vol. 77, no. 7 woodside, l.i.c., n.y. friday ...to advertise e-mail [email protected] or...

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 THE WOODSIDE HERALD PAGE 1

VOL. 77, NO. 7 WOODSIDE, L.I.C., N.Y. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 25 CENTS

SERVING SUNNYSIDE-WOODSIDE AND LONG ISLAND CITY

Sunnyside Shines

SCS’ Sweet Celebration

Sunnyside Kiwanis celebrate at Sunnyside Community Services Valentine’s Day party. Back row: Marc Leavitt, IraGreenberg, Peter Chou, Jerry Lederman, Judy Zangwill, Jerry Berkson. Front: Dan Jacoby, Pam Winters

Love songs in English and Spanish filled the air andlifted spirits as Kiwanians Marc Leavitt and Dan Jacoby,joined by members of the Sunnyside Community Ser-vices (SCS) Center for Active Older Adults, entertainedover 200 attendees at SCS’ Valentine’s Day Party onWednesday, February 16th. “I would like to thank theKiwanis for sponsoring this event and making such acelebration possible.” said Judy Zangwill, executivedirector of Sunnyside Community Services and pastpresident, Sunnyside Kiwanis. “And special thanks toMarc and Dan for sharing their talents and bringing somuch joy.” Sunnyside Community Services’ Center forActive Older Adults serves over 4,000 members, offer-ing nutritious meals, benefit and support screenings,workshops, computer classes, and dozens of activities aweek, ranging from art to yoga. Find out more aboutSunnyside Community Services by calling 718 784-6173, visiting online at www.scsny.org, or in person at43-31 39th Street, Sunnyside, NY.

Love fills the air as Dan Jacoby and Marc Leavitt singstandards and old favorites at the Sunnyside CommunityServices’ Valentine’s Day Celebration.

SUNNYSIDE/WOODSIDE LIONS CLUBWednesday, February 23rd @ 7:00 PM

Queens of Angels Parish Hall located at 44 St. & Skillman Ave.For membership, please call: 1-347-239-5476

MONTHLY MEETING

CALL FOR ACTION TOPREVENT A CITYWIDE

CATASTROPHE

On Tuesday, February 15th, Council Member JimmyVan Bramer joined local residents to address concernsabout pipeline safety and call for action against negli-gence that undermines the security of New Yorkers. Inthe past month alone, there have been three tragic andsometimes deadly pipeline explosions nationwide inPhiladelphia, Hanoverton and most recently in Allen-town. These incidents have raised concerns on a locallevel about the thousands of miles of combustible pipe-lines that transport oil, natural gas and hazardous liquidsbeneath the streets and homes of New York City.

Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced federallegislation that would tighten pipeline safety require-ments, but according to Van Bramer it is imperative thatwe recognize the need for such legislation at the locallevel. In 2009, a construction project on SkillmanAvenue in Sunnyside punctured the Buckeye Pipeline,causing over 500 gallons of jet fuel to spew on to thestreets, an accident that could have been deadly.

In an effort to address an alarming nationwide issuethat greatly undermines the public safety of New York-ers, the Council Member united with local residents toannounce legislation requiring oversight and advancenotice for any entity drilling near flammable materialsin residential areas. In addition to oversight, Van Brameris working with Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan (D-Ridgewood) on increasing the fines for negligent com-panies that do not call 811- New York State’s Manda-tory Dig Safely Hotline (Resolution #596).

“The preventative and safety measures mandated bythis proposed legislation and resolution will help protectour neighborhoods from catastrophe,” said Van Bramer.“This is the time to step up and speak out before adisaster like Allentown, PA or San Bruno, CA happensin our city. We must take action to reduce the risk of atragedy now – rather than react to one after it is too late.”

“When we met with the agencies that oversee thispipeline, we were concerned about safety,” said As-semblywoman Catherine Nolan. “With the pipelinerunning under most of our community in WesternQueens, it is important that there are ongoing reviewsof the regulations to make sure that the residents arekept safe. I will also be introducing legislation at thestate level, to ratify and enhance the proposal thatCouncil Member Jimmy Van Bramer has introduced.I look forward to continuing to work with the CouncilMember, to ensure that there is oversight and regula-tions in place to protect the residents and businesses ofWestern Queens.”

