We are free to blog
Free to express our opinion
Free to agree and disagree
Free to decide the Military is not for Me
Free to be who and what you want to be
All this Free, comes with a price
Thank you Veterans, for our FREE.
God Bless America, and God Bless all Veterans.
Malba Gardens Civic Dedicated to the Safety and Preservation of our Community.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Permanent Lane Closure Lifted At Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
Permanent Lane Closure Lifted At Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
Three Lanes Open In Each Direction During Peak Drive Times
Beginning Mon., Oct. 24th
As the fall and winter holiday season gets underway there is good news for motorists who use the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. Work requiring a round-the-clock lane closure of one of the bridge’s six lanes has been completed and three lanes in each direction will once again be available during peak drive times.
The permanent lane closure, in effect since June 2010, will be lifted over the weekend and three lanes will be available in each direction starting with the Monday morning commute on Oct. 24th. Three lanes will be maintained using newly constructed safety shoulders.
Please note: The transition required to re-open the bridge roadway to full capacity will necessitate one final period of closures in both directions, as follows:
Fri. (10/21), 6 PM-9 PM: southbound & northbound: one lane closed; two lanes open;
Fri. (10/21), 9 PM-6 AM (Sat 10/22): southbound & northbound: two lanes closed; one lane open;
Sat. (10/22)-Mon. (10/24), 6 AM-3 AM: northbound: one lane closed; two lanes open; southbound: three lanes open.
“As we move closer to completing this project, which will result in wider approach roadway lanes, safety shoulders and a completely rehabilitated approach roadway deck, we appreciate the patience shown by motorists,” said Bronx-Whitestone Facility Engineer Christopher Saladino. “The project is essential in allowing us to keep the 72-year-old bridge a vital regional transportation link for many years to come.”
While lane by lane demolition and rehabilitation work was done, a reversible, movable barrier was used to maintain three traffic lanes to the Bronx during peak morning hours and three lanes to Queens in the evening and on weekends.
The nearly $200 million project, awarded to Conti Inc., began in December 2008. The work has included construction of new foundations and 15 new double-arch concrete piers beneath the bridge to support the rehabilitated, wider 12-foot lanes and the new safety shoulders.
Work on the center lane of the bridge will continue through early 2012, and the entire project is expected to be finished later that year once the old piers are removed and landscaping and drainage upgrades are completed.
A similar $109 million project to rehabilitate and widen the Bronx-Whitestone Queens approach was recently awarded jointly to E.E. Cruz, of Manhattan, and Tully Construction Co., of Queens. The work includes reconstruction and widening of the 1,010-foot-long Queens approach roadway structure, adding emergency breakdown lanes, and moving and rebuilding a local playground beneath the bridge.
“We will continue our practice of reaching out to local elected officials and community groups to help keep them informed as the Queens approach roadway project progresses and work is completed on the Bronx project as well,” said Bronx-Whitestone General Manager Ray Webb.
Similar to the Bronx approach work, the project will require a permanent lane closure, which is expected to begin in mid-2012. The reversible, movable barrier will be used again to maintain three lanes of traffic in peak directions. The northbound Third Avenue exit ramp will also be closed for approximately two years while the roadway is rebuilt.
In 2010, some 41 million vehicles used the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, which connects the Bronx to Queens and Long Island. The bridge opened to traffic the day before the New York World’s Fair in Flushing, Queens on April 30, 1939.
Three Lanes Open In Each Direction During Peak Drive Times
Beginning Mon., Oct. 24th
As the fall and winter holiday season gets underway there is good news for motorists who use the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. Work requiring a round-the-clock lane closure of one of the bridge’s six lanes has been completed and three lanes in each direction will once again be available during peak drive times.
The permanent lane closure, in effect since June 2010, will be lifted over the weekend and three lanes will be available in each direction starting with the Monday morning commute on Oct. 24th. Three lanes will be maintained using newly constructed safety shoulders.
