UPDATES
Sanitation
Brown garbage composting container collection suspended till July, 2020. The New York City Department of Sanitation has announced the suspension of the curbside composting program to allow the City to maintain other services during the Covid-19 pandemic. The suspension will begin on Monday, May 4, 2020 and is planned through June 30, 2021. During this suspension, any food scraps and yard waste set out for composting will be collected as regular trash.
The Douglaston Civic Association and the Westmoreland Association have prepared a list of stores in the Douglaston/ Little Neck community to assist you during this Pandemic. We are also including the list of Bayside restaurants and food stores prepared by the Bayside Village BID which we circulated a few weeks ago.
We hope this information will be helpful to you as we struggle through these difficult times. Please note the information is as of April 15th. In preparing this list, we found that the information was constantly changing as the stores adjusted to the crisis. Therefore, please double-check with the store before venturing out.
Our best wishes to all our members and neighbors as we work to get through this together. We will survive this as a united community.
Bus Route Redesign
The MTA has published and is the process of its public comment period. Public transportation has been cut in Northeast Queens. Our express bus service will be curtailed. The Q36 north south route is being truncated and will be the QT 34.
The Q12 renamed the QT17 and
will noon turn south at Marathon Parkway. This is not a feasible option at that corner.
We have received an inquiry from Assemblymember Ed Braunstein seeking input from us regarding the proposed MTA bus redesign. He has already requested that the MTA make many changes to the proposal. He would appreciate it if you could let me know of any specific concerns you our members have regarding the proposal so that he may share those with the MTA.
Please write the MTA chairman, Council, Assembly and Senate legislators to oppose these changes. As they want us to take public transportation they remove that option. Just say No!
You may forward your comments through the DCA or to the Assemblyman's office directly:
David Fischer
Chief of Staff
Office of Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein
213-33 39th Avenue, Suite 238
Bayside, NY 11361
Phone: 718-357-3588
Fax: 718-357-5947
fischerd@nyassembly.gov
Rikers Island Closing/
New Queens Jail
As you may know the City Council has approved the de Blasio plan to close Rikers Island and replace it with borough-based jails, including one in Kew Gardens. A land use amendment related to this is now before Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee as part of the city's land use review process.
We have received the notice below from a sister civic group in Whitestone. If you oppose the closing of Rikers and construction of a neighborhood jail you might want to phone Ms. Lee's office as suggested.
Call the Boro President's Office.
Uuge Ms. Lee to vote against closing Riker's Island!
Telephone: 718-286-3000
Email: info@Queensbp.org
GET INVOLVED!
There is no plan. You can’t change the culture by moving it.
Apartment Building Law Suit
Is still pending before the court, we will provide details as soon as we get them.
Our Public Library
Our local library has received funding for a total overhaul at the same location. Great news, however, there is additional discretionary funding available to upgrade the new library; we need these funds as well so please write your Councilman, Assemblyman, and State Senator to add this addition funding to the project.
Douglaston Civic Association • 917-862-3286 • • PO Box 630222, Douglaston, NY 11363