Hapy Halloween!

MTA Adds Insult to Injury

Only three months after it socked it to the residents of Broad Channel and Rockaway by eliminating the Cross Bay Bridge Resident Rebate Program, the MTA Board voted earlier today to, once again, hike the toll on all of its bridges and tunnels.

The authority raised the one-way cash toll at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to $13 from $11 and increased cash tolls on its other major crossings, such as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, by a dollar, to $6.50. Tolls at some minor crossings were increased by 50 cents, to $3.25.

E-ZPass users were hit with increases of only about 5 percent, compared with 18 percent increases for cash users. The new E-ZPass tolls will be $9.60 on the Verrazano, $4.80 at major crossings and $1.80 at minor crossings. The authority is hoping to persuade more drivers to use E-ZPass to reduce congestion at toll plazas.

The vote was 12 to 1, with Norman I. Seabrook, a board member who is also president of the city correction officers’ union, opposing the increases.
.
Effective December 30th, residents of Broad Channel who pay cash to travel back and forth to Rockaway will see the present $2.75 toll rise to $3.25.

Broad Channel residents who utilize E-Z Pass will see the present Resident E-Z Pass discounted toll rise from $1.13 to $1.19.

The MTA has stated that it does not intend to raise bridge tolls again until 2013.

The blatant unfairness of this Cross Bay Bridge resident toll aside, you should also know that if you own a car you already pay a staggering amount of money to support the MTA.

New fees to bail out the MTA have already been imposed on drivers, and, money that was supposed to be used to build and maintain roads, bridges and tunnels has been diverted to the State’s general budget. Examples include...

The MTA annually collects approximately $1.3 billion in toll revenue with one-third, about $470 million, shifted to subsidize mass transit.

A $50 MTA vehicle registration surcharge imposed on the 5.6 million vehicles in the 12 county Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District, totaling more than $281 million, on top of a state-wide 25% registration fee increase, took effect in September 2009.

The petroleum business tax at 16.3 cents on every gallon of gas sold in New York State, 85% of which supports the MTA, totals more than $791 million.

Unless, and until, we elect a functional state legislature which will set aside special interests, political self interest and personal ambitions and work instead to actually represent those who elected them to their office in the first place, we have no one to blame for this mess that is New York State save for ourselves.

You cannot blame the Ship of Fools that is Albany when the Confederacy of Fools (we, the voting citizenry) continually vote to keep that ship afloat!

Tidal Street Flooding Update

The RBA Group has been retained by the city to provide the design for  flood mitigation actions to be undertaken on West 12th Road. 

Two representatives from the consulting firm, The RBA Group, were present on West 12th Road this morning checking street mapped utilities.

According to the Office of the Queens Borough President, the RBA Group will be providing us with preliminary design concepts for this work sometime this December.

Utility Pole Switch-Out Completed Today!

Verizon was on West 12th Road earlier this morning to transfer their commnications wire/cable equipment to the new utility pole put in place at the end of our block back on October 13th by Con Ed.

When the equiment transfer was completed, Verizon cut down the old pole and removed it from the block.

We Need Your Help!!!

We are asking all residents of West 12th Road to help us this week in our ongoing efforts to address the issue of serious tidal flooding on West 12th Road. Please join us at this week’s meeting of the Broad Channel Civic Association on Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. at the V.F.W. Hall on Shad Creek Road. Many of our elected officials and city agency representatives will be present at this meeting to discuss the status of the Flood Mitigation Capital Project Initiative for West 12th Road and other areas within our community.


Our strength in numbers, as evidenced at the April 16th, 2010, meeting with the Queens Borough President, proved invaluable in finally getting this project off the ground after years of inaction on the part of the city.

The design phase of this project has already commenced and we are presently engaged with the city in an attempt to expedite this project to allow actual construction for this flood mitigation project to begin on West 12th Road during the Spring/Summer of 2011. We have been informed that preliminary design concepts for this project will be made available to us this December.

It is important that West 12th Road demonstrate our continued active interest and involvement in this issue by having as many of our residents as possible in attendance at this meeting. Your attendance at this meeting will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

I Guess even Dogs celebrate Haloween!

Canine Costume Carnival - Sat., Oct. 30, 2010

11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Rain or Shine at Rockaway Freeway Dog Park

Rockaway Freeway [Between Beach 80th + Beach 82nd streets]

Event Activities:

The Big Canine Costume Contest 12:00 p.m.

