LARGEST AUDITED COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN QUEENS Jan. 2–8, 2015 Your Neighborhood — Your News® 75 cents THE NEWSPAPER OF FLUSHING, AUBURNDALE, KEW GARDENS HILLS & FRESH MEADOWS Willets Pt. biz ask city to fi x Mayor extends olive branch rutted roads Summit with police union offi cials follows protest at Ramos funeral BY MADINA TOURE Willets Point United, a group representing businesses and BY BILL PARRY land owners in Willets Point, is Mayor Bill de Blasio met with calling on the city Department the heads of the police unions of Transportation to repair in College Point in an effort to streets and infrastructure in defuse the tension that hovered the blighted area. over the funeral of a slain cop Concerns include the large last weekend when thousands of number of potholes and uneven officers turned their backs as he roads as well as the lack of litter eulogized their fallen brother. baskets and sewers, said Gerald De Blasio left the 2-1/2-hour Antonacci, WPU’s president. meeting with police without The neglected landscape commenting Tuesday. While falls within the northern and PBA President Pat Lynch said eastern ends of the area, partic- he thought the talks helped to ularly 34th Avenue, 126th Place, move things in a “positive direc- 127th Street, 127th Place, 35th tion,” none of the union officials Avenue and Willets Point Boule- would take any questions after vard, Antonacci said. the session ended at the new Po- “It looks like a third world lice Academy. country here and it’s because of A spokesman for the mayor them,” he said. “We need to be said, “Today’s meeting focused able to drive down our streets on building a productive dia- without falling into potholes and logue and identifying ways to breaking our cars and trucks. move forward together. The We’ve gone to the community mayor and police commissioner board about this and they’ve remain committed to keeping got this on their list of things to crime in New York City at his- do, but it just seems like nobody torically low levels, supporting wants to do it.” the brave men and women in The DOT and Community uniform who protect us every Board 7 could not be reached for day, and finding ways to bring comment. The $3 billion Willets police and the community clos- Point Development Plan will en- er together.” tail the building of a megamall The mayor had hoped extend- as well as commercial, retail and ing an olive branch might help residential space on the 62-acre bridge a growing divide after he Willets Point site. heard boos and catcalls Monday The developer, Queens De- at a ceremony for nearly 900 new velopment Group — a joint ven- PBA President Pat Lynch with police union officials leaving closed-door talks with Mayor Bill de Blasio graduates of the Police Academy ture between Sterling Equities and Comissioner Bill Bratton earlier this week at the new Police Academy in College Point. at Madison Square Garden. Continued on Page 32 Photo by Matthew McDermott Continued on Page 34 Clearing up Flushing’s traffi c woes B ow i n g t o c ompl a i nt s ab out two traffic agents. The group units, commercial space and a traffic created by the Flush- agreed to take the steps to pro- new YMCA. ing Commons construction, vide greater protection to pe- See story on Page 5 the city Department of Trans- destrians as they work on the portation asked the develop- long-awaited multi-use build- ers of the project to install a ing in downtown Flushing temporary walkway and hire that will have 600 residential A CNG Publication Vol. 24 No. 1 44 total pages McD’s closes on Bell Advocates push for Patrons shocked Big Mac gone after lease not renewed smoke-free housing BY JUAN SOTO smoke gets into an apartment, BY JUAN SOTO it stays there. Hilltop Village in Hollis- The advocate said he pre- There is a McMystery on wood has about 500 smoke- sented his proposal, in col- Bell Boulevard. free apartments. laboration with the Queens The busy Bayside McDon- And for Phil Konigsberg, Smoke Free Partnership and ald’s spot shut its doors unex- a smoke-free advocate, that’s the New York City Coalition pectedly, leaving patrons out the closest one can get to heav- for a Smoke-free City, to seven of their favorite joint to enjoy a en on earth. of the 14 community boards in Big Mac and a flavored coffee. For the past five years, the Queens, and to another one in The operators of the fast Bay Terrace resident has been Staten Island. food restaurant at the inter- pushing for smoke-free multi- The city Department of section of Bell Boulevard and ple-family housing residenc- Health and Mental Hygiene 42nd Avenue packed up every- es. He