24 The Courier sun • MARCH 14, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com DEP NOW OFFERS SEWER INSURANCE BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has a new system to protect homeowners, their water and hopefully, their wallets. Residential property owners citywide are responsible for maintaining their water and sewer service lines, which can stretch underground from homes and out to the middle of the street. If any part of that line is compromised and needs repair, the cost could come from homeowners’ pockets. Under the new citywide program, the DEP has partnered with private company American Water Resources (AWR) and now offers a monthly fee to cover potential service line issues. As opposed to paying thousands of dollars to repair a water or sewer line break, costs for the AWR program run up to $12 a month. “This is such a simple process,” said Karen Ellis, borough coordinator for Queens at the DEP. “Everything is included.” For the fee, members receive unlimited protection for covered repairs, an unlimited number of claims, 24/7 customer service and licensed plumbers making fixes. “The service line protection programs are a key component of our ongoing effort to provide the best customer service,” said DEP Commissioner Carter Strickland. “By informing property owners about their responsibilities and providing an optional and affordable way to protect them from unexpected repair costs, the programs offer a valuable service to our ratepayers throughout the city.” Customers can elect to choose just the water protection program, just sewer line protection, or both. They may also discontinue their involvement at any time. Rates are subject to potential increases. AWR provides protection services in 35 states, according to Malcolm D. Connor, AWR president. For more information on AWR and the water and sewer protection programs, call 1-888-300-3570 or visit AWRUSA.com/NYC. Two Queens high schools closing BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA ctumola@queenscourier.com The Panel for Educational Policy has voted to close two New York City public schools and phase out 22 more, including two Queens high schools, according to reports. The Law, Government and Community Service High School, and the Business, Computer Applications & Entrepreneurship High School, both in Cambria Heights, will be phased out. The phase out of another Queens school, P.S. 140 Edward K. Ellington, was withdrawn last month, but the fate of another school in the borough still needs to be decided. On March 20, the panel will vote on the truncation of P.S. 156 Laurelton, which will eliminate its middle school. PHOTO COURTESY OF PS 140 P.S. 140 in Jamaica will remain open after the DOE threatened closing. SCHOOL SPARED DOE won’t close P.S. 140 BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com The Department of Education (DOE) has taken Jamaica’s Public School 140 off the chopping block. “There are a lot of good things happening here,” said Principal David Norment. Since taking over as principal last school year, Norment has made significant changes to the K-5 school, changes that were not evident on the latest DOE progress report. First, he implemented a system that would hold teachers, TAX MAN COMETH FOR GJDC BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC) may soon be required to start paying taxes on properties that were previously exempt, resulting in roughly $1 million more in the city’s coffers. About 15 GJDC properties in the area, many of which were rescued from vacancies, are now subject to real estate taxes imposed by the city’s Department of Finance, according to Carlisle Towery, GJDC president. “It’s precipitous,” said Towery. “It’s unsustainable to us to make those payments. It’s a huge share of our funds.” Towery also said that when the group contested the taxes, the city did not give them a reason as to why the changes were being imposed. “They just did it.” The properties, that have not traditionally been taxed, include parking garages and office buildings housing other non-profits, government-related groups or private profit-making tenants, according to Towery. “The city wants us to pay real estate taxes on all of the properties that we own, regardless of what they accommodate,” said Towery, although their non-profit tenants do not pay taxes to GJDC. GJDC attempted to negotiate with the city, and said these taxes would impair their advocacy at a critical time in the neighborhood’s development “while the rest of New York experiences an economic revitalization.” In a legal brief, GJDC cited the court’s interpretation of charities to include governmental and municipal purposes so long as the objectives are beneficial to the community. Furthermore, that the group has certificates containing the type of language that courts have ruled are entitled to a tax exemption. They claim that according to the court’s past behavior, GJDC should still be eligible for its traditional exemptions. The Department of Finance did not return calls and emails for comment as of press time. students and parents accountable. Students are now assessed every six weeks, which allows teachers and parents to identify in which area each individual student needs help. The teachers are able to alter their lesson plans, and parents receive information regularly about their child’s progress. “We really looked at creating a system to measure students’ progress and growth aside from city tests,” said Norment. The DOE threatened the ax last October, and since then, P.S. 140 parents, teachers and students fought actively to stay open. They held meetings, attended rallies and spoke with local elected officials. At a joint public hearing on Friday, February 22, the DOE decided to withdraw its phase-out proposal and leave P.S. 140 open. “Students, parents and community leaders pointed to promising quantitative and qualitative signs that suggest this school can get on the right track quickly,” said the DOE. “We’re making school not just testing and testing, but the whole child experience,” Norment said. “You don’t just make sudden changes, it takes time.”
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