Please note: The transition required to re-open the bridge roadway to full capacity will necessitate one final period of closures in both directions, as follows:
Fri. (10/21), 6 PM-9 PM: southbound & northbound: one lane closed; two lanes open;
Fri. (10/21), 9 PM-6 AM (Sat 10/22): southbound & northbound: two lanes closed; one lane open;
Sat. (10/22)-Mon. (10/24), 6 AM-3 AM: northbound: one lane closed; two lanes open; southbound: three lanes open.
“As we move closer to completing this project, which will result in wider approach roadway lanes, safety shoulders and a completely rehabilitated approach roadway deck, we appreciate the patience shown by motorists,” said Bronx-Whitestone Facility Engineer Christopher Saladino. “The project is essential in allowing us to keep the 72-year-old bridge a vital regional transportation link for many years to come.”
While lane by lane demolition and rehabilitation work was done, a reversible, movable barrier was used to maintain three traffic lanes to the Bronx during peak morning hours and three lanes to Queens in the evening and on weekends.
The nearly $200 million project, awarded to Conti Inc., began in December 2008. The work has included construction of new foundations and 15 new double-arch concrete piers beneath the bridge to support the rehabilitated, wider 12-foot lanes and the new safety shoulders.
Work on the center lane of the bridge will continue through early 2012, and the entire project is expected to be finished later that year once the old piers are removed and landscaping and drainage upgrades are completed.
A similar $109 million project to rehabilitate and widen the Bronx-Whitestone Queens approach was recently awarded jointly to E.E. Cruz, of Manhattan, and Tully Construction Co., of Queens. The work includes reconstruction and widening of the 1,010-foot-long Queens approach roadway structure, adding emergency breakdown lanes, and moving and rebuilding a local playground beneath the bridge.
“We will continue our practice of reaching out to local elected officials and community groups to help keep them informed as the Queens approach roadway project progresses and work is completed on the Bronx project as well,” said Bronx-Whitestone General Manager Ray Webb.
Similar to the Bronx approach work, the project will require a permanent lane closure, which is expected to begin in mid-2012. The reversible, movable barrier will be used again to maintain three lanes of traffic in peak directions. The northbound Third Avenue exit ramp will also be closed for approximately two years while the roadway is rebuilt.
In 2010, some 41 million vehicles used the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, which connects the Bronx to Queens and Long Island. The bridge opened to traffic the day before the New York World’s Fair in Flushing, Queens on April 30, 1939.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Attempted burglaries
Neighbors stay alert. It has been reported that there was a burglary attempt this afternoon October 18th, on 6th avenue. Three men wearing hooded sweatshirts were seen near a home acting suspiciously. When they were approached they ran away toward Francis Lewis Park.
Friday, October 14, 2011
More neglect from DOT
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2011/41/wtintersectioncrashes_wt_2011_10_13_q.html
By Connor Adams Sheets
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2011/41/wtintersectioncrashes_wt_2011_10_13_q.html
Residents of one Whitestone neighborhood say they are fed up with recurring car crashes at what they describe as a dangerous intersection, and the city announced Tuesday that it will undertake a new study to evaluate whether to take steps to address their concerns.
The intersection of 149th Street and 10th Avenue has been the site of at least 30 car accidents in the past decade, neighbors say, and the damage is not limited to the vehicles involved in the incidents.
Barbara and Victor Castellano live with their family in a home on the corner in question, where two of their brood’s cars were crushed while parked by vehicles speeding through the residential area in separate incidents three years ago.
“People think it’s a four-way stop-sign, and they don’t realize it’s not and they just blow right by,” Victor Castellano said Oct. 6, the day after the most recent crash sent a driver to the hospital. “People don’t even slow down, they just fly past here.”
The Castellanos and other nearby families, including that of neighbor Janet Smith, have taken a number of avenues to get signs installed on 149th, from calling and writing the city Department of Transportation and elected officials to threatening more drastic measures.
