QUEENS CIVIC CONGRESS, Inc.

Queens Civic Congress

P.O. Box 670706
Flushing, NY 11367
Ashook Ramsaran, Editor

NOVEMBER 2016 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 4

QUEENS CIVIC CONGRESS

Message from the President, Harbachan Singh

In the next few days, my successor, Mr. Kevin Forrestal, will be taking over the Presidency of the
Queens Civic Congress. As you know, he is a very talented and an experienced person and will no
doubt do a great job and fight hard for our member associations. Congratulations!

It has been two years since I took over the helm of the Queens Civic Congress and I must say that my
experience and knowledge has been enriched exponentially. It gave me immense opportunities to learn
at greater depths some of the subjects that we were involved in and sensed acute appreciation of the
substantial time and efforts that are devoted by all the members who volunteer their valuable time and
who made huge sacrifices on behalf of their colleagues and neighbors to keep Queens the best place to
live in. I applaud the efforts of everyone involved.

Our subjects and concerns cover a wide scope. Some of the issues QCC raised recently related to the
Mayors zoning for affordability and MIH programs, airplane noise at JFK and LaGuardia airport
vicinities, tolls on East River bridges, bike lanes, Select Bus Service, homeless shelters, inadequate
public transport system, landmarking and preservation designations, small business tenancies, fracking
projects, commuter van service, unreasonable increases in water rates, unattended building violations,
unjust granting of building variances, proposal to legalize basement apartments, proposal for the
commercial use of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, etc. We also provided forums for opposing groups
to air their respective side of the case relating to the reactivation of the abandoned Rockaway Beach
Branch rail line or turning it into a linear park called Queensway Park, and provided a forum for
political candidates to explain their respective platforms. Written communications, visits to agency
heads, protest rallies, press releases or collaboration with elected officials and coordinating efforts with
them were some of the modus operandi tools utilized.

Thank you and my sincere Seasons Greetings to all.

********
Queens Civic Congress, formed in 1997, is a registered New York State non-profit organization representing more than 100 civic and other
community organizations throughout the Borough of Queens in New York City, is committed to the protection and advancement of the
Quality of Life, to provide a forum for the civic associations and neighborhood organizations, to develop and present common policies
and positions, and to furnish effective leadership and advocacy for the advancement of the welfare and interests of Queens' neighborhoods
 QUEENS CIVIC CONGRESS OFFICIALS
COMMITTEES & CHAIRS 2017

President Kevin J. Forrestal

Executive Vice President Richard Hellenbrecht
Executive Secretary Sey Schwartz
Treasurer Jim Trent
Vice Presidents Tyler Cassell, Henry Euler, Rene Hill,
Barbara Larkin, John McCaffrey,
Kim Ohanian, Ashook Ramsaran,
Warren Schreiber, Harbachan Singh, Phil Wong
Founder Robert (Bob) Harris
Aviation & Noise Richard Hellenbrecht & Warren Schreiber
Coops & Condos Robert Freidrich & Warren Schreiber
Education Kevin J. Forrestal (Acting)
Membership Committee Richard Hellenbrecht & Jim Trent
Audit Committee Tyler Cassell
Health & Human Services Kevin J. Forrestal
Legislation Sey Schwartz
Communications Ashook Ramsaran
Parks & Cultural Affairs Barbara Larkin & Kim Ohanian
Public Safety Kim Ohanian
Transportation Jim Trent
Hospitality Rene Hill
Planning, Land Use, Zoning
& Code Enforcement Tyler Cassell
Congress Platform John McCaffrey
Ad Hoc Committee
Homeless Issues Phil Wong
Youth NextGen Committee Ashook Ramsaran

Other Ad Hoc Committees may be established as required.

Members are requested to volunteer their services to the respective chairs & committees.

