Crime Up In Rockaways - The WAVE not asking the right questions.....

Recently the New York Post published an article entitled "Tidal Crime Wave Hits Rockaways" stating that felonies within our local precinct have "gone through the roof".
An article in today's edition of The WAVE argues that the crime stats for the 100th Precinct are not as bad as that portrayed in the New York Post story.

From: The Wave 12/30/2011

As everybody knows, there are three kinds of lies: plain lies, damned lies and statistics.

The 100 Precinct, caught up in a tidal wave of statistics, was dubbed by the media this week as being “rocked by crime,” and as “the highest crime precinct in the city.”

While the statistics provided by the police department’s website do show that the west end of Rockaway has the highest percentage crime climb in the city, the same statistics show that it is far from being rocked by crime or the highest crime precinct in the city.

It’s all in the numbers, as The Wave has found by closely checking the numbers for the year ending December 18, the latest statistics available at press time. The New York Post, which ran a page 2 story trumpeting “Tidal Crime Wave Hits Rockaway,” on Monday, says that crime in the 100 Precinct has gone up overall by 51.8 percent, led by a rise of 144.4 percent in burglaries. That is true, but whether or not that means the precinct serves the highest crime area in the city is another story.

At the same time, the Post says that the precinct with the greatest decrease in crime is Manhattan’s 20 Precinct, which covers the west side of that borough, which saw a 12.8 percent drop.

To prepare that story, The Post sent several reporters to the west end of Rockaway to speak with locals, some of whom told a Wave reporter that they laughed when the reporter asked for a comment on the story. Some, however, reacted with fear and anger, one person saying that he was afraid to go down to his basement. Another said that he had been robbed and was, for the first time in years, locking his doors.

Another longtime Rockaway resident, however, took the news lightly, arguing that the statistics did not match the reality of living in Rockaway.

During the summer, when the burglary pattern was at its peak, one purveyor of alarm systems put a flyer with the crime stats and an ad for his service in Belle Harbor Foods on Beach 129 Street.

Most of the locals who saw it took it for what it was – an advertising piece designed to get some customers. Because of that flyer, the popular food store became a prime target of the Post reporters.

One of the owners told The Wave that she was taken aback by the reporter, but told him, “We don’t want to scare anybody, just let them know what’s going on in the community.”

On Monday morning, those coming into the store were pointed to the story. Most who looked at it scoffed, saying, in many different ways, “That’s the Post.”

The Post story was quickly picked up by other media outlets, including Channel 2 news, WCBS radio and WINS.

Those statistics are glaring, until you look not at the percentages, but at the raw numbers that make up those percentages.

For its examination, The Wave picked four precincts at random, one in each of the boroughs, to compare with the 100 Precinct.

They are the 20 Precinct in Manhattan (the precinct with the greatest percentage drop in crime in 2011), the 47 Precinct in the Bronx, the 75 Precinct in Brooklyn (The Wave wanted to use Coney Island, but for some reason, that precinct’s statistics were not available) and the 122 Precinct in Staten Island.

Those raw numbers show that even given the rise in crime in Rockaway, the community has far fewer index crimes than the other precincts studied.

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I'm not quite sure what the WAVE staff were attempting to prove with their story and comparing the number of index crimes within the 100th precinct to four other (randomly selected) police precincts but the crime data within the 100th precinct speaks for itself.

A quick review of the  NYPD's COMPSTAT data for the 100th precinct (see below) clearly indicates a signigificant increase in the numbers of Roberies (up 32%: 83-2011 vs 63-2010), Felony Assaults (up 67%: 130-2011 vs 78-2010), Burglaries (up 144%: 132-2011 vs 54-2010) and Grand Larcenies (up 26%: 139-2011 vs 110-2010).

Rather than comparing apples to oranges, the WAVE should be asking what are the causative factors for these marked crime increases within our local precinct and, more importantly, what is being done to address them? 

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Crime Rates Spikes in Rockaways.....

From: The New York Post

TIDAL CRIME WAVE HITS ROCKAWAYS

by: JAMIE SCHRAM, FRANK ROSARIO and DOUG AUER

The Rockaways are getting rocked by crime!

