The Grapevine: Woodhaven’s e-Newsletter – Volume #168

** Our Top Stories:

** Next WRBA Town Hall – Thursday, 5/18 7 p.m., Emanuel United Church of Christ

** Voices of Woodhaven – Friday, 5/12 10 p.m.

 

** Memorial Day Observations:

** Forest Park Memorial Drive Dedication Ceremony – Saturday, May 20th 12 Noon

** Memorial Day Observance – Forest Parkway – Thursday, May 25th 7:30 p.m.

** Memorial Day – American Legion – Monday, May 29th 11:30 a.m.

 

** Upcoming Events in Woodhaven (and surrounding areas):

** Tree & Rain Barrel Give-A-Way – Saturday, May 13th 11 a.m.

** Women in Politics Breakfast – Saturday, May 13th at 10 a.m.

** Richmond Hill Historical Society – Saturday May 13th at 1:30 p.m.

** Emanuel’s 140th Anniversary Party – Saturday, May 20th at 5 p.m.

** Pet Adoption Event – Saturday, June 10th 11 a.m.

** Historical Society Party at Forest Park Carousel – Friday, June 23rd 6 p.m.

 

** News & Announcements

** From Assemblyman Miller

** SBS Funding Hits a Snag?

** Fixing a Hole?

** Beware of Package Thieves in Woodhaven

** Beware of Roofing Scams

** Noise Complaints (Updated)

** Emanuel United’s Long Woodhaven History

** Restoring One Part of the Cemetery

** Tragedy at Great Adventure Remembered

** Great Woodhaven Yard Sale 2017

** WRBA Website

** Woodhaven Resources

 

** Our Top Stories:

 

** Next WRBA Town Hall – The next Woodhaven Town Hall will be Thursday, May 18th 2017 @ 7:00 p.m. at Emanuel United Church of Christ, 93-12 91st Avenue (at the corner of 91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard). Click here for the 2017 schedule of Woodhaven Town Hall meetings.

 

** Voices of Woodhaven – Woodhaven’s weekly online LIVE talk show (click here Friday at 10 PM to listen LIVE, or any other time to listen on-demand).  

 

** Forest Park Memorial Drive Dedication Ceremony – Saturday, May 20th, 12 Noon – Forest Park Drive will be co-named Forest Park Memorial Drive, in honor of the many soldiers that sacrificed their lives for our country. This ceremony will take place at Oak Ridge, right in the midst of the Memorial Trees of Woodhaven. Details of this ceremony coming soon. In the meantime, click here to read the original resolution by American Legion Post 118 and some letters of support.

** Memorial Day Observance – Forest Parkway – Thursday, May 25th 7:30 p.m. – T

he Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation will hold its annual Memorial Day Observance at the monument located at Forest Parkway and Jamaica Avenue. This is a great “small town” ceremony complete with the American Legion, ROTC, and patriotic music.

 

** Memorial Day – American Legion – Monday, May 29th 11:30 a.m. –

American Legion Post 118 will be holding their 98th annual ceremony at their headquarters (89-02 91st Street) on Memorial Day morning. Come out and visit the Post’s Garden of Remembrance, a beautiful tribute to all of the former Post Members who are no longer with us. After the ceremony (which includes prayers, patriotic music, and more), join the Legion Members inside for some hot dogs and refreshments.

 

** Upcoming Events in Woodhaven:

 

** Tree & Rain Barrel Give-A-Way – Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley is sponsoring a Spring Give-a-Way this Saturday, May 13th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come to the Shops at Atlas Park (80-00 Cooper Avenue, Glendale, NY 11385) to get free trees and rain barrels. Note – you must RSVP in advance to reserve a tree or rain barrel – by phone: 718-366-3900 or by email: ecrowley@council.nyc.gov.

 

** Women in Politics Breakfast – Come out and meet residents with an interest in politics and increasing the participation of women in the political process. This will be held on Saturday, May 13th at 10 a.m. at Emanuel United Church of Christ, 93-12 91st Avenue (at the corner of 91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard). Tickets are $20 ($10 for kids). Nydia Velázquez, Grace Meng, LeRoy Comrie, James Sanders, Scott Stringer and more will be attending. Email 38DemPartB@gmail.com for details and reservations.

** Richmond Hill Historical Society – This month, the RHHS will meet on a Saturday May 13th at 1:30 p.m at the Leonard Center. The guest speaker will be James Greller and he will give a presentation called “Ridgewood/Glendale/Richmond Hill Before the Automobile.” Some of you may remember Mr. Greller, he came to the Woodhaven Historical Society to speak about railroads and trolleys in Queens and he was very well-received!