********
 UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR
Queens Civic Congress (QCC) Legislative Reception on:
Date & Time: Sunday, December 4, 2015 at 1:00pm
Venue: Douglaston Club located at 600 West Drive, Douglaston, NY 11363
Ticket: $40. Each attendee
RSVP: Jim Trent, Treasurer at jtrent8830@aol.com
Payment: Queens Civic Congress Foundation, 242-33 90th Ave, Bellerose, NY 11426
********

HISTORY OF THE CIVIC MOVEMENT IN QUEENS

By James A. Trent

The Borough of Queens is renowned throughout the City for the strength and organization of the civic
movement. It started as soon as the suburbanization of Queens began in the earliest days of the 20th
Century. The oldest civic association from these early days, and which survives to the present day, is
the Auburndale Improvement Association founded in 1905. Other early associations still in existence
are the St. Albans Improvement Association, (1906), the Malba Association (1908), the Kew Gardens
Civic Association (1914), the Westmoreland Association (1917), and the Neponsit Property Owners
Association (1919).
In the 1940s, the Borough was divided into six regions, and civic associations joined the civic council
representing their respective geographic area. These regional councils were the Civic Council of
Southern Queens, the Eastern Queens Civic Council, the United Civic Council, the Central Queens
Civic Council, the North Shore Council of Homeowners, and the Queens County Civic Council. The
Councils, in turn sent delegates to a central coordinating group called the Federation of Civic Councils
of the Borough of Queens. This group incorporated in 1962. In either 1964 or 1965 it held its first civic
convention at a hotel at Idlewild Airport (todays Kennedy Airport). About 1,000 civic leaders and
members attended. These conventions, later called luncheons, continue to the present day, although
attendance has shrunken to about 200.
Over the years, however, only two civic councils remained active: the United Civic Council and the
Eastern Queens Civic Council. It was decided that we needed to revive the central coordinating
mechanism to replace the moribund Federation of Civic Councils of the Borough of Queens. In 1997
the Queens Civic Congress was incorporated as a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit entity. This was followed by
a sister organization called the Queens Civic Congress Foundation in 2003. This group enjoys
501(c)(3) status as a charity. It serves as a conduit for grants with a focus on education, not advocacy.
In its new format, civic associations join the borough-wide Queens Civic Congress directly, without
the intermediate step of belonging to a regional council. At its peak of strength around 2008, the
Queens Civic Congress had a paid membership of 110 civic associations.
Queens Civic Congress via its Foundation hold two unique events: the annual Legislative Reception in
December at which civic leaders get to sit down and discuss civic issues directly with their elected
representatives from City, State, and Federal levels of government. About 130 people attend each year.
The other event is the biennial Queens Civic Luncheon held to sponsor speakers, give out awards, and
sometimes offer visual presentations on current topics.

********
 Homelessness A Borough-Wide Epic Crisis -- Phil Wong
On a mid-afternoon in early October a DHS van full of single homeless men quietly checked into the
Holiday Inn Express (HLE) Hotel in Maspeth. The van dropped them off at the back entrance of the
hotel, and the residents were told this is their assigned entrance and they could not use the front door.
The van made several more trips in the next few days, bringing a total of 30 single men into HLE. The
hotel entered a hybrid arrangement with DHS, with certain floors of the hotel occupied by the
homeless while the rest are reserved for regular hotel guests.

These single rooms do not come cheap to the taxpayers, at a daily rate of $160 per night the city pays
over $4,800 per room per month. Senator Addabbo compared the HLE to a prison-like setting with
metal detectors, 24-hour surveillance, security guards on every floor and a curfew. This is clearly the
return of segregation, something Maspeth has not seen since the 1950s. Meanwhile if you go to
Craigslist and search for Maspeth 1-room apartments, you get dozens of results at 1/3 to 1/2 the price
the city is paying the hotel owners. Many homeless residents have mental health or substance abuse
issues, and are in urgent need of medical care. With zero social services provided in these hotels, its
clear that DHS is doing nothing to bring the residents back on their feet and to leave the system.
Therefore it is also clear the city is not interested in saving money but to only warehouse the homeless
and keep them in the system for extended periods of time.

