Transpo and more from CB 10 Carshare updates and arrests in reckless car theft

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

After submitting recommendations to the Department of Transportation regarding the expansion of its carshare program, which will require claiming parking spots, Community Board 10 received notice of which in its area will be taken.

Chair Betty Braton said the board is still hearing “angst” about some of the locations.

The agency accommodated community preferences wherever possible but Braton said it was “in our opinion, kind of minimal.”

“The proposed site that they had originally given us on 79th Street and Pitkin Avenue has been relocated to 105-06 89 St. closer to Liberty Avenue,” she announced at last Thursday’s meeting.

The proposed site on 107th Street that the DOT was looking at was relocated to 107-36 104 St., closer to Rockaway Boulevard, against the board’s request to move farther away from Rockaway Boulevard because of traffic from John Adams High School teachers parking there.

Braton listed the four sites: at 125th Street between Sutter Avenue and Rockaway close to 125-01 Sutter Ave. on the east side of the street; on 104th Street between

Liberty and Rockaway Boulevard close to 107th Avenue on the west side of the block; on 89th Street between 107th and Liberty avenues close to 105-06 89 St. on the west side of the block; and 133rd Street between Linden Boulevard and 111th Avenue closest to 133-01 Linden Blvd. on the east side of the block.

“We will continue to monitor complaints about it and refer our information as we get it to DOT,” Braton said.

Other correspondence came from the DOT regarding upcoming abrasive blasting and protective-coating operations for various bridges around Queens, scheduled to begin on or about March 5. The work aims to remove paint that may contain lead by using compressed air. The area being cleaned will be entirely contained and the air will be monitored and tested. The blasting will stop “if there is any indication that the containment enclosure is not working as designed,” the notice read.

The work may occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week and generate noise, the notice also stated. The painting should be completed on or around June 2025.

The agency also notified of a change in the traffic pattern on the Exit 1W ramp southbound on the Van Wyck Expressway to westbound on the Belt Parkway and

North Conduit Avenue. The ramp will be only one lane, not two, through November 2023.

The board submitted its comments to the Office of Cannabis Management regarding regulations of licensed recreational dispensaries and also to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Study, which could bring flood gates to the Jamaica Bay area, in time for the March 7 deadline, but that ended up being extended.

The public comment period will now run until March 31.

Capt. Jerome Bacchi, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct, reported a 17 percent decrease in crime although domestic violence is still up. Bacchi called it a “disturbing trend” and said it includes domestic violence robberies.

Two 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old were arrested for stealing a car that was left running and unattended on Liberty Avenue at the end of February. The owner saw his car being stolen and jumped on top of it. Bacchi shared the dramatic video of the vehicle traveling at a high speed and flipping over, critically injuring the owner.

“Four lives that are ruined basically,” Bacchi said, urging people to turn off and lock their vehicles. Q

Essay contest to honor vets

An exploration of military duty could win students a lesson in civic duty.

Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) is holding an essay contest for middle and high school students in District 32 on veteran or active-duty service member appreciation.

The 500-word essay should be about a service member who has made an important impact on the student’s life. Essays are due by May 15.

“It’s so important for our students to recognize the impact that members of our military have had in our lives,” Ariola said in a prepared statement.

“By writing these essays, our students are building a deeper connection to those men and women in their lives who were willing to sacrifice everything for the freedoms we enjoy today,” she said.

The winner of the contest will be a “Councilperson for a Day,” and will be invited to join Ariola for lunch and at her office to see the innerworkings of city politics, according to her office.

Essays can be submitted at rvann@ council.nyc.gov. Anyone with questions may call (718) 738-1083. Q