8 AUGUST 30, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Stop work order issued at potential Glendale shelter
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
The city Department of Environmental
Preservation (DEP) has
issued a stop workv worder at
the controversial Glendale factory that
may become a homeless shelter due to
improper asbestos removal.
The stop work order was posted
on the fence outside of the site at 78-
16 Cooper Ave.on Aug. 24 aft er the
DEP performed an inspection of the
building. According to the notice,
asbestos work being done at the
property was found to be in violation
of the New York City Air Pollution
Control Code and poses a threat to
human safety.
A spokesperson for the DEP confirmed
to the Ridgewood Times on
Aug. 27 that the stop work order
was issued “so that asbestos testing
can be done on the roof before
antennas are drilled into it.” The
order further states that work cannot
continue until a written scope
of work and an amended asbestos
assessment report are received and
approved by DEP.
Naturally, when workers showed
up to the site on Monday after word
of the stop work order spread,
Glendale residents expressed their
alarm on Facebook; several went to
the site personally to investigate.
A spokesperson for Councilman
Robert Holden confirmed that his
office received many calls about
the workers at the site and the
councilman even took a trip there
himself.
Holden’s offi ce contacted the DEP,
which then sent an inspector to the
building to ensure that no work was
being performed in the aff ected areas.
The councilman’s offi ce clarifi ed
that the stop work order applies to
the fi rst fl oor and roof as noted on the
document itself, but since the order
was not issued by the Department
of Buildings (DOB), other work related
to the building permit can still
continue.
Yet the DOB permits also changed
on the same day the DEP issued the
stop work order. As of Aug. 24, online
records show the work permits for
the site have been updated to include
details about the planned occupancy
of the building.
According to the permit, the second
and third fl oors of the building will
have 100 beds for a “transient lodging
house with sleeping accommodations.”
While the Department of Homeless
Services has maintained that it has
not received an offi cial proposal for
a homeless shelter at the site yet, the
agency has not yet returned a request
for comment.
Senate candidate launches ‘No Homeless Shelter Party’
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
Residents of Glendale and Ozone
Park have spoken out in recent
weeks against homeless
shelters potentially coming to the
neighborhoods, and an upstart
politician is hoping to capitalize
on their frustrations.
Slawomir Platta, a Republican
and Reform Party candidate for
State Senate District 15 — covering
parts of Ridgewood, Glendale,
Maspeth, Middle Village,
Woodhaven, Ozone Park, Howard
Beach, Broad Channel and Rockaway
Park — announced on Aug. 22
that he is forming the No Homeless
Shelter Party. According to
a press release from his office,
Platta filed close to 4,000 signatures
from supporters before the
Aug. 21 deadline in an attempt to
get the No Homeless Shelter Party
line on the November 2018 ballot.
According to Platta, he and
his campaign spent the past two
months going door-to-door to
speak to voters about the shelter
being built in Ozone Park for 113
mentally ill men, and the voters
made it clear that they “fear the
effects” of such shelters coming
to their neighborhood.
“Of course, we want solutions to
support the homeless, especially
those with mental health needs.
But placing them near schools is
a risky proposition,” Platta said.
“Our elected officials have let the
community down on this issue.”
Platta, a Polish native who now
runs his own law firm based
in Manhattan, previously donated
money to the Ozone Park
Residents Block Association
in support of the lawsuit filed
against the city attempting to
stop the proposed shelter in their
neighborhood.
On Aug. 20, Platta held an official
opening of his campaign
headquarters at 66-17 Fresh Pond
Rd. in Ridgewood. He will run
in the Sept. 13 Republican primary
against Thomas Sullivan
for a chance to face off against
incumbent state Senator Joseph
Addabbo — who has also spoken
out against the Ozone Park and
Glendale shelters — in the November
general election.
In another press release on
Aug. 28, Platta announced that a
challenge has been filed against
his petition to form the party.
Photo courtesy of Slawomir Platta’s offi ce
Slawomir Platta, a Republican candidate for New York’s 15th Senate
District.
File photo/Ridgewood Times
The old factory at 78-16 Cooper Ave. that is being considered as a homeless
shelter site.
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