CB 11 Members, Queens Leaders Criticize Snow Removal Efforts

Community Board 11 members and Queens leaders blasted the city during the board's monthly meeting yesterday for its efforts to remove snow from northeast Queens during last week's blizzard.

Jerry Iannece, chairman of CB 11, said the city's delay in cleaning snow from streets covered by the board, which include Douglaston, Little Neck and Bayside, caused many residents to be stuck at home for several days.

The blizzard hit the five boroughs on Dec. 27, leaving as much as two-feet of snow on the ground in parts of Queens.

Iannece said some plows had their blades six to eight inches off the ground as they drove around northeast Queens.

"When the plows came around a few days later, they weren't hitting the ground," he said. "I know the City Council members are talking about holding hearings. I think they should. The city should be ashamed of itself. I'm embarrassed for the city of New York. It's ridiculous."

Iannece said he planned to speak at a Jan. 10 Council hearing on the city's snow removal efforts.

Barry Grodenchik, who is the Queens deputy borough president, said the removal of snow in CB 11 was better than in many other Queens neighborhoods. But he still criticized the city's response to the blizzard.

"I grew up in Queens," he said. "This was the worst snowstorm I can remember since 1969. I was not pleased with the snow cleanup."

CB 11 also discussed a proposed plan proposed for Bay Terrace to be covered by the board and the 111th Precinct. That community is currently part of Community Board 7 and is served by Flushing's 109th Precinct.

"At CB 7, we work really hard – but it's not for us," said Warren Schreiber, president of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, which is pushing the plan. "We are part of the fabric of Bayside."

Some CB 11 members said they supported the alliance's plan.

But others, such as East Bayside Homeowners Association President Frank Skala, said that making Bay Terrace part of CB 11 would require that several representatives of that community would then be needed on the board.

He said this would lead to less representation for communities that are already part of the district as well as stretch the 111th Precinct's resources even thinner.