Felonies in the 100th Precinct in Queens, which blankets Belle Harbor, Breezy Point, Broad Channel and other western areas of the peninsula, have gone through the roof, according to the latest police statistics.

Burglaries have jumped 144 percent, from 54 last year to 132 this year. Felony assaults have soared 66 percent, from 78 to 130. Robberies have gone up 31 percent, from 63 to 83. Grand larcenies are up 26 percent over last year. The crime wave is so pervasive that a local deli is even offering pamphlets that warn customers, “Do You Feel Safe and Secure? We Hope You Do ... But Maybe You Shouldn’t!”

“You have to be careful. We don’t want to scare anyone, just let them know what’s going on in the community,” said a worker named Monica at Belle Harbor Foods.

Another woman who lives in the area was shocked when she heard about the rise in crime.

“I get so paranoid. Who wants to look over their shoulder right near their home?” said Jessica Roper, 45. “I hope it doesn’t get too out of control.”

Merry Christmas.....

Winter begins Tomorrow......

The Winter sosltice will take place at 12:30 a.m, Thursday morning, December 22nd.
Early tomorrow morning the northern hemisphere begins its tilt back toward the sun, marking the start of winter in our part of the world and slowly leading to longer days.

Because the Earth tilts as it orbits around the sun, the northern hemisphere leans farthest away from the sun, making the solstice —derived from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (stand still) — the shortest day of the year and the first official day of winter.

Hanukkah begins at sundown this evening.....

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights. It starts on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which coincides with late November-late December on the secular calendar.  In Hebrew, the word "hanukkah" means “dedication.” The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E.

TURNER JOINS CALL TO END CROSS BAY BRIDGE TOLL

From the Forum News Group - 12/15/2011

Congressman Bob Turner told Gov. Andrew Cuomo that he wants the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge toll to end for Queens’ residents. It is the only intra-borough bridge in the city to charge a toll.

Turner (R-Queens) is the second politician in a month to decry the toll that he and others have called discriminatory.

“There is no justification for the residents of Queens to bear this toll,” Turner said in a letter sent to Cuomo on Dec. 5.

Cross Bay Bridge connects the Rockaways to southern Queens. The MTA used to waive the toll for Rockaway residents, but on July 23, 2010, the MTA reinstated it to help close an $800 million budget gap.

“Quite simply, the toll is a discriminatory fee against Queens’ residents. It forces them to pay a toll to travel from one part of the borough to another. It is a dubious and expensive distinction that my constituents who commute to New York City, who visit friends and family in Queens, and who travel throughout the area have to pay this toll,” Turner said in the letter.

Rockaway residents who use an E-ZPass tag are now charged a resident rate of $1.19 per trip for the first two trips in a day. After that, the toll is waived for any more trips made in the same day.

Between 1997 and 2010 residents had gotten a rebate for every round trip on their E-ZPass. The toll for nonresidents is $1.80 with an E- ZPass or $3.25 in cash.

“Use of this bridge offers the only practical access to postal services and retail shopping for the 3,000 residents who live in the Broad Channel and the 130,000 who live in the Rockaways areas,” Turner said.

Since he was elected in September, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder has also called for the elimination of the toll, which he has called a hindrance to local businesses.

Goldfeder wrote a letter on Nov. 17 to the MTA’s new executive director, Joe Lhota, and invited him to tour the area and hear residents’ complaints in person.

Turner simply asked for the abolishment of the fee.

“You and I were raised in Queens.” He told Cuomo. “We understand and appreciate the area’s wonderful cultural and geographic diversity, particularly along the coastal areas in the Rockaways. I am sure that you would agree that this geographic diversity should not come at an unfair cost to the residents of the borough.”

By Jeremiah Dobruck - Forum News Group

Flood Mitigation Project Update

Back in mid-November I was advised that the RBA Group design firm was nearing completion of its final proposed design plan for the flood mitigation project here in Broad Channel.