On October 5th, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and Senators Joseph Addabbo and Jose Peralta held
a press conference outside City Hall denouncing Mayor de Blasio's mishandling of the homeless crisis.
On October 21st, Councilman Ulrich led a protest with dozens of civic organizations outside City Hall
with a similar theme -- "The Mayors Homeless Policy is Hopeless." With dozens of hotels being
converted to homeless shelters, while more than 60,000 people currently staying in the New York City
shelter system, the currently policies on handling the homeless are not working. Warehousing
homeless New Yorkers is simply not the solution, but the Mayor and DHS think otherwise.

In recent months we witnessed protests all over Queens wherever hotels got flipped into shelters, from
Maspeth to Bellerose to Floral Park to Rockaway. City Hall and DHS counterattacked by stating these
NIMBYs dont care about poor people, they oppose the shelters because they hate the homeless,
and they oppose the shelters because they are racists. The common theme here is The Mayors
homeless solution is the only solution, you are against the Mayors policies because you are against the
homeless. To Councilwoman Crowley and many other elected officials, these policies are evidence of
incompetence. The annual DHS budget has hit $1.7 billion for the 2016-17 fiscal year with no cap in
sight, its futile for the agency to fight an economic dislocation crisis.

Several elected official proposed various solutions. Governor Cuomo set aside $2 billion dollars to
help the homeless statewide. Assemblyman Hevesi has a well-planned, $500 million homeless solution
to cover more affordable housing and rent subsidies. However these plans will take some time to
implement so we need other immediate solutions. Comptroller Scott Stringer proposed several good
ideas, including the immediate development of hundreds of vacant acres into affordable housing,
placing mobile homes into these lots, and utilizing apartment building seized by tax liens and legal
settlements. However, none of these proposals appealed to the Mayor.

Continued
 Youth Civic Report - by Ashook Ramsaran
Presented at QCC Board Meeting on 9-20-16, it is a comprehensive report based on interview
conducted on 8/3/16 at residence of Jim Trent at 242-33 90th Avenue, Bellerose, New York.
Participants included: Jim Trent, Ashook Ramsaran, Beverly McDermott, Richie Lipkowitz, Reshad
Hai, Alexander Pan and Brandon Chin. The report was based on excellent study and analyses
comprising the following details:
Introduction
History of Queens Civic Congress (QCC)
Civic Structure
Issues: Suburbanization, Suburbanization, commuting, Technology. Demographic changes,
Migration in USA/NYC, Decline of importance of civic associations, Benefits of social capital.
Suggestions/Actions items/Recommendations:
o Political and social issues
o PTA issues/schools
o Community service opportunities
o Improving civic association participation
o Junior civics
o Benefits
o On-line engagement
o Grants for youth work/civics
o Investments in social capital
QCC approval for QCC NextGen Committee with QCC mentor(s) and youth as members. Ashook
Ramsaran was assigned the role as QCC mentor for NextGen Committee; other QCC members
encouraged to join the NextGen Committee.

********
Homelessness A Borough-Wide Epic Crisis (Contd)
Other statewide solutions are also feasible. The obvious one is for the Governor to call for a State
Constitution Convention to amend the Right to Shelter Law. This current law attracts the homeless
from out of state, and it encourages voluntary homelessness by giving priority to shelter applicants for
rent vouchers and NYCHA apartments. Another approach is to relocate the homeless to sparsely
populated towns outside New York City. For the past 20 years we witnessed manufacturing jobs
leaving upstate to other countries in Asia or Mexico, leaving behind many vacant neighborhoods.
These towns offer below market rents with existing infrastructure and social services. For these
solutions to work the Mayor has to work closely with the Governor. Unfortunately we dont see that
happening in the foreseeable future.

