Minutes from the September Civic meeting ( thank you to Kathy Lawless!)
And reminder October civic meeting is on this Thursday at 7 pm at VFW
BCCA September 26th, 2019
The meeting at the American Legion began at 7:08pm with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Dan Mundy Jr. with more than 100 people in attendance.
Treasurers Report- Tracey Harper Civic Assoc. – $15,341.18 Historical-$18,555.96 Old Civic- $7,270.16
Councilman Eric Ulrich addressed the assembly. He recognized the Mundys’ as being a driving force in the community and thanked them for their continued involvement. He also thanked Mrs. Lorenz , current principal of PS 47 for her diligence in resolving the many issues that exist in the school building and recognized Commissioner Grillo for her rapid involvement of the school construction authority to repair the facility. He spoke on the road repair taking place now on Cross Bay Blvd and advised that it is the most congested traffic corridor in Queens. The road repair should be going to 5thRoad and will have to remain milled for at least 14 days to insure that there was no infrastructure damaged during the milling process. Three crews will be working on this project and informed us that Commissioner Trottenberg came up with the additional funding needed to make this project happen.
Dan Brown of the Borough Presidents office advised that two task forces were working together to resolve Build it Back issues and they will be working along with Rudy Guiliani. He stated that the problems of the New York Rising projects are being addressed. The Sunset Cove project has much funding from the BP’s office with an additional two million dollars being earmarked for the 17thRoad Park makeover. The flooding issue on East 16thRoad will be addressed, awaiting a design plan from the DEP. A meeting concerning New York Rising projects will be held on October 10th. For any concerns please call him at 718-286-2853.
Dan Mundy gave a brief history of the journey towards Sunset Cove and the backstory of the American Ballfield and advised that the makeover of these areas was made possible due to our Councilman and Borough President.
Senator Joe Addabbo recognized all the efforts of the Civic Association and the Mundys. He stated that the need for a new school building for PS47 was imperative and commended Commissioner Grillo for her insight and plan for this school. He introduced Anthony Guidice as his new liaison to the communities he represents and stated that there would be a recycling event held at the Resort World Casino this weekend.
Captain Hall of the 100thPct. gave a report on the statistics of the area advising that auto larcenies have increased drastically and that all the cars were left unlocked. He asked all to lock their doors and remove possessions from vehicles. Many provided security video footage but there were no recognizable faces on them. They are increasing patrols and including the side roads. There was much discussion on obtaining Argus Cameras by Safety Committee Marty Feeney. Captain Hall advised that there is no time limit on your ability to report a crime and urged all those victimized to do so.
Dan Mundy Jr gave a brief history of the original construction of the building that now houses PS47 in 1950 and he recognized Sabrina Gross, vice president of the PS47 school leadership team, for her integral role in the decision that it is time for a new building for this school.
Sabrina Gross advised that her reports of conditions, i.e., no cafeteria, nutrition availability issues, limited space, no libraries, music or art room, no closets have helped arrive at this point and thanked Commissioner Grillo for this fantastic opportunity for the children of our community.
Commissioner Grillo said that her actual contact with PS 47 began more than 25years ago, when the PTA president-initiated discussions on the longevity of these temporary structures. She advised that this project has 100% of the support of the School Chancellor and showed a power point presentation of recent school constructions that consist of 3 stories, 400 seat capacity, rooftop mechanical systems that would house 3K through 8thGrade and contain a Kitchen, Cafeteria, Library, Music Room, Art Room and Gym-atorium. Community approval and community input are both necessary. She sympathized with the community, citing our obvious “construction fatigue”, but said there would be a Design Process meeting with people for input and design approval would be done in approximately 1 year, then out to bid with project completion in 24-30 months. The interim school to be used by students could be the Stella Maris campus in Rockaway. Transportation is being worked on already. Storm resiliency will be included, and outdoor space will be provided using the original footprint of the school. There will be no changes before the next school year. There was much discussion on the logistics of this project.
At this point a motion was made that the Civic Association support this undertaking. Motion made by Sean Tubridy and seconded by Dan Mundy, Sr. and unanimously passed by all present.
Street Raising Committee – All restoration work on 11th, 12thand 13thRoads will be completed by years end. Telephone poles are in the process of being moved now. Phase 2- The low bid came in from J.R. Cruz The telephone poles will start to be temporarily moved closer to the homes and work should start in 2020. The parking lot repairs at the American Ballfield should be forthcoming.
Yard Expansion Program-Marlene from HPD informed all that these open space properties are not to be built on. There are 21 properties in the program, * have been transferred. There are strict deed restrictions on these properties, they must remain as open space including wetlands. No permanent structures are permitted. If you are aware of anyone violating wetlands regulations, please call 311 and report it. Emails can be sent to bibyards@hpd.nyc.gov
Build it Back- Rudy Guiliani- advised that those who have been issued contractor liens because the contractors were not paid will receive a clearance letter from the County Clerks Office, all Build it Back homes will be free of liens before they close out. His phone number is 212-615-8332. There was much discussion on C of O and letter of completion issues and on individual problems. Rudy advised that if you are not satisfied with punch list issues please fill out the warrantee form available on the website. It is much more trackable.
Community Board 14- asked to put repair of the Sluiceway on the agenda. There was much discussion of the damage that rocks used in the beach replenishment project would be detrimental to the sluiceway if transported over Cross Bay Blvd. A motion was made that the community support a ban on trucking this stone on Cross Bay Blvd, and that barges be used as the method of delivery for this project by Joe Traegler and Jim Harper. All attending were in favor.
BCAC- Leo Chavanne- Advised that the summer was a great one with the Wildlings raising $23,000 for the AC. He thanked all of those involved including Grassy Point, Lisena Landscaping. Ace Hardware and Father Ahlemeyer. More than 500 kids participated in the Summer Basketball Program and 200 kids are playing fall soccer. The John Monahan Softball Game is in its 20thyear and the football program is growing. The senior team will be playing at MET Life Stadium on October 14th. Girls swimming registration is open currently.
New Business- There was much discussion on the design of the entrances to 11th,12thand 13thRoads. These designs were laid out in the original concept drawings by then Commissioner Maura McCarthy. Eric Ulrich introduced his new liaison person, Matt Pecorino and advised of a festival at Victory Field on October 12th. The issue of a traffic light being needed at 1stRoad was revisited and the street raising probability on the East side was discussed.
A Nominating Committee for 2020 Civic Board Members was formed consisting of Dan Mundy Sr. and John McCambridge.
Motion was made to adjourn by Dan Mundy Sr. and seconded by Jim Harper