Woodhaven

Woodhaven Prepares for Hurricane Sandy

As youare no doubt aware, a storm of significant size is approaching our area -- at this point it looks as if it will hit our area sometime Monday evening.  At 7.p.m. tonight the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will begin to orderly suspend of all subway, bus and commuter railroad service including the Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road. People should stay off the roads as much as possible. Conditions may become dangerous, and any traffic would impede our emergency services. 

All NYC Schools and Libraries are closed tomorrow.

If you are on Twitter, Mayor Mike Bloomberg's feed is a good one to follow to get updates on what's open and what's closed -- click here for Mike Bloomberg on Twitter.  For more local information you should also follow The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association,  the WRBA's Alex Blenkinsopp, and ProjectWoodhaven. 

Remember - if you are a Block Captain we will be reaching out to you for reports on conditions on your block.  Does your block have a captain?  Click here to see the latest map. 

Should a tree (or branch) come down, blocking your street -- CALL 311 -- make sure you write down the complaint number -- then report it to the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association via email at [email protected] or by calling us at 718-296-3735.  Do not report it to the WRBA without calling 311 first.

Do not underestimate this storm - use today to ensure that you are prepared.  Take a few moments to tour your front and back yards - as we are expecting high winds, please make sure that any loose items are stored away.  Make sure your gas tank is full.  Make sure your cell phones remain on charge.  Make sure you have ample working batteries for flashlights, radios, etc.  Be prepared for the worst - be prepared to be without electricity and/or water for a few days.

(Click here for some ideas on items you make need to stock up on.)

Take a few moments to review where all your important papers are -- make sure your insurance forms as safe and easily located. 

Should utility lines fall DO NOT TOUCH THEM. Even if the line is for another utility (cable or phone) the line could be charged with electricity due to a problem elsewhere in the system. TREAT EVERY UTILITY LINE AS IF IT WERE LIVE. If you observe a downed utility line call 311.

For additional information and tips regarding power, visit National Grid's Hurricane Sandy Page.

If you have an elderly neighbor please do take a few moments to check in on them and make sure they are okay.

What To Do In High Winds - Some Dos and Don'ts in the event you are caught outside in high winds.

Wind and Water Protection - Some tips on protecting you and your family from wind and water damage.

Protecting Your Pets - Some tips on protecting your pets during an emergency.

Do not take any unnecessary chances -- be careful -- stay safe.

WRBA & 102 Pct. Battle Residential Noise

With the arrival of warm weather comes a wave of noise complaints from residents of Woodhaven.  And the 102 Precinct gets deluged every night, but particularly weekends, by 311 Noise complaints.  Captain Martin Briffa of the 102 told us this week that on this past Saturday Night (June 16th) the 102 Precinct had 17 concurrent noise complaints.  It's a problem that's spiraled out of control.

Take a look at the following map, which highlights the locations of residential noise complaints in Woodhaven since the beginning of May.  Larger yellow circles represent a higher number of calls.

The WRBA is working closely with the 102 Precinct, speaking with them regularly over the past few weeks.  They are working hard on the problem and we are very happy to report that they issued 11 summonses this past weekend -- at $150 a pop!  We are hopeful that this tactic continues and alters the behavior of chronic noise abusers.

Other chronic noise abusers received personal visits from the 102 Precinct and were issued warnings.  If you have a chronic noise abuser on your block, and you are frustrated -- tortured by loud parties that go on until all hours of the night -- you should work with the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association.  We have handed over a list of chronic noise abusers to the 102 Precinct -- these are locations that (a) residents have reported to us; and (b) have multiple 311 reports.

You need to call 311.  We've spoken to residents who say calling 311 is a waste of time, but if you feel that way you are not looking at the big picture.  Calling 311 helps to build a case against chronic noise abusers and makes it easier to resolve those issues.

If you have a chronic noise abuser on your block, contact the WRBA -- email us at [email protected] or call us at 718-296-3735.  We can't promise that the noise will cease immediately -- but we can promise it will get attention and that's the 1st step to solving the problem.

If you do not work with the WRBA, you will be working on your own to resolve your problem -- making it much more likely that you will have a noisy summer.

