Queens Crap

Black cat relaxes on a midsummer's day

2008-08-21T14:00:00.001-04:00

I saw this photo on Gothamist today and it inspired me to post the following short series of black cat photos. Taken on 58th Avenue in Maspeth.

Granny mugger gets nabbed!

2008-08-21T13:39:00.000-04:00

Six years ago, Detective Walker had arrested a man named Cornelius Abson in a similar robbery: he had followed a woman home from a check-cashing facility, waited for her to get off the elevator, and then put her in a chokehold until she passed out, Detective Walker said.

Man Is Arrested in Mugging of Woman, 85, in Brooklyn Elevator

“I remembered the case, and the body features were the exact same,” Detective Walker said.

That information helped lead the police and detectives to the arrest of Mr. Abson, 36, on Wednesday on charges that he robbed Lilian France, 85, in the elevator of an apartment building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, last week.

Mayor and Council may pull a fast one

2008-08-21T06:51:00.003-04:00

MAYOR'S '3RD TERM' MANEUVER
By SALLY GOLDENBERG and MAGGIE HABERMAN, NY Post

Mayor Bloomberg is considering extending term limits through a deal with the City Council that would allow him another four years, while also boosting lawmakers' time in office, sources told The Post.

Bloomberg has publicly said he intends to leave when his term ends on Dec. 31, 2009, but has privately expressed interest in undoing the city's cap of two four-year terms with a legislative change, not a public referendum, sources said.

Bloomberg has recently indicated he believes he has plenty of time next year to work out an arrangement with the council, sources said.

"It's more 'yes' than 'no' right now," a source said. "They think they have time to wait until after the [November] election."

Extending term limits through legislation could be controversial, because some believe they can be changed only through a public referendum.

The Post first reported in April that Bloomberg was contemplating a move on term limits.

Bloomberg and council Speaker Christine Quinn both denied a deal is being considered.

"As the mayor has said again and again, and as recently as yesterday, he expects to serve out his second term, and then turn the office over to someone else," Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said.

Quinn "has never spoken to the mayor or anyone in this administration about this," said her spokesman, Jamie McShane.

Deutsche Bank never had demo permit

2008-08-21T00:59:00.000-04:00

Contractors tearing down the contaminated former Deutsche Bank building in Lower Manhattan never had a formal demolition permit, even though they were undertaking one of the most complicated efforts ever to dismantle a skyscraper.

Inquiry Lays Out Chain of Failures in High-Rise Fire

When a fire broke out last Aug. 18 at the tower, it took roughly 80 minutes to get water on the flames, in part because workers there waited some 13 minutes to call 911 and then gave firefighters inaccurate information about whether emergency equipment at the site was working.

And communication lapses further disrupted the firefighting response. Walkie-talkies failed, and critical calls for help went unheard. Men were lost in the confusion. One firefighter’s radio problems forced him to crawl to the building’s edge to report that two imperiled colleagues — Robert Beddia, 53, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33 — were trapped by stairwells that had been sealed off. Both men were killed.

An end to self-certification?

2008-08-21T00:56:00.000-04:00

Controversial building review plan may get ax
BY BRIAN KATES
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, August 20th 2008, 10:30 PM

The Buildings Department's controversial policy of approving architectural plans without review could be scrapped for just $7.5 million a year, a new study shows.

The so-called self-certification program has been blamed for building collapses, property destruction and zoning violations since it began in 1995.

The study by the city's Independent Budget Office estimated the program could be eliminated for $7.5 million a year plus a one-time $1.5 million expense in the first year.

Dropping the program would require hiring 50 plan examiners and 19 support staffers, the publicly funded agency said.

Under the current honor system, plans are automatically approved on the promise of architects and engineers that they confirm to zoning and building code.

In fiscal year 2007, the Buildings Department audited 24% of the self-certified plans, revoking 21% for violations.

"We don't have a dollar figure on the cost of the damage this program has done, but it is far more than the cost of eliminating it," said City Council Minority Leader James Oddo (R-S.I.), who requested the study.

Oddo said the cost would be minor if the change is phased in over several years.

"The department has been cracking down on architects and engineers who abuse the program," Buildings Department spokeswoman Kate Lindquist said. "We look forward to reviewing the report's findings."

More info here: IBO Letter

Jamaica Avenue bike shop celebrates 90 years

2008-08-21T00:48:00.000-04:00

It was August 1918 when Sicilian immigrant Salvatore "Sam" Bellitte decided to open a bicycle shop in Jamaica, Queens on what was once Fulton Street, now Jamaica Avenue.

