City Council Publishes FY 2011 Adopted Expense Budget

When the City Council put its FY 2011 Adopted Expenses Budget which lists the council's discretionary spending online late yesterday, it was in one big 530-page pdf document -- difficult to search and impossible to sort.

As a budget geek, I like to search the document to be able to easily round up how many city dollars will go to individual council members "pet" projects and organizations.  Unfortunately, you can't do it without repeatedly hitting the "search" function and adding it up with pen and paper.  To do that, you'd need to get the Excel spreadsheet -- because the formatting of the pdf document clearly looks like it was generated from Excel. But the Council's press office says it can't immediately get that spreadsheet from its Finance Division.
You know how difficult it is to email a mirosoft excel document don't you?  It must take all of 15 seconds!

That being said, I have gone through the entire document and pulled those "members items" wherein discretionary funds have been allocated by our City Councilman, Eric Ulrich (C.D. 32) to various organizations so that you can see for yourselves where your money is being spent. Discretionary funding for Broad Channel organizations are highlighted in Red.

DOT Commences "Traffic Calming" measures on Cross Bay Boulevard

Cross Bay Boulevard in Broad Channel is a long stretch of wide road where motorists frequently speed. The 1.8 mile stretch from Addabbo Bridge to East 4th Road in Broad Channel, adjacent to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, looks like a highway but is actually a city street. The speeding on this road has proven deadly: fourteen fatalities have occurred within this area between 2003 and 2010; including twelve motor vehicle occupants and two pedestrians. These statistics concerned the community and local politicians who requested action.

In order to bring speeds down to the posted speed limit (40 mph) and make Cross Bay Boulevard safer for all users, the moving lanes are being  reduced from three lanes to two in each direction. The areas separating motor vehicles from bikes and pedestrians will be widened to create more of a buffer and create a safer and more pleasant traveling environment for all modes of transportation. A guardrail will also be installed between the southbound lanes and the bike and pedestrian path. This will reduce opportunities for speeding, and create safer bike and walking areas.

You can view a short pdf profile of DOT's "coridor safety improvements"activity in this regard here.

Wharton's closing!

Slowly but surely, Whartons has been has been fading from sight and now it appears that it will shortly become a footnote in the annals of the history of Broad Channel.

First the Pharmacy closed and then the Post Office. 

Now there is a large sign in the window of the establishment stating "Closing...everything must go!"

As the poet Robert Burns wrote, "The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew...",

Modern Day Treasure Hunt?

The real deal or just another "viral video"?

Who knows.

If it is for real, it might be fun and possible rewarding.

You can check this out at We Lost our Gold!

The MTA wants even more service cuts!

Although it appears that Albany, New York City and the MTA have come together on a plan to avoid cutting the free student metro card passes the MTA's budget is still seriously in the red.  Now the MTA is considering implementing even more service cuts. The possible new cuts, which must be approved tomorrow (Wednesday, June 23rd)  by the MTA board, could save the MTA an additional $3.7 million.

Most notably, the MTA would cut rush hour service on the 7 train. Starting in December, the authority plans to cut four early-morning express trains on the line, with express service starting at 6:20 a.m. instead of 5:30 a.m. They would add a few more local trains in the mornings, but commuting times from outer Queens to Midtown would drastically increase. Reductions in service of 38 bus lines would also go into effect in September, including less frequent service on the M1 and M4. 

There is no longer any discussion of averting the moification of the Cross Bay Bridge Resident Toll Rebate Program which will go into effect next month.

Unless there is a dramatic change in what is anticipated from Albany and the city, these aditional cuts will become fact.  Considering the fact that our state legislators have been unable to even come up with a state budget, these new service cuts will be implemented!

SUMMER HAS ARRIVED!

Finally....!

The summer solstice arrives this morning at 7:28 a.m. and brings with it the official start of our summer season!

WARNING!...NYPD Cell Phone Ticket Blitz (Tues. 6/22/10)

On a typical day, the NYPD writes about 540 tickets to drivers using portable electronic devices while driving.  Each ticket carries a fine of $130.00!

This Tuesday, June 22, 2010, the New York City Police Department will instruct its oficers to conduct an intensive traffic violation operation designed to stop and ticket those drivers who are observed using their hand held cell phones while operating a motor vehicle.

The last "cell phone ticket" blitz conducted by the NYCPD in March resulted in some 9,016 tickets being issued in a single 24 hour period!  At $130 a ticket, that one day operation realized the city coffers over $1 million dolars in fines.  Of course the Police Department officially states (with a straight face) that "safety considerations" are the only driving force behind these operations. 

