September, 1998 SAINT JOHN'S UNIVERSITY:NO DORMS AT CREEDMOOROut of this controversy grew the suggestion that maybe some of the dorms should be placed on surplus acres at Creedmoor. However, it happens that the Queens Civic Congress at a meeting of its Creedmoor Task Force at the Farm Museum recently, discussed the idea of dorms and rejected it. Now we hear that St. John's, which once eyed Fort Totten as a place to expand, has indicated that they are not interested in using Creedmoor for dormitories, although they might consider faculty housing instead. We are pleased that we will not be placed in the uncomfortable position of having to fight neighboring civics over a clash of in whose backyard an undesirable facility should be built. Meantime, the Borough President's Creedmoor Working Group at a recent meeting heard a presentation by a Jewish organization about a proposal to locate assisted-living facilities on the surplus acres. The presentation happens to fit in with tentative plans already proposed by the Congress' Task Force. It comes down to finding the right organization; one that is fair in prices and responsible in its administration of the facilities and treatment of its tenants. Meantime, the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Queens Office
of City Planning visited the campus to see about possible landmarking of
portions of the campus. We hear they were impressed with what they
saw.
POSTAL SERVICE CAVES IN ON COMMUNITY NAMESThe fight became so bitter, one postal service bigwig threatened to hold back advertising revenue from the newspaper that had been backing the change. It will take some time for the effect to be noticed, but eventually, we in Creedmoor Civic should see all letters, especially "junk" mail from mail order companies, and other commercial solicitations carry the name "Bellerose" or "Queens Village" instead of "Jamaica." Queens may be unique in the country in that the post office's central name is not used as often as the local substation. But Queens residents, perhaps because of the Borough's size, tend to relate to the neighborhood of residence more than the County or main post office. Arthur Rojas, immediate past president of the Queens Village Civic Association applauded the concession and was quoted in the newspapers as saying he actively fought for this change as well with a petition. He said that his neighbors wanted to identify with the name Queens Village rather than the name Jamaica. |
