8 The Queens Courier • FEBRUARY 27, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Photo courtesy Elias Kalogiros/Exo Cafe Restaurant owner wants city to pay for damages BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected]/@CristabelleT A Forest Hills restaurant that suffered thousands of dollars in damage from a Department of Sanitation plow truck accident wants the city to pay for the repairs. Customers were sitting in Exo Cafe, at 70-20 Austin Street, about 10:55 p.m. on February 13 when the city snow plow struck a garbage can full of snow ice, which then hit the restaurant, police said. The accident damaged the eatery’s winter vestibule and shattered some of its windows, according to the establishment’s owners, who captured the incident on their surveillance video. A 36-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, police said. The restaurant was able to quickly clean up the mess and resume regular business, but still needs money to repair the nearly $50,000 in destruction, said owner Peter Kambitsis. Though Exo Cafe has filed a claim through its own insurance, Kambitsis believes the city is financially responsible. “Why should we go through our insurance when they have their insurance,” Kambitsis asked. Kambitsis said he filed a claim with the City Comptroller’s Office on February 18. Since then, representatives from the city have come to the restaurant to examine the structural damage. As of Monday February 24, he is still waiting to see when or if he will be reimbursed. As of press time, a spokesperson for the Comptroller’s Office said the claim was still under review. The Department of Sanitation conducted an investigation into the accident and said it “is taking disciplinary action against the operators of the equipment.” Business owner offers to dig out your car — FREE BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] @CristabelleT This season’s snow has left New Yorkers with plenty of winter THE COURIER/File photo Weprin wants hydrants flagged BY MELISSA CHAN [email protected] @MelissaCourier All New York City hydrants should be tagged with highflying flags to be spotted more easily during snowstorms, a Queens lawmaker is proposing. Councilmember Mark Weprin is reintroducing legislation this March that would require markers be placed at least three feet above hydrants. The bill, first introduced in 2011, would help firefighters quickly pinpoint nearest hydrants that are buried in the snow, Weprin said. It would also help homeowners locate and dig them out faster and keep motorists from accidentally parking too close. “Hydrants get snow plowed in. There are some you can’t even see,” Weprin said. “It seems like just a common sense change.” Six major snowstorms have slammed the city so far this winter, Mayor Bill de Blasio said during the last blast on Councilmember Mark Weprin wants markers on fire hydrants that are often buried under winter snowstorms. February 13. In Central Park, Bridgeport and LaGuardia Airport, it is the third snowiest February on record, according to the National Weather Service. The bill has never moved out of the Committee on Fire Photo courtesy Councilmember Mark Weprin and Criminal Justice Services, though similar laws exist in other cities like Orangetown, New York and Santa Maria, California, Weprin said. “I’m hoping we can make the case a little better now,” he said. woes, but one local businessman wants to help ease one. Bill Lerner, owner of garage firm iPark, is offering to dig motorists parked within a five block radius of any of his 125 parking garages out of the snow for free. If a driver’s car is stuck, call 917-209-2105 and someone will be dispatched to help. “We just want to be a good neighbor to everybody in the community,” Lerner said. “I think we all need to help each other out.” Following one of the recent storms, Lerner was walking around Manhattan, where he lives, and noticed all the cars locked in the “frozen tundra” of ice and snow. Lerner then realized he had hundreds of men at his disposable who could lend a hand. During the morning and evening commutes, from 7 to 10 a.m., and 4 to 7 p.m., his garage workers are busy. But in between those hours they have time to grab a shovel and start digging, he thought. Shoveling out a car is strenuous work, he said, but many of his employees are young and physically fit. In Queens, there are five iPark garages in Rego Park and Forest Hills, located at 105-25 Gerard Place, 110-45 Queens Boulevard, 98-10 64th Street, 98-33 63rd Drive and 62-60 99th Street. There are also garages throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. For their locations, visit, www. ipark.com. It’s best to call between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Lerner said, when his men are likely to be available. The offer is good “until the snow melts.” He hopes next year’s winter will not be as bad as this one. But, Lerner said if it is, he is “going to pitch in and help the community” again. Bill Lerner Photo courtesy of Sunny Norton
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