Marine Park Civic Association

Good news for Marine Park! The builder of 2230 Kimball Street has been denied a variance and now must remove the top two floors or sell the property. This is an important win for our neighborhood.

After last year’s blizzard debacle, I said that we needed to do our best to stop such a systematic failure from happening again and I’d like to share with you some of what has been done in the year since. In the City Council we held multiple hearings, one in each borough and a second one in Brooklyn, upon my insistence, in our neighborhood. We had the dubious honor of being perhaps the hardest hit neighborhoods, so it was vital that our voices and our stories be heard. The Council subsequently passed into law multiple bills, each of which I co-sponsored, to address some of the City’s previous shortcomings. These bills, covering everything from preparedness plans to 311 responses, to maintaining a registry of volunteers, are now taking effect. For instance, the Department of Sanitation recently released borough-specific “Snow Plans” to publicly plan their response in advance to snowstorms. My staff combed over the Brooklyn plan, being certain to check that a proper number of plows will be stationed in our area. While I have raised some questions and await the actual implementation of the plan before full judgment can be passed, they are a positive step. Additionally, my staff and I have been in contact with local community leaders to ensure that all local schools, be they public or private, are given the proper priority on plow routes. Children should not be forced to navigate snowdrifts taller than they are, just to go to school. We can never guarantee that a storm won’t overwhelm us, but we can, and should, guarantee that we are as prepared as possible.

I have also recently introduced a bill to address another concern that has been raised by constituents - the practice of local gas stations displaying a lower ‘cash’ price on their road signs, while charging consumers more at the pump for using credit cards. Sometimes the only clue given that this is the case will be a difficult to read sticker, or even worse, the word ‘cash’ scribbled in marker. No passing motorist could ever hope to read such a sign. This strikes me as deceptive and unfair to consumers. Unfortunately, State law governs what businesses may or may not charge consumers, but the City does have some power to regulate the signs used by these gas stations. Therefore, I have introduced a bill that would require clear and consistent roadside signs on every gas station in the City. If a gas station is charging more for using a credit card, either that price or that practice should be clearly and boldly disclosed on the sign. This bill, if passed, would allow motorists to make informed decisions, free of deception, before they pull over for gas.

Please accept my best wishes for a very happy and healthy New Year. My District Office is open Monday through Friday from 9AM to 5PM and on Wednesday evenings until 9PM. Please feel free to come by or call us at 718-241-9330 regarding any questions or concerns you may have.

AAA Car & Travel - Fight the E-Z Scam
When the New York State Legislature convenes in January, lawmakers must strike a blow for honesty and fairness by stopping the rip-offs that too many toll authorities are hiding in their E-Z Pass programs. As pointed out in Augusts' Issue (The New Highway Robbery), drivers with E-Z Passes issued in New York suddenly had to pay the sky-high “cash rate” when driving on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. Gone was the 34-percent E-Z Pass discount. What does this Garden State policy have to do with New York’s legislature? Plenty, since New Jersey officials were simply copying a rip-off that’s been perpetrated by our own MTA Bridges and Tunnels since 2009. That is, drivers with E-Z Passes issued anywhere but New York pay $13 to cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, not the E-Z Pass discount rate of $9.60. There’s similar gouging at the Throgs Neck Bridge and other major MTA crossings.

Car & Travel’s report led to AAA New York members sending more than 10,000 e-mails sounding off to their legislators about this scam. Some lawmakers are listening. Assemblymen Robert Sweeney and Alan Maisel are urging an end to this toll-plaza fleecing and even have called for refunding the millions of dollars that drivers have overpaid. Toll authorities could opt to end the practice by signing onto reciprocal agreements among themselves. But the prospect of that occurring is dim in this new era of unaccountable public-authority shadow governments, and the legislatures may have to force the issue by enacting laws that end this rip-off. If toll authorities don’t stop victimizing drivers, Albany lawmakers need to step in. You can help by visiting AAA.com/E-Z Pass.

New Law Bans Mail-Order Drug Mandates
By Anemona Hartocollis
Published: December 13, 2011

Mom-and-pop pharmacies will be better able to compete with mail-order companies because of a bill that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has signed into law.

The bill barred insurers or employers from forcing patients to use mail-order plans for prescription drugs, except for plans negotiated by unions. Instead, consumers would be guaranteed the choice of having their prescriptions filled either through mail-order or at the local drugstore, without any added copayments or fees.

