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A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Neighbors:
As I write this note, looking out my
window, I can see the last of the fall leaves dropping
to the sidewalk and front lawn. Thanks to the very wet
and not hot summer, we had gorgeous autumn colors right
here in Queens. Cunningham Park—just a few miles from
KGH—was a blazing palate of reds, yellows and gold.
The falling leaves were yet another
reminder of the City’s woeful finances: no curbside leaf
collection this year. So rake and sweep the leaves and
bag them for the Sanitation truck.
Speaking of finances, Community Board
8 is making our number one priority its number one issue
for fiscal year 2011: reconstructing sewers and water
mains in KGH.
KGHCA will intensify our efforts to
obtain funding that means the most to local residents:
capital projects including replacing sewers and water
mains; a public playground near Melbourne/Gravett Road;
the library expansion; bike racks at schools and
strategic points along Main Street; completing the
bridge over the creek in the Willow Lake natural area;
and rehabilitating local public playgrounds. On the
expense side of the city’s budget, we will continue to
call for more staffing at the 107th Precinct; better
traffic controls; seven day a week library service;
support for senior services; and funding for regular
tree pruning. We will work for you at public hearings,
meetings with city agencies and at meetings with elected
officials.
KGHCA will continue to participate in
borough and city wide Groups like the Queens Civic
Congress, the Municipal Arts Society and New Yorkers for
Parks (which donated most of the daffodils KGHCA planted
in Freedom Park and elsewhere).
The 107th Precinct continued to post
reduced crime rates. Sign up for regular reports from
KGHCA director Stan Norwalk (KGHCA’s man at the 107th)
at qvhca@nvbb.net.
A final word regarding the elections:
A very special congratulations to Comptroller-elect John
Liu. If you are a Mets fan, you have to feel good about
a Queens boy making good! And we haven’t forgotten that
John led the successful effort to suspend alternate side
of the street parking on Purim. Way to go, John.
Pat Dolan
MOBILE POST OFFICE
KEW GARDENS HILLS POST OFFICE
75-23 MAIN STREET
SUNDAYS — 9:00AM TO NOON
information: 718-544-0989
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THE KEW GARDENS HILLS REPORT
The KEW GARDENS HILLS REPORT is published four
times a year, at P.O. Box 670085, Flushing, New York
11367. It is under the auspices of the Kew Gardens Hills
Home Owners Civic Association, Inc., a non-profit,
non-sectarian, non-partisan community based
organization.
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OFFICERS
President.................................................................Paticia
Dolan
41-39 73rd Terrace, 263-1760
1st Vice President . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sifrah
Hollander
144-34 69th road, 544 3746
Secretary . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.Alfred Klein
144-20 75th Road, 793 3786
Treasurer . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. Charles Henry
144-30 73rd Ave , 544-5709
Board of Directors
Chairman of the Board
Harold Baron
138-11 72nd Road
575 3644
Shelly Bomzer . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . .138-46 Jewel Ave
John Colon . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .144-16 73rd Ave
Nathaniel Geller . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 144-45 Melbourne Ave •
544-5350
Josephine Flink . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
144-30 73rd Ave • 544-5709
James Jaffe . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 141-08 71st Rd
David Kirschner . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .141-28 72nd Dr
Linda Lang . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13709
70th Rd
Mitch Lisker . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 72-42 137th St
Judah Mansbach . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144-54
69th Ave • 575-1073
Brad Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .144-14 72nd Dr
Jennifer Martin . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 144-14 72nd Dr
Stan Norwalk . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144-30
76th Ave • 261-1952
Jack Rapp . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72-25 Park
Drive East • 261-0986
Hannah Reich . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72-28
139th St • 520-0073
Gene Richter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-19 76th
Ave • 520-1611
Lorraine Saunders . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 718 •544-1414
Avery Spearman . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 136-23 72nd Ave
Norma Stegmaier . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73-49
141st Pl • 268-5901
Valery Yuabov . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
79-11 149th St • 268-0700
Phyllis Zelkowitz . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137-56
70th Rd • 544-2335
Counsel: K. Jacob Ruppert, Esq.
QUEENS COMMUNITY BOARD 8
197-15 HILLSIDE AVENUE
HOLLIS, NY 11423
718-264-7895 • Fax: 718-
264-7910
Marie Adam-Ovide ,
District Manager
Alvin Warshaviak, Chairman
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Page 2
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CITY COUNCIL ESTABLISHES GRACE PERIOD
FOR VIOLATORS
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The Council recently established a
three-month penalty forgiveness period for businesses
and individuals with outstanding violations returnable
to the Environmental Control Board. The NYC Penalty
Relief Program was proposed by Speaker Quinn in her
State of the City address in February and was signed
into law by Mayor Bloomberg in July.