1st, 2nd & 3rd prizes for most creative costumes in large and small dog categories

"Treat" bags for the first 25 people

Music and games

Adorable animals for adoption from North Shore Animal League

Pet Photography

Incredible raffle baskets and prizes

Live Auction

Monday 10/18/2010 Candidate for Governor Debate (NY1)

Why Vote?

The 2010 mid-term elections are only two weeks away.  Casting a vote allows an individual to express a choice among candidates who wish to become government leaders. It's up to each voter to locate available information about each candidate and to make an informed decision about how to vote. Rather than allowing potential leaders to hide weaknesses and wrong-doing from public awareness, our democratic voting process urges all of us to get involved and to share viewpoints about who should lead. 

In speaking with some of the younger members of our community (and a few others who, like myself, are getting a tad long in the tooth) I was disappointed to hear many of them indicate that they did not intend to vote in this election.

When I asked why they did not intend to exercise their right to vote the responses ranged from they felt their individual vote would not “make a difference”; all politicians are “liars” or “corrupt”, “after they get elected all they worry about is getting re-elected.”, and “Albany is a cesspool!”

I have taken some some time and attempted to enumerate those problems cited to justify a decision not to vote and offer a counter argument (underscored) to each of those problems in a non-partisan manner.

Although I personally believe each of the concerns cited are valid, the fact remains the problem is not with bad politicians, negative campaigning, or campaigning financing. There are exactly two reasons why people do not vote.  You might not like them but here they are in black and white...

1. They are uninformed and feel unqualified to vote,
or,

2. They are stupid.

The people in group #1 are the heroes here. If you don't know what you are voting for, then do everyone a favor and stay home. If you do vote, stay out of elections where you do know not what you are voting for.

Now, there are legitimate reasons to be in group #1. Perhaps you simply do not have the time to spend preparing for an upcoming election. Maybe of us have no problem with leaving the elections to those who are able and willing to prepare for them. Regardless, you know that you have nothing to add to the election process, so rather than picking neat-sounding names or whatever, you stay home. Bravo, I say.

Everyone else who does not vote, group #2 above, is just plain stupid. This is the group many in the main stream media are playing to when they say these citizens have good reasons to throw up their hands and give up.

I have never been a fan of trying to make people feel good about something they truly should feel bad about, so let's examine the alleged reasons for not voting.

Disgust with Politics

Politics is so dirty, and politicians so corrupt, that there is no point in voting.

Did I mention that these people are stupid? If politicians are out of control, the very last thing citizens should want to do is to disengage themselves from the process.  Apparently the idea is that if everyone threw a big hissy fit and stopped voting, politicians would start playing nice and everyone would live happily ever after.

If you are absolutely sickened by the corruption in politics, then there is only one way to deal with it: Do some research before voting day, and in each and every election vote for the least corrupt candidate you can find. If every person claiming to be skipping elections out of disgust did this, politics would be almost completely cleaned up in two or three election cycles.

Or those people can sit at home with your eyes closed, indulging in the idiotic fantasy that when they open their eyes, everything will have been magically fixed. Or, and I suspect this is closer to the truth, they can just admit that they can't be bothered.

No Good Candidates

Another common excuse is that nobody good is running, so why bother?

Translation: No perfect candidate is running. And even if a great candidate is running, he is not emitting a heavenly glow so I can identify him as the anointed one without spending one second of my precious time doing research. So to hell with it!

OK, I will admit that back in 2008 Barrack Obama did admit a heavenly glow with all his "Hope and Change" rhetoric and most people accepted him as the "annointed one" without really researching the candidiate, but, as  it turned out, he was simply a flawed human being, as we all are,   who was elected by telling us what we wanted to hear.

Everyone that votes is often unhappy with the field. Does that mean you should throw your hands up in disgust and walk away? Of course not. Simply evaluate the available candidates, pick the best ones, and vote for them. If there is some quality that consistently wins elections, the political parties will take notice and begin offering candidates with that quality.

Also, drag yourself to the primaries, so you can have some input into who will be running in the general election. If you can't do that, then don't ask for sympathy when you do not like the parties' candidates.

Both Parties Are the Same

Democrats, Republicans...it's all the same. What's the point?

First, that is not generally true. The average Democrat and the average Republican hold very different views on many substantial issues.

The above advice to simply vote for the best candidate should suffice here. If, however, you feel the two-party system is a complete travesty, there is certainly something you can do about it. In most elections, there is at least one third-party candidate. There are often many. There is a rich vein of political philosophy and commnity activism  represented in the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, the Freedom Party, the Conservative Party, the Anti-Prohibition Party, the Rent is 2 Damn High Party, etc. (Yes I did not mention the Tea Party as it is not a political party but more of a grassroots movement.) If you are completely out of the mainstream, there is still almost certainly a political party for you. Spend some time learning about those parties and their candidates, and vote accordingly.

I can hear the objection now: But those parties never win! First, that is not true. Second, if you believe that, then the solution is to vote for those parties so they do win, not to make the "they never win" statement into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Third, even when the small parties do not win, when their ideas attract enough attention and votes, the two major parties will often incorporate those ideas. For example, the Republican Party is much more conservative than it used to because of the current popularity of ideas long advocated by the Conservative Party and more recently by the nation’s Tea Party groups.

All That Matters Is Money

Many do not vote because they feel that money is all that matters in politics today.

There is certainly some truth to that. Politicians that spend more money on their campaigns tend to do better in the elections. That may be in part true because politicians spend every dollar they raise, and those with better ideas can raise more money. Still, all things being equal, money does influence elections.

So what to do? Obviously, do a little research, and vote for the best candidate. If you do that, then you will be able to say that money did not affect your vote. If enough people do that, then money will become much less important in elections today.

If, on the other hand, you stay home and complain about the influence of money, then you will guarantee that you will not be part of the solution.

If you honestly feel that money is destroying politics, then go to the polls and, in each election, vote for the candidate that spent the least amount of cash.

Politicians Just Work to Get Reelected

Another complaint is that principle is tossed aside whenever it will interfere with reelection.

Again, vote for the best candidate, and this will not matter. If you are completely obsessed with this issue, then you can vote against all the incumbents to send the message that you are against all politicians that dare to try to get reelected.

There Is Too Much Negative Campaigning

Many people are turned off by all the negative campaigning.

If you feel that strongly about it, then vote for politicians that didn't campaign negatively. If all of them did, then vote for the one that did the least amount of it.

Before you do that, though, consider this: There is a place for negative campaigning. If two people are running for an office, each of them should certainly explain why they are right for that post. Contrary to current sentiment, it is also equally valid for them to explain why their opponent is wrong for the office.

One irony is that people who complain about the seediness of politics are often the same people that complain about all negative campaigning. If you are against corruption, shouldn't you want candidates to point out when their opponents are corrupt so you can vote them out of or keep them out of office?

There is a time when negative campaigning goes too far. When one candidate begins smearing the other over nothing tangible in an effort to sway the vote, then voters should take notice. The irony here is that they have learned nothing positive about the candidate's opponent, but they have learned something negative about the candidate. In effect, the candidate has engaged in negative campaigning against himself.

Politicians Lie

You like what a politician is saying, then he is elected, and he does something different. So what's the point in voting?

Well, if that happens, make sure to show up for the next election and vote against that candidate. If lying politicians start routinely losing elections, they will wise up. If voters angry about the lies do nothing, then they will laugh their way to the next victory.

"My Vote Will Not Matter"

Probably the number one reason people claim they do not vote is that their one measly vote will not make a difference. The counter to that is to simply note that if all the people saying that voted in the next election, they could dictate the winners to the rest of us.

In closing, even if you are unhappy with the choice being given to you, at least you have a choice.  You can do your part to move things in the direction you desire.

You can vote for better (if not good) candidates.

You can fight the excessive influence of campaign spending.

You can give third-party candidates a boost.

You can punish corruption and lying.

You can vote in the primaries to influence who will be running in the elections.

All of this, unfortunately, will take some of your time. You will have to pay attention to what your politicians are doing. You will have to research new candidates. You will have to learn what the political parties stand for. If you decide that you can not take the time to do this, then do us all a favor and stay home. Do not go in and blindly vote for those whose names you recognize (who are either incumbents or have spent the most money).

If you decide you want to have your say, then learn what you are voting for, and go in and vote. If things do not go your way, then you can complain all you want. You will at least know that you did your part to make things better. And you will have earned the right to complain (and perhaps influence future voters).