"It was a very inexpensive means of transportation,” said Sal Bellitte, Sam Bellitte’s grandson. “Wonderful for New York City, and I believe he had the foresight to see that."

Now, 90 years later, the shop is still in the same spot and is still run by the Bellitte Family.

Queens Bicycle Shop Still Popular After 90 Years

World's Fair garden in Staten Island

2008-08-21T00:42:00.001-04:00

Most people who walk into a septic cleaning facility wouldn't expect to see more foliage then in a rain forest.

Then again, most people don't have Michael Fortunato's green thumb.

"When I was a kid, I won a medal from the Herald Tribune as the best junior gardener in the city," boasted the Tottenville horticulturist, planting since he was 10. "It's framed and hanging in the principal's office over at PS 18."

And despite winding up with a career in the septic tank industry, a very successful one for that matter, the love of plants never left the 76-year-old Fortunato.

A one-of-a-kind green thumb

...over the years, the boulders have become pedestals for mosses and ivies; the saplings have turned into a lush green backdrop, and the flowers have given rainbow blankets to earth.

Other unique items include the bamboo garden, the cauldron of ruby-red flora, and the ivy-laden porcelain of a bathroom sink. Then there's most notably, the famous Trylon and Perisphere from the 1939 World's Fair, rescued during a repair job and converted into garden centerpieces.

He also grows vegetables with faces. Really.

Glacéau's faux pas on a pole

2008-08-21T00:30:00.000-04:00

To judge from the colorful advertisements strapped to a lamppost at Broadway and 155th Street, Glacéau Vitaminwater is concerned about breaking the law.

“Legally, we are prohibited from making exaggerated claims about the potency of the ingredients in this bottle,” says the label on an oversized, silhouetted reproduction of its dragonfruit drink.

In that spirit, we’d like to bring the company’s attention to Section 10-119 of the New York City Administrative Code...

An Illegal Ad Boasts of Obeying the Law

Improved state spending transparency

2008-08-21T00:24:00.000-04:00

An interesting website has been put together to document how state money is spent. It's called See Through NY.

Willets Point businesses heard loud and clear

2008-08-21T00:18:00.000-04:00

A group of business owners opposing Mayor Bloomberg's rezoning plan for Willets Point slowed traffic around Shea Stadium before yesterday's Mets game by putting on the streets trucks carrying slogans such as "Hands Off Our Land, Bloomberg!"

Business Owners Send Strong Message on Willets Point

Protesters and public officials at yesterday's rally focused on one aspect of the debate: Even if the proposal is voted down, the mayor's office has not ruled out using the power of eminent domain to take over the land.

"It might sound old-fashioned, but I believe that, in America, the right of property owners is sacred," Council Member Hiram Monserrate, who represents Willets Point, said at the rally.

The vice president of a Willets Point water and sewage product distributor, Thomas Mina, called the mayor's plan a "concept," saying the administration had not made the details of its proposal clear.

"I'm not against development, but let the businesses here take part in it," he said. "If the city would put in infrastructure like sewers and roads, the area would develop itself. Corporations would want to come, there would be none of this perceived unsightliness, and we wouldn't be displaced."

Answer to a burning question about occupancy

2008-08-21T00:16:00.000-04:00

From the forum over at Brownstoner:

How many can live in 1 family house?

One of the commenters dug this up:

"NYC Housing Guidelines: Sec. 27-2075 Maximum permitted occupancy

No dwelling unit shall be occupied by a greater number of persons than is permitted by this section.

Every person occupying an apartment in a class A or class B multiple dwelling or in a tenant-occupied apartment in a one- or two-family dwelling shall have a livable area of not less than eighty square feet. The maximum number of persons who may occupy any such apartment shall be determined by dividing the total livable floor area of the apartment by eighty square feet. For every two persons who may lawfully occupy an apartment, one child under four may also reside therein, except that a child under four is permitted in an apartment lawfully occupied by one person. No residual floor area of less than eighty square feet shall be counted in determining the maximum permitted occupancy for such apartment.

The floor area of a kitchen or kitchenette shall be included in measuring the total liveable floor area of an apartment but the floor area for private halls, foyers, bathrooms or water closets shall be excluded.

A living room in a rooming unit may be occupied by not more than two persons if it has a minimum floor area not less than one hundred ten square feet in a rooming house, or one hundred thirty square feet in a single room occupancy."

Now good luck getting this enforced.

International graffiti taggers from Queens pinched

2008-08-21T00:06:00.000-04:00

They are the Bonnie and Clyde of the graffiti world, and now a Queens woman and her boyfriend have been arrested, suspected of causing more than $100,000 in damages at transit facilities around the city, Newsday has learned.

