Community Magazine July 2012

Summer’s Sizzling on Coney Island The summer season has officially begun on Coney Island, as the beach has opened on the boardwalk along with two new exciting rides – Boardwalk Flight and Coney Island Raceway, which are part of the Scream Zone amusement park. All recreation facilities will be open seven days a week until Labor Day. Efforts to revitalize the area, as part of the city’s 2009 rezoning plan, have created thousands of jobs and given the tourism industry a significant boost. The area includes almost 7 acres of land, owned by the city and leased to Central Amusement International. Last summer, over 11 million people visited the beach at Coney Island, with over 640,000 visitors taking over 2 million rides at Luna Park and Scream Zone combined. It marked the second season for Luna Park, which opened in 2010 and features 19 rides. Scream Zone, featuring four thrill rides, opened last summer. Lifeguards are on duty at all city beaches daily, from 10am to 6pm. City beaches span a total of 14 miles and include Coney Island and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn, and Rockaway Beach in Queens. All city beaches are free and open to the public. Outing Deadbeat Parents Online Deadbeat parents who owe more than $10,000 in child support payments may soon exposed online in a statewide “Most Wanted” type of list. State Senator Martin J. Golden (Brooklyn) recently sponsored legislation that would mandate the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to compile and publish a list of those in arrears of their child support obligations under a court order, including their name, physical description, last known address and photograph. The information would be removed upon payment of the balance of child support owed, making three consecutive payments, or providing documentation that they are not responsible for the payments. Golden noted that the measure would be useful in soliciting the public’s help in notifying the government where the deadbeat parents are, adding that “the fear of public humiliation may also encourage individuals to stop shortchanging their children.” In 2009, more than $648 million owed to New York’s children went uncollected. Tougher Legislation for Hit and Runs Repeat hit and run offenders and drivers who cause injury could face a Class D Felony charge, instead of Class E, according to new, recently approved legislation by the New York State Senate. Drivers who leave the scene of an accident where someone was killed would face Class C Felony charges. The bill must still be passed by the Assembly and signed by the governor to become law. Senator Marty Golden, who introduced the bill, noted that “on the day the State Senate approved legislation to toughen the penalties against those who leave the scene of an accident, another life was lost at the hands of a hit and run driver in my district… I urge New Yorkers to contact their Assembly representative and ask them to make this the year that the Empire State stands up against hit and runs.” The legislation was passed by the State Senate last year, but in spite of efforts by Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn), who is sponsoring the measure in the Assembly, the bill has, thus far, failed to pass. Prerecorded Telemarketing by Permission Only Telemarketers may soon be prohibited from using prerecorded phone messages in New York, without consent from the recipient, thanks to new legislation recently announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The Department of State would also ban companies that violate telemarketing laws from doing business in the state. Currently, telemarketers licensed outside New York are able to harass consumers in the state, pay a fine, and continue to do business here. All telemarketers would be required to register with the Department of State which can revoke or suspend the company’s registration. Currently, only 22 telemarketers are registered in New York. In 2000, New York enacted the Do Not Call laws to protect consumers from unwanted telemarketing calls, through a central registry to reduce the number of unsolicited telemarketing calls received. New Yorkers have registered over 13 million phone numbers on the Do-Not-Call registry. Life in the Big City 106 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE