General Membership Meeting - Westmoreland Association

Dear Neighbors, Over the past few months there have been a number of changes at the LIRR grade crossing, where Little Neck Parkway crosses the railroad tracks. The long-awaited quad gates have been installed resulting in a much quieter area, as train whistles and crossing gate bells have been eliminated or significantly reduced. At the same time, a new traffic pattern has been established that is irritating to many residents, and can arguably be dangerous in some circumstances. These concerns have been brought to the attention of the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) by at least one of our elected officials, but I am not aware of any response to date. At our November 15 meeting we will discuss these changes and consider whether our Association should take a position. Recently I invited NYCDOT Queens Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy (or a member of her staff) to attend our meeting, but I understand there may be scheduling conflicts and I have not yet received a final reply. We will also have newly elected officials representing our area. It appears we have a new State Senator and we also have a new State Assembly Member. We will discuss how best to bring our concerns to the attention of these officials. You may want to mark your calendar for our subsequent meetings: March 21 and May 16, 2011. Sincerely, Walter MugdanPresident