To all who have made the ultimate sacrifice...Thank You!

Why the Red "Buddy Poppy" on Memorial Day

In the World War I battlefields of France, poppies grew wild amid the ravaged landscape of Flanders Field. How could such a pretty little flower grow wild while surrounded by death and destruction? The overturned soils of battle enabled the poppy seeds to be covered, thus allowing them to flourish and grow amidst the devastation of war.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a Doctor with the Canadian forces was serving in Belgium and after witnessing the death of his friend,  looked out upon the battlefield and was taken aback at the sight of all the bright red poppies growing in the midst of the carnage. As a result, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae put pencil to paper and penned the poem “WeShall Not Sleep” which later became more widely known as “In Flanders Field”.

In Flanders Fields

(originally entitled “We Shall Not Sleep”)

John McCrae, 1915.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Unfortunately, John McCrae was not to see the end of the War. He was wounded in May 1918 becoming a patient in his own hospital near the French coast where, suffering from pneumonia, he died three days later.



The idea for a Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy came to Miss Moina Michael of Georgia while she was working at the YMCA Overseas War Secretaries' headquarters on a Saturday morning in November 1918, two days before the Armistice was declared at 11 o'clock on 11 November.  The Twenty-fifth Conference of the Overseas YMCA War Secretaries was in progress. On passing her desk, a young soldier left a copy of the November Ladies Home Journal on Moina's desk.

At about 10.30am, when everyone was on duty elsewhere, Moina found a few moments to read the magazine. In it she came across a page which carried a vivid color illustration for the poem "We Shall Not Sleep" (later named "In Flanders Fields") by the Canadian Army doctor John McCrae.

Reading the poem on this occasion - she had read it many times before - Moina was transfixed by the last verse - "To you from failing hands we throw the Torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders Fields."

She then conceived of an idea and started the practice of wearing red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States was the first veteran organization to promote a nationally organized campaign for the annual distribution of poppies assembled by American disabled and needy veterans. In 1924, the VFW patented the name "Buddy Poppy" for their version of the artificial flower. Buddy Poppy proceeds represents no profit to any VFW unit. All the money contributed by the public for Buddy Poppies is used in the cause of veteran’s welfare, or for the well being of their needy dependents and the orphans of veterans.

Following the 1924 sale, the VFW believed it would stimulate local sales if the poppies they used were assembled by disabled veterans in hospitals within their own jurisdiction. The 1924 encampment of the VFW at Atlantic City granted this privilege, under the provision that all poppies would be produced according to specifications set forth by the National Buddy Poppy Committee, and that all poppies would be assembled by disabled veterans in government hospitals and by needy veterans in workshops supervised by the VFW.

Around the same year, the American Legion Auxiliary adopted the poppy as the organization's memorial flower and pledged its use to benefit our servicemen and their families. Today, the poppy continues to provide a financial and therapeutic benefit to those hospitalized and disabled veterans who construct them, as well as benefiting thousands of other veterans and their families.

In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.

As you are standing on Cross Bay Boulevard watching the Broad Channel Memorial Day Parade tomorrow afternoon and your child asks why a veteran handed him or her a "Buddy Poppy", take some time to explain the history of this practice which, unfortunately, is all too often forgotten by many of us.

BCCA Mtng May 26, 2011 - Re: Flood Mitigation Project

Last night's Broad Channel Civic Association (BCCA) meeting was well attended as, at approximately 8:25 pm when the discussion of the Broad Channel Flood Mitigation Project pertaining to West 11th and 13th Roads commenced, there were a total of 59 individuals present in the VFW Hall. 

The discussion started with Dan Mundy Jr., President of the BCCA providing those in attendance with an overview of the Broad Channel Flood Mitigation Project to date, including the citys recent contracting of the engineering firm, URS Corp., to schedule and conduct pre-construction survey inspections of all properties on those blocks affected by this project.

Once discussion regarding this project was open to the floor, there were many salient questions and comments posed and offered by the residents of West 11th and 13th Roads including, but not limited to...

"Will construction start on all three streets simultaneously?"

