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The experts say the worst of the recession is past. We are beginning to see the first signs of recovery. Although storefronts on Main Street, Vleigh and Kissena remain empty some entrepreneurs are taking a chance on Kew Gardens Hills. In the past few months, a bank and food market opened their doors and a new restaurant is on the way. But jobs remain scarce and unemployment is a real part of life for too many families. SHOP KGH. The effects of the recession on public services are all too visible. City Hall promises no cuts forthe NYPD or FDNY but is not hiring new cops or fire fighters to replace the ones who retire or quit.The library is closed on Sundays and the Queens Library is seriously considering a two or three-day week for local libraries in response to any further cuts in city funding. NYCTransit will terminate theQ-74 on June 27—leaving hundreds of KGH commuters with a longer ride. The Department of Sanitation is quietly removing trash bins from Main Street. Local playgrounds and parks won’t be as clean as they should be this summer. Seniors may have to make do with less time at the YI-QV Senior League and local kids may lose out on after school programs. And the green spaces on Main Street won’t be as colorful or as clean this year. And get ready for a 12% hike in your water bill. And you can bet that your real estate taxes will jump in July. And City Hall, which insists on holding the line on taxes, is ready with petty fines. KGHCA is out there at every public hearing, attending meetings and working with other Queens neighborhoods to hold the line on service cuts that can hurt your family and tax hikes you can’t afford. KGHCA continues to work on your behalf on a host of other issues that matter to you. KGHCA is  tracking the work of the 2010 Charter Revision Commission, which is currently considering a top to bottom reworking of city government. But we are New Yorkers - even if the Mayor some-times gets confused about the boroughs outside Manhattan - and we will prevail.

Patricia Dolan

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KGHCA ELECTIONS

KGHCA elections for officers and directors will be held at the regular membership meeting onThursday May 27 at the Young Israel of QueensValley,
141-55 77 Avenue.
For information, call 718 575-3644
 

`NYC CHARTER REVISION

The city charter is NYC’s constitution and sets out the principles by which the city is governed. Mayor Bloomberg, responding to the term limits uproar, promised in his 2009 election campaign to establish a charter revision commission that would conduct a “top to bottom” review of the City Charter and recommend changes. The newly appointed Commission, whose chair is CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, held a series of mostly poorly attended public hearings in April in which the public, including the Independence Party, announced their hopes for an amended Charter. At the Commission’s first hearing in Manhattan(of course), several speakers put the Commission on notice that there would be organized voter opposition to any attempt to eliminate or reduce the role community boards or the offices of the borough presidents. Speakers were equally clear on the issue of public review of land use decisions, a favored target of “reformers” seeking greater government efficiency. Other speakers—and a week later, the NYTimes—called on the Commission to postpone voting on its recommendations until 2011, arguing that the complexities of charter revision demand a lengthy public discussion. Chairman Goldstein promised a series of public meetings, beginning in May, that will address is-sues that might be presented to the voters. For schedules, press releases and other information, see www.nyc.gov/charter. See www.citypragmatist.com for a view of charter revision from a borough perspective. See www.queensciviccongress.org for a Queens viewpoint.

FLUSHING MEADOWS CORONA PARK

Sunday June 20 Flushing Meadows Corona Park, with more than 1,250 acres is the largest park in Queens and it’s right at our doorstep. The Park is packed with terrific places to visit-from the Tennis Center and Citi Field to the museums and athletic fields for baseball, soccer, volley-ball and even cricket. Closer to KGH are play grounds like the dinosaur theme one near Jewel Avenue andthe Boat House ( now being rebuilt) where you can rent a boat or learn to sail. On June 5 and 6 the Parks Department will open a new skateboard plaza near the Unisphere with a day of . competitive skateboarding. And right on Park Drive East is the Willow Lake Natu-ral Area—a state protected wetland where the Parks Department is removing thousands of invasive phragmites that are choking the lake. Once cleared—by this fall—the Department will begin planting more than 10,000 trees—part of the Mayor’s Million Tree program. The Flushing Meadows Corona Park Conservancy— an advocacy group for the Park—will build a small bird blind shelter this summer The Urban Rangers and the FMCP Conservancy are sponsoring a tour of the Willow Lake area on Sunday June 20. Meet at the Mauro Playground, 73 Terrace and Park Drive East. For more information, call 718539-8462 or visit www.fmcpconservancy.org.

