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Minutes of the General Membership Meeting of the Westmoreland Association

Minutes of the May16, 2005 

The meeting was called to order at 8:05 p.m. by President Walter Mugdan.  A motion was made and seconded to waive the reading of the minutes from the March meeting.  Treasurer Frank Keenan gave the Treasurer�s Report, indicating a balance on hand of $17,292.05 as of May 16th.  A motion was made to accept the Treasurer�s Report, the motion was seconded, and the report was unanimously approved. 

Mr. Mugdan proceeded to make several announcements with respect to zoning issues. He urged members, whether of a pro or con position as respects Councilman Tony Avella�s proposed R2A zoning change, to voice their opinion to those parties listed on the reverse side of the May meeting notice or to ask him as to whom their comments should be directed.  He also noted that the Councilman�s Deed Restrictions bill, which would authorize the Department of Buildings to enforce restrictions that have historically only been enforceable by the local homeowner associations, is on the schedule for a public hearing on June 16^th.  Mr. Mugdan urged the members to attend, if possible, as a show of support for the Councilman.

Mr. Mugdan then introduced Mr. Daniel Feldman, the District 26 representative for the United Federation of Teachers and his colleague, Mr. Rick Lewis, who both proceeded to discuss the role of the UFT in the New York City public school system.   They explained that the United Federation of Teachers is more than just a labor union fighting for salary increases and contract concessions for its members but that it is also an organization dedicated to improving class size, school safety, and the class environment from both a student and teacher perspective.  By talking to teachers directly about issues such as the �No Child Left Behind Act� and by requesting clarification on negative remarks directed against the UFT, parents can become an important force in putting the �public� back into public education, and Mr. Feldman and Mr. Lewis believe that the school system can only benefit from such interaction.  They left brochures and folders for the edification of the members, and indicated their willingness and availability to answer any questions.

Mr. Mugdan thanked them for their input and then proceeded to announce the presence of another group of dedicated public servants, namely Captain Thomas Pilkington, Commanding Officer of the New York Police Department�s 111^th Precinct, along with Officer Hedda Carol, one of two community affairs officers assigned to the precinct, and Sergeant Liam Burns who is in charge of anti-graffiti activities there.  Captain Pilkington announced that the precinct is doing very well in terms of crime statistics and, in fact, leads the city in crime reduction. In the month prior to the meeting, there were no reported felonies, one burglary, and one attempted robbery. Drug activity in the neighborhood consists primarily of marijuana use and Louis Pasteur Park has been targeted as a center for such activity among the 13 �20 year old age group. Any suspected drug deals should be reported to Lieutenant Heffernan at the precinct who can be reached directly at telephone number 718 279 � 5213.

The Captain then proceeded to educate the members on protecting themselves from Identity Theft by suggesting the following actions:

• Invest in a paper shredder and use it for all discarded paperwork containing personal or financial information.

•  Do not carry your Social Security card or anything indicating your Social Security number in your wallet.

•  With respect to computer use, go only to reputable web sites when using the Internet; change your password every 2   
               months; install a fire wall; and remove the hard drive from old computers prior to discarding them.

•  Put yourself on �fraud alert� with the three major credit reporting services so that you are notified anytime there is a 
               request for your credit information.

•  Get a credit report because credit cards that you believe to be cancelled may, in fact, still be active.

•  Be on the alert for mail theft in the neighborhood � a common scam is for unscrupulous persons to put or pretend to put
               a flyer in your mailbox in order to steal the mail contained therein.

Sergeant Burns advised that there have been 15 graffiti arrests so far this year and indicated the importance of taking a picture of any graffiti activity prior to promptly removing it. He offered his direct telephone number (718 279-5218) and urged members to call and report any incidents to him.

Mr. Mugdan thanked the Officers for their attendance at the meeting and for their efforts to educate and enlighten the community with respect to police matters.

With respect to old business, a neighbor of the 41-93 Morgan Street project advised that she was contacted by letter from a Staten Island contractor advising that the remainder of the building at the site will be demolished; it was reported that there has been no new activity at the 44^th Avenue vacant property; and Mr. Mugdan indicated that he was looking into the alleged illegal tenant activity at the newly constructed building on 44^th Avenue.  As always, vigilance in monitoring these and other problematic construction situations was urged.

The members were asked to march in the Memorial Day Parade on Monday May 30^th with the Westmoreland group assembling at 2:00pm in front of Starbucks on Northern Boulevard.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:55pm.

Respectfully submitted,

 Susan Keenan

 Secretary

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