Known as Local Law 47, this program
will run from September 21, 2009, through December 21,
2009. During this period, businesses and individuals
will have a chance to pay their initial violation fine
and have all default penalties and interest waived.
Businesses and individuals will be required to correct
any underlying problem in order to qualify.
Below are the Department of Finance's
answers to the most frequently asked questions about
this penalty relief program.
If you have questions that are not
addressed here or need additional information, please
call 311. You can also check the Department of Finance's
website at www.nyc.gov/finance
1. What is the NYC Penalty Relief
Program?
It's a three-month program authorized
by Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council that allows
businesses and homeowners to resolve Environmental
Control Board ("ECB") violations that are "in default"
and for which a hearing was scheduled before May 1,
2009. Applicants can resolve their default violations by
paying the base fine and will NOT have to pay additional
penalties, late fees or interest. If a violation is
associated with a correctible condition, known as a
compliance violation, you must correct the condition
before you may participate in the program.
2. Who Can Apply for Penalty Relief?
Any business or individual with
Environmental Control Board violations in default may
participate.
3. What is an Environmental Control
Board Violation?
It is a violation issued by certain
City agencies, including Sanitation, Buildings, Consumer
Affairs, Transportation and others. Below are some of
the most common violations:
* Dirty Sidewalk
* Failure to Properly Post
Permits
* Failure to Properly Separate
Recyclable Materials
* Failure to Restore Street Cut
* Illegal Posting of
Handbill/Notice
* Sidewalk Obstruction
* Street Closing Without Permit
* Vending Merchandise Without a
License/Permit
* Vending Food Without a
License/Permit
* Vending in a Restricted Areas
such as Bus Stops or Within 10 Feet of a Driveway,
Subway, Crosswalk, etc.
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4. What Does It Mean for an
Environmental Control Board Violation to Be "In
Default"?
A violation is in default if the
individual or business that received the violation
failed to pay the fine or challenge the violation in a
hearing within the required time frame. This causes the
violation to be "in default" and results in penalties,
late fees and interest.
5. How Will the Program Work?
During the Penalty Relief Program,
the City will waive the additional "default" penalties,
late fees and interest if the individual or business
that received the violation pays the original fine
amount and corrects the violating condition (if
applicable).
6. How Long Will the Program Last?
The program starts on September 21,
2009 and continues through December 21, 2009. In order
to receive penalty relief, you must apply on or before
December 21, 2009.
7. How Do I Apply for the Program?
a) If you don't know what violation
you have, if you are not sure how much you owe, or if
you have more than five violations, you can apply for
the program online, by phone or by mail. It takes less
than five minutes to apply because all we need is your
name and address:
* Online at www.nyc.gov/finance<http://www.nyc.gov/finance.
This is the quickest way, and we will process your
application even faster if you provide an email
address.
* By Phone by calling 311. From
outside New York City, dial 212-639-9675.
* By Mail by filling out an
application (available for print-out at www.nyc.gov/finance
or by calling 311) and mailing it to: NYC Department
of Finance, 66 John Street, Room 104, New York NY
10038, Attention: NYC Penalty Relief Program.
b) If you have five or fewer
violations and know how much you were originally
charged, you can bring the information to one of the
Department of Finance's Business Centers in the five
boroughs to resolve them on the spot.
8. What Happens After I Apply?
Once we receive your application, we
will send you a Resolution Packet that consists of:
* A list(s) of violations associated
with the names and/or addresses submitted and the
resolution amount;
* A Resolution Agreement; and
* Instructions for how to pay and
resolve?
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---Continued on Page 4---
Page 3
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CITY COUNCIL ESTABLISHES GRACE PERIOD FOR VIOLATORS
----continued from page 3----
9. How Can I Pay?
* Sign the Resolution Agreement and
include a check or money order for the resolution amount
indicated in the packet and mail to: NYC Department of
Finance, 66 John Street, Room 104, New York, NY 10038,
Attention: NYC Penalty Relief Program. Please don't
forget to write the case number on the check or money
order.
* Pay by cash, check, money order or
credit card in person at one of Finance's five borough
Business Centers.
