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Minutes of the General Membership Meeting of the Westmoreland Association
March 20, 2017

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

Board Members Present
None

Officials Present
J. Antos from Assemblyman Braunstein's Office
Ahmed Nazaar from Councilman Avella'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 $20,767.51 as of March 20, 2017. A motion was made to accept the Treasurer’s report. The motion was seconded and the report was unanimously approved.

New Business
Walter Mugdan presented the roster of candidates for the Westmoreland Homeowners association board and its officers. There were no additions or deletions from the prior year. An invitation was made for new candidates to announce themselves. No one volunteered. So, once again, the election of the standing candidates was made, seconded and passed.
The positions are:
President – Walter Mugdan
Vice President – Victor Dadras
Secretary – Charles Manna
Treasurer – Gary Savage

Board members:
. David Diaz
. John Duane
. Peter Reinharz
. Robert Timmerman
. Philip Toscano

Old Business
Mr. Mugdan read parts of several communications from Hon. Albert Silvestri, Queens Deputy Borough Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation. Commissioner Silvestri attended our previous (November 2016) meeting in response to our invitation to discuss ways in which traffic safety in our community could be improved. Commissioner Silvestri provided the following responses to our stated concerns and suggestions:

•   He put in a request to review for mid-block crossings at the three (3) LIRR access points along 39 Road (between Little Neck Parkway and Nassau Road). The tracking number for this request is DOT-324354-D4G0. He anticipates a response in late April 2017. If mid-block stop signs are not feasible (he’ll find out if they meet the criteria with this study), this issue will then be flagged directly with DOT's Pedestrian Projects Group to evaluate for other possible improvements.
•   DOT has reviewed for the placement of sidewalk on the north side of 39th Road; however due to the number of trees and the narrow width of 39th Road, it has been determined that adding a sidewalk on the north side of the street is not feasible.
•   Additionally, he put in a request to review for additional street lighting along this same stretch of 39th Road. The tracking number is DOT-324359-K7H7 and the anticipated response is also in April 2017.
•   DOT will not install "No standing" signs on 39th Road, but will evaluate whether existing "No Parking" signs should be refurbished/replaced.
•   Speed Humps on MORGAN STREET from 41 DRIVE to NORTHERN BOULEVARD: DOT-324368-L3M9, anticipated response is January 2018.
•   All-Way Stop Studies: (1) Westmoreland and 41 Drive – New study opened, tracking number is DOT-319031-K4H7; due late February 2017. (2) Morgan and 41 Drive – new study opened, tracking number is DOT-319034-R3C7; due late February 2017. (3) Glenwood and 41 Drive – not eligible for new study until mid-July 2017 as we are within 18-month window since the last study.
•   Speed Humps on 41 Drive between Glenwood and Morgan: there was a study in 2005 that found this stretch as not being feasible. Unless there were major changes to the residential driveways along this stretch, DOT will not get a different outcome by opening a new study.
•   No-Idling signage around PS-94: Agency practice is to only install around the perimeter of the school after consultation with NYC DEP (who can also enforce against idling). There is an existing sign on Little Neck Parkway in front of PS 94.
•   Removal of parking spots on Little Neck Parkway north of Pembroke; DOT-324369-G3X9, anticipated response is April 2017.
•   Change in existing one-hour meter times to two-hours on Northern Blvd: He has reached out to Parking Operations to inquire how they would like to handle this request. He suspects they might request a letter from the community board to ensure overall community support. Though patrons and restaurants often prefer 2-hours there are other business models that often prefer the one-hour as it provides for quicker turnover of nearby parking.
•   Little Neck Parkway (north of Northern Blvd), request for lane delineation: The southbound lane is too narrow to simply mark this for a second travel lane. To add lane delineation would necessitate the removal of the parking lane. This is not something DOT will be pursuing at this time given the existing traffic volumes.
•   Little Neck Parkway (south of Northern Blvd), request for change to lane designation going NB on Little Neck Pkwy. Instead of a dedicated right turn lane the request was for (1) a right turn and through lane, and (2) a dedicated left turn lane. Signals has reviewed this request and found that the NB right-turn is heavy and necessitates the dedicated right-turn lane as well as the right turn signal. The right turn at this location is significantly higher than the left turn at both the AM and PM peak.

Several additional items of old and new business were then discussed:
•   Mr. Dadras reported that the property on the northwest corner of the intersection of Glenwood and 41st Drive had a stop-work order due to unsafe handling and storage of Oxygen tanks. The house is being constructed with steel framing, so the materials require welding. Floors are being constructed with steel plates. It appears the stop work order may have recently been lifted.
•   Armenian Hall immediately across the LIRR tracks from our community. We should discuss this property with the police at the next meeting. Some members stated that the property lost its 501-3 C tax-exempt status in 2006, but that the organization continues to solicit donations as being tax deductible. .
•   Snow Removal – was terrible after the latest storm. Many piles of snow were left on pedestrian crossings, sides of roadways, etc.
•   One of the spas on Northern Blvd had some type of police activity in February, 2017. We need to discuss the illegal activity all along the Boulevard from Douglaston Parkway to the Great Neck border with the 111th Precinct police in May.
•   House Fire – the house at 250-20 42 Ave., previously occupied by long-time resident Fred Mehrling, suffered a smoldering fire in December, 2016. The cause was electrical. The new owners installed upgraded HVAC and a new kitchen but did not upgrade the electrical circuitry. The boiler also failed, and the landlord provided the tenants with space heaters. The result was too much burden on the ancient wiring, and a smoldering fire occurred in the attic. The lesson is to insure that the wiring can handle additional amperage and that the circuit breakers are up to code. The Fire Department came promptly when called, and extinguished the fire. The tenants had to move out immediately. At this writing, the owner is carrying out renovations and repairs.

Upcoming events:
•   April 29, 2017 – 48th Annual Udalls Cove Park cleanup; meet at 10 am near Aurora Pond, on Sandhill Road (“the Back Road’); free picnic lunch for all volunteers at 12:15 at Douglaston’s Memorial Field.
•   May 29, 2017 – Annual Memorial Day Parade. Volunteers are needed for setup and cleanup. Westmoreland Association will once again march in the parade to show our support and respect for men and women in uniform, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Meet at 1:30 near Starbucks shop, 55 Northern Boulevard.

The schedule for our remaining 2017 meetings is: May 15, September 18, and November 20, 2017.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Charles Manna, Secretary
 

To view meetings schedules click here