On November 17th, I contacted Department of Transportation (Borough of Queens) Commissioner Maura McCarthy about the status of the final design proposal for this project asking if it would be possible to view the plan designs.

I was advised by Commissioner McCarthy that…

“I hope you understand that we are unable to release RFP documents until they are officially released for bidding. That being said we will be incorporating comments received from the community and will be sharing the design approach with the community prior to the RFP's issuance.”

I then reached out to Joe Menzer of the RBA Group design firm who informed me that…

“ One of the major milestones in a capital project for DDC is Mass Mailing no. 1 / Alignment Meeting. This is the point where we have developed set of preliminary plans that are distributed to many of the city agencies and utility companies

The set of preliminary plans developed by the RBA Group was completed in late November and the New York City Department of Design and Construction recently distributed this preliminary final design to all involved (or otherwise affected) municipal agencies, utility companies and other city offices for their individual review and comments to be returned to the DDC in early January 2012 under Mass Mailing #1 Project ID: HWQ1182A (Roadway Reconstruction and Construction of Bulkheads on West 11th, 12th and 13th Roads from Cross Bay Boulevard to the new Bulkhead at the end of each Road).

Roadway and Bulkhead Construction Scan

Our local Community Board (#14) received their copy of DDC’s Mass Mailing #1 of the preliminary design plans for review on December 7th and made their copy available to Dan Mundy, President of the Board Channel Civic Association, on December 14th.

Dan had a pdf file created of the design plans and forwarded them to our association on the following day, December 15th .

In turn, on December 16th, we sent out a mass emailing to residents of West 11th, 12th and 13th Roads with a copy of these preliminary plans attached.  Additionall, I have included a copy of these plans on a Scribd pdf viewer in this posting for your information.

Over the next several days, the residients of West 12th Road will meet to review these preliminary plans and forward all comments regarding same back to Dan Mundy hopefully no later than Friday, December 23rd so that he, in turn, can advise Community Board 14 of all such comments.
 
It is strongly recommended that the block representatives from West 11th and 13th Roads conduct a similar review with their residents and respond to Dan as soon as possible.
 
It is important to note that, at this time,. these plans are "preliminary" in nature and will not be codified into an actual final design until such time as all involved city agemcies, utility companies, etc., have had an opportunity to review and comment on same.  On West 12th Road we are still awaiting staff from the RBA Group to inspect several properties at the bay end of the street to check water main feed lines and traps to ensure the street reconstruction will not interefere with same.
 
Once all comments are recieved and inspections competed, the final design will be prepared at which time the DOT and the RBA Group will meet with the residents of all three streets to review same prior to the final design being published for bidding which should occur some time in January 2012.

No Blizzard in sight for Christmas 2011!

A modest storm dropping southward along the West Coast now will track into the central and eastern United States next week before Christmas with mostly rain but also a swath of snow well off to our west.

Unlike last year at this time, there is nothing on the horizon indicating the possibility of another "Day After Christmas Blizzard"!

Tidal Flooding Mitigation Project - RBA Response to "backfill" Inquiry

Last month, one of our neighbors contacted us with the below question regarding "backfill" of the breezeway of their property. 

"I understand that there will be "limited" backfill provided by the city to address the bowling effect on the properties but I am wondering exactly where the cut off point will be so that I can plan accordingly. I was planning on taking down my front deck as well as the breezeway decking and eventually cement the area."

 

We passed this inquiry along to the city's design firm and earlier today we received the following reply from Mr. Joseph Menza of the RBA Group.

Sorry It has takensome time to get back to you.  One of the major milestones in a capital project for DDC is Mass Mailing no. 1 / Alignment Meeting.  This is the point where we have developed set of preliminary plans that are distributed to many of the city agencies and utility companies.  This happened last week,so that is why I am first getting back to you now, as we were really just focused on that milestone.