Queens residents generally are sympathetic to the suffering of our less fortunate New Yorkers. We
know that any of us can become homeless ourselves and it is in our best interest to have a shelter
system that works. However, we cannot support de Blasios policy of irresponsibly warehousing the
homeless. We cannot support a shelter system where vendors are selected with no ULURP process and
where it costs taxpayers almost $5,000 a month per room to house homeless families in tiny rooms;
and where politically connected building owners and shelter operators reap the benefits off the backs
of hardworking taxpayers and the homeless. The current homeless policies are not viable they create
segregation, inequality, and it opens a new chapter in a tale of two cities.

********
 The Problems with Speed Bumps Tyler Cassell
Community Boards, legislators and Department of Transportation (DOT) have seen a spike in the
number of requests for speed bumps by residents looking for traffic slowing and safety solutions on
their streets. Be aware, that being too quick to act in favor of speed bumps can cause your community
a lot of grief in the future. Many cities and towns across the country who hastily installed speed bumps
are now wishing they hadnt and are now taking action to get those costly mistakes removed. This has
proved to be a tough uphill battle.
A DOT traffic study will determine if any traffic remediation is warranted. The area Community
Board usually sends out a form asking affected residents if they are in favor of them or not. To the
yes/no questionnaire, many residents respond YES wanting something rather than nothing to be done.
The local civic association and Council member are usually brought into the loop for their opinion.
Many are moving away from the antiquated speed bump solution to better and lower cost alternatives
such as traffic lights, radar speed calibrators, 4-way stops, 2-way stops, flashing lights, increased
signage, pedestrian crossway signs and increased street markings.
Most have found that the negatives connected with speed bump offer compelling reasons to vote NO
for them. For example: Speed bumps slow emergency vehicle times by 5-10 seconds for each bump,
meaning that a fire truck or ambulance would take longer to reach YOU in an emergency. 30-seconds
can mean the difference between life and death. They almost double the air pollution levels by the
bumps! They increase noise levels when drivers constantly slow down and speed up near the bumps.
Most trucks and garbage trucks rarely slow down at all when hitting the bumps because they dont own
the truck. There is added potential vehicle and personal injury risk resulting in lawsuits against the
City when drivers hit them without slowing down. Studies have shown that they decrease property
value for those who live on that street and nearby. They create unnecessary delay and snow removal
problems for City snow plows during winter storms.
They increase wear and tear on a cars brakes, tires, suspension system, shock absorbers, lessen your
fuel efficiency, and rattle your dashboard. They encourage other dangerous driving activity such
driving around them to avoid hitting them with all 4 wheels. In some cases, cars have jumped the
curbs and hit trees, fire hydrants and innocent pedestrians walking there. Bicycle riders hate them and
generally swerve around them causing them to weave in and out of traffic. Many local residents find
them a nuisance and will adjust their vehicle route accordingly to avoid them. In the long run, they
just reroute the traffic problem to other blocks, and they dont really change driver behavior very
much.
Many of us in Queens have learned that the mayors Vision Zero 25 mph speed limit means 25 mph
after getting a summons from a camera enforced location around our neighborhoods. Its worked,
weve slowed down. In the end, the simple posting of a couple more 25 mph camera enforced signs
may be your best solution to traffic slowing in your community.

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 QCC Annual Legislative Luncheon April 17, 2016

Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Melinda Katz, Queens Borough President

place this text box anywhere on the page, just drag

Honorees & officials Grodenchik, Rozic, Avella, Katz, Bharara Preet Bharara with QCC officials & Civic Members
it.]

QCC Officials with U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara NYS Sen Avella with C.O.M.E.T.

NYS Assemblyman David Weprin with NextGen Youths U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara with NextGen Youths
.