10. What If a Violation Requires
Corrective Action?
We will let you know if you have one
or more violations that require corrective action. You
must correct the violating condition and obtain proof
from the issuing agency before you can resolve these
violations as part of the program.
11. What If I Don't Agree with the
List of Violations the City's Record Shows I Have
Outstanding?
If you disagree with the list of
violations and the amount owed, contact the Department
of Finance to have the violations in dispute removed
from the Resolution Packet. You are still responsible
for paying these violations unless you resolve them by
contacting ECB or the issuing agency directly. If you do
not apply to resolve disputed violations by December 21,
2009, you will owe the base fine PLUS associated
penalties, late fees and interest.
12. What If I Don't Pay What the
City's Record Shows I Have Outstanding?
Unless you apply for the program and
contact the issuing agencies to resolve the disputed
violations by December 21, 2009, you will owe the full
amount, including default penalties, late fees and
interest. In addition, the City could take enforcement
action and deny your business a license or permit.
13. What If I Need Help or Have Other Questions?
Visit www.nyc.gov/finance or call 311. From outside
New York City, dial 212-639-9675.
¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨
Email us at:
qvhca@nvbb.net
Visit the Website
www.kghca.org
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PROPOSED ROW HOUSE DISTRICT
FOR KGH
KGHCA has learned that the Department
of City Planning is actively considering a residential
zoning amendment that would protect one-family occupancy
attached houses from being converted into multiple
dwellings. KGH row houses are increasingly being
converted into two or three family houses—resulting in
overcrowded schools, displaced parking and overburdened
sewers and other public services.
KGHCA has been seeking to rezone the
blocks of row houses, which are the most common housing
configuration in KGH from further conversion to
multi-family occupancy. At present there is no zoning
district that limits conversions.
Community Board 8 and other Queens civic organizations
are supporting KGHCA’s efforts on behalf of a row house
zoning rule that will allow growing families to expand
their homes for their own use and put an end to the
conversions, which if continued will destroy the quality
of life that makes neighborhoods like Kew Gardens Hills
so attractive to families. Any changes would be
subject to public review and would not affect
existing legal multi-unit houses.
KGHCA’s PROPOSED CONTEXTUAL DISTRICT
SINGLE-FAMILY OCCUPANCY (ATTACHED OR
SEMI -DETACHED RESIDENCE)
This proposed new district would
incorporate many features of the R-4(1) district
including height, yard and front yard setback. The
proposed district would allow a floor area ratio FAR of
.1 (slightly larger than the current size). One parking
space would be required for each dwelling unit.
Minimum lot size:
attached 18 to 22 foot width
semi-detached: 20 or 25 foot width
Maximum FAR: 1.0
Height: 35 feet maximum; 25 foot
perimeter wall; any part of the building that is higher
than 25 feet must be set back or under a pitched roof.
Front yard must line up with
neighboring houses
Parking: one space per dwelling unit. |
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Page 4
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BUILDING DEPARTMENT FAILS — AGAIN
KGH residents make more complaints to
KGHCA about construction and building than any other
issue. So, KGHCA and other Queens civic groups-along
with local community boards across the city seek
improvements in the Buideing Department’s (DOB)
effectiveness.
Earlier this year DOB, 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
will have 45 days to complain after which a permit will
be issued and work can go forward. Following the 45-day
period, DOB will not act on routine complaints made
through 311.
The new rule puts the responsibility
on the public to identify projects. 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.
DOB now requires residents and civics
to continuously monitor the DOB website for pending
projects and to have the professional expertise to
knowledgiably object to plans for a project. The new
rules provide for a complex process of appeal that makes
the Buildings Commissioner the final arbiter of
complaints. In fact, the new rules immunize builders and
developers against the valid complaints of local
residents who wan to protect their own property. The
Queens civic community, along with elected officials,
are challenging the city’s authority to impose the new
rules, which opponents charge, give developers a free
ride at the expense of local communities.
During the recent election campaign,
Comptroller Thompson released an audit that found DOB
was unable to resolve more than 40% of complaints and
was unable to complete two-thirds of its field
inspections in 2008.
More recently, DOB began equipping
inspectors with GPS devices in their cell phbones in
order to better track these frontline employees.
In October, the Manhattan DA indicted four DOB
inspectors along with twenty alleged Mafiosos.

Capital One, N.A.