Happy Father's Day!

Tomorrow, Sunday, June 20 is the 100th anniversary of the establishing of Father’s Day in the United States of America. Sonora Smart Dodd, the daughter of a Civil War veteran whose wife died in childbirth, leaving him to raise six children single handedly, honored her parent on June 19, 1910, when at her urging the first Father’s Day celebration was held in Spokane, Washington.

Unlike many other men who found themselves widowed with children on their hands, William Jackson Smart chose not to remarry. Instead, Smart, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man, made all the sacrifices expected of a loving, concerned parent, putting the children he sired ahead of his own needs and wishes to ensure that they grew up to be responsible, productive adults. Smart was born in June, so Dodd chose to hold Father’s Day observances during that month.

The Father’s Day concept caught on quickly. Six years after the first Father’s Day, in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson was feted by his family to celebrate Father’s Day. The holiday continued to find friends among elected officials and in 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father’s Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law that finally made it permanent in 1972.

Polluted Jamaica Bay Hoped To Be Clean By 2020

From WCBSTV

Reporting: Elise Finch

Jamaica Bay is a popular boating and fishing area, but it's been plagued by pollution in recent years. Now a new plan is being implemented to improve the water quality.

The bay is often referred to as the crown jewel of New York City's ecological resources. Located at the southwestern tip of Long Island, the bay encompasses more than 25,000 acres of water, marsh, meadowland, beaches, dunes, and forests in Brooklyn and Queens. But concerns over water quality overshadowed the bay's beauty until recently.

"There are four wastewater treatment plants out of our 14 that discharge into Jamaica Bay. Those plants everyday discharge about 45,000 pounds of nitrogen as part of the overall treatment process," said Caswell Holloway, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. "Nitrogen is not harmful to humans, but it is a natural byproduct of the 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater that New Yorkers produce and the DEP treats everyday.

High nitrogen levels cause massive algae blooms which lower the amount of oxygen in the water and make it dangerous for aquatic life. After six months of negotiations, the city, state, and four environmental groups agreed to a 10 year plan to improve water quality. The first step is rigorous water testing.

At 20 different sites around Jamaica Bay, scientists will take samples to test the water's clarity and to test the levels of things like oxygen, chlorophyll and bacteria.

"We've increased by more than 50 percent the number of sites that we have, that we're testing here in Jamaica Bay," said Holloway.

"We're gonna measure the dissolved oxygen in the water," said DEP Engineering Technician Bernadette Boniecki. "Under three is hypoxic which means it could be detrimental to marine life, usually this time of year its pretty good."

When CBS 2 visited the facility, the oxygen level was almost nine-and-a-half. Inside the floating laboratory, ecologists prepared Petri dishes to test for bacteria.

"This is enterococcus bacteria specifically and it's usually from human waste or industrial waste," said Geneive Hall, a water ecologist.

Added marine biologist Beau Ranheim: "One simple measurement, one single measurement is not going to tell you anything besides just that day, but it's more the pattern over time and the city's been doing it for 100 years, so we have a lot of data built up."

New data is already showing improvement because interim changes at the nearby four wastewater treatment plans has reduced the amount of nitrogen being released into Jamaica Bay by nearly 10 percent. Eventually, the nitrogen release will be cut in half when upgrades are made at those facilities.

"The overall objective is to bring the bay back ecologically," said Holloway. "And this is how you get there."

The total plan to improve water quality in Jamaica Bay will cost the city $115 million by the time it's complete in 2020.

VFW Prince Wynn Post 260 First Summer BBQ!

V.F.W.

PRINCE WYNN POST 260

705 SHAD CREEK ROAD

BROAD CHANNEL, N.Y.

FIRST SUMMER BARBEQUE!

Sunday

June 19, 2010

2:00pm - 6:00

(Rain Date:  Sunday June 20, 2010)

Donation: Adults $20 (Children half price)

Includes:

Tap Beer, Soda, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Salad

good friends, pleasant conversation

and

a great day out!

2010 Broad Channel "Mardi Gras" fundraiser (Wed. 6/16/2010)

Mardi Gras parade of Ladies Auxiliary of Fire Dept. which later became the Ladies Welfare Association of Broad Channel. 1913... Donated by family of Gertrude McAleese

(Courtesy of Broad Channel Historical Society)

The Broad Channel Athletic Association

presents

Wednesday Night Dinner

June 16, 2010

Menu

Glazed ham drizzled with maple syrup & pineapple toppings

Creamy Mashed potatoes

Crisp green beans

Cost:  $7:00 per dinner

Free Delivery!

