The MTA is getting set to eliminate the Queens bound W train, drawing howls of protest from Astoria residents (Pic Courtesy: The Daily News)

The “W” line that runs from Astoria, Queens, to Manhattan’s South Ferry is the quintessential middle child. It has trouble attracting attention and competes with its three other siblings, the N, Q, and R lines.

The elimination of the “W” line drew howls of protest from local commuters who take the train to and from Astoria, but what about commuters downtown – who take the train from Manhattan to South Ferry?

Kiwi Grady, who commutes from New York University to Whitehall each day, says she could easily take other trains if the “W” doesn’t show up. “As long as the “R” runs I will take that. I can also take the 4 or 5 which are faster but more crowded.”

Grady believes the elimination of the “W” would hit commuters to Queens the hardest. “Down here in Manhattan, you have a lot of options. But for those in the outer boroughs, they’ll be hit hardest”. Fred Willis, who hopped on the “W” at 42^nd Street, agreed. “I don’t think, it makes a big difference downtown,” he said, adding, “it is just a convenient connector.”

The axing of the “W” line is just one of the several service reductions outlined in the MTA’s 2010 budget. The “Z” train and 24 bus routes are also to be canceled, and free student MetroCards will no longer be offered. The cuts are meant to close a $383 million budget gap.

But for commuters on the downtown “W” line, crowds are not a worry. “It is crowded only in rush hour,” said Davawn Cassidy, a package delivery man from Brooklyn who rides the train more than ten times each week. “The R train runs on the same line, and the N is an express – so no worries,” Cassidy smiles and draws his big bag of packages around him in a car that has only two other people in it.

So, will commuters downtown miss the “W” when it is finally guillotined?

“I missed it now,” puffed Maria Bido, as she watched the train pull away from the platform.

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Commuters in LIC/Astoria protest “W” train cuts.

Why the “W” should stay

Traffic problems, noise and trash dropped by party goers annoy Norwood Gardens', Astoria, residents ( Pic courtesy: Donnelly Marks)

For the last couple of months, Norwood Gardens, Astoria resident Helen Carter has been waking up on weekends to find broken liquor bottles in her backyard. Donnelly Marks, another Norwood resident filled an entire bag with trash found on her block even as she walked her dog one Saturday morning.

The long time Astoria residents have been noting with increasing dismay the deteriorating quality of life in the quiet Astoria neighborhood of Norwood Gardens- thanks to a huge influx of bars and drunken visitors on 30th Avenue between 36th and 37th Street.

“People treat the street as their own private trash cans,” said Marks, referring to the bar-goers on 30th Avenue. “They empty their ashtrays on the street, dump trash, and broken bottles. People who come here don’t have any investment in the community,” she said

Over the last two years, Astoria’ 30th Avenue has seen a huge spike in the number of outdoor cafes, bars and restaurants. While the neighbors have welcomed the commercial activity in the area, they are annoyed by increasing noise levels in the area and the inconsiderate party-goers.

“They are waking working families at 3 and 4 a.m. with their street brawls,” said Marks, who lives off the busy commercial avenue. “They rev their engines, speed day and night and are destroying our private property, she said, adding a resident’s dog had been run over by a speeding SUV.

During the first six months of the year, noise in Community Board 1, which includes Astoria and parts of Long Island City, sparked more than 3,400 complaints to the city’s 311 line.

Precinct #114 that patrols Long Island City, Astoria, Jackson Heights and Woodside went as far as assigning a task force to monitor holiday revelers over Thanksgiving at 30th Avenue and Steinway.

While two bars were issued summonses over the Holiday, residents are skeptical of the task force’s efficacy in the long run. “The task force is not a band aid that can fix this problem in one weekend,” said Marks.

“It is a complex set of issues,” she said. “We don’t want to be adversarial,” said Marks referring to the business establishments in the area. “But if you are a business owner, you have to be responsible about your patrons,” she said.

