EDUCATED GUESSING

Chris Persheff (at right) and Monica Gutierrez (at center) of the School Construction Authority were on hand at last Wednesday’s Community Board 5 meeting at Grover Cleveland High School to discuss plans to buy the site of a defunct pharmacy in Ridgewood and build a new 600-seat elementary school. Shown with the SCA reps at left is Board 5 Chairperson Vincent Arcuri. (photo: Robert Pozarycki) Members of Community Board 5 were left with more questions than answers following a presentation by the School Construction Authority (SCA) regarding plans to build a new public elementary school in Ridgewood during a public hearing held by the advisory body last Wednesday, Feb. 24 at Grover Cleveland High School.

Chris Persheff and Monica Gutierrez of the SCA informed the board of the authority’s intent to purchase the former site of a Rite Aid pharmacy located at 55-20 Metropolitan Ave. and construct in its place a 600-seat elementary school. The site is currently for sale on the open market, and while the SCA is attempting to broker a deal, any transaction must be approved by the City Council in order to be finalized.

Encompassing 43,000 sq. ft., the property presents a rare opportunity for the SCA to build a moderate-sized school with a large schoolyard for its students, Persheff told the board. There were, however, no details provided by the SCA representatives re- garding the design of the proposed school and accompanying yard.

The location was reportedly suggested by local parents and passed along to elected officials and the Department of Education (DOE), according to Nick Comaianni, president of the Community Education Council of District 24. Situated in an area of the district in need of additional class seats, he stated, the new elementary school would alleviate overcrowded conditions at nearby P.S. 71 in Ridgewood and P.S. 153 in Maspeth.

“It’s a dire necessity,” Comaianni said. “In this area, it’s hard to find seats. There are no lots to build on. ... It would hold plenty of kids and provide a small school with an extensive yard.”

Board members gave the SCA representatives an earful regarding the lack of details regarding the proposed school site.

Connie Santos criticized the SCA for not including an off-street parking area for faculty members in the school site, noting that allowing school employees to park on streets surrounding the facility would add to traffic congestion and deprive local residents of parking spots.

Persheff noted that the “DOE does not permit on-site parking,” adding that the city “would rather invest its resources” in building new school seats for local children than providing parking for teachers.

Board member Robert Holden also voiced concerns about the location where school buses would drop off and pick up students. The traffic on Metropolitan Avenue is “bad enough as it is,” he said. “If you have buses blocking the street, we’ve got trouble.”

With other schools in the Board 5 area expanding to include more grades, Richard Huber questioned why there was a need to build a new school of the size proposed.

“Are we going to build this school only to expand it later on?” he wondered aloud.

Parents and the principal of P.S. 153 spoke out in favor of the plan. JoAnn Berger, a mother of three students at the Maspeth school, stated that the facility—built to hold a maximum of 1,100 students—has a current enrollment of more than 1,400, reflective of a community that has been overdeveloped in recent years.

Susan Bauer, P.S. 153’s principal, noted that the school currently has two first-grade classes in one room and lost pre-kindergarten seats due to the lack of space on campus.

The squeeze on space at P.S. 153 has also put its gifted and talented program in jeopardy, according to Charles Vavruska, president of the Beacon Parents Forum at the Maspeth school. He told the board that the school’s overcrowded conditions have prompted the DOE to consider relocating the program to another location in the city.

“It’s necessary to have infrastructure here,” he said. “If we don’t build the school, you’ll see busing to other neighborhoods. Middle-class families will move to Long Island. We don’t want that to happen here.”

Other community board members were staunchly opposed to the construction of a new school at the Ridgewood site. Board member Sylvia Nappi observed that the community needs more food stores to serve local residents than another school

“I’ve had enough,” she said. “Forget it. Find another place.”

Manny Caruana was skeptical of the SCA’s plans for the site, observing that the authority has previously approved blueprints and construction plans despite previously-raised concerns from the community.

“It’s our experience that you’ll do whatever you want,” Caruana said.

Board 5 Chairperson Vincent Arcuri stated that the advisory body’s Education and Land Use committees would look into the Ridgewood school plan further and propose a recommendation for or against the project at the board’s next meeting on Mar. 10 in Middle Village.

Board budget concerns

After taking a four-percent budget cut in January, Board 5 and other community boards across the city are expected to have their budgets reduced by another eight percent in July, District Manager Gary Giordano reported. The cuts forced the board to use funds from its graffiti removal program in order to meet the payroll of its staff.

Giordano noted that the city has projected that each community board will have a budget of $160,761 for the 2011 fiscal year. The board has decided to wait until the final budget its proposed before deciding whether further cutbacks are needed.

“We will go on record to say that we will not be able to function with a budget” as proposed, the district manager said.

