Ridgewood Times Counties’ VOL. 106, NO. 16 www.timesnewsweekly.com NOT On Twitter HERE,@timesnewsweekly THURSDAY, NOVEMBER NOT 20, 2014 NOW 50 CENTS Local Residents & Civics Stand Against City Shelters At Manhattan Hearing, Elmhurst Residents Slam Pan Am Proposal story and photo by Robert Pozarycki From all walks of life and in different dialects, Elmhurst residents gave city officials an earful during a Manhattan public hearing last Thursday, Nov. 13, on a plan to permanently establish the former Pan American Hotel as a homeless shelter. Since June, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) has housed families with children at the hotel located at 79-00 Queens Blvd., on a temporary and emergency basis. Recently, the DHS entered into a proposed agreement with the nonprofit Samaritan Village to permanentize the operation. Under the contract, the city would pay Samaritan Village— which, with the DHS, also plans to create a homeless shelter at a former Glendale factory—just over $42.4 million for a five-year period. The agreement also includes a four-year renewal option that could keep the Pan Am shelter operating through June 2023. All but three of the 24 speakers at the public hearing— including several whose remarks were translated from Mandarin— denounced the Pan Am proposal, charging the shelter does more harm than good for the homeless individuals housed there as well -SEE ELMHURST ON PG. 24- Glendale Factory Case In Court This January by Kelly Marie Mancuso and Robert Pozarycki Just a few days after the new year starts, a state judge will hear the first legal motion aimed at stopping a proposed homeless shelter at a long-defunct Glendale factory. Scary Story Contest Winners Unveiled See Pg. 22 If You Dare TO USPS: MAILING LABEL GOES HERE TN/RT 112014 Largest Classified Section Serving Queens And Brooklyn Times Newsweekly Established In 1908 During a press conference Wednesday morning, Nov. 19, outside the factory at 78-16 Cooper Ave., representatives of the Glendale Middle Village Coalition officially announced the filing of an Article 78 resolution calling on the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to conduct a full environmental study of the location, which many suspect is contaminated. Reportedly, the resolution will be heard during a State Supreme Court legal proceeding in Manhattan scheduled to take place on Jan. 9, 2015. The coalition is presently awaiting a formal legal response from the DHS. As previously reported in the Times Newsweekly, the DHS and the nonprofit Samaritan Village plan to develop a shelter for up to 125 homeless families with children at the location. The Glendale Middle Village Coalition—an alliance of local civic and business groups—was formed to launch and fund legal -SEE LAWSUIT ON PG. 26- by Noah Zuss The possibility of a former convent at a Ridgewood parish being turned into a shelter for homeless women was the big topic during the Community Board 5 meeting last Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village. Amid reports that the convent at Our Lady of Miraculous Medal will be made into a shelter, Ridgewood resident Henry Kielmanowicz began the discussion by asking the board during the public hearing portion of the meeting to relate the latest information. He told Board 5 Chairperson Vincent Arcuri and District Manager Gary Giordano he lives across the street and is concerned. “I think the proposal is serious,” Giordano stated. “My understanding is that it would be for 24 women. That’s my understanding at this point.” Arcuri and Giordano told attendees Wednesday night each have looked into it, but are unsure it will happen. “Providence House is the group,” Giordano said. “We’ve received nothing definitive from them.” -SEE BOARD 5 ON PG. 26- Attorney E. Christopher Murray (at podium) addresses the media during the Glendale Middle Village Coalition’s press conference Wednesday morning, Nov. 19, outside 78-16 Cooper Ave. in Glendale, where the city plans to build a homeless shelters. Among those also pictured include founding coalition members Robert Holden and Sal Crifasi. (photo: Kelly Marie Mancuso) During a public hearing in Manhattan last Thursday morning, Nov. 13, Elmhurst residents held up signs urging the Department of Homeless Services not to approve a plan to make the emergency shelter at the former Pan American Hotel permanent. Jennifer Chu of Elmhurst United is shown at right making her testimony. Mystery Lingers Over A Homeless Sanctuary At Ridgewood Convent
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