Woodhaven Town Hall - Wednesday Night (5/23 at 7:30)

The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association will be holding their monthly Town Hall meeting Wednesday Night (May 23rd) at 7:30 PM.  The meeting will be held at Emanuel United Church of Christ on 91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard.  On the agenda:

• We will be joined by the Department of Sanitation.  One of the concerns we wish to address is the high number of illegal dumping / improper disposals on Jamaica Avenue.  If you have other Sanitation issues, this is a great opportunity to discuss them.

• We will have a special surprise guest.  We won't say who it is but we'll leave you with this little clue.  What goes round in circles, has a lot of carved animals on it, has been closed for 4 years and reopens on Saturday?

• We will be giving an update on our war against graffiti, and the news is pretty good.  We're seeing that many of the locations reported during our 311 weekend are getting cleaned -- that's very encouraging.

In fact, it is that last point we will be driving home over the next few weeks/months.  Here is just a very small sample of some of our successes from calling 311 --

The only fingers we lifted to get these locations cleaned was to dial 311.  Previously, we've shown how you can report graffiti on a residential property (not your own property) -- it takes about 4 minutes.

We're looking for residents who will pledge to make 1 call per week.  4 minutes per week, that's all we are asking residents to pledge.  Surely you see at least 1  instance of graffiti every time you go outside.  

If we get 40 residents to pledge 1 graffiti cleanup request per week, that would add up to 160 graffiti cleanup requests a month.  That's over two thousand cleanup requests per year.  More importantly, that means there will be a whole lot of cleaning going on in Woodhaven.  

And last week, the WRBA was out with volunteers painting over graffiti -- we have a winning formula and you can be a part of it.  Hope to see you at our meeting Wednesday Night.

Woodhaven Town Hall Sat April 21 - MOVED

Please be aware that Saturday's Town Hall meeting of the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association has been moved -- it will take place at 1 PM Emanuel Church of Christ at 91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard.  (Did you know that Emanuel is celebrating their 135th Anniversary this year?)

Should be a very interesting meeting -- we anticipate meeting at least 2 of the candidates for Congress -- we'll be handing over a check for the money the residents of Woodhaven raised for the Woodhaven Volunteer Ambulance Corps -- we have a special guest from the School Sisters of notre Dame coming by to say hello -- and we'll discuss what we learned from the 311 fundraiser -- and we'll be announcing big plans for graffiti cleanup (and a big statement on enforcement).

Being we are on the other side of Woodhaven for a change, we hope that some of you will take the opportunity to come out to meet your friends and neighbors and be a part of the community.  The WRBA is a collection of Woodhaven Residents who work to improve our community -- read about our accomplishemnts and positions by clicking here.

The WRBA continues to thrive and survive on minimal funding.  We do ask our residents to try and join -- it's low cost and membership adds up to keep the organization alive.  Join at the next meeting you attend, or click here to join online.

Hope to see you Saturday!

 

 

 

Woodhaven's 311 Spring Cleaning Fundraiser

The residents of Woodhaven are ushering in the a season by doing a little Spring cleaning, and raising a little cash for the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps at the same time!

The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association will be holding their first ever "311 Day" on Saturday, March 31st.  On that day we will ask residents to take a walk -- literally.  Go outside and walk around your block.  Make it two or three blocks, further if you feel ambitious.  And make note of every single reportable condition you see. 

Look for graffiti on the walls of private homes, or on the doors of garages.  Look for potholes that need repaired, or other dangerous conditions.  Look for abandoned homes or illegal conversions.  Basically, make note of anything around your house that has a negative impact on our community.  Write down a description and write down the precise location.

Once you get home, start calling each and every item into 311 - but please make sure you write down each complaint number and pass them along to the WRBA.  In some cases, you may get passed along to a different agency (e.g., Buildings Department, or Con Ed), write down the complaint number they give you.  And if you collect so many complaints that you don't have time to report them all, send them to us because we will have volunteers standing by to call them in.
Our goal is to report at least 100 separate items in a single day.  One hundred items in Woodhaven that need to be corrected, cleaned or repaired.  As you walk or drive around this neighborhood we're sure you see plenty of things that need cleaned up or fixed.  Well, it isn't going to happen if it doesn't get reported.  