“I’m ready to paint a yellow line and paint ‘stop’ out there and get arrested for it because I’m fed up,” Barbara Castellano said.
In September 2009, the DOT denied a request for two new stop signs at the intersection, but a spokesman said Tuesday that the DOT will initiate a new 12-week study of the location. The spokesman said there were only two injuries and no deaths to motor vehicle occupants recorded there between 2006 and 2010, and no pedestrian injuries or deaths.
Neighbor Monica Rubin’s said her fence was destroyed when an errant vehicle drove through it, and a motorcyclist was killed near the corner several years ago after colliding with a vehicle at the intersection.
"We have kids walking home from school,” Rubin said last week, a day after the Honda van and Infiniti sedan crashed. “Yesterday my son was riding his bike right near here, and the car was up in their yard. Imagine if he had been there. It’s insane.”
Photo courtesy the Castellano family
.
By Connor Adams Sheets
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2011/41/wtintersectioncrashes_wt_2011_10_13_q.html
Residents of one Whitestone neighborhood say they are fed up with recurring car crashes at what they describe as a dangerous intersection, and the city announced Tuesday that it will undertake a new study to evaluate whether to take steps to address their concerns.
The intersection of 149th Street and 10th Avenue has been the site of at least 30 car accidents in the past decade, neighbors say, and the damage is not limited to the vehicles involved in the incidents.
Barbara and Victor Castellano live with their family in a home on the corner in question, where two of their brood’s cars were crushed while parked by vehicles speeding through the residential area in separate incidents three years ago.
“People think it’s a four-way stop-sign, and they don’t realize it’s not and they just blow right by,” Victor Castellano said Oct. 6, the day after the most recent crash sent a driver to the hospital. “People don’t even slow down, they just fly past here.”
The Castellanos and other nearby families, including that of neighbor Janet Smith, have taken a number of avenues to get signs installed on 149th, from calling and writing the city Department of Transportation and elected officials to threatening more drastic measures.
“I’m ready to paint a yellow line and paint ‘stop’ out there and get arrested for it because I’m fed up,” Barbara Castellano said.
In September 2009, the DOT denied a request for two new stop signs at the intersection, but a spokesman said Tuesday that the DOT will initiate a new 12-week study of the location. The spokesman said there were only two injuries and no deaths to motor vehicle occupants recorded there between 2006 and 2010, and no pedestrian injuries or deaths.
Neighbor Monica Rubin’s said her fence was destroyed when an errant vehicle drove through it, and a motorcyclist was killed near the corner several years ago after colliding with a vehicle at the intersection.
"We have kids walking home from school,” Rubin said last week, a day after the Honda van and Infiniti sedan crashed. “Yesterday my son was riding his bike right near here, and the car was up in their yard. Imagine if he had been there. It’s insane.”
Photo courtesy the Castellano family
.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Whitestone Bridge Lane Closures
Evening lane closures tomorrow (Tues 10/4) at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge to allow for a concrete pour. On Tuesday starting at 6pm, we will have 2 lanes open to the Bronx and 2 lanes (rather than 3) open to Queens. There may be delays in the Queens-bound direction during this time because that is the more heavily traveled direction for evening rush hour at the BWB. (You may recall that during our current Bronx approach project, we have a permanent lane closure in place for the ongoing construction so we normally only have 5 of the 6 lanes available for traffic, but 3 lanes are always open in the peak direction.) We apologize for any inconvenience! The work is weather-permitting.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Arrest made in attempted rape
Friday, September 30, 2011
From the Daily News:
Police have arrested a man they say was the pervert who tried to sexually assault a woman alongside a Queens highway before he was scared away by a former Marine.
Kenneth King, 41, was charged with attempted rape, police said Friday afternoon.
Police officials did not immediately say how they tracked down and collared King.
From the Daily News:
Police have arrested a man they say was the pervert who tried to sexually assault a woman alongside a Queens highway before he was scared away by a former Marine.
