Board 1 Cabinet Hears Plans For Senior Residence
BY THOMAS COGAN

The Department of Transportation reported to the meeting that during the last weekend of January and the first weekend of February, demolition of the outside lanes of the Steinway Street bridge will necessitate closing first one, then the other half of the Grand Central Parkway, with consequent slowdowns of traffic there.

Further reports about repairs on the Steinway Street Bridge and the impending construction of a HANAC senior residence on Hoyt Avenue were chief topics at the Community Board 1 district cabinet meeting for December, held at the Kaufman Astoria Studios commissary. The new community affairs officer for the 114th Police Precinct introduced himself and apologized for the postponement of the PowerPoint presentation that Precinct Commander Inspector Brian McCarthy was to have delivered. He led a discussion about graffiti and the recently convicted vandal Kiko, the nom de spray can of Oliver Siandre. A representative of the latest owner talked about acquisition of the property at 30-30 Northern Blvd. and its apparent destiny as a dormitory building. Some announcements were made about churches, one of which is new, the other approaching the half-century mark.

After quickly exhausting his supply of 2007 alternate side parking calendars, Dan Ross of the Department of Transportation reported to the meeting that during the last weekend of January and the first weekend of February, demolition of the outside lanes of the Steinway Street bridge will necessitate closing first one, then the other half of the Grand Central Parkway, with consequent slowdowns of traffic there. Ross said that traffic on the bridge would remain two-way at all times.

John Kaiteris of the Hellenic American Neighborhood Action Committee (HANAC), the association responsible for construction of the senior residence at Hoyt Avenue and 29th Street, where a public parking lot now stands, said that the free parking available at the lot through the holiday period will end in January when construction begins. At that time, 10 free parking spaces will become available on Astoria Boulevard, one block south of Hoyt Avenue. The completion date for the senior residence is currently set at September 2008, more than a year and a half away. Lists are now in circulation to gather names for the official application process, which is to begin in the spring of 2008. When the prospective residents on the lists have been vetted for acceptability, the names that qualify will be entered in a lottery. Qualifications include an annual income between $16,000 and $30,000. HANAC is attempting to house persons from the surrounding area in half the 184 units at the residence. All apartments will be one-bedroom in size. Parking will be on the grounds, and meanwhile, the number of parking spaces in the community will be raised to 69.

Two possibilities were considered skeptically. Rose Marie Poveromo, board member and head of the United Community Civic Association (UCCA), said there is no way of guaranteeing the accuracy of the 50-percent-local qualification; she pictured “somebody’s mother from Nassau or Suffolk County” being moved in by a child who is a local resident. Also, Kaiteris admitted that there’s no reliable way to prevent persons moving in with their parents at the residence.

114th Precinct Community Affairs Officer Joe Modlin told the gathering at the commissary that urgent business called McCarthy away from the PowerPoint presentation he was to deliver that morning. Modlin, a native of Suffolk County who has been in the 114th Precinct for eight years, was quick to cover a topic bound to please his audience: the sentencing of Kiko (Siandre), from Manhattan’s West Side, who had painted his name all over Astoria. Siandre was sentenced Thursday, December 7 to a four-to-six month period in jail, fined $25,000 and mandated to perform community service. Should he return to his old activities when he becomes a probationer (he was bold enough to engage in them while out on bail earlier this year) he could be sent back to jail to serve a seven-year sentence. Board 1 District Manager George Delis said the 114th Precinct has the highest rate of graffiti arrests in the city, which might be proof of the belief that Kiko has a lot of followers. Rose Marie Poveromo said that Ditmars Boulevard has been “totally vandalized”—mainly since Kiko was arrested.

The building at 30-30 Northern Blvd. recently contained two businesses, the Carousel Club and Apple Tag & Label, but now it belongs to Edward J. Minskoff Equities, which has new plans for it. Speaking for Minskoff at the meeting was a representative, Benjamin McGrath, who said the realtor was promoting the property as office space but getting no takers, and failing also to find enthusiasm for developing a hotel on premises. The current idea is to turn the building, which appears to have a lot of space, into a dormitory. McGrath said such a plan might be welcomed by a lot of schools around the city, from La Guardia Community College to Marymount Manhattan, and thus the building would house students from all over. It would be operated by the Educational Housing Service, a New York state non-profit entity. McGrath said the dormitory could probably have beds for 1,600 students in single, double and four-person rooms. None of them would be likely to feel isolated because the building has heavy traffic from both Northern Boulevard and the elevated train line passing by the front door. McGrath said he has talked to City Councilmember Eric Gioia, who said there should be retail business, such as a bookstore and a coffee shop, at ground level in the building.

A young man named Andy Olson introduced himself as associate pastor of Queens West Church, which is trying to establish itself permanently in the community. He said the current congregation of 130 grows out of the Swedish Lutheran tradition, though he described Queens West Church as seeking a broad congregation. At the moment, the church has Sunday services at Information Technology H.S. at 44th Road and 21st Street, well within the bounds of Community Board 2 but, Olson said, the church is seeking a new home. Also present at the meeting was Donna Flynn, assistant principal of Most Precious Blood Roman Catholic School, 32-23 36th Ave., who said the school will be 50 years old in 2007 and celebratory events are being prepared.