CM Van Bramer unites with local residents in Sunnysideto address concerns about pipeline safety and call foraction against negligence that undermines the security ofNew Yorkers.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011THE WOODSIDE HERALDPAGE 2

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Addresses Queens ChamberQueens Borough President Helen Marshall ad-

dresses members of the Queens Chamber of Com-merce, which hosted the February meeting of herBorough Cabinet, Tuesday, February 15th at theLaGuardia Marriott. Marshall provided an update oneconomic activity in the borough and on major projects,including Hunters Point South and Willets Point rede-velopment. In foreground are district managers of theborough’s community boards.

Queens BP Helen Marshall...

Honored By DA BrownQueens District Attorney Richard Brown honored

Borough President Helen Marshall for her contributionsto public service with the William Tucker Garvin Awardat Black History Month celebration at Brown’s office,Wednesday, February 9th. The award was establishedby Brown in 2001 to honor the memory of Mr. Garvin,the first African American Assistant District Attorneyappointed in Queens County.

Upcoming Hearing On Mayor’s Preliminary BudgetQueens Borough President Helen Marshall announced, Wednesday, February 9th that the Queens Borough Board

will hold its public hearing on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Preliminary Expense and Capital Budgets for Fiscal Year2012 on Wednesday, February 23rd in Room 200 at Borough Hall.

The annual hearing, which begins at 9:30 a.m., is part of the Budget Process outlined in Section 241 of the City Charter.“This public hearing will allow members of the Borough Board to hear from community boards, nonprofit

organizations and a multitude of program and service providers about their funding needs,” said Marshall. “Thehearing will also help us to formulate budget priorities for the fiscal year beginning July 1st.

Speakers should submit 20 copies of their written testimony.All Expense and Capital requests for funding should be presented at the hearing. Marshall said, however, that

those applying for Capital funding and representing a not-for-profit (501c3) organization, should review theguidelines and complete the application at http://www.nyc.gov/capitalrequest by March 2nd.

Those who wish to speak at the hearing should limit their remarks to a maximum of three minutes. Speakers can registerby calling 1-718-286-2900 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The deadline for registration is Monday, February 21st

at 5 p.m. Times are assigned to speakers based on the order in which they register.Anyone else who wishes to provide testimony may appear on the day of the hearing. Such speakers will

be added to the list.Borough Hall is located at 120-55 Queens Boulevard, near Union Turnpike. It is located a short distance from the Union

Turnpike stop on the E and F subway lines and numerous bus routes that stop at Queens Boulevard and Union Turnpike.The Borough Board is comprised of the borough president, the borough’s City Council delegation

and the chairs of each of the 14 community boards.



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Art Exhibition Held in South East Queens

Catching Up With United 40’sby Joe Gurrado

The meeting on February 10th was wellattended with the appearance of CaptainPowers from the 108th PCT, who gave thegroup an update on current crime stats in ourarea. According to his report, the 108 re-mains a low crime precinct. Vincent Rendainformed the membership about the ongo-ing progress of the Sunnyside/ WoodsideBoys and Girls Club. Also making a guestappearance was the owner of ‘Dog Guru’ -a dog training facility located behind theOrchard Market on 43 Street and GreenpointAve. This is a new business in Sunnysidewhich houses and trains about 45 dogs atone time. Once the dogs are in good healthand properly trained, the ‘Dog Guru’ looksfor people to adopt them. The main concernof the United 40’s is that this new businesscreates many dogs walking around the park

on 43 street. The ‘Dog Guru’ addressed allthe questions the group had. At closing ofthe meeting, Carol Birch thanked everyonewho has been knitting infant blankets thatwill be donated to Elmhurst Hospital to begiven to Moms of premature baby’s.

108th Pct Captain Donald Powers

Don McCallian, United 40’s President Special Guest, the ‘Dog Guru.’

