But instead of being applauded for what Shulman saw as a "win-win" situation, she soon found herself defending the merits of the new ice rink to local civic groups, who saw it as little more than a penalty box being imposed upon the natural landscape of the park.

Parking was the number one concern of neighbors, said Bob Harris, president of the West Cunningham Park Civic Association. "All of our members are against it," he said.

But despite the stiff community opposition, Shulman is now intimating that she may skirt the skating question by allowing the museum to go ahead with the expansion before the city settles on the site of a new rink.

"That is a possibility," said Shulman spokesman Dan Andrews, adding that nothing would be done until after next month, the deadline for proposed designs for the new rink.

No Skating In My…

Shulman recently held a meeting with local civic groups and elected officials. "At first, she didn’t understand how anyone could be against an ice skating rink for kids," said one civic leader on hand. "But we were not against ice skating per se, we were against putting a building in the park."

Neighboring residents said they were baffled at the chosen site, because unlike Flushing Meadows, which is home to Shea Stadium, the United States Tennis Center, the Hall of Science, and the Wildlife Center, there are no such facilities in Cunningham.

"Cunningham is more of a natural, wooded park," said Marc Haken, president of the Friends of Cunningham Park. "This ice rink would provide little benefit to the park, not dollar wise, not otherwise. So why put it here?"

One reason, say some of the park’s neighbors, is that the parking lot slated to become an ice rink is well-known as an after hours meeting place for gay men.

In fact, the parking lot is listed on the Internet at www.cruisingforsex.com, as one of the best places in Queens for late night homosexual encounters. "Look for cars for cruising," the site reads, "and lots of trails to wander into."

"I think that [the city’s] thought was, let’s take care of this once and for all," said Martin Olesh, a member of the West Cunningham Park Civic Association.

Borough President Shulman would not comment on the matter.

Saying No To Nassau

Many of the civics involved felt that the Cunningham Park site was chosen to attract Hockey Leagues across the border in Nassau county, where they are more plentiful.

"We are not allowed to use their parks," said Haken. "So why should we let them use ours?"

Haken also was concerned that while the parking lot is largely unused, during events such as concerts in the park or the Big Apple Circus, the lot becomes necessary.

"I would not sign off on this project unless ample parking is provided," said State Senator Dan Hevesi. "The lot is currently a dump. But while something should be done to improve the area, we have to decide if that something should include development. On the other side, this is a chance to get a great facility for kids, at no cost to the taxpayers."

Assemblyman Mark Weprin, who has suggested putting the rink in an industrial area, said that he questioned the demand for the rink. "No one has come up to me and said, ‘I skate and I am excited about this,’" he said.

In their meeting with Shulman, the civic leaders suggested alternative sites in Flushing Meadows. Shulman said she is looking further into "other options."

Art or Ice

The Parks Department published a Request For Proposals (RFP), inviting interested parties with the means to fund the construction and the operation of a rink to submit their designs. The RFP calls for a one-story, 110,000 square foot facility with two rinks.

"You’d have to be crazy to want to take this on," said Dennis Quirk, who operates the World’s Fair rink. "It would cost $7 to $8 million to build, and you would have to give up the building to the city after 20 years. I don’t see how anyone can make money on this unless they jack up the price of time on the ice."

Quirk, who said a large part of his current business is schools and hockey leagues, believes that these groups would not be able to afford the new rates. "[Shulman] does not care about ice skating," he said. "She just wants to expand the museum. What will end up happening is there will be a bigger museum and no rink."

While admitting the need for additional space, the Queens Museum of Art has tried its best to steer clear of the controversy.

"We have outgrown our present space, and would like to in addition to more gallery space have room for workshops and a small café," said Robert Mahoney, the museum’s spokesman. "But right now, we are waiting on Borough Hall."

According to Mahoney, the museum currently attracts 55,000 visitors a year, a third of which are school children.

"Counting spectators, at the hockey rink we get over 200,000 people a year," said Quirk, adding that the rink is only open for part of the year.