By Michael V. Cusenza

The city Economic Development Corporation, and Hornblower, the recently announced operator of the Citywide Ferry, this week launched CitywideFerry.NYC, the official web portal for the first five-borough ferry service in nearly 100 years.

During the construction and development phase of Citywide Ferry, according to NYCEDC, the website will feature project updates, upcoming public meetings, a live stream of boat construction, maps and schedules, along with information on applying for one of the over 150 local jobs the ferry is expected to create for New Yorkers.

Additionally, five New Yorkers who take a two-minute survey about Citywide Ferry through the website will automatically be entered to win one of five annual ferry passes once service commences next year.  Winners of the annual passes will be announced as Citywide Ferry gets closer to launch with one entry per person.

“We’re moving full speed toward launch of Citywide Ferry Service next summer, and we need input from New Yorkers to make sure the new ferry system is the best it can possibly be,” said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer. “So go to CitywideFerry.NYC, take our survey, sign up for alerts, and you could win a free year’s worth of ferry rides.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled his vision of a new ferry system that would “knit together existing East River routes with new landings and services to Astoria, the Rockaways, South Brooklyn, Soundview and the Lower East Side” during his State of the City address in February 2015. Backed by city operating support and a $55 million capital commitment, the project is considered on schedule, with the first three routes set to open in 2017.

“Beyond connecting residents to jobs in Manhattan, our new Citywide Ferry system will spur the development of new commercial corridors throughout the outer boroughs,” de Blasio said last year.

The service will consist of five new ferry routes in addition to the existing East River Ferry, charging a fare of $2.75, according to the EDC. When Citywide Ferry is fully operational in 2018, the six routes will carry an estimated 4.6 million trips per year. EDC is leading the project by building 10 new ferry landings and renovating six others.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

A Brooklyn man has pleaded guilty to federal extortion and gun charges, according to the Eastern District U.S. Attorney’s Office, for his role in a multi-player plan to coerce “protection” payments from several Astoria business owners.

Denis Nikolla last Thursday copped to two counts of Hobbs Act extortion conspiracy, one count of threatening physical violence in furtherance of an extortion plan, and one count of brandishing a firearm. One of his co-defendants, Besnik Llakatura, who served as a City cop on Staten Island during the charged crimes, previously pleaded guilty in this case, U.S. Attorney Robert Capers noted.

According to court records and Nikolla’s allocation, between May and November 2013, Nikolla, Llakatura and another man conspired and attempted to shake-down an Astoria restaurant owner, demanding regular payments in exchange for so-called protection. The extortion began shortly after the victim opened the eatery, when he was visited by Nikolla and told that he had set up shop in “our neighborhood” and, as a result, “you have to pay us” $4,000 per month.

The restaurant owner sought help from his friend Llakatura. However, Llakatura, an NYPD officer serving the 120^th precinct since 2006, was conspiring with Nikolla in the extortion. Llakatura actively discouraged the restaurant owner from going to the police and sought to leverage his position of trust as a friend and a police officer to persuade the victim that he had no choice but to make the demanded payments, warning the victim that Nikolla and his associates would harm him if he did not pay, according to federal prosecutors. When the victim resisted, Nikolla threatened him with physical violence and chased him at gunpoint down a borough block. Over the course of five months, each of the three defendants took turns collecting monthly payments from the Astoria restaurant owner, ultimately collecting $24,000 in shake-down payments.

In April 2012, Nikolla and Co. attempted to extort $400 a week from the owner of two borough nightclubs. After he refused to pay, Nikolla stuck a gun in the owner’s ribs, and informed him that if he wasn’t paid, Nikolla would come to the owner’s house and beat him up in front of his wife and children.

Also in 2013, Nikolla, Llakatura, and the co-defendant conspired and attempted to extort the owner of two Astoria social clubs. Nikolla made the initial extortion demand, seeking payments of $1,000 per week from the proprietor for “protection.” The owner refused to make the demanded payments and ceased going to his social clubs out of fear for his safety.

Court-authorized wiretaps of the defendants’ telephones revealed evidence of Nikolla’s participation in this extortion conspiracy with Llakatura and the other perp, and their attempts to locate the victim. In one instance, according to the U.S. Attorney, all three threatened, punched, and pulled a gun on a friend of the victim in an effort to make the friend locate the victim. The victim ultimately fled to a foreign country for a period of time to avoid the threats.

When sentenced, Nikolla faces up to life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

With even his 6-foot-6 frame dwarfed by the crowded, classic skyline, Mayor Bill de Blasio last Wednesday beamed as he announced that the Citywide Ferry Service is on track to launch next year, with the selection of California-based Hornblower, Inc. as its operator.

The Rockaway, Astoria, and South Brooklyn routes will be ready for the first 2017 voyages. When fully operational by 2018, the Citywide Ferry Service will operate from 21 landings and carry an estimated 4.6 million trips per year across six routes.

“For the price of a single subway ride, tens-of-thousands of New Yorkers are going to have a new public transit option linking them to jobs, education and opportunities across the city. It’s going to be a commute like no other: fresh air, harbor views and a fast ride on the open water,” de Blasio gushed. “We are selecting an operator with an incredible track record providing service in our harbor. We look forward to launching with Hornblower next year.”

Hornblower CEO Terry MacRae said his firm “is honored to take the helm of Mayor de Blasio’s vision for a more integrated transportation network that will make commuting and connecting easier” in the five boroughs.

“The Hornblower Family of Companies is growing and we’re about to make it easier to commute and connect in NYC!” the corporation posted to its Facebook page last week.

The City Economic Development Corporation indicated that it selected Hornblower “on the basis of its ability to provide the highest quality service at the best value to taxpayers.”

Hornblower, according to the administration, has operated in the New York Harbor for a decade and carries 13 million passengers every year. Boasting a history as “a strong unionized employer,” the corporation currently employs more than 450 people in the Harbor; the Citywide Ferry Service is expected to generate at least 155 “new, good-paying jobs” in the Harbor, de Blasio said.

As part of the service, Hornblower will be delivering at least 18 new boats, which will be able to carry at least 149 passengers, and be equipped with WiFi and engines that meet the highest Environmental Protection Agency standards. All docks and boats will be accessible to people in wheelchairs and fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“While I could criticize the decision to go with an out-of-state service provider, who has minimal experience in navigating large numbers of individuals in our city waters, I must also work towards a reliable ferry service that is desperately needed by my constituents,” said State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach). “I remain cautiously hopeful that Hornblower Cruises will be able to provide new, appropriate boats and other important resources the Mayor promised for this initiative. I intend to keep a watchful eye over the company and the process to resurrect the ferry to ensure my constituents get what they rightfully deserve. As I have stated before, the Rockaway Ferry can only be as successful as its chosen operator allows it to be. The future of transportation in the Rockaways now lies in the hands of the Mayor’s administration and its selected operator Hornblower, and we must make certain they run this service adequately.”

The City is investing $55 million in infrastructure upgrades, including building 10 new ferry landings and rehabilitating six others. The City is also providing $30 million in operating support per year, over a period of six years.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Alan Krawitz

With this year’s Oscars in the rear-view mirror, the borough is once again preparing to spotlight its own cinematic talent as the annual Queens World Film Festival returns to the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria and three other locations from March 15-20.

This year’s festival features 143 films including U.S. and world premieres, features, and shorts from 23 countries including Haiti, Nepal, Germany, England and Finland.

“The quality is exceptional this year; the ideas, the execution, everything works,” said Katha Cato, executive director of the festival, which is celebrating its sixth year.

Among the highly anticipated films is the world premiere of the documentary “Saving Jamaica Bay,” which chronicles the battle to save one of the city’s most iconic natural waterways.

Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress and environmentalist Susan Sarandon, the film was written and produced by borough native Dan Hendrick, also a champion of environmental causes who previously authored a book on the bay before piloting the project from concept to completion.

Hendrick recalled how the inspiration for the movie was spawned at a civic meeting during which an ill-conceived idea was discussed to pave over parts of Jamaica Bay to expand John F. Kennedy International Airport.

“I knew right then and there that I wanted to give a voice to this community,” he said. “And the best way forward was to tell local residents’ story, and honor their experience, on film.”

