gcarolmarie
Member
Gardens Corporation is planning to repave many streets in Forest Hills Gardens in the coming year. I understand funds will come from assessing the residents BUT first they have to vote on it. Residents vote later this month.
Hopefully it passes. Streets are in terrible condition and this is the best way to get the streets repaved. Right now, Gardens Corp repaves one or two streets a year. If the assessment passes, their plan is to repave 40% of the streets.
knifesong
Member
*clap* *clap* *clap* *thunderous applause*
Herb
Member
And...we are truly pleased to continue to serve the greater good of our community's drivers. From my pocket to your tires. :)
Herb
elgreco
Member
Just curious if this plan also includes station square. The road there needs major repair.
TALBOTRESIDENT
Member
Herb: Not only my tires, but my emtire suspension system thank you and your neighbors as well.
Herb
Member
TR,
Pleased to be of service. Some of us consider the potholes as "speedbumps" for our streets. (Kiddng of course...)
Herb
Itwasntfolifer
Member
Ahhh, an assessment, now I know why Mrs. F. was cursing the Corp. while holding a letter from them. I guess we're voting 'no'. Like Herb, I've grown fond of the mini craters. They have considerably slowed down the 3-4 a.m. drunken driving exodus, from the bar crowd, that used to jet pass the compound every night. I do get the occasional sense of joy when some youngin', blasting his sound system at 190db, hits one of the land mines while at full throttle and parts fall off their car. It's even more enjoyable if the nitwit's car is outfitted with one of those loud exhaust systems that cost more than the vehicle is worth.
biker
Member
question, can ppl sue if their car is damaged while driving through The Gardens? I was riding my bike through the other evening and hit a nasty hole and thought I was gonna fly off my bike. I wonder if I hurt myself, could I sue?
Itwasntfolifer
Member
You can definitely sue. But, I'd be more worried about the speeders and the cars that don't stop or even slow down at the stop signs and traffic lights. Safe Biking!
gcarolmarie
Member
Well, I think it's a terrific idea. I would be more than willing to pay the assessment if it means safer streets for everyone, not only motorists, but those of us who ride our bikes, skateboard, cross the streets, etc. Besides I think most people can afford to pony up some of their money for this type of project. And then again, you have people who refuse to pay their maintenance dues. Those are the kind of people we can do without; who wants neighbors like that?!#&!!
ShaynaMadel
Member
Guess it's a toss-up between paying an assessment and getting the street fixed and dealing with litigation that results from poorly maintained streets...
Itwasntfolifer
Member
@Gcarol. How would you feel about the assessment if you had to pay it? I guess the only area of NYC that is plagued with potholes is FHG? I see huge potholes all over the area. I'm all in favor of raising our taxes to fix all the street in the city. When that happens I'll vote for an assessment. Everyday, I drive the same streets in the Gardens as everyone else and I guess the fact that I have great eyesight and the ability to operate my vehicle safely, I have not been a victim to the great Gardens crater menace. If you can't see a pothole, you probably won't be able to see one of our kids or one of our pets. Slow down, drive carefully and if you don't feel safe on the roads, take a detour. The view on Metro and QB is great this time of the year.
ShaynaMadel
Member
Shareholders in my co-op had to pay an assessment to repair the sidewalk around our building a few years back. The building is on a peninsula, so it has sidewalks on three sides, one of which is Queens Boulevard and includes the entrance to a subway station, as well as several commercial entities. Under those circumstances, I can only feel so bad for FHG residents who have to pay an assessment to repair the roadways in FHG.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/05/realestate/your-home-sidewalk-liability-hits-home.html
TALBOTRESIDENT
Member
You can sue the Gardens Corp just as you can sue the City or any municipality for damage due to potholes. The City has notification laws that the AAA or someone else seems to be taking care of. Thw weather is now warm and the Gardens Corp. is dealing with it. The residents will pass it (or a similar variation) after debate and take care of it. IF you want the benefit of private streets you have to pay, which most of the residents seem to feel goes with the turf.
biker
Member
shayna, my building also takes up an entire block and we have sidewalks on all 3 sides and we too have had to repair those sidewalks for all to use.
The streets in The Gardens are terrible, but since they are open to the public, they should be maintained like my Coop maintains the property around my coop.
GOOD POINT SHAYNA!
TALBOTRESIDENT
Member
They should be maintained even if they were closed off. What so only the cars of the residents get damaged. You still have guests, commercial deliveries etc. It's their property they're responsible for maintenance, just as you would for the inside of a bldg.
Herb
Member
Biker,
Does your co-op repave the streets? I understand the sidewalks around a property, but the FHG is under no obligation to repave the streets for anyone but the residents who, as I have said a number of times, pay directly for it. There is no obligation to anyone else, direct or indirect. (There is the liability issue, however, that Shayna rightly points out.)
And in the spirit of no good deed goes unpunished, just because these PRIVATE streets are open to all(based on our decision), it does not carry with it additional responsibility. I am referring to your statement: "...but since they are open to the public, they should be maintained like my Coop maintains the property around my coop."
This is like, "Gee you saved my life...thanks. Why didn't you buy me dinner as well." The logic is backwards here, I think.
I am NOT saying that the streets should not be in as best a condition as possible, but it should be so for the primary owners of the streets, with the rest of the community benefiting from the access.
Herb
Itwasntfolifer
Member
@Herb-That's what I meant to say? :)
kaykeeDPT
Member
I took this picture the other day in front of Key foods on Yellowstone. It reminded me of the deleted parking permits thread, where people were complaining about potholes in FHG. Now I can post it here.
ShaynaMadel
Member
In co-ops, the assessments are calculated on a per-share basis. How does it work in FHG?
LinFishr
Member
Ant chance of improving the street lighting in FHG? Or do I have to remember to bring my deflector vest when I walk through at night?
jewels
Member
KKD--your picture acct is private--but Yellowstone is a major problem in terms of flooding. The North side has had problems for years and on the south side any rain brings floods near the Police Station. The sewers have to be cleared or the streets will flood and potholes will return. On Easter Sunday I had to cross QB from Key to Walgreens and you could not avoid walking in rivers. The loss of trees in MacDonald Park made drainage even worse.
kaykeeDPT
Member
jewels - I just signed up today for flickr so I could upload the picture. I was looking around to make it public, but I don't see where to change it. Do you, or anyone else for that matter, know how to change it?
Forget flickr, I decided to go with photobucket. It seems easier. Here's the photo: http://s1142.photobucket.com/albums/n607/someonearound/?action=view¤t=2011-05-05_18-22-03_76.jpg
biker
Member
Herb,
My Coop fixes the sidewalks b/c to not do so will bring unanted litigation if anyone were to hurt themselves. The Gardens should do the same thing with the roads. It borders on negligence to not keep the roads in better condition.
Also, we don't repave the streets as the city owns that and although the city owns the sidewalks, they have transferred maintenance to individual buildings.
Lastly Herb, the logic is not backwards. If they leave streets open to public, they should maintain streets better to avoid litigation. VERY SIMPLE.
jewels
Member
That street was paved just before the election. At the corner on Austin potholes were so bad that crossing the street was impossible--and a lot of older people cross that street--unfortunately many older people were crossing from PT in the middle of the road and the light coming off Yellowstone/Austin are not coordinated
Herb
Since Yellowstone/Continental/Ascan are the only egress from Metro I would consider those first (they all border on FHG) so I don't know who owns them
Itwasntfolifer
Member
Some people are amazing, I've lived in the Gardens for a number of years. I have never damaged my car by driving through the streets. My wife has never damaged her car either. I walk the streets when it's dark out and I don't need a vest, a miner's helmet or a flare-gun. I've never had to go search for my kids and save them from the bottom of a pot-hole. The dim lighting is part of the charm of living here. If you are not capable of safely venturing out at night, stay home!! Maybe the Garden's Corp. can rent out little helmets ,with strobe lights, to anyone venturing through our Enchanted Forest after dusk. If people are intent on suing, they will sue. Whether the streets are perfectly paved or not, it sounds as if some people are looking for an excuse to start some sort of litigation. The Corp. does not have deep pockets. If you're looking for a quick pay day, throw yourself down a flight of Subway stairs. The MTA likes to settle their torts cases quickly. If people took responsibility for their own lives and were held accountable for their actions, the city would be a much better place. If you can't see at night, buy a flashlight. If you feel that the Garden's streets are in dire dis-repair (they are not) take an alternate route. If you need to use our cratered paths, drive at a prudent speed, stay aware and you won't be hitting tire shredding potholes. If you take notice, next time you're walking down Ascan or on Greenway North/South you will see that many non-residents who use the streets like the Autobahn, causing unsafe conditions. And I know they are not residents due to the Four 1111's, Always Ready, Fed-Ex, Domino's stickers and TLC plates that adorn their cars. They are more dangerous than any imperfections in the roadway.