With regard to your question, there is no simple answer.  The design varies based on the grade difference, if the breezeway is used as a driveway, existing walls/decks are present, etc.  We are looking at each individual property one at a time. However we are trying to use some standard guidelines.  In many areas weare proposing to grade back to a point where the proposed grade isapproximately 1’ higher than the existing grade.  At this point we will install a concrete header (6” wide x 2’ deep concrete curb) and two concrete steps to step down from the higher grade to the lower grade.  I must stress this is one example and that different scenarios require different solutions, so please understand we are looking at every property individually for the best solution.

At this point many things are still subject to change pending both the comments we get from thecity agencies and utility companies and when we meet with community next to go over our proposed plan one more time.

 As always, we will keep you advised of all new information regarding this project via postings on this site.

Broad Channel Landlord/Tenant Dispute in the News....

From: The Daily News Web Site....

Broad Channel tenants say landlord refused to fix sewage and roof leaks and rodent infestation

BY Lisa L. Colangelo
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

                   

Thomas Cavanagh said rodents infested the attic of his home at 13-13 Cross Bay Blvd. in Broad Channel, but the landlord refused to fix the problem. His family was evicted for withholding rent.

A Queens family of seven is scrambling to find a place to live after their landlord served them with an eviction notice the day before Thanksgiving. 

Laura and Thomas Cavanagh said began withholding rent on the Broad Channel home after their landlord refused to fix dozens of problems — ranging from black mold under the sink to a rodent infestation in the attic.

The city Department of Housing Preservation and Development has slapped property owner Anthony Adamkiewicz with more than two-dozen violations.

“This is like hell,” said Thomas Cavanagh, 52, a plumber, who moved into the house in early 2010. “I used to try to fix little things but [the landlord\] didn’t fix anything.”

But Adamkiewicz’s son, Gerald, said the Cavanaghs were “horrible” tenants.

“They wrecked our house,” said Adamkiewicz’s son, Gerald. “They caused all these violations so they didn’t have to pay rent and then they wouldn’t let us fix anything.”

The Cavanaghs said the three-bedroom house, which they rented for $1,300 a month, initially seemed like a good deal. The couple lives with their four children and Laura’s 70-year-old mother, Rosalie Criscuola.

One night, a few weeks after they moved in, Thomas Cavanagh slipped on the kitchen floor during a late night trip to the bathroom.

“That’s when we realized the roof was leaking,” he said.

The leaks multiplied and the family withheld rent for several months. They paid Adamkiewicz when he promised to make repairs but

he never followed through on those promises, they said.

Laura Cavanagh said the city sent a repair crew to fix busted sewer pipes because it caused an emergency health hazard.

The Cavanaghs stopped paying rent again earlier this year. They called HPD inspectors, who visited and documented dozens of problems. The matter ended up in housing court this summer.

“There was a tenant action on the property and an Order to Correct was issued,” HPD spokeswoman Juliet Morris said in a statement.

“The owner cited inability to obtain adequate access to the property. The tenant did not appear on that date so the court vacated the original Order to Correct,” Morris added.

The issue is slated to be reheard in court on Monday.

The Cavanaghs said they never blocked Adamkiewicz from the property. They are currently staying in a hotel.

“We had to get out of there. The sewer started backing up,” said Laura Cavanagh. “People need to know about this so they won’t rent from him anymore.”

Glenn Miller - MIA - 67 Years ago this month....

Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade"

Miller was one of several band leaders who helped create the Big Band sound of the 1930s and 1940s. His Glenn Miller Orchestra was one of America's most popular dance bands in the years just before World War II, playing hits like Tuxedo Junction, In the Mood and his signature piece Moonlight Serenade. During the war Miller joined the army and led the Glenn Miller Army Air Corps Band. His plane disappeared on a flight over the English Channel in December of 1944; no trace was ever found.

Rockaway Beach Post Office to remain Open....

Back in July of this year the United States Postal Service (USPS) was considering closing the Rockaway Beach Post Office located on 90th Street.

The good news is that the USPS recently announced that the Rockaway Beach branch post office — one of thousands being reviewed nationwide for discontinuance — will remain open. Located at 9014 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, the post office branch was saved from the chopping block based on the results of an area facility study, according to the USPS.

The bad news is that you will still continue to pay a toll to cross the Cross Bay Bridge to get to it!