Asked about his participation in the festival, Hendrick said it is a privilege.

“There are so many talented and diverse filmmakers out there – some working on local issues like me, and others who are filming all over the world,” Hendrick said. “I’m honored to be among them.”

Similarly, Queens-based filmmaker Patrick Chen, who had success with his short film “Love Express” in 2014, said he was honored to have his most recent project, “Underneath the Grey,” selected at this year’s event.

“My experience with the festival has been wonderful,” Chen said. “Queens World Film Festival is one of the most diverse and respectable film festivals for all ages, nationalities, and beliefs.”

2016 QWFF highlights include a special outstanding filmmaker award for independent director Melvin Van Peebles, best known for his movie “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song‎,” which ushered in a new era of African-American cinema.

On the international front, Victoria Wharfe McIntyre, the writer/producer of the Australian LGBT entry “Life’s a Drag,” about being true to oneself and the bonds of friendship and family in a challenging world, called the festival “truly inspiring.”

“As filmmakers, we dream of an avenue for our films to find an audience that share our passion – and screening at Queens in the wonderful city of New York is a huge boon for us Aussies!” exclaimed McIntyre.

For Nisha Shrestha, a filmmaker and producer from Nepal, her film “Kamaro (A Slave)” details her struggle of being a single mom with two children and how life is full of uncertainties. The short narrative also touches on her country’s cultural stigma of slavery that persists to this day in some rural areas.

“My attendance at the festival might set an example for thousands of women living in our society to fight back for their rights,” Shrestha said.

Reflecting on the future of the Queens festival, Cato said, “The borough has a sophisticated, appreciative, film-loving audience and that’s key to helping the festival compete against other larger festivals, such as in TriBeCa and the Hamptons on Long Island.”

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit queensworldfilmfestival.com.

By Michael V. Cusenza

A recent blog post has sparked a buzz about the Citywide Ferry Service, prospective operators, and the bidding process.

Last Thursday, Crain’s New York Business posted an item on its Insider blog that indicated that the City had selected an out-of-state company to run the Ferry. The story said that the Economic Development Corporation “has climbed aboard with Hornblower Cruises & Events,” tapping the San Francisco-based group to operate the water transit service that is still set to sail next year.

Asked to clarify the Crain’s post that cites sources “close to the process,” EDC spokesman Ian Fried said, “NYCEDC is currently in negotiations around details of the Citywide Ferry Service and I can’t comment further until negotiations are concluded.”

De Blasio unveiled his vision of a new five-borough ferry system that would “knit together existing East River routes with new landings and services to Astoria, the Rockaways, South Brooklyn, Soundview and the Lower East Side” during his State of the City Address last February. Backed by city operating support and a $55 million capital commitment, the project is considered on schedule, with the first three routes set to open in 2017.

“Beyond connecting residents to jobs in Manhattan, our new Citywide Ferry System will spur the development of new commercial corridors throughout the outer boroughs,” de Blasio said last year.

The service will consist of five new ferry routes in addition to the existing East River Ferry, charging a fare of $2.75, according to the EDC. When CFS is fully operational in 2018, the six routes will carry an estimated 4.6 million trips per year. EDC is leading the project by building 10 new ferry landings and renovating six others.

In September, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) called on the City to expand proposed free shuttle bus service to eastern Rockaway and Broad Channel, and consider the possibility of additional ferry docks in Far Rockaway.

The administration indicated that both ideas couldn’t work.

“There is an MTA bridge over which the A Train travels that is in the way, so a ferry would not be able to get further east than [it is currently set to go],” a source said. “And regarding a shuttle, the further east a bus goes, the longer the shuttle ride, making the total commute time longer than a commute would be on the A train. It’s simply not efficient.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Forum Staff

A Bayside man has been sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for the violent murders of both his parents – first by beating his mother and submerging her head in a tub of water, and then a year later smothering his father to death in his dad’s bed, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Gregory Cucchiara, 40, was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder last month following a three-week jury trial in which he represented himself and offered a bizarre defense that placed all blame on a drug that he said is used to cast hexes.

