Kudos from Comptroller

Dear Bob:
Just a note to congratulate you on your election as President of the premier civic association in Queens. Our long history of working together and your past leadership role at the Juniper Park Civic Association leads me to conclude that your members have made a very wise decision.
I look forward to continuing to work with you on issues of mutual concern and to reading the next informative issue of the Juniper Berry Magazine.

Best wishes to you and all my friends in the Juniper Park Civic Association.

Sincerely,
Alan G. Hevesi
Comptroller,
City of New York

Best Berry

Dear Lorraine,
Received my Berry and it is the best yet, you are doing a great job. God bless you. I am now age 86, with 12 grand children. Two of the youngest are preparing for Holy Communion, and two of the eldest are in their first year of college. Busy and also lonely- I miss Anne Hyland, Mae Healy, and Della, all in my block. When I moved in October 1950 with three children under 3 years of age, Della talked me into helping her with the coffee and cake down at the civic. We laughed so much there!!! I Enjoyed it.

I remember you, your parents and I think your grandparents. So much has happened down the years. I live alone, poor vision, just to go to the food store and church, alone.
My daughter (Pat Kelly -Stiles) works for the Catholic Schools and is very good to me, she lives in Flushing. I’m the oldest on my block. No one seems to go to the meetings. An old friend of mine bought a house 4 doors from me this fall. Maybe we’ll see you at the March meeting. God bless.

May Kelly

Flora Gannon, Treasurer,
Enclosed, is a check in the amount of $10.00, for the yearly renewal membership dues.

The Juniper Park Civic does a great job.

The $10.00 membership dues has to be the greatest bargain in the world. The Juniper Berry alone is worth more than the $10 dues … Love the old pictures … don’t stop, the more the better.

Thank you.
Respectfully,
Joe Tullo

To All,
We enjoy the Juniper Berry immensely and applaud your efforts.

Sincerely,
Mr. & Mrs. A. Asaro

Dear Editor:
I’ve lived in Middle Village since 11/38. This (Jan. 98) is the most interesting Berry yet. Read it from cover to cover – now wave your magic wand and bring us back a 5 & 10. We lost this store from Eliot and 80th Street, taken over by Artis Drugstore. We miss it so much. I know there is no place to put a new one just thought I’d mention it. I’m very happy about the hardware store on 82nd Street. Wish them luck.

Thanks,
Mary Casella

Dear Editor,
Enclosed is our membership dues. It is a pleasure to be a member. We enjoy the “Berry” very much. It just gets better and better. Your web site is great too.

People think Middle Village is stuck in the past but you have put us in the future.

Joyce and Bernie Beaudoin

Dear Sirs,
Enclosed 1998 membership renewal for Juniper Berry. My son picked up January 1998 so I have that. Thank God as it has the picture of Rey’s Hardware store where as a child in the late 30’s early 40’s we used to buy small items, flashlights, etc. Please see if you have a December issue and try to make my deliveries more regular. I hate missing issues with the old pictures. I have lived in Maspeth since 1929 and am 70 years old.

Thank you for your trouble.
Eugene Polgar

Mr. Polgar was kind enough to send us his memories of Maspeth. Please see inside backcover. ed.

Dear Juniper Berry:
The Juniper Berry has great pictures of past and present and great articles.

Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,
Stephen Zuvich

Dirt on Middle Village

Dear Editor,
As a Middle Village resident of fourteen years I must admit that I do love this neighborhood. I think that the Juniper Berry is a great publication and feel it's a privilege to write for it. One of my favorite features is Maspeth Memories. These articles have a down-to-earth quality that makes them impossible to skip.

Well, my Maspeth Memories don't go back to trollies or penny candy. My childhood memories exist in the seventies; eight tracks, bell bottoms and really bad haircuts. I find myself telling kids that they have no space to play these days. ” When I was a kid, we had plenty of vacant lots to play in”. The poor kids that were listening to me were probably bored to death.

Finally, I come to the point of this article. One of the things I failed to mention about these glorious vacant lots is that they were almost always littered with debris and, among other things, dog droppings. It was common knowledge in the seventies that any grassy knoll, weeded area or somewhat remote patch of sidewalk was very likely to be stocked with doggy presents.

Then, something wonderful happened. The enactment of the Pooper Scooper Law. This was, in my opinion, one of the greatest laws ever passed. For the longest time we walked the streets without needing to watch what we might be stepping in. That was one memory of the “good old days” that I was happy to forget.

Unfortunately, this is one Middle Village Memory that is once again becoming a reality. A few months ago I was walking along the street, minding my own business when out of the corner of my eye, and directly below my right foot I spotted it! There it was, canine fecal matter right there on the sidewalk. Instinctively, I raised my right foot higher and pushed myself forward using my left foot to jump over the pile. “Cool”, I thought to myself, “my instincts are just as sharp as they were twenty years ago”. Then, common sense took over and told me I had the wrong reaction. I've been noticing dog dirt on the street more and more in the past eighteen months and am under the impression that “Pooper Scooper” law is conveniently being forgotten.

I don't expect the police to drop what they're doing to ticket inconsiderate dog walkers. But, if they happen to spot a “Pooper Scooper” offender on a routine patrol they should stop and issue a ticket. As a community, we should not stand idly by if we witness an offense. We'll need to say something, if not to the offender then to the police or the community board. After all, we do have to live here.

Thank You.
Paul Hogan

Car Port Yards

Dear Editor,
We have written letters, made phone calls to various organizations, elected officials about homeowners on 69th Place and other areas that make their own parking car ports in front of their homes and also park their second car in front. Some tenants are also paying for these spots. In some areas trees were removed to make room for parking. Nothing has been done for some time to help our community with this unsightly condition.

Thank you,
FP and friends

Not Heaven for 7-Eleven
The following letter was sent to Southland Corporation, parent company of 7-Eleven.

Dear Mr. Volkening:
It has come to my attention that The Southland Corporation plans to build a 7-11 at the above referenced address. I must inform you that there is intense and considerable community opposition to this proposed construction. It is my understanding that at the March 12th meeting of the Juniper Park Civic Association (a local community group), more than 600 residents attended to demonstrate their opposition to the 7-11. Furthermore, it is my understanding that this civic organization has amassed more than 1,800 signatures against your project.

The reasons why my community is against this project are simple and straightforward. The proposed site is across the street from Our Lady of Hope School, and is also an area of extreme traffic congestion and traffic accidents. It is the community’s contention and my own that the addition of a 7-11 to this area would present a clear and present danger not only to the children attending the school, but to every individual in the area, travelling either on foot or in a vehicle. Even without the addition of a 7-11, I must inform you that the surrounding environs have been, and continue to be the subject of debate concerning possible solutions to the traffic problems in the vicinity. In fact, the New York City Department of Transportation has just finished a pilot program in street traffic adjustment for this area, and additional meetings have been requested to address the ongoing traffic dilemma Additionally, I am informed that the site may have been contaminated by the gas station that occupied the site, necessitating an environmental cleanup.

In light of all these factors, I would request that you abandon your plans to build a 7-11 on that site, for the reasons aforementioned, but especially for the safety of every person in my community.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Karen Koslowitz
Council Member