 

** Emanuel’s 140th Anniversary Party – Emanuel United Church of Christ is celebrating their 140th Anniversary with an old fashioned pasta party – with old fashioned prices! For just $5 you get a spaghetti supper with bread, dessert and beverage all included! Saturday, May 20th at 5 p.m. Click here for more info and stay tuned for even more details. Reserve your seats now – 718-849-1153!

 

** Pet Adoption Event – Over the past decade, the Richmond Hill Block Association has found homes for over 100 pets and they are hosting their 10th Annual Pet Adoption Event on Saturday, June 10th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Buddy Monument Plaza in Forest Park. Click here to read more about the interesting history behind this event.

** Historical Society Party at Forest Park Carousel – The WCHS is hosting their 2nd Annual Party at the Carousel Friday, June 23rd from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For $10 kids get unlimited rides and a free magic show. Plus! Lots of good raffle prizes for kids to win. 

 

** News & Announcements:

 

** From Assemblyman Miller – Click here to read Assemblyman Mike’s May newsletter. It is full of news, community events and crime tips from the NYPD. 

 

** SBS Funding Hits a Snag? – The 2018 Federal Budget may not have enough money to fund the Woodhaven Boulevard SBS Plan this year. Click here to learn more.

 

** Fixing a Hole? – Click here to see the pothole (or cave-in) that a resident reported to us. We entered a 311 and it was “repaired” the next day – only to her from the resident that it was in even worse shape less than 2 weeks later. We reported it to DOT via 311 again and we’re awaiting word on when it will be fixed how long this fix will hold. Remember, when you see something, report it to 311 and give the WRBA the 311 complaint number!

 

** Beware of Package Thieves in Woodhaven – We’ve been seeing and hearing about a lot more thefts of packages off of residents’ porches in Woodhaven. Please click here to see some photos of the crime in action and some tips on how you can avoid becoming a victim!

 

** Beware of Roofing Scams – We’ve been seeing stories online from other neighborhoods about a scam being perpetrated (often against the elderly) involving roof repairs. The typical start of this scam is the ring of a doorbell followed by a “contractor” telling you he was working on an adjoining roof and noticed something wrong with yours that requires immediate repair. Once they go up there, there’s no way for people to verify that work gets done – and we’ve seen pictures where all they did was spray plaint the roof! Please pass the word along to your friends and family, especially the elderly, to resist this scam – they can always call in a reputable contractor to check their roof. Click here for more information.

 

** Noise Complaints – Now that the warmer weather is arriving, so are the noise complaints. If you are having issues with a noisy neighbor, please remember to call 311 (or enter the complaint online) and pass along the 311# to the WRBA so we can keep track of it and follow up on it with the 102nd Precinct. Update: Did you see this article in the NY Post claiming that the NYPD is forbidden to respond to noise complaints unless they get approval? You can be sure that will be a topic of discussion next Thursday (3/18) at the Woodhaven Town Hall meeting.

 

** Emanuel United’s Long Woodhaven History – Speaking of Emanuel United Church of Christ, there were 2 different articles in last week’s papers about their history. Click here to read about them in the Leader (and see a rare picture of their groundbreaking) and then click here to read an article in the Times-Newsweekly about their history along with a picture of the original Emanuel Church, which was torn down when Woodhaven Boulevard was widened!

 

** Restoring One Part of the Cemetery – Check out this video (3 years in the making) to see all the work that was done on one corner of the historic Wyckoff-Snedicker Cemetery here in Woodhaven. 

 

** Tragedy at Great Adventure Remembered – Today (5/11) marks the 33rd anniversary of the tragic fire at Great Adventure that took the lives of 8 young people, 4 of them students at Franklin K. Lane. Click here to read an article about the incident and the students and how the school remembers them.

 

** Great Woodhaven Yard Sale 2017 – The GWYS is scheduled for Saturday September 23rd. Houses from all over Woodhaven will be participating and will be included on maps distributed online and all over Woodhaven. People have started to come from all over to the GWYS – let us drive the traffic to your door! Email thegreatwoodhavenyardsale@gmail.com now to register! And tell your neighbors! Our experience has been that ‘clusters’ of homes end up doing much better the day of the GWYS.

 

** WRBA Website – If you ever want to know when our next meeting is, you can always find out by visiting our official website – woodhaven-nyc.org. There, you will find our Community Calendar, Latest News and Announcements, Membership Info, our Press Releases, and a list of our media appearances.

