The last Community Board 14 (CB14) meeting before the summer hiatus took place at the Knights of Columbus on Tuesday, June 9.
CB 14’s offices will remain open, but Tuesday’s meeting will be the last board meeting until September. Picking up on an item leftover from last month’s meeting, board member John Cori requested that the board write a letter to Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, urging him to put pressure on NYC Parks to finally open the delayed Bay Breeze Park.
The meeting then kicked off with updates from the local police precincts. In the 101st, Lieutenant Ryan O’Shea said they’re down 7% in crime. They anticipate receiving 10 to 15 recruits from the police academy at the end of the month. They also have 10 additional cops helping for the summer at Beach 17th Street and the boardwalk. They recently had a successful mission of removing several abandoned cars around Beach 9th Street, making room for cars to park, and another mission to remove 15 unregistered mopeds and motorcycles from the street.
In the 100th Precinct, Lieutenant Thompson said they’re down in nearly every major crime except felony assault, which were mostly incidents where the perp knew the victim. Lt. Thompson reminded everyone that the beach closes at 9 p.m. and the boardwalk closes at 10 p.m., so they’ll be patrolling the area at that time. Lastly, the Q-Team recovered a loaded firearm last week.
Sergeant Patel of Transit District 23 said they’ll be increasing visibility on the trains in the wake of July 4th and World Cup events across the city. They’re especially addressing quality of life issues on platforms.
Next up were announcements from representatives of elected officials’ offices. Joseph Edwards of Rep. Gregory Meeks’ office announced Meeks introduced bipartisan legislation, the Community Flood Resilience Act, to help the community better recover from flooding by allowing FEMA mitigation funds to be used for community-based insurance coverage. They expect it to pass the House. For construction on the beach, work at Beach 97th Street will begin in September. Michels is finishing their construction contract in July. A new RFP will be released for things like removing the wooden jetties in the fall and ADA crossovers.
In a rare appearance, James Mongeluzo of NYC Comptroller Mark Levine’s office provided updates. He said the Comptroller testified about concerns over the city’s budget as he’s projecting $8.8 billion budget gaps for the next fiscal year. Testimony can be found on the comptroller’s website. They also recently did a report on why NYPD overtime is often surpassed, a report on AI and its potential impact on the economy and a report on storefront vacancies, including Rockaway, which has some of the highest vacancies in the city. They are partnering with Hebrew Free Loan Society to give 0% loans to business owners who are moderate or low income. Their office also has a database online of underpaid workers who worked for private companies that contracted with the city, to see if they’re owed money. For more info, reach Mongeluzo at 646-689-6509
Stacey Spataro of Councilwoman Joann Ariola’s office provided some updates. Ariola is currently attending executive budget hearings in City Council. She recently invited the DEP commissioner to Rockaway, to review issues like the smell from the wastewater treatment plant and flooding issues. NYC Parks will review an RFP for jetty removal, dune crossovers and enlarging the beach in the upper Beach 140s. For Flag Day, there will be a celebration from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on June 15 at 17th Road Park in Broad Channel, and on June 20 at the Beach 94th Amphitheater, there will be a band at 7 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m.
Renee Taylor of Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers’ office said there would be a rally at City Hall on Wednesday morning to demand that funds be allocated toward a trauma center, as there were none allocated in the proposed city budget. The councilwoman’s office will be offering services for veterans at her Laurelton and Far Rockaway offices on an alternating basis. Reach out to the office for dates. Her office has partnered with the BlaQue Resource Network to build an SEQ South website for youth to find jobs and local entertainment this summer. If you have a job or event to add, reach out to the office. She reminded folks that applications for free 2K are now open in District 27.
Janine Agard of Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson’s office said they’ll be hosting a youth brunch on June 20 at 11 a.m. with RDRC and MCU to discuss financial stability and affordable home ownership. Anderson recently passed some bills including one that strengthens banking development districts by expanding lending abilities for community banks and one that supports NYCHA residents who want to form resident management corporations by providing training and information. For more info, call 718-327-1845
Dan Brown of District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office said they returned $20,000 of stolen wages to 30 former employees of a cleaning company whose owner was convicted of failure to pay workers. Victims of other potential wage theft situations can call the Consumer Protection Bureau at 718-286-6673.
In her report, Chairwoman Dolores Orr reiterated that the CB14 office will be open for assistance, but there will not be a July or August meeting. She said the new NYC Parks Commissioner seems to be in tune with Rockaway’s uniqueness as an oceanfront beach and hopes to introduce classroom training on water safety, and Parks is taking a request to add a PA system to the boardwalk seriously. She also discussed the Hammels Community Center, which has already been closed for 12 years, saying it will continue to be closed as they need a new HVAC system. Lastly, she reminded people that early voting for the primary begins June 13 through June 21. The Sorrentino Center, YMCA and Jade Events are early voting centers, depending on your location.