Once we're finished, we will follow-up on each of these items at the end of every month and publish statistics on how many of them have been addressed.  This will be our way of determining how well the 311 system works for us.  The city is supposed to clean up graffiti within 35 days of it being reported.  We will see how well they are living up to their own standards.

So far, so good - but here is where it gets really interesting.  We have a few sponsors who are supporting our efforts to clean up Woodhaven.  For example, some folks are pledging to give ten cents per 311 call made.  So if the residents end up reporting 100 conditions, that person would be on the hook for 10 bucks.  At twenty-five cents per 311 call, they'd end up donating 25 dollars. And just like the Walk-A-Thon, you can max out at a certain amount - so you can pledge twenty-five cents per call, but specify that you don't want to give more than 15 dollars.

And all of the money that is collected, every single dollar, will be donated to the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps, a truly deserving organization that has been serving this community for over 45 years.  In summary, we're cleaning up Woodhaven, measuring the effectiveness of 311 and holding a fundraiser for the Volunteer Ambulance Corps, all at the same time.   It's a Win-Win-Win.

We need sponsors, and we need people to hit the streets and report the issues that plague us.  If you are interested in either, email us at [email protected] or call us at 718-296-3735.  You can make a difference.  Get involved with the WRBA and we'll show you how.

WRBA Hosts Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Seminar

 

The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association is helping the residents of Woodhaven prepare for the upcoming winter by hosting a presentation by the American Red Cross entitled "Ready New York." This 45 minute emergency preparedness presentation teaches residents how to create a plan, build a supply kit, as well as keep loved ones safe and informed during times of disaster.  Participants will receive an interactive CD Rom that can be used to create a customized evacuation plan and other tools that will help any family get prepared.  Also included are various brochures from the American Red Cross and the New York City Office of Emergency Management. 

"Last winter we were hit by a massive blizzard right after Christmas and many of our residents were stuck in their homes for almost a week," said WRBA President Ed Wendell.  "We want to make sure that if that happens again, we're all better prepared for it."  The meeting will take place at 1 PM on Saturday, December 17th at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Ambulance Corps (78-15 Jamaica Avenue).

The WRBA will also continue signing up residents at part of their Block Captain program, which signs up local residents to be part of a communications network in the event of an emergency.  The WRBA reports that they currently have close to 40% of Woodhaven covered.  "In the wake of Hurricane Irene, we were able to quickly put together a comprehensive report of damage in our community," Wendell said.  "This winter, when we get hit with snow, we'll be able to report directly to the Department of Sanitation and tell them which streets need plowing.  We feel that an orderly, organized approach such as this will help us get better service."

Click here for a full sized version of the map.  

The WRBA was formed in 1972. Its stated purpose at the time remains its mission today: to foster "an interest in civic, social and political affairs." The WRBA advocates on behalf of the residents of Woodhaven, promotes neighborhood spirit by bringing together residents and local leaders, and seeks to engage all in the betterment of our community.

In addition to the upcoming winter, the WRBA will also discuss recent efforts to make changes to the laws regarding illegal signs and give an update on efforts to build a coalition to seek landmark status for the Forest Park Carousel.  We will also discuss the recent arrest of 2 graffiti vandals, arrests that were the direct result of information passed along to the NYPD by the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association.

 

Woodhaven Straw Poll - How Did Your Issues Fare?

At the most recent Woodhaven Town Hall meeting, we had a little experiment.  A number of the issues that are frequently called in, or discussed at meetings, were put on display, on a table -- each problem affixed to a cup.  Noise, Illegal Conversions, Illegal Signs, etc.  Over a dozen different "issue cups" were put out.  And as each resident came into the meeting they were handed 7 straws.

The idea was that they had to place a straw into each cup which they felt needed attention.  And if they felt that a particular issue needed extra attention, they could place 3 or 4 or all 7 of their straws in that issue cup.  Residents took their allotted straws and began voting in our "straw poll" --

One resident said they needed more than 7 straws -- illustrating the point of limited resources.  We'd like to concentrate on all of the issues -- but sometimes we have to pick and choose our battles, and this experiment was designed to see which issues mattered most to the residents of Woodhaven.  And if a particular issue was not on the table, they were free to add their own issue cup. 