2010….2010….2010….2010….2010$18 $18 $18

As the city and state cut back on services toneighborhoods like KGH, you need KGHCA more than ever to speak out for KGH’s fair shareof public services and to keep a lid on taxes. Mail your 2010 dues to:

KGHCA, Box 670085,

Kew Gardens Hills, NY 11367

Name__________________________________Address________________________________

E-Mail __________________________________

Here’s something extra for the KGH Library, senior and youth programs or beautification $ _________

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                                                   BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT FAILS –AGAIN

KGHCA hears more complaints about construction and buildings than any other issue. So, KGHCA and other the Queens Civic Congress—along with local community boards across the city—seek to improve the Build-ing Department’s (DOB) effectiveness. It is in no one's interest to allow illegal building to go forward—including responsible property owners. Earlier this year DOB, an agency with a long history of poor service to the public, with a push from City Hall, announced a new process for handling complaints. Under the new rules, which went into effect in July, DOB posts diagrams of new construction and major alteration projects on its website The public—including local residents, civic groups and community boards—have 45 days to complain after which a permit will be issued and work can go forward. Following the 45-day period, DBO will reject routine complaints made through 311. DOB now puts the responsibility on the public to identify projects early in the approval process. In the real world, residents seldom know where or when a project is planned until the contractor arrives and starts digging—usually weeks after permits have been issued. The new rules immunize builders and developers against the valid complaints of local residents who want to protect their own property. Some local organizations, along with local community boards and elected officials, are challenging the city’s authority to impose the new rules, which opponents charge, give develop-ers a free ride at the expense of local residents and communities. Added to DOB’s enforcement challenges are hundreds of phony complaints filed by dishonest contrac-tors and people with grudges. By law, DOB must respond to them all. In 2009, DOB was unable to resolve more than 40%of complaints and was unable to complete two-thirds of its field inspections in 2008-mostly because inspectors could not gain access to properties. The Queens Civic Congress is leading a city-wide effort to draft legislation that will give DOB greater powers to enter properties where complaints have been received regarding illegal construction. Last year DOB began equipping inspectors with GPS devices in their cell phones in order to better track these frontline employees. Residents need to be vigilant. They need to com-plain to the community board or to KGHCA when they see  suspicious building activity.

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Capital One, N.A. 75 21main street flushing, ny 11367 718 544 1414 718 575 5085 Fax lorraine.saunders@capitalonebank.com

Lorraine Saunders Vice President Branch Manager

YOUR NAME_______________________________

ADDRESS_________________________________

PHONE______________E-MAIL________________

GENNARO: PROTECTING THE CITY’S WATER

As Chairman of the City Council Environment Committee, Councilman Jim Gennaro has led efforts to hold the line on water rates, and most important, efforts to protect the City’s drinking water. About 90 percent of New York City’s drinking water comes from a series of reservoirs and lakes— the watershed. For more than a decade, City Hall and Albany have worked to protect the watershed, with a plan that includes land acquisition and management programs. As a result, New York is one of only five major cities in the nation to be granted federal exemption from water filtration  requirements, which has allowed the City to avoid the need to construct a $10 billion filtration plant, which would cost $100 million annually and increase the water rate by an estimated 30 percent. However, over the past two years State officials have pursued plans to allow an unconventional method of natural gas drilling, called hydraulic fracturing, throughout New York, including in and around the City’s drinking water sup-ply. This type of drilling has contaminated water in states across the country, and if such accidents were to occurin the watershed the consequences could be dire, rang-ing from pollution of our drinking water, to drastically increasing water rates. Considering the risks, it is unthinkable that the State would allow this activity in this area. Therefore, in 2009, Councilman Gennaro authored and passed a City Council Resolution calling for the State to prohibit hydraulic fracturing in the watershed. Subsequently, Mayor Bloomberg’s Administration released a technical report, which concluded that drilling in the watershed “presents an unacceptable riskto the City’s water supply,” reinforcing the Council's position. Since then, the State has been reviewing this position along with +13,000 public comments before issuing a response. “While a timeframe has not been given for this response, I continue to monitor the situation closely, and will do so until the City’s water supply is fully protected,” said Councilman Gennaro.

Email us at: pdolan10@nyc.rr.com

 DIGITAL KEW GARDENS HILLS

KGHCA maintains a website, www.kghca.org where you can find information about KGH and links to other sites, including government agencies, the Queens CivicCongress and local media. Drop a note to moderator RuthKW@aol.com to join an informal round robin, kghcahat@yahoo.groups for news, updates and alerts about KGH.Ruth, as KGHCA Monitor, will review posts for relevance. To ensure that KGHCACHAT stays focused on KGH, participants should

  •Limit posts to issues that affect all KGH residents,like taxes, development, land use, neighborhood preservation, human services, public schools, transportation, parks etc. that are of interest to all residents.

   •Contentious religious, partisan political or personalcomments will be blocked by the moderator

   .(There are numerous blogs that welcome personal, religious and political debate and comment.)•Announcements of personal milestones like births, graduations, engagements, weddings, deaths and illnesses are welcome.

    •Announcements of sales of household goods or residential sales may be posted at the discretion ofthe site moderator    
     .Email KGHCA at kghca@kghca.org

 

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BLOG…BLOG…BLOG

Seems like everyone blogs these days. QUEENS CRAP - queenscrap@blogspot.com offers a particular view of Queens—witty, provocative, often pro-fane and sometimes obscene, but always on target: overdevelopment and Queens pols.City

Pragmatist - city pragmatist.com offers a wise and wary look at the municipal policy debate. This one will be a must for tracking the 2010 Charter Revision Com-mission, which will place amendments to the City’s constitution on the ballot in November