FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com march 6, 2014 • The Queens Courier 3 QUESTIONS REMAIN IN AVONTE’S DEATH The city medical examiner has ruled the cause and manner of Avonte Oquendo‘s death as undetermined. The 14-year-old was last seen at the Center Boulevard School in Long Island City across the street from the East River in October. Almost four months later his remains were found washed up in College Point. There have been conflicting reports on how the Rego Park teen managed to leave the school. Following the identification of her son, Vanessa Fontaine filed suit against the City of New York in Manhattan Supreme Court, demanding the NYPD release records relating to the disappearance of Avonte. Family attorney David Perecman said he will be filing a $25 million negligence claim against the city, focused on the Department of Education, for wrongful death. BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO PUSH FOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE SITES Federal park officials are supporting a bill by Congressmember Grace Meng that would make historic Flushing sites part of the National Park Service, the legislator said. The measure would require the Secretary of the Interior, who oversees federal parkland, to look into whether sites connected to the Flushing Remonstrance could be included in the national park system. The Remonstrance, a historic 1657 petition, was signed by Peter Stuyvesant and 30 citizens to protest a policy that banned Quakers from practicing their religion in the colony of New Netherland. Other sites mentioned in the bill are Flushing’s John Bowne House, where the Quakers held meetings, and the Old Quaker Meetinghouse, which was built in 1694 by Bowne and other Quakers. “The story of the Flushing Remonstrance is not for New Yorkers alone,” Meng said. “It was an early struggle to establish the fundamental right to practice one’s religion.” National Park Service Associate Director Victor Knox said the Department of the Interior supports the bill during a recent hearing held in Washington, according to Meng. BILL FOR BOARDS TO GO DIGITAL It’s possible that the city’s community boards could be coming into the digital age. Councilmember James Vacca, chair of the Committee on Technology, held a hearing for his bill recently that would require community boards to webcast their full board meetings. At the hearing, members of the community boards and civic organizations raised questions about the complexity of implementing the law, because each board will have to learn to use the broadcast equipment. Also, funding for the equipment and the ability to webcast from various locations could be problematic for the community boards. But Queens leaders of local civic organizations that already use the Internet to connect with residents support the bill. “People don’t come to a meeting because they need to pay a baby sitter to watch their kids,” said Kathy Masi, president of the Glendale Civic Association, which doesn’t hold meetings in person, but is “cybercivic” by utilizing Facebook. “James Vacca is on the right track. If you can’t get people, because their lives are busy, to bring that meeting on their computer is really great.” The bill is still being reviewed in the technology committee. BY LIAM LA GUERRE NEW CHAIR FOR CB 11 BY MELIS A CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com @MelissaCourier Community Board 11 ushered in a new era with a swift election Monday night. The board bid farewell to its longtime leader, Jerry Iannece, and unanimously voted in Christine Haider to take his place as chair. “She’s going to be great,” Iannece said. “She’s a hardworking, diligent, responsible THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan Community Board 11 bid farewell to Jerry Iannece and voted in Christine Haider to fill his shoes. Banding together to ‘Fight the Blight’ BY MELIS A CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com @MelissaCourier A Flushing civic group has started a grassroots initiative to stand up to outof scale construction sites that residents say are destroying neighborhoods. The Queensboro Hill Flushing Civic Association is asking its neighbors to “Fight the Blight” by compiling addresses and photos of egregious buildings, which will then be delivered to the City Planning Commission. “Little by little, things are getting worse. There are more and more blights, and they are getting more egregious, both in quality and quantity,” said Don Capalbi, the civic’s president. The worst example, local leaders say, is a roughly 2,300-square-foot row house being built at 146-15 56th Road. “It’s just a monster,” Capalbi said of the two-story home. “It’s destroying the entire block.” Queens Civic Congress, a coalition of about 100 local groups, has been urging the city to establish a zoning district that would limit row house occupancies to single families. “This particular house is a serious The worst blight in the neighborhood, local leaders say, is this roughly 2,300-squarefoot row house being built at 146-15 56th Road. example of what can go wrong,” said Queens Civic Congress President Richard Hellenbrecht. “It just towers over everything. Every row house district in the city could eventually fall into the same rut.” Oversized homes in low-density areas could also worsen congestion and inundate local schools, the local leaders said. “It’s just a situation that can’t be set Photo by Don Capalbi aside,” Capalbi said. “It’s a situation that affects much of our borough.” Councilmember Peter Koo has also stepped in to help the group catalogue. “If you see something out of context, say something by taking a photo and contacting the civic association,” said Koo’s spokesperson, Jonathan Chung. “Together, we will fight the blight.” Residents can e-mail submissions to FightTheBlightQueens@gmail.com. person, who has always had the best interest of the community at heart.” Haider, a board member since 1991, was Iannece’s right-hand woman for the last five years, serving as first vice chair. She also chaired the board’s crucial East Flushing/North Bayside Zoning Committee. “I’m delighted that I’ve been picked as chair,” Haider said, “and I will do my best.” Iannece, who is term-limited due to the board’s bylaws, was first appointed board chair in 2002. He stepped down in 2007 due to term limits and took back the board’s helm in 2009. Board members praised Iannece’s leadership at his final meeting on March 3. Councilmembers Paul Vallone, Peter Koo and Mark Weprin also gave him a proclamation for his “labor of love” and countless years as a volunteer civic leader. “He can be proud and know that his legacy of service will continue to fortify the lives of countless Queens residents for generations ahead,” the proclamation says. “He has truly distinguished himself in all of his endeavors and he has earned the enduring gratitude of all New Yorkers.” While there are “big shoes to fill,” District Manager Susan Seinfeld has no doubt Haider will rise to the challenge during the next five years. “It will be different, but she is a great woman,” Seinfeld said. “She’s very competent, knowledgeable and involved with the community.” Board members also elected Laura James as first vice chair, Ocelia Claro as second vice chair and Eileen Miller as third vice chair. The board covers Auburndale, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, Hollis Hills and Oakland Gardens. “I think we’re going to work really well together,” Seinfeld said.
QC03072014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above