Vincent Renda,Edward Jones/Sunnyside Boys & Girls Club

CMJimmyVan Bramer

by Peter Ross

With the coming of February and BlackHistory Month the Southern Queens ParksAssociation (SQPA) held a reception on theevening of February 11th for the opening ofits 9th annual art exhibition titled this year“Colors in Black”. The reception, held inthe Roy Wilkins Park Family Center at 177-01 Baisley Boulevard (just east of MerrickBoulevard) and sponsored by a consortiumof local community leaders, businesses andpolitical figures, announced the official open-ing of the exhibit which is due to run untilFebruary 20th and is open to the generalpublic (the gallery’s daily operating hoursare listed as 10 AM-2 PM and 6:30 PM-8PM). A number of elected officials were onhand at the event including Queens BoroughPresident Helen Marshall, City Comptroller

John Liu, Councilman Leroy Comrie andCouncilman James Sanders Jr. who is un-derwriting the exhibit itself. MC duties fellto SQPA’s Executive Director Roger Scot-land who kept the speakers moving to allowthe crowd to focus on the most importantpart of the evening- the viewing of theartists’ work.

With a backdrop of live music by “JenJade & The Jazz Immigrants” and cateringcourtesy of celebrity Chef Kimberly VanKline, adeptly served by ladies from a num-ber of local community groups, the specta-tors at the event were treated to a variety ofart styles and works by professional artists,amateur and hobby artists and students froma number of local schools both public andprivate. The works in the exhibition are in

various media forms from paint, to acrylic,pastels, sketch work, charcoal and pencil,and include photography prints and quiltpieces as well. The exhibited artists’ back-grounds range from no formal training toMasters in Fine Arts and beyond and includea number of professional artists includingDaniel Simmons Jr., Geoffrey Harris,Charles Lilly and Leonard Morris. A num-ber of Afro-centric works by Jocelyn M.

A representative work of one line drawingby “Sir Shadow” (colors added later).

“”Native American” by Local 32BJ memberand artist Marlon Moreira. This work wasdone in two colors, in acrylic, using theartist’s fingers and limited brush work.

SEQ Atelier Director Mr. David Gayle with some of his middle school Portfolio Classstudents, all of whom presented at the exhibition. The young man in the middle, Sammy,and one other young lady (Nia, not pictured) were ribbon winners in their respectiveage groups in the student competition.

Goode and David G. Wilson were found tobe striking both in color and content/mes-sage. An array of pieces were presented bymembers of SEIU Local 32BJ which in-cluded Naja Quintero, Christopher Colon,and Marlon Moreira. Artist and poet “SirShadow” who creates unique artwork ofmusical figures using one line drawing (lit-erally creating the entire art drawing in onecontinuous movement of his pen) was alsoon hand as well to show his talents firsthandfor the admiring crowds, giving his views onlife (“Flowetry” as he calls it) as he drew.

The exhibit also offered a competitionfor school aged students from elementarythrough high school ages as part of “TheFuture Foundation” initiative, which pro-motes and encourages arts for school agedchildren. Judging was made at four levels,elementary grades 1-3, elementary grades4-6, middle school and high school ages,and were judged by a panel based on creativ-ity, balance, use of color and impact. Rib-bons for first through third place wereawarded. An additional presentation of anartist’s easel was made by Mr. David Gayle,Director and Instructor at the SoutheastQueens Drawing and Painting Atelier, astudio school for children and adults locatedat 142-16 180th Street, to one of the ribbonwinners. It was also announced that thecompetition, which is currently limited tostudents in Queens, is planning to be ex-panded to include the other boroughs, espe-cially for high school students. For moreinformation on the current exhibition, futureexhibition plans and contests or other SQPAevents visit their website at www.SQPA.org.Note that at the reception it was announcedthat the public viewing will end on February20th not February 21st, but there is still timeto view your local borough artists.



718-784-1305

Sunnyside’s Prodigal Son

Making A Difference: Vincent Rendaby Shannon Carlin

Ask Vincent Renda what hewas like growing up and he’ll tellyou he was a “knucklehead kid.”There are a lot of different defini-tions for “knucklehead,” manyof them very vague, so you’ll askhim again. With a little moreprodding he’ll tell you he wassort of a troublemaker, but neverdid anything really bad. “Youmess around and teachers don’tlike you so you just get intotrouble,” the lifelong Sunnysideresident chuckles.

He’ll also tell you that his pasthelped him make the best deci-sion for his future.