On the other hand, if you have the time and ability to educate yourself and vote, yet you choose not to, then, please, don't complain.

MTA Board to meet October 27th to vote on Toll Hikes for Bridges/Tunnels

Assemblywoman Audrey I. Pheffer (D-Queens) is asking all residents to join her in calling upon the MTA Board to vote down the toll increase for E-Z Pass users.

On October 27, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. the MTA Board Members will vote on a method to increase toll revenues.

“There are two proposals that the MTA Board is considering. One is an All-Around Hike, which would increase both EZ Pass and cash users alike. This would have a crippling affect on the already overburdened residents of my community. The other is a Cash-Only Hike Plan, where only cash-paying customers will pay a toll increase. The Cash-Only Hike Plan (COH) is the only option the MTA should be considering. This option would prevent E-Z Pass users from enduring another toll increase,” said Pheffer.

The Cash-Only Hike Plan (COH), is not only supported by residents who participate in the Rebate Program, but is also supported by commuters throughout New York City. The COH was inspired by the many individuals who testified at the MTA’s public hearings. Cash transactions are less efficient, more costly and create a burden on traffic flow and congestion. The COH would create an incentive for drivers to utilize the more efficient E-Z Pass Program.

Assemblywoman Pheffer will be testifying on October 27th, against any further burden to E-Z Pass users. Assemblywoman Pheffer encourages all residents to voice their support for the Cash-Only Hike Plan and oppose the 10% E-Z Pass increase. You may do so by testifying or for those that can not attend in person, send your testimony through the MTA’s website and click on e-mail us (for MTA service option- select Bridges and Tunnels, for subject- write toll increase, for question-submit testimony) or fax to 212-878-7468. You may also drop off your letter at either of Assemblywoman Pheffer’s offices and it will be submitted on your behalf.
“The Cross Bay Bridge toll must be eliminated for all – that is the ultimate goal – however, for now, the Cash-Only Hike is the only option we will accept. I implore everyone to join me in demanding the MTA not raise the E-Z Pass toll,” said Pheffer.

*****

Broad Channel Man Arrested for Robbery, Stolen Property and Drug Possession

According to this week's edition of the WAVE,  Andrew Minami of 11 West 20th Road, Broad Channel, was arrested at his residence on October 8th after allegedly threatening that he had a firearm and demanding drugs from store clerks at both the B 116th Street Duane Reade Pharmacy and the CVS Pharmacy in the Dayton Plaza Shopping Mall on B88th Street earlier that day.

Mr. Minami was charged with robbery, possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance and held in lieu of $30,000 bail until his next court date of October 22nd.

Wind Advisory Extended Until 6PM

The Wind Advisory for our area

has been extended until

6 pm this evening.

Wind Advisory Issued for our Area....

AS THE PENDING NOR'EASTER COMES UP THE COAST, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY FOR OUR AREA WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM FRIDAY TO 6 AM SATURDAY.

WINDS WILL TURN TO THE WEST NORTHWEST BY FRIDAY MORNING...AND WILL
INCREASE. A PROLONGED PERIOD OF STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. IN FACT...GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY. SPEEDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. AN OCCASIONAL GUST IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH CANNOT BE RULED OUT...ESPECIALLY ACROSS LONG ISLAND AND CONNECTICUT LATER FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING.

WINDS OF THESE MAGNITUDES AND FOR THIS DURATION COULD KNOCK DOWN WEAKENED TREES...AND POWER LINES. RESIDENTS SHOULD BRING IN OR TIE DOWN ANY LOOSE OBJECTS.

[NOTE:  A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 31 TO 39 MPH... OR GUSTS OF 46 TO 57 MPH...ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.]

Nor'Easter Update

This Northeast storm will be windier than the storm 2 weeks ago when the remnants of Tropical Strm Nicole brought high winds and heavy rain to our area. This is because low pressure will be much deeper, and, thus, the pressure difference between that surface low and high pressure in the Midwest will be greater. It's the pressure difference that drives winds.

It should not produce as much heavy rain over a wide area as the storm 2 weeks ago. The ground remains rather moist from parts of northern New England to Pennsylvania, so additional heavy rainfall may trigger some flooding of small creeks and streams in Upstate New York and New England, as well as the typical urban areas mainly from New York City northward.

