Tidal Street Flooding Update

The "Beachcomber" column in today's edition of the WAVE  (page 36) contains the below paragraph regarding Broad Channel.

"When city offcials came to Broad Channel prior to the summer to report that a plan had been developed to remediate the flooding problems that hits the west side of the island commnity every time the tide comes in and it rains.  The locals were promised that construction that would end their problems would soon commence.  Last week, however, they were told that the city had decided that the flooding was not an emergency situation and that construction would not start until the summer of 2012.  Bet it would have been considered a dire emergency if it happened in a Manhattan neighborhood."

Those of you who read these postings on a regular basis are aware that our current problems regarding a sigificant delay in the start of actual and timely construction towards addressing the serious issue of tidal street flooding here on West 12th Road (and other areas of Broad Channel) can be directly attributed to the N.Y.C. Department of Transportation.

It was DOT's legal division which denied the "emergency declaration" for this project which would have expedited he process with the originally promised constrution start date of July 2011.  Although we have requested on several occasions and via several city elected officials and agency heads, to have DOT provide us with a detailed explanation of their denial of this "emergency declaration", to date, no response from DOT has been forthcoming.

It also appears that we are not the only advocacy group experieincing problems with DOT.

Also in today's edition of the WAVE there is an article (page 7),  by Howard Schwach, "Ferry Talks Back on Front Burner" in which Congressman Anthony Weiner, commenting on DOT's disinterest in the Rockaway Ferry issue, is quoted as stating "It is clear that the DOT has no enthusiasm for anything that doesn't involve bicycles and wide treets."  Congressman Weiner, frustrated by DOT's lack of interest, decided to bypass that city agency and go straight to the top, Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Taking a cue from the congressman's playbook, we have decided to do the same.  We are in the process of contacting both Mayor Bloomberg and his Deputy Mayor for Operations, Stephen  Goldsmith, in an effort to have them intercede on our behalf in this matter.

We will keep you advised.