley sent a letter to DEP
from along the strip. Commissioner Vincent Sapienza expressing concern about the
Drug paraphernalia picked up
by a local resident water quality in the area of the Calamus Avenue sewer project.
We have asked the 110th Precinct to monitor the location. She mentioned the sediment in the drinking water as well as
stating that she noticed non-standard rubber water lines being
used in the trenches.

At this point we dont know if the dirty water on 72nd Street is

Some Good News in any way connected to the Calamus Avenue sewer project. It
could possibly be a result of utility work or the installation of
in Woodside bioswales in the area. Well have to wait to hear the response.

Weve heard that someone purchased

one of our abandoned zombie
houses on 47th Avenue in Woodside Woodsides Calamus
and is in the process of cleaning it out.
A neighbor told us the house was full Avenue Sewer Project
of debris including nearly 100 bicycles!
The Calamus Avenue
The new owner told a neighbor he sewer project not only
plans to restore the house. Thats great continues to adversely
news. Its much better to see a house impact the quality of life
restored rather than being torn down and replaced with an for residents, but also
oversized brick monstrosity. raises serious concerns
about property damage,
loss of cable service, gas
odors and dirty water. A
Calamus Avenue resident
Water Concerns on reached out to us and
said the vibrations are
72nd Street causing cracks in walls
and the excavating is
In early May we heard from two residents causing the ground to shift. Concrete inside the property is
who live on 72nd Street. One lives on 72nd cracking and bricks are separating. Homeowners are concerned
Street between 51st and Calamus Avenues in how this work is affecting the stability of their homes. When
Woodside and the other lives on 72nd Street cable wires were knocked down and the companies had a
in Maspeth close to Grand Avenue both problem restoring the service because the street was closed.

COMET Summer 2017 Pg. 5

 On-street parking as well as driveway access is curtailed during
certain times during the construction. The dust and noise is
Northern Maspeth
just another day in the life of these Woodside folks.
Residents Request
Some of the photos sent to us will give you an idea about why
folks in the area are so concerned. In the meantime, were
One-way Street Study
trying to help the residents day by day as the problems arise.

Sewer Project Coming to

70th Street in Maspeth!
After all the problems with the Calamus Avenue sewer project,
you can imagine our dismay to hear that when that project
is completed another combined sewer will be installed on
70th Street between Calamus and 54th Avenues. 70th Street
residents had no idea what was going on a couple of months
ago when large equipment was parked on the street and
workers were taking borings as deep as 90 feet down.

This project, which is still being designed, will also include

Calamus Avenue between 69th and 70th Streets. That portion
of the Calamus project had to be stopped because of vibration
problems affecting a local business that manufactures sensitive
equipment for airplanes.

The Department of Design & Construction (DDC) will also be

overseeing this project which is slated to begin, as per the
renderings, in Fiscal Year 2019. We asked Council Member
Crowleys office to confirm this since Fiscal Year 2019 actually
begins July 1, 2018. This would make sense since the Calamus
Avenue project is expected to be completed in December 2017.

Whenever this project starts it will cause a lot of issues for

residents and cause even more congestion at IS 73. Hopefully
by the time the Calamus Avenue project is completed well
be experts in forecasting problems arising from sewer
reconstruction projects and take measures to minimize the
impact to residents on 70th Street.

Quite a few residents have asked if we would request the

Queens Boulevard
Traffic Study
COMET Treasurer Geraldine Walsh spotted
these cameras on Queens Boulevard
between Broadway and Woodhaven
Boulevard. We reached out to Council
Member Dromms office to find out what
they were.
Department of Transportation to look into the feasibility of
implementing a one-way street pattern in Maspeth between
71st and 74th Streets. Folks claim cars are being side-swiped,
mirrors broken off their vehicles and accidents. They state that
school buses cutting through the streets are having a difficult
time navigating around vehicles heading in the opposite
direction. A resident on 72nd Street sent us the photo of an
accident that occurred near Maspeth Town Hall on March
17th. Unfortunately, the accident occurred at night and its
hard to see the damage.

His office was told that these cameras are
utilized for traffic studies. They are advanced in that they
recognize the difference between a truck and automobile
trips so they can break down the vehicle utilization of a street
without too much analysis.
Council Member Crowley wrote a letter to the agency asking
that the study be expedited. The agency stated that it has go
through Community Board 5 before a study could be done.

Pg. 6 Summer 2017 COMET

 Kudos to the United
Veterans and Fraternal
Organizations for
organizing an outstanding
Memorial Day Parade!
COMET marchers: Geraldine Walsh, Paul Hogan, Roe Daraio,
Teresa Marrero, Richie Polgar, Joanne Ferguson, Mike
Fordunski, Chammy Liu and James Li

Report Plane Noise

http://www.planenoise.com/panynj/daPRAbr9/qs114wbt.php

Counter Terrorism Hotline

If you see something, say something! 1-888-692-7233 or 1-888-NY-SAFE
If you see something, send something! Go to the APP store, type in see send
You can attach photos or send information.

Upcoming Neighborhood Events

Maspeth Federal Savings is hopeful you can attend these upcoming events.
If you have any questions, stop in at the bank or give them a call.
June 24th - 4:00 pm - American Cancer Society Relay for Life at Juniper Valley Park
July 12th - 7:30 pm - Maspeth Federal Savings main branch concert Real Diamond, a Neil Diamond Tribute
July 19th - 7:30 pm - Maspeth Federal Savings Forest Hills Concert Captain Jack, a Billy Joel Tribute
August 1st, 5:30pm - 8:30pm - National Night Out Against Crime - Juniper Valley Park
August 2nd - 7:30 pm - Maspeth Federal Savings main branch concert Sal Valentinetti
August 9th - 8:00 pm - Maspeth Federal Savings main branch movie night Minions
August 13th - 1:00 pm - Maspeth Federal Savings main branch - Car Show (Rain Date August 20th) East Coast Car Association
August 16th - 8:00 pm - Maspeth Federal main branch movie night Sing!
August 23rd - 7:30 pm - Maspeth Federal main branch - Bee Gees Tribute
August 24th - 8:00 pm - Maspeth Federal Savings in Forest Hills movie night Rogue One - A Star Wars Story
August 30th - 8:00 pm - Maspeth Federal Savings main branch movie night Beauty & the Beast

Newsletter Committee
Mike Fordunski, Tom Porembski, Richie Polgar, Christina Wilkinson, Geraldine Walsh, Howard Moskowitz, Teresa Marrero, Lucille
Winsko, Dick Gundlach, Roe Daraio, Maspeth Press

Upcoming C.O.M.E.T. Meetings

Please check our website in August for our next scheduled meeting.

Special Thank You

This newsletter is made possible by funding from Council Members Elizabeth Crowley, Daniel Dromm and Jimmy Van Bramer
through the Department of Youth and Community Development

COMET Summer 2017 Pg. 7

C.O.M.E.T., INC PRSRT STD
P.O.Box 780151 U.S.Postage
Maspeth, NY 11378 Paid
Flushing NY
Permit #1264

Please Deliver To: