Community Board 6 Sets Tree Replacement Funds

Community Board 6 held its first meeting since June Wednesday night, and the agenda was packed because of the unexpected length of its layoff.

Including the election of new officers, the board dealt with several orders of business, and got a primer from Alex Kipp of the New York City Conflicts of Interest board.

The most important piece of business was the approval by the board of the capital projects budget, both for ongoing projects and for new business this year.

There was one particular item in the budget that is usually neglected, but this year took on a special significance.

"We moved the tree planting, stump removal and the pruning program up because of what happened on Sept. 16, we just wanted to make it stand out," District Manager Frank Gulluscio said. "Some of you might be looking at these and seeing they're basically the same. They are essentially the same, they haven't moved in ten-odd years."

Gulluscio also said at the meeting that the process of creating sound barriers along the Long Island Expressway through the district is starting to gain steam. The community board and U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner's office are organizing the barriers, as a measure to help Forest Hills residents who are frequently exposed to loud truck and commuter traffic at all hours because of the sheer volume of transportation on the L.I.E.

"I found out that there is something moving with the sound barriers on the Long Island Expressway, so I did move that up to draw attention to that," Gulluscio said. 

The community board passed the budget without debate and with no concerns from board members.

Other items included in the budget are funding to help alleviate flooding issues on the Grand Central Parkway and improve sewer systems throughout the community board's coverage area, as well as funding to install safety cameras at every subway stop in the neighborhood.

The safety of local subway stations has become a concern recently, as a suspicious package call in the 71-Continental Ave Station shut down Queens Boulevard last week, and a homeless man attacked and slashed a local resident on one platform.