Order starting at 5:00 p.m. by calling:

Ruffle Bar - 718-318-2300

or

Jessica 718-318-3806

All proceeds benefit the Broad Channel Athletic Club!

Tidal Flooding Update

We are still awaiting a response from the Queens Borough President regarding the below correspondence which was previously forwarded to her attention.

May 27, 2001

The Honorable Helen M. Marshall
Office of the Queens Borough President
120-55 Queens Boulevard
Kew Gardens, New York
11424

Re: Tidal Flooding West 12th Road

Dear Borough President Marshall:


On behalf of all the residents of West 12th Road here in Broad Channel, the Neighbor “2” Neighbor block association would like to extend to you our deepest appreciation for the prompt response you provided our request for relief regarding our serious and long standing issue of street tidal flooding.


After years of continual requests to our city government seeking relief in this matter, it was nothing short of remarkable that less than two months after our initial meeting in your office on April 16th that you personally visited West 12th Road on May 14th to announce that you had deemed our situation an “emergency” with an accompanying allocation of some $24 million dollars for flood mitigation efforts to become effective with the fiscal year starting July 1, 2010 at which time the design phase of this project would commence.


We also greatly appreciated your assurance that the city will maintain a close and continual liaison with our association during the design phase of this project to ensure that we are kept up to date of all actions taken and planned during the initial design phase of this project.


Attached hereto are those West 12th Road Block Association members who have been assigned to our “Tidal Flooding Issue Committee” with accompanying contact information.

We are requesting that your office provide us with the name and contact information of your “point person” in this regard in order that we may establish and maintain a close liaison with that person for the duration of this project.

The media coverage of your May 14th announcement of the “emergency” allocation of funds for this project has caused some confusion regarding the source of the funding. We are requesting clarification if these funds stem from those monies set aside for ending Capital Project HWQ1182 or are they separate and apart from that Capital Project? As an aside, we have already contacted D.O.T. Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and she has assured us that her Capital Projects Division will provide us with an update of this Capital Project by early June.


In closing, thank you again for your exceptionally prompt response to our request for relief in this matter. The residents of West 12th Road will not forget your support and assistance in this issue.

Peter J. Mahon for The West 12thRoad Block Association

Copy to:


Congressman Anthony Weiner
State Senator Shirley Huntley
Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer
Councilman Eric Ulrich
Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner, N.Y.C.D.O.T
Maura McCarthy, D.O.T. Borough Commissioner, Queens
Grace Arnemann, W12thRd Block Association
John Heaphy, W12thRd Block Association
Robert McCarthy, W12thRd Block Association
Sophia Vailakis-DeVirgilio, W12thRd Block Association
Scott Valentine, W12thRd Block Association

The 2010 Coney Island "Mermaid Parade"

A completely original creation of Coney Island USA, the Mermaid Parade is the nation's largest art parade and one of New York City's greatest summer events.

Founded in 1983 by Coney Island USA,  the Mermaid Parade pays homage to Coney Island's forgotten Mardi Gras which lasted from 1903 to 1954, and draws from a host of other sources resulting in a wonderful and wacky event that is unique to Coney Island.

The Mermaid Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and mythology of Coney Island, Coney Island pride, and artistic self-expression. The Parade is characterized by participants dressed in hand-made costumes as Mermaids, Neptunes, various sea creatures, the occasional wandering lighthouse, Coney Island post card or amusement ride, as well as antique cars, marching bands, drill teams, and the odd yacht pulled on flatbed.

Each year, a different celebrity King Neptune and Queen Mermaid rule over the proceedings, riding in the Parade and assisting in the opening of the Ocean for the summer swimming season by marching down the Beach from the Boardwalk, cutting through Ribbons representing the seasons, and tossing fruit into the Atlantic to appease the Sea Gods. In the past, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Ron Kuby, Curtis Sliwa, Moby, David Johansen and Harvey Keitel have presided over the assembled masses.

The Mermaid Parade is also probably the only parade where participants "bribe" the judges with gifts of food, booze and other assorted swag in order to influence their votes for best of parade selections.

