2011-2012 Nor'Easters - 1 down....? to go....

The first Nor'Easter on the 2011-2012 season has come and gone with little impact on our Broad Channel community other than an extremely high tide yesterday, much  cooler temperatures and a wind whipped heavy wet snowstorm that, try as it did, simply could not appreciably stick to most surfaces and is now simply a memory.

One interesting fact about this storm was the below "ALERT" issued by the city last night.

"ALERT issued 10/29/11 at 8:00 PM. No one should enter any City Park until further notice. Heavy snow and strong wind gusts, combined with full leaves still on trees, are damaging thousands of trees in parks throughout the City. This is creating an elevated and ongoing danger of falling branches and trees. City crews are working to address the damage and will continue throughout the storm."

To the best on my knowledge, this advisory to stay out of all city parks is still in effect at the time of this posting.

First Nor'Easter of the 2011-2012 Season On its Way!

By now I am sure that most of you have heard the television and radio forecasters mentioning the possibility of snow this weekend.

A Nor'Easter will start making its way up the coast tonight and may bring with it a slushy coating of snow to the northern boroughs of our city Saturday night.

I know you are all thinking "But it's not cold enough to snow!", but as long as the cold (i.e. sub-freezing) air aloft is deep enough for snow crystals to survive the journey down to the surface without melting, you can get snow falling with surface temperatures above freezing.

The bulk of the storm just north and west of I-95 will be wet snow, but even in New York City rain will become mixed with or change over completely to wet snow Saturday evening as daytime tempertaures drop. The higher up you are, and farther away from the coast within the I-95 zone, the better the chance of  not only wet snowflakes mixing in, but also a heavy accumulation of wet snow.

It looks like it wil shake out this way....

Saturday: Rain, mainly after 8am. High near 44. Breezy, with a northeast wind between 17 and 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Saturday Night: Rain then a chance of rain and snow. Low around 35. Breezy, with a north wind between 18 and 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

For us here in Broad Channel the rain, tides and colder tempertaures will be the major factors we will have to contend with. 

Civic Association Newsletter - President's Message

President’s Message

At this (evening's) civic meeting, Thursday October 27 -8pm, the Broad Channel Civic will honor two individuals who have been advocating for our town for decades. We hope that those of you who are able will come out and show your appreciation. 

At the community level we will be honoring Eileen Smith of West 10th Road who has volunteered her services as Broad Channel Civic Recording Secretary for over 35 years. Eileen personifies the type of get involved spirit that has been so critical to this town’s development and achievements over the years. Not content to sit at home and watch TV, she would be present at every civic meeting over that time (come rain or shine) and has set an example of civic activity for all to admire. Every civic President over the last 3 decades owes a debt of thanks to this person who so meticulously recorded every meeting and followed up with countless correspondences. We are truly fortunate to have such people come forward and know that her dedication has inspired subsequent generations to follow her lead.

On the political level, we will be honoring former Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer.  Audrey had been our representative in Albany for almost twenty years.  During that time every achievement that this town has attained including our parks, land ownership, library, street raising, public school improvement, volunteer Fire Department funding, has had the assistance of Audrey and her staff.  Her office was always responsive to phone calls for assistance and requests for meetings with various agencies.  Her constant support and advice will be sorely missed.

Speaking of the political front, we have just had a special election and we congratulate Congressman Bob Turner and Assemblyman Philip Goldfeder on their recent success at the polls. The Civic Association has already had contact with both representatives and looks forward to working with both of them to further the interests of our town. We hope that they will both be as helpful and as accessible as their predecessors.

The last civic meeting saw another presentation by the DOT and RBA group regarding the evolving design for the street raising project involving West 11th, 12th and 13th Roads. Those streets as well as the community were well represented in a standing room only crowd. The new concept was well received, and the design team will continue to work up the plan with increased details which will be brought back for discussion once again when it is finalized.

Community Board 14 joined the overwhelming consensus of elected leaders, civic and environmental
groups on September 20th when, after listening to a Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers presentation responding to the Port Authority plan to fill in the bay for increased runways, voted to not only oppose this dangerous plan but to also send out a strongly worded letter to the Governor to so advise him. The Ecowatchers kept the pressure on with meetings in September briefing the staff of Senators Schumer and Gillibrand’s office as well as meeting with the Superintendent of the Gateway National Park, the Army Corps. of Engineers, the DEC and the DEP.

Dan Mundy Jr.

President

Broad Channel Civic Association

Statue of Liberty - 125 Years Young!

