December 1998 Juniper Berry Magazine

December 1998 Juniper Berry

The Juniper Berry magazine has a rich tradition in the communities of Middle Village, Maspeth and Elmhurst. It was first published in 1938. The quarterly magazine is an all-volunteer effort and contains articles on crime prevention, neighborhood issues, meeting reports and notices, neighborhood history and photographs, guest articles, editorials and more.

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75th ST. & the Path Home

Living on a dead-end street has its good and bad aspects. If you're a kid, that means virtually uninterrupted stickball games because no through traffic means fewer cars passing by. Grownups enjoy that aspect too — the reduced traffic, not the stickball games.

Roemmelt New President for MVPOCA

I had the opportunity to speak to Michael Roemmelt, the new president of the Middle Village Property Owners Association. He succeeds Joe Occhiuto who had a productive eight years as president of the Association.

The Importance of Youth Involvement in Community Activism and Volunteer Programs

The importance of youth involvement in community affairs can not be stressed enough. These are two ways in which young people can get involved. The first is community activism. Young people have to realize that they have a right to express their views concerning community events.

Berry Book Review

This September, my nephew Joey, started kindergarten. I told him that once he could write his name, he could get a library card and take books out of the public library. My sister and I took him to the Middle Village Branch of the Public Library and filled out the application for his first library card.

Community Spotlight: Don Passantino

Donald Robert Passantino was born on March 22, 1948 at Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital in Manhattan. Don, as he likes to be called, is the son of Robert and Myrtle Passantino. His Mom is now deceased. He has four brothers: Larry, Paul, Phil, and Roy. One year after Don was born, his family moved to Queens, and he has been a resident of Middle Village ever since.

Happy Birthday, Eliot Avenue!

Eliot Avenue runs from Metropolitan Avenue to Queens Boulevard. The oldest parts of the road are in Middle Village, from Fresh Pond Road to Mt. Olivet Crescent and in Maspeth, between Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road. But the Middle Village section of Eliot Avenue was connected to Woodhaven Boulevard in 1938 and this year it turns 60.

A Family Affair!

The communities of Middle Village, Maspeth and Elmhurst have long been considered close-knit communities, where neighbors interact like families. This family feeling is even evident in some of our local businesses; perhaps none more so than AMEF Auto, located on Grand Avenue and 74th Street in Maspeth, directly across from Edwards Shopping Center.

How Furmanville Avenue Got Its Name

Summer is officially over, and fall has arrived. I admire the trees with their changing foliage in shades of red, brown and yellow as I walk through the neighborhood. I see a tree that casts its shade over two houses, and I wonder how old it is, who planted it, and what it has seen over its lifetime.

Baseball – The American Dream

Babe Ruth was the king of swat Cy Young won twenty games a lot Ted was the last of the .400 hitters Gaylord Perry threw the wettest spitters Ricky Henderson stole the most bases Leo Durocher a man of many faces

Let's take a stroll up old Grand Ave.

Hi! My name is Rosemarie Kohout Gray and since I enjoy company I was wondering if you would take a walk with me as we use our imaginations and memories of the 1950's and 60's and remember how it was on Grand Avenue in Maspeth. If you don't mind for a moment we'll stop and I'll tell you a little bit about my family and me.

Captain's Corner

I am very happy to report that crime continues to drop in all the major categories. Unfortunately there are periodic increases here and there which we continue to address with redeployment of personnel. I know that statistics and raw numbers are no consolation to the last victim of a crime and I am sorry for that.

Illegal Apartments

Few topics generate more of a discussion than illegal apartments. At the recent meeting of the Juniper Park Civic Association in September the issue was raised again by irate homeowners who are inundated with additional people, cars, noise, garbage, etc. because of the illegal rentals.

Community News

Have you noticed as I have the pack of kids who are not residents of our community that are riding throughout Middle Village and Elmhurst, mostly two to a bike? I know I have. It seems odd that, at times, if you see the pack, 15 minutes later there seems to be more bikes and less kids doubling up. I guess you know what just happened!

Letters to the Editor – September 1998

It absolutely amazed me how much in the last 5 years, since I moved to Florida, how much Maspeth had changed. I somehow didn't notice it or I guess I didn't pay attention to what was happening in Maspeth when we would come for a visit. But since I was in Maspeth for over a year, as the days went on I saw that the neighborhood no longer had that small town feeling.

Defensive Walking: A Guide To Pedestrian Safety

Most of us have heard of – and hopefully practice – defensive driving, but what about practicing defensive walking?

THE JUNIPER BERRY

The Juniper Berry magazine, first published in 1938 is an all-volunteer effort containing articles on crime prevention, neighborhood issues, meeting reports and notices, neighborhood history and photographs, guest articles, editorials and more.

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NYC to be more attractive for criminals around the world

At a time when the people's trust in government is at an all-time low, our City Council Members have introduced legislation which increases the number of dangerous illegal immigrants in our neighborhoods. Under the recently passed law, Introduction 656, the New York City Department of Corrections will no longer cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents concerning approximately half of the illegal immigrants who get arrested in the City.

COUNCIL MEMBER ELIZABETH CROWLEY DASHES HOPES FOR ST. SAVIOUR'S PARK SPACE. Impetuous decision has dire consequences.

Last week, park and community advocates including the Juniper Park Civic Association, Newtown Historical Society and NYC Park Advocates were shocked to learn that the City's Department of Parks and Recreation and Council Member Elizabeth Crowley have dropped their bid to acquire the 1.5-acre former site of St. Saviour's Church in Maspeth, Queens. The groups had been working for 5 years to have this site converted into parkland before the decision to quit was made by city officials without any community notification or input.