News Of The Neighborhoods

New Rules For Leaf Collection

Department of Sanitation (DOS) officials last week announced a temporary shutdown of the city's annual fall leaf collection program, along with a new set of rules for picking up leaves citywide.

DOS Commissioner John Doherty said property owners can gather leaves in regular trash bags this fall and leave the bags at curbside for pickup with household trash. In past years, homeowners and building superintendents were told to pack leaves in large lawn and leaf bags for scheduled Sunday pickups by sanitation workers. The leaves were then taken to a facility that turned them into a high-quality compost that could be picked up, free of charge, by city residents for fall and spring gardening projects.

"Tough financial times require that tough decisions be made," Doherty said. "We hope to resume our popular seasonal leaf collection and composting program soon."

Doherty added that it is still illegal for landscapers to place yard waste curbside for pickup by city sanitation workers. Leaf and yard waste collected by landscapers must be taken to composting facilities for recycling.

FDNY Fire Safety Education

Programs Available, Free

City fire officials are urging civic and community groups, senior centers and area schools to take advantage of their Fire Safety Education programs, a series of visual how-to discussions on fire prevention and escape techniques.

The programs include:

• Fire Safety lectures and demonstrations

• A visual walk through the FDNY Hazard House to identify fire hazards

• A Mobile Fire Safety Experience Trailer with windows for viewing home fire hazards and an actual fire simulation

• A Fire Safety House that fills with smoke for instruction and hands-on practice of evacuation techniques

Groups participating in the series may also request a visit from "HotDog," the FDNY mascot, who assists with visual aids and distributes fire safety flyers, pamphlets and other literature. Fire safety lectures and presentations are available any evening, seven days a week.

For more information or to schedule a presentation call the FDNY Fire Safety Education Unit at 718-281-3870.

Pro Soccer Field On Shea Site?

Major league soccer officials are currently talking with Mets owner Fred Wilpon about development of a new pro soccer team that would be headquartered at a stadium to be built on a portion of land currently occupied by Shea Stadium.

The report, released last month by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office, indicates the proposed new pro soccer stadium would be built near what is now the pitcher's mound at Shea Stadium.

The report also states that Wilpon and the Mets are in preliminary discussions with soccer officials over the purchase of a major league soccer team, which would be the second such team in the tri-state area.

According to the report, the plan has the full support of City Councilmember Hiram Monserrate. An admitted soccer fan, the councilmember represents a heavily Latinodominated council district that is home to hundreds of soccer fans who spend weekends competing on the grass at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, a Monserrate spokesperson said.

The plans, along with any discussions, are very preliminary, the report states. If talks progress and a deal is cut, a pro team could play its first match at a new Queens stadium by spring 2011.

FMCP Unisphere Fountains To Flow

Queens Parks Department officials are currently accepting bids for a $1 million facelift to restore the fountains encircling the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows- Corona Park.

The fountains, which add sparkle to the iconic steel globe, were turned off several years ago after contractors discovered that rotting pipes resulted in flooding in the basement of the nearby Queens Museum of Art.

Funding for the project, allocated by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, will pay for restoration of underground pipes and repair of the fountainheads, said Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski.

The Unisphere was built as a display for the 1964- 1965 New York World's Fair by the U.S. Steel Corporation. The Fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding". U.S. Steel later donated the Unisphere to New York City.

The site was closed for major renovations in the early 1990s and was reopened, with great fanfare and working fountains, in 1994.

A parks spokesperson refused to confirm if the fountains would remain on after renovations are completed, but said the fountains will be turned on for major events in the park. "We will take a wait-and-see approach to turning them on during the summer months," the spokesperson said.

'CERT' Presentations For Community Groups

Members of local Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), are available to speak at no charge at civic and community meetings, block and building association meetings and other community gatherings to explain how members of civic/community organizations can be trained to be better prepared to handle emergencies in their neighborhoods.

Discussions include how members of CERT Teams are trained to assist local police, fire and emergency medical first responders, how to prepare "Go-Bags" for family members and how to sign up to join a local CERT Team.

Prospective CERT members are required to provide documented proof that they are 18-years of age or older.

For information on local CERT programs, or to schedule a presentation for a community/civic organization call the Community Affairs Officer at a local police precinct or a local Community Board.