But the suspects problems aren't just local: the couple just got back from three months in Europe, where they dined, partied - and tagged their way through 10 or so countries, according to law enforcement sources.

"They had a mad bombing trip," one source said.

At least one of those countries - France - has expressed an interest in prosecuting the duo, the source said.

NYC pair eyed in European graffiti spree

One of the suspects, Danielle Bremner, 26, of Woodside, apparently knew she was being sought and flew from Europe to Chicago, where authorities there arrested her Tuesday night.

Her boyfriend and alleged accomplice, Jim Clay Harper, 23, who is from Chicago but had been living in Queens, left Europe with Bremner and was arrested at JFK International Airport, also on Tuesday night.

"We consider her the number one active female tagger, possibly in the country, definitely in New York,'' the source said. "He's a big player. He just hasn't been caught. Now he has, and his status in the graffiti world will definitely go up."

Funky Flushing photo

2008-08-21T00:03:00.000-04:00

If you want to sum up the Flushing experience in a double-exposure, this is the way to do it. Planes flying low over a too-crowded mess.

Lens | Flushing

No more minding their own beeswax

2008-08-21T00:00:00.002-04:00

That tall building on the double wide lot at 73-37 Grand Avenue was believed to be an old hotel. For decades, there were grape vines growing in the front yard, giving the place a certain spookiness.
Here's the site today. What can we look forward to here? Store at ground level and 12 apartments. Recreation on the roof and only 6 parking spaces. Yeah, that'll be enough with all the stores along Grand... But wait, do I see a posted paper with red lettering on it? Yes, I do!
Here's the adjacent building that was undermined and vacated. The two buildings on the left are vacant and for sale, but the one between them and the empty lot is actually the location of a division of a successful manufacturer. Well, it was, anyway.

Crown Container takes City's offer

2008-08-20T19:16:00.005-04:00

From the Times Ledger:

One of the most outspoken business owners in the fight to redevelop Willets Point has signed an agreement with the city to relocate his business to western Queens.

Jerry Antonacci, owner of Crown Container Co., told the TimesLedger Wednesday that he signed off on a deal that would move his waste transfer business to Maspeth if the city's redevelopment plans are approved by the City Council. Antonacci, a member of the Willets Point Industry and Real Estate Association, had been one of the most vocal critics of the Economic Development Corporation's ongoing negotiations with business owners in the area.

"We worked through a lot of stuff. I feel confident moving forward," he said. "They offered me a really good deal."

Antonacci said despite the agreement, he is still adamantly against the use of eminent domain to acquire property at Willets Point.

"Even though I made the deal, I still feel passionately about that," he said. "I do not want to see eminent domain used on any of the businesses here."

The proposed site is located on 48th Street near Grand Avenue in an M3 district at English Kills.

Protest at Pasta Lovers tomorrow

2008-08-20T15:48:00.003-04:00

WHAT: Council Member Tony Avella will hold a press conference with Community Action Against Neighborhood Construction to protest the construction of Pasta Lovers’ proposed 21-story hotel/apartment building.

Currently, the Department of Buildings has already issued a stop work order for working without approved plans, among other issues.

WHEN: Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 1:00 PM

WHERE: In front of the proposed construction site at 123-32 82nd Avenue, Kew Gardens, NY 11415.

WHO: Council Member Tony Avella & Community Action Against Neighborhood Construction, a coalition of Kew Gardens residents

Another Attempted Assault Reported In Queens

2008-08-20T11:10:00.000-04:00

By: NY1 News

Police are looking into another attempted sexual assault in Queens, which happened early this morning in Jamaica.

An attack was reported just after 3 a.m. at 168th Street and Hillside Avenue. It's unclear if it will be linked to a string of attacks in the borough.

Police are still looking for the suspects behind 14 assaults in Jamaica, St. Albans, and Springfield Gardens dating back to November.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the NYPD is doing everything it can to find those responsible.

"We've done a lot as far as preventive patrol is concerned," said Kelly. "We have a lot of resources in the area. We put a task force together involving our detectives from our Special Victims Squad and our Queens Detectives Task Force."

One of the suspects is wanted for eight attacks from November through July. Police say the other suspect has attacked six women at bus stops since last month.

Police say a teenager taken into custody yesterday for allegedly inappropriately touching an 18-year-old woman last month is not involved in the assaults.

Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Willets Point protest tonight

2008-08-20T02:41:00.002-04:00

Tonight - Wednesday, August 20th at 5pm sharp - Councilman Hiram Monserrate will lead a press conference and protest against eminent domain at 36th Avenue and 126th Street. A pre-game truck rally will follow. Please come out to support the businesses and landowners of Willets Point.

