4 FEBRUARY 6, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Holden to host public bus redesign
meeting at Middle Village school
The Q18 bus. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
BY MAX PARROTT
MPARROTT@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Following a standing-room-only
public workshop for the Queens
Bus Redesign meeting in Ridgewood
on Jan. 21, Councilman Robert
Holden announced that he would be
hosting an upcoming public meeting
on the proposed bus system from 6:30
to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 at P.S. 49, 63-60
80th St., Middle Village.
Community Board 5 will also hold a
meeting of its Transit Committee that
is open to the public and will focus on
the redesign, scheduled for Feb. 25 at
the Christ the King High School, but it
has not set a time yet.
CB5 Chair Vincent Arcuri said that
he was pleased with the large turnout at
the meeting last Tuesday, and he hopes
to continue to facilitate a dialogue
with the MTA over the proposed bus
changes with the February meetings.
“Almost every line in Community
Board 5 has a problem. There’s a lot of
work that needs to be done,” Arcuri
said.
Board 5 to meet on Feb. 12
Community Board 5 will meet
in next week in Middle Village,
where residents can attend a
public hearing regarding the Fiscal
Year 2021 Preliminary Budget as it relates
to the capital and budget needs of
the Ridgewood, Maspeth and Glendale
and Middle Village communities.
As announced by District Manager
Gary Giordano, the session takes place
at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 in the cafeteria of
Christ the King High School, located at
68-02 Metropolitan Ave.
Examples of capital budget typically
refer to construction projects
such as a park reconstruction, the installation
of new sewer lines, a bridge
replacement, and other projects with
expensive price tags.
Examples of expense budget needs
include the need for more police
offi cers, the need for better sewer
maintenance, and the need for more
staff in city agencies to conduct traffi c
studies.
Also on the agenda is a presentation
by representatives of the Wyckoff
Heights Medial Center’s Office of
Pediatric and Adolescent Health, a
review of current applicants for the
sale of alcoholic beverages a review of
current building demolition notices,
and a vote regarding Executive Committee
recommendations relayed to
proposed 2020 street festivals within
CB 5.
For additional information or to
register to speak in advance, call the
CB 5 offi ce at 718-366-1834.
Arcuri’s goal at last week’s meeting
was to explain where the redesign had
disrupted connections between lines.
Arcuri said he wanted to get the MTA
to identify several destinations like the
borough’s civil and criminal courts,
shopping centers and hospitals that
members of his district would need a
direct route to.
At the board’s last meeting
Jan. 9, many of its members commented
that they were especially
concerned about the service in the
Maspeth, Glendale and Middle Village
area, which doesn’t have many
transit options to begin with.
The members expressed concerns
that demographics like
seniors, people with disabilities
and students rely heavily on the
bus system would be unfairly
impacted.
MTA personnel will be present
at the Feb. 12 meeting at P.S. 49.
They have yet to confirm with CB5
whether or not they will attend the
Transit Committee meeting.
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
