News Of The Neighborhoods
COMPILED BY LIZ GOFF

Help The Homeless When Temps Dip

Homeless Services Commissioner Robert Hess last week announced the 2007 kickoff of the "Cold Blue" alert system, saying outreach workers will take to the streets to try to bring the homeless to shelters whenever wind chill makes temperatures dip below 20 degrees or when heavy snow blasts the streets for at least one hour. He urged the public to call 311 to report people in danger due to frigid temperatures.

MTA Appoints 'General Manager' For No. 7 Line

Transit officials last week announced the appointment of a general manager on the No. 7 subway line. The as-yet unnamed general manager will be responsible for station cleanliness, quality of announcements, straphanger assistance and a host of other services requested by riders on recent transit system report cards.

Transit officials said the general manager will manage their own budget, but will not have the authority to hire or fire staff. They will also be unable to control the frequency of trains on the line without a supervisor's approval.

Officials said they plan to issue a new report card on the line within three months, to test the success of the new system. If the general manager receives high marks from straphangers, the system could be applied to the rest of the city's subway lines.

Jahn's Ice Cream Parlor Shuts Its Doors

Ice cream aficionados from across Queens mourned the loss of their favorite sweet shop recently, when the decades-old Jahn's Ice Cream Parlor in Richmond Hill served its last scoop.

Jahn's first opened at the Hillside Avenue location in the 1930s, featuring a full line of frozen treats served with music from a nickelodeon piano. The shop boasted brass and copper soda fountains, along with memorabilia and antique lighting that reflected more than seven generations.

Baby boomers flocked to the sweet shop after school or with a date, after taking in a show at the nearby RKO Richmond Hill Movie Theater. "This is where we grew up," said Doreen McKellan. "Believe it or not, we were the 'Doo-Wop' generation, hanging out after school and on the weekend in our poodle skirts and loafers. "It's a shame things had to change and our kids will never be able to be that carefree," said McKellan.

Fire Code Being Updated

Fire officials last week proposed a sweeping change of the city's Fire Code, their first attempt to modernize regulations in nearly a century.

Officials suggested adding new guidelines to the existing code, including the handling of hazardous materials and plans for the evacuation of public places

The changes will appear in a 471-page document that will replace the city's original Fire Code, first enacted in 1913. The Fire Code has only been updated periodically since then, FDNY officials said.

Railroad Crossing Improvements On The Way

A new report released last week by state transportation officials includes a regulation requiring trains to stop and wait for flag crews to give the motorman the OK to pass through crossings at the Ridgewood location where a runaway freight train injured four people in March 2004.

The report also calls for additional Xshaped signage, yield signs and pavement markings at train crossings located throughout Queens and Brooklyn.

The 20-page report calls on the city and state to consider installing overhead LED lights at the 56th Street and Flushing Avenue crossing in Queens. If the municipalities agree to install the LED lighting, it must be in-place within a year. If the LED signs are not installed, the report calls for red, overhead flashing lights.

Ridgewood residents and area activists said they are disappointed that the report did not call for gates at the troubled crossing, where a 120-ton locomotive crashed into a car and injured four people.

115th CC Wish List

For Kids, Volunteers

The 115th Precinct Community Council is asking area residents and business owners to reach into their pockets to help bring Christmas cheer to underprivileged children and bring a wrapped toy, marked for a boy or girl, to the precinct for distribution by the Community Council to less fortunate children in Jackson Heights, Corona and East Elmhurst.

The toys can be dropped off at the 115th Police Precinct at 92-15 Northern Blvd. 24-hours a day, through December 19th.

Community Council officials are also asking the community for help with its graffiti cleanup- bringing a new paintbrushe or a paint roller which would be used by volunteers who donate their time to paint over unsightly graffiti on walls and other surfaces in the 115th Precinct area.- Liz Goff

New York Cares Coat Drive Underway

Each winter tens of thousands of New Yorkers are faced with a cold choice- buy a winter coat or put food on the table.

Since 1989, New York Cares has helped warm those in need by collecting more than one-million coats for distribution to children and adults throughout the five boroughs.

You can help this winter, by donating your gently used coats or by making a financial donation to the New York Cares Coat Drive. Coats can be donated at all New York City Police Precincts in Queens, as well as Time Warner Cable locations throughout the borough.

For information about locations, Time Warner's hours of operation, or to make a financial donation, call 212-402-1173 or visit www.nycares.org.- Liz Goff