Beachcomber

The Army Corps awarded two contracts to Weeks Marine totaling $36 million to pump sand on the beach. The second part of the contract, worth $26 million, is for phase two which is supposed to be completed by August 3. For every day past that, Weeks will be fined or penalized $2800. If they’re late by an entire year they’ll only have to be a little over $ 1 million in penalties. They still pocket $25 mil. Ugh.

Starting in late May, The NYC Parks Department will be surveying all street trees in Community Board 14. They will be looking for trees dead or dying from salt water damage as a result of Sandy. Those trees will be removed and eventually replaced.

Speaking of May and the Parks Department, in case you didn’t know, the mayor chose a new Parks Commissioner, Mitchell Silver. True to this mayor’s form, the new guy isn’t scheduled to start the job until May! The summer will be over before he gets a lay of the land.

We almost had to stop the presses. We almost notified missing persons to call off the search. Out of the blue we received a press release from the office of Assemblywoman Michele Titus. It must be an election year! She has largely ignored 60,000 people on the east end, which is especially egregious in these post-Sandy times. What was the press release about? Oh, she was applauding the state budget. Sorry, The Wave tries not to report on when politicians applaud.

Chuck Schumer is often made fun of for his love of the camera. Well, there aren’t many TV cameras in Rockaway, and if he shows love for anywhere, it’s Rockaway. We know, ages ago, he promised a pool at Riis Park and he messed up with Biggert-Waters but he fought for a new flood bill and just last week got the mayor to focus on Sandy recovery. He’s here more than our mayor and a lot more than Michele Titus.

Got a vacant bank-owned property near you? Send the address to dan@rockawave.com. We’re working on a story about properties that are being neglected.

Not much new on the Neponsit HealthCare Facility. HHC, the agency in charge, is supposed to be working on setting up a tour of the place with Eric Ulrich. Joe Addabbo says he’s been talking with the mayor’s office and the borough president about it. We can’t let that place rot any longer and will keep asking about it.

The Revlon Run Walk for Women will take place on Saturday, May 3. Monies raised go to cancer research and outreach. Fern Liberman has a team and would like support. You can go to revlonrunwalk.org and click New York and then find Fern’s name. Your donation could be lifesaving!

DNA evidence is being used in a cold case. Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a 47-year-old former Far Rockaway resident has been indicted on charges of raping a woman in her home more than seventeen years ago after a DNA hit linked him to the crimes. The man was connected to the rapes through forensic evidence uncovered by the District Attorney’s DNA Prosecution Unit.

Need proof spring is really here? The Rockaway Little League begins play on Saturday, April 5. Official Opening Day will be in three weeks.

Apparently there are two community gardens on Beach 58th Street. One is run by the Rockaway Youth Task Force, the other by Culinary Kids. In the middle is a stretch of land that is identified as “neutral” on a map on the RYTF Facebook page. Are these fighting farmers? Or is a neutral just a term for bland vegetables?

Participatory budgeting is popular. Lots of people have opinions about how to spend a million bucks. Councilman Donovan Richards says there is still time to cast votes on the east end. Call his office at 718-471-7014 for polling sites and schedules. Call Councilman Ulrich’s office at 718-318-6411 for times and locations for voting on the west end. Sites will be open through Saturday, April 5.