This year

* The Parade will start at West 21st Street and Surf Avenue at 2:00 p.m.
* The Parade will roll east to West 10th Street
* at West 10th Street the Parade will turn south towards the boardwalk
* cars and motorized floats can park on West 10th Street
* At the Boardwalk, the marchers and push-pull floats will turn west and head towards Stillwell Ave.
* At Stillwell Ave. the Parade will disband

If you have never attended this uniquely "Coney Island" event, perhaps you should give it a try.

Several West 12th Road neighbors marched last year and, from all accounts, it was a "hoot"!

Your neighbor.

Peter J. Mahon

Rockaway, Broad Channel residents gripe over MTA's plan to put toll on Cross Bay Bridge

FROM THE DAILY NEWS

BY DANIEL EDWARD ROSEN

Friday, June 11th 2010, 4:00 AM

Rockaway and Broad Channel residents accustomed to free passage on the Cross Bay Bridge are chafing at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's plans to start charging them for round trips on the span, beginning next month.

"We're getting hit from all sides, and we can use a little help and a little fairness" from the MTA, said Daniel Mundy, 47, a firefighter and Broad Channel resident who uses the bridge every day. "It's going to be a hardship for a lot of people."


The MTA said that beginning next month, locals with E-ZPass will pay a round-trip fare totaling $2.26. Each successive trip will be free of charge. Nonresidents with E-ZPass will pay $1.71 per trip. No official start date has been set, said Kevin Ortiz, an MTA spokesman.


The Cross Bay Bridge rebate program, which was put into effect in 1989, originally charged Rockaway and Broad Channel residents with E-ZPass $1.03 per trip. The fee would be automatically remitted to their accounts.


But the MTA has had the rebate program in its crosshairs since it announced last December that it would have to close an $800 million budget deficit. Scrapping the rebate program would save the MTA $3.5 million per year, said Ortiz.


The move will also create the only intraborough toll in the city, said City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park).


"How can we justify charging people to travel to and from their own community?" Ulrich asked. "This is not going to solve the MTA's problem."


The loss of the rebate will force Broad Channel residents to pay for "something most people take for granted," like taking their kids to school or visiting the hospital, said Jonathan Gaska, district manager of Community Board 14.


It will also affect the Rockaways beach tourism at an inopportune time during its busy summer season, said Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway Beach).


"If you live in the Bronx, you go to the beach for free. But if you live in Queens, you have to pay to go to the beach. That's unfair," said Pheffer.


Mundy agreed about the toll's unfairness.


"Now, for me to attend the community board meetings, to meet with my local police officers, I have to pay the toll," said Mundy.

This is the latest transportation blow for the Rockaways. The money-losing Rockaway Ferry service is set to stop running July 1, barring a last-minute reprieve from the City Council.

***END OF STORY***

Today is "Flag Day"

Today,  Monday, June 14, the United States recognizes 233rd anniversary of the first Flag Act, passed by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.

The Act created the first flag for the original 13 colonies as they broke away from England. It stated that “the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation”.

Today Flag Day is celebrated as a birthday of sorts for the flag. The day was first recognized around 1885, when a Wisconsin teacher, BJ Cigrand, encouraged his students to observe the day as such. It became a tradition in the school, known first as “Flag Birthday” and then as “Flag Day”, and remained a more local observance until 1889, when New York City teacher George Balch did the same. The practice was adopted by the State Board of Education of New York soon after.

Such scholastic celebrations persisted for three decades after Cigrand’s first ceremony, spreading from New York to Philadelphia and then Chicago. Adults participated in the activities as well, and in 1894 New York Governor Roswell P. Flower mandated that every public building display a flag on June 14.

Flag Day was kept as a local tradition across the country until it was established on May 30, 1916, under a proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson. President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress on Aug. 3, 1949, placing National Flag Day on the 14th day of June every year.

For the West 12th Road Block Asociation,

Peter J. Mahon

Adult Karaoke Night: June 26, 2010

Hello Friends,

Bring your friends and family for a great night out...

Adult Karaoke Night - 50's & 60"s music!

Saturday, June 12, 2010 [6:00 pm to 10:00pm]

American Legion Post 1404

209 Crossbay Boulevard

Broad Channel, N.Y. 11693

Price: $25 per head

Free Parking

Tickets at door or in advance:

Frank Bassetti: 718-207-3600

John Wagner: 718-474-4343

Includes:

Tap Beer

Wine & Soda

6 Foot Hero's &; Wraps

Cash Bar

Can Beer & Mixed Drinks

Donations for:

The American Legion Committee to elect Fang A. Wong National Commander

Questions?...contact:

Ed Murray 917-647-6980

School's Out! Please drive carefully!

