Board 1 Cabinet Hears Complaints On Outdoor Cafes
BY THOMAS COGAN

The June cabinet meeting of Community Board 1 took a look at summer events, heard from a charter school representative, presided over exchanges between the audience and spokesmen for Con Edison and the Department of Consumer Affairs and even got notice of a job opening. As is the case with nearly every other local community group, the Board 1 cabinet June meeting was its last for three months.

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) representative, Mark Mancusi, is a 19-year veteran, currently in charge of enforcement in Queens County. Board 1 District Manager George Delis introduced him and then brought up the occasional problems that occur because of Astoria's vibrant restaurant life, indoors and outdoors- particularly the latter- in the warm months. Two women contributed their opinions in the matter. Frances McDonald said that all too many establishments exceed the rules laid out by DCA and become disruptive in the community. Rose Marie Poveromo said the situation has become so bad that a moratorium should be called on applications for outdoor dining facilities. Delis said such a moratorium would be arbitrary and illegal.

Arthur Cronson, the Con Ed representative, attends each meeting seemingly prepared for a dispute, especially since the local power failure last summer, but he also comes bearing information. He told the cabinet that Con Ed would be investing $7.5 billion in New York City in the next decade. He also confirmed what has become known or feared, that rate increases will be coming soon. McDonald proposed that if Con Ed raises rates by the reported 17 percent, Con Ed might also conduct a program of educating the consumer on how to save money, even as much as 17 percent. Cronson said that would be a good idea.

The Our World Neighborhood Charter School, whose kindergarten-through-fifth-grade program is conducted at 36-12 35th Ave. and sixth-througheighth grade program at 31-20 37th St., sent Ricky Cortex, its media and outreach coordinator, to the meeting to explain a few things about it. The school, which will have been in operation five years this September, has public funding, he said, but it is held low deliberately, leaving the school to raise funds to compensate. Teachers are non-union and do not have tenure. Students are picked by lottery from a list of applicants, and, Cortex said, Our World's list currently exceeds by far the maximum number that can be chosen. There are 700 students at the school and class size runs between 19 and 22, he reported. He also said that despite their nontenured status, teachers mainly like their work and retention is high.

Summer programs in the parks include those at Socrates Sculpture Park, on Vernon Boulevard at Broadway, as reported to the meeting by Tara Sansone, who was mainly promoting the summer solstice celebration, since it is a one-time event and is coming soon. The date is Thursday, June 21, and from 5 to 9 p.m. a salsa band will provide entertainment and local food will be served. This is the 20th anniversary of the summer solstice celebration, she said, and it is being sponsored by Con Edison. The Socrates summer program, featuring yoga, tai chi, outdoor movies and sculpture workshops among other things, runs to the end of September, and a Halloween harvest festival, held Saturday, October 20, announces that fall has truly arrived.

The music program in Astoria Park was again reviewed by George Stamatiades, who noted that the concert that starts it all, on Friday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m., features the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and a fireworks display. And Italian Nights at Athens Square Park, 30th Street and 30th Avenue, begin Wednesday, June 27 and continue every Wednesday evening until September 12.

Nancy Carin, executive director of the Business Outreach Center, came to talk about the Steinway Industrial Business Zone, located between 20th Avenue and Berrian Boulevard, south to north, and 37th and Hazen Streets, west to east. As such, it is supposed to be preserved from encroaching residential development. Delis quickly interrupted to say that in the late 1970s, that area was a dumping ground, even for the Department of Sanitation. He said that Mayor Ed Koch and City Councilmember Peter Vallone were instrumental in stemming the dumping activity and making these blocks again hospitable to industry. Carin said her organization is currently in need of a director, who would report to her. She seeks someone with a background in urban planning and small business. She said there are educational requirements, but perhaps they can be waived if a person with impressive work experience becomes a candidate.