Here is a general forecast timeline for the upcoming Northeast storm:

Thursday:  Low pressure is expected to gather steam somewhere off the Jersey Shore. Winds will pick up markedly Thursday evening along the Northeast Coast, blowing offshore from North Carolina to south Jersey, but onshore from eastern Long Island northward. The most significant rain from this entire event from New York City, southward through Philly, Baltimore and Washington, DC will likely occur Thursday.

Friday:  Low pressure will deepen quickly and shift into coastal New England. The strongest winds, westerly offshore gales, will howl over southern New England and eastern Long Island. Strong west-northwest winds will also whistle through much of the rest of the interior Northeast, from Upstate New York southward to the Great Smoky Mountains, not to mention parts of the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes. Downed tree limbs and power outages are possible, especially considering many of these areas near I-95 still have leaves on trees, which act to increase the surface area of the tree exposed to high winds. The steady, heaviest rain will have shifted into northern Maine and eastern Canada, leaving only wrap-around rain primarily in Upstate New York and northern New England.

Saturday:  Low pressure will gradually pull away from New England and weaken. Despite that, strong northwest winds will continue, particularly in New England, through Saturday afternoon, especially over higher elevations. Additional downed limbs and power outages are possible. These nagging northwest winds will also persist along the rest of the I-95 corridor from New York City to Washington, DC. What "leftover showers" remain in far northern New England and Upstate New York Saturday may actually fall as wet snow over the higher peaks of the Adirondacks, Green and White Mountains. For some, this may be the first accumulating snow of the season.

Possible End of Week Nor'Easter!

There are indications of an impressive late week storm on the horizon.  The origin of this late-week storm is an upper-level disturbance sweeping through the Upper Midwest. 

By late Thursday, low pressure is expected to develop off the Eastern Seaboard and intensify Friday, moving into or offshore of New England.


This potential storm may bring heavy rain, coastal flooding, and high winds to parts of the Northeast Thursday through Saturday.

At this time, the threat of high winds starts Thursday night and continues through Saturday from the I-95 corridor to New England.

Con Ed on West 12th Road to address Utility Poles Issue

We are pleased to advise you that as a follow-up to our previous posting of September 28th, earlier this morning just prior to 9 am, several Con Ed work crews and vehicles arrived on West 12th Road to address the problem of the two (2) West 12th Road utility poles that were alarmingly off-center.

[By 9:00 am, Con Ed workers have already removed the dangeroulsy off-center utility pole at the end of W12th Rd and prepare to replace it with a new pole.]



[By 9:21 am the new pole was in place and all that was left was to move the existing lines from the old pole, affix them to the new one and remove the old pole.]



[By 10:00 am Con Ed was already busy with needed corrective actions with another off center utility pole at the center of West 12th Road. ]


The Con Ed crews were courteous and anytime a vehicle from the end of the block had to leave the street they immediately provided access.  As an aside, one of the Con Ed workers approached me and asked what time high tide was today. I told him high tide was at 1:00 pm but it would not reult in any street flooding.  He looked relieved and told me that his crew had been on West 12th Road last week but while they were here, "...the street flooded real fast and high and there were fish in the street so we had to leave!"

Welcome to West 12th Road boys!

Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued...

Issued by The National Weather Service
New York City, NY
3:38 pm EDT, Mon., Oct. 11, 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 698 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR QUEENS.


Update:  9:50 pm....The storm rolled in around 9:20 pm and was initially accompanied with large hail which could be heard strking the siding of our neighbor's houses and cars on West 12th Road.  At the time of this posting it appears the worst is over.

Oysters Coming Back to Jamaica Bay!

Gregg Rivera pours oysters into Jamaica Bay near JFK Airport, part of $350,000 project to restore mollusks that have been absent for years.

Decimated by years of pollution, oysters once again find home in Jamaica Bay

BY ADAM LISBERG

DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF

Wednesday, October 6th 2010, 4:00 AM

Oysters left Jamaica Bay slowly, declining for decades from overharvesting and pollution, until they were just a memory.


Oysters came back Tuesday - by the bagful.


Under a gray sky, ecologists emptied the first of what will be thousands of oyster shells into the gentle waves of the bay - the beginning of a plan to rehab the reefs that once filled these waters.