At 18 when most of us arethinking about the freedom ofcollege, Renda was enlisting inthe military where he spent fouryears travelling the world, spend-ing six of those months after 9/11in the Persian Gulf. While in theservice Renda was a cook, stick-ing to a 32-day menu where eachday he was given a specific prod-uct to prepare. Sometimes he wasin charge of the starch. Other daysit was the vegetable. This offeredlittle creativity, but Renda sayswhen he cooked for the likes ofthe then Florida Governor JebBush or ex-Jets quarterbackBoomer Esiason or even Clinton’sSecretary of State MadeleineAlbright he was given a chance tomake the meal his own.

“I was cooking for 3,000people, three meals a day,” hesays. “You really realize if youlike to do this or you don’t.”

Though he didn’t, Rendalooks at this time as a great learn-ing experience, saying it was bet-ter for him to learn this way thento spend all that money on culi-nary school only to find out hedidn’t want to be a chef.

When you talk to Renda youquickly learn he’s a practical man,who thinks before he acts. Evenas a teen he chose the militarybecause he knew it would im-prove his leadership skills.

Renda described himself as aborn leader who at 16 years oldwas a basketball coach for teamof 4th graders. “They were prettygood too,” he adds. Even now hecoaches a team of 6th and 7th grad-ers at St. Raphael’s and believesbasketball taught him teamwork

and how powerful it can be wheneveryone is working towards acommon goal. More importantly,basketball kept him off the streets.“Honestly, I don’t know what Iwould have done or who I’d beright now if it wasn’t for the play-grounds I played basketball in,”he says.

After his time with the mili-tary, Renda attended Old Domin-ion University in Norfolk, Vir-ginia where he earned a degree infinance and economics. Thoughyou can’t help but wonder how hewent from wanting to be a chef tostudying finance, Renda makes itsound simple, “I was always goodat math.” His math skills came inhandy as the finance chairman inthe student government where aproposal he sent to theUniversity’s president earned theschool a football team. A math-ematical solution that made himpretty popular.

When Renda moved back toSunnyside from Norfolk to take ajob with Edward Jones he sawthat the playgrounds he grew upplaying ball in were empty. “I’dsee that the rims were down andso I was just talking to my brotherand I asked, ‘Where do peopleplay basketball?’

His brother’s answer thatthey don’t play led to Renda’sidea to start a local Boys & GirlsClub. “A lot of things I learnedwere from sports,” he says. “It’sthe reason I coach now and thereason I’m starting the Boys &Girls Club.”

Many of the people who grewup in the neighborhood also be-lieve the kids of Sunnyside andWoodside need a place to playand have been more than willingto volunteer their time andmoney. “Overwhelming, I don’tknow any other word but over-whelming,” Renda says aboutthe community’s response.“They kind of re-inspire me ev-ery day with how much they seethe need and want this for thecommunity. They keep me in-spired to make it happen.”

Though the Sunnyside/Woodside Boys & Girls Club isholding Friday night Game Nightsfrom now through the end of Mayin St. Teresa’s gym, Renda has a

seven year plan for the group tostart building their own club-house. He estimates it could takenearly $10 million to even crackground on their own site, but he’snot worried. Instead he says it’sjust a matter of time.

His positivity might havesomething to do with the fact thatthe Club’s first fundraiser, a Danc-ing With the Stars themed nightthat had local celebrities teamingup with professional dancers,raised $10,000.

Renda says his mom, Sallywho is a pre-school teacher at St.Raphael’s and a staple in the com-munity, inspired the fundraiser.“I know how much my mom lovesthat show,” he says. “So I said toher, ‘Mom you know I was think-ing about having like a DancingWith the Stars fundraiser and we’llpair up some pros and stars’ andshe said, ‘I love to dance. I’ll doit!’” But it wasn’t just Sally’sdancing that helped, she alsospearheaded the decoration com-mittee and spread the word toeveryone in the community.

Family is the most importantthing with Vincent, which youlearn the minute you step in hisoffice. On his walls hang framedawards and official looking pho-tos, but right in the middle is acluster of Crayola drawings. Askhim about them and he’ll defi-nitely give you the background ofthe pictures drawn by his niece,Krista and his nephew, Elijah.He’ll then tell you about beingthe second youngest in a familyof four (3 brothers and 1 sister)letting you know you can get awaywith a lot as one of the youngest.