In her report, District Manager Felicia Johnson said letters were sent to elected officials regarding the community centers at Hammel Houses and Redfern. She was told that money was going to be provided for the HVAC project. CB14 also sent DOT a letter of support for a grandfather clock on the Beach 116th Street median. She also sent a letter of support for proposed safety studies around Waterside Schools and the Beach Channel Educational Campus, and a letter to Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers to request that discretionary funding be issued to restore the Rockaway Rides shuttle service.
On agency updates, Johnson said they’re waiting on the list of approved Open Streets locations from DOT, as the locations are undergoing review. From Parks, they’re waiting on a list of beaches that are expected to be staffed this summer. Additionally, there have been increased complaints regarding water fountains and sprinklers not working. People are advised to call 311 if they see such issues, and then send those complaints to CB14. From DSNY, tickets won’t be given out for not having the official NYC Bin until September 8. They’re available at Home Depot. Warnings are being issued. From the MTA, weekend train suspension information will be posted to the CB14 social media pages and sent through their email blast. On June 17 at 7 p.m. there will be a Parks Committee meeting with the Broad Channel Civic at P.S. 47 to discuss the new Broad Channel skate park. Lastly, CB14 is working to address constituent complaints. Of 58 complaints from January to June, 26 have been closed and those that are open are awaiting responses from different agencies like DOB and DEP.
Next was public speaking. David Flom requested support for an open DOT case regarding Beach 69th Street and Bayfield Avenue becoming a speedway for cars, creating a dangerous situation. Karen Nevirs of SHAFT spoke about Alma’s Surfside proposal, saying an initial environmental assessment identified 15 problems, prompting a full environmental impact study, which is still pending. Nevirs reiterated how detrimental the project would be for the area and asked CB14 and elected officials for their continued opposition.
Melissa McAllister discussed a water safety campaign including waterfront signage, advertising with a “No Lifeguard? No Swimming” slogan, subway and ferry announcement scripts, school announcements and more and asked for a letter of support to bring to city agencies and private funders for the effort.
Paul King, a longtime CB14 member, introduced himself as the new publisher of The Rockaway Times, along with his wife, Margaret Powers, saying they bought the paper out of a love for Rockaway. The announcement was met with applause.
Eugene Falik spoke about the mayor backtracking on support for QueensLink and suggested the board write a letter to the mayor and city council, asking them to oppose funding for QueensWay to leave a future possibility for QueensLink.
Sam Fleischner of Rockaway Film Fest said in addition to films, they’ll be hosting live music and performances. They’ll also be screening soccer films and World Cup matches. The outdoor theater opened for the season on Beach 72nd Street on Sunday. For a lineup, see rockawayfilmfestival.org
Ronald Joseph spoke about stormwater runoff issues in Rockaway and storm drains backing up during high tides, creating a toxic situation. He requested that the DEP do better to address this problem.
Next was a presentation from Gilbert Hoe, speaking about upcoming sludge dock work at the Rockaway Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility. He explained that during the process, water is cleaned and released back into the waterways, adding that the city’s waters are the cleanest they’ve been in years. Rockaway’s facility was built in 1952 and services 90,000 people with capacity of treating 45 million gallons of wastewater a day, which can accommodate 150,000 people. A dock is used to transport biosolid materials by boat to other sites so they can be processed. The dock is in need of reconstruction to make sure it can function. Construction will take place on DEP property by Beach 106th, within the fence line and will not interrupt services, as it will be done in phases. They’ll start on the western half. A new dock is expected to last 40 to 50 years. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2027, as permitting and approvals are needed. It’s expected to be complete by early 2030. They’ll work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Most supplies will be brought in by boat. Construction will not interrupt ferry service, recreational boating, traffic on Beach Channel Drive or the nearby schools, and is not expected to interrupt use of the neighboring boat launch.
Next was a presentation from Chanel Pemberton, a community construction liaison for project PS349, regarding lining interceptor assets. It is a two-year project that started in fall 2025 and will be complete in early 2027. It will fix underground sewer infrastructure along Beach Channel Drive, with construction progressing from Beach 35th to Beach 106th Street. They will be replacing the existing sewer lining, creating a stronger watertight surface to prevent leaks and backups. They’re conducting the work through manholes, so streets won’t have to be closed, but there will be flaggers directing traffic from the area. The project will help the sewer system last up to 50 years. Construction takes place from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and cones will be places in the area indicating no parking, so work vehicles can utilize the space. Business owners and schools have been notified about this construction and parking interruptions. Tree guards have been placed to protect nearby trees, an indication of where work will be taking place. For any questions, call Chanel at 646-934-2819
Lastly, there were four committee reports including transportation, youth services and education, environmental and parks, and health and social services. Two motions were voted on by the board including sending a letter of support for McAllister’s messaging campaign to alert people about only swimming when lifeguards are on duty. The second was a motion to send a letter to the NYC Parks commissioner requesting that lifeguards have a staggered schedule from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both motions were supported.
