4 NOVEMBER 30, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Glendale fumes after vandals trash
students’ fl ag and art display
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@ROBBPOZ
Installed only a few weeks ago, a
large American fl ag and a mural
that local schoolchildren created
under a Glendale railroad trestle
was damaged by vandals during the
Thanksgiving weekend.
Residents and Assemblyman Mike
Miller reported that someone punched
large holes into both the 20-foot-long
fl ag and the artwork that had been
propped up on plywood against the
retaining walls of the trestle at the
corner of 75th and St. Felix avenues.
It’s not yet known exactly when the
vandalism occurred, or how many
vandals were involved in the act. Nevertheless,
the episode drew the ire of
local residents and those involved in
the project, who called for the persons
responsible to be prosecuted.
According to Miller, the fl ag and
artwork were created by students involved
in an aft er-school program that
the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council
(GRYC) oversees at nearby P.S. 68. A
sign bearing the young artists’ names
was also installed — and destroyed by
the unidentifi ed vandals.
“It’s an absolutely deliberate act,”
GRYC President Bob Monahan told
QNS in an interview on Nov. 27. “Those
kids worked so damn hard on it, I can’t
even begin to tell you. It’s just not right.”
Michael and Julia Sileo, who reside
near the trestle, were similarly disgusted
by the vandalism. They contacted
Miller’s offi ce and the NYPD aft er
spotting the damage over the weekend.
“I can view it from my bedroom
window. When the light refl ected on
it, it was beautiful,” Michael Sileo said
of the fl ag and artwork. “When they
do that to the fl ag, it disturbs me very
much.”
Miller, who helped make it possible
for the fl ag and artwork to be installed
under the railroad bridge, vowed that
eff orts would be made to repair the
damage.
“We’re going to try and fix it as
best as we can,” said Miller, who condemned
the vandalism as “a cowardly
act by idiots.”
Police sources said the incident is
being investigated. Monahan and Miller
are hopeful that businesses near the
trestle may have captured images of
the perpetrators on security cameras.
Anyone with information about the
vandalism can call the 104th Precinct
at 718-386-3004.
Serving up something special in Glendale
Photo courtesy of Kerrie Hansen
The Kiwanis Club of Glendale served good cheer and great food during its Pancake Breakfast on Nov. 26 at St.
Pancras Pfeifer Hall. In honor of the club’s 65th anniversary, the group charged guest a throwback price of
$5 per person for a feast that included pancakes, bagels, cake, juice, coff ee and tea. Proceeds from the event
will be used to support the Glendale Kiwanis mission of serving local children through various community events
and scholarships. Members of Maspeth Town Hall and the Grover Cleveland Key Club helped Kiwanians during
the breakfast, according to Glendale Kiwanis President Kerrie Hansen.