“It is a double edged sword,” said Astoria resident Benjamin Duffey, echoing Mark’s sentiment.

“We’re trying to keep Astoria family friendly and business friendly,” he said, emphasizing the residents in the area were not anti-commerce.

Meanwhile, Frank Arcabascio of the 30^th Avenue Area Merchants Association says noise and activity go hand in hand. “I feel for the residents, I really do,” said Arcabascio, who runs a hairdressing salon on 30^th Avenue, “But when you have a busy street, you get trash,” he said. “You have to make an effort to address the issue, sure, but when you have a vibrant street, this is what you get,” he said.

“Sometimes, customers do get noisy,” admitted Athen’s Café manager Jimmy Naula, “they start smoking inside, and then I have to send them outside,” he said, adding once they are out of the restaurant, it is up to the customers to behave themselves. The café is one of the many locations that serve liquor on 30^th Avenue.  Jimmy’s views are echoed by Mike Degnan, who works as a bartender in the area. “When you are a bartender, you can only control the bar,” he said, adding “You can’t control what goes on outside.”

Residents also worry about the number of new liquor licenses being handed out to business establishments on 30th Avenue. “There has been a dramatic increase in the number of establishments that serve liquor,” acknowledged Edwin Negron of the NYPD Community Affairs Unit that handles Precinct 114. There are over 24 establishments in a four block radius that serve alcohol on premises. “There has been increased enforcement on our part,” he said, adding merchants were already approaching the police with requests for permits to operate all night on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

“The challenge is to balance this [commercial activity] with the right of homeowners to peace and quiet,” said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria). “I plan to work with the homeowners and merchants to carve out a balanced solution,” he said.

Precinct 114 has also promised increased vigilance. “We will be patrolling [the streets] more often,” said Officer Negron. “There will be zero tolerance for outdoor consumption and public urination,” he said.

But more than the noisy bars, the lack of parking spaces and the party goers, residents say they are just asking for a little consideration from the revelers even as they mourn the loss of their neighborhood’s character.

“When I came here,” recalls Maloney, “it was called Doctor’s Row, because everybody worked in hospitals and what is now Mt.Sinai, Queens. No matter what the time, people walked around. It was extremely safe then,” she said, adding wistfully “It was such a pretty block.”

Read more here.

This piece originally appeared in Queens Chronicle

Residents rally for safer streets on Astoria's 21st Avenue; a lack of stop signs and traffic lights from 21st St to 28th St make crossing the roads impossible

Astoria residents are hopeful that 2010 rings in not just new tidings but also better traffic safety regulations on 21st Avenue. A seven block stretch on this Avenue, from 21st Street to 28th Street has been the object of much concern over the last two years as rising accidents have made residents nervous for their safety.

A lack of stop signs, speed bumps, or street lights in the area cause traffic to fly by – leaving residents to cross their fingers as they cross the road. They are now hopeful that a recent plea made by Community Board 1 to the Department of Transportation will see a change in status quo.

In 2008, there were 18 accidents in that stretch. 2009 saw 18 car accidents and four deaths – including the fatal accident of 65 year old Konstantinos Stayropoulos. He was killed in November, crossing the street at the intersection of 21st Av and 23rd Street.

Long time Astoria resident, Robert Giunta was a witness. He recalls seeing the elderly Stayropoulos cross the street, only to be hit by an SUV. Mr. Giunta said the detective handling the case told him the driver was not arrested, as Mr. Stayropoulos was “crossing the street at the wrong place.” “What is an elderly person supposed to do,” asked Mr. Giunta, referring to a lack of crosswalks in the seven block stretch. “Is he supposed to go up three blocks or walk down three blocks, just to get across,” he said.

