BROAD CHANNEL CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAY 2016 NEWSLETTER

BROAD CHANNEL CIVIC ASSOCIATION

MAY 2016 NEWSLETTER

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

This month's civic association newsletter will be held on Thursday,May 26th at 7 pm at the VFW Hall. Come down and get caught up on what is going on in your neighborhood!

Rudy will once again be present to answer all Build it Back questions. There have been a number of questions raised by residents who are in the Build it Back Program and assigned to the Tishman Group. The Civic has met with the Tishman group and has discussed concerns with their approach to them directly as well as at the Borough Presidents Task Force meeting this last week. We are at this time requesting an overall list of where Broad Channel Applicants are within their system and when they can expect work to proceed. The Civic association is recommending that anyone who has been assigned to Tishman and has been told that they have a move out date to confirm with Tishman that this date is accurate and that they indeed have a contractor assigned to the project and ready to go as there have been instances where that was not the case. Some residents had been told that they needed a new bulkhead and this is incorrect information. The program is NOT replacing bulkheads. Tishman has decided to conduct a bulkhead assessment analysis for all homes in Broad Channel that are on the water. This process was originally holding up the design of applicants from moving forward and after concerns were raised by the Civic, we are now told that the bulkhead assessments will not stop designs from moving forward. We are also working to coordinate Build it Back projects with when access will be available for W11th, W12th and W13th Roads based on when major road work is anticipated to be underway. We will discuss this in greater detail at the Civic meeting. 

Speaking of the street raising project here is an update on time frames going forward. The project is on, or a little ahead of schedule,according to the project manager and will see W 11th and W 12th Roads completed by December. Actual heavy construction on those blocks (road infrastructure) may even be completed by mid-October with smaller personal property restoration work continuing until the first of the year. Major road block construction will commence on W 13th Road when W 11th and W 12th Roads are completed which could be as early as October or no later than January 1st, 2017. Entire project will be completed by June 2017 as originally planned. 

Phase 2 of the street raising project proposes to similarly raise W 14ththru W 19th. The Civic association has been in contact with the design firm and NYC DDC throughout this process and we have been told that this design is now at a point where we can bring them in to present and discuss with residents. They are proposing a similar concept with some changes to the construction means in particular the manner in which they construct the end of block bulkheads. We will inform everyone when the meeting is scheduled and would urge all members, in particular residents on those blocks, to attend.

The west pond at the wildlife refuge has been a favorite location for many locals and visitors alike due to its looped trail and fantastic views. As we all know the pond was breached during Hurricane Sandy destroying the fresh water pond and trail. The Broad Channel Civic and the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers have been working since immediately after Hurricane Sandy to have it repaired. It has been a long battle due to the many levels of bureaucracy and oversight. We are pleased to report that plans are underway to repair it and that it should see work start in October of this year.

For those who have been asking as to when and where the documentary "Jamaica Bay Lives" will be showing in the area the answer is on June 8th, 2016 at 6;30 pm at the NY Aquarium. The $20 ticket fee includes a sea lion show as well. Tickets will go fast so in interested you can pre purchase here---http://nyaquarium.com/wod. 

The center mall looks great with the area cleaned up and new planters and plants installed. Thanks to all who came out and participated and of course a big thanks to Judy Zackiewicz who once again led this effort to beautify our town!!

Quote of the Month-- “You will miss 100% of the shots that you don't take.” ----Wayne Gretzky


Respectfully submitted, 
Dan Mundy Jr.