VOLUME 42, No. 2 NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2018
NEXT MEMBERSHIP MEETING:
Mark your calendar! Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, October 25, 2018 at 7:45pm at Church on the Hill 35th Ave between 167th and 168th Street.
Our guest speakers will be Al Harris from Con Edison to discuss power issues, construction and bills and a representative from NYC Department of Design and Construction to cover the on going water main project.
There’s still time to Pay your dues or make a donation to the BFHA Legal Reserve Fund and now it’s even easier than ever! We now accept Credit Cards and Paypal.
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, September 9th * A musical history tour of Rock & Roll and Doo-Wop & Pop 3pm at Bowne Park bring a blanket or a chair and your dancing shoes!
Thursday, September 20th * The Closing of Riker’s Island Meeting at Mary’s Nativity (meeting room) 46-02 Parsons Blvd. 7:00PM. Use the entrance on Jasmine Ave. Large parking lot and wheelchair accessible. Refreshments will be served.
Thursday October 18th the Bowne Park Civic and BFHA will co-host a candidates night at North Presbyterian Church on 154th Street and 26th Ave. More info to follow.
Join our Facebook Group for up to date information.
Order a plaque for your home or as a gift for your neighbor. If you would like to order a plaque, please visit our website and select “Order a Plaque” This will take you directly to the manufacturer who has given a 10% discount for all Broadway-Flushing Plaques. If you need help installing your plaque reach out to us because we know who the “handy” neighbors are and they would love to help you!
Broadway-Flushing Homeowners’ Association vice president Joseph Brostek witnessed the passing of the gavel at the Association’s recent executive board meeting. Janet McCreesh the organizations 29th president turns the gavel over to incoming leader Kevin Morris
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Members,
The May General Meeting had an agenda that was rather full, but all the items on it were successfully addressed. One of those was the “passing of the torch,” from a slate led skillfully by President Janet McCreesh to a slate which featured me as the Association’s 30th president.
I have lived in the BFHA area over 50 years and have been a member of the Association for 30 of them, serving as Secretary/Treasurer and Maintenance Chairperson. After the May meeting, I received a tutorial from the immediate past president on pending issues and am looking forward to establish relationships with the city agencies that have particular relevance to our quality of life.
Shortly after the gavel was passed, I went to a presentation by the Parks Department at its Queens HQ in Forest Park. (Getting there involved many wrong turns and reminded me of how little I knew of Queens streets which are west of College Point Blvd.) In a well-appointed conference room at the Overlook, a 1930’s mansion which has been altered for educational and administrative purposes, seven managers spoke about their jobs with the agency.
Who knew that Parks teaches children how to ride bikes? Or that a nature trail has been cut through the southern edge of Willow Lake? When I met Stephanie Joseph, Community Outreach Coordinator, I told her how pleased BFHA was to learn that the children’s program had been returned to Bowne Park. She graciously replied that many moms from our area had called the Queens Director to thank her for this restoration.
To be candid, I felt that I was not dealing with an anonymous, unresponsive city agency. Ms. Joseph was most cordial and offered her card, asking me to spread the word that Parks is responsive to its constituents and is eager to act upon issues raised by Flushing residents.
In June I represented the Association at the 109th Precinct Community Council meeting at St Luke’s Hall and met our Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCO’s) Mark Wilson and Thomas Dean.
This gathering covered issues in Whitestone – but I wanted to meet these officers and get an idea of how another city agency “meets the people.”
Again, I was pleasantly surprised – to rub elbows with “our own” officers changed my rather dated views of the NYPD. They addressed a particularly dangerous intersection in Whitestone, mentioned the need to lock cars, windows, and doors. Low-level crimes of opportunity are the meat and potatoes of the 1-0-9. Kids at night will walk down a street testing car door handles. If one is open, they enter it and clean it out. They are not planning a burglary or a mugging – their nocturnal activity is contingent on luck.
For your reference, PO Wilson may be reached at 718.321.2264 and PO Dean’s number is 717.321.2250.
Zombie houses are a huge problem in less fortunate neighborhoods. Our abandoned and neglected residence is at 35-22 167th Street. In early July, Senator Tony Avella led a rally in the heat and humidity of mid-summer in front of this address. The owner made a surprise appearance and claimed that he wanted to re-hab the house which, due to neglect, is a prime candidate for demolition. His claims were dismissed as bogus. When one of the crowd said that his parents lived on 29th Avenue, the rally moved 3 blocks north. Senator Avella reiterated the owner’s dismal record of broken promises and his desire to get the city to tear it down.
Your association will do its utmost to keep zombie houses from proliferating. However, we have to operate within the law. Condemnation proceedings and subsequent removal of a nuisance are city responsibilities. At this point, the residence is boarded up and the gate across the driveway is padlocked. If the property again attracts undesirables, the best policy is to call 911.
Another summer issue was a bordello, reported operating on 155th Street between Northern Blvd and 35thAvenue. The era of kicking the door down and arresting the inhabitants has gone. In addressing a similar problem on 168th Street last year, police parked a marked car in front of the establishment and the business dried up. The Association has received no recent complaints on this issue. If more complaints are brought to our attention, we will notify our NCO’s at once.
I hope to meet you at the October meeting.
Sincerely,
Kevin Morris
30th President
Broadway Flushing Homeowners’ Association
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