Kenneth King, 41, was charged with attempted rape, police said Friday afternoon.
Police officials did not immediately say how they tracked down and collared King.
Suspect caught
The suspect in the attempted Rape in our community has been caught. Details are still coming in , Thank You all for your help.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Former Marine foils rape in wooded area on side of Queens road
PLEASE READ THIS STORY. IF YOU SEE HIM, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY. clean-cut white man, 45 to 55 years-old, weighing about 220 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair and a goatee.
BY Jennifer H. Cunningham AND Corky Siemaszko
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Wednesday, September 28th 2011, 3:50 PM
DelMundo, Anthony freelance NYDN
Bryan Teichman, 31, saved a woman from getting raped in a secluded area off a Queens roadway. Take our PollCrime in the Big Apple
Racing to rescue a helpless woman from the clutches of a would-be rapist, Bryan Teichman had just seconds Wednesday to decide whether he should start yelling - or revert to his Marine training and attack the man.
"My gut said to scream first, to avoid the conflict," said the 31-year-old Queens resident. "So I screamed, you know, some profanities, but basically: 'Get off her!'"
That was enough, police said, to send the suspect running - and for Teichman to be hailed as the city's newest hero.
"If I would have caught him, I would've felt like that," the self-deprecating dad from Fresh Meadows said.
Police are now looking for the burly man, who Teichman said was dressed like a construction worker.
In an interview with The Daily News, Teichman gave a stirring account of how he suddenly found himself coming to the aid of a stranger who had been accosted in broad daylight.
"It blows my mind that someone has the audacity to do that at 9 o'clock in the morning," he said.
Police officers search the bushes along Cross Island Expressway near 148th St., the scene of the attempted rape. (Anthony DelMundo for News)
Teichman's brush with fate came as he was dropping off his daughter at the babysitter's house in Whitestone, which sits across the street from a small wooded area that abuts the Whitestone Expressway at the Cross Island Parkway service road and 148th St.
Most days, Teichman said, he leaves his daughter with Dawn Ottaviano at noon. On Wednesday, he dropped her off early so he could study for a physics exam at Nassau Community College, where he is an engineering major.
"I was in the house, and I heard some muffled screams," he said.
Outside the window, they saw a surreal scene unfold.
"At first, it looked like they were running," Ottaviano told The News. "When I looked closer, it looked like he was hoisting her, grabbing her, pushing her."
"When I saw him throw her over the guardrail, that's when I knew it wasn't play," added Teichman.
"I looked back at Dawn and I said 'Something's not right. I'm going over there.'"
Ottaviano told him, "Be careful, be careful," he said.
Heeding her warning, Teichman said he jogged across the street. "I didn't run over there," he said.
When he got to guardrail, Teichman said the man was "straddling her." He had one hand over her mouth and was "ripping at her jean jacket" with the other.
Teichman said the man must have been powerful because the woman's screams were completely muffled.
"He was strong enough to hold her mouth shut," he said. "It was silent. I had to pause there and think, 'Do I run after him first or do I scream first at him?'"
Teichman decided to fill the void with lots of noise.
"If Dawn didn't say, 'Be careful, be careful,' my instinct would have been to attack, because I have a wife, and a daughter, a two year old daughter," he said.
Startled, the attacker looked up and Teichman said he got a clear look at his face.
"Then he started running down the hill," he said. "I ran over to her."
By that point, the attacker had already reached the highway and was running northbound along the shoulder, he said.
Within minutes, police, alerted by the babysitter, began arriving and hunting for the suspect.
Teichman said he tried to comfort the weeping woman, who spoke very little English.
"She was saying, 'Thank you,'" he recalled. "That seemed like all she could say.'"
"She was frazzled," Ottaviano added. "Her whole back was full of dirt."
Another witness, Lisa Chianese, said the woman was there waiting for her carpool ride into the city.
