Minutes of Community Board 8 Board Meeting held on October 21 2009

							Minutes of Community Board 8 Board Meeting held on October 21, 2009 at the Hillcrest Jewish Center, 183-02 Union
Turnpike, Flushing, N.Y.

Attendance:
Board Members Present: Dilafroz Ahmed, Richard Amron, Dr. Allen J. Bennett, Maurice Braithwaite, Susan D. Cleary,
Kenneth Cohen II, Maria DeInnocentiis, Bernard Diamond, Patricia Dolan, Mary Maggio Fischer, Carolann Foley, Kevin
Forrestal, James Gallagher, Jr., Joshua Glikman, Marc A. Haken, Tami Hirsch, Steven Konigsberg, Mark J. Lefkof, Agatha E.
Michael, Tammy Osherov, Simon Pelman, Jesse Rosenbaum, Steven Sadofsky, Anna Sawchuk, Seymour Schwartz,
Harbachan Singh, Norma Stegmaier, Martha Taylor, Robert Van Pelt, Alvin Warshaviak, Jacob Weinberg, Stanley
Weinblatt, Sylvia Weprin and Albert Willingham.

Absent: Jagir Singh Bains, Carolyn Baker-Brown, Allen Eisenstein, Florence Fisher, Howard A. Fried, Robert Harris, Janet
Kramer, Martha Levine, Mitch Lisker, Frank Magri, Frances Peterson, Charlton Rhee, Annie Salvatore and Michael F.
Sidell.

Others Present: Assemblyman Rory Lancman, Susie Tanenbaum representing Queens Borough President Helen
Marshall, Valli Cook representing Queens College, Elkanah Reed representing Assembly Member Mark Weprin, Aiysha
Jaggassar representing Senator Shirley L. Huntley, William R. Vasquez representing HANAC Inc., Meghan McCormick
representing Congressman Gary Ackerman, Claudia Filomena representing CAU, Mayor’s Office, District Manager Marie
Adam-Ovide, Jamise Jones and Barbara Mckeon, CB8 Staff Members.
Call to Order:
Chairman Alvin Warshaviak called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.

Public Participation:
Mr. Hersh Parekh is here this evening on behalf of the Bill Thompson for Mayor campaign. Election Day is exactly 13
days away, on November 3, 2009. It is time that we send a message to Republican Michael Bloomberg that eight years is
enough. It is for Mr. Bloomberg’s self interest that he be allowed to run a third term. Mike Bloomberg has not utilized
the Community Boards as a Mayor should. Community Boards have not been consulted about changes to zoning rules
and developments in their neighborhoods. If elected Mayor, Bill Thompson will make sure that Community Boards will
get the respect they deserve. Mr. Parekh would love to see everyone come out and help with the campaign. Their
office is located at the Queens County Democratic Headquarters in Forest Hills at 72-50 Austin Street.




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William Vasquez representing HANAC urged home owners, landlords, tenants, contractors and maintenance personnel
to take advantage of HANAC’s FREE courses & services. Learn how to recognize lead hazards, learn your obligations as
an owner or tenant under the lead laws, become certified as a lead safe worker, apply to have lead hazards in your
building reduced for FREE. Make your home Lead Safe, save money – stay healthy! For information about the HANAC
Lead Program, call William Vasquez at 718-626-9033.

Assemblyman Rory Lancman
    Welcomed everyone at the meeting. He reminded everyone that he is here to help in any way that he can.
    His club dinner will be held on November 19th.
    He represents six community boards. He loves all the community boards equally, although, he truly misses
      serving on Community Board 8.

Aiysha Jaggassar representing Senator Shirley L. Huntley
     Senator Huntley is pleased to present a series of free workshops on “How to Form a Not-For-Profit Corporation
        in New York State”. To be held at York College 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Jamaica, NY from 6:30 p.m. –
        9:00 p.m.on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 – Registering with the NYS Attorney General & the NYS Department of
        Taxation and Finance. For more information, please call Lois Menyweather at 718-523-3069.
     Invited everyone to attend a forum on domestic violence for women, men, teenagers and children on Thursday,
        October 29, 2009 6:30 p.m – 8:30 p.m. – The Harvest Room 90-40 160th Street, Jamaica, NY 11432.
     The Census 2010 is very important for our community. We need everyone’s participation to make sure they are
        filling out the forms. Please get involved.

Approval of Minutes
Marc A. Haken made a motion to approve the minutes of September 9, 2009, seconded by Dr. Allen Bennett.
Board Members who approved the minutes: Dilafroz Ahmed, Richard Amron, Dr. Allen J. Bennett, Maurice Braithwaite,
Susan D. Cleary, Kenneth Cohen II, Maria DeInnocentiis, Bernard Diamond, Patricia Dolan, Mary Maggio Fischer, Kevin
Forrestal, James Gallagher, Jr., Marc A. Haken, Tami Hirsch, Steven Konigsberg, Mark J. Lefkof, Agatha E. Michael,
Tammy Osherov, Simon Pelman, Steven Sadofsky, Anna Sawchuk, Seymour Schwartz, Harbachan Singh, Norma
Stegmaier, Martha Taylor, Robert Van Pelt, Alvin Warshaviak, Jacob Weinberg, Stanley Weinblatt and Sylvia Weprin.