Most of his family still lives inthe area with his father instillingthe importance of community.Vincent’s father, Charles, wasPresident of the United Forties andwas really active in the commu-nity. After his death nearly sixyears ago, Vincent became evenmore involved in the communitybecoming a member of the KiwanisClub, the Lions Club and UnitedForties. He sits on the Board ofDirectors for the Sunnyside Cham-ber and is the Marketing Directorfor the Sunnyside BID, amongstother things.

“A lot of people embraced mesee the same leadership qualitiesmy father had,” he says. “Theydon’t mind having me around.”

Though only 30 Vincent ispaving the way for a new genera-tion of Sunnyside leaders. Some-thing he has no qualms with. “I’minvolved in my community be-cause I want to make an impact,”he says. “So I never really thoughtabout what I want to be remem-bered for, but one thing that keepsme going everyday is knowingthat I can assist people making adifference in their life.”

Just what a true leaderwould say.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan’sStaff celebrates Frank Corrado’sbirthday.

WOODHEIGHTS DEMOCRATIC CLUBFIRST MEETING OF THE NEW YEAR

On Wednesday, February 9th Council Member Jimmy VanBramer joined the Woodheights Democratic Club for their firstmeeting of the New Year. Van Bramer joined Assembly Memberand District Leader Michael DenDekker, District Leader EllenRaffael, and Club President Manny Perez to discuss local issues incity and state government.

Woodheights President Manny Perez, Council Member JimmyVan Bramer, Assemblyman Michael DenDekker and DistrictLeader Ellen Raffael.



City Council Votes to Enact “TrafficStat” Legislation

Bills Will Require City to Re-port Pedestrian, Motorist, and Bi-cycle Crash Data, Identify DangerZones and Disclose NeighborhoodTraffic Studies

At Wednesday’s Stated Coun-cil meeting the members of theCity Council will vote on legisla-tion to improve the quality of re-porting relating to pedestrian safetyand cyclist crash data, as well asthe inter-agency processes in placeto continue to improve pedestriansafety. Additionally the Councilwill vote on legislation relating togreater transparency in the wayDOT determines whether to installtraffic control devices.

“Greater public disclosure ofcity data promotes better solutions

to problems in our neighborhoods,”said Speaker Christine C. Quinn.“The Council’s actions today willgo a long way in helping keepingour pedestrians, cyclists and motor-ists safe throughout our city.”

“Promoting safe and responsibledriving – whether on four wheels ortwo – has been a major focus of myCommittee since I became Chairover a year ago,” said Transporta-tion Chair James Vacca. “Too of-ten, communities seeking traffic im-provements on their block do nothave access to the data they need tomake informed decisions. Whetherrequiring the City to track and pub-licize vehicle and bicycle crash in-formation or explain why it rejectsa stop sign or traffic signal request,

today’s legislation goes to the heartof empowering communities to fightfor safer streets.”

PEDESTRIAN SAFETYREPORTING

Improving pedestrian safety re-porting and policy, the Council willvote on legislation to require theDepartment of Transportation(DOT) and the New York City Po-lice Department (NYPD) to increasedisclosure of pedestrian and motor-ist crash-data.

“If knowledge is power, thisbill gives communities the powerto make their neighborhoods safer,”Council Member Jessica Lappinsaid. “While we already know an-ecdotally where the dangerous cor-ners are in our own areas, this lets

us move beyond rumor and intofact. Armed with this information,we’ll be able to make real changetoward making safer streets.”

Expanding upon Local Law 11of 2008 which required DOT todevelop and publish a pedestriansafety report, this bill will requireDOT to conduct a comprehensivestudy of all traffic crashes involv-ing a serious injury or fatality ev-ery five years. This bill wouldrequire an inspection of any loca-tion experiencing at least four seri-ous injuries over a five year period.A ranking of the top 20 most dan-gerous intersections would bebased on the number of pedestri-ans seriously injured or killed overa five year period.

This bill also requires theNYPD to electronically publishseveral metrics relating to crashdata including the number of mov-ing violation summonses, the num-ber of traffic crashes, and the num-ber of injuries and fatalities. Up-dated once a month, this informa-tion would be broken down byborough and police precinct andthe number of crashes, fatalitiesand injuries would be searchableby intersection.