The Statue of Liberty National Monument officially celebrates her 125th birthday this Friday, October 28, 1986.

The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty's symbolism has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship.

Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it was agreed upon that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States. However, lack of funds was a problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In France, public fees, various forms of entertainment, and a lottery were among the methods used to raise funds. In the United States, benefit theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights assisted in providing needed funds.

Meanwhile in France, Bartholdi required the assistance of an engineer to address structural issues associated with designing such a colossal copper sculpture. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework which allows the Statue's copper skin to move independently yet stand upright. Back in America, fund raising for the pedestal was going particularly slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer (noted for the Pulitzer Prize) opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, "The World" to support the fund raising effort. Pulitzer used his newspaper to criticize both the rich who had failed to finance the pedestal construction and the middle class who were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide the funds. Pulitzer's campaign of harsh criticism was successful in motivating the people of America to donate.

Financing for the pedestal was completed in August 1885, and pedestal construction was finished in April of 1886. The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate "Isere" which transported the Statue of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October 28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift ten years late.

The story of the Statue of Liberty and her island has been one of change. The Statue was placed upon a granite pedestal inside the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood (which had been completed for the War of 1812.) The United States Lighthouse Board had responsibility for the operation of the Statue of Liberty until 1901. After 1901, the care and operation of the Statue was placed under the War Department. A Presidential Proclamation declared Fort Wood (and the Statue of Liberty within it) a National Monument on October 15th, 1924 and the monument's boundary was set at the outer edge of Fort Wood. In 1933, the care and administration of the National Monument was transferred to the National Park Service. On September 7, 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all of Bedloe's Island and in 1956, the island's name was changed to Liberty Island.

On May 11, 1965, Ellis Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. In May of 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca to head up a private sector effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. Fundraising began for the $87 million restoration under a public/private partnership between the National Park Service and The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., to date the most successful public-private partnership in American history.

In 1984, at the start of the Statue's restoration, the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site.

On July 5, 1986 the newly restored Statue re-opened to the public during Liberty Weekend, which celebrated her centennial. 

#OCCUPYJUPITER....

Participatory Budget Project

Participatory Budget Project NYC - Broad Channel Neighborhood Assembly - Monday, 11/7/2011 - VFW Hall at 7:30 pm

Back in August, the W12thRd Block Association attended an informational presentation at St. Camillus in Rockaway regarding the “Participatory Budget” pilot project that is taking place within our City Council District 32 via the auspices of Councilman Eric Ulrich.

Through a process known as participatory budgeting, constituents of Council District 32 hannel areas, will be asked to volunteer as "budget delegates" to develop and choose among proposals for local capital projects like street repairs, new parks and public artworks. The money — $1 million  — will come out of the Councilman Ulrich's discretionary funds.

The money designated for this project is restricted solely to Capital Projects:  that’s money for physical improvements that benefit the public like rebuilding a street, renovating a park, installing benches or streetlights, or trash cans, repairing buildings, or buying computers or equipment for a school or community center.

A Neighborhood Assembly will be held at the Prince-Wynn Post 260 VFW Hall on Shad Creek Road on Monday, November 7th at 7:30 pm, at which time volunteer budget delegates. selected at the assembly, will then meet for several months to identify, develop,  budget project proposals.  Other Neighborhood Assemblies are being held across the Rockaway Peninsula within District 32.

In March of 2012, residents of District 32 will the be afforded the opportunity to vote on all final budget project proposals with the top vote getters being included in the city budget for 2013.

Although $1 million is not a large amount of funding, especially when spread across the various neighborhoods of DC32 (Breezy Point, Neponsit, Belle Harbor, Rockaway Park, Far Rockaway, Broad Channel, etc., the idea of a taxpaying citizenry having a say in how their tax money is used is one I believe we can all agree on. 

Additionally, this project provides a real means of educating ourselves regarding the process of government within the city and more specifically, the process of the budget, pursuant to the City Charter.

This project also provides the residents of Broad Channel with a unique opportunity to come together as a community to... 

...ensure that the finances of the local government (approximately $1 million dollars of discretionary funds) are properly accounted for and thus decrease the potential for abuse by individuals both within and outside the system,

...involve the community in the priority-setting and budgeting process,

and,

...nurture civic engagement and educate ourselves regarding the process of local government. 

The above notwithstanding, it would be great to see the VFW Hall packed to the rafters on Monday evening, November 7th, if for nothing else other than to impress our elected representatives that we have serious concerns about how are tax money is spent! 