gcarolmarie
Member
itwasntfolifer: I live in the Gardens and yes I will be assessed and I will pay for it. You say the Gardens' street are not in disrepair? Are you kidding? You seem to say that you do not want the streets repaved and nor would you vote for an assessment because it's the drivers who are to blame for driving thru the Gardens as non-residents. The only way drivers are going to slow down is if you place speed bumps everywhere. Is that what you want? I doubt it.
I do agree with you about our litigious society. And, I agree that the lighting in the gardens is just perfect. That's the whole charm of the gardens. The Gardens does not have deep pockets that is why this assessment is being proposed...streets will be repaved and our homes will maintain/increase their value because of it.
Itwasntfolifer
Member
@GCAROL- Is it safe to assume that you live in a co-op building and not in a private home?
I left my house at 6:45 this morning, took my usual route through the same streets in the Gardens and low and behold, when I cleared the Garden's boundaries I still had 4 perfect tires, an intact exhaust system and not a drop of coffee had spilled out of my travel mug. I guess those terribly cratered roads must be eluding me.
I'm blaming people who can't seem to obey normal traffic rules and who can't operate their cars in a safe manner. If you are driving at such a high rate of speed that you can't see a pot hole, you shouldn't be driving at all.
Speed bumps are potentially dangerous and since everyone is being so litigious, they can also cause lawsuits that will be hard to defend against. ('Oh yes, I was driving 87 mph up Greenway North, talking on my cellphone and diddling with my I-Pod, when all of a sudden this man made hill appeared before my car and the next thing I knew I was hanging in a tree near Puritan Ave.') The placement of speed bumps is done after a study by engineers and the DOT. I don't wan't to be assessed for an engineers study of our roads. Hopefully the Corp. will never even consider them as a traffic control device.
And no, I am not kidding, the streets are fine. People don't know how to drive. But it's easier to blame the Garden's Corp. and in turn, the residents, for potholes that appear. If you know how a pothole is formed, you should know that the weather is a major cause and now that the particularly harsh winter is finally gone and the freeze/thaw cycles are finished, the maintenance crews will set about and patch the roads as they have always done. If you live in the Gardens, you should know that. The roads are in worse shape in the Van Court section. Try driving down Dartmouth street and see what happens when you hit 68 Ave. There is a depression in the road that has formed and it actually launches cars into the air. Don't believe me, go stand on that corner instead of staring at the color of the netting and the scaffolding surrounding the Inn. You'll thank God that our streets are taken care of by our private crew instead of being left to the will of the City.
I'm sure the value of my house will just skyrocket if they do start to rip up streets, jackhammer and then replace the underlying concrete and start laying down the asphalt/tar mixture that will hang in the air for months. The stench, the dust and noise will just bring those potential buyers in by the droves.
knifesong
Member
@Itwasntfolifer: You don't think the roads are bad and need to be repaved? Are you serious? Where are you from, Afghanistan? The only roads with more potholes are the ones going to Kabul!
Itwasntfolifer
Member
Yes, I have been to Afghanistan. Have you? The roads in and around Kabul are in relatively good shape since we (USA) keep fixing them as quickly as they blow holes in them.
No, the roads don't need to be repaved. If you're afraid of driving, walking or biking on them. Don't use them!
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