QUEENS CIVIC CONGRESS

P.O. Box 670706
Flushing, NY 11367

Dated Material
First Class Mail

Queens Civic Congress Membership 2016

Addisleigh Park Civic Organization
Arverne Civic Association
Auburndale Improvement Association, Inc.
Bayside Clear Spring Council
Bayside Hills Civic Association
Bayside Historical Society
Bayswater Civic Association
Bay Terrace Community Alliance, Inc.
Bay Terrace Cooperative Section #1
Belle Harbor Property Owners Association
Bellerose Commonwealth Civic Association
Bellerose-Hillside Civic Association
Bowne Park Civic Association
Briarwood Community Association
Broadway-Flushing Homeowners
Cambria Heights Civic Association
Central Queens Historical Association
Clearview Gardens Corps.
Coalition for Queens
C.O.M.E.T.
(Communities of Maspeth-Elmhurst Together)
Concerned Citizens of Laurelton
Creedmoor Civic Association
Deerfield Area Civic Association
Doug-Bay Manor Civic Association
Douglas Manor Association
Douglaston Civic Association
Dutch Kills Civic Assn. Of Long Island City
East Elmhurst/Corona Civic Association
Elmhurst United
Federated Block Associations of Laurelton
Federation of Civic Assns. of Southeast Queens,
The Flushing Heights Civic Association
Flushing on the Hill Taxpayers Association
Forest Hills Crescents Civic Association
Forest Hills - Van Court Association
Fresh Meadows Homeowners Civic Assoc.
Friends of Fort Totten Parks
Georgetown Mews
Glen Oaks Village Owners, Inc.
Greater Astoria Historical Society
Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Civic Assn., Inc.
Harding Heights Civic Association
Hillcrest Estates Civic Association
Hilltop Village Co-Op #4
Hollis 11423 Block Association
Hollis Hills Civic Association
Holliswood Civic Association
Hollis Park Gardens Civic Association
Holly Civic Association
Hyde Park Owners Corp.
Jackson Heights Beautification Group
Jamaica Estates Association.
Jamaica Hill Community Association
Juniper Park Civic Association
Kew Gardens Civic Association
Kew Gardens Hills Homeowners Civic
Association
Kew Gardens Improvement Association
Kissena Park Civic Association
Little Neck Bay Civic Association
Little Neck Pines
Lost Community Civic Association
Malba Civic Association
Meadowlark Gardens Owners, Inc.
Middle Village Property Owners
Mitchell Linden Civic Association
Neponsit Property Owners' Association, Inc
Newtown Civic Association
Newtown Historical Society
North Bellerose Civic Assoc.
North East Flushing Civic Association
North Flushing Civic Association
North Hills Estates Civic Association
Northwest Bayside Civic Association
Oakland Gardens/Terrace Community Council
Off Broadway Homeowners Association
Old Forest Hills, Association of
Our Neighborhood Improvement Association.
Parkway Village Historical Society
Queens Colony Civic Association
Queens Community Civic Corporation
Queens Preservation Council
Queens Village Civic Association.
Queensboro Hill Flushing Civic Association
Ramblersville-Hawtree Civic Association
Richmond Hill Historical Society
Ridgewood Property Owners
Rockaway Civic Association
Rocky Hill Civic Association
Rosedale Civic Association
Royal Ranch Civic Association, Inc.
St. Albans Civic Improvement Association
South Ozone Park Civic Association West
United Veterans Mutual Housing - see Bell
Park M. T.
Utopia Estates, Civic Association of
Waldheim Neighborhood Association
Wayanda Civic Association
West Cunningham Park Civic Assoc.
Westmoreland Association
Woodside Community Council

Annual Membership Dues $35. Mail your membership to:

As the city and state cut back on services in your Queens Civic Congress
neighborhoods and raise taxes and fees, your civic Attn: Jim Trent, Treasurer
organizations need QCC more than ever to speak 242-33 90 Avenue
out for Queenss fair share of public services and to Bellerose, NY 11426
limit tax increases on Queens residents.