Residents point out that it is not just concern for elderly folks but also children in the area that is pushing them to ask for better traffic calming measures. There are two schools in the area – PS 122 and St. John’s Prep – plus Kid Krazy day care center. “As a mother, you get anxious,” said Kimberly Lancial, an active proponent for better safety measures on 21st Avenue who also has a seven year old son. “There are schools, the day care center and also a lot of Apartments on 21st Avenue.”  She pointed out that in summer, youngsters speed their motorcycles down the Avenue as it presents a clear street for their “crotch rockets.” “Luckily, they haven’t had any fatalities, but this clear stretch is really dangerous,” she said, adding that drivers also use 21st Avenue as a bypass to avoid the traffic of Ditmars Boulevard, effectively rendering it the speed lane of Astoria.

In December, concerned residents and community leaders held a rally for a safer 21st Avenue. Democratic District Leader Costa Constantinides, who helped organize that rally pointed out that the community had warned the Department of Transportation of the unsafe stretch. “Instead of being proactive, the Department of Transportation just waited for something bad to happen,” said Constatinides, referring to the fatalities on the stretch. “Hopefully this time, they realize that there needs to be some traffic calming measures on this stretch.”

Robert Piazza, who is on CB1′s transportation committee said that a petition signed by 400 residents was submitted to the CB and the Department of Transportation. “When we look at the area, you will see there is no place an older person can take his time to cross the road, or someone in a wheelchair, or a lady with a baby,” he said.

While the Department of Transportation considers the CB’s request, Constantinides hopes action will be swift. “It will be a victory for us, if the DoT puts in lights and signs,” he said, adding “I don’t want to look at the next victim’s family and tell them we have failed.”

This piece originally appeared in Queens Chronicle

Day laborers gather at Hart Part, Queens for a hot breakfast given by a local soup kitchen. Residents are angry at the increasing crowds milling outside the park (Photo: Smriti Rao)

On any given day, you would find day worker Jose Manuel at Hart Park, 69th at 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights. The painter from Mexico comes to the park each morning hoping to be picked up for work. On Tuesdays, a mobile soup kitchen run by St. John’s Bread and Life provides him and his friends with a hot breakfast of pasta and beans that makes the wait, which has gotten longer, a little more bearable.

“I have been coming here for a long time now,” said Manuel, eating his breakfast. “Earlier they weren’t this many people,” he said referring to about 60 day laborers still waiting for work at 10.30 in the morning. “But now there are no jobs,” he continues, adding “maybe in January it will get a little better.”

As Manuel and his friends mill outside Hart Park waiting for work; across the street, Stathis Amides, the superintendent of the building across the Park is seething. He stands with a small camera in his hand to record any digressions the workers make.

“I have been seeing this for a year now,” says Amidis, referring to the mobile soup kitchen. “They feed the people, then the workers take their platters to Roosevelt Avenue, and litter all along the block,” he said, adding he was normally up at about 6 am each day to clean up after the workers. “This is a very big problem for me,” he fumed.

Amidis is not alone in his anger towards the workers. A group of irritated residents went as far as posting on a neighborhood blog, their complaints against the soup kitchen and the workers.

Amidst calls for the soup kitchen to move elsewhere in Woodside, the angry residents, who were unnamed on the blog wrote: “Their [the soup kitchen] intrusion into our neighborhood is unwanted and unneeded. None of the residents ever take food from them.” Saying the soup kitchen feeding immigrants was a “creepy intrusion,” the residents worried about their children being exposed to the workers, complained about the bathrooms in the park getting dirty and said the soup kitchen and the day laborers both contributed in reducing the quality of life in the neighborhood.