The school year is over and summer vacation is here once again.

Please remember to drive slowly when entering or leaving West 12th Road and be alert to the many children we have on our block who do not always look before they dart across the street while playing.

For the West 12th Road Block Association,

Peter J. Mahon

Water rates going up...Again!

Each year, at the request of the DEP, the N.Y.C. Water Board proposes an increase in their rates for water and sewer service and each year the city grants the increase.

In 2007, your water bill went up 11%

In 2008, 14.5%.

In 2009, 14%.

It should come as no surprise that this July, your water bill is going up another 12%! Three years ago when our reservoirs were low, the Water Board told us that in order to force conservation of water, they had to raise their rates.

So what happened?  Consumption went down markedly and now the Water Board tells us that because less water is being used, their revenues have suffered and they (wait for it!...) have to raise rates!

The Water Board and the DEP have the best of both worlds while we, the consumers, are damned if we do and damned if we don’t!

For the West 12th Road Block Association,

Peter J. Mahon

“Modified” Cross Bay Bridge Resident Rebate Program starts this July!

The resident rebate program previously in effect used MTA funds to rebate the tolls of registered Rockaway E-ZPass customers who reside in Broad Channel and the Rockaway Peninsula for passage over the Cross-Bay Veteran’s Memorial Bridge will end in July 2010.


Under the revised program MTA funds will be used to provide registered residents with toll rebates after two resident E-ZPass tolls have been charged against a resident E-ZPass tag in a calendar day.

MTA funds will be used to credit that account for all subsequent tolls on the bridge that same day that are associated with the same resident E-ZPass tag.

Basically, you will be required to complete two crossings of the bridge for which your E-ZPass will be charged and then all other crossings will be rebated for that calendar day.

Keep in mind that the U.S. Postal Service’s Broad Channel sub-station office, which was located in Wharton’s on Cross Bay Boulevard, closed last May when the store did not renew their contract with the Postal Service. As of this time, we have no information on any other Broad Channel business which has bid for this contract.

For the West 12th Road Block Association,

Peter J. Mahon

Senator Schumer refuses to assist with Flooding Issue!

One of our most active committee members (Sophia Vailakis-DeVirgilio) attended a lobbying forum in Washington D.C. earlier this week.  Knowing that she would be in the Capital she contacted Senator Chuck Schumer's office ahead of time and requested to arrange a meeting with him to discuss the floding issue on West 12th Road and request his assitance in assuring that the city does not reneg on any of it's promises to us regarding their flood mitigation project.

Sophia was told by the senator's office that Senator Schumer is much too busy and his schedule too full to meet with her and further that the issue of tidal flooding on our block is not "a broad enough issue for the Senator to involve himself in." 

In response to the above, Sophia sent the following letter to Senator Schumer's attention.

Hello Senator Schumer,

My name is Sophia A. Vailakis-DeVirgilio and I'll be in the DC area from Wednesday afternoon to Friday afternoon this week (6/9 to 6/11). I called your office to see if I could possibly meet with you in person to discuss the very serious Jamaica Bay tidal flooding on our street (West 12th Road), threatening my neighbors and my family, but the very nice lady (I believe her name was Laurene) who answered the phone let me know that it's impossible to meet you since your schedule changes all the time and that my issue is not broad enough to justify your making time to meet with me anyway. She suggested I contact my local representative in New York City since this is "more of a local issue" and your focus is on broader New York state issues.


Please thank your staff for solidifying for me my activities on Facebook and elsewhere to see that all incumbents be voted out; since the very people who elected you, your constituents, the folks you work for, are not being served. I will also be sure that when I follow up with any of the four NY1 reporters who have been documenting our plight, our efforts, and the progress of the proposed remediation of our street's infrastructure, that I will detail for them the priorities of those whose salaries are paid by our taxes.


Thank you and best regards,


Sophia A. Vailakis-DeVirgilio

West 12th Road Block Association

Isn't it great when an elected official becomes so full of himself or herself that they deem a local working class neighborhood issue to be nothing more than an irritant and not deserving of their time and attention.  The idea of "public service" becomes a foreign notion to them and, in the case of Chuck Schumer, he forgets who has been paying his salry for the past several decades!

For the West 12th Road Block Association,

Peter J. Mahon

Tidal Flooding Update

We are awaiting a response from Borough President Marshall indicating who her point person will be regarding our association's laision with the city for the design phase of this flood mitigation project commences this July when the promised $24 million dollars in funding comes on line.