Improving interagency coordi-nation, DOT would be required todevelop an interagency plan forroadway safety. This plan wouldidentify key agencies and groupsthat DOT would meet withmonthly, proposed programs, sug-gestions for behavioral modifica-tion, and a plan to increase coop-eration between DOT and NYPD.The plan is to be presented to theMayor and Council ninety daysafter enactment.BICYCLE CRASH DATA

Increasing transparency of cy-cling accidents occurring in NewYork City, this bill requires DOT

to, for the first time, begin compil-ing the number of bicycle crashesthat are reported to city agencies.DOT would also be required tosubmit an annual report to theCouncil of the total number of bi-cycle crashes each year, brokendown by crashes between bicycles,between bicycles and motorizedvehicles, and between bicycles andpedestrians as well as by boroughand by police precinct. DOT wouldbe required to begin collecting thisdata in October.

“Now that many of our streetshave been redesigned to encour-age bicycling as an alternativemeans of transportation,” saidCouncil Member Rosie Mendez,the bill’s sponsor. “It is more im-portant than ever that we have reli-able statistics on incidents involv-ing bicycles. Individuals who bi-cycle, just like those using othermodes of transportation, must fol-low the rules of the road. This lawwill provide us with important datathat previously wasn’t captured,and with it we can implement ap-propriate safety measures, whenand if needed.”

TRAFFIC CONTROLDEVICE STUDIES

This bill would require DOTto provide a detailed explanationwhenever it rejects a request for atraffic control device such as stopsign or traffic signal submitted bya Council Member or CommunityBoard. DOT would need to revealthe date and time of all trafficstudies conducted and the timeperiod of any crash data used, aswell as a summary of the criteriathat must be considered to approvea stop sign or traffic signal. Uponrequest, DOT would also need toprovide a complete summary ofthe study findings and statisticsused in its determination.

Council Members Medez and Vacca discuss traffic.

NYCDOT ANNOUNCES EXPANDED POTHOLE BLITZ INRESPONSE TO SEVERE WINTER WEATHER

$2 million allocated for extended pothole filling shiftsDOT launches The Daily Pot-

hole, an online citywide potholetracker New York City Depart-ment of Transportation (DOT)Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan today announced that MayorMichael R. Bloomberg has com-mitted more resources to repair-ing streets battered by this winter’sextreme weather, allowing crewsto fill more potholes and completemore targeted paving projects tobring roads into good repair.Record snowfalls combined withrain and fluctuating temperaturesthis winter have left cracked black-top across the five boroughs. DOThas already filled more than 50%more potholes since January 1stcompared to the same period lastyear. Commissioner Sadik-Khanannounced an additional $2 mil-lion are now committed to pay for30 repair crews to work 20 ex-tended weekdays and 40 crews towork 10 weekend days over theremainder of pothole-filling sea-son, through April. These ex-tended working hours will meanan additional 40,000 pothole re-pairs and approximately 30,000square yards of strip paving, which

is targeted paving work at loca-tions that need more than a simplepothole repair. CommissionerSadik-Khan was joined at today’sannouncement by City CouncilTransportation Chair James Vacca(D-Bronx) and CouncilmemberMargaret Chin (D-Manhattan).

“Winter has not let up this yearand neither have our roadway re-pair efforts,” said CommissionerSadik-Khan. “Our crews have al-ready filled nearly 85,000 pot-holes this year and now these rein-forcements will help make ourstreets safe and smooth and keepNew York’s economy moving.”

On an average day, DOT crewsfill 2,000 potholes and with 30crews now working 10-hour shiftsthe average can increase to be-tween 3,000 and 4,000 potholesrepaired in a single day. Theagency has already filled 83,850potholes since January 1. Duringthe same time last year, DOT filleda total of 54,426 potholes on theway to a record of nearly 400,000repairs in the fiscal year. DOT hasfixed more than 2.3 million pot-holes since 2002 and has contin-ued resurfacing efforts as part of

Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC andDOT’s strategic plan to ensure thehealth of the city’s infrastructure.

The agency also launched “TheDaily Pothole,” a blog that tracksthe agency’s pothole-filling effortscitywide. The site displays mapscharting where pothole-filling ef-forts have been targeted, as wellas pictures of crews working andthe number of potholes filled dur-ing the winter blitz—plus it al-lows the public to report potholeseasily. The site can be viewedthrough DOT’s home page atnyc.gov/dot or atthedailypothole.tumblr.com.