"How will the bump outs for utility poles affect future parking on my block?"

"What if I don't want my street raised?" 

"Once the street is opened, if repairs to the exisiting sewer or other buried infrastructure is deemed necessary, who will pay for it?"

"My house is not raised, I walk out my front door onto the sidewalk.  If they raise the street, how will I access my property?"

"Once construction starts, where will I park?"

"The letter from the DDC states I must contact URS and schedule a pre-construction survey by June 1st or I will be deemed as having declined the inspection."

"How high will my street be elevated?"

"Once construction starts, what about oil and propane deliveries and the like?"

Although the majority of questions posed and comments offered regarding this project were germane to the issue as a whole, they also spoke to a wider issue - that of the residients of West 11th and 13th Roads not being completely informed of the background, and specifics of the present flood mitigation project for their respective streets.

Dan Mundy Jr., succinctly stated that if the individual streets in question (West 11th and 13th Roads) are to be adequately represented in this process. a consensus must be reached by the residents of those blocks regarding all specific street issues (i.e. street elevation, etc.) and then presented to the city and the RBA Group.

Presently, the tentative project plan for this endeavor entails:

Between June 2011 and January 2012

Meet with Residents of West 11th and 13th Roads...

Finalize feasibility report and designs...

Develop construction plans... 

Submit application(s) and obtain DEC approval.

Between January and March 2012

Publish an RFP (Request for Proposal) for this project to be bid on by interested (and vendexed) contractors.

Between April and May 2012

Receive and review all submitted bids pursuant to published RFP.

June 2012

Award Project Contract with a designated start date for construction.

As Dan Mundy Jr., pointed out, most importantly at this time, keeping in mind the above tentative project schedule, prior to the next (June 2011) BCCA meeting West 11th an 13th Roads should each immediately identify a core group of individual residents to serve as a "Flood Mitigation Project Committee" for each of their blocks.

Once identified, these committee members should bring themselves up to speed on all aspects of this project.

The individual committees should then share all information gathered with all respective property owners on that committee's block any and documenting all questions or concerns individual home owners may have regarding this project.
  

At that point a consensus must be reached by each block as a means of framing their individual street committee's interaction with the city and the RBA Group at the June 2011 BCCA meeting to ensure the city is made aware of what aspects of the presented design plan, pertaining to their individual street, the residents find either acceptable or unacceptable.  Arrival at an agreed upon final project design may take some time but when such agreement is reached the individual block committees will then have to address several other issues prior to the actual start of construction on their respective blocks, including but not limited to...
  

Construction Issues

First and foremost, the residents of each block must be provided with a specific and detailed explanation of the project plan for flood mitigation on their street.

Start date and projected completion of construction…?

What will be the scheduled days and hours of construction…?

Will construction require a total closure of our road to all vehicular traffic and, if so, will such closure be continual for the duration of project or will temporary access be provided during evening or weekend hours…?

Who will be responsible for any damages sustained to private property (other than removal of encroachments) as a result of a contractor's actions/inactions?

The project should be scheduled so as to take into account projected tidal flooding so as to preclude delays resulting from severe water penetration onto an excavated (open) roadway.

The committee's should also document all construction activities (both in writing and by photgraphs) to ensure the project plan agreed upon is being adhered to and to serve as a block liaison with the contractor. 

Resident Access Issues

How will resident access to individual properties be afforded…?

Will residents with disabilities (i.e. wheelchair bound) be able to gain egress and ingress to their properties…?

Emergency and other Services:

Police: Prior notification to the New York City Police Department regarding street construction/closure on your road.

Fire/Ambulance: Prior notification to the New York City Fire Department and the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department regarding street construction/closure on your road.

Sanitation: Prior notification to the New York City Sanitation Department regarding street construction/closure on your road.

U.S. Postal Service: Prior notification to the United States Postal Service regarding street construction/closure on your road.

Con Edison: Prior notification to ConEdison regarding street construction/closure on your road.

FedEx, UPS, etc.: Residents will have to delay large bulk deliveries requiring truck access to your road during times of total street closure.

