4 The Courier sun • APRIL 14, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com THE COURIER/Photo by Anthony Giudice The former mob-owned Casablanca restaurant in Maspeth is up for sale. Former mob-owned Casablanca restaurant in Maspeth ‘hits’ the market By Anthony Giudice agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com/@A_GiudiceReport Here’s looking at you, kid: a real estate deal you can’t refuse. The former Casablanca restaurant in Maspeth, once owned and operated by the boss of a major New York crime family, is currently up for sale. The site, located at 62-15 60th Lane, boasts a 5,250-square-foot building on 1,800 square feet of land. According to DY Realty Services‘ listing, the property includes a usable basement, a full sprinkler system, an overhead drive-in door and great signage visibility. Although it is currently used as a warehouse for distributing manufacturing products, it was once a popular neighborhood restaurant belonging to Joseph Massino, who was at one point the head of the infamous Bonnano crime family. Massino made headlines in 2011 by testifying in federal court against his former associate, Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano, after the former restaurant owner’s conviction in July 2004 for seven murders, including the killing of three rival Bonnano family captains in 1981. It was reported that Massino agreed to help federal prosecutors in order to avoid the death penalty for his own crimes. The location would be ideal for a warehouse or restaurant with easy access to public transportation, such as the Q38, Q39, Q54 and the QM24 and 25, as well as the Long Island Expressway. For more information about the listing, contact Brian Jaffe at 718-729-7474 or visit the dyrealty.com. TIME TO SPLIT 105TH PRECINCT, LAWMAKERS SAY By Erica Siudzinski editorial@qns.com/@QueensCourier Two Queens politicians are looking to ease the burden of police officers. Councilmen Barry Grodenchik and Donovan Richards introduced a resolution calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton to split the 105th Precinct into two standalone commands. The 105th Precinct covers most of the area along the Queens-Nassau border, running from Queens Village and North Shore Towers in the north to John F. Kennedy Airport and Rosedale in the south. Currently, the precinct serves over 188,000 residents, 80,000 more than the average New York City precinct. This overcrowding in the 105th has led to the slowest 911 response time when responding to serious crimes in progress, compared to neighboring precincts. The 105th covers the fourth-largest geographic area of all the city’s precincts, with a territory about half the size of Manhattan Island. The community has been petitioning for a new precinct for over 35 years, with little response. Back in 2012, state Senator Tony Avella introduced legislation aiming to subdivide the 105th and 109th precincts in order to better distribute the burden on the region’s officers and to improve response times for residents. The city offered a mild concession to eastern Queens in 2007, opening the 105th Precinct Satellite in Rosedale. The satellite, positioned in the southern portion of the precinct, was meant to relieve response times for residents who live far away from the precinct headquarters in Queens Village. Just a month ago, the satellite expanded to a 24-hour operation by adding 18 additional officers and two sergeants. Grodenchik praised the city’s dedication to increasing police presence, but insisted this satellite was not enough. This resolution is the continuation of Grodenchik’s fight for additional police resources in his district. Richards noted that resources were inadequate considering the taxes residents in the area pay, particularly in the Laurelton, Rosedale, and Springfield Gardens communities. “Safe streets are the bedrock of any community,” Grodenchik insisted. “We need a new precinct to ensure that all residents of the communities served by the 105th Precinct know that help is just a call away.” Water outage map would help keep Queens keep track of problems, says lawmaker By Miguel Vasquez editorial@qns.com/@QueensCourier New York City should create a special map to let residents know where there are planned or surprise water outages, according to a bill introduced on April 7 in the City Council. This bill will require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to create a map depicting exactly where the water outages are occurring and an approximate time of when they will end. All notifications will be posted on the DEP and city’s website. Previous to the introduction of this Intro. 1156 bill, the DEP’s main method of informing the public was by posting flyers. Unfortunately, due to external circumstances, flyers would often be blown away or damaged, and residents would not receive these notifications. According to Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, the bill was brought about in response to complaints from residents who felt that they were left in the dark when these outages occurred. “It’s a quality-of-life issue,” Van Bramer said. “It’s not difficult or complicated for DEP to provide this data to New York City residents, but it’s incredibly frustrating to turn on the tap, have no water come out, and not be able to find any more information.” Deputy Leader James Vacca, who also sponsored the bill, feels that it is more than necessary: “In the case of planned outages, it’s a no-brainer to have this information online and available ahead of time. In the case of unplanned outages, it’s critical that status updates be made available as quickly as possible.”
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