Other News At CB 2 Meet: Sanitation Gripes Abound

Roslyn Dotson tells the board about her plan to build a roller rink and multimedia studio in Long Island City. The other topics at Board 2's September meeting included updates on local streetscape projects, a proposal for a local roller rink/audiovisual studio and more.

Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer came out of her district to congratulate the board on the ribbon-cutting of the new first-floor meeting room of Sunnyside Community Services.

The ceremony took place right before the meeting.

Public comment

During the public comment period, three regular commenters— Dorothy Kaminsky, Witold Rak and Jim Condes— pointed out issues in the community.

Kaminsky complained about the presence of a seemingly abandoned building along Queens Boulevard across from Big Bush Park, located on Laurel Hill Boulevard between 61st and 64th streets.

"It's allegedly under construction," she stated, but "there's no work being done there."

She added that the structure has "probably" become a home for "homeless drifters, druggies, fornicators, who knows?"

Condes noted that an inspection of 27 newsracks along Roosevelt Avenue resulted in 20 of them failing inspection for being "filthy."

"As of this date—you guessed it—nothing has been done," he said.

Rak passed along photos of a location near his home that is littered with tree stumps and garbage.

He said that visitors of his from Germany came and told him, "Hey, you live in the white ghetto of Woodside."

Rak asked the board to get the area cleaned up. "Before winter comes," he said, "before it covers it up, please, please, please with a cherry on top, get this done."

The Roller Room

Roslyn Dotson came to the public comment period with a proposal to build The Roller Room, a combination roller rink/multimedia production facility.

"It's a one-of-a-kind venture for a one-of-a-kind borough," she told the board.

The roller rink would be aimed at adults, while the production facility would be more for local residents and budding independent filmmakers.

Dotson is looking for a facility in Long Island City, preferably about 15,000 square feet.

"I think its a very needed project," she said. "This is the day and age where you could be the filmmaker."

Other news

Patrick O'Brien, filling in for vacationing Chairman Joseph Conley, announced that the state Department of Environmental Conservation will be running an air filtration system in the Long Island City area at all hours due to complaints from strange odors resulting from remediation projects.

Debra Markell-Kleinert stated that the date of the reconstruction of 54th Avenue is "a moving target," but the project has gone out to bid.

She added that the October meeting may feature an update on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's East Side Access project.

The board also honored several members for their service to the advisory body. Jean Carubia and Lisa Deller received certificates marking 10 years on the board; Dorothy Morehead, Kate Brennan and Diane Ballek received 15-year awards and McDonald received a certificate marking 30 years.

Department of City Planning representatives Amanda Ikert and Penny Lee updated the board on local objects.

Ikert announced that the agency is studying the possibility of a "contextual rezoning" of Woodside and Sunnyside.

Lee stated that the final vote for Hunters Point South middleincome project will take place on Sept. 24 at DCP headquarters in Manhattan.

She noted that while the project in and of itself is widely supported, many groups have still sought a widening of the various income bands to allow lowerincome residents an opportunity to live in the project.

Lee also noted that the queens Plaza streetscape project will have its groundbreaking before year's end. The redevelopment of the former site of the Queens Plaza Municipal Garage will begin this year as well.

O'Brien, who chairs the board's City Services committee, said that the board will begin to print out notices regarding upcoming liquor and car services licenses.

Environmental Committee Chairman Morehead noted that she had recently attended a symposium at Cornell University, dealing with a new soil system, together with a type of permeable pavement, that will allow street trees to last longer and grow larger and healthier.

Community Board 2 meets on the first Wednesday of every month at Sunnyside Community Services, located at 43-31 39th St. in Sunnyside.