St.John’s Bread and Life says it is bewildered by the open hostility. “We have been doing this [running the soup kitchen], at the same site, for the last two years now,” said Anthony Butler, Executive Director of the program that feeds roughly 300 laborers at Hart Park each Tuesday and about 3000 others city wide. “But the complaints started just two months ago. It’s kind of xenophobic, really,” he said, adding while undocumented labor was a big issue in the Country, people were being scrooges at this time of the year. “So, should we only feed people who are legal,” he asked adding there was a great deal of racism when it came to to the complaints. “We have seen a 20-30% increase in laborers because of the recession, and we have also seen an uptick in anti-immigrant sentiment. The undocumented [laborers] get blamed for everything,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amides, who has to deal with the workers on an everyday basis, said he wasn’t against the workers, only their attitudes. “Everyday, they bother the tenants,” he said, referring to the workers, “they tease the young girls, “Yo mamita, Yo mamita,” he mimicked.”I understand they are looking for jobs, but I can’t understand them bothering the little girls.”

Residents also complain that they feel unsafe for their children when the workers are milling about Hart Park.”We don’t mind them staying in Woodside, but not on the playground,” said another resident who wished to be unnamed. “They [the soup kitchen] are welcome to stay in Woodside,” she said, “Just move three or four blocks in either direction.”

A request that Sister Kathy Byrnes of St. John’s Bread and Life says, is untenable. “Some neighborhoods want immigrants to disappear,” she said, “We came here because the workers gather here, it’s not the other way around. We try to serve those most in need.” She said that since the soup kitchen clarified park rules,  workers have been notified not to enter Hart Park, as it is against the rules to enter the park without children. “Now, they don’t go into the park, but they can use the bathrooms,” she specified, much to the chagrin of the residents.

As the soup kitchen and the residents battle it out, workers like Jose and his friends admit to a few bad apples in their crowd. “Sometimes, some workers drink in the park in summer,” Jose said, “we tell them not to, but they still do it,” he added. He said the workers were warned by the local precinct to behave and added that it was a  shame that some workers didn’t play by the rules. “This is where we have to meet everyday,” he said, referring to the pick up point. “If they [residents] kick us out from here, where will we go?” he asked, as he finished his breakfast and started another long wait in the biting cold – hoping to be picked up for work.

This piece first appeared in Queens Chronicle

Community Board 2 last week gave its stamp of approval to the city for creating an 11-acre park at the southern tip of Long Island City but urged planners to rethink one detail — the use of artificial turf in the proposed park’s sporting field.

The park, slated to be part of the 30-acre Hunter’s Point South development, is to include a large oval-shaped green, which city planners envision as a place for active sports like soccer, football and baseball.

They say artificial turf would allow teams to use the area year round, but residents worry about the safety and cost of maintaining the synthetic grass.

All but two board members opposed the use of artificial turf, and many area residents who attended the C.B. 2 meeting also spoke out against it.

One resident questioned how the turf could be kept clean in an area overrun by seagulls. He said artificial turf, unlike grass, would not absorb bird droppings, and added that the cost of continuously washing the field could be problematic.

Another resident argued that high temperatures in the summer can leave artificial turf extremely hot, which can cause discomfort to those who use it.

Other concerns included worries that rainwater might not drain properly, leaving the turf area flooded, and that the material might not last long. The Parks Department says artificial turf should hold up for 50 years, but according to one resident, the manufacturers say it lasts only eight — a claim backed up by an independent organization called New Yorkers for Parks.

City officials responded that artificial turf has been used citywide with much success.
“Turfs date back to the fifties,” said Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski, adding that the city would not install anything deemed unsafe for residents.

Lewandowski also pointed out that in parks like Queensbridge River Park, natural grass used for the soccer field wore away quickly. “The area soon turned into a dust bowl due to constant use,” she said. “The residents then came to us and asked us to put turf in.”

Some environmentalists and health advocates claim children can be harmed by chemicals released when pieces of turf are broken off or crushed.

Lewandowski said turf isn’t dangerous, though. “I know there are concerns, but I want you to know turf is safe, otherwise we wouldn’t be putting it there,” she said.

Parks Chief of Design Charles McKinney also sang the praises of artificial turf. “Look at me as the cheeky waiter that says ‘Don’t order the fish,’” McKinney said. “I am saying, ‘Don’t order the grass.’”