In addition to repairing pot-holes, DOT has kept the roads in astate of good repair by resurfacing928 miles of road in 2010, muchof it from recycled asphalt pro-duced in its own plant on HamiltonAvenue in Brooklyn and at thenewly acquired Harper Streetplant, which Mayor Bloombergopened last year.

This fiscal year, theBloomberg Administration hasbudgeted $190.4 million for pav-ing and pothole repair operationson city streets and has now added

$2 million to buttress those op-erations. The City opened a sec-ond municipal asphalt plant, inQueens, in July, helping the Cityconduct paving more efficientlyand cheaply. By using City-pro-duced asphalt containing 40%recycled asphalt pavement andvendor asphalt using 32% RAP,DOT is also saving 276,000 tonsof milled asphalt from landfills,eliminating the need to process1.3 million barrels of oil thatwould have been used to pro-duce asphalt cement and some507,000 local truck miles trav-eled in the City carrying asphalt

materials and carting awayripped-up pavement. The City isalso experimenting with new as-phalt that can be placed at lowertemperatures, which saves en-ergy in production and can po-tentially extend the paving sea-son, which ends in December.

The City uses many resourcesto identify potholes, includingthrough 311 and the SCOUT(Street Conditions ObservationUnit) program. Residents are en-couraged to call 311 to report pot-holes, which so far this month arebeing repaired in less than threedays, on average.



WELCOME HOME

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE FACTSby RITA LOWRY

OPTICAL

• EYES EXAMINED• PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED

• DESIGNER FRAMES• MEDICAID - MEDICARE

• INVISIBLE NO-LINE BIFOCALS

45-04 46th St., L.I.C., NY 11104 • (718) 784-2580DR. IRVING ROVIN

CLOSED WEDNESDAY

WE NOW ACCEPT MOST UNION PLANS & INSURANCE

R.O.I. :

RETURN ON IMPROVEMENTIf you plan to remodel or update before selling your home,

you have to find the balance between what’s appropriate andwhat qualifies as over-improvement. If you’re in a mid-range neighborhood and install granite countertops, you’reunlikely to recoup your costs. But if you’re in a higher-endcommunity, laminate may be too little, too late, resulting ina lower sales price.

So what will always work? Painting, inside or out, is one ofthe most affordable ways to increase your resale value. Ifyou’ve got wood floors underneath carpeting, show them off.Old light fixtures in the kitchen, bath and hallways should beupdate to popular styles with stainless steel or brushed nickelfinishes. And be sure to make a good first impression outdoorswith a maintained yard and perhaps a new mailbox, doorknobsand house numbers.

Before you plan your updates, visit some open houses ornew home communities where you can see the latest styles, andupdate your home’s features accordingly. Just remember tokeep your improvements clean, neutral and timeless.

Try not to be the last one on your block to remodel or update,because buyers will pass your listings over for one up the roadthat’s already been updated. Improve your chances for a quickersale at a higher price by discussing with your agent whichimprovements provide the greatest return.

401(k) Review and RolloverCan Be Rewarding

Your 401(k) offers tax-de-ductible contributions, tax-de-ferred growth of earnings poten-tial and a variety of investmentoptions — so it’s a great tool forbuilding retirement savings. Yetlike all tools, your 401(k) mustbe used properly to get the bestresults. That’s why you shouldreview your 401(k) at least annu-ally and make whatever adjust-ments are needed.

Depending on where youwork, you may get some 401(k)review help from your plan pro-vider. But if that assistance isn’tavailable, you might want to con-sult with a financial professionalto make sure you’re getting themaximum benefit from your plan.

As you begin to review your401(k), your first question shouldprobably be this:

“How much should I contrib-ute?” At the very least, try to putin enough to receive youremployer’s matching contribu-tion, if one is offered. If youdon’t earn this match, you areessentially walking away from“free money.” Beyond this,though, the amount you put intoyour 401(k) might depend onwhat other retirement savingsvehicles you have available. Forinstance, if you’re eligible, youmay also want to contribute to aRoth IRA, which offers tax-freegrowth potential, providedyou’ve had your account for five

years and don’t start taking with-drawals until you’re 59Ω.