 

** Woodhaven Resources – Click here for a new page that is a useful resource of local numbers and links — you will find local clubs and organizations, emergency numbers, city agencies, elected officials, schools and churches. This is a work in progress – if you come across any incorrect information or information you think should be added, please drop a line to projectwoodhaven@gmail.com.

 

 

Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association

woodhaven-nyc.org

718-296-3735

 

 

     

Adopt a Pet – June 10th at Buddy Monument

In early 2008, Richmond Hill Block Association Vice President Paul Bankert’s wife Elizabeth had a funny dream that the Richmond Hill Block Association was giving out dogs as gifts. As Elizabeth described her dream, an idea began to form.

What if the RHBA hosted a pet adoption? Could we get adoptable pets to our headquarters on Jamaica Avenue and get the community to participate? Would it work? Could it become a “thing”; an annual event?

Paul brought the idea to the next board meeting of the RHBA. He described the idea of getting rescue groups to bring in pets and we could invite the community to adopt them.

Kathy Posekel, an active animal welfare advocate and RHBA treasurer suggested that we could get a NYC Parks Department permit and hold an adoption outdoors at Buddy Monument Plaza in Forest Park. Enthusiasm was high. Flag Day, June 14th was penciled into the calendar and we were off to plan what was to be the first annual RHBA Pet Adoption.

While Kathy reached out to her animal rescue contacts, Paul contacted his family veterinarian and local newspapers and websites for participation or support.

Kathy enlisted NYC Animal Care & Control (now known as Animal Care Centers of NYC), the ASPCA, and a few local Animal Rescue Groups to participate.

As the date got closer, RHBA members bought pet supplies and small patriotic items to give out at the event. Food and water bowls, collars, leashes, litter boxes and pet toys would be given to each adopting family.

We planned for a 10:00 AM start but the rescue groups all arrived closer to 11:30. Despite the delayed start, there were a dozen people patiently waiting in the park for their new fury friends to arrive.

By 4:00 PM, 14 pets had been adopted out between all of the rescue groups. A vet from Lefferts Animal Hospital answered dozens of questions and provided coupons for a free new pet examination. Anyone who wanted a small American flag got one courtesy of the RHBA. Then and there, we vowed to make our pet adoption an annual event.

With the exception of 2014 when it rained off and on during the day and nine pets were adopted, the RHBA has facilitated the adoption of no fewer than 10 pets each year and average 12 pets per event; not bad for four or so hours per year.

Ten years later, after eclipsing the century mark of 100 pets adopted in 2016, we’re ready for our tenth adoption event and eager to begin our quest for our next 100.

The Richmond Hill Block Association is proud to partner with Animal Care Centers of NYC, the ASPCA, and Heavenly Angels Rescue at our pet adoption events and is thankful to our volunteers and for the support of our community. The RHBA looks forward to another successful pet adoption on Saturday, June 10^th, starting at 11:00 AM at Buddy Monument Plaza at Forest Park in Queens.

Beware of Package Thieves in Woodhaven

We are hearing an increased number of thefts of packages from people’s front porches over the past few months. For the thief, it’s an easy score. He (or she) can follow a delivery truck and wait to see when a package is left on the porch because the intended recipient is not home. They wait until the truck pulls away, run onto the porch, and take your stuff.

Look at how brazen they are – this was sent to us this week from a resident of Woodhaven. This theft took place on 90th Avenue, between 78th & 80th streets and took far less time than it took the rightful owner to order their goods:

Broad daylight – walking on to your porch – walking away with your goods.

So what can we do about it?

For starters, notify the 102nd Precinct. Fill out a form. Do what you need to do to get this theft on file and notify the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (email: info@woodhaven-nyc.org, Phone 718-296-3735).

Even if it wasn’t an expensive item that got stolen; even if the company that sent it will replace it — report it. This will help the police develop a pattern (time, day, location) in order to try and catch these people.

You can also do something else that’s foolproof, and that’s to make sure you don’t have packages left on your porch.

1. Signature Required. When placing an order, you can give shipping instructions telling them that you do not want packages left on your porch – that they should be delivered directly into a live person’s hands who has to sign for it.
2. Track or Schedule Delivery. Ask for a tracking number so you can track your packages to try to be home at the time of delivery, or try to schedule shipment for a day you expect to be home.
3. Deliver Elsewhere. If you are not home a lot, perhaps you can have your packages delivered to a nearby friend who is home during the day (again, stating that it should be delivered to a live person).  Or, you can even have it delivered to where you work!

It’s better to take these preventative measures than to have your items stolen and have to post pictures of the thieves in hopes they will be caught (like the one below, another one from Woodhaven).

We hope to hear about some of these thieves being apprehended soon!