"God bless him," she said of Teichman. "He saved her."
Teichman described the attacker as a clean-cut white man, 45 to 55 years-old, weighing about 220 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair and a goatee.
csiemaszko@nydailynews.com
BY Jennifer H. Cunningham AND Corky Siemaszko
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Wednesday, September 28th 2011, 3:50 PM
DelMundo, Anthony freelance NYDN
Bryan Teichman, 31, saved a woman from getting raped in a secluded area off a Queens roadway. Take our PollCrime in the Big Apple
Racing to rescue a helpless woman from the clutches of a would-be rapist, Bryan Teichman had just seconds Wednesday to decide whether he should start yelling - or revert to his Marine training and attack the man.
"My gut said to scream first, to avoid the conflict," said the 31-year-old Queens resident. "So I screamed, you know, some profanities, but basically: 'Get off her!'"
That was enough, police said, to send the suspect running - and for Teichman to be hailed as the city's newest hero.
"If I would have caught him, I would've felt like that," the self-deprecating dad from Fresh Meadows said.
Police are now looking for the burly man, who Teichman said was dressed like a construction worker.
In an interview with The Daily News, Teichman gave a stirring account of how he suddenly found himself coming to the aid of a stranger who had been accosted in broad daylight.
"It blows my mind that someone has the audacity to do that at 9 o'clock in the morning," he said.
Police officers search the bushes along Cross Island Expressway near 148th St., the scene of the attempted rape. (Anthony DelMundo for News)
Teichman's brush with fate came as he was dropping off his daughter at the babysitter's house in Whitestone, which sits across the street from a small wooded area that abuts the Whitestone Expressway at the Cross Island Parkway service road and 148th St.
Most days, Teichman said, he leaves his daughter with Dawn Ottaviano at noon. On Wednesday, he dropped her off early so he could study for a physics exam at Nassau Community College, where he is an engineering major.
"I was in the house, and I heard some muffled screams," he said.
Outside the window, they saw a surreal scene unfold.
"At first, it looked like they were running," Ottaviano told The News. "When I looked closer, it looked like he was hoisting her, grabbing her, pushing her."
"When I saw him throw her over the guardrail, that's when I knew it wasn't play," added Teichman.
"I looked back at Dawn and I said 'Something's not right. I'm going over there.'"
Ottaviano told him, "Be careful, be careful," he said.
Heeding her warning, Teichman said he jogged across the street. "I didn't run over there," he said.
When he got to guardrail, Teichman said the man was "straddling her." He had one hand over her mouth and was "ripping at her jean jacket" with the other.
Teichman said the man must have been powerful because the woman's screams were completely muffled.
"He was strong enough to hold her mouth shut," he said. "It was silent. I had to pause there and think, 'Do I run after him first or do I scream first at him?'"
Teichman decided to fill the void with lots of noise.
"If Dawn didn't say, 'Be careful, be careful,' my instinct would have been to attack, because I have a wife, and a daughter, a two year old daughter," he said.
Startled, the attacker looked up and Teichman said he got a clear look at his face.
"Then he started running down the hill," he said. "I ran over to her."
By that point, the attacker had already reached the highway and was running northbound along the shoulder, he said.
Within minutes, police, alerted by the babysitter, began arriving and hunting for the suspect.
Teichman said he tried to comfort the weeping woman, who spoke very little English.
"She was saying, 'Thank you,'" he recalled. "That seemed like all she could say.'"
"She was frazzled," Ottaviano added. "Her whole back was full of dirt."
Another witness, Lisa Chianese, said the woman was there waiting for her carpool ride into the city.
"God bless him," she said of Teichman. "He saved her."
Teichman described the attacker as a clean-cut white man, 45 to 55 years-old, weighing about 220 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair and a goatee.
csiemaszko@nydailynews.com
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Francis Lewis Park
As of September 26th the old Playground will be will be closed as construction on the new playground begins. Hopefully this will be the begining of wonderful things for our park, our community, and our children.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments and or complaints.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments and or complaints.
