Our Letter to the Whitestone Times regarding CB 7s request for apologies.

Malba Gardens civic cries foul over survey review

Friday, January 28, 2011 11:07 AM EST

With regards to Chuck Apelian’s comments that Feinstein Iron Works take out a full-page ad in two local newspapers apologizing to him and Community Board 7 for his honest comments (“CB 7, Feinstein make amends after Willets clashes,” Jan. 20), it is amazing he would have the audacity to make such demands. After all, he is a public official in his roles as vice chairman of CB 7 and the CB 7 land use chairman.

Our organization has had the misfortune of dealing with CB 7 with regards to a public safety matter, which it quickly turned into an inconvenient matter. Marilyn Bitterman, district manager of CB 7, was responsible for writing a survey that was to be sent out to our community regarding the dangerous situation. The manner in which she wrote the survey was biased and stressed the “inconvenience” of driving an extra two blocks.

We immediately sent out a letter requesting to have more time to review the survey in order to come to a more non-biased wording and, objecting to the wording as shown to Alfredo Centola, we received no response and the survey went out anyway. We then requested to see the surveys under the Freedom of Information law; they illegally refused us. We obtained a decision from Robert Freeman from the state Committee on Open Government; they still refused.

A couple of months later, we received an e-mail from an MTABT official quoting Bitterman and her ill feelings to the president of our civic association. This e-mail quotes Bitterman as saying “she would step over his prone body and refuse to call for help.” Our organization immediately sent Apelian a letter calling on him to act, as the CB 7 vice chairman, to address Bitterman’s unprofessional and biased comments. He replied, “It will be reviewed,” but then never responded.

Several months ago, some members of our organization received a call from a man claiming to be on the board in regards to conducting an investigation. CB 7 investigating itself? To date we have heard nothing about the results, if any, to the investigation. City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) has refused to get involved, saying he is not responsible for oversight of CB 7, but we only asked he inquire about the outcome of the investigation as our elected official.

We do not know what Apelian is looking for. If he has such a thin skin, maybe he should exclude himself from the vice chairmanship. For the most part, he has a much calmer and more respectful tone than his counterpart Eugene Kelty. But to ask for an apology and take out a full-page ad in two local papers? Maybe CB 7 should take out ads in two or three papers to apologize for violating the FOIL law, refusing to acknowledge the Committee on Open Government’s decision and especially for Bitterman’s comments to an MTABT official showing her disregard for Centola’s life.

After all, what is right for CB 7 should be right for the community it represents.

Malba Gardens Civic Association

Keep on Truck'n

They just keep on trucking on 5Th avenue off of the Whitestone Bridge. This lovely 18 wheeler came around twice between the hours of 8:15PM and 9:00Pm and then stops halfway up the block, and decided to back up down the block. He spent over an hour trying to maneuver backing out of the block. All this time cars continued to turn on to 5Th avenue and go around him, even driving up on some sidewalks.

Yet according to the Queens D.O.T., this is not a dangerous situation, just a mere inconvenience. I personally called 911 and guess what happened?

Yep you guessed it , no one showed.

Alfredo

5th avenue traffic worsens

7:28 AM... For the past fourteen years residents of 5th avenue in our neighborhood have had to endure an onslaught of Commercial and Vehicular Traffic. As you can see from this photo things have deteriorated. For the past month between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM, Tractor Trailers such as this one have been using our RESIDENTIAL, 27 foot wide, minus 7 - 8 feet for parked cars as a Conduit into surrounding area.

These 18 Wheelers shake foundations, set off car alarms, set off some home alarms. and most of all put our families in harms way. Yet Maura McCarthy, Commissioner of Queens Department of Transportation, along with Gene Kelty, Chairman of Community Board 7 feel that these Trucks, along with the other Commercial Vehicles and the 107 cars per hour (33% of which are speeding, as per DOT counts) are not a DANGER, JUST A MERE "INCONVENIENCE". ?????