October 2003 - Little Neck Pines Civic Association, Inc

							             LITTLE NECK PINES CIVIC ASSOCIATION
                        NEWSLETTER
                       OCTOBER 2003

  Little Neck Pines “Town Meeting”
   The Little Neck Pines Candidates Night was a good turnout from our community,
where we learned first hand of the campaign agenda of both City Councilman Tony
Avella and Phil Ragusa. We reached out to both candidates to share with the
audience their views and visions for Northern Queens. Democrat Tony Avella who
is completing his first term as City Councilman is being challenged by Republican
Phil Ragusa, a CPA from Beechhurst.
   Questions were raised on taxes, zoning and immigration. Ragusa, although not
new to politics, however is new to this arena. Both focused on taxes; Ragusa
voiced his opposition to the current City Council’s large tax increases, whereas
Avella focused on the inevitable, yes the City is in terrible economic shape after
9/11, however, other alternative measures could have been taken. Avella did not
vote for the 18.5 real estate tax increase, however he did vote for the 25 percent
absentee landlord increase.
   Ragusa emphasized that he would focus on cleaning up some of the
bureaucratic red tape, therefore reducing costs within the city and creating some
form of an audit system within the various city agencies. Ultimately this would
generate more revenue.



111th Precinct

         The September 25th meeting was the first time that many of us met
  Captain Thomas Pilkington, the new commander of the 111th precinct. Captain
  Pilkington, new to this area of Northern Queens noted that this area is very
  decent and safe. A LNP board member raised the question that if we see a
  homeless person who should we contact The answer was simply, contact 311.
  Captain Pilkington was made aware of the double, triple parking problem on
  Marathon Parkway. As we all learned, this is not an a typical occurrence at most
  schools nowadays. Captain Pilkington again focused on calling 311 to voice your
  concern
         At times, you may see Captain Pilkington in and around our town. In order
  to learn about the neighborhood, he is an advocate of “hands on” training. So,
  don’t be surprised if you see him out in a Patrol Car and checking on his precinct
  to see how the neighborhoods are. He is enthusiastic and very pleased to have
  been placed in this precinct and we all welcomed him aboard.
   A Message from the Little Neck Pines President
          I would like to acknowledge the positive response I have received from
you, the members. The large turn out at our Town Meetings by the community
shows that you care about Little Neck. We have made great accomplishments
since the Pines was resurrected almost three years ago. The Pines has working
relationships with our elected officials in the City and State, the 111th Precinct and
Community Board 11. We have testified at the City Council on zoning reform and
have stood behind Councilman Avella on legislating to control the decisions by the
Bureau of Standard and Appeal. We are members of the Queens Civic Congress
and are working to change the zoning laws. The Pines is committed to speak out
when Little Neck is not getting our fair share.
          The Pines Board of Directors are volunteer homeowners who care about
their community. We have other volunteers who deliver flyers, post notices and
man tables at our Town Meetings and other events. All this is done within our
community. We are slowly pulling together. Our message is simple; protect your
largest investments, your family, your home, your quality of life, and the future.
         Please contact us with your thoughts and ideas. If you can help, please
volunteer. If you know your neighbors who are not members, talk with them about
the Pines and get them interested in our community.
         I Thank you for your continued support.
                                                       Bob Nobile, President


In and Around our Town
           If you noticed Bob Nobile, Greg Pizzigno of the Pines and Tony Avella
roaming around the streets of Little Neck, you were correct. Both Bob and Greg
were pointing out concerns that we had in the area, graffiti, signage and potential
traffic problems that are creating concerns in the neighborhood.

Con Ed
   There is a phony Con Ed worker trying to gain entry to homes in the North
Flushing area and also one report of that happening in our town. Be alert. Ask to
see identification. Call Con Ed at 1-800-752-6633 to find out if they have someone
scheduled to be on your block that day and specifically scheduled to be at your
house. Call the police and report what happened. Above all, do not let him into you
house unless you are sure he is legitimate.
Hats off to Tony Avella!!
   I’m not sure how many of you are aware of the large billboard sign on
approximately 169th street and Northern Boulevard which was in non-English,
advertising, I understand for a taxi service. Through the efforts of Tony Avella and
the Flushing community the sign was brought down by the Taxi and Limousine
Commission.
    On my way home from Manhattan one evening, I noticed the sign and it raised
some concerns. With all good intentions, I had planned to bring it to the attention of
the LNP, however, I did not find the time during the week. One morning I was
listening to WOR 710 on the radio, to hear Ed Walsh talking about it and relaying
how the sign was taken down. Ed Walsh then proceeded with a “Call In” segment of
his show regarding the opinions of people regarding non-English signs. I was
astounded to learn how so many people are offended by these signs. Many felt it
was offensive that by having signs in non-English that you are not welcoming
English speaking residents of the community into your store .
   It was refreshing to hear others voice their opinions but discouraging to learn how
they feel lost in the large political bureaucratic arena.

  Community Church Flea Market
          Mary Meuws , Laura James and Greg Pizzigno were seen at the
  September 20th Flea Market at the Community Church on Little Neck Parkway.
  They stepped up to the occasion and gave up a Saturday to chair a booth for the
  Little Neck Pines. They all agreed it was a good turnout.

LNP Members attend City Council Meeting
   Some of the members of the Little Neck Pines Board (Bob Nobile, Judy
Oderwald and Don Oderwald) joined Councilmen Tony Avella and John Liu at City
Hall last month when Tony Avella introduced legislation which would overturn
zoning variances and special permits granted by the City Board of Standards and
Appeals. This legislation would address the decisions that have been made in the
past which negatively impacted our communities. As it stands now, the Board of
Standards and Appeals is a five-member board appointed by the mayor, of which
they have the final word on many zoning variances and “special” permits which are
requested by developers. These developers, often times have no stake or presence
in the community. We have all seen the change in our communities. This new
legislation addresses many of our concerns. It would amend the City Charter to
allow the council to sustain, modify or overturn Board of Standard and Appeals
decisions on the behalf of the community.
                           Photo courtesy Times Ledger 2003



                            Upcoming Events
  Keep the date open. November 20th is our next scheduled “Friends of the
Pines” Town Meeting. We decided to step back a minute and honor those who
have supported our community with our first “Friends of the Pines“ meeting. At this
Town Meeting, we will not only discuss the Oakland Ravine Project, but will
recognize those people who help our community in a special way from the PS 94
school crossing guard to our volunteers, to past civic leaders. Senator Frank
Padavan, Councilman Tony Avella and CB11 Chairman Jerry Iannece will also be
honored. Join us for recognition of their efforts for our community.
   You may be wondering what is the Oakland Ravine Project and what does this
have to do with those of us in the Little Neck area? The answer simply is “A Lot”.
As with other districts in Queens, poor drainage and flooding has been a long-
standing problem. Existing outlets are not sufficient to handle all of the water that
flows, both below and above ground. This project will resolve this problem for a
number of the areas in Queens, Springfield Gardens, Bayside and other. The
entire project is a three tier project, one of which will be an initiative to correct
drainage problems that have been affecting our neighbors in surrounding areas for
quite some time. We will feel the impact when traveling on Northern Boulevard
when the installation of a 3 million gallon sewage storage facility between the Cross
Island Parkway and Northern Boulevard starts. The new units will contain eight
dams to prevent the discharge of the collected rainwater into Alley Creek. Come to
the meeting on November 20th for a more detailed explanation.