As they do on the 3rd Wednesday of every month, the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association held an open forum at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps (78-15 Jamaica Avenue). Note: We're a little late getting around to this report -- this meeting took place on May 20th). For those of you who currently reside in Woodhaven, these are great meetings to attend. For starters, you walk away much better informed on what's going on in your community. But more importantly, you are welcome to voice your opinion -- and in many cases, to those who were elected to represent us.
Such was the case last month when Council Member Elizabeth Crowley attended to give us an update on what she's been working on -- and to field question from the attendees.
She begins by talking about the work being done to balance the budget -- and the effort to close a 1.5 Billion Dollar gap. The tough choices, she explains, usually come down to issues such as cutting services or raising taxes. After saying that she is against raising taxes, she goes on to say that she favors trying to close the gap by cutting wasteful spending.
A hot topic of discussion these past few months was the very real possibility of our firehouse being shut down - Engine 293 on 87th Street. Although it's safe, it's really only safe for the moment. And Ms. Crowley reports that she, and other lawmakers, were asked to sign off on a budget that called for 12 engine companies to close in January -- yet the budget did not identify which station houses would close. So there's a good possibility we might have to gear up for a fight, folks.
How safe will you feel going to bed each night, knowing that the nearest help in case of emergency has just been moved 8 or 10 or even 12 minutes further away? You can see why we need more involvement from the community.
Another topic for discussion was the painting of the El Train. Ms. Crowley discussed the timing of the painting in response to concerns raised by Ms. Maria Thomson. Although we desperately need to have the El Train painted, we don't want it done in such a way that it will seriously interfere with the businesses along the avenue (who, let's face it, are having trouble enough). By the way, we have a poll and discussion thread up where you can cast your vote on what color the El should be painted. One reader has already posted a well thought out response which includes some ideas on how we can make the elevated tracks work to our advantage: Similar to a mall, the EL's over-hang is perfect for business signs. More particularly the cross-bar beams that connect both tracks. Only these beams would be utilized. Well designed signs with bold features can enhance any retail environment. Nothing too gaudy, nothing too hard to read. Check out the thread and put in your two cents. Moving along, here's the first part of Ms. Crowley's appearance:
The discussion kept to the budget gap and the difficulties it causes. One of our Woodhaven residents took the floor and explained the problems as he sees it. And he does it in a simple way -- using a cake as the pot of money our government gets to spend. From there the discussion goes into taxes and revenues and all sorts of interesting stuff that we should be talking about at the local level. Many of us probably already discuss these issues -- but we're talking to our friends, or our family . . . or maybe we're just muttering to ourselves :-) But here's a chance, in a relaxed environment, to have these kinds of discussions with the folks that we elected to be our advocates in Albany and Washington. Here's Part Two of Ms. Crowley's appearance:
After the meeting, I asked this guy if I could take his picture. That's a the kind of community involvement we love to see -- standing up and speaking your piece. And credit goes also to Ms. Crowley, because the condition that our government is in these days, it can't be real easy to go out and have to answer for it. Anyway, here's this guy -- my apologies, but I don't have his name. Below, left, WRBA President Vance Barbour and Maria Thomson listen to Elizabeth Crowley address the audience. At right, Ms. Crowley with Community Advocate, Albert Baldeo. And finally, if you watched the video you have seen this already. But near the end of her appearance, President Barbour made Ms. Crowley an official member of the Woodhaven Community and gave her one of the smart looking Woodhaven T-Shirts the WRBA designed. The next meeting is in 6 days, Wednesday June 17th at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps (78-15 Jamaica Avenue). We'll be posting the newsletter and agenda soon. And we hope to see some of you there. 
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.
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