Home Heating Oil/Propane Tank Deliveries: Residents will have to ensure sufficient home heating oil and propane gas are delivered prior to start of construction.

Meals on Wheels/Visiting Nurse, etc.:  Any elderly/infirm resident of your road receiving these services should arrange alternative service options.

Prescription Medications: Disabled, elderly or inform residients of your road should ensure sufficient quantities of required medication are on hand for the duration of this project, especially those with cardiac, diabetic and asthmatic conditions.

Elderly Residents: Arrangements should be made by neighbors to ensure any elderly or infirm residients have everyhting they need during this project.

Children: All parents should ensure that their children do not play in or among any construction during the duration of this project to ensure their safety.

Parking:

Total closure of West 12th Road will displace parking spaces for in excess of some sixty (60) private motor vehicles.

We should pursue a waiver from the city to allow parking on the Cross Bay median during the period of construction accompanied by a documented notification of same to the local 100th Precinct and Traffic Enforcement.

Additionally, during this time frame, no permits should be issued for any event (i.e.block parties, movie shoots, etc.) that would require any additional loss of community parking spaces which would only serve to  exacerbae this situation.

Additionally, any boats, personal watercraft. recreational vehicles, etc., currently stored in front of resident's properties will have to be moved.

Finally, we shall have to discuss with the city any available alternatives to moving existing utility poles via use of sidewalk "bump outs" which would serve to markedly reduce permanent available parking on West 12th Road. 

Should any established block committee require any assistance in this matter, the West 12th Road Block Association will be more than happy to assist.

Property Access Request from DDC - URS responds promptly...

Hello,


My name is Jonathan, I'm with URS Corp and have just starting returning phone messages this morning. Sorry for the delay in processing your phone calls. We do this type of work frequently in many parts of the city and rarely have so many people call so quickly. For anyone who has left a message, if I have not called you back by the end of today, please call me again (201-786-8488) as some messages I recieved were unclear or did not have return phone number.


Again I appoligize for the delay and hope that you will find our services professional from this point foward. If there are any questions or issues that arise during the inspections, please do not hesitate to call the phone number in the letter. (201-786-8488).



Thank you

In addition to the above, Mr. Richard Messerole of  the DDC contacted the W12th Road Block Association earlier this morning to assure us that he had contacted URS and requested that they address the issue of the URS contact telephone right away.

Hopefully, this issue has ben "put to bed."

Property Access Request From the DCC - Addendum

In yesterday's post entitled Property Access Request from the DDC I quoted the DDC as having stated that...

"We are seeking to commence the inspections as soon as possible.  Please contact or leave a message to URS at (201) 786-8488 before June 1, 2011, to schedule an inspection...."

I have received several calls and emails from neighbors who state that they have called the above number for URS attempting to schedule this survey and it is answered by a recording that simply says the number  "...201-786-8488 is not available and to please leave a message." 

I called the number myself and recieved the same response.

I contacted Mr. Richard Messerole at DDC and informed him (again via an answering machine) of the above and suggested that he contact URS and request that if they are not going to answer the number we have been requested to call to request and schedule these surveys that they at least put in place a message identifying the fact that the caller has reached a URS extension with additional information detailing the specific information to be left in the message.  I also requested that Mr. Messerole get back to me to confirm that he received my message.

I'll let you know what happens.

The present system is unprofessional at best and leaves many callers wondering if they have, in fact, actually reached URS.

Obviously Yankee Fans....



Photo taken from FDR Drive near Brooklyn Bridge by Nicholas Pierro



NYC Alert...

NYC Notification issued 05/23/2011 at 04:00 PM....

During Fleet Week (5/24 to 6/01) expect low flying military aircraft, 21-gun salutes, a parade of ships and other events in the NY Harbor, including the Hudson River, Lower Manhattan and the Downtown Manhattan Heliport areas. 