In a Thunderstorm, Forget Your Umbrella - Just Stick Close to a Woman!

Ever wonder who gets struck by lighting more often - men or women?

From 1995 to 2008, lightning strikes killed 648 people in the United States.  Of those killed, 82 percent were male.

Yes, you read that correctly... 82 percent.

Right about now I'm sure you're asking yourself the same questions I did.

Is it something biological?

Does it have something to do with increased amounts of chemicals in male physiology?

Are men just more "attractive?"

Sadly, gentlemen, it's your own darn fault.

"Men take more risks in lightning storms," said John Jensenius, a lightning safety expert with the National Weather Service. "Men are less willing to give up what they're doing just because of a little inclement weather and will continue to engage in pastimes that make them vulnerable, such as fishing, camping and golfing." In fact, sports-related or recreational activities are involved in almost half of all lightning-related deaths.

The age-old debate of superior intelligence among the genders may rage on, but in this case women are clearly much brighter when it comes to staying away from lightning strike risks.

Clearly!

A Good Cause.....

Every year, for more than a decade, the Mure Family have transformed their house in Neponsit into a winter wonderland we have come to know as  "The Little North Pole" to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

This year, the Mure family is requesting that you join them this Sunday, October 23rd, between 5:00pm and 7:00pm, at their house (144-03 Neponsit  Avenue) for a "Halloween Spooktacular" featuring live entertainment, music, rides, food, drinks, plenty of candy and a costume contest.

The "Batmobile" from the 1960's television series "Batman" starring Adam West and Burt Ward will also be there!

The Mure's recently met Valentina Priolo, a 4 year old girl who suffers from Rett's Syndrome, and decided to host this "Halloween Spooktacular" as a means of raising both funds and awareness of Rett's Syndrome, a disorder of the nervous system that leads to developmental reversals, especially in the areas of expressive language and hand use and occurs almost exclusively in girls.

A $2.25 Bus Fare.....Sometimes Not!......

Straphangers who try use MetroCards with insufficient fare on city buses are unwittingly paying a higher fee because when the rider uses a second card with a sufficient balance, the machine processes them as two separate transactions.

When boarding the subway, a MetroCard is rejected if it doesn't have the full $2.25 fare, and no money is deducted from the card.

However, when a rider uses a card with insufficient fare on the bus, the machine deducts whatever is left and riders are expected to supplement that with coins. If they drop in another card, instead of using coins, it deducts an additional $2.25.

If you board a bus and inadvertently swipe a card with a balance of $2.00 that $2.00 will be deducted. If you don't have any coins and swipe another card to make up the .25 cent difference, the machine will deduct a full fare of $2.25 from the second card thus making your fare for that bus ride $4.25!

Just something to keep in mind.

City Council Wants to Register Your Garbage Can....

Illegally saving spots with garbage cans, like this scene on 159th Avenue in Howard Beach, has sparked debate among residents.

With parking a precious commodity throughout the city, it has become customary for residents in some neighborhoods to save parking spots in front of or near their houses with traffic cones or garbage cans.

Apparently the practice of "saving" parking spots among our neighbors in Howard Beach and Ozone Park has ruffled the feathers of some of the local citizenry and the Police are now distributing fliers advising residents that removing parking spaces on public streets is illegal and the city can issue a summons for the practice.

“It shall be unlawful for any person to reserve or attempt to reserve a parking space, or prevent any vehicle from parking on a public street through his/her presence in the roadway, the use of hand-signals, or by placing any box, can, garbage can, crate, hand-cart, dolly, cones or any other device, including unauthorized pavement, curb or street markings or signs in the roadway.”

Now there is a bill in the City Council that aims to mitigate the issue. Introduced by Council Members Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) and Letitia James (D-Brooklyn), the proposed law would allow the city to remove garbage cans—the most common method to save spots—left on public streets.

I would love to know who would be charged with the task of removing garbage cans from the street in front of our houses.  I know the local police will not be using the trunks of their RMP's to take away the offending cans to store them at the local precinct!   What will the Sanitation workers do...empty the can into their hoppers and then throw the offending can in after the trash? 

Wait...it gtets better!

Councilwoman Crowley is also looking at different ways to "register garbage cans" so there is greater accountability to ticket individuals saving spots.

I know what you are thinking..."register"  garbage cans? I know that sounds borderline insane (even if it is a idea coming from a politician), but anytime I hear a politician start talking about registering anything the first question that pops into my mind is "what is this going to cost me?"