Friday, September 23, 2011
DOE school bus fiasco Whitestone Highlight
By ERICA PITZI Staff reporter 8:35 p.m. EDT, September 22, 2011
WHITESTONE, NY (PIX11)— Parents with children who go to Junior High School 194 in Queens are scared to death for their kids new school commute.
And the kids are scared too.
"We shouldn't be able to go on the buses at our age because you never know, somebody might pick us up and steal us," 8th grader Megan Hall told PIX 11.
Parent Susan Garcia said, "I don't think they're really safe on the buses, something could happen to them."
Garcia is one of many College Point parents in this predicament since the Department of Education cut school bus service to thousands of junior high school students, including Garcia's daughter Bella.
"It is really dangerous," said Bella.
Not to mention, their school commute can take up to two hours when they live only 15 minutes away.
6th Grader Melanie Dobular explained her route to us, saying, "I go on the 76, then get on 20b, then take the 25 rest of the way."
"This is completely unacceptable - all sorts of safety issues," said NYC Councilman Dan Halloran who is trying to help change this situation for his constituents.
"We're working hard with the Department (of Education) to get waivers for some kids, and we've gotten some of these variances through but the bottom line is the city needs to take better care of these kids as a whole. Our 12-year-olds should not be worrying about how getting to school."
Councilman Halloran says his office will hold a press conference on Monday to raise even more awareness to this issue in hopes of creating change for the affected communities.
The DOE told PIX 11 the cuts came "because of the tight budget" but says it is providing eligible students with Metro Cards.
That does not address the student safety issue, so for some parents, that response is not enough.
"I don't think it's even close to enough," said Garcia.
Even the kids can tell the DOE what is good enough.
"I want them to bring back the yellow school buses," said Hall.
Copyright © 2011, WPIX-TV
wpix-children-scared-commute
http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-children-scared-commute,0,2888410.story
WHITESTONE, NY (PIX11)— Parents with children who go to Junior High School 194 in Queens are scared to death for their kids new school commute.
And the kids are scared too.
"We shouldn't be able to go on the buses at our age because you never know, somebody might pick us up and steal us," 8th grader Megan Hall told PIX 11.
Parent Susan Garcia said, "I don't think they're really safe on the buses, something could happen to them."
Garcia is one of many College Point parents in this predicament since the Department of Education cut school bus service to thousands of junior high school students, including Garcia's daughter Bella.
"It is really dangerous," said Bella.
Not to mention, their school commute can take up to two hours when they live only 15 minutes away.
6th Grader Melanie Dobular explained her route to us, saying, "I go on the 76, then get on 20b, then take the 25 rest of the way."
"This is completely unacceptable - all sorts of safety issues," said NYC Councilman Dan Halloran who is trying to help change this situation for his constituents.
"We're working hard with the Department (of Education) to get waivers for some kids, and we've gotten some of these variances through but the bottom line is the city needs to take better care of these kids as a whole. Our 12-year-olds should not be worrying about how getting to school."
Councilman Halloran says his office will hold a press conference on Monday to raise even more awareness to this issue in hopes of creating change for the affected communities.
The DOE told PIX 11 the cuts came "because of the tight budget" but says it is providing eligible students with Metro Cards.
That does not address the student safety issue, so for some parents, that response is not enough.
"I don't think it's even close to enough," said Garcia.
Even the kids can tell the DOE what is good enough.
"I want them to bring back the yellow school buses," said Hall.
Copyright © 2011, WPIX-TV
wpix-children-scared-commute
http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-children-scared-commute,0,2888410.story
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Whitestone Bayside fields neglected for too long
By Connor Adams Sheets
Thursday, September 22, 2011 11:09 AM EDT
Community leaders and elected officials are working through a number of avenues to improve Little Bay Park in Bayside, saying the park has been neglected for too long.
