Sears Lists Congestion Pricing Drawbacks At Board 3
BY THOMAS COGAN
Sears Lists Congestion Pricing Drawbacks At Board 3

Community Board 3 welcomed the new year, albeit a little late, and heard from City Councilmember Helen Sears, who made the news on New Year's Day when her granddaughter was one of the first children born in the city in 2008. Sears had some comments about the mayor's congestion pricing plan and the plan to gain water and sewer charges due from those who are delinquent in paying them. She also presented a special award to a woman who made an extraordinary rescue. The 115th Police Precinct's new commander was introduced, a beer and wine license application was assessed, annual elections were held, City Councilmember Hiram Monserrate reviewed some issues and a few groups got in a few words about themselves.

Sears said she opposes the congestion pricing plan as Mayor Michael Bloomberg now proposes it. Her district includes Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, and she said those two places would suffer parking congestion worse than any other place in Queens. For one thing, there are no municipal parking garages in either neighborhood, and the nearest one, on Queens Plaza in Long Island City, is on schedule to be torn down. In Manhattan, the mayor proposes to extend the No. 7 line, and of course, the Second Avenue subway is coming, but these are future projects; Sears said the latter "has cost a few billion so far" but is years away from realization. She brought to the meeting a sheet describing the mayor's plan and three alternate ones, including a license plate rationing plan that is said to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) better than the other plans, though VMT reduction could not effect a raise in revenue without separate tax legislation. The same sheet contained a description of her tax and water lien legislation, a three-year plan that allows the Department of Environmental Protection to sell stand-alone water and sewer liens on residential properties that are one year or longer in arrears on water and sewer charges and have an outstanding balance of $1,000 or more. Single-family homes are exempted, as are one- to three-family homes with certain prior exemptions. The DEP thus has the power to go after considerable revenue that has not been rightly paid, Sears said. The literature describing this legislation and the various congestion pricing plans is available from Sears' office at 37-32 75th St. in Jackson Heights; call 718-803-7373.

The new commander of the 115th Police Precinct, Deputy Inspector John Lavelle, was introduced. He comes to his new post from Brooklyn South, and at an earlier point was commander of the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills. He and Lieutenant Newton Harvey were immediately bombarded with questions and complaints, particularly about several automobiles parked on a number of local streets, all of them bearing "For Sale" signs but no license plates. Harvey said the department was aware of them, adding that several of the For Sale signs have the same telephone number on them. He said the precinct should eventually be able to tow them away in post-midnight operations, but first police have to get tow trucks, which aren't easily borrowed. Another complaint, one that several in the audience recognized, was about a van that frequently uses the sidewalk at 74th Street and 37th Road as an unloading dock for office furniture. Lavelle and Harvey said they would check it out.

The Homeless Outreach Population Estimate, which is to be conducted in several places in Queens on the evening and early morning of January 28 and 29, was described to the meeting by Leslie Peterson of the Department of Homeless Services, as was Recycling Outreach and Education, Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC) by John Klar. Women from the National Children's Study were present, with Barbara Brenner saying that the informational campaign will begin on a door-to-door basis in Queens in August. It will be conducted in 12 of the 14 community planning board districts in the borough. Afreen Alam, program director of Chhaya Community Development Corp., told the meeting that this non-profit group dedicated to the housing needs of South Asian immigrants in the metropolitan area is opening its Queens office at 37-43 77th St., second floor. She said there would be an open house there on Friday, February 1, from 4 to 8 p.m.; RSVP at 718-478-3848, ext. 15 by January 28.

Tia Paila is a restaurant located at 32-39 Junction Blvd., across the street from the Louis Armstrong Middle School, I.S. 227, where Board 3 holds its meetings. Its proximity to the school became a problem when its owner, José Fernandez, applied for a beer/wine and liquor license. Arthur Teiler of the board's business and economic development committee, said that by law, a restaurant serving alcoholic beverages must be 400 feet from the farthest school entrance and 200 feet from the nearest. The latter, he said, was only 100 feet away. He recommended the application be rejected, and it was. Judith Grubin, a board member, told Fernandez he is free to exercise a bring-your-own alcohol policy during evening hours.

Election of board officers was a simple matter: President Vasantrai M. Gandhi, First Vice Chairwoman Grace Lawrence, Second Vice Chairwoman Norma Jimenez, Secretary Darryl Hoss and Treasurer Arthur Teiler were all renominated and reelected.

City Councilmember Hiram Monserrate, whose office is down the street from Tia Paila, said he would have a town hall meeting Tuesday, January 29, at P.S 127, 98-01 25th Ave. in East Elmhurst, where the main topic will be Willets Point and plans to redevelop it. He said also that a new, seven-day library is to be built somewhere in Board 3, then said he was not at liberty to say anything more at the moment.