Please bring your quality of life issues to this meeting to be addressed.

Reminder:  Save $$ on your theft insurance and deter car thieves by taking advantage of the VIN Etch (Vehicle Identification Number) that Comet will be co-sponsoring with the 104th and 110th Precincts at Maspeth Federal's parking lot on 69th Street/Grand Avenue on Saturday, April 30th between 1:00 and 5:00 pm. 

You can also arrange for a free home security survey by the NYPD.  They will give you low-cost tips that could deter a burglar. 

The VIN Etch will be cancelled if it rains.  It doesn't matter where you live to take advantage of this program.   Maspeth Federal will have a big shredding truck in case you have important documents you wish to dispose of.   Council Member Elizabeth Crowley has arranged to have an E-truck on hand to collect electronics such as computers, monitors, cell phones, etc.

On Saturday, April 30th beginning at 1:00 pm, Comet, Maspeth Federal and Council Member Elizabeth Crowley will be holding an Earth Day event at the bank's parking lot.  The event will most likely be cancelled if it rains.

• Do you have a lot of paper that needs shredding?  Maspeth Federal is arranging to have a huge shredder on site.
• Do you want to deter car thieves plus save money on your theft insurance?  Comet will be on hand to help the NYPD VIN Etch your car.  Take advantage of this opportunity because these events are usually held on weekdays.
• Do you have old cell phones, computers, batteries, etc.?  Council Member Crowley has arranged for an e-waste truck to be on site.

We're still working on other programs that might benefit you.  Stay tuned.  We'll keep you updated.

Hi Everyone,

I'll try to give this to you in a nutshell:
* Brooklyn wants a park in what is now being used as an Access-a-Ride parking lot for 150 vehicles.
* They looked around for city-owned properties to find another site for these Access-a-Ride vehicles and found one on 49th Street in west Maspeth - a block away from the huge MTA bus depot that currently houses 200 buses and a few blocks away from 59th/Maurice Avenue that has a parking lot for a bunch of paratransit vans.  Are you beginning to see the problem here?
* The Brooklyn councilman who is pushing for this site did not speak with our Queens elected officials including Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer and Elizabeth Crowley. 
* Brooklyn is trying to "sneak" this new depot into Maspeth behind our elected officials backs and our backs and one Brooklyn elected official said they're supporting this because Greenpoint is organized and has a loud voice.  Do you get the picture??
* Council Member Van Bramer is fighting back with support from other electeds from our community but Comet needs your help to back up their efforts.
* We don't need more traffic, we don't need more pollution and most of all we don't want Brooklyn's Access-a-ride vehicles driving through OUR neighborhoods.  We are not a dumping ground for other boroughs!  Why should Brooklyn get a park
at our expense?  Remember, we're trying to get a park at the St. Saviour's site.  The City doesn't have $$ to get us a park, but they have the funds to move the Access-a-ride over to Queens and clean up the contaminated site!  Brooklyn needs to find a site in Brooklyn.
* All I ask is that you pick up the phone and call the Brooklyn elected officials and tell them you are outraged by their sneaky tactics and we are prepared to fight back.  Let's show them who's united!  Their names/numbers are below:  Pass this on to your friends, neighbors, family.

Councilman Stephen Levin @ 718-875-5200
Assemblyman Joseph Lentol @ 718-383-7474
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez @ 718-599-3658

COMET Vice President Richard Gundlach, Assembly Member Marge Markey, COMET President Roe Daraio, Council Member James Van Bramer, Maspeth Chamber of Commerce member Tony Nunziato, Juniper Park Civic Association President Robert Holden, Council Member Elizabeth Crowley at March 4th press conference about proposed MTA depot in Maspeth.

THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER JIMMY VAN BRAMER
47-01 QUEENS BLVD, SUITE 205
SUNNYSIDE, NY 11104
(718) 383-9566

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MARCH 4th 2011**

CITY & MTA IN A RUSH TO DUMP DEPOT IN MASPETH

Council Members Van Bramer, Crowley, Assemblywoman Marge Markey and Local Elected Officials unite with Concerned Residents to speak out against the Proposed Location

On Friday, March 4thCouncil Member Jimmy Van Bramer, Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and Assemblywoman Marge Markey united with local elected officials and concerned residents to speak out against the city and MTA’s proposed Bus Depot site in Maspeth. The proposed site on 49th Street and Galasso Place would be the third MTA depot in an area that is already saturated with commercial traffic. The rush job in selecting Maspeth as a potential site has raised concerns about the secretive process that gave no notice to the community or to local elected officials.

