Board 1
Cabinet
Hears
Complaints
On
Outdoor
Cafes
BY
THOMAS
COGAN
The
June
cabinet
meeting
of
Community
Board 1
took a
look at
summer
events,
heard
from a
charter
school
representative,
presided
over
exchanges
between
the
audience
and
spokesmen
for Con
Edison
and the
Department
of
Consumer
Affairs
and even
got
notice
of a job
opening.
As is
the case
with
nearly
every
other
local
community
group,
the
Board 1
cabinet
June
meeting
was its
last for
three
months.
The
Department
of
Consumer
Affairs
(DCA)
representative,
Mark
Mancusi,
is a
19-year
veteran,
currently
in
charge
of
enforcement
in
Queens
County.
Board 1
District
Manager
George
Delis
introduced
him and
then
brought
up the
occasional
problems
that
occur
because
of
Astoria's
vibrant
restaurant
life,
indoors
and
outdoors-
particularly
the
latter-
in the
warm
months.
Two
women
contributed
their
opinions
in the
matter.
Frances
McDonald
said
that all
too many
establishments
exceed
the
rules
laid out
by DCA
and
become
disruptive
in the
community.
Rose
Marie
Poveromo
said the
situation
has
become
so bad
that a
moratorium
should
be
called
on
applications
for
outdoor
dining
facilities.
Delis
said
such a
moratorium
would be
arbitrary
and
illegal.
Arthur
Cronson,
the Con
Ed
representative,
attends
each
meeting
seemingly
prepared
for a
dispute,
especially
since
the
local
power
failure
last
summer,
but he
also
comes
bearing
information.
He told
the
cabinet
that Con
Ed would
be
investing
$7.5
billion
in New
York
City in
the next
decade.
He also
confirmed
what has
become
known or
feared,
that
rate
increases
will be
coming
soon.
McDonald
proposed
that if
Con Ed
raises
rates by
the
reported
17
percent,
Con Ed
might
also
conduct
a
program
of
educating
the
consumer
on how
to save
money,
even as
much as
17
percent.
Cronson
said
that
would be
a good
idea.
The
Our
World
Neighborhood
Charter
School,
whose
kindergarten-through-fifth-grade
program
is
conducted
at 36-12
35th
Ave. and
sixth-througheighth
grade
program
at 31-20
37th
St.,
sent
Ricky
Cortex,
its
media
and
outreach
coordinator,
to the
meeting
to
explain
a few
things
about
it. The
school,
which
will
have
been in
operation
five
years
this
September,
has
public
funding,
he said,
but it
is held
low
deliberately,
leaving
the
school
to raise
funds to
compensate.
Teachers
are
non-union
and do
not have
tenure.
Students
are
picked
by
lottery
from a
list of
applicants,
and,
Cortex
said,
Our
World's
list
currently
exceeds
by far
the
maximum
number
that can
be
chosen.
There
are 700
students
at the
school
and
class
size
runs
between
19 and
22, he
reported.
He also
said
that
despite
their
nontenured
status,
teachers
mainly
like
their
work and
retention
is high.
Summer
programs
in the
parks
include
those at
Socrates
Sculpture
Park, on
Vernon
Boulevard
at
Broadway,
as
reported
to the
meeting
by Tara
Sansone,
who was
mainly
promoting
the
summer
solstice
celebration,
since it
is a
one-time
event
and is
coming
soon.
The date
is
Thursday,
June 21,
and from
5 to 9
p.m. a
salsa
band
will
provide
entertainment
and
local
food
will be
served.
This is
the 20th
anniversary
of the
summer
solstice
celebration,
she
said,
and it
is being
sponsored
by Con
Edison.
The
Socrates
summer
program,
featuring
yoga,
tai chi,
outdoor
movies
and
sculpture
workshops
among
other
things,
runs to
the end
of
September,
and a
Halloween
harvest
festival,
held
Saturday,
October
20,
announces
that
fall has
truly
arrived.
The
music
program
in
Astoria
Park was
again
reviewed
by
George
Stamatiades,
who
noted
that the
concert
that
starts
it all,
on
Friday,
June 29
at 7:30
p.m.,
features
the
Tommy
Dorsey
Orchestra
and a
fireworks
display.
And
Italian
Nights
at
Athens
Square
Park,
30th
Street
and 30th
Avenue,
begin
Wednesday,
June 27
and
continue
every
Wednesday
evening
until
September
12.
Nancy
Carin,
executive
director
of the
Business
Outreach
Center,
came to
talk
about
the
Steinway
Industrial
Business
Zone,
located
between
20th
Avenue
and
Berrian
Boulevard,
south to
north,
and 37th
and
Hazen
Streets,
west to
east. As
such, it
is
supposed
to be
preserved
from
encroaching
residential
development.
Delis
quickly
interrupted
to say
that in
the late
1970s,
that
area was
a
dumping
ground,
even for
the
Department
of
Sanitation.
He said
that
Mayor Ed
Koch and
City
Councilmember
Peter
Vallone
were
instrumental
in
stemming
the
dumping
activity
and
making
these
blocks
again
hospitable
to
industry.
Carin
said her
organization
is
currently
in need
of a
director,
who
would
report
to her.
She
seeks
someone
with a
background
in urban
planning
and
small
business.
She said
there
are
educational
requirements,
but
perhaps
they can
be
waived
if a
person
with
impressive
work
experience
becomes
a
candidate. |