‘HIGH STAKES’ GAS DRILLING

Charging that the potential drilling for natural gas in parts of upstate New York could harm New York City’s water supply, members of Community Board 5 recommended at their July 14 meeting in Middle Village that the state hold off on issuing drilling permits until a federal environmental study is completed.

By a unanimous vote, the advisory body agreed during last Wednesday’s session at Christ the King Regional High School to adopt a resolution calling on the state government to institute a moratorium on permitting hydrofracking in parts of the state believed to be located above a vast supply of natural gas within what is known as the Marcellus Shale.

The board’s recommendation was drafted by its Environmental Services Committee, which argued that the drilling practice involves the use of highly toxic chemicals that could spread during storm runoff into reservoirs in upstate New York owned by the city as its water source.

Brian Dooley, who chairs the committee, noted that various oil and gas companies are seeking to install anywhere between 25,000 and 50,000 gas wells across parts of the state above the shale. In each hydrofracking well, holes up to a mile deep are drilled with the use of chemicals that he stated are “known poisons and carcinogens.”

“The stakes are high here. It will transform a largely rural landscape into an industrial one,” said Dooley. He went on to note that “The chemicals they use for hydrofracking are noxious.”

In its resolution, the board called for the passage of a bill before the State Senate (S.7592A), which would institute a two-year moratorium on the issuance of drilling permits at the Marcellus Shale. The moratorium would be extended following the anticipated release of a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding the impact of hydrofracking on surrounding communities.

Though there are many questions regarding the safety of hydrofracking, Dooley informed the board that oil and gas companies are currently in the midst of buying or leasing thousands of acres of land in preparation of drilling.

“The people of New York City and other areas are not interested in this land grab, but we are interested in our health,” he added.

On another note, the board also approved a second resolution from the Environmental Committee which recommended that the EPA declare the Newtown Creek a Superfund site, making it eligible for federal funding to pay for a full cleanup of the waterway. The advisory body also recommended that the creek’s waterfront should be used to launch a garbage barging operation.

Pols on parade

Voters should be prepared to spend a little extra time at their polling booths during the upcoming primary and general elections as the city begins using new optical scan voting machines, according to State Sen. Joseph Addabbo.

The chairperson of the Senate’s Election Committee, Addabbo noted that an effort is underway to educate poll workers and the public on how to use the new machines, in which votes are filled out on a paper ballot that is scanned and counted by a computer. Even so, it is likely that there will be problems along the way with regard to the operation of the machines, including erroneous overvoting.

“Be prepared to spend a little more time voting,” he said. “The first time you feed the scanner it may not work. We’re trying to work with the Board of Election to adjust the machines to prevent overvoting.”

Addabbo also expressed his frustration regarding the still unresolved state budget, which is now more than 100 days beyond its Apr. 1 deadline for completion.

“The budget process is an absolute disgrace,” he said, observing that, while there is plenty of blame to go around between Gov. David Paterson and state lawmakers, the continual extender bills proposed by the governor have set a dangerous precedent for future budget negotiations.

Assemblyman Mike Miller informed residents that he has reached out to the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) regarding the Ridgewood Reservoir project. The DEC recently declared that it would consider instituting wetland status on part of the 50-acre site.

InfraGard

Special Agent James Capozzi of the FBI’s New York office informed residents and board members about the benefits of InfraGard, a program designed to build and foster relationships between the law enforcement agency and local residents for the purposes of fighting terrorism and other crimes.

Developed originally in the mid- 1990s to combat computer crimes, InfraGard has evolved into an information sharing initiative in which the FBI provides registered users with news and materials to keep them abreast of the latest counterterrorism efforts and to educate the public on spotting suspicious activities. The FBI can also draw upon the knowledge of InfraGard members to help with their investigations.

Capozzi noted that the partnership between the federal agency and the people is essential to help protect sensitive targets from possible attack. Since more than 85 percent of structures deemed vulnerable to attack are privately owned, he said, the government needs as many private citizens as possible working with them to keep the country safe.

