30 TIMES • MARCH 24, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Ridgewood group ready to resume graf ti cleanup BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport After being frozen for the winter, the local war on graffi ti is about to heat up. Continuing their efforts to keep Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village looking pristine and free from graffi ti, the Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation (GRRC) will resume its anti-graffi ti program beginning on April 1.The graffi ti-cleaning program, which is in its 25th year, has serviced over 5,600 locations since its inception in 1992. Their cleaning crews use a hot water pressure washer and paint remover to clean graffi ti on washable surfaces like brick, while nonwashable surfaces are painted over, all free of charge since the program is funded by grants and donations. “It’s hard to believe after all these years, many property owners are still unaware of our services and how we operate,” said Paul Kerzner, president of GRRC. “We need to get the word out.” The GRRC has started surveying the neighborhoods of Community Board 5 (CB 5) for graffi ti locations. “We are eager to get out there and start power washing,” said Christa Walls, community liaison specialist for GRRC. “Graffi ti surges when the weather gets warmer and there has been a marked increase in graffi ti vandalism the last few weeks.” Any property owner in the CB 5 area with graffi ti on their building that would like it removed can call GRRC to sign up for the free cleaning program. For more information on the program, contact GRRC at 718-366-8721, write to them at 68-56 Forest Ave., Ridgewood, NY 11385 or visit their website, www. ridgewoodrestoration.org. Help send a girl to her prom BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport Let a young girl say yes to your dress this year as she prepares for her prom by donating gently used dresses and other special-occasion wear during the third annual Joan England’s PROMises Prom Dress Drive. The organization is asking women to donate their dresses to help girls who may not be able to afford a dress for their prom at several locations around Queens, including at I.S. 93, located at 66-56 Forest Ave. at the Madison Street side of the school in Ridgewood, on four Saturdays, April 2, 9 and 16 and May 7, from 12:30 to 1 p.m.There will also be three additional drop-off locations at Moves & Motions Dance Studios, located at 70-20 88th St. off Cooper Avenue in Glendale; at 74-02 Eliot Ave. in Middle Village; and at 47 Manhasset Ave. in Manhasset, all which will be accepting dresses on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The dress giveaway is being held at I.S. 93 on Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in conjunction with the school’s “Cinderella’s Closet” campaign. All girls are welcome to come and pick out the perfect dress for them for free. The founder of the PROMises Prom Dress Drive, Joan England, died two years ago and now her daughter, Christine Nelson, has taken up the cause of bringing girls the joy of picking out a beautiful dress for their prom, even if they cannot afford one. For more information about donating and the event, contact Nelson at [email protected]. Photo courtesy Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation The Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation will begin its graffi ti removal service beginning April 1. Queens security guards were honored by NYPD for nding a missing foreigner BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport Two security guards from LeFrak City in Corona proved that the call of duty reaches beyond offi cers with a gun and badge. Raymond Sosa and St. Aubyn Duncan received awards of appreciation from the 104th Precinct during the March 15 104th Precinct Community Council meeting in Ridgewood for their assistance in fi nding a person who had been missing for more than a week late last year. At the beginning of last December, the 104th Precinct received a report of a missing man who came to the United States from another county to visit family members. “Usually on a missing persons case, most of the time we solve it in a day or two. Sometimes they’re runaways, sometimes they maybe locate to another state,” said Captain Mark Wachter, the precinct’s commanding offi cer. “But this was a unique case where we really didn’t know where this person went.” The 104th Precinct distributed wanted missing person posters of the man citywide, including in locations such as offi ce buildings and subway stations. The case went on for eight days before Sosa and Duncan came across the missing man. Sosa was going to work and saw the precinct’s wanted missing person fl yers at the Woodhaven Boulevard train station, Wachter said. While working, Sosa noticed the missing man walking around in a confused state and ran back to the train station to grab the poster to confi rm it was the missing man, while Duncan engaged in conversation with him. Upon confi rmation that it was indeed the same man from the poster, Sosa altered the police department. The man was then transported to the hospital for evaluation and was reunited with his family. “We want to say thank you and we want to give an award of recognition to these two security guards who basically saw something, remembered it, took action and reunited a missing person from another country with their family,” Wachter said. “We don’t know where this person could have wound up in another day or two.” Duncan was a member of the New York State National Guard, stationed in Fort Hamilton. He is an Army masonry specialist, licensed security guard and presently works at DEP as a security guard. Sosa is a resident of the Bronx; he currently works at DEP as a security guard and is the assistant coach of a high school basketball team. Photo courtesy Christine Nelson The late Joan England (center) with volunteers from the fi rst Joan England’s PROMises Prom Dress Drive. QNS/Photo by Anthony Giudice Security guards Raymond Sosa and St. Aubyn Duncan were honored by the 104th Precinct for assisting in a missing person case.
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