Of course, it’s not only howmuch you put into your 401(k)that determines its success — it’salso how you choose to allocateyour investment dollars. (Keepin mind that asset allocation doesnot guarantee a profit or protectagainst loss.) Your 401(k) mayhave a dozen or more investmentchoices, such as stock funds, bondfunds and money market funds.To choose the right investmentmix, you’ll need to consider avariety of factors, including these:

Your age — Generally speak-ing, the younger you are, the moreaggressive you can afford to bewith your 401(k) investments,because you’ll have decades inwhich to potentially overcomethe inevitable down periods ofthe market. As you get older, youmay wish to invest somewhatmore conservatively, but you’llstill need some growth potentialin your 401(k) portfolio.

Your goals — Everyone hasdifferent goals for retirement.You might want to retire earlyand travel the world, while yourco-worker desires to work as longas possible and then, upon retire-ment, stay close to home andpursue hobbies. Because you eachhave different goals, with differ-ent income needs, you also mayneed to follow different invest-ment strategies within your

401(k).Your other retirement income

sources — If you have a varietyof retirement income sources —a pension from another job, anIRA, a spouse with generous re-tirement benefits — you mayneed to invest differently, per-haps less aggressively, than ifyou had fewer options for retire-ment income.

Apart from putting away asmuch as you can into your 401(k)and choosing the right invest-ment mix, what else can you doto get the most out of your plan?Here’s a suggestion: If you haveworked at various jobs and ac-quired multiple 401(k)s, considerrolling them over into one ac-count. You might save money onfees and reduce paperwork, butmore importantly, you’ll be ableto concentrate your resources andpursue a unified investment ap-proach, with your investmentdollars working together towardyour ultimate retirement goals.

As you can see, a 401(k) re-view and rollover can reward youin many ways — so do whateverit takes to maximize your 401(k)’sperformance.

This article was written byEdward Jones for use by yourlocal Edward Jones FinancialAdvisor Vincent Renda locatedat 47-01 Queens Blvd. Suite 203Sunnyside NY 11104. Phonehim at 718-361-1306.

Learn Basic ComputerSkills At SunnysideCommunity Services

Learn to use a personal computer or laptop to writeletters, compose and send e-mail, browse the internet,

use SKYPE, and more at Sunnyside CommunityServices Center for Active Older Adults. The new “Introto Computers” class runs on Mondays and Tuesdaysfrom 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., starting February 7 and endingon March 7, 2011. The fee is $25(payable by check) for

16 hands-on sessions (8 weeks). The Intro to Computersclass is one of many programs and services available

for individuals of all ages at Sunnyside CommunityServices. SCS is located at 43-31 39th Street,

Sunnyside, NY 11104. For more information call RichardMcGrade at 718 784-6173 extension 411.

DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE(Insurance and Point Reduction)

Corpus Christi Church31-30 61st Street, Woodside

Saturday, February 19th from 9:00am-3:30pmFor information and registration call (718) 278-8114

Be Heard!Please send

yourLetters to the Editor

toP.O. Box 7097

Long Island City, N.Y.11101 or

simply email them [email protected]

Top 5 Requested Books atThe Queens Library at

Sunnyside, February 2011FIC Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

613.7F The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss306.8743C Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

by Amy ChuaFIC True Grit by Charles Portis

613.25S Sexy Forever by Suzanne SomersSubmitted by Abigail Goldberg, Senior Librarian, The

Queens Library at Sunnyside

Join the

go tosunnysidechamber.org



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Advise on All MattersSuch as Health, Marriage, Career, Family

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I can help by getting to the root of your problems or questions through the powerof Meditation, Chakra, Tarot Card, Palm and Full Life Readings.No Question turnedaway or denied. Find out how you, yourself hold the answers to your life. Pick up

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DIABETIC TEST STRIPS WANTEDWe Buy Unexpired Diabetic Test Strips

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Sunnyside Reformed Church Concert a SuccessBy Rob MacKay

Sunnyside resident David Sheltonplays the piano during a free concert atSunnyside Reformed Church on Feb.5. The night included Shelton’s pianoand violin playing as well as singing by

Giuseppe Spoletini and Erin Shieldsaccompanied by Mark Wade on thestand-up bass. The four-piece groupplayed everything from jazz to classi-cal to opera music.

vol. 77, no. 7 woodside, l.i.c., n.y. friday ...to advertise e-mail [email protected] or...

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