For more information, visit www.infragard.net. Those interested in registering must submit to a background check in order to be approved for membership.

Other news

Arthur Cronson of Con Edison urged the public to take advantage of various rebate and credits offered by the utility company to purchase energy efficient appliances for their homes or businesses. Property owners can receive rebates between $200 and $600 for buying and installing new heating and cooling appliances such as gas burners; the energy company also offers free programmable thermostats to homeowners who qualify.

For more information, visit www.coned.com/energyefficiency.

Dominick Dale, a representative for City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, announced that the legislator secured $2 million in capital funding for various school projects in her district as well as $100,000 to upgrade the phone system at the 104th Precinct’s Ridgewood stationhouse.

License to run a gym

At the start of the meeting, the community board held a public hearing regarding an application submitted by the Roberts Corporation (d.b.a. Lucille Roberts gym) seeking a special permit with the Board of Standards and Appeals to continue operating the physical culture establishment located at 54-32 Myrtle Ave. in Ridgewood.

The women’s only gym, which has been at the Ridgewood site since 1996, requires the license to remain in business after the owners of the establishment were informed that a permit was necessary after receiving a violation from the city. The attorney for the organization assured board members that the building met all legal parameters and that no major alterations or changes to the site were being considered.

Walter Sanchez, chair of Board 5’s Zoning and Land Use committee, noted that the panel would further consider the Roberts Organization application at their August meeting, then present a recommendation for or against the license at the next Board 5 session.

Demolition notices

Arcuri announced that the community board had received demolition notices for the following locations:

• the partial exterior façade of a property at 64-17 Central Ave. in Glendale;

• the partial exterior façade of a property at 58-16 57th Rd. in Maspeth;

• a property located at 66-62 79th Pl. in Middle Village;

• partial demolition of a property located at 65-04 Fresh Pond Rd. in Ridgewood; and,

• a property located at 51-37 69th St. in Woodside.

Board members were advised to keep a careful eye on construction at each location and to report suspicious activities immediately.

Liquor licenses

It was also announced that the board had received the following liquor license applications:

• New liquor licenses for La Playita Restaurant Corp., d.b.a. La Playita Restaurant, 811 Seneca Ave., Ridgewood (formerly el Arco de Iris); and Nicole Kelly Pub Inc., d.b.a. Nicole Kelly, 62-10 Woodhaven Blvd., Rego Park (formerly BV’s Pub).

• Liquor license renewals for The Celi House Inc., d.b.a. The Celi House, 69-56 Grand Ave., Maspeth; Bollywood Sangeet Bar & Grill Inc., 83-38 Woodhaven Blvd., Glendale; and 7911 Belmont Inc., d.b.a. Teh Belmont, 79-11 Myrtle Ave., Glendale.

• Wine and/or beer license renewals for Mondo Sport, 465 Onderdonk Ave., Ridgewood; A&J Juniors Pizza Corp., d.b.a. Maspeth Pizza, 71-09 Grand Ave., Maspeth; Clodomiro Canela, d.b.a. La Cabana Jarabacoa Restaurant, 65-13 Fresh Pond Rd., Ridgewood; Coopers 8000 LLC, d.b.a. Shiro’s at Atlas Park, 8000 Cooper Ave., Glendale; 64-40 Myrtle & Cypress Inc. for a business located at 64-40 Myrtle Ave., Glendale; A&O Foods Ltd., 57-54 Maspeth Ave., Maspeth; and JCM Pizza Ltd., d.b.a. Corato II Pizza, 60- 91 Myrtle Ave., Ridgewood.

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

Community Board 5 generally meets on the second Wednesday each month at 7:30 p.m. at Christ the King Regional High School, located at 68- 02 Metropolitan Ave. in Middle Village. For more information, call the board’s office at the number listed above.