LOCAL PARK REBOUNDS

Assemblyman Mike Miller (second from right) and City Council Member Diana Reyna (third from right) were welcomed by members of the Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR) to the civic group’s Oct. 26 meeting at St. Aloysius Church. Standing with the elected officials are (from left to right) CBR President Ann Maggio, Secretary Margaret O’Kane, and Vice Presidents Michael Hetzer and Georgianna Paugh. After months of complaints by local residents regarding illegal food sales and other quality-of-life problems near Grover Cleveland Park, members of the Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR) learned at their Oct. 26 meeting that some progress has been made in cleaning up the public green.

City Council Member Diana Reyna told residents at St. Aloysius Church that the 104th Precinct has increased patrols in and around the park located at Grandview Avenue and Stanhope Street in response to reports of unlicensed vendors selling and preparing food on the street and large groups of athletes dominating the athletic field.

The increased enforcement was confirmed by CBR Vice President Michael Hetzer and a local resident in attendance, who stated that she observed police question several park goers for suspicious activity during the past week.

“It does look a lot better at this time,” the resident remarked.

As previously reported in this paper, members of the civic group have griped during previous CBR meetings about unsanitary conditions at the park, with food items left on the street after use. Others also charged that several volleyball teams have used the athletic area for hours at a time on weekends, depriving local youth groups the opportunity to practice or play games.

Reyna said that she has contacted the office of Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe to try and set up a meeting regarding problems at Grover Cleveland Park. She is also working with the non-profit group Make the Road New York to establish a bilingual program to educate food vendors and others regarding the acquisition of park permits and food sale licenses.

“We’re hoping to change the dynamics to provide equal play time for kids, reduce the chaos at the park and make sure that the park is well kept,” she stated.

Hetzer indicated that the meeting with Parks Department officials would likely take place sometime after the holidays. He stressed that all involved in the process work together to come up with guidelines to ensure that all parkgoers, young and old, are able to enjoy the facility equally.

Miller makes local debut

Ridgewood’s newest representative in the State Assembly made an appearance during Monday’s CBR meeting to introduce himself to residents in attendance.

Assemblyman Mike Miller, who won the 38th District seat that includes parts of Ridgewood south of Myrtle Avenue in a special election on Sept. 15, noted that while the civic group is based in a location outside his district, he was willing to work with all residents of the neighborhood to bring improvements.

“Anything of importance to you is of importance to me,” he said. “I’m here to serve you and our community.”

Building on that theme, CBR President Ann Maggio asked Miller if he would work with the organization to help eradicate prostitution activities near the Brooklyn/Queens border. Miller stated that he would advocate for increased patrols in the area and send a letter to the Police Department appealing for more resources.

P.O. Thomas Bell of the 104th Precinct Community Affairs Unit stated that the prostitution problem near the border is “not as bad as before,” as the command has conducted undercover sting operations in the area on a regular basis. He noted that the Queens District Attorney’s office has also assisted in the effort by prosecuting repeat offenders to the fullest extent possible to ensure that they do not return to the location.

“They (people) say it’s a victimless crime, but it brings in other bad elements,” Bell said. “We’re not going to go away. We hope [the prostitutes] go away.”

Council Member Reyna added that she would help coordinate a special town hall meeting regarding prostitution on the Brooklyn/Queens border in the spring of 2010, which would include representatives of the 104th and 83rd precincts as well as the Brooklyn and Queens district attorneys’ offices.

Graffiti

Turning to other crimes, CBR Secretary Margaret O’Kane observed that graffiti vandalism seems to have “exploded” around Ridgewood over recent weeks as cleanup efforts by the city and other organizations wind down for the year. She stated that as many as 50 locations on Wyckoff Avenue were tagged by vandals.

Officer Bell noted that the precinct has continued to pursue graffiti vandals who make their mark in Ridgewood and other communities within their jurisdiction. He pointed to the recent arrest of several individuals charged for several graffiti cases in the community.

The office reminded residents to call 911 should they see any vandals in the process of making graffiti; any discovered vandalism should be reported to the city’s 311 hotline.

O’Kane urged residents who have graffiti on their property, or know of locations that have been vandalized, to call the Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation at 1-718- 366-8321 for information on how to have the vandalism removed.

Other news

Despite the recent auction of the defunct St. John’s Queens Hospital in Elmhurst to a Brooklyn realty company, Maggio noted that Community Boards 4 and 5 would be working to find a way to reopen the facility to serve the health needs of local residents. Board members have met with Queens Borough President Helen Marshall on the possibility of reopening St. John’s as well as Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica; both centers closed their doors in February.

“We need a hospital closer to us because Wyckoff Heights Medical Center is becoming deluged with patients,” Maggio said.

Hetzer concurred with Maggio and the community board, observing that a widespread flu outbreak, if one occurs, could make it difficult for hospitals in Queens to adequately care for a vast number of sick patients.

Democratic District Leader Thomas Bornemann stated that buses turning into and out of the Fresh Pond Road bus depot have been causing congestion during the evening rush hour. He suggested that the depot put a worker on duty to help direct buses into the facility while allowing traffic on Fresh Pond Road to flow more easily.

A representative for Assemblyman Miller, Dorie Figliola, stated that she would forward the complaint to Community Board 5’s Transportation Services and Public Transit committees.

The Citizens for a Better Ridgewood generally meet on the last Monday each month at 7:30 p.m. in the basement of St. Aloysius Church, located at 392 Onderdonk Ave.