6 times • MARCH 10, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Ridgewood group’s crusade against Fresh Pond Fest BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport With the potential of another Fresh Pond Road street festival looming overhead, members of the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association (RPOCA) are fighting back to prevent this year’s street fair from happening. The organization has asked members to write letters to Michael P. Casey, executive director of the City of New York’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management, requesting that they not permit the four-day street festival from taking place this year, which is scheduled for Sept. 8 to 11. For the second year in a row, Community Board 5 (CB 5) has voted against the festival by a 27 to 8 count, during their last public meeting in February. Even with CB 5’s vote against the approval of the festival’s permit last year, the mayor’s office granted approval of the festival. “Those of you who live between Forest Avenue up to Traffic Avenue, we need your letters to go to Casey,” said Paul Kerzner, president of RPOCA. “It is very important that we get volume because one of the reasons that we found out that the mayor’s office granted them their application last year … because they didn’t hear from the community.” John Maier, RPOCA vice president, drafted a letter to Casey, pointing out 20 reasons as to why CB 5 voted to oppose the event. One major problem with the festival is that it shuts down a portion of Fresh Pond Road, between Menahan and Woodbine streets. Fresh Pond Road is one of the only northsouth routes in Ridgewood, so closing down a section of it puts a burden on the community. Fresh Pond Road is also a major bus route, having both limited and local Q58 service as well as the express QM24 and QM25 buses. RPOCA contends that previous festivals have created problems with the buses and sees no reason why this year’s would be any different. The letter also cites a variety of crime issues that have taken place at the festival in prior years, including The Ridgewood Property Owners Association has asked residents to write letters requesting the annual Fresh Pond Road street festival not take place this year. a shooting on Gates Avenue in 2008 where a man was arrested and charged with attempted murder. “We are also following up … with contacts Senator Joseph Addabbo, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, Assemblywoman Cathy RIDGEWOOD TIMES/File photo Nolan, Assemblyman Mike Miller, and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley,” Kerzner said. “We are asking all of them to send letters of support on our behalf. I don’t expect any of them not to support us.” Katz likes Crowley’s light rail proposal BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport The plan to bring commuter rail back to the Long Island Rail Road’s (LIRR) Lower Montauk line between Jamaica and Long Island City gained another major supporter in Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. On Feb. 23, Katz wrote a letter to MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas Prendergast highlighting her support for the plan originally presented last year by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley to bring more transportation options to residents across western Queens. Katz noted that this rail line should be considered as part of a “Master Plan” for a regional rail system that would connect the Jamaica LIRR station to the Hunters Point Terminal in Long Island City. “The communities are in need of better east-west transportation options to serve our residential and business communities,” Katz wrote. “This concept should include passenger stations at appropriately determined facilities such as the Jamaica LIRR Station, Atlas Park Mall, the M train Metropolitan Avenue/Fresh Pond Road Bridge, Flushing Avenue, where a future connection could be made to the Bushwick branch of the LIRR, and Hunters Point Terminal in Long Island City.” Katz further requested that the MTA conduct a travel demand study “to determine the potential current and future ridership levels” along the line. In December 2015, Crowley pitched her idea to Community Board 5 (CB 5), which ultimately supported her proposal by a 34-6 vote. The community board’s support aided Katz’s decision to get behind the proposal. “The population in Queens is exploding, and it’s critical we take measures to get more cars off the street, ease the burden of commuting and provide the opportunity for greater economic growth,” Crowley said. “I thank the borough president for recognizing this, and am grateful for her support of my light rail proposal.” The Lower Montauk line is currently used exclusively by New York and Atlantic Railway for freight rail operations. The LIRR provided passenger rail service along the branch from Hunterspoint Avenue in Long Island City to Jamaica as recently as March 1997, when it was discontinued due to lack of use. Beannachtai Na Feile Padraig Oraibh: St. Patrick’s Day Blessings upon You! Assemblywoman Margaret Markey 55-19 69th Street, Maspeth, NY 11378 – 718-651-3185 Email – Markeym@assembly.state.ny.us
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