Community Magazine June 2009

120 Community magazine Times Square and Herald Square Expand Pedestrian Space The Great White Way is now best travelled on foot. Broadway between 42 nd and 47 th Streets at Times Square and 33 rd and 35 th Streets at Herald Square became closed to vehicular traffic beginning on Sunday May 24 th at 8pm. The closed street sections, which coincide with where Broadway intersects with 6 th and 7 th Avenues, are being transformed into three acres of public space In the hope of improving traffic flow on the Avenues, the Transportation Department converted the three-way intersec- tions into normal two- way junctions. But while the wait at stop lights is shorter, many motorists feel that the elimination of several lanes of downtown traffic is only making traffic move slower. Felder Warns of Re-Fi Rip-off Con artists posing as consultants are offering to pay mortgages and rent homes back to the owner without contacting the lender. Councilman Simcha Felder (D - Brooklyn) urges homeowners to be wary of foreclosure rescue scams. The homeowner is asked to sign over the deed to their property, and the scammers take the payments intended for lenders. Homeowners become vulnerable to lost equity, eviction, rent increases, and the sale of their home. Red flags include a request that the mortgage payment be sent to the res- cue company, not the lender. Those having trouble with mortgage payments should contact the lender directly, or contact a certified housing counselor at New York State Banking Department’s Consumer Helpline at 1-877-BANK-NYS. Additional assistance is available through the Homeownership Preservation Foundation at (888) 995-HOPE. City May Drop Online Surcharge The $2 “service fee” charged by NYC for online payments of parking tickets is the target of proposed legislation co-sponsored by Brooklyn Councilman Simcha Felder. The law would ban city agencies, such as the health department and water utilities, from charging extra fees when accepting credit card payments for fines, civil penalties, taxes and fees, since online payments require fewer staff to process the money. For this fiscal year, parking tickets will bring the city approximately $593 million. About a quarter of parking tickets are paid online, which brings in about $4 million in fees a year. Definition of Marriage Threatened in NY Could teaching religious values as stated in the Torah soon be categorized as hate speech? Some legal experts think so if the NY State legislature passes a bill redefining marriage. On May 12, the State Assembly passed a bill to legalize marriages that don’t include one man and one woman by a margin of 89 to 52. The mea- sure still needs to be voted on in the state Senate where the margin is expected to be much closer. If passed in the Senate, Governor David Paterson said he would sign it into law. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and Iowa have already redefined the definition of marriage. New Hampshire has passed a similar bill, but it still needs to be signed by the governor and California briefly had such a law in effect until voters over- turned it in a referendum last year. In the heavily Jewish state of New York, leaders are concerned that if such a law were to go into effect, teaching basic Torah values about marriage – and even teaching that children need a mother and father – would be termed hate speech, subjecting teachers to legal prosecution. The organization Nation for Marriage as well as other groups are urging voters to contact their State Senators and express their adamant opposition to the redefinition of marriage. State Senator Carl Kruger, who represents most of the Sephardic community can be reached at 518-455-2460. For more information visit NationForMarriage.org. Occasion Day Date Alt Side Garbage Collection Parking Banks & Post Office Independence Day (Observed) Fri July 3 Suspended Normal Holiday Closed Independence Day Sat July 4 Suspended Suspended Holiday Closed *Alternate Side Parking: For snow and other emergencies call 311 to get an update of parking rules for a particular day **Garbage: Residents who are normally scheduled for collection on the day of a holiday should place their trash out at curbside on the holiday evening for collection. Some residents will experience a disruption of on-time household collection service. Recycling: Residents who are normally scheduled for recycling collection on the day of the holiday will not receive service that week. They should place their recyclables out at curbside the following week on their regular day of service. New York City Municipal Schedule Before (above) and a rendering of after (below) showing Broadway at Times Square Senator Carl Kruger, pictured at right speaking to a public school class. Senator Kruger’s vote on the definition of marriage could be critical in determining how New York schools will teach and explain marriage to children.