Count in favor:   30           Opposed:       0             Abstained:     0

Chairman’s Report
    The Hillcrest Jewish Center Day Camp sent Community Board 8 a thank you card made by the children
       themselves showing their appreciation to the Community Board.
    Congratulations to Howard Fried. He was installed by the Queens District Attorney, Judge Richard Brown, as the
       new President of the Jamaica Estates Association.
    Congratulations to Susie Tanenbaum. She will be honored Sunday, October 25th by the Northeast Queens
       Jewish Community Council for outstanding service to the community.
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       Congratulations to Simon Pelman on the engagement of his son.
       Chairman Warshaviak real aloud a letter that will be sent to Rev. Father Harrington, President, St. John’s
        University. The letter listed homes that have been identified as being used for student housing. Complaints
        from the community have been received by the Community Board about loud parties on the weekends and
        suspected underage drinking. The Community Board is requesting his assistance in holding these students
        accountable for their actions off campus as they are on campus.
                - Pat Dolan requested a similar letter be sent to Queens College as well.
   •    Carolann Foley requested the following invitation be announced:
                The 107th Pct. Community Council presents our Annual Children’s Halloween Party on Saturday, October
                24th from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the 107th Pct. located at 71-01 Parsons Blvd. Everyone must wear a
                costume!!! All children will receive candy and must be accompanied by an adult.

District Manager’s Report
     District Manager’s Report was distributed.
     District Manager Marie Adam-Ovide introduced Community Board 8’s newest staff member, Jamise Jones. She
         works with us part time as a Community Service Aide and she will be trained to be acclimated to various
         Department of Building issues. Jamise said hello to everyone and she is very excited to be working for the
         Community Board.
     NYPD – 107th Precinct – The precinct reported that crime is lower in all categories within our district. I sent a
         letter to the Deputy Inspector requesting a copy of the ComStat to be submitted to us at the District Service
         Cabinet every month.

       DFTA– The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) will start on November 11, 2009. If you have received HEAP
        in the past, then you will automatically receive an application. If you do not receive an application by November
        15, 2009, please contact 311.

       DOT– As of September 4, 2009 all street defect complaints placed to 311 have been routed out to the
        Department of Transportation. They will be inspected within ten (10) days to ascertain whose responsibility it is.
        A follow up inspection will be made after 60 days to ensure that the problem has been corrected.

       The Department of Transportation informed the Borough Cabinet yesterday that a new project will start in a few
        weeks. It is the reconstruction of bridges and approach roadways on the Belt Parkway. This work will bring the
        Belt Parkway in compliance with the federal and state safety standards. Some of these requirements are: wider
        lanes, safety shoulders, median barriers and realignment of the approach roadways. Right now there is a draw
        bridge, which is at 35 feet and does not allow for clearance for vessels to pass. The draw bridge will no longer be
        operational. It will be replaced by a new bridge elevated to 60 feet.

        This is a five-year project scheduled to end in 2014. There will be some lanes closures except during rush hour.
        Traffic will not be rerouted to the side streets. There are some incentives in place to encourage the prompt
        completion of the project. There is an incentive/disincentive clause where contractors will receive a $500,000 a

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       week bonus for each week that the job is completed early or fined $500,000 for each week that it is late. During
       the project, DOT anticipates that many trees will have to be removed. At the end of the project, there will be a
       landscaping contract to beautify the area. As required by the New York State Department of Environmental
       Conservation, there will be some ecological mitigation.

       For more information, please contact the Belt Parkway Community Liaison Office at 347-702-6437 Ext. 114, go
       to www.nyc.gov/dot or send an email to: SevenBeltParkwayBridgesOutreach@gmail.com

       Department of Design and Construction – The contract for Project HWQP1183, which comprises of pedestrian
       ramps, sidewalks, curbs, plants, lighting, catch basins and hydrants, originally scheduled to start at the end of
       2009 has been postponed. It will probably start in spring 2009. I will keep you posted.

      Reminder - Daylight savings time ends on Sunday, November 1, 2009. Remember to turn your clocks back an
       hour. Most importantly, please change the batteries in your fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

      Happy Birthdays to: Susan Cleary, Howard Fried and Robert Harris who are celebrating a birthday this month.


Department of City Planning Report – Ian Hegarty
      None

Borough President’s Office – Susie Tanenbaum
    Susie Tanenbaum thanked Board Member Dilafroz Ahmed for her attendance at the Ramadan event held at
      Queens Borough Hall.
    Susie also commended Board Member Tammy Osherov for being such a strong advocate for the Klein Farm
      property. Borough President Helen Marshall wrote a letter to the President of JDF Realty, Inc. explaining to him
      the Klein Farm is located in what is called a Special Planned Community Preservation District. The City Planning
      Commission must approve all development within such a district. She trusts that you are aware of these
      responsibilities of ownership and that you would abide by the restrictions specific to this Special Planned
      Community Preservation District.
    Census 2010 is less than six months away. The U.S. Constitution mandates that we take a census. Everyone in
      this country is supposed to be counted every ten years. This determines how much Federal funding we will
      receive and it also has an influence on congressional district formulas. Only 55% responded to the Census ten
      years ago in NYC and only 54% responded in Queens. Almost 50% of our population was not counted in the
      Census. For our purposes, that Federal funding was lost. This is pretty disappointing and we really need to do
      much better this time around. Borough President Helen Marshall will be holding a press conference on
      Tuesday, November 10, 12:30 p.m. in room 213 followed by a kick off meeting for leaders in the community
      who are interested in strategizing for the 2010 Census.




