Winter News

As we enter 2004, I would like to wish all of our neighbors, friends, volunteers, captains and sponsors a Happy New Year, and thank all of you for your continued support. This year marks our fifth anniversary as an Association. With your support, we have been able to accomplish many difficult things. With your continued support, we hope to be able to accomplish even more in the coming year.

As in years past, we encourage all residents to get involved in making our Association stronger by becoming a block captain or volunteer

You can also support us by paying your monthly dues ($5.00 per month per household or a $50.00 a year one-time payment). Make all checks/money orders payable to the 224th/225th Street C.A.O.L., P.O. Box 130171, Laurelton, New York 11413-1727. Please do not send cash.

Are you a new resident? Come check us out, and see what we are about. We hope that all of you had a happy and healthy holiday, and we look forward to seeing all of you in the New Year.

v Deputy Inspector Gary Scirica and Officer Donnie Barto of Patrol Borough Queens South

v Mr. Howard Lane, Vice Chair of the Laurelton Local Development Corporation (LLDC)

v Repaving of two additional community drives located bet. 224^th /225^th Streets bet. 130^th and 133^rd Avenues.

v New project underway to revitalize community drive bet. 224^th/225^th Streets between 130^th and 131^st Avenues.

v Idea for exercise establishment submitted to developer resulted in a gym being one of the new businesses to open in the old Zuckerman location.

v Held a successful protest to bring to the State’s attention the over-saturation of group homes in our community.

Association meetings are held the third Thursday of each month, except July, November and December, at the

Residents along 224^th/225^th Street (bet. Merrick Blvd. and 130^th Aves.) who braved the cold weather this year and decorated the outside of their homes for Christmas were entered into our third annual “Christmas Frontside Decorating Contest.” Despite the cold weather, a number of residents were able to beautifully decorate their homes in time for the holidays. Along with the snow, the many lights and decorations gave the holidays a real old-fashioned Christmas feel.

Winners will be awarded cash prizes. (1st prize-$100, 2nd prize-$50 and 3rd prize- $20 each) You did not have to register to enter, but you must be present to win.

Thanks to everyone who decorated this year. It’s gestures like these that make Laurelton a desirable place to live.

Thanks to our judges: Nicole Dean, 105th Pct. Community Affairs Officer, Kevin Jermmot, President of TownsUnited.Org., and Andrea Duncan, Chief-of-Staff for Councilman Sanders office,

The Association hosted its first annual New Year’s Eve fundraising gala at Le Cordon Bleu in Woodhaven, Queens. The semi-formal affair was well attended.

Guests partied well into the night, making the most of the 5-hour event, which included a 4-hour buffet, rolling bar and great music. A midnight toast and balloon shower highlighted the evening. Two lucky people walked away with the raffle prizes, a 20” color television and a DVD/VCR player combination.

Thanks to all of our guests for supporting our first fundraising gala, and making it such a tremendous success.

It has come to the attention of the Association that residents are not adhering to the Sanitation pickup and recycling rules. Because of this, there is an unsightly accumulation of garbage on the sidewalks in front of our homes and in our community drives.

We will be distributing a notice and the revised recycling schedule shortly. Please read and ensure that you adhere to the Sanitation rules. Take cans in and sweep after each weekly pickup. Put recyclables out on the proper day. If a holiday occurs, please adhere to the holiday rules.

Putting garbage out too early and not cleaning up after pickups causes garbage

accumulation and detracts from the beauty of our community.

We will be asking Sanitation to be vigilant and give fines to residents who are not following the Sanitation rules. These fines are costly. Please be considerate of your neighbors and help keep our community clean.

An Absentee Landlord Surcharge of 25% will be charged to landlords retroactive to

July, 2003 on any Class 1 property that produces rental income and is NOT occupied by an owner, or an owner’s parent or child. Class 1 properties are typically 1-,2-, and 3-family homes or small mixed use properties, such as stores with apartments attached.

You may be slated to pay this surcharge, even if you are not an absentee landlord. If you are, you can file an application to be excluded from the surcharge, by March 15, 2004. To check, go to the City website at www.nyc.gov, access the Finance Dept. and check their database. The database is updated weekly.

The re-paving project for 225^th/226^th Streets. (bet. 130^th and 133^rd Avenues) is now in its final stages. The final adjustments to the community drives will be made, as soon as the weather permits. If you have any unresolved issues or concerns regarding the drives, please contact us on the hotline. We also need for those of you, who have not fulfilled your monetary commitment to do so as soon as possible, so that we can honor our commitment to the Contractor.

Phase I of the revitalization project for the community drive between 224^th/225^th Streets (bet. 130^th and 131^st Avenues) has begun. We have collected 75 % of the funds needed to start this project. In order to keep this project on schedule and ensure that it is completed this spring when the weather breaks, we are asking that those of you who have not made a commitment to pay, or have not paid your outstanding balance, please do so, as soon as possible.

In July of 2001, the City auctioned off a small parcel of vacant land located between the community drive at the 133^rd Street entrance between 225th/226^th Streets. According to City records, this oddly shaped lot (21’ x 83’) was vacant and belonged to the City, which in turn they had a right to sell.

The owner has attempted twice to take possession of the property, but was stopped once by our District Leader James Blake and once by residents who happened to be passing by and noticed the owner putting up a fence across the community drive. The Police had to be called to intervene.

There are two homes on each side of the disputed parcel. They both claim to have deeds covering the same property. Even if it turns out that the new owner has a valid claim, the covenants governing the community drive states that it can’t be built on or blocked in any way. The way the lot is situated, any use would not only impede residents from entering or leaving the drive, but block entry to the garages of both residents on either side of the parcel. The new owner wishes to house a truck in that space.

The Association has asked Councilman Sanders’ office to look into the matter. We will keep residents apprised of his progress.

Our 6^t^h annual block party will be held on Saturday, July 31^st (rain day August 7^th), from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., on 225^th Street between 131^st and 133^rd Avenues.

The petition will be circulating this month. Remember, on the day of the block party, vehicles will not be allowed to park from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Any vehicles left on the block will be subject to ticket and tow.

Parents of students at P.S. 270, the new magnet school which opened this September in Laurelton, voted this fall to have the school turned into an IS school. This means that accelerated students could continue to attend the school up to the eighth grade, instead of the fifth grade the school was originally planned for.

P.S. 270 is the only magnet elementary school in district 29. 75% of the student population is functioning at an accelerated grade level. Had the parents not voted for this option, these students would have to attend nearby IS 231 or IS 59 upon graduation.

N E W S L E T T E R

If it happens in our community, we know about it! Winter 2004 Vol. 5 No. 4