Located in the shadow of the Throgs Neck Bridge, the 55-acre beachside greenspace offers sports fields, a bike path and a roller hockey rink, but it has seen little in the way of improvements since 1999, when $1.2 million in city money funded the creation of the path and rink.
On Monday afternoon, City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Malba Gardens Civic Association President Al Centola met with representatives of the city Parks Department at the park — bounded by the beach, Cross Island Parkway, Utopia Parkway and Totten Avenue — to discuss ways to fix the soccer fields, which suffer from poor drainage and other woes because of their location near the salty waters of Little Bay.
Centola hopes at least one of the park’s two soccer fields can be fixed in time for next year’s season, but the cost to do the needed work is proving prohibitive. Halloran said it costs $2.3 million per field to outfit them with artificial turf, or $1.5 million for sod. The price tags are so high because of the need to do extensive drainage upgrades before undertaking such work.
“We’re trying to get that redone because the field is a mess there. There’s no real field, there’s dust and dirt that turns into mud when it rains,” Centola said. “We’re pushing for turf but it’s more expensive, so we’ll settle for sod if it’s done right.”
Halloran’s office allocated $300,000 in city funds last year that can be used to pay for improvements at the park, and he told Centola Monday he may be able to get at least partial matching funds this year if the civic leader can convince Borough President Helen Marshall to dedicate money for the project. Centola said he and his fellow community members will lobby her to put $750,000 toward the field work, and that he and Halloran are hoping to enlist landscape contractors to help foot the bill.
FOR FULL TEXT PLEASE CLICK ON LINK
http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2011/09/22/bayside_times/news/bt_wtfieldfolo_bt_2011_09_19_q_20110922.txt
“There hasn’t been a lot of attention to Little Bay Park,” Schreiber said.
Thursday, September 22, 2011 11:09 AM EDT
Community leaders and elected officials are working through a number of avenues to improve Little Bay Park in Bayside, saying the park has been neglected for too long.
Located in the shadow of the Throgs Neck Bridge, the 55-acre beachside greenspace offers sports fields, a bike path and a roller hockey rink, but it has seen little in the way of improvements since 1999, when $1.2 million in city money funded the creation of the path and rink.
On Monday afternoon, City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Malba Gardens Civic Association President Al Centola met with representatives of the city Parks Department at the park — bounded by the beach, Cross Island Parkway, Utopia Parkway and Totten Avenue — to discuss ways to fix the soccer fields, which suffer from poor drainage and other woes because of their location near the salty waters of Little Bay.
Centola hopes at least one of the park’s two soccer fields can be fixed in time for next year’s season, but the cost to do the needed work is proving prohibitive. Halloran said it costs $2.3 million per field to outfit them with artificial turf, or $1.5 million for sod. The price tags are so high because of the need to do extensive drainage upgrades before undertaking such work.
“We’re trying to get that redone because the field is a mess there. There’s no real field, there’s dust and dirt that turns into mud when it rains,” Centola said. “We’re pushing for turf but it’s more expensive, so we’ll settle for sod if it’s done right.”
Halloran’s office allocated $300,000 in city funds last year that can be used to pay for improvements at the park, and he told Centola Monday he may be able to get at least partial matching funds this year if the civic leader can convince Borough President Helen Marshall to dedicate money for the project. Centola said he and his fellow community members will lobby her to put $750,000 toward the field work, and that he and Halloran are hoping to enlist landscape contractors to help foot the bill.
FOR FULL TEXT PLEASE CLICK ON LINK
http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2011/09/22/bayside_times/news/bt_wtfieldfolo_bt_2011_09_19_q_20110922.txt
“There hasn’t been a lot of attention to Little Bay Park,” Schreiber said.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Little Bay Soccer Fields
We had a meeting today with Councilman Halloran, his Chief of Staff, St. Luke's CYO Athletic group, and the Parks Department about Little Bay Fields under the Throgs Neck Bridge.
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