Property Access Request from the DDC

By now every property owner on West11th, 12th and 13th Roads should have received a communication from the N.Y.C. Department of Design and Construction (DDC) regarding the ongoing flood mitigation project in Broad Channel stating, in part, that:

"A crucial component of this infrastructure improvement is to conduct a pre-construction vibration monitoring study to address the effects of construction activities and vibrations upon buildings and structures located within the arae of influence of construction. DDC has contracted the services of URS Corporation (URS) to conduct the pre-construction survey.  A representative from URS will request access to your property in order to conduct a structural survey on behalf of the DDC.  If access is granted, the URS representative will conduct a survey consisting of a visual observation and photographs of interior and exterior structural elements including, but not limited to foundation walls in basements, stoops, exterior walls, and basement floors in your home."

"We are seeking to commence the inspections as soon as possible.  Please contact or leave a message to URS at (201) 786-8488 before June 1, 2011, to schedule an inspection. The NYCDDC...Project Manager, Richard Meserole can also be contacted at (718) 391-1034 if you have any questions regarding this request.  Inspections can be limited to the exterior of the house/building only at your request, however if you do not contact URS before this date, it will be considered as declining the pre-condition inspection." 

All residents of West 11th, 12th and 13th Roads should contact URS at (201) 786-8488 prior to June 1st (next Wednesday) to schedule this inspection.


Additionally, all residents of West 11th and 13th Roads are strongly urged to attend this week's meeting of the Broad Channel Civic Association (Thursday evening at 8:00 pm) as the city and the RBA Group will be providing a general presentation of  project plans for those streets.

Memorial Day - 2011

Take some time this weekend and introduce your children to some real "American Idols!"

The Broad Channel Memorial Day Parade, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, will take place on Sunday, May 29 at 1:30 p.m. Participants will gather at the toll bridge plaza to march along Cross Bay Boulevard, with a stop at the West 17th Road Park, and then continue down to the Memorial Triangle Park at West 4th Road for concluding services.


The Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department will also have a separate memorial service starting at 10 a.m. in front of their firehouse on Noel Road to honor fallen comrades.  The BCVFD will later join the VFW and American Legion's  memorial parade.

All Broad Channel residents are urged to come out and view this parade to support and join our veterans as they honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy this great country of ours.

Saturday Morning 5/21/2011

The fog was so dense earlier this morning (6:00 am) that visibility on the 11th/12th Road Canal was down to only about 150 feet!

 Early-morning fog is common during the spring and fall months. The coolest temperature during an average day occurs in the morning around sunrise
.
When these cool temperatures combine with light winds and humidity or moisture in the atmosphere, fog begins to form.

The fog typically dissipates a few hours after sunrise when surface temperatures warm.
 
We should be enjoying a high temperature of 77 degrees (f) later today but there is still a chance of a thunder shower later this afternoon.

Enjoying a neighborly, but wet, conversation....

Kathy (she's the one knee high in water)  is talking to MaryAnn and Donna during last Sunday's high tide on West 12th Road.

Cooler, wet weather and street flooding on tap for the next several days. Oh yeah...the world ends next Saturday!

Hope you all enjoyed the past several days of sunshine and near 70 degrees temperatures because, starting tomorrow (Sunday,) it appears that we are in for a week of temperature in the 60’s with rain almost every day.

Additionally, each evening, through next Thursday, will see tidal street flooding on West 12th Road.

To add insult to injury you also have to keep in mind that world is ending next Saturday, May 21st.

What, you haven’t heard the “Awesome News,” that,  according to some,  Judgment Day is coming on May 21?

That’s the day our estate values really shoot up: the rapture will occur, shooting all the deserving straight up to heaven on an express elevator of glory.

The rest of the story isn’t all fun and games though. We may get some choice picks of real estate and less planetary overcrowding (and definitely a few less annoying 7th Day Adventist proselytizers coming to our doors) but that’s while we endure 153 days of “death and horror” before it all comes to a spectacular end on October 21st.

I wouldn’t pay too much attention to this kind of “doomsday” hysteria because, if you remember, civilization didn’t collapse back in 2000 with that year’s “Y2K” scare.

I also remember “ducking and covering” (a true exercise in futility) in grammar school back in the 60’s during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The world didn’t blow itself up back then either.

