We also thank St. Anne's Post/Catholic War Veterans for allowing us to use their hall at a modest rental cost. The Hollis-Queens Village-Bellerose Volunteer Ambulance Corps also participated in the parade with the ambulance pulling up the rear.  It was staffed by Marty Braun and Nancy Oberdorfer.

Several CCA officers attended Community Board 13's September meeting to argue against the proposed conversion of 235th Court to a one-way street. They arrived knowing they had the backing of the vast majority of the residents that live in the surrounding neighborhood. The members of the community board overwhelmingly agreed, and voted to keep 235th Court a two-way, with the suggestion that additional signs be placed at the intersection of Hillside and 235th Court.

The request that this street be converted to a one-way was prompted by the terrible traffic conditions that exist during drop-off and dismissal times in front of PS18. Fortunately, there are several volunteers at PS18 that keep traffic moving and manage to keep the repeat offenders from blocking everyone else. Some parents are so blatant that we've placed some pictures of what they've done in the past at both PS18 and PS33 on our website. Go to www.creedmoorcivic.org and click on "Stupid Parent Tricks."

The PTA's of both schools have pleaded with the parents to be more diligent when driving near the schools. I hope it doesn't take a tragedy for this to sink in. The officers of the 105th Precinct have visited the schools and ticketed several drivers already.

Speaking of tickets, there is one officer who has apparently placed a priority on the quality-of-life offenses in our neighborhood. He has been seen ticketing bus stop parkers as well as those who block crosswalks and sidewalks. I hope he continues his writing streak. Pedestrians lose when these drivers park this irresponsibly.

Love them or hate them, many people feel very strongly about car alarms. There is a bill in the City Council now to make all audible car alarms illegal. Sure, the poorly installed or maintained systems can keep us up at might, but the better systems certainly serve a legitimate purpose. Would you feel comfortable parking in some neighborhoods without an alarm?

A recently passed law now makes the placing of flyers on windshields illegal. The reasoning? Many of the flyers either end up as litter or can obscure your vision. The Sanitation Dept. has the responsibility of enforcing this law. The company whose phone number appears on the flyer can be held responsible for this violation.

Several years of our past newsletters are now available online. Visit www.creedmoorcivic.org and click on the link for "Newsletters." Jim Trent's newsletters are always full of excellent information. 

Your neighbor, 

Rick Duskiewicz