Residents say this stairway between 65th Place and 64th Street in Maspeth is a hot spot for smoking and drinking. Forum Newsgroup photo by Luis Gronda.
Residents around an obscure stairway connecting two streets in Maspeth say the pass-through has become a harbor for vandalism and illicit activity.
In the neighborhood where 53rd Avenue dead-ends into 65th Place, a stairway continues down to 64th Street.
On Monday, neighbors around the fenced, tree-lined walkway said it’s an eyesore and a popular place to smoke and drink.
Graffiti also peppers the walls and fencing around the stairs.
Barbara Syversen, who lives two doors down from the staircase, said she’s witnessed teens smoking marijuana, worries it’s a mosquito breeding ground and
Graffiti keeps returning on the walls of buildings lining the staircase. Forum Newsgroup photo by Luis Gronda.
thinks city agencies have left it in disrepair.
“The city should take more interest in the land that they own,” she said.
A man who lives directly next door to the thoroughfare declined to give his name but echoed many of her concerns.
He said he takes it upon himself to try to clean the stairway two or three times a year. Additionally, he sometimes chases off teens hanging out in the staircase with drugs.
“They don’t have anywhere to go, so they come here to smoke pot,” he said.
He’s worried about the day they aren’t agreeable enough to leave.
Adding to the problem, he said, there has been a building under construction abutting the staircase for at least five years.
It gives more cover for illicit activity, and a construction fence that’s been put up is covered in graffiti.
Fencing is also vandalized including the one lining an ongoing construction project next door. Forum Newsgroup photo by Luis Gronda.
“If there was a residence there, it would help a lot with the situation,” the neighbor said.
Gary Giordano, district manager of Community Board 5, where the staircase is situated, said the area might always be a hangout for kids simply by virtue of its seclusion.
“That step street lends itself, just by the nature of it, to being a hang out and all that goes with it,” he said.
He added that this is nothing new. He’s heard complaints in the past concerning the area, and he has had success getting the Department of Sanitation and police there to address the situation.
He’s also sent graffiti removal teams to the area, and said he plans to again in the near future.
Complaints, however, have tapered off recently, he said.
After hearing about the conditions, he asked that neighbors contact CB 5 if they see issues on the staircase so he or other staff can bring it directly to the appropriate agency.
CB 5’s phone number is 718-366-1834.
Residents say lights don’t consistently work at night. Forum Newsgroup photo by Luis Gronda.
By Jeremiah Dobruck and Luis Gronda
j.dobruck@theforumnewsgroup.com