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Committee Reports:
BSA 728-29 BZ – Exxon Mobil Station – 154-04 Horace Harding Expressway – Steve Konigsberg – Zoning Chair
     Zoning Chair Steve Konigsberg explained that a public hearing was held on September 30, 2009 regarding an
        application to extend the term of the zoning variance for a period of ten years for a gasoline service station
        located on Kissena Blvd. and the L.I.E.
     Three Board Members were present at the hearing. Basically there was no controversy on this property. All
        three Board Members recommended that the variance be approved to extend the term for a period of ten
        years.
The Motion:
Marc A. Haken made a motion to approve BSA 728-29 BZ, seconded by Jesse Rosenbaum.
The Vote:                 33 in favor           0 opposed             0 abstained
Board Members who voted in favor: Dilafroz Ahmed, Richard Amron, Dr. Allen J. Bennett, Maurice Braithwaite, Susan
D. Cleary, Kenneth Cohen II, Bernard Diamond, Patricia Dolan, Mary Maggio Fischer, Carolann Foley, Kevin Forrestal,
James Gallagher, Jr., Joshua Glikman, Marc A. Haken, Tami Hirsch, Steven Konigsberg, Mark J. Lefkof, Agatha E. Michael,
Tammy Osherov, Simon Pelman, Jesse Rosenbaum, Steven Sadofsky, Anna Sawchuk, Seymour Schwartz, Harbachan
Singh, Norma Stegmaier, Martha Taylor, Robert Van Pelt, Alvin Warshaviak, Jacob Weinberg, Stanley Weinblatt, Sylvia
Weprin and Albert Willingham.

FY2011 Capital& Expense Budget Priorities – Maurice Braithwaite – Secretary (Interim Budget Chair)
Capital Budget Priorities for Fiscal Year 2011
     Interim Budget Chair Maurice Braithwaite met with the Area Chairs to discuss the FY2011 Capital & Expense
        Budget Priorities.
     The “final” Capital & Expense Priorities list was distributed out at this meeting.
     Mr. Braithwaite thanked the members for their professionalism and determination to get the budget priorities
        finalized. It was a very well run meeting.
The Motion
Mark J. Lefkof made a motion to accept the Community Board 8’s Capital Budget Priorities for Fiscal Year 2011,
seconded by Dr. Allen Bennett.

The Vote                        33 in favor             0 opposed                0 abstained
Board Members who voted in favor:
Dilafroz Ahmed, Richard Amron, Dr. Allen J. Bennett, Maurice Braithwaite, Susan D. Cleary, Kenneth Cohen II, Bernard
Diamond, Patricia Dolan, Mary Maggio Fischer, Carolann Foley, Kevin Forrestal, James Gallagher, Jr., Joshua Glikman,
Marc A. Haken, Tami Hirsch, Steven Konigsberg, Mark J. Lefkof, Agatha E. Michael, Tammy Osherov, Simon Pelman, Jesse
Rosenbaum, Steven Sadofsky, Anna Sawchuk, Seymour Schwartz, Harbachan Singh, Norma Stegmaier, Martha Taylor,
Robert Van Pelt, Alvin Warshaviak, Jacob Weinberg, Stanley Weinblatt, Sylvia Weprin and Albert Willingham.




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Expense Budget Priorities for Fiscal Year 2011
The Motion
Mark. J. Lefkof made a motion to accept the Community Board 8’s Expense Budget Priorities for Fiscal Year 2011,
seconded by Dr. Allen Bennett.

The Vote                 33 in favor            0 opposed                0 abstained
Board Members who voted in favor:
Dilafroz Ahmed, Richard Amron, Dr. Allen J. Bennett, Maurice Braithwaite, Susan D. Cleary, Kenneth Cohen II, Bernard
Diamond, Patricia Dolan, Mary Maggio Fischer, Carolann Foley, Kevin Forrestal, James Gallagher, Jr., Joshua Glikman,
Marc A. Haken, Tami Hirsch, Steven Konigsberg, Mark J. Lefkof, Agatha E. Michael, Tammy Osherov, Simon Pelman, Jesse
Rosenbaum, Steven Sadofsky, Anna Sawchuk, Seymour Schwartz, Harbachan Singh, Norma Stegmaier, Martha Taylor,
Robert Van Pelt, Alvin Warshaviak, Jacob Weinberg, Stanley Weinblatt, Sylvia Weprin and Albert Willingham.




Adjournment
The Board Meeting adjourned at 8:14 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Barbara McKeon – CB8 Staff
October 23, 2009




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