Stavisky gets Koo thrown off ballot

2008-08-20T02:05:00.003-04:00

A judge has ruled that Republican state Senate candidate Peter Koo is ineligible to run in Queens this fall - jeopardizing his upstart challenge to Democratic state Sen. Toby Stavisky.

The misstep led the incumbent's camp to call Koo's run a "sham," while Koo's camp vowed to fight the "dirty trick."

Stavisky challenged Koo's residency in Queens Supreme Court, charging that Koo, a respected Flushing businessman, actually lives on Long Island.

Koo admitted he still owns a home in Port Washington, L.I., but said he has been living in a condo on 41st Ave. in Flushing since January 2007.

But Justice James Dollard tossed Koo off the ballot in the 16th Senate District because Koo was only able to prove only that he has lived there since April.

State law requires a Senate candidate to live in the county in which they are running for one year prior to the election - in Koo's case, this November.

Stavisky's camp was quick to declare victory yesterday.

"Peter Koo's candidacy is a sham," crowed Stavisky spokesman Joe Reubens.

Koo, who was cross-endorsed by the Conservative and Independence parties, was appealing the decision yesterday, said spokesman Oliver Tan.

"This is just a dirty trick that the Stavisky campaign is playing," Tan said. "They want to take the vote away from the voters and put this election in the hands of the court."

Judge rules against GOP hopeful Koo in Senate bid; L.I. residency a no-no

Hey, look at it this way. This will energize Koo's base to propel him to victory in the next contest. It also shows you how very afraid Toby is of him.

Weiner parks his SUV wherever he wants

2008-08-20T01:56:00.004-04:00

A traffic agent eyed the Ford hybrid SUV parked on 63rd Drive in Rego Park in front of the Key Food in a no-standing zone.

He didn't seem to notice, or care, about the removable sign on the door that showed the car was the mobile office of Rep. Anthony Weiner.

"I have a parking shield," Weiner told the agent, standing a few feet from the store's fruit stands.

"And a discount on melons," he joked, trying to lighten the situation with one of his trademark off-the-cuff quips.

He took his office on the road this week for a series of "Weinermobile" stops in his SUV.

Rep. Anthony Weiner going all out for 2009 mayoral bid

Why does Weiner get special parking privileges when everyone else is getting theirs taken away?

Food Cellar opens in Queens West

2008-08-20T00:50:00.000-04:00

Food Cellar & Co. Market opened Wednesday on the ground floor of a posh residential building on Center Blvd. - near the Pepsi-Cola sign along the East River.

"It's a nice store with high quality products - but you pay for it," Brenda Pech, 30, said while perusing produce with her 4-month-old daughter, Sophia.

She said she normally takes the subway to Whole Foods in Union Square - not exactly a picnic with Sophia in a stroller. "The prices at Whole Foods are more affordable," Pech said, noting the store is "definitely tailored" toward yuppie residents of the high-rise towers dotting Queens West, a state-run redevelopment project.

New market Food Cellar & Co. opens in Hunters Point

Food Cellar is co-owned by Erhan Bahcecr, who is president of Amish Market, which has four stores in New York City. Bahcecr and his business partner, Metin Mangut, bristled at the notion the store is "high-end." They said they are a local company that sells local produce and ensures everything is all-natural.

Food Cellar's debut was marred by picketing from Local 1500 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Organizer John Mallen said Amish Market has been investigated by the state and federal government for unfair labor practices.

Bahcecr said Food Cellar is independent of Amish Market and added: "We learned our lesson."

Amish Market: Here's yet another example of a business that labor organizers are unhappy with, but did not meet any resistance by city pols. Not only that, but it's located in a "state-run redevelopment project." Yet Walmart has been locked out of private developments in the Big Apple for years by pols using the anti-union excuse. Why is that?

Bringing electrifying bowling to Electchester

2008-08-20T00:46:00.001-04:00

A Nassau County businessman has promised to pump $1 million into an outdated Queens bowling alley once he takes over on Sept. 1, calming fears the rundown pin paradise would become the borough's third to close this year.

New owner vows to shift Fresh Meadows' JIB Lanes into fast lane

John LaSpina, who owns two alleys in Brooklyn and two in Long Island, has inked a deal to operate JIB Lanes in Fresh Meadows - with plans to install LCD scoring monitors and set aside "boutique lanes" with a portable bar for private parties.

"We'll make it contemporary," vowed LaSpina, 59, as he roamed the dimly lit bowling alley recently. "We'll have purples and yellows and boldness, and the before-and-after will be real striking."

