The New York City Department of Transportation Division of Bridges will fully close the Grand Street Bridge over Newtown Creek on Saturdays from April 2nd through May 14th, from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.

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.

Please click the link below to voice your opposition to the City Council's plan to rename the Queensboro Bridge after former mayor Ed Koch.  They would never think of renaming the Brooklyn Bridge, so why the Queensboro?

Leroy Comrie is the head of the Queens delegation. Call him at 718-776-3700 and tell him that what he needs to do is call a vote of the Queens delegation on record, then ask for delay of the full council vote.

http://www.petitiononline.com/QBrename/petition.html

Hi Everyone,  

ALERT #1  Keep your eyes out for a burglar matching the following description:  Male black, about 40 to 45 years old, approximately 6' to 6'2" tall, very thin about 180 lbs.  He was last seen wearing a black North Face jacket and work boots.  He was seen pushing a regular shopping cart (not the one from the supermarkets).  He was caught on a surveilance camera doing a burglary in the confines of the 110th Precinct  and is a suspect in multiple residential burglaries in Elmhurst near the Woodside border.  At our Comet meeting tonight, one woman stated she believes she saw him near the driveways of residential homes on 57th Avenue near PS 58/Mazeau Street.  Another woman claims to have seen him towards west Maspeth.   If anyone sees an individual matching this description CALL 911.  Tell the operator that "this individual matches the description of a person wanted for multiple burglaries in the 110th Precinct".  It doesn't matter what precinct you live in - just call.  The responding precinct will reach out to the 110th detectives.  You will not get in trouble if you are mistaken.  

ALERT #2  Elmhurst residents, there have been quite a few car breakins in the area bounded by Queens Boulevard to approx. 80th Street between Grand Avenue and 58th Avenue.  The perpetrator(s) are breaking car windows and stealing items.  If you hear glass breaking, look out your window, try to get a description and call 911 immediately!   Alert #3  We continue to have a problem with cars being stolen in our area.  We are currently working with the precincts to set up a couple of events where folks can sign up for car theft prevention programs which may also give you a discount on your auto theft insurance.  I'll let you know when/where the events will be.   Crime Stats - I'm not listing cars that were broken into and GPS's stolen, etc.  Everyone should know better than to leave valuables in cars.  I'm also not going through all the crime statistics, but here's what I think you should be aware of.  

104th Precinct burglaries - residential home on 58th Avenue/69th Street, about 9:00 am, entered through rear of home;  60th/Flushing Avenue, tools were stolen from a commercial vehicle;  60th/Flushing Avenue a business was broken into and money stolen;  51st/69th Place, residential home and perpetrator entered thru rear window;  48th/Maspeth Avenue commercial business.
104th Precinct car thefts - 53rd/63rd Street;  53rd Drive/62nd Street.  
108th Precinct robbery - 70th Street/Queens Blvd a person was robbed.  108th anti-crime witnessed the incident and made arrest.
108th Precint burglaries - residential home on 59th Place/48th Avenue;  residential home at 66th Street/Laurel Hill Blvd.;  business on 72nd Street/51st Avenue.
108th Precinct car thefts - 2 autos stolen on 61st/50th Avenue;  66th Street/49th Avenue. 
110th Precinct robberies -  Grand Avenue/Van Kleeck;  Grand Avenue/82nd Street.
110th Precinct burglaries - Commercial business at Queens Blvd/Ireland Street;  residential door kicked in on Queens Blvd/Dongan;  front window of residential home on 70th/Elks Road.
110th Precinct car thefts - Hoffman Drive/Queens Blvd;  57th/Seabury Street;  Van Kleeck/Grand Avenue;  79th/Calamus Avenue;  Van Loon/Queens Blvd.

Pols and residents say 'no' to new Maspeth depot Queens Courier
unseen things Newtown Pentacle
MTA and city are depot despots: Pols Ridgewood Ledger
Community blasts city for MTA bus depot plan Queens Chronicle
Community Gives Proposed MTA Depot Site Emphatic No Forum West
Electeds Unite To Oppose Maspeth Bus Depot Queens Gazette
MTA move out of Brooklyn into Maspeth meets contention Queens Ledger
A Call to Action from GWAPP That Greenpoint Blog

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         
March 9, 2011                                                                                             

SCHUMER ANNOUNCES QUEENS TO RECEIVE MUCH-NEEDED FUNDS TO COVER SNOW REMOVAL COSTS AFTER HISTORIC CHRISTMAS STORM

Dec 26-27 Storm Buried Queens With Worst Snow In Recent Memory, Shutting Down The City For Days, And Leaving City With Millions in Clean-Up Costs

Under Newly Announced Expansion of Disaster Declaration, Queens Now Eligible For FEMA Reimbursement of Emergency Snow Removal Costs

Schumer: Queens Deserves Funding Assistance and Now It’s Getting It’s Due

Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer announced that President Obama has expanded the major disaster declaration for the State of New York issued after the devastating snow storm on December 26 – 27 to include snow removal assistance for Queens County. The original declaration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency only included assistance for Nassau, Rensselaer and Richmond Counties despite equally significant damage throughout New York City. During the storm, Queens localities struggled to clear roads, railways, subway and airport facilities while simultaneously providing emergency services to citizens. The designation allows reimbursement for emergency costs associated with snow removal in Queens.

“The Christmas snow storm left massive clean-up costs in its wake, but now Queens will get the help it deserves for the significant removal costs incurred in Queens after the storm,” Schumer said. “This storm was one of the worst New York City has seen in years, but by expanding the disaster declaration to include snow-removal costs for Queens, we can help make sure hard-pressed New Yorkers don’t have to shoulder these clean-up costs alone.” 

The violent storm that slammed New York City and the surrounding areas on December 26th and 27th left a path of destruction unseen in decades, leaving cash-strapped communities across New York with hefty cleanup costs. Over 16 inches of snow fell in Queens County, leaving hundreds of residents stranded, shutting down all of JFK and LaGuardia airports, and leaving hundreds of roads buried in snow for days. The storm immobilized ambulances and caused major disruptions to the Long Island Rail Road and Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where 500 A train riders were stranded by snowdrifts fοr seven hours. On top of record snow, the City was slammed by 30 to 50 mile per hour winds, creating poor visibility, and large snow drifts.

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.