"At one time, oysters were a navigation hazard. Ships were sinking just from coming into New York Harbor and hitting the reefs," said John McLaughlin, director of ecological services for the city Department of Environmental Protection.


He was standing on a boat slowly chugging to an underwater platform of old clam and mussel shells, where crews today will nestle up to 10,000 shells seeded with oyster larvae.


If years of planning and decades of cleaning up the bay work as hoped, the young oysters will survive and thrive - and encourage new life.


"They're a keystone species," McLaughlin said. "The water quality in the bay is the best it's been in a very long time."


DEP has poured $624 million since 2002 into improving the four sewage plants that dump into Jamaica Bay. Another $244 million worth of work is planned by 2014.


The tab for the oyster bed project is $350,000, and it has taken years of coordination with agencies and advocacy groups.


They used computer models of water currents to find the best home for the oysters - a long-neglected site surrounded by rotting wood pilings in the shadow of Kennedy Airport.


The marshes around the bay have been eroding over time - and the DEP hopes the oysters can help with regrowth.


If the oysters can reestablish a foothold, they'll help filter the water, improve its clarity and enable it hold more oxygen.

"A single mature oyster can filter 30 to 35 gallons of water a day. If you multiply that by a lot of oysters, that's a lot of water," McLaughlin said. "Restoring oysters, restoring the wetlands, restoring the eelgrass. These are all parts of the puzzle that over time should begin to have an effect."

***End of NY Daily News Story***



Even SpongeBob and Patrick know it's an "emergency!"

When I opened my front door to photo document this morning's high tide, I found the above two characters running around and singing at the end of West 12th Road.

Friday Morning 10/8/2010 High Tide

Friday morning's 9:12 a.m. high tide was on the way out when this picture was taken at 9:40 a.m. but it had reached three quarters of the way up West 12th Road with sidewalk and bulding foundation encroachment.

Tidal Street Flooding Update - October 7, 2010

Earlier this afternoon we received the following email from Ms. Alexandra Rosa, Chief of Staff, Office of the Queens Borough President.

dateThu, Oct 7, 2010 at 2:38 PM
subjectUpdate
mailed-byqueensbp.org

Good news. As you know the funding for the project became available in July. As of the end of September, the Survey was completed. We had heard that a design team would not be on board until January. Instead, I can report that a design team has been selected-RBA Group- and work on preliminary concepts has already begun. DDC is working to finalize its timeline agreement with RBA and is working to incorporate incentives for early delivery of final design documents. RBA is scheduled to deliver preliminary concepts in the first week of December that will be presented to our Task Force for feedback. This is a significant improvement in the timeline that was presented at our last meeting.

Alexandra Rosa
Chief of Staff
Office of the Queens Borough President
120-55 Queens Boulevard, Room 243

Ms. Rosa states that the information in her email update regarding this issue represents "...a significant improvement in the timeline that was presented at our last meeting." 

For the record, our last meeting with the Queens Borough President's Office took place on August 11, 2010 at which time, according to our minutes of that meeting,  Mr.Tony Pollio from DDC stated that his "...office received this CPI (Capital Project Initiative) about one month ago and we feel that it will take approximately another three (3) months in order to hire a consultant to assist in the design phase of this project."

Mr. Pollio then stated that, in his estimation, "...the design phase of the project should start in January of 2011 and that such design phase should take approximately one (1) year to complete with actual construction to start sometime in 2012."

According to Ms. Roasa's email update the following actions, taken by the city since since our August 11, 2010 meeting, constitute the "significant" improvement in this project's timeline.

1. the survey work in this regard was completed at the end of September 2010, and,
2. A design team (The RBA Group) has been retained by the city and has commenced preliminary design concepts to be presented to our group in early December 2010.
3. DDC is working to finalize its timeline agreement with RBA and is working to incorporate incentives for early delivery of final design documents.

The above actions notwithstanding, Ms. Rosa does not indicate that there has been any movement in the project's estimated start date of construction, which absent any evidence to the contrary, we must assume still remains the spring of 2012. 

Thus, only if DDC is able to provide The RBA Group with incentives to expedite "finalization" of design documents to allow for the originally promised construction start date of July 2011, will significant project timeline improvement be realized.

Additonally, it is somewhat disconcerting that Ms. Rosa has not provided an update regarding promised efforts to obtain the previously "emergency declaration" for this Capital Project.

