6 times • SEPTEMBER 24, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com 104th Precinct boss talks derelict cars, crime at Juniper Park Civic meeting BY KELLY MARIE MANCUSO editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com @KellyMMancuso Civic leaders, elected officials and local law enforcement were on hand to discuss quality-of-life issues plaguing the area during last week’s Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA) meeting held on Thursday, Sept. 17, at Our Lady of Hope School in Middle Village. One of the larger concerns involved the presence of derelict or non-working vehicles on the streets of Middle Village and Maspeth. Capt. Mark Wachter, commanding officer of the 104th Precinct, explained that he and his team recently carried out a “major blitz” against American Auto Body and Recovery, located at 60-05 Flushing Ave., near 59th Street, in Maspeth. According to Wachter, 15 vehicles were towed from the surrounding streets on May 29. Wachter then partnered with Capt. Gregory Mackie, the precinct’s executive officer, in Operation Clean Sweep to tow an additional 22 vehicles within an hour from the auto shop on Aug. 26. In addition to the massive towing operation, Wachter explained that the Department of Consumer Affairs revoked the repair shop’s tow license. “We’ve received numerous community complaints,” Wachter explained. “We went in with full force and cleaned up the area.” In an open Q&A session, many residents expressed similar concerns about the loss of street parking to derelict automobiles. One resident observed such conditions on 61st Road in Middle Village between 67th and 68th streets, while another pointed to 69th Road as a problematic area. Wachter said that 17 derelict vehicles have been towed throughout Middle Village in recent months. He indicated the process begins with the placing of letters or notices on vehicles, as well as chalk marks on tires, by the NYPD. If the vehicle has not moved within the next seven days, the NYPD will then return to tow it away. Residents also voiced concerns over the abundance of massage parlors and suspected prostitution within many of the establishments. The captain assured residents that the precinct is tracking and arresting violators. “We’re tackling it,” Wachter explained. “We definitely have our eyes on the problem.” Drug use is another major issue plaguing the area. According to Wachter, a total of about 16 narcotics arrests were made in and around Middle Village in recent months. The captain credits tips from the community with being able to make these busts. “We still have active investigations going on in the Middle Village area for drug sales,” he explained. JPCA President Robert Holden joined members and the precinct in honoring three officers and two Middle Village residents for their brave efforts in apprehending four suspected car thieves on Aug. 19. Photos by Kelly Marie Mancuso (l to r) Resident Brian McGoldrick , Officer Jonathan Ku, Capt. Mark Wachter, Officer Onur Cumur and Officer Radoslaw Zbikowski were honored by JPCA President Robert Holden for their arrest of car thieves in Middle Village in August. Woodhaven residents say no to’Select Bus” BY KELLY MARIE MANCUSO editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com @KellyMMancuso Many of those gathered at the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA) town hall meeting on Sept. 19 voiced their opposition to plans for Select Bus Service (SBS) plan along the Woodhaven Boulevard corridor in the months ahead. “Something is going to happen. There will be Select Bus Service,” state Senator Joseph Addabbo said. “But for those of us who live in and around Woodhaven Boulevard, we will live with whatever they do here. We have to be heard.” Many residents expressed concerns over the loss of a lane, as well as the loss of parking along Woodhaven Boulevard and Park Lane South, under the DOT’s current SBS plan. “I don’t believe removing the right lane of traffic is correct,” Addabbo added. “Putting people in the median to wait for buses is not safe. It’s a bad plan.” Others feared the ban on left-hand turns onto Jamaica Avenue will not only hurt businesses along the busy shopping strip, but would also increase traffic on narrow residential side streets. “Think of the two schools on 89th Street,” Addabbo added. The senator fears that local streets could become thruways and truck routes for vehicles seeking to avoid congestion on Woodhaven Boulevard potentially caused by the SBS changes. “The one thing we said from day one is that something has to be done,” Senator Joseph Addabbo joined members of the Woodhaven Residents Block Association (WRBA) to discuss Select Bus Service at their monthly town hall meeting. explained WRBA president Martin Colberg. “But what works in one community is not always going to work in another. There has to be a line where it has to stop here and we have to rethink this.” Jose Vasquez, president of the task force known as Committee for a Better Woodhaven, began a petition in opposition to SBS and has since collected over 80 signatures from residents. Vasquez collected more signatures at the WRBA meeting and plans to present his petition to the DOT and the MTA at the next Community Board 9 meeting. Addabbo applauded his efforts and urged residents to write similar letters Photos by Kelly Marie Mancuso so that their voices can be heard. “We’re a smart-thinking community,” Colberg said. “We’re not going to let anything just be shoved down our throats. That’s not going to happen. I understand the mayor wants something done in terms of SBS, but then I invite the mayor to come to Woodhaven and see how this going to affect us.” According to Addabbo, the DOT aims to finalize their SBS plans for Woodhaven Boulevard by the end of the fall. “There will be a follow-up meeting to address concerns before the plan is finalized,” added Gregory Mitchell of Council member Eric Ulrich’s office.
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