6 TIMES • JUNE 30, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Creator of ‘Ridgewood Garden’ lauded for his work BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport After a week of voting and much input from the community, George Negoescu, creator of the beautiful community garden on the Glendale/Ridgewood border, has decided on a name for his project: Ridgewood Garden. There were several options for the name of the garden and plaza area that Negoescu has spent much of his personal time and money creating. After 174 online votes, the community chose Cypress Garden after Cypress Hills Street and Shaler Avenue where the garden is located. Negoescu, however, wanted the name of the garden to refl ect everyone from the neighborhood who comes to the garden, so he went with the broader Ridgewood Garden name. The garden’s name was announced during a special citation ceremony held at Ridgewood Garden on Friday, June 24, where Negoescu was honored by local elected offi cials, thanking him for his hard work and dedication in beautifying the neighborhood for all to enjoy. On hand to present Negoescu with citations were Assemblyman Mike Miller, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and staff from Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi’s offi ce, as well as members of the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association (RPOCA), the Farmers Oval Civic Association and members of the community. “I just saw what George did, and I just wanted to thank him for doing all of this, with his own time, his own money to beautify the community,” Miller said at Ridgewood Garden. “It really is beautiful. I’m impressed with the bricks and the benches, and everything else here. To have the talent to be able to do that, I am very impressed. You’re a positive person in the community.” Miller then presented Negoescu with a citation from himself and Assemblyman Hevesi, thanking him for all the hard work he put into building Ridgewood Garden. “Our community is not as good as it is without the people like you who are dedicated, who give of their time, energy and resources — I know you’ve put a lot of money behind this, as well as really your blood, sweat and tears over the years,” Crowley said as she presented Negoescu with a citation from the City Council. “So I wish you continued success here and look forward to possibly expanding and opportunities.” Miller and Crowley both agreed to look into getting help from with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) or the Parks Department to help water Ridgewood Garden. Currently, Negoescu waters the garden himself by bringing buckets of water from his Ridgewood home to the site. “I did not expect this,” Negoescu said of being recognized by the local elected offi - cials. “It is very kind from their side to notice my efforts and to appreciate my work.” Negoescu is now working on getting a plaque created with the name Ridgewood Garden to place at the garden. For more information about Negoescu and Ridgewood Garden, visit the brand-new website and check out the GoFundMe page created by a local resident to get donations to help Negoescu recuperate some of the money he put into making the garden and to help maintain the space. RIDGEWOOD TIMES/Photo by Anthony Giudice The garden area created by George Negoescu has been named Ridgewood Garden. Pedestrian plaza at Queens/Brooklyn border would make deadly intersection safer, city says BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport The six-legged intersection at Myrtle Avenue, Wyckoff Avenue and Palmetto Street on the Ridgewood/Bushwick border is one of the most dangerous intersections in the entire city, but the Department of Transportation (DOT) believes the proposed pedestrian plaza will change all that. According to DOT, the intersection is ranked in the top fi ve intersections for pedestrian fatalities in the city. Since 2009, the intersection has seen three fatalities — Hui Wu in 2009, Ella Bandes in 2013 and Edgar Torres in 2014. One interesting point to note is that this intersection has fewer lanes — fi ve — is narrower and has less traffi c volume than the other four intersections in the top fi ve. Woodhaven Boulevard at Jamaica Avenue, which tops the list with four pedestrian fatalities since 2009, has a combined total of 14 lanes. The Department of Transportation believes a pedestrian plaza at the dangerous Myrtle/Wyckoff Avenue intersection would make it much safer. Between 2010 and 2014 there were also 25 injuries at the intersection, with 16 of those being pedestrians. Of those 16, two were classifi ed as severe injuries and four were moderate. Those 25 injuries are nearly double that of other intersections along Wyckoff Avenue, and 10 more than other intersections along Myrtle Avenue over the last fi ve years. In recent years DOT has tried to make the intersection safer by banning several turns, extending curbs and shortening crosswalks. However, more can still be done to make the intersection even safer. “DOT wants to take this opportunity to basically look at the desire for more extensive safety improvements at this intersection and to greatly simplify the intersection as a result,” said Jesse Mintz-Roth, a representative of DOT, during Community Board 5’s (CB 5) Transportation and Public Transit committees’ joint meeting on June 21. One way to make the area safer for both pedestrians and motorists is the pedestrian plaza on Wyckoff Avenue between Myrtle and Gates avenues. “The goal of this design activity is that this six-leg intersection with fewer active legs of the intersection would make it simpler and safer,” Mintz- Roth said. “How do we know that? Because DOT has done projects like this elsewhere and they’ve been successful elsewhere.” By closing off Wyckoff Avenue between Gates and Myrtle avenues, one leg of the intersection would be removed, along with several possible turns, making the area safer. Another part of the proposal Photo courtesy Department of Transportation would be to turn Wyckoff Avenue, between Myrtle Avenue and Madison Street, into a one-way southbound street. This would eliminate another approach and one signal phase at the dangerous intersection. Ten members of the CB 5 Transportation and Public Transit committees voted for the plaza plan including the one-way change along Wyckoff Avenue, while one voted for the plaza plan with no change to Wyckoff Avenue, and there was one no vote. Mintz-Roth noted that Brooklyn Community Board 4, which serves Bushwick that shares this intersection voted 30-4 against the plaza plan because they felt it would change the character of the neighborhood.
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