He pointed out that 90 parks and sports fields in and around the city use the artificial surface, including Giants Stadium, and Rutgers, Columbia and Fordham universities.

“People who use the fields are happy, as they have it year-long,” said McKinney, in contrast to those using real grass, who sometimes have to shut down their sports fields in the fall. “With natural fields, it’s not grass, it’s just dirt.”

The park is to be created in conjunction with the Hunter’s Point South development, which will include 5,000 new apartments.

C.B. 2 had already approved the development as a whole; Thursday’s vote concerned just the park. Community boards are merely advisory committees, but the city is supposed to take their opinions into consideration in projects such as new parks.

In the first phase of the park’s construction, a dog run, multi-purpose courts, restrooms and a maintenance room are to be built.

The city bought the property from the state this past summer but has been generating ideas for the development since 2006, when Mayor Mike Bloomberg first expressed interest in purchasing the land and undertaking a large-scale middle-income housing project.

This piece first appeared in Queens Chronicle

Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., left, and residents of Norwood Gardens protest the construction of two new apartment buildings in Astoria. PHOTO BY SMRITI RAO

At first glance, the empty lot at 36-88 36th St. in Astoria looks like any other construction site in the city. But the mere presence of this parcel in a quiet, leafy stretch of Astoria makes the neighbors angry.

Days after the Norwood Neighborhood Association reached a compromise with the Department of City Planning about new, tougher zoning regulations, the community learned about two neighboring demolition and development proposals on 36th Street, including the lot at 36-88, which would result in eight- and 10-story buildings on a block mostly consisting of two-family homes.

On Saturday morning, angry neighbors and residents of Norwood Gardens, an area bounded by 35th, 36th and 37th Streets between 30th and 31st Avenues, gathered despite the rain to protest the construction and development of the two sites.

“These houses in blocks [are] what makes Astoria beautiful,” said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) referring to Astoria’s quiet streets and modest homes. The building of a highrise in a quiet neighborhood, despite being legal, goes against the wishes of the community, Vallone said.

The residents can’t stop the construction, but they wish to make their displeasure clear.
“We want [the developers] to be good neighbors,” Vallone said. “There is no excuse for them to come into this community and destroy its character. This property is violating the character of the entire neighborhood.”

The developers of the site could not be reached for comment.

The two new structures on 36th Street are to be 8-unit and 10-unit apartment buildings. Such dwellings comply with the zoning of the area, which allows tall structures, but a new plan the city is considering would restrict development to make it harmonize more closely with existing structures.

Some residents are unhappy the new rules aren’t already in place. “We want to send a message to the City Council that we want the new zoning laws to be passed as soon as possible,” said Donnelly Marks, a member of the Norwood Neighborhood Association, which represents families living in one- and two-story houses in Astoria.“The building may be legal, but it is wrong. With the new buildings, there will be 18 more families in the area. How can we accommodate more parking and other issues?”

Complaints about out-of-context projects are common in Astoria. “We are trying to halt the development of these tall structures,” said Astoria resident Benjamin Duffey.“As long as they retain the aesthetic of the neighborhood, it’s fine, but look at them,” he added, pointing to two tall older buildings at the end of the block, “they stick out like sore thumbs!”

“These buildings will destroy the character of the neighborhood; they go against our community,” added resident Patrick Comasky. “With highrises and single-bedroom homes, you are getting a community that is transient. We need family-type housing, that keeps families and kids here.”

Others said they fear the incoming families could be a burden on the area’s existing infrastructure. “They are building homes, offices,” said James Mazlun, who has lived in Astoria since 1926. “We have one regular school, one hospital. Where are all these people going to go? If they have empty areas, they should build schools and hospitals.”

With the new housing, Duffey predicted problems with parking and noise pollution. “Con Ed won’t be able to support the demand in this area,” he added. Mazlun also noted that Astoria has become an increasingly popular place to live over the past few years and said newcomers don’t realize how much and how quickly the area is changing.

