FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com APRIL 7, 2016 • The Queens Courier 27 Ask the MAYOR The Queens Courier and the Mayor’s Office are proud to present a weekly column in which Mayor Bill de Blasio answers your questions about issues that concern you the most. If you have a question about anything going on in the city, in your neighborhood or on your block, we want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] and Mayor de Blasio will get you an answer! How can a resident request that a street in their neighborhood be repaved? What are the Department of Transportation’s plans for resurfacing Queens streets this year? Residents should contact 311 to report potholes or other road defects and conditions. DOT’s website also has a web form. It’s best that they provide specific details such as intersections, cross streets and associated addresses when possible. In addition, DOT evaluates and rates street conditions on an annual basis, which helps determine its paving schedule. In 2015 alone, DOT paved 329.29 lane miles in Queens. Could you explain what the Sanitation Department has done in the past year regarding illegal dumping across Queens? What are the fines and penalties that those found guilty of illegal dumping face? The city takes illegal dumping seriously. The Sanitation Department responds to complaints from 311 regarding the illegal dumping of trash and other materials on public property, and also works with Health Department when dumping occurs on private property or abandoned lots. Sanitation has undercover police officers who stake out known dumping locations. When they find illegal dumping, they can arrest the vehicle operators and impound the vehicle from which the dumping has occurred. In Queens last year, 25 such illegal dumpers were caught; we continue to see a reduction in illegal dumping as more and more vacant lots are redeveloped. Does the city plan to expand its recycling program? Specifically, does the city plan to expand recycling collection in Queens? In some areas, collections only take place once a week. Expanded access to recycling and composting are critical components of our OneNYC commitment to send Zero Waste to landfill by 2030. NYCHA is working with the Sanitation Department to expand recycling throughout its developments by the end of this year. The expanded access will be complemented by a community engagement strategy. The Sanitation Department also plans to expand its innovative organics recycling program (composting) in the fall, and we are in the process of determining exact neighborhoods. Every household in the city currently receives once-per-week metal, glass and plastic AND paper recycling pickups, which will continue. CUTLER’S LIGHTING Over 50 Years Experience REPAIRS • REWIRING • RE-FINISHING • LAMP SHADES WINTER BLAST SALE LAMP SHADE SALE 12 years from now, this LED bulb will still be saving you money. 10% OFF OFF ANY PURCHASE With Coupon. Not combinable – New Orders Only. Limit 1 per customer. $150.00 max for discount. LYNBROOK 817 Sunrise Hwy (2 Blocks west of Peninsula Blvd.) 516-887-1300 30-50% OFF On yellow tagged items GREAT NECK 120 Northern Blvd. 516-482-1919 Excludes Repairs, Refi nishing, Rewiring. Exp. 4/30/16 CUTLER’S LIGHTING CUTLER’S LIGHTING SECOND-HIGHEST 104TH PRECINCT OFFICER LEAVES FOR FLUSHING BY RO BER T POZARYCKI [email protected]/@robbpoz To the disdain of many residents of the 104th Precinct, the Ridgewood-based command learned this week its proactive executive officer is heading east to Flushing. Captain Gregory Mackie was reassigned to the 109th Precinct to begin training officers for its Neighborhood Community Officer (NCO) program. In a farewell letter to residents posted on the 104th Precinct Community Council’s Facebook page, Mackie said he was excited about the opportunity, but that he enjoyed working at the 104th Precinct for the last 1 1/2 years. “It is a very exciting endeavor which I am proud to be a part of; it’s an opportunity to mold 37 of the NYPD’s newest officers into communityoriented cops who are attuned to what the community’s biggest concerns are on a one-to-one basis, and cops who will work collaboratively with residents on an ongoing basis to solve real neighborhood problems and achieve positive results,” Mackie wrote. As of April 6, according to police, a new executive officer at the 104th Precinct has yet to be assigned.
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