Additionally, we are awaiting specific information regarding the project which D.O.T. Queens Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy has promised to provide our association.

As soon as more information becomes available, we will post it here.

Peter J. Mahon

The short (but very fruitful) history of the West 12th Road Block Association!

For those of you who have lived on West 12th Road forever the issue of tidal flooding is not a new one. 

For those of W12th road's newer neighbors I am sure that after the first couple of very high floodings there have been times when you have scratched your head and wondered "why did I move onto this block?"

The West 12th Road Block Association was established March of 2010 by several of your neighbors as a result of the years of inaction on the part of the city in responding to our requests for assistance in dealing with the serious tidal flooding issue experienced on our block. Each year, 3 or 4 individuals from the block would meet with city officials with each meeting resulting in nothing more than lost time, wasted paper and empty promises.

On April 16th of this year, less than a month after the association was formed, approximately 30 W12th Road home owners packed the Borough President’s conference room at a meeting at Queens Borough Hall and made it clear to our elected officials and involved city agencies that this issue had been ignored for far too long and that we fully expected a definitive response from the city now!

Prior to the meeting on April 16th we researched the history of our previous actions in this regard and we also reached out and involved the media, specifically NY1 And the WAVE.


At the meeting we were armed with presentation boards depicting serious tidal flooding; DVD’s of recent media coverage of storm flooding; specific instances of dangerous conditions resulting from such flooding as well as individual statements by each resident attending the meeting of the hardships routinely endured because of this flooding.


Immediately after the meeting many W12th Road residents provided interviews to the media which were carried on NY1. Letters were sent out the day after the meeting to all involved city officials and agencies advising each of them we fully expected a prompt follow up on all promises made and assurances given us at the meeting.


It was obvious that, unlike our previous dealings with city officials in this matter, this time they actually sat up and took notice of us. Suddenly , representatives from D.O.T., D.E.C., D.E.P. and the D.D.C. were present on W12th Road on an almost daily basis. And each time they were present on W12th Road, they were greeted by residents who documented each of their visits.


Block Association newsletters and accompanying monthly “high tide” charts were delivered to all W12th Road residents to keep them informed of what was happening and copies of each newsletter are delivered to our elected officials.

On Friday, May 14, 2010, less than a month after our meeting at Borough Hall, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall personally came to West 12th Road to announce that $24 million dollars has been set aside to “scope, design and complete construction of end of street sea barriers for those low lying Broad Channel streets which sustain routine, serious, tidal flooding” and that, more importantly, this project will start with West 12th Road!


Prior to Borough President Marshall’s visit we reached out again to the media and her announcement was covered by NY1, the WAVE and the Queens Forum South.

A battle has been won but the “war” is most assuredly not over. In order to ensure a close and continuing liaison with the city in this regard we have established a W12thRoad Flood Mitigation Advisory Committee consisting of your neighbors below.

Grace Arnemann

John Heaphy

Sophia Vailakis-DeVirgilio

Robert McCarthy

Peter Mahon

Scott Valentine

It will be the committee’s job to stay on top of this issue, keeping all W12th Road residents informed of any and all progress and to see this project through to completion.


Within the space of 3 short months, you have managed to spark a true “Neighbor 2 Neighbor” spirit of community involvement that will serve to promote the well being of all of us here on West 12th Road in Broad Channel by “breathing new life” into this issue of tidal flooding which had been ignored by the city for far too long!


The Broad Channel Civic Association’s newsletter of May 27, 2010, acknowledged your efforts in this regard when Dan Mundy, Jr., wrote that “One of the reasons that it is critical to have a good Civic Meeting attendance is the impact that this has on the elected officials to whom we often turn in an effort to address our town’s issues. A perfect example of this is the recent meeting at the Borough President’s office to address the flooding on 12th Road. This meeting was very well attended and this fact, and the convincing arguments presented by those residents, has led to an agreement that this issue must be addressed.”

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to all W12th Road residents for your enthusiastic support and assistance you have all provided in this endeavor to date.  We have accompished a lot in a short period of time and now it is up to us to follow through on this issue until one day we can speak to our grabdchildren about the "old days on West 12th Road when the tides ran all the way up the block to the boulevard!"

We have provided links to the media coverage that has been afforded this issue on the right hand side of this page for your information.

In addition to our monthly newsletters, this blog will serve as yet another source of keeping all residents of West 12th Road up to date on this and other issues pertaining to all of us as neighbors here on West 12th Road..

For the W12th Road Block Association, your neighbor,

Peter Mahon