Regarding the 2011 New York City capital and expense budget, Giordano noted that the community board will urge the city to provide funding to maintain a sufficient roster of police officers at the 104th Precinct and would resist efforts by the city to close fire companies serving the community. The district manager also stated that the advisory body would also request that the Buildings Department avoid laying off construction and building inspectors.

Other news

City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley circulated a petition calling upon the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to block its service reduction plan that would result in the elimination of several subway and bus lines as well as the free student MetroCard program. She encouraged residents to sign the petition to inform the MTA that the proposed reductions would severely impact the quality of life for local residents.

A representative of State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, Alex Maureau, informed residents that the Board of Elections has approved the use of optical scan voting machines for all elections beginning with this September’s primaries. The devices, Maureau said, are accurate and have a paper trail to ensure that all votes are counted.

Arcuri announced that the community board received a demolition notice for a garage located at 60-27 56th Rd. in Maspeth. Board members were advised to keep a careful eye on local construction projects and to report suspicious activities immediately.

Street fairs

Based on the report of its Executive Committee, the board recommended approval of street fair applications submitted by the following organizations for events to be held within Board 5’s confines later this year:

• Federazione Italo-Americana di Brooklyn and Queens for a street fair scheduled to take place over four nights between Thursday, Sept. 9 and Sunday, Sept. 12, along Fresh Pond Road between Menahan and Woodbine streets in Ridgewood;

• Maspeth Chamber of Commerce for a street fair scheduled for Sunday, June 13, along Grand Avenue between 65th and 72nd streets in Maspeth;

• Kiwanis Club of Glendale for a street fair scheduled for Sunday, May 23, along Metropolitan Avenue between 73rd Place and 79th Street in Middle Village; and a street fair scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 8, along Myrtle Avenue between Forest Avenue and Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood;

• Ridgewood Local Development Corporation for a street fair scheduled for Sunday, Apr. 18, along Myrtle Avenue between Wyckoff Avenue and Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood;

• Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District for a street fair scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 19, along Myrtle Avenue between Wyckoff Avenue and Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood; and,

• Maspeth Lions Club for a street fair scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 26, along Grand Avenue between 69th and 72nd streets in Maspeth.

Liquor licenses

Chairperson Arcuri announced that the board has received the following liquor license applications for its perusal:

• a new liquor license for Cascada Café II, d.b.a. Cascada, 675A Seneca Ave., Ridgewood;

• a new liquor license for Bella Italia Café Inc. for a business to be determined, 59-65 69th St., Maspeth;

• a new liquor license for Lucalal Enterprises LLC, d.b.a. Moonlight Bar and Grill, 60-58 Flushing Ave., Maspeth;

• a new liquor license for Nest Coffee Shop Inc., 66-32 Forest Ave., Ridgewood;

• a new liquor license for James F. Long for a business to be determined, 71-28/30 Cooper Ave., Glendale (fomerly for von Westerhagen’s restaurant);

• a liquor license renewal for Sligo Champs Inc., d.b.a. Four Green Fields, 67-29 Central Ave., Glendale;

• a liquor license renewal for California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., d.b.a. California Pizza Kitchen, 8000 Cooper Ave., Glendale;

• a new wine and/or beer license for Mi Cabana Restaurant Inc., 64-02 Myrtle Ave., Glendale;

• a wine and/or beer license renewal for CBC Pizza Corp., d.b.a. Glendale Pizza, 68-27 Myrtle Ave., Glendale;

• a wine and/or beer license renewal for East Coast Assoc., d.b.a. Glendale Diner, 71-08 Myrtle Ave., Glendale;

• a wine and/or beer license renewal for Karpenisi Donut Shop Inc., 69-67 Grand Ave., Maspeth;

• a wine and/or beer license renewal for Bona Restaurant LLC, d.b.a. Bona Restaurant, 71-24 Fresh Pond Rd., Ridgewood;

• a wine and/or beer license renewal for Antica Trattoria in Fresh Inc., d.b.a. Antica Trattoria, 68-10 Fresh Pond Rd., Ridgewood;

• a wine and/or beer license renewal for Bozena Piechowitz, d.b.a. Taste of Europe, 62-36 Forest Ave., Ridgewood;

• a wine and/or beer license renewal for HW Seneca Pizza Corp., 679 Seneca Ave., Ridgewood; and,

• a wine and/or beer license renewal for Super Pollo Restaurant Inc., 865 Woodward Ave., Ridgewood.

Those who wish to comment on any of the above applications may do so by calling Board 5 at 1-718-366- 1834 during normal business hours.

The next Community Board 5 meeting is scheduled to take place next Wednesday, Mar. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Christ the King Regional High School, located at 68-02 Metropolitan Ave. in Middle Village. For more information, call the board’s Glendale office at the number listed above.