Queens Borough Board Eyes Upcoming Infrastructure Projects -CONTINUED FROM PG. 8- Maria Centeno, director of the Office of Outreach and Notification at the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) spoke on the current infrastructure projects in Queens that commenced in the new fiscal year that began on July 1. (photo: Noah Zuss) Sucker Punch Killer Wanted R’wood Tenants Union Eyes Finances major concern for the Ridgewood Tenants Union. According to Namuche, some landlords are looking to cash in on Ridgewood’s growing popularity by charging high rents comparable to gentrified areas of Bushwick, where a studio apartment can go for about $1,800 a month. Higher rents and luxury apartments built on what was formerly industrial lots in Ridgewood could price many neighborhood mainstays out of the community, she indicated. “I think it’s unfair to have these speculators and developers, all of a sudden, rush into Ridgewood,” Namuche added. “We’ve seen value in Ridgewood all along. For all of that to be threatened just because, all of a sudden, Ridgewood seems like the next big thing seems unfair.” Having already launched Twitter and Facebook pages, the Ridgewood Tenants Union is building a website, www.ridgewoodtenantsunion.org, to serve as a community resource. Namuche said the site will include information on tenants’ legal rights and links to legal services. Looking ahead, Namuche hopes the union will hold a town hall forum to spark a dialogue between local residents and businesses with elected officials. The Ridgewood Tenants Union reached out to City Council Member Antonio Reynoso, who shares with City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley representation of the neighborhood. Namuche mentioned Crowley and Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan as two other lawmakers the union hopes to engage in its campaign. “We’re looking for allies and different stakeholders to have a say in how Ridgewood is shaped,” Namuche stated. “We all live in Ridgewood and we should all have a say in how our neighborhood develops.” For more information on the Ridgewood Tenants Union, follow its Twitter page, @RidgewdTenantsU, or its Facebook page (search Ridgewood Tenants Union). -CONTINUED FROM PG. 10- 53 • TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014 Dorothy Howes, a consultant from the firm AECOM, presented to the joint meeting plans to perform the work, which will take almost 4 years to complete, Hall said. “The overall need for this project is the bridge is in very bad condition,” Hall said. The sidewalk on the bridge will be replaced with a 10’-wide bike path/walkway. A new steel fence on the side and new columns will also be installed. It’s “almost a complete rehab,” Hall said. The meeting to take a vote was necessitated by a federal timeline that will pay for 80 percent of the work if the easements were granted, and construction begins this fall, Hall said.T he bridge is an important link in the transit network, and some at the meeting were concerned commuters would be affected. To allay these fears Hall said, “this project will not interfere with the number 7 line.” Another transportation concern, voiced by Board 5 Chairperson Vincent Arcuri was the possible disruption to a nearby bus depot. “The buses are not going to be relocated from the depot,” Hall said,. “All of these easements will be returned to their owners,” she added. Three or four of the properties DOT needs access to for construction More L.I. Garbage Imported Into Fresh Pond Yard controls ... designed to reduce the potential for any impacts to occur” and provide proper oversight of the operation from start to finish. Waste management facilities in Suffolk County are required to wrap bales of compacted solid waste and place them in rail cars that are fitted with solid lids “to prevent odor impacts.” No loose waste will be permitted in the cars. Once the rail cars are fully loaded, they are shipped west to the Fresh Pond Railyard in Glendale while en route to an out-of-state waste disposal facility. The DEC placed environmental monitors at the railyard in order to ensure proper operation and assess potential negative impacts. Reportedly, these shipments are taking place six days a week, with no activity on Sundays. Fresh Pond Railyard is the only freight rail hub in Queens; all shipments to and from Long Island pass through the yard via the Long Island Rail Road’s (LIRR) Montauk branch extension—now operated by New York and Atlantic Railway exclusively for freight purposes—and the CSX rail line, which connects to the Hell Gate Bridge and points west. As previously reported, Glendale and Middle Village residents criticized freight rail operators for causing many quality-of-life problems related to the shipment of solid waste. Open container cars filled with construction and demolition debris were uncovered or loosely restrained, leading to waste or dust flying out of the cars upon movement. At other times, residents complained putrescible solid waste was mixed in with the debris, exposing residents to foul odors while the cars idle on the tracks. In an email sent to the Times Newsweekly, Civics United for Railroad and Environmental Solutions (CURES), based in Glendale, stated the DEC “raised the bar for environmentally responsible solid waste-by-rail” and “has demonstrated responsibility in mandating sealed lids, environmental monitors and other controls for emergency rail shipments.” CURES, however, wants Long Island governments to “do their fair share” long term “instead of exporting solid waste and transportation burdens” to Queens. The organization also called upon the DEC to “mandate hard, sealed lids for rail cars of residual garbage, which also brings dust, odors and vectors into NYC neighborhoods.” The matter was previously discussed on July 1 with Queens Borough President Melinda Katz at her inaugural freight rail task force meeting. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 9- are owned by private entities, she said. “We’ve already reached out to property owners and are in negotiations with them,” Hall said. Another concern was possible problems on Mets game nights, or while the US Open is in town. Hall advised that construction embargoes would halt work on game nights, and that Traffic Enforcement Agents would help move traffic. “It’s a very complicated job, but we will not interfere with game nights or any other events,” she said. “It’s going to inconvenient,” she said, but “Traffic Enforcement Agents will provide a similar function as during games.” Current infrastructure projects Maria Centeno, director of the office of outreach and notification at the Department of Design and Construction (DDC), spoke on the current infrastructure projects to begin in financial year 2015. There are nearly 100 DDC projects active in various stages, with 27 in construction, 17 in construction procurement and 31 in the design phase, Centeno said. A total of 1.7 billion has been allocated in a tenyear plan to finance these infrastructure projects, she stated. That entire amount is not coming from the city’s coffers, Katz advised the meeting. “If it’s listed here, it’s not necessarily being funded by the city,” Katz said. Information on spreadsheets with details for all the projects was given to each district manager and chairperson. “There’s a lot of projects in Queens,” Centeno said. She spoke only on infrastructure projects and work on public buildings. Projects in the procurement phase are those where work will begin in 30 to 90 days, she said. Centeno showed a presentation on the phases necessary to build, and said, “I get asked this question a lot, why do projects take so long to complete?” Community Board 2 has nine projects ongoing. These include restoration of wetlands next to Newtown Creek, green infrastructure and sustainability projects, greenstreets and renovations to the 51st Avenue pedestrian bridge, Centeno said. This is a $4.1 million project, which is currently in the final design phase, with work scheduled to begin in the spring or summer of 2015, Centeno said. Traffic calming and Safety to Schools projects in Board 2 are also upcoming, she said. Safety to Schools is a project “to help schools across the state implement effective school safety strategies and plans to enhance emergency preparedness,” according to the Department of Education website. The main project within the confines of Community Board 4 is improvements to Corona Plaza. It is in the final design stage, and work will begin in financial year 2015, starting July 1, Centeno said. Community Board 5 has 12 active projects, including a $24.5 million sewer replacement project along Calamus Avenue and the reconstruction of 73rd Place in Middle Village. This is a $21.8 million project to alleviate flooding by installing new catch basins and sewers. It will be completed by 2024, she said. Community Board 9 has eight active projects, Centeno said. Water mains needs to be replaced in two locations, in addition to the reconstruction of Union Turnpike and replacement of manholes and sidewalks, she stated “A lot of these sewer projects are so DEP can help alleviate flooding,” she said. punched him in the face unprovoked, causing the victim to fall to the ground and strike his head on the pavement. The suspect reportedly fled the scene in an unknown direction. Officers from the 108th Precinct and EMS units rushed to the scene. Martires, who lost consciousness after the attack, died several days later while undergoing treatment at Elmhurst Hospital Center. The 108th Precinct Detective Squad and the NYPD Queens Homicide Squad is conducting the investigation. Anyone with information regarding the deadly assault or the suspect’s whereabouts that could prove helpful is urged to call the 108th Precinct Detective Squad at 1- 718-784-5441 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. The public may also submit information to Crime Stoppers via text message to 274637 (enter info, then the code TIP577) or online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com. All calls and messages will be kept confidential. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 11- 104th Precinct Blotter unauthorized use of a vehicle, by P.O. Elmazi. (Beat 3) Shawnette Hampton, at Wyckoff Avenue and George Street, for theft of service, by P.O. Kaufman. (Beat 4) Andrew Prieto, at Fresh Pond Road, for petit larceny, by P.O. Florio. (Beat 2) Saul Castelan, at Myrtle Avenue, for petit larceny, by P.O. Wynter. (Beat 2) Timothy Pena, at Woodbine Street, for false personation, by P.O. Egnaczyk. (Beat 10) Evelyn Soto, at 61st Street, for assault, by P.O. Caruso. (Beat 3) Jose Rodriguez, at Centre Street and Cypress Avenue, for criminal possession of a weapon, by P.O. Cappellano. (Beat 6) Robert Rosas, at 82nd Street and Eliot Avenue, for assault, by P.O. Santos. (Beat 3) Fernandina Rubin, at Norman Street, for DWI, by P.O. Weil. July 19: (Beat 2) Benjamin McMillon, at Myrtle Avenue, for petit larceny, by P.O. Kim. (Beat 8) James Didonato, at 71st Street, for assault, by P.O. Quintanilla. (Beat 12) Peyman Alaghband, at 66th Road, for assault, by P.O. Defreitas. (Beat 1) Carlin Vizcaino, at Fairview and Gates avenues, for DUI, by P.O. Walsh. July 20: (Beat 2) Erica Rosa, at Forest and Catalpa avenues, for criminal mischief, by P.O. Pellot. (Beat 5) Andres Jaramillo, at Metropolitan avenue, for criminal mischief, by P.O. Aragona. (Beat 8) Elijah Pineda-Cruz, at 52nd Avenue and 74th Street, for possession of burglar’s tools, by P.O. Shoy. (Beat 2) Damian Saat, at Gates Avenue, for petit larceny, by P.O. Ku. (Beat 3) Juan Gomez, at Cypress and Cody avenues, for driving with a suspended license, by P.O. Lewsza. (Beat 10) Kenneth Rim, at 56th Avenue, for criminal possession of a weapon, by P.O. Caruso. The 104th Precinct, located at 64- 02 Catalpa Ave. in Ridgewood, can be reached by phone at 1-718-386-3004. To report an emergency or a crime in progress, call 911 immediately. Quality of life matters, such as noise or a blocked driveway, should be reported to 311. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 11-
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