8 APRIL 26, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Street tree Cleanup
in Ridgewood on
April 29
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@R_KELLEY6
Earth Day may be over, but
Ridgewood residents are
coming together to continue
improving the environment and
teach others how to do the same.
On April 29, the Ridgewood
Property Owners and Civic Association
(RPOCA), in partnership with
the NYC Parks Department, will
host a mulching event at Benninger
Playground on Madison Street
between 60th Place and Fresh
Pond Road. At the event, guests
will learn how to aerate, cultivate,
mulch and identify the nearly 70
street trees along Fresh Pond Road.
NYC Parks Stewardship Outreach
Supervisor Maria Amin
helped coordinate the event and
explained why street trees are especially
vulnerable when located
along commercial corridors.
“All street trees are challenged in
the urban environment, but street
trees on commercial strips are at
the greatest risk because they’re
constantly exposed to car and bus
fumes,” Amin said. “That’s why
we’re so grateful to all our volunteers
who take the time to help preserve
and protect this important
part of our city’s urban forest.”
There are 342 diff erent species of
trees that live in New York City, and
Queens has the most street trees by
far, with more than 245,000.
The tree mulching event is
also receiving support from
Community Board 5, the Greater
Ridgewood Youth Council and
Boy and Girl Scout troops. Food,
coff ee, beverages and supplies
will be provided by Valentino
Food Market, Checo’s Food Universe
and The Nest Fine Dessert.
Paul Kerzner, president of the
RPOCA and a longtime Ridgewood
resident, said he was pleased that so
much support from the community
helped make the event possible.
“Fresh Pond Road is our community’s
main street, so it’s
important we all do our part to
make sure it’s well-kept,” Kerzner
said in the press release. “We appreciate
the support NYC Parks
is giving to help keep our neighborhood
vibrant and hope this
event shows everyone that small
actions do make a diff erence.”
Councilman Robert Holden
will also be in attendance and
said that he is always looking to
get behind ideas that benefi t the
local quality of life.
L.I. man dies in Woodhaven Blvd. crash
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@R_KELLEY6
A one-car crash on Woodhaven
Boulevard in Queens early
on Monday morning cost a
56-year-old man his life, police said.
Authorities responded to a 911 call
at 3:30 a.m. on April 23 of a single-car
crash on Woodhaven Boulevard near
Eliot Avenue on the Rego Park/Middle
Village border.
When officers from the 112th
Precinct arrived at the scene, they
found 56-year-old Joseph Debrosse,
a resident of Freeport, Long Island,
unconscious behind the wheel of a
2013 Hyundai sedan, according to law
enforcement sources.
Based on information they obtained
in a preliminary investigation, police
determined that Debrosse was heading
northbound on Woodhaven Boulevard
when he lost control of the vehicle
and struck a utility pole at Alderton
Street. The car came to a fi nal rest at
The car involved in a single-car accident on Woodhaven Boulevard on
April 23.
the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard
and Eliot Avenue, police said.
Paramedics rushed Debrosse to
Elmhurst Hospital, where he was
Photo courtesy of Ann Go
pronounced dead.
No other vehicles were involved and
no other injuries were reported, police
said. The investigation is ongoing.
Early morning hit-and-run leaves two
pedestrians injured in Woodhaven
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
EDAVENPORT@QNS.COM / @QNS
Police are looking for a driver who
ran down two pedestrians with a
vehicle in Woodhaven early on
Tuesday morning and fl ed the scene.
According to offi cials, at 1:03 a.m.
on April 24, offi cers from the 102nd
Precinct and FDNY personnel
responded to a 911 call regarding a
hit-and-run outside of 87-19 88th Ave.,
near St. Thomas the Apostle Church.
Upon their arrival, offi cers found
Photos by Robert Stridiron
two victims with minor injuries and
the vehicle had fl ed the scene.
Paramedics transported the victims
to Jamaica Hospital, where they
were treated for injuries that were
not considered life-threatening.
The investigation is ongoing.
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