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Minutes of the General Membership Meeting of the Westmoreland Association
May 21, 2018

Officers Present
President - Walter Mugdan
Vice President - Victor Dadras
Treasurer – Gary Savage
Secretary – Charles Manna

Board Members Present
Peter Reinharz - yes
David Diaz - No
Phil Toscano - Yes
Robert Timmerman - Yes
Peter Reinharz - No
John Duane - Yes
Namshik Yoon - No

Officials Present
Jason Antonopoulos, Assemblyman Ed Braunstein’s office

President Walter Mugdan called the meeting to order at 8:05 P.M. A motion was made, seconded and unanimously adopted to waive reading of the minutes. (Mr. Mugdan noted that the minutes are available for review on the Westmoreland website.)

Gary Savage provided the Treasurer’s Report indicating that the balance-on-hand was $16,277.56 as of May 21, 2018. (2018 dues payments received within the previous week were not yet included in this report.) A motion was made to accept the Treasurer’s report. The motion was seconded, and the report was unanimously approved.

Report on Park Cleanups

Alley Pond Park: There was a cleanup on March 24 for the upper park.

Glenwood Landing Park: On April 21 members of the Douglaston Garden Club joined Westmoreland Association volunteers in to spruce up the park for the spring, planting an azalea and a number of creeping phlox plants. (Last fall Laura Toscano, a local high school student, collaborated with the Garden Club on a project to improve this park, including planting hundreds of daffodils.)

Udalls Cove Park: The 49th annual wetlands and woodlands clean-up was on April 28; over 70 volunteers collected 30 cubic yards of trash.

New Business

State Senator Tony Avella has asked residents to report on the condition of trees in the area, and notes that there is a sidewalk tree program: www.nycparks.gov/services/forestry/trees/sidewalksprogram.

Also, Rainbarrels will be distributed June9th at Little Bay Park parking lot.. People who reserved one must pick them up between 9:30 and 10:30. After that, it will be first come, first serve.

Participatory Budget Program – four projects won:
1. NYPD security camera – do be used in undisclosed locations
2. Bayside High School – new student lockers
3. PS 41 – Electrical upgrade
4. Whitestone library – upgrades.

111th Precinct –
1. The new C.O is Captain John Hall.
2. The Precinct is now divided up into four sectors. Each sector will have two permanent offices assigned plus twelve others will rotate in. This is part of an effort to create a more community-based policing.
3. John Erdman is the community affairs officer.
4. COMPSTAT – Since the police did not attend tonight meeting Walter read the latest stats. There were 219 felonies in the past 12 months. That number is down from 294 this time last year.

Resident Joe Salvamini reports that there is continuing parking issues on the streets in front and along side PS94. Busses in front of PS 94 block the view of cars turning onto Little Neck Parkway from 41 Drive. Double-parked and illegally parked cars block the view ot turning cars and the flow of traffic onto the streets. There should be a parking restriction of at least one car length at each corner so that turning cars can safely view oncoming traffic.

Motion made, seconded and passed – to remove one parking space at 42nd Ave and Little Neck Parkway and at 41st Drive and Little Neck Parkway. The spaces would be on both the Street side and the Avenue side of each intersection. Also, to paint exclusion Grids at each parking spot. [Written request was sent to the NYC Dep't. of Transportation on May 26; a copy has been posted on our website.]

Vandalism on Westmoreland:
There have been four or five instances of cars being “keyed” on Westmoreland between 41st and 42nd Avenues. The perpetrator has been able to stay out of the line of sight of security cameras that are posted on several of the houses located on the block. The Association has emailed members asking that residents who have had such damage done to their cars let us know, and also call 3-1-1 to report these incidents The Association will also notify the Community Affairs Officer of the 111th Precinct.

One member questioned whether the incidents might perhaps be race-related; however, based on the responses to the Association's email inquiry it appears that the damaged cars do not belong to any particular ethnic group. The incidents seem to be related more by location.

Additional Stop Signs:
Motion made by Peter Reinharz to add additional stop signs on 41st Drive and Westmoreland Street and 41st Drive and Morgan Street to help slow the cars that are taking advantage of our streets to avoid traffic on Northern Blvd. Seconded and passed. [Written request was sent to the NYC Dep't. of Transportation on May 26; a copy has been posted on our website.]

Old Business:
250-21 41 Drive:
The house is in violation of the covenants. The attorney representing the board, Ms. Nicolosi, prepared papers to file with the courts. She notified the homeowner's lawyer (as required) the day before she was to file the papers; the attorney notified her that the homeowner was prepared to eliminate the violation. The Board of Directors considered the matter carefully and accepted the offer, with a few specific conditions.

This case has cost the Association over $6,600. Unfortunately, the Association is confronted with a similar need to resort to the courts (or almost so, as in this case) approximately once every twenty-five years or so. And these are invariably expensive undertakings.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Charles Manna, Secretary
 

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