Tucked in the basement of an electrical workers' union headquarters on Parsons Blvd. near Jewel Ave., the 48-lane alley fell into disrepair after its longtime operator, Ruben Dankoff, died at age 92 in 2003.

LaSpina also announced he's in the mix to open an alley at the Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale. City Councilman Anthony Como (R-Middle Village) is trying to broker a deal between LaSpina and Atlas Park development director Damon Hemmerdinger.

Thank God Anthony is finally tackling the tough issues and has his priorities in order. Anyone remember this?

Parking lot comes at expense of trees

2008-08-20T00:40:00.000-04:00

Schervier Nursing Care Center’s plans to build a parking lot — which required chopping down mature trees on the Palisade Avenue border of its property — is not sitting well with neighbors.

Several Palisade Avenue and Kappock Street residents called The Riverdale Press last week distraught and angry after three trees were felled.

Neighbors aghast after Schervier chops down trees

A city Department of Buildings spokesman said the city is awaiting the owner’s plans. The agency will then determine if the loss of trees will cause run-off problems. If that’s the case, Schervier will be required to install a drainage system.

The new parking lot, set in from the nursing home’s western edge along Palisade Avenue, will be about 21-feet wide and 180-feet long and will accommodate 18 cars. Joe Gordon, engineer and former aide to City Councilman Oliver Koppell, was hired as the project manager.

Ms. Baker said part of the impetus for the project is the lack of parking spaces in the area — something she says is an inconvenience to the entire community.

With a good number of nursing home visitors each day and more than 500 employees, Schervier needs to provide more spots, she said. The company also recently added transit checks as an incentive for employees to take public transportation to work.

Stephen Murrell, director of facilities, said the project was designed “so that there would be minimum destruction on the lot,” but admitted that he had made no effort to reach out to residents because, “I wasn’t instructed to and I didn’t think of it.”

Addabbo vs. MTA hike

2008-08-20T00:31:00.001-04:00

The MTA has a widening budget gap of nearly $900 million and it expects transit riders to pay the bill. But I am not convinced that service has improved since March, even when the MTA raised the monthly MetroCard rate, a move that targeted commuters rather than tourists, yet the MTA expects the middle class to shell out more for the shortfall. We heard a similar theme in March when the mayor introduced congestion pricing as a way to funnel federal tax dollars to the subway system, which would've placed an undue financial burden on Queens residents, many of whom live in areas ill-served by public transportation. Queens is the fastest growing borough in the city, but we have disproportionately fewer subway lines, the majority of which run along the central arteries of the borough. Residents in southeast Queens, and even in areas such as Middle Village and Ridgewood, are not privileged with a great number of subway stops and rely overwhelmingly on surface transit. Neither of these two proposals, the fare hike nor congestion pricing, is right for Queens, which is why I oppose them both.

Fight the hike! Don't let MTA keep on milking middle class for cash

I'm starting a campaign to Fight the Hike in order to make our voices heard. Visit www.fightthehike08.com to register your opposition and find out what you can do to keep the subway affordable. Look for me at various Queens subway stops where I'll be out talking to commuters and collecting signatures, so we can let the MTA know that Queens says "no" to any future fare hikes.

More here: MTA fare hike plan bytes, 2 pols say

The death of Fresh Meadows?

2008-08-20T00:21:00.001-04:00

Catherine Almon has lived on 166th St. in Fresh Meadows all her life. Her parents bought the wood frame Cape Cod-style house two years before she was born.

"All those years, it has been such a wonderful place to live," said Almon, 56. "Now, I am worried."

She and her neighbors along 166th St., between Metcalf and Lithonia Aves., are none too happy about a new arrival at 49-23 - a house that dwarfs the others on the block.

But instead of just wringing their hands, these neighbors launched an unusually organized campaign to make sure the house conformed to local zoning.

Residents fight to stop McMansion, say it will kill Fresh Meadows

Jim Ford, who has lived on 166th St. for 28 years, said he's worried about the future of the neighborhood.

"Since the stop-work [order] was lifted they have been working like crazy," Ford said. "What is going to happen is they are going to build to a point where the city will say 'What the heck. The house is finished so we will not have them tear it down.' "

Almon also fears the trend toward bigger houses will destroy the area's cozy feel. "When that happens," she said, "this neighborhood as we know it will die."

Jim is smart. That's exactly what will happen. Pay a few hundred dollars and you can keep your out-of-scale house. That's how we do things in NYC, NY, USA. Looks like they tried the old "ALT 1" ruse here but built a new house instead.