Forgotten Friends

To The Editor:

I was very pleased to see your Sept. 27 issue featuring “A Guide to the Borough’s Not-For-Profits,” but I was saddened to see that you omitted Friends of Cunningham Park, Inc., a 501 (C) 3 dedicated to the maintenance of Cunningham Park as the premier park of northeast Queens.

Friends of Cunningham Park was created by then Assemblyman Saul Weprin and Martha Taylor, founding chair, to provide items for Cunningham Park that had not been provided by the NYC Department of Parks. Over the years, Friends has received thousands of dollars from local legislators, foundations, corporations, government agencies and private citizens to achieve our mission. Some of our major accomplishments have been achieving state and national historic site designation for the Long Island Motor Parkway (the first motor parkway in the world), achieving national trail status for our two mile walking trail and the creation of the first mountain bike trail in Queens. We have donated many park benches, picnic tables, information kiosks, a butterfly garden with an underground sprinkler system, a 25 tree Japanese cherry tree grove, an underground irrigation system around the after school/senior center and two bat houses. We have donated two motorized vehicles, a Gator and a John Deere tractor, and are awaiting the delivery of three additional vehicles. We are also awaiting the installation of five chess/checker tables and an underground irrigation system around the tennis building/park office. We have strongly lobbied for and received capital funds to rehabilitate two lavatories, the after school/senior center building, a new dog run and two baseball fields in the park’s core area.

Friends appeal to all who use Cunningham Park to join us in our mission. For further information, please contact us at: Friends of Cunningham Park, Inc., PO Box 660134, Flushing, NY 11366-0134.

Marc A. Haken,
President, Friends of Cunningham Park

Thanks, Stranger

To The Editor:

On Thursday, Oct. 4, I boarded an E-Express train at Continental Avenue bound for Manhattan. Since no seats were available, I found myself standing.

The train started with a very strong lurch and for one long terrifying moment I found myself in a free-fall with my back and head on a straight trajectory with the floor of the subway car. Miraculously, my fall suddenly stopped before I hit bottom, and I found myself being gently lifted to my feet. I turned around and there was a young woman –smiling.

Who knows what injuries I might have sustained to this not-so-young body had this beautiful angel not been there to help me.

Whoever you are and wherever you are, may God bless you and yours.

Lou Shayman,
Forest Hills

Halloween Insult

To The Editor:

I am writing this letter to advise you and your readers about a flyer that has been distributed around Corona Heights relating to Halloween.

This flyer is an outright insult to all the residents of my neighborhood, as it is printed only in Spanish. I speak and read only English, as do many of the people in my area. I asked one of my Spanish neighbors to translate for me, and I was able to guess, this flyer is speaking out against Halloween as being destructive and was originally thought of as a pagan celebration. While I agree with their thoughts, I think it is an out and out insult to the non-Hispanic residents.

Whoever printed this flyer are cowards, as they have not even put his identity on it. I get along with people in this area, but this Spanish only is going to far.

Dolores Campbell,
Corona

Time For Action

To The Editor:

The Auburndale Improvement Association, Inc., the oldest Civic Association in Queens County, has been actively lobbying the New York City Planning Commission for contextual rezoning of the Auburndale community for the past several years. Although we have received assurances of the Commission that Auburndale would be rezoned, there has been no progress in even beginning the process.

As the zoning and housing chair of this organization, I have witnessed first hand the effect that this inaction has had in Auburndale. Since some surrounding communities have been contextually rezoned, certain developers have zeroed in to the Auburndale community to take advantage of its vulnerability by constructing out of character buildings and multi-family structures that overpower the existing housing stock. Large areas of this community are currently zoned with designations that permit too dense development. This affects the quality of life in these areas and puts this severe strain on the infrastructure. If these areas were zoned with the appropriate zoning classification, the overdevelopment problems would be mitigated.

In 2005, we were promised that the rezoning work would begin at the beginning of 2006. That did not happen. Then we were told that we would have to wait for the Douglaston-Little Neck rezoning initiative to be passed. It passed. Nothing happened in Auburndale. Next, we were told that the Jamaica Rezoning plan was taking up the time of most of the Queens office of City Planning. That rezoning plan had been held up for months because many residents did not approve of the upzoning aspects of that plan. That plan has now passed. Auburndale still waits. Other areas of northeast Queens like North Flushing, Oakland Gardens, Hollis Hills and sections of Bellerose, also are waiting to be rezoned.

At our regularly scheduled association meetings, the question of rezoning frequently comes up. People want to know when their turn will come. Many are at the ready to volunteer to help survey the community in order to assist City Planning with the task of rezoning. Hundreds have signed letters addressed to the Planning Commission pleading for rezoning to curb overdevelopment of their areas. Copies of these letters were sent to all local elected officials. And still no progress toward rezoning.

The time for action in Auburndale and the other non-rezoned communities is now before they become completely unrecognizable due to inappropriate development.

Henry Euler,
Zoning and Housing Chair,
Auburndale Improvement Association, Inc.

Parking Mess

To The Editor:

I wish to correct certain factual inaccuracies that crept into Mr. Alfonso Quiroz’ letter under above heading and published in your issue dated Oct. 19, 2007. I also wish to add some information for the benefit of your readers.

1. The role of all Community Boards is ‘advisory’ and not ‘executive.’ In that capacity, the Community Board either ‘Recommends’ or ‘Denies Recommendation’ to any proposal. It is up to the concerned Department either to accept, reject or amend the stand taken by the Community Board. In view of this fact, it is inappropriate for Mr. Quiroz to state that Community Board 3 ‘approved’ the said proposal re: Parking Meters on 73rd Street.

2. Moreover, the proposal was to install Parking Meters NOT on all un-metered spots on 73rd Street between Broadway and 37th Avenue. It was only for a few spots, which are now available only because a bus stop was removed from that particular site.

3. It is the general policy of the Department of Transportation to install parking meters in front of businesses in a commercial strip. These spots fell in that category. Anybody can verify this fact by visiting adjoining areas.

4. This proposal was thoroughly discussed at the Transportation Committee meeting on Sept. 11, 2007 that Mr. Quiroz did not attend. Councilmember Helen Sears attended this meeting and agreed to the proposal.

5. The transportation study, which Mr. Quiroz refers to is a federal government funded project. We have no idea when its recommendations will be submitted. It generally deals with major issues and not on smaller ones such as whether to install a few parking meters here or there just because a bus stop was removed.

6. After a lengthy presentation from a resident against the proposal, CB 3, Q recommended the proposition by a vote of 22 to 11, with one abstention.

7. All members have a right to express their personal opinion. However, it is unethical for a member, Chair or Co-Chair of any Committee to write to any media or New York City Department in a way that it gives the appearance as the official view or position of Community Board 3, Q. In this case, Mr. Quiroz did not inform me or the District Office of his intention to write to the press, as a Co-Chair of a Committee.

I have high regard for my old good friend and colleague, Mr. Quiroz, but he should not have skipped this simple protocol.

V. M. Gandhi,
Chairman,
CB3Q

Bad Neighbors

To The Editor:

Once again the LIRR has proven itself to be the bad neighbor that we know it is.

Against all public opinion and requests ALL foliage has been removed from the right of way at the Auburndale station. This makes public viewing into our homes so easy giving us no privacy in our own homes and takes away any noise abatement we have gotten from these trees and bushes.

Years ago, when the same steps were taken and we were promised “fast growing, privacy providing arborvitae trees” and what we got is (1) puny little tree no more than four feet tall that hasn’t grown an inch since.

It is too late now to remedy the situation but I did want the public to be aware.

Lillie F. Marx,
Auburndale