Part of the residents’ anxiety also stems from the commercial development on 30th Avenue. With a slew of bars and clubs, neighbors complain of the increase in bar brawls and noise pollution. “There are more people drunk on the streets — more fights that start at four in the morning,” said resident Karin Afrides. “There is screaming, yelling, breaking glass. It is just a matter of time that someone pops a gun and shoots someone.”

The neighborhood blog, norwoodneighborhoodassociation.blogspot.com, provides details of weekend chaos. Residents talk of brawls at 3 a.m., fights in the streets, urination on private property, beer bottles, trash and drug packets on the sidewalk, recklessly speeding cars with souped-up engines screeching and revving their way down residential streets.

While the NYPD reports a reduction in crime in the 114th Precinct over the past few years — rapes went from 33 in 2001 to 22 in 2009, and robberies dropped from 288 to 256 — residents feel the numbers are high.

Afrides’ husband, John, worries not just about what he sees as a deteriorating quality of life on 36th Street, but also about a potential increase in property taxes which could accompany big new development.
“Houses here are worth $800,000 to $1,000,000, so with this development, our property taxes will go up,” he said. The Afrides are also concerned about old trees being destroyed during construction.

This piece first appeared in Queens Chronicle

The city recently acquired the building that formerly housed the Blessed Sacrament School and plans to open a new public school there in September 2010

For many students in Queens, overcrowded schools are a constant reality. Each day they jostle and push through crammed hallways, squeezing into classrooms designed for fewer occupants.

Some students in Jackson Heights, however, may soon be granted a reprieve, as the city has acquired the Blessed Sacrament School building at 34-20 94th St. and will be turning the facility into a public school, set to open in September 2010. The new school is expected to eventually house 700 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

“We need a few thousand seats to prevent overcrowding in Jackson Heights,” said Isaac Carmignani, president of Community District Education Council District 30, the advisory board for District 30. “This new school is a very big deal, because it is hard to get new buildings.”

After months of speculation, the school was finally acquired from the Catholic Diocese, which had shut down Blessed Sacrament as enrollment levels at the Catholic school dropped to a precipitous low of 180 students in January 2009.

On Thursday, members of CDEC 30 brainstormed what the new curriculum for the school ought to be, with five educators from across the city presenting proposals.

Jackson Heights is one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, with families from South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as a vibrant Latino community, with immigrants primarily from Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Members at the meeting agreed the new curriculum should reflect the area’s range of ethnicities.

Lenia Matias, a teacher and aspiring principal from Brooklyn, proposed a multilingual program wherein children would have the option of learning core subjects like math and science in English and Spanish on alternate days. Matias also suggested that children be given the option of learning a third language — perhaps Hindi or Bangla.

Jacqueline Coombs, who has been an educator for the last 17 years, also supported the idea of having the curriculum reflect the diversity of the neighborhood.

“For example, Friday would be ‘game day,’ and we can use this day to learn how math across the world is different and how different cultures add and subtract differently,” Coombs said, alluding to the use of the abacus and other counting instruments that would be used to enhance the learning experience.

The use of the school building after school hours also came up for discussion. “I see a lot of kids who are in the school till 3 p.m. and then go home and sit in front of the TV,” said Darwin Smith, another educator who presented a proposal. “We can use the building to house these students, so they can use their time in a more constructive fashion.”

Smith pointed out that school buildings are community properties and often lie unused in the evenings. By keeping the school accessible until 8 or 9 p.m., he indicated the building would be utilized for more youth programs.

Setting a new curriculum is a lengthy process, in which both the city’s Department of Education and the relevant CDEC consider an array of proposals.

CDEC 30 will meet again in December to discuss the proposals, hear public comments and incorporate changes into the possible plans. Ultimately, the DOE will decide on a curriculum. The person who proposed the curriculum may become the new principal, although that is not always the case.

This piece was first published in Queens Chronicle