4 The Courier sun • OCTOBER 9, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Group against proposed Glendale homeless shelter hosts first meeting 1-800-382-HOME(4663) for Housing www.sonyma.org BY SALVATORE LICATA [email protected] @Sal_Licata1 Hundreds of residents came out on Oct. 1 to the first meeting of the Glendale/Middle Village Coalition, a group formed to combat a proposed homeless shelter in a former warehouse on Cooper Avenue. The meeting at Christ the King High School was held to inform locals of the group’s plans for action against the shelter and to show them the ways they can help the cause, organizers said. “We want to prevent the warehousing of the homeless,” Kathy Masi, president of the Glendale Civic Association, said. “We are asking residents for help.” The Glendale/Middle Village Coalition has raised more than $30,000, which it intends to use to challenge a declaration by the city that said a homeless shelter would have no adverse effect on the community. “The city just went through the motions,” Chris Murray, the coalition’s lawyer, said. “If we win, the city will have to go back and do an Environmental Impact Statement. This could then take them up to three years to complete and will prolong the process.” But to continue the legal action the coalition asked locals to contribute money and for at least one resident on each block to become a “block captain,” who would keep neighbors informed and collect donation pledges. By the end of the night, more than 70 people signed up to become block captains and more than 50 checks were collected, organizers said. The coalition estimated that it will need about $100,000 more to fight the proposed shelter effectively. Sal Cafasi, one of the originators of the coalition, said the group will continue to hold meetings and update residents. The coalition has asked for the community’s continuing support throughout the process. “This is a battle and we will win it,” Bob Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, said. “The neighborhood is united against this. We need residents to spread the word.” The Department of Homeless Services did not respond to requests for comment. THE COURIER/ Salvatore Licata Hundreds of residents came out to the first Glendale/Middle Village Coalition meeting on Oct. 1. NEW ‘WELCOME TO HOWARD BEACH’ SIGN DONATED BY LOCAL ORGANIZATION BY SALVATORE LICATA [email protected] @Sal_Licata1 It’s a welcoming message. The old and beaten up Howard Beach welcome sign, located in the welcome triangle on Cross Bay Boulevard and 155th Avenue, will soon be replaced by a brand-new one, thanks to a donation by the Howard Beach Memorial Services. “We put the original sign up and realized that now it needs replacing,” said Ray York, a founder of the Howard Beach Memorial Services. The original sign has seen its better days. The paint is chipped, the bricks around it are out of place and there is a large hole in the bottom corner of it. The new sign will have a different look to it. Instead of being green with gold letters, it will have a white trim with a blue body and gold lettering along with the picture of a seagull on the top. The sign has been completed as of Oct. 7 and was created by ADP USA, located at 190 Beach 116th St. It will be installed within the next two weeks. The project for the new sign was part of the Howard Beach/Lindenwood Civic Association’s summer beautification list. The association was originally just looking for a person to come in and paint the sign, but York and the organization went a step further. The Howard Beach Memorial Services was set up by York and Ed Murray about two decades ago. The service has donated signs and flag poles all around the neighborhood, such as the ones in the welcome triangle, Wetzel Square and Charles Park. Replacing the beaten up welcome sign was something that just made sense for York and the organization. “The sign needed to be replaced,” York said. “People ask us if we can help them out and if we can do it, we do it.” Photo courtesy of Paul Ohana The new sign that will be installed at the welcome triangle in Howard Beach
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