Also, everyone knows that according to the Mayan calendar, the world is not scheduled to end until December 21st, 2012.

Additionally, The New York City Water Board is recommending yet another increase in our water rates to take effect July 1st of this year.  If the world was really coming to an end on May 21st, they would have made the rate hike effective May 15th!

Finally, as I sit here typing this post and drinking my coffee I can see that the expiration date on my carton of milk clearly states “May 23rd, 2011”!

I guess that takes care of the end of the world so I will leave the cooler, wet weather and street flooding to all of you to handle.

Meeting Tonight for W12th Road Residents at NCYC...

The city and the RBA Group will host a meeting for all West 12th Road residents this evening at the North Channel Yacht Club (NCYC) at 6:30 p.m.

Although the meeting is open to all West 12th residents, it is primarily intended for those property owenres who were unable to attend last month's meeting of the Broad Channel Civic Association.

Earlier today, I met with NYCDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik Khan and DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy who were present on West 12th Road along with other staff representatives from DOT to inspect the end of street terminus in preparation for this evening's meeting. 

Prior to leaving, Commisioner McCarthy reiterated that, as previously posted, the city and the RBA Group will conduct similar meetings for residents of West 11th and 13th Roads in order to address concerns specifically related to project construction and impact for those residents.

SMILE......."Solar Summer" starts today!

May 7th marks the beginning of the solar summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This means that it is the start of the quarter of the year with the greatest amount of sunshine.

The solar summer centers around June 21, which is the summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere.

The summer solstice occurs when the earth's axial tilt is most inclined towards the sun at its maximum of 23 degrees. The day on which the summer solstice occurs has the longest period of daylight of any day of the year.

The exception is in the polar regions, where there is constant sunlight for many months during the spring and summer.

The solar summer is different from the meteorological summer, which is the warmest quarter of the year. The meteorological summer stretches from early in June to early in September.

The hottest part of the summer, often referred to as the dog days of summer, occurs from mid-July to early August across much of the U.S.

Tidal Flooding Project Update - Mtng for W12th Rd. Residents at NCYC Tues. 5/6/2011 at 6:30pm

On Thursday, April 28, 2011, the city (DOT, DDC) and their design firm (The RBA Group) conducted a  presentation to all in attendance at that evening's meeting of the Broad Channel Civic Association of the current status of the ongoing Flood Mitigation Project as it pertains to West 11th, 12th and 13th Roads.

At the conclusion of that presentation, representatives of the RBA Group met individually with all West 12th Road home owners who were present to explain how this project would impact their respective properties.

For various reasons, the following West 12th Road property owners were not present at the April 28th meeting and did not have the opportunity to view the presentation or meet individually with representatives from the RBA Group to ascertain this project's impact on their individual properties.

John Henglein (44 West 12th Road)

Nicole Weedon (34 West 12th Road)

Frank Bassetti (24 West 12th Road)

Dorothy Ward (10 West 12th Road)

Jeff Mason (12-01 Cross Bay Boulevard)

Debra  Davino (11-17 Cross Bay Boulevard)

John P. Crowley (15 West 12th Road)

Aracelia Deleon (17 West 12th Road)

"Bank ofl New York" (19 West 12th Road)

Michael Bulling (23 West 12th Road)

Colleen Keegan (29 West 12th Road)

John Henglein (33 West 12th Road)

Barbara Waldheim (35 West 12th Road)

Maria Durlik (39 West 12th Road)

Ann McCarvill (41 West 12th Road)

Teresa Lazauskas (51 West 12th Road) 

On Tuesday, May 10, 2011 a follow up meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the North Channel Yacht Club (NCYC)  in  order to provide those West 12th Road property owners listed above another opportunity to view the city's presentation of the status of this project and to meet individually with representatives from the RBA Group to assess this project's impact on their property.

West 12th Road residents who attended the previous April 28th meeting who may still have questions or comments regarding this project are also invited to attend this meeting at the NCYC.

Similar individual block meetings for residents of West 11th and 13th Roads will be conducted in the future.