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Westmoreland
Association, Inc.
251-31 42nd Avenue, Little Neck, NY 11363
ORGANIZED 1917 & INCORPORATED 1924
E-mail: westmoreland@littleneck.net |
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Minutes of the General Membership Meeting of the Westmoreland Association
Minutes of the September 18, 2017
Officers Present
President - Walter Mugdan
Vice President - Victor Dadras
Treasurer – Gary Savage
Secretary – Charles Manna
Board Members Present
Phil Toscano
Robert Timmerman
Peter Reinharz
John Duane
Officials Present
Ahmed Nazaar from Councilman Paul Vallone’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 $21,9381.54 as of September 18, 2017. A motion was made to accept the
Treasurer’s report. The motion was seconded and the report was unanimously
approved.
Old Business
111th Precinct representatives were due to participate in the May 17, 2017
meeting. Unfortunately, they did not appear nor did they inform us that they
were not able to attend the meeting. Subsequently, they informed us that there
was a last-minute emergency that prevented their attendance. We will invite them
to the November, 2017 meeting.
Participatory Budget Committee:
Ahmed Nazaar discussed the Participatory Budget Committee process and asked for
volunteers to join in. The committees will be chosen in the next month or so.
Park Improvement –
Laura Toscano, a local high school student, received the Rotary Club Leadership
award, which involves her working on a community service project. She presented
a project involving the improvement of the Glenwood Landing Park. Volunteers
will be needed to help improve the plantings in the park. The date for the
cleanup is October 28, 2017 from 9:00 to 2:00. The idea is to make the park more
family friendly so that more members will visit there. It is also hoped that the
improvements will discourage undesirables from hanging out there. Laura is
working with Catherine Touwsma of the Douglaston Garden Club on this project.
Catherine is also leading a project on the same day to improve the Catherine
Turner Richardson Park in Douglaston. Both projects are part of the City Parks
Department's annual "It's My Park Day" event.
It was suggested that on the project day, if sufficient volunteers show up,
volunteers could also be provided with trash bags to clean up the garbage on the
north side of 39th Road, along the LIRR parking lot fenceline.
It was suggested that lighting at the Glenwood Landing park should also be
improved to keep drug use at a minimum. Victor has been working with the Parks
Department to make such improvement.
The Amenian/Iranian Hall-
Bob Timmerman and his daughter have talked to Tony Avella and other officials
about the non-compliance of the owners of the hall. The building is in a
residential zone and has license to conduct affairs and parties for members
only. It is not permitted to rent the space for commercial catering and other
events. However, it appears that the hall may be violating these terms of use.
For instance, there was what appeared to be a catered party held there on the
Saturday that created a noise situation until 4:00 Sunday morning. They promised
that the hall would be closed after midnight in the past. The promise is not
being kept. We requested that Mr. Nazaar speak with Councilman Paul Vallone
about what we can do to enforce the law here. There is also a tax issue here --
this is supposed to be a not-for-profit enterprise.
Glenwood Street and 41 Drive.
Construction Fence – We talked to the owners and contractors. Neighbors had
complained during the summer about the condition of the grass around the lot;
Victor Dadras spoke to the owner, who took care of this problem. They also plan
on a January 2018 completion date.
251-21 41 Drive:
The house is undergoing renovations, including additions at the front and back
of the house. The front part of the addition is in violation of the covenants.
There is only a fifteen-foot setback from the front of the property. Phil
Toscano brought it to the attention of Walter Mugdan and the owners. Walter
wrote a letter to the owners advising them that they are in violation. The
Property owner claimed ignorance of the covenants, although she has lived in the
house since 1995. The Association sends a copy of the covenants along with the
March meeting notice every year. The construction has stopped and the owner’s
attorney and the Association's attorney are in contact with each other. So far,
the legal expenses the association has incurred have been minor -- our attorney
prepared and sent one formal letter to the owner. Our attorney is Moira Nicolosi,
who also has represented the Douglas Manor Association and the Broadway-Flushing
Homeowners Association in connection with their efforts to enforce their similar
Rickert-Finlay covenants. We are waiting for a response from the owner and/or
her attorney. Hopefully, it will not be necessary to go to the next step, which
would be to file a lawsuit.
Any updates will be shared on our Facebook page.
Bike Path on Northern Blvd.
Motion was made by Charles Manna and seconded by John Duane to support the
creation of a bike path to connect the Joe Michaels pathway to Douglaston
Parkway on the north side of Northern Blvd; and to request the Department of
Transportation (DOT) to consider an extension of the bike path east into Little
Neck. Passed unanimously. This reconfirms the Association's vote to support such
a bike path taken at our November, 2013 meeting. The bike path proposed by the
DOT was created as part of the Mayor's “Vision Zero” campaign, plus the efforts
of residents and businesses in the area. In June, 2017 Community Board 11 voted
to support the idea, but recently changed its position. Some CB-11 members
(including Bernie Haber) want the path to be created on an expanded sidewalk on
the north side of Northern Boulevard, so that the motor vehicle roadway would
not be narrowed. The cost of such an expansion would be high -- perhaps
prohibitive. It would require, for example, widening of the bridge over Alley
Creek; and taking space away from the golf driving range parking area. Also, the
Parks Department is expected to be reluctant to give up land for such
improvements. As of the writing of these minutes, the project has already begun.
Walter Mugdan will write a letter reflecting out support.
Speed Bumps in the Neighborhood:
DOT Deputy Queens Commissioner Silvestri advised the Association that a speed
hump will be installed on 39th Road between Westmoreland Street and Glenwood
Street (work has begun on signage).
DOT also agrees to install two street lights on 39th Road between Little Neck
Parkway and Nassau Road. (One of these could perhaps also illuminate Glenwood
Landing Park -- see above.) They are scheduled for installation during the first
quarter of 2018.
DOT will not install traffic lights along this stretch. DOT is still looking at
pedestrian volumes along 29th Road in the PM peak when people are exiting LIRR
trains.
Lions Club Honoring Westmoreland Association.
John Duane reported that the Little Neck-Douglaston Lions Club will be honoring
the Westmoreland Association along with three other local civic organizations
(the Udalls Cove Preservation Committee; the Douglas Manor Association and the
Douglas Manor Environmental Association), and two boy scout troops, at its
annual Dinner Dance, to be held at Leonard's of Great Neck on November 19.
The schedule for our remaining 2017 meeting is: November 20, 2017.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Charles Manna, Secretary
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