The selection process by the city and the MTA for potential locations fails to include notice to local elected officials and community members – a key element for any development decision that greatly impacts the quality of life in the area. There has been no environmental impact study to determine the impact that the bus depot will have on the community and there are no estimates as to how much remediation cleanup will cost taxpayers. The lack of community input, paired with the lack of such essential decision making information has caused great concerns by Council Members Van Bramer, Crowley and Assemblywoman Markey who united with local elected officials and residents to protest against the proposed location.

“Maspeth cannot and will not be a dumping ground for MTA Depots,” said Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer. “The attempt by the city and the MTA to consider this location without taking into consideration the environmental impact to the area or the community’s input is troubling. There are five other boroughs and the MTA and the city need to dump this depot somewhere else. Maspeth needs more green space – not additional traffic and pollution.”

"Maspeth residents have been burdened with the City’s truck traffic for over a decade—we need to be greening these streets, not polluting them,” said Council Member Elizabeth Crowley. “As the community looks forward to finally implementing the Maspeth Bypass Plan that will reduce truck traffic on our local streets, the MTA’s plan for a Maspeth Bus Depot will sets us back to ground zero.  I stand with my colleagues in government and the residents of Maspeth when I tell the MTA to do right by Queens and keep the Bus Depot out of Maspeth."

“Maspeth is already doing its share for the MTA as the home of two transit facilities,” said Assemblywoman Margaret Markey. “This third depot does not belong here. Just as we are seeing progress in our decade-long fight to reduce the commercial traffic that clogs the streets and pollutes the air in Maspeth, this project is a set-back that we cannot accept. Less congestion, safer streets and better air quality is what we need, not a third MTA transit depot.”

“Apparently the MTA doesn’t think it is bad enough that Maspeth residents already have to deal with a barrage of truck traffic. If they did, they wouldn’t be discussing the possibility of relocating a bus depot into the community – a move that would bring even more pollution, noise and disruption to Maspeth,” said Rep. Crowley. “Maspeth residents have been plagued by excessive traffic for far too long, and it is time for that to end. I urge the City to reconsider the plans to transplant the bus depot to Maspeth and to take into account both the concerns of the community and the impact on the environment. Maspeth residents must not only be heard, but listened to.”

 “I am concerned with the plan to relocate the MTA bus depot to Maspeth,” said Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. “The lack of notification and community input is alarming.”

“What Maspeth needs is more green space, not another bus depot,” said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. “When it comes to traffic, Maspeth is already receiving more than its fair share. And, when it comes to the number of MTA depots in one community, Maspeth already has two.”

"The MTA is outrageously favoring one neighborhood over another without the courtesy of even notifying the affected community," stated State Senator Michael Gianaris. "Maspeth already has two other bus depots and a plethora of truck traffic on its local streets. It is time to stop dumping on Maspeth and give the residents of Queens the respect we deserve."

“I strongly oppose burdening Maspeth with a third bus depot,” said Assembly Member Michael Miller. “The local residents should not be forced to cope with the additional environmental strain. Maspeth’s transit infrastructure is already overstressed. Also, there is no reason to reach this decision in secrecy, with no public input. This is unhealthy, unsafe, and unfair."

Although no final decision has been made by the MTA and the city as to where the bus depot will be placed, it is clear that elected officials and Maspeth residents will fight to protect their community.

Our drag racing problem was the lead story on Eyewitness News tonight:

Maurice Avenue is flat, straight and newly paved. There are no stop signs or stop lights for nearly a mile, making it the perfect spot for drag racing.

"They have spotters looking out for police. They have communication signs. They know how to trick the cops," resident Armand Czapkowski said.

"There are hundreds of people out here. Cars parked in the driveways. It's kind of scary. They're running rampant," Cawley said.

So with the help of council members Jimmy van Bramer and Elizabeth Crowley, residents in both Woodside and Maspeth are urging the department of transportation to put in speed humps, speed grooves, traffic lights and speed cameras.

They're passing around petitions hoping something gets done before someone is hurt or killed.

CBS 2 News and Fox 5 also covered the story.

We were just advised by a COMET member that the con man, who has been going to homes to try to get money for his mother's prescriptions, just hit again.  Please pass this on to your neighbors and e-mail everyone you know!!!   The incident occurred this morning at 8:00 am in the vicinity of Fresh Pond Road/60th Road in Maspeth.  The victim, who forked over $40, is too embarrassed to come forward and refuses to make a police report.  The person who told our COMET member will continue to urge the victim to make a report or at the very least contact Council Member Elizabeth Crowley's office so maybe her staff can urge her to make a report.   The con man had "salt & pepper hair" which matches the description given by our Elmhurst member.!  Call 911 if you spot him ringing doorbells and tell the 911 operator that he matches the description of an individual who is conning residents.  Don't forget to be prepared to give a description, height, weight, ethnicity, clothing, etc.   One of our members e-mailed me and said he has a camera by his door and will snap the perpetrators photo if he rings his bell.  Great idea!!