drafted a resolution estimated the adult smoking thing, leaving nothing behind. with that objective, and he is population in the city is about There is no trace that the Gold- presenting it to community 16.1 percent, up from just 14 en Arches establishment was boards across he borough. percent in 2010. once there on Bayside’s main “You go to restaurants, Currently, there are no laws commercial strip. stores, public indoor places preventing apartment owners “We just don’t know why it and they have a smoke-free and landlords from adopting closed,” said an observer who protective law,” Konigsberg a smoke-free practice, accord- follows happenings on Bell said. “But you spend at least ing to the New York City Co- Boulevard. half a day in your house and alition for a Smoke-free City. Customers were shocked you are not really protected.” Konigsberg knows he is in when they saw the doors Konigsberg said that in the middle of an uphill battle, close. Google Street Views is pretty much the only evidence left that there was apartment buildings, such as but recently his proposition “What happened?” a Bay- once a McDonald's on Bell Boulevard. Google Earth condos and co-ops, smoke from was passed by Community side neighbor asked Tuesday cigarettes can penetrate into a Board 7 in Flushing and Com- afternoon at the restaurant’s cy after Superstorm Sandy. ers and landlords in transition non-smoker’s home through munity Board 11 in Bayside. shuttered door. But the Canadian-based com- and puts them in touch with walls, hallways, vents and The approval is non-bidding. But McDonald’s had the pany, YM Inc., rescued Big M public and private organiza- electrical outlets. “Having He also spoke at CB 6 in clue to solve the enigma. and agreed to pay more than tions “to launch the business- smoke-free buildings is some- Forest Hills, CB 8 in Hollis, “The restaurant closed due $22 million to save the retail es with the right resources.” thing I strongly believe in,” he CB 9 in Kew Gardens, CB10 in to the expiration of the natural stores. The executive director of said. South Ozone Park and CB13 lease and the non-renewal by YM operates more than 600 the Bayside BID said the bou- When Hilltop Village in Queens Village. By next the leasing agent,” a spokes- stores in Canada, including levard is going through some announced the smoke-free man for the McDonald’s Cor- the chain Bluenotes. In New normal changes, including the environment back in 2013, Continued on Page 34 poration said. He added that York City, there were about 15 already completed renovation representatives from Long the multinational is already Mandee stores before Sandy of Dunkin Dounuts, Pizzeria Island Jewish Medical center canvassing the area in hopes hit. Uno and Karma Boutique. and the Queens Smoke Free of finding a new, suitable loca- “The closing of Mandee I He also said the Mexican Partnership, a nonprofit, said tion. understand was a corporate restaurant Cinco de Mayo their goal was to eliminate “We are in the process of decision,” said another source closed at its prior location but cigarette smoke from residen- looking for a new location,” familiar with businesses on opened immediately after at tial housing units in Queens the spokesman said. “We are Bell Boulevard. a new location on Bell Boule- by alerting the public to risks looking forward to the grand Mandee started in the late vard, tripling its size. Its own- caused by smoking. reopening.” 1940s as a family-owned busi- ers inaugurated the Peruvian “Much of the air in apart- Sometime before the Mc- ness out of New Jersey. foodie Piura Restaurant at ment buildings is shared Nuggets and McFlurries dis- A pharmacy also closed re- Cinco de Mayo’s old spot. among the residents,” Yvette appeared from Bell Boulevard, cently on Bell Boulevard. Also new is the Colombian Buckner-Jackson, from the the women’s clothing retailer “Nobody likes to see busi- Mr. Pollo 1 establishment that Queens Smoke Free Partner- Mandee, just down the block, nesses closing,” said Lyle opened at 42-20 Bell Blvd., a ship said at the time. “This also closed. Sclair, executive director of storefront that was closed for air travels through the unit The owners of Mandee, at Bayside Village Business Im- a few years. through vents, cracks, outlets A proposal circulating among 42-19 Bell Blvd., planned to provement District. “But we — it’s a huge issue.” Queens community boards would close shop more than a year try to help,” he said. Reach reporter Juan Soto by Hilltop Village is at 87-50 prohibit people from smok- ago when the parent company, Sclair pointed out the asso- e-mail at [email protected] or 204th St.