Back in July of 2010 we posted an article entitled "A new garbage tax and other things to worry about?" regarding the city thinking about charging a fee for residential garbage based on the amount of trash being discarded.  The city was looking at the possibility of emplacing RFID chips in our garbage cans (effectively registering them?) to determine how much trash an individual property owner was disposing of.

If this is how our elected officials spend their time we would be better off having our local council representative stand in front of our houses to save our parking spaces...at least we would be getting some bang for our tax bucks!  

File this under "You've got to be kidding me!" 

Strong Winds Through Tomorrow....

..With a deepening low to the north of us the rain has left our area but the winds have dramatically increased as they whip around the pressure gradient.  JFK is presently recording wind gusts up to 34mph and sustained winds of approximately 24mph. The winds should subside by tomorrow.

. 

Bungalow Bureaucracy....

From The Daily News:

Disposing of the shattered wood beams and sifting through ruined childhood relics might be the easy part for Steven Madigan.

Madigan's summer bungalow in Broad Channel collapsed after catching the brunt of Hurricane Irene in August. The storm toppled the scenic shack that is part of a strip of seasonal homes on Church Road.

The 48-year-old carpenter said he was dumbfounded when he returned to survey the wreckage of the home that has been in his family for more than four decades.

"It looked like the house was picked up and bounced right off its beams," he said. "It looked like the walls folded in."

Local advocates and fellow bungalow owners said Madigan may be in store for an even bigger surprise when he tries to rebuild.

The storm has exposed a little-known burden for property owners on Jamaica Bay - having to cut through reams of red tape to get the necessary permits in the environmentally sensitive area.

"The bureaucracy here is just ridiculous," said Dan Mundy , 73, a member of the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers and lifelong Broad Channel resident.

The owner must first satisfy the state Department of Environmental Conservation's criteria before he or she can submit paperwork to the Buildings Department.

Mundy said it often doesn't even make it to the second stage because of how rigid the state agency is.

"It's a rotten situation. I hate to tell the guy that he's not going to get a permit. It's a plight that should be bought to light," he said.

Mundy said he was a consultant for another bungalow owner, Glenn Marcisak, whose experience could become a cautionary tale for Madigan.

Each time Marcisak submitted paperwork, it was deemed incomplete by the agency.

Marcisak, who was trying to reinforce the support beams under his shack to avoid Madigan's disastrous situation, has spent four years volleying paperwork back and forth with the DEC.

"It's very upsetting," said Marcisak, 60. "It's supposed to be a simple process, but it's really a hassle to get a permit. It's not a user-friendly process."

Officials with the DEC said that to provide an "informative and accurate response," it needs an application to refer to, which Madigan hasn't submitted yet.

"As part of the process, we review the designs for the rebuilding to determine if they conform to the current tidal wetlands regulations," Thomas Panzone, DEC's citizen participation specialist, said in a statement.

When the Daily News provided Marcisak's application information, DEC declined to explain why his application has taken years to resolve. "This permit application is still pending. The department cannot comment on pending permit applications," Panzone wrote.

Officials with the Buildings Department said they have liaisons to work with the DEC.

"We have people that are dedicated to speaking with DEC and help people go through the permitting process at the department," said Buildings Department spokeswoman Ryan Fitzgibbon.

Location scouts for HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," which shot an episode on Church Road, were devastated that a hidden oasis in the city was compromised.

"It's a gem in the five boroughs. I hope when they do rebuild it, it has that charm," said location manager Amanda Foley.

Before Madigan can rebuild, he first has to remove the planks and personal effects so they don't contaminate the bay. But he vows to rebuild without any aid from insurance.
"That's been in my family since I was a kid," he said. " It's not something I want to give up."

DON'T FORGET..........

PENNY SOCIAL TONIGHT!

V.F.W. HALL

Prince Wynn Post 260

Shad Creek Road

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Doors Open at 6:30 p.m.

Admission: $10

[Donate an item to send to our troops serving overseas and receive $3 off the price of admission]

All proceeds will be used for our annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner for our disabled veterans. 

Bring a friend and come down for an awesome night of 50/50's, Baskets galore, "Coach" Bags, computer, bicycles, flat screen t.v., child's playhouse and much, much more!

THE WEATHER FORECAST COULDN'T BE NICER....IT'S A FUN NIGHT OUT..... OUR VETERANS DESERVE YOUR SUPPORT!  GRAB YOUR FRIENDS AND COME DOWN AND JOIN US...YOU NEVER KNOW - YOU COULD BE GOING HOME WITH ONE (OR MORE) OF THE MANY GIFTS ON DISPLAY!