As an aside, according to their website, the RBA Group retained for the design of this project, "...was founded in 1968 as a dynamic partnership of engineers, architects, planners and environmentalists who worked together in the creation of new towns across the United States. For over forty years, the company has continued its mission of innovative, quality services that work towards enhancing the quality of life. Currently, The RBA Group is a multidisciplinary firm that provides services while never losing sight of our overall goal – to provide innovative solutions for our clients that meet the needs of each project while serving to improve the lives of those we touch with our work. With offices in New Jersey, New York and Maryland, we have a combined staff of nearly 250 talented engineers, planners, architects, technicians and support personnel working on everything from small, local projects to massive infrastructure assignments."

The RBA Group maintains its New York City office in Manhattan at:

New York City

27 Union Square West, 4th Floor

New York, NY 10003-3366

Phone: 212.741.8090

Fax: 212.633.1205

We will you keep you updated.

2,000 visits!

It was only four short months ago that the West 12th Road Block Association went online with its own website.

Earlier this month, we registered our 2,000th visit to our little community site.

Admittedly, the majority of visitors to this site are from our local Broad Channel area but we also enjoy routine visits from other areas, including...

Albany, N.Y.

Ravena, N.Y.

Rhinebeck, N.Y.

Newburgh, N.Y.

Nassau County

Suffolk County

California

Kanas

Texas

Florida

Georgia

North Carolina

Virginia

Washington, D.C.

Maryland

Pennsylvania

New Jersey 

Kingston, Jamaica

Birmingham, Great Britain

We thought now would be a great time to expresss our sincere appreciation for all of you who have visited us here at the West 12th Road Block Association and let you know that we all look forward to continue providing all of you with information and other news that pertain to our little corner of the world here in Broad Channel.



WPIX Coverage of Cross Bay Bridge Toll Protest (10/5/2010)

 

Thursday 10/7/2010 Morning High Tide

West 12th Road at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, October 7, 2010

At 8:35 a.m., Thursday, October 7, 2010, Amy Mahon makes her way up the block enroute to school

MTA Voting today for 4th Fare Hike in 5 Years!

Later this morning, the MTA will vote on (and approve) the following transit farehikes, the 4th such fare increase in the past 5 years!

Discounts Eliminated

One Day Unlimited "Fun Pass"

14 day unlimited MetroCard

MetroCard Price Increases

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Later this month, on October 27th, the MTA Board will vote on (and approve)  toll increases for the MTA's tunnels and bridges which will serve to increase the recently implemented (July 23rd) CBB Resident Toll on Rockaway and Broad Channel residents.

NY1 Coverage of Cross Bay Bridge Protest Tuesday Evening Oct. 5th

More than 200 people marched across the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge in the Rockaways Tuesday evening to protest the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's newly added toll for local residents.

The bridge is the only direct link from the Rockaways to the rest of Queens, and crossing it used to be free for residents.


Back in July, the MTA started charging $1.13 for residents' first two trips of the day over the bridge with E-Z Pass. All subsequent trips that day are then rebated.


Drivers paying in cash are charged $2.75.


"It's unfair. We don't see this anywhere in the United States, only in Rockaway. And we have been the dumping ground for the last 60 years. And we're not gonna take it no more," said one Rockaways resident.


"It is almost unheard of to have tolls go from one side of a community to another. And we're hopeful that the sheer force of the wisdom here, and a lot of people will get the MTA to change their mind," said Congressman Anthony Weiner.


The MTA has not responded to the protest.

They agency has said in the past that adding the toll was necessary in order to help them plug an $800 million budget deficit.

You can view the NY1 video of this demontsration here.

Wednesday 10/6/2010 Morning Tide

The morning tide had already spilled out of the street onto the sidewalk and started creeping the fire hydrant located at the end of West 1th Road when this picture was taken at 6:45 am.

Tuesday Evening 10/5/2010 High Tide (7:00 pm)

This was West 12th Road at 5:50 pm on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 as the bay rolled in towards a 7:00 pm high tide.

Particularly annoying was the fact that this tide  stranded many West 12th Road resdents in their houses, precluding them from taking part in the  Cross Bay Bridge Toll Protest Demonstration which was scheduled for 7:00 pm. 

Make Your Voices Heard!