75 21main street
flushing, ny 11367
718 544 1414
718 575 5085 Fax
lorraine.saunders@capitalonebank.com
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Lorraine Saunders
Vice President
Branch Manager
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SAVE MONEY—DRIVE SAFELY
Pomonock Senior Center, 67-09 Kissena
Boulevard offers SAFE DRIVING courses by AARP for
persons over age 60. Completing the course will make you
a better driver and save on your car insurance.
Nov 12 & 19
For more information, call Dinah at
718 591-3904
QUEENSCRAP.BLOGSPOT.COM
It’s outrageous, timely, frank, brazen, provocative,
insulting,sometimes coarse and over the top but Queens
reporters, civic leaders, builders, developers and
elected officials don’t miss a day without a visit to
queenscrap.blogspot.com.
KGHCA MEMBERS ONLY—GOT A PROBLEM?
Report your complaint to 311 first
and include the tracking number with your complaint to
KGHCA.
YOUR NAME _______________________________
ADDRESS _________________________________
PHONE ______________E-MAIL________________
CIRCLE COMPLAINT:
CLOGGED CATCH BASIN—give location
DAMAGED SIDEWALK—give location
DAMAGED STREET-describe/location
DIRTY VACANT LOT—give exact location
OTHER: use separate sheet of paper
REPORT ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION TO: 311;
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW UP WITH A CALL TO KGHCA AT 263-1760
EXACT ADDRESS OF COMPLAINT LOCATION
_________________________________________
street between____________________________
and_____________________________________
311 tracking number________________
MAIL to: KGHCA, Box 670085, Kew
Gardens Hills, NY 11367, Fax: (718 263-1760) or e-mail
to: qvhca@nvbb.net
KGHCA keeps the identify of persons making complaints
in confidence.
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Page 5
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HOME-BASED CHILD CARE
Don’t choose your child’s caregiver based on a flyer
posted to a lamp post or bus stop pole on Main Street.
For many Kew Gardens Hills families,
with both parents working, reliable, convenient and
economical childcare is a necessity. Providers who care
for children in their home provide the best option for
many cost conscious parents who need the convenience.
But parents need to be mindful of the
different kinds of care available and most important,
they need to know that the person they to whom they are
entrusting their child is competent.
There are two types of child care
providers. A registered family day care
provider cares for two to 6 children. A
licensed group family day care provider cares
for up to 12 children. Group family day care providers
need a qualified assistant who is at least 18 years old
and will be required to meet many of the same standards
as the provider.
Providers must:
Complete an Application.
Attend Health and Safety Training.
Provide Medical Information.
Fingerprinting.
Child Abuse Registry Clearance.
Home Inspection.
On-going Training & License Renewals.
For more information on choosing a provider, call the
Queens Childcare Network at 718 592-8255.
¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨
A PLAZA IN EVERY COMMUNITY DISTRICT?
KGHCA has maintained the triangles on
Main Street and the mall on 73 Avenue, which are
designated as Greenstreets, for the past few years with
funding from Senator Malcolm Smith and Assemblywoman
Nettie Mayersohn. KGHCA is seeking funding to create a
Greenstreet on 71 Road and 136 Street, which is
currently a barren slab of concrete.
Should funding become available,
KGHCA will work with city agencies to reconfigure the
136 Street triangle to ease traffic and make pedestrian
crossing safer.
As part of PlaNYC2030 for a greener
city, Mayor Bloomberg is proposing to build at least one
large public plaza in every community district in the
city. So that the plazas don’t become a drain on the
City’s treasury, maintaining the plazas will be the
responsibility of nearby property owners or local
neighborhood or business associations.
Should Community Board 8’s plaza be in KGH?
Email us at: qvhca@nvbb.net |
CEDAR GROVE PLAYGROUND
Last summer the hopes of families
living in the vicinity of Melbourne Avenue for a
community playground were dashed when they learned that
the PS 219 school playground, now completed, would be
closed to the community . Councilman Gennaro originally
secured funds to reconstruct Cedar Grove Playground, an
all but abandoned Parks Department public playground
just off Main near the CUNY Law School. Those funds were
transferred to the School Construction Authority, which
built the new PS 219 playground with the funds promised
by Councilman Gennaro for a public playground.
Mayor Bloomberg included the goal of
having a park or playground within a ten minute walk for
all New Yorkers in PlaNYC2030. As part of that effort,
the Parks Department and the Department of Education
jointly operate almost 300 playgrounds across the city.
Why not the PS 219 playground?
Despite numerous requests by KGHCA, Councilman
Gennaro has not explained what he is doing for local
kids who need a safe place to play near their homes.
¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨
QUEENS COLLEGE: DORMS; BUILDING PLANS;
LAW SCHOOL BUILDING; Q-74
Queens College opened its first
residence hall in August. Classes for the dorm residents
just began but KGHCA is pleased that the college’s
neighbors are not reliving the experience of St John’s
neighbors since St John’s opened campus housing. So far,
the Queens College students are living up to the
college’s reputation as a place for serious study.
Queens College is planning another
major construction project for the campus: rebuilding
the gym—one of the oldest buildings on campus.
The CUNY Law School is moving in 2012
to Long Island City. A CUNY official has advised KGHCA
that the university plans to use the building—formerly
Campbell Junior High—as an academic facility for Queens
College.
That news should relieve KGH-ers who
depend on the Q-74. The building will continue to be
used by significant numbers of students who will use the
Q-74.
Unfortunately, the parking situation around the
campus remains a major burden for local residents.
¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨
THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW
If you really want to know what the new neighbors
down the street paid for their house, check out http://queens.blockshopper.com
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Page 6
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KGH LIBRARY
72-33 Vleigh Place
KGHCA’s decade long effort to expand
the Kew Gardens Hills library building paid off when
Queens Borough President Helen Marshall provided capital
funds in last yearfs budget for a state of the art
building. Assemblywoman Mayersohn and Councilman Gennaro
have provided additional funds. Work Architects, an
internationally recognized firm, is now designing the
new facility. KGHCA hopes to see in construction begin
by the end of 2010.
LIBRARY HOURS
Monday 1 PM to 8PM
Thursday 1PM to 8PM
Tuesday 1PM to 6PM Friday
10AM to 6PM
Wednesday 10AM to 6PM Sunday, Noon to 5PM
The Kew Gardens Hills Library, a branch of the Queens
Public Library, was established in 1954 in a Main Street
storefront. After several years in space in the Queens
County Bank building, the library moved to its present
location in 1967. Today the Kew Gardens Hills branch is
one of the busiest libraries in the Queens Library
system. The American Library Association named the
Queens Library as America’s best public library system
this year.
¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨
71 Road and 71 Avenue—ONE WAY ALL THE
WAY
Last winter (2008), residents of 71
Road and 71 Avenue asked for KGHCA’s help in making
their streets between 141 Street and Main Street one way
to cut down on speeding vehicles and hazardous
conditions. Realizing that introducing one way service
is sometimes very controversial, KGHCA asked the
homeowners to collect signatures on petitions supporting
the change. Residents of almost every home on both
blocks signed on and KGHCA went to work .
The request for one way service on
the two blocks coincided with the long expressed wish by
many residents to make the entire four block area
between Jewel Avenue and 72 Avenue west of Main one way.
At KGHCA’s urging, Community Board 8
formally asked the Department of Transportation to study
the 72 Avenue—Jewel Avenue grid. Many meetings later, on
June 6, the NYC Department of Transportation made the
streets one way.
Another example of KGHCA working for the community
Visit our website at:
www.kghca.org
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2009… 2009… 2009… 2009… 2009
$18 $18 $18
As the city and state cut services to
neighborhoods like KGH, you will need KGHCA more than
ever to speak out for KGH’s fair share of public
services and to keep a lid on taxes.
Mail your 2009 dues to: KGHCA, Box
670085, Kew Gardens Hills, NY 11367
PLEASE PRINT
Name_____________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________
Email______________________________________________________
Here’s something extra for the KGH Library, senior
and youth programs or beautification. $
HELPING KGH AND YOURSELF
In the face of dire economic
conditions, city, state and federal governments are
cutting back on services to neighborhoods like Kew
Gardens Hills. That means community organizations, like
KGHCA, will have to fill the gaps left by government.
Supporting the library, maintaining parks and green
spaces, assisting senior and youth services make for a
strong community—and protect the value of your homes.
In 2004, KGHCA established an
independent charitable foundation, the Kew Gardens Hills
Community Foundation (a 501c3 organization), which is
registered with the NY State attorney-general, to
support projects and services in Kew Gardens Hills—with
the assurance that your donation will go directly to a
Kew Gardens Hills based program.
You can add a fully tax-deductible
contribution to your dues check or write a separate
check to the KGH Foundation.
¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨
THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW
If you really want to know what the
new neighbors down the street paid for their house,
check out www.queens.blockshopper.com
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Page 7
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