It was an interesting experiment, as were the results.  "Not Enough Police" came in first with 46 straws (22%), "Illegal Conversions" was in second place with 25 straws (12%) and "Gangs" came in third with 23 straws (11%).

Here are the complete results -- how did the issues that matter most to you fare?

1) Not Enough Police 46 (22%)
2) Illegal Conversions 25 (12%)
3) Gangs 23 (11%)
4) Dirty Streets 20 (10%)
5) Graffiti Vandals 18 (9%)
6) Noisy Neighbors 16 (8%)
7) Noisy Cars 15 (7%)
8) Illegal Driveways 10 (4%)
9) Illegal Dumping 9 (3%)
9) Out Of State Parking 9 (3%)
11) Forest Park Carousel 8 (3%)
12) Bad Snow Response 7 (3%)
13) JHS 210 Students Destroying Property 6 (2%)
13) Illegal Signs 6 (2%)
15) Clogged Sewers 2 (1%)

A few notes:

** Some people felt that Noisy Neighbors and Noisy Cars should have been a single issue -- combined they got 31 straws (15%), good enough for 2nd Place.

** Some issues may be seasonal.  Perhaps if we took this straw poll again after the next blizzard, the snow response issue may have gotten more than 3%.  On the other hand, we did have a long session with the Department of Sanitation at a prior meeting - perhaps the residents were satisfied with the answers they received.

** The issue with students at JHS 210 was added by a resident, we will be meeting with residents and gathering more details on this issue.

It was an interesting experiment -- and the results have given us food for thought.  We'll be having a 2nd Round of our Woodhaven Straw Poll soon -- make sure you attend a Town Hall meeting so you can make sure your voice is counted!  the next Woodhaven Town Hall is on Saturday, October 15th at 1 PM -- at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Ambulance Corps (78-15 Jamaica Avenue).

Woodhaven Fights Noise Online

You're getting ready for bed, but you know you won't be getting any sleep because -- once again -- there's a huge party on your block.  It's after midnight, they've got 3 dozen people in their backyard, they've got 6-foot tall speakers, and the music is rattling your windows.

You think about calling 311 but you remember what happened the last time you called -- you were on hold for 35 minutes before you gave up.  And even if you got through, the police aren't going to respond that evening.  But it is very important that you, and your neighbors, make it known who is making life miserable in Woodhaven.

So, here's some instructions on how you can quickly and easily file the noise complaint online.

Note:  This is not going to solve the noise problem in Woodhaven.  It will take a number of different approaches.  But all roads lead back to having a solid database of chronic noise offenders.  If we don't file noise complaints -- and keep track of them -- they will never get resolved.

Entering a Noise Complaint Online

1) Click here to access 311's Night Noise Survey.  

2) Enter a description of the noise -- and enter the date and time.  Then click the arrow to move to the next screen.

3) At the next screen identify the type of location, the borough, the street address and any other pertinent information about the location.  (Note: We have blurred out the address in the image below).  It is extremely important that you enter the exact address.  Once you are done with this screen, click the arrow.     

Once you click the arrow, 311 will verify the street address you entered.  This may take a moment or two -- be patient.

4) Next, review all of the information that you've entered.  If you spot a mistake, you can click edit to go back and change it.  When finished, you need to look at the letters in the graphic, enter it into the box, and click Submit Form.

The 311 system will display the following while your complaint is being submitted.  Please be patient,  it will take a moment or two.

5) Last step, the 311 system will display a message that your complaint has been successfully submitted.  It will give you a Service Request Number.  

You Need To Keep This Number and Report It To The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association. 

You can e-mail it to the WRBA at [email protected].  Or, you can call the WRBA at 718-296-3735 (if no one answers, leave a message). 

Please pass along (1) the street address as well as (2) the Service Request Number.

The WRBA will build a database of chronic noise locations and advocate on your behalf that action be taken.  And once increased fines are in place, thanks to Councilman Eric Ulrich's pending change to the Noise Bill, these locations will be visited.

Here is a brief video showing you how easy it is to enter a noise complaint online:

 

 
Pass this link along to your friends and (especially) your neighbors.  Let's start building that database. 

Click here for a printable version of these instructions.