CROSS BAY BRIDGE TOLL RALLY AND MARCH

When:     This evening, Tuesday, October 5th  at 7:00 pm

Where:    McDonalds at the Rockaway end of the bridge

Although the MTA only reinstituted the Cross Bay Bridge Resident Toll for those of us here in Broad Channel back on July 23rd, they are already planning a bridge toll increase effective this coming January!


If you are frustrated with the MTA's decision to make the Cross Bay Bridge the only intra-county tolled roadway in the city, now is the time to let your voice be heard loud and clear. 

Call, Twitter, facebook or email your friends and family and ask them to join your neighbors here in Broad Channel and acoss the bridge in Rockaway to protest this unfair toll!

Tuesay 10/5/2010 - Morning High Tide

This picture was taken at 6:05 am, Tuesday, 10/5/2010. 

There was already more than 16 inches of tide at the end of West 12th Road and sidewalk and building foundation encroachment extended more than three quarters of the way up the block.  High Tide was not until 6:43 am!

P.S.:   For those of you who have not had the pleasure of wading through the tide recently, the water is getting cold!
 

Monday 10/4/2010 - Evening High Tide

This picture was taken at 4:25 pm on Monday afternoon, 10/4/2010. 

High Tide was not until 6:03 pm with an estimated tide height of 6'. 

At it's peak, the tide topped out at over 7' again, just like earlier that morning.

The "Coastal Flood Advisory" has been extended until noon, Tuesday, 10/5/2010 so tomorrow morning's 6:03 am high tide should also be a doozy!

Monday, October 4th - Morning Tidal Street Flooding!

Although this morning's 5:45 am high tide was only supposed to be 5.5', several low pressure systems caused the tidal height on West 12th Road to run up to 7' or better. I rushed to get our car off the block at 3:40 a.m. as did many other residents, sounding horms and flashing lghts to alert other neighbors still sleeping..

This picture was taken at the end of W12th Road at 4:20 a.m. this morning.

Coastal Flood Advisory in Effect!

The National Weather Servce has issued the following Coasta Flood Advisory...

.THE PRESSURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOW PRESSURE MOVING SLOWLY NORTH
FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST...AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING TO THE
NORTH ACROSS UPSTATE NEW YORK AND NEW ENGLAND...WILL CONTINUE TO
PRODUCE NORTHEAST FLOW...WITH GALES ON THE OCEAN AND THE EASTERN
SOUND AND BAYS OF LONG ISLAND.

THIS COMBINED WITH HIGH ASTRONOMICAL TIDES ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPCOMING NEW MOON WILL PRODUCE MINOR COASTAL FLOODING EARLY THIS WEEK.

A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 11 PM  FROM 3 AM TO 11 PM EDT MONDAY. TIDAL DEPARTURES OF SLIGHTLY MORE THAN 1 1/2 FT ABOVE NORMAL WILL LIKELY CAUSE SOME MINOR COASTAL FLOODING AROUND THE TIMES OF HIGH TIDE EARLY MONDAY MORNING.

Good News and Bad News!

Take a few minutes to read and think about the following...

• Back on Friday, September 3rd, Hurricane Earl came up the East Coast but,thankfully, stayed far enough east out in the Atlantic to avoid any serious impact for us here in the Channel.

• On Thurday. September 16th the city experienced severe thunderstorms and two tornadoes!  One tornado touched down in Brooklyn and the other just south of Flushing here in Queens.  Broad Channel was spared any serious damage with this storm.

• During the evening of Wednesday, September 22nd we sustained a quick moving severe thunderstorm with heavy rain and wind but again, since it moved quickly through our community, we avoided any serious impact.

• During the afternoon of Tuesday, September 28th, the National Weather Service issued yet another "Tornado Warning" for our area but, thankfully, cancelled it less than an hour later.

• Just yesterday, Friday October 1st, we were lucky once again as the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole moved up the coast and into our area but sparing the community of Broad Channel from anything worse than a long, very wet day.

Within the space of less than 30 days, we have "dodged the bullet" of severe weather (hurricane, tornadoes, tropical storms, etc) on 5 separate occasions!

The good news is that the hurricane season is drawing to a close.

The bad news is that now we have to start worrying about "Nor'Easters" which can take place anytime between October and April when moisture and cold air are plentiful here on the east coast.