BFHA Newsletter - Spring 2013

1. S E Q U O I A C L U B
SPRING 2011 EDITOR: VANA PARTRIDGE
A Quarterly Newsletter VOLUME 36, NO. 1 SPRING 2011
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
NEXT MEMBERSHIP MEETING: MAY 18, 2011
Church on the Hill 7:30PM SHARP!
The topic of our next meeting is “What is the Water Board Up To?” Many of us have already
upgraded our water meter system to the new Automated Meter Reading (AMR) that is now required by
the NYC Department of Environmental Protection. By automating its water meter reading capabilities,
the DEP claims that it will increase billing accuracy and provide customers with the tools they need to
better manage their water usage. However, with the recent water rate increase there are concerns as
to how the new AMR’s will affect the average homeowner’s water bill. Some of our members who have
installed the AMR maintain that their water bill has increased. In order to better understand how the
AMR will affect us, we have invited Matthew Mahoney, Associate Commissioner for Intergovernmental
Affairs at the DEP, to be our guest speaker and address any questions and concerns you may have.
BROADWAY FLUSHING HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOC, INC
NEWSLETTER
A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDING MEMBER
! Spring flowers remind us of the recent loss of Founding Member, Carmen
Pitaro, whose memory we cherish. We especially remember the beautiful front
table floral arrangements she supplied for all membership meetings. Her late
husband, Vincent, wrote our Broadway Flushing Homeowners’ Association
Constitution. Her daughter, Francesca, is carrying on the family BFHA
tradition.
Marjorie Ferrigno
Past President,
Broadway-Flushing Homeowners’ Assoc. Inc.

2. S E Q U O I A C L U B
SPRING 2011
Recap of our February
Membership Meeting
The topic of our February
Membership Meeting, “What’s
Going on Behind Those Closed
Doors?”, focused on all-night
establishments along Northern
Blvd. Past President, Sandi
Viviani, did an outstanding job
assembling the panelists and our
President, Mel Siegel, presided
effectively as he always does. Our
panelists included local elected
officials and representatives from
various city agencies . Several
local civic leaders who shared our
concerns also attended. Some of
these concerns included proper
liquor licenses, fire safety,
building code violations and
possible prostitution. Deputy
Inspector Brian Maguire from the
109th Precinct informed us that
up to 12 establishments have
been closed under an observation
program that investigates illegal
activities. Investigations are
conducted regularly with
members of the State Liquor
Authority (SLA) and the NYPD.
DI Maguire stated that it’s up to
the community to inform the
109th Precinct so that officers
can be sent out to the locations
in question.
Fire Chief Jensen is aware of
the problems and has teamed
up with the Dept. of Buildings to
issue violations. Marilyn
Bitterman from CB 7 mentioned
that her agency reviews every
liquor license and notifies the
NYPD, FDNY, DOB and SLA to
check on violations. Many of
these establishments are bottle
bars-clubs in which patrons are
served liquor from bottles
belonging to them without
regard to liquor control laws.
Councilman Dan Halloran was
concerned about the difficulty
in monitoring bottle bars since
they don’t require open view
windows, unlike taverns and
cash bars. He expressed a need
to remodel the law and said that
new legislation is being drafted
on this matter.
One of the great things about
attending our meetings is the
strong sense of community we
feel and interesting friends we
make. Our meeting was highly
informative, giving us insight
into reasons it takes so long to
get corrective action, and at the
same time, giving us hope that
each part of our local
government is aware and
cooperating, separately and
together, to tackle problems
effectively.
Spruce up for Spring!
Annual Front Garden Judging
Early May
It’s that time of year again!
Beginning in early May, Maria
Becce and her Beautification
Committee will tour our
neighborhood in search of
winners for our annual garden
awards. The winners will be
announced at our May meeting,
so please join us!
Have you Fully Insured
your Home???
You probably have Fire, Theft
and Liability insurance, but
what happens to the value of
your home if the neighborhood
is permitted to deteriorate? The
best insurance policy to keep
our community one of the finest
in the city is to join and support
BFHA. ARE YOU WITH US??
New members please fill above
application and remit with dues.
NEW MEMBERS APPLICATION - KEEP INFORMED OF NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
BROADWAY-FLUSHING HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC.
P.O. BOX 580031
FLUSHING, NEW YORK 11358-0031
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION: DUES $10 PER YEAR (MAY1-APRIL 30)
NAME__________________________________________ DATE__________________________
ADDRESS____________________________ZIP________TELEPHONE____________________
2nd Voting Member(over 21)________________________ EMAIL__________________________
Please list special skills, interest, business, profession, etc., that could help to promote the work of the
Association:_____________________________________________________________________
Additional Contributions for Legal & Reserve Fund ___$20 ___$30 ___$40 ___$50 ___Other
CURRENT MEMBERS: Dues notices and return envelopes will come with the May meeting notices.
PROXY FORMS WILL BE ENCLOSED
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