In a memorandum approving the bill and a similar one related to the purchase of fertility drugs, the governor said the measures would “improve consumer convenience by expanding the options by which consumers can fill their drug prescriptions.”

But the governor signed both bills late Monday on the condition that the Legislature would retroactively amend them to require retail pharmacies to accept the same reimbursement rates for drugs as mail-order pharmacies. The original bills required them to accept “comparable” reimbursement.

A spokesman for Express Scripts, a major manager of mail-order drugs, said Tuesday that the company still believed a veto “would have better served New Yorkers,” but that the amendments would help keep the cost of prescription drugs for small businesses and consumers from “dramatically” increasing.

The spokesman, Jonah Houts, said that mail-order delivery to people’s homes of drugs for chronic illnesses was still the cheapest option with the least potential for error, and that to the extent that that had been diminished, “drug costs will go up.”

The retail pharmacy industry said the law was a victory for consumer choice and customer service. Ray Macioci, president of the New York City Pharmacists Society, said that especially with the rise of generic drugs, small pharmacies were capable of competing on price with large mail-order companies.

“My contention has always been that mandatory programs are always anticompetitive,” Mr. Macioci said.

The staff of the Federal Trade Commission has warned that similar laws in Maryland raised prices for consumers. If fewer consumers use mail order, the commission staff said, the mail-order companies are less likely to provide discounts for volume.

2012 Postal Holidays

• Monday, January 2 - New Year's Day (observed)
• Monday, January 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday (observed)
• Monday, February 20 - Washington's & Lincoln's Birthday (President’s Day)
• Monday, May 28 - Memorial Day
• Wednesday, July 4 - Independence Day
• Monday, September 3 - Labor Day
• Monday, October 8 - Columbus Day
• Monday, November 12 -Veterans’ Day (observed)
• Thursday, November 22 - Thanksgiving Day
• Tuesday, December 25 - Christmas Day

At the MPCA December Holiday Celebration, elected officials and Greg acknowledged the volunteers who helped out at Santa in the Park.

Madison McCormick, Madison Black, Alyssa Vazquez, Melissa Fitzgerald, Francis, Francine and Natalia Crociata

Other volunteers who were not able to attend:
Jeffery Roth, Theresa Calitri, Ashleigh McGregor, Alyssa Silvestri and Nicholas De Torfino

2011 - Santa in the Park - 2011

We THANK YOU
Home Depot for turning the Nature Center into the North Pole!

Royan Cameron, Diana Rosado, Caitlin Ruitiglino, Theodore Fleming, Amanda Carosellis, Sherman Merced & Pete Perez

Participating Home Depot Stores:
Mill Basin # 6158 - Hazem Elrashidi, Store Manager
Coney Island # 1256 - John Oliveras, Store Manager
Staten Island # 1281 - Julie Osterhoudt, Store Manager

With the new year fast approaching I wanted to share some of the great programs at Kingsborough Community College. The My Turn Program where Senior Residents who are 60 and over are eligible to take credit classes (on space availability), more than 400 Courses in Art, Music, history, computers, health education, literature and many other categories, take courses with College students, facilities including library, gym, pool, tennis courts and private beach, $80.00 registration fee, no tuition, fall and spring classes are 12 weeks/winter and summer 6 weeks. Call 718 368 -5079 for more information.

Do you have questions about Medicare, Prescription Drug Plans, or Coverage Costs? We can help!

We can assist with : Medicare Part D, EPIC, Low-income Assistance, Medicare Advantage (HMOs, PPOs, PFFS) Medicare Savings Program, Long Term Care Insurance, Problems with your current plan, Understanding your health insurance options or Choosing the right policy to fit your needs.

FREE EXPERT GUIDENCE FOR YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE QUESTIONS

For more information on HIICAP’s (Health Insurance Information Counseling & Assistance Program) services, becoming a volunteer, or requesting a speaker, call 311, 212.341.3978 or visit us at www.nyc.gov/aging

All Systems Go!
If you have concerns, send us an email MPCA@marineparkcivic.com or .org.
The server has been fixed and ready to go.

Call 311 - To report past crimes and to learn more about the NYPD Graffiti Reward Program

Remember…