According to testimony, Cucchiara’s mother, Giusepina Cucchiara, 66, was found dead in the family’s 28th Avenue home on May 24, 2011. She had been struck on the head with a perfume bottle and choked with the pearl necklace she wore before having her head forced below the water in the bathtub. Autopsy results, Brown said, determined the mother of two had died as a result of having her head submerged under water after blunt force trauma.

According to trial records, Carmelo Cucchiara, 75, fearful of his son, immediately moved out of the Bayside home he shared with Gregory and Giusepina after her death and took up residence in a basement apartment in his daughter’s Astoria home. On August 21, 2012, Cucchiara’s daughter found him lying in bed with a pillow covering his face. He had bruising on his forehead and his body was cold to the touch. The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation. Gregory Cucchiara had visited his father the previous evening and was the last person to see him alive, according to testimony.

Additionally, Brown said, both victims suffered blunt force trauma to their heads before they were killed. DNA evidence found under the fingernails of Giusepina and Carmelo were matched to their only son.

Cucchiara was arrested on Nov. 13, 2012, following an extensive investigation by NYPD detectives and the Brown’s office. Prosecutors believe that drug-addled Cucchiara murdered his parents over money.

“This was a heinous case of cold-blooded murder and the ultimate betrayal of family trust,” Brown said. “The defendant was convicted of killing both his mother and his father. He viciously beat his mother and then forced her head below the surface of the water in a bathtub. In a separate attack, the defendant held a pillow against his father’s face as he laid in bed, suffocating him to death. These senseless, violent crimes more than justify the sentence imposed today by the Court.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

The Dubya is set to return.

It seems that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is poised to dust off the W Train this fall and bring it back to its original Astoria home.

MTA New York City Transit last week proposed to hold a public hearing this spring on restoring the line in Queens and Manhattan in the fall, in order to allow the Q Line to begin serving the Second Avenue Subway between 63rd and 96th streets when it opens later this year.

Adding the W Line to the system will provide more choices to Queens and Manhattan straphangers who use the Broadway NQR lines, the MTA said, as well as allow New York City Transit to prepare for a seamless transition and connection of service between those lines and the Second Avenue Subway.

The proposed service changes would return the W to Ditmars Boulevard and Astoria, where it will operate local service into Manhattan and terminate at Whitehall Street. The line would effectively replace Q service in Queens. The Q Line will temporarily terminate at 57th Street/7th Avenue, but will continue to 96th Street upon completion of the Second Avenue Subway. In addition, N trains will operate express in Manhattan from 34th Street-Herald Square to Canal Street, a change from its current local service in Manhattan. R service would remain unchanged, the agency indicated.

Further details of the proposed service changes:

N Line: Service in Queens and Brooklyn remains the same, but trains operate express in Manhattan on weekdays during peak hours, midday and evenings.

Q Line: Northern terminus temporarily changed to 57th Street/7th Avenue until the Second Avenue Subway opens. At that point, trains will operate from 96th Street in Manhattan to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn, stopping at: 86th Street, 72nd Street, Lexington Avenue/63rd Street, 57th Street/7th Avenue and all express stops on the Broadway Line in Manhattan. During late nights, the Q will run local between Brooklyn and Manhattan via the Manhattan Bridge. Service in Brooklyn remains the same.

R Line: No service changes.

W Line: Restoration of weekday service, making all local stops from Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard to Whitehall Street via the Broadway Line. No service on weekends or late night.

The changes, including the restoration of the W, maintain “service frequency and loading guidelines” for customers in Astoria, according to the MTA, and avoid significant deviations from current service that might confuse riders on those affected lines. Straphangers on the Broadway Line will also benefit from an increase in choices for express and local service in Manhattan, the agency noted.

The cost for these service changes is approximately $13.7 million annually, which has been incorporated into NYC Transit’s approved budget.

The original W service, which began in summer 2001, was previously eliminated as part of devastating bus and train service cuts implemented by the MTA in 2010 as a result of the economic crisis of 2008-2009 that led to significant decreases in funding across all agencies.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Mayor Bill de Blasio this week touted support of the Brooklyn-Queens Connector streetcar service he unveiled during the State of the City Address earlier this month.

De Blasio on Tuesday highlighted BQX endorsements from borough elected officials, transit advocates, and business owners. The new transit line – the first city streetcar in more than 50 years – would stretch 16 miles from Astoria to Sunset Park in Brooklyn, linking together neighborhoods “long underserved” by public transit with some of the fastest-growing job hubs, he said.

“The proposed streetcar connecting the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront neighborhoods is intriguing,” said City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria). “A dedicated public transit line that connects communities faster and more directly than the current transit options could benefit our residents and small businesses. I look forward to hearing more details and working with the proposal’s stakeholders to ensure that current residents and the community have input in any future plan.”

When fully built-out, BQX could serve almost 50,000 passengers per day, running through Astoria, Ravenswood, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Navy Yard, DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Gowanus and Sunset Park – making it one of the biggest urban streetcar systems in the nation, according to the administration.

“The more mass transit we have, the better off we are as a city that is growing. This is a brilliant plan that brings a permanent, reliable transportation option to neighborhoods desperate for it,” said Richard Ravitch, former lieutenant governor and chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Not everybody rides bikes.”

Though the BQX has already garnered wide-ranging support, not everyone likes the idea.

“The $2.5 billion, 12 mile per hour streetcar recently proposed by the mayor is a major concern for commuters who drive,” said Philip McManus, president of the Queens Public Transit Committee. “This streetcar idea reminds us of the proposed Select Bus Service for Woodhaven Boulevard. Combined, both plans stand to cost the public almost $3 billion yet may leave our roads in worse condition than they are now.”

The QPTC has been advocating for QueensRail, which involves utilizing the existing right of way of the former Rockaway Beach branch of the Long Island Rail Road, “as opposed to spending more money to build new infrastructure from scratch.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

Mayor Bill de Blasio this week appointed Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Julie Menin to serve in the same role in the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

Menin, who succeeds Cynthia Lopez, will head up an agency that supports a filmed entertainment industry that now contributes nearly $9 billion annually to the local economy, according to an independent study that details the growth and economic impact of the Big Apple’s media and entertainment industries.

The latest figure reflects an increase of $1.6 billion since 2011. The study credited the spike to film and TV production spending on items such as crew salaries, catering, location rentals, set construction, set decoration, costumes, and other needed supplies. This continued increase in spending creates a ripple effect through the city’s economy, creating more economic activity and jobs, indirectly supporting an additional 20,000 full-time equivalent jobs, according to the report.

Many popular television and Web series are filmed in Queens, which is home to Silvercup Studios in Long Island City and Kaufman Astoria Studios.

“Julie has shown time and again that she is a highly effective leader who has the skills and passion to get the job done for New Yorkers,” de Blasio said. “As DCA Commissioner, Julie saved everyday New Yorkers thousands of dollars, reduced fines on small businesses and spearheaded campaigns to uplift NYC’s residents in all five boroughs. I have the utmost confidence she will bring that same spark and commitment to MOME as it grows its reach in the media and entertainment community.”

De Blasio hailed Menin as “instrumental” in launching and leading many of his signature projects, including the Paid Sick Leave Law, the Small Business Relief Package to reduce fines on establishments, and the implementation of the Living Wage Executive Order.

With Menin’s appointment, de Blasio added, MOME will amplify its efforts to support and strengthen the City’s media and entertainment economy. In addition to film and television, Menin is set to lead the administration’s outreach to digital content and distribution companies, the advertising industry, and will broaden the office’s engagement with the Broadway and off-Broadway theater communities.

“Julie Menin is an outstanding choice to lead the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment,” said Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation. “She appreciates our industry’s needs and communities’ priorities and will be a strong partner with the entire industry to produce more projects and create more jobs in New York.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

In what Queens District Attorney Richard Brown last week called “a horrifying case of cold-blooded murder,” a Bayside man has been convicted of killing his parents – first by beating and submerging his mother’s head in a tub full of water in 2011, and then subsequently smothering his father to death with a pillow in bed 15 months later.

Gregory Cucchiara, 39, was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder last Friday following a three-week jury trial in which he represented himself and offered a bizarre defense that placed all blame on a drug that he said is used to cast hexes.

According to testimony, Cucchiara’s mother, Giusepina Cucchiara, 66, was found dead in the family’s 28th Avenue home on May 24, 2011. She had been struck on the head with a perfume bottle and choked with the pearl necklace she wore before having her head forced below the water in the bathtub. Autopsy results, Brown said, determined the mother of two had died as a result of having her head submerged under water after blunt force trauma.

According to trial records, Carmelo Cucchiara, 75, fearful of his son, immediately moved out of the Bayside home he shared with Gregory and Giusepina after her death and took up residence in a basement apartment in his daughter’s Astoria home. On August 21, 2012, Cucchiara’s daughter found him lying in bed with a pillow covering his face. He had bruising on his forehead and his body was cold to the touch. The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation. Gregory Cucchiara had visited his father the previous evening and was the last person to see him alive, according to testimony.

Additionally, Brown said, both victims suffered blunt force trauma to their heads before they were killed. DNA evidence found under the fingernails of Giusepina and Carmelo were matched to their only son.

Cucchiara was arrested on Nov. 13, 2012, following an extensive investigation by NYPD detectives and the Brown’s office. Prosecutors believe that drug-addled Cucchiara murdered his parents over money.

Brown said that Cucchiara “stands convicted of using his hands to force his mother’s head under the water in her bathtub, killing her. Not yet done, he then uses those same hands the following year to murder his father by taking a pillow and suffocating him to death. Such senseless acts of violence demonstrate that the defendant is a threat to society and deserving to spend the rest of his life behind bars.”

Cucchiara is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 23. He faces up to 50 years to life in prison.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Forum Staff

An Astoria man has pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the shooting of two men—both strangers—that the defendant and an unapprehended accomplice came upon while walking in Astoria in July 2014, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Angel Zabala, 20, pleaded guilty last week to two counts of second-degree attempted murder. The presiding judge has indicated that he will sentence Zabala to 20 years in prison on Feb. 24.

“The defendant admitted to approaching two men, arguing, and shooting them. Both victims were injured, but fortunately survived. This kind of random, senseless violence has no place in a civilized society,” Brown said. “The defendant will be sentenced next month to a lengthy term in prison.”

According to the charges, on July 11, 2014 between 12:50 a.m. and 3:35 a.m., at the intersection of Main Street and Welling Court, Zabala and an unapprehended man approached Jovany Heredia and Edwin Cruz, at the time 22 and 21, respectively, and asked “What’s crackin’? It’s always crackin’ here. Who you reppin’?”

The complaint states that Zabala and the other man started pummeling the two victims with punches, and then Zabala pulled out a 9mm handgun and fired. Heredia was shot three times and Cruz once. Both victims were treated at area hospitals and recovered from their injuries.

In pleading guilty, Zabala said he was trying to kill the two men.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Members of the City Council whose districts would be impacted by the Citywide Ferry Service slated to set sail in 2017 penned a joint letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this month to express concerns about the plan and its execution, according to an exclusive New York Daily News report.

The six stressed councilmembers said that the company that wins the bid to operate the service “must provide predictable and on-time service with a fleet large enough so that no one is left on the docks high and dry,” the News wrote in its story posted last Wednesday.

Asked for reaction to the legislators’ worries, City Economic Development Corporation Spokesman Ian Fried told The Forum, “We are currently in negotiations to secure a Citywide Ferry operator that would provide the highest quality service for New Yorkers at the lowest cost. New ferry service will link all five boroughs for the price of a subway fare. It will be a fast, convenient system that will knit together growing communities in need of new public transit options.”

De Blasio unveiled his vision of a new five-borough ferry system that would “knit together existing East River routes with new landings and services to Astoria, the Rockaways, South Brooklyn, Soundview and the Lower East Side” during his State of the City address last February. Backed by City operating support and a $55 million capital commitment, the project is considered on schedule, with the first three routes set to open in 2017.

The service will consist of five new ferry routes in addition to the existing East River Ferry service, charging a fare of $2.75, according to the EDC. When CFS is fully operational in 2018, the six routes will carry an estimated 4.6 million trips per year. EDC is leading the project by building ten new ferry landings and renovating six others.

“Beyond connecting residents to jobs in Manhattan, our new Citywide Ferry System will spur the development of new commercial corridors throughout the outer boroughs,” de Blasio said last year.

“We’re serious about bringing new infrastructure and transportation to communities across the five boroughs,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen. “The new Citywide Ferry System will link together neighborhoods that haven’t had access to affordable and convenient public transit—connecting people and businesses to support the growth of emerging commercial corridors, while helping more New Yorkers access jobs in established business districts. This is an important new investment for our administration, and we’re proud to see it moving ahead rapidly.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

An East Elmhurst man has been charged in four separate incidents with stealing packages after they had been delivered to the doorsteps of borough residents just three days before Christmas, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Frank Garcia, 26, was arraigned last Wednesday on a criminal complaint charging him with four counts of petit larceny and four counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. He posted the $5,000 cash or bond bail on Tuesday and was released, according to court and City Department of Correction records.

According to the charges, Garcia was seen walking down 47th Street in Astoria last Tuesday afternoon and removing packages that had been left on doorsteps by mail delivery services and placing the packages on a blue push cart. In reviewing surveillance video of the lobby of Garcia’s building, Brown said, police allegedly observed Garcia enter the building with a blue push cart containing several packages. Police allegedly recovered the blue cart and an assortment of packages containing ten curtains, two bottles of lotion, a pair of pants, a purse, a Bluetooth speaker and a bottle of soap. At the time of his arrest, Garcia allegedly told 114^th Precinct cops that he took the packages because he was out of work and it was Christmas.

“When people place mail orders, they do not expect their delivered packages to be brazenly stolen off their doorstep by somebody acting like the Dr. Seuss’ character in the book, ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas!’, as the defendant is accused of doing in this case—even though he had no way of knowing what the packages contained,” Brown said. “What the defendant now knows is that he faces the prospect of being incarcerated for his alleged actions.”

If convicted, Garcia faces up to a year in jail.

According to trial testimony, on Feb. 27, while on duty, Luis Gutierrez, 39, approached a dancer at Astoria Boulevard and 8th Street. He offered the dancer, who was really an undercover detective, cash in exchange for sex. There was additional contact later the next day by phone and Gutierrez, at that time, offered money for sex to another female—also a detective who was posing as a 16-year-old teen.

Sentencing was set for Sept. 21. Gutierrez is facing up to a year in jail.

“He was supposed to uphold the law, but instead was caught—while on duty—offering money to a woman for sexual favors,” Brown said.

Borough President Melinda Katz this week swore in South Jamaica native Maria Lisella as the new Queens Poet Laureate.

Lisella, who resides in Astoria, is the borough’s sixth Poet Laureate. The author, teacher and travel writer was chosen after an exhaustive three-month search undertaken by Katz, in partnership with Queens College and Queens Library. The search to succeed Paolo Javier began in March when an open call for applications was made to the borough’s published poets.

Applicants for the unpaid position were required to be residents of Queens and were asked to demonstrate their vision for how they would use the position to promote a love of poetry and literacy throughout the borough.

“I am honored to join this illustrious list of poets who have been Queens Poet Laureates, especially Stephen Stepanchev, who was one of my professors at Queens College, and Hal Sirowitz, who is also a charter member of brevitas, an online poetry circle,” Lisella said. “To me, Queens epitomizes what New York City has always been: the first stop for immigrants in their quest for a new life. Today, it is easier for merchandise and goods to cross borders than people. Poetry is linked to human movement because all of our stories are renewed by the flow of cultures; and Queens has myriad stories to tell.”

Lisella is the author of three books of poetry, and has been published in Feile Fiesta, LIPS, Paterson Literary Review, Skidrow Penthouse, The New York Quarterly, First Literary Review East and Pirene’s Fountain. She also won Honorable Mention for the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award.

A travel writer for 30 years, Lisella’s work has appeared in Travel and Leisure, The Dallas Morning News and FOXNews.com, among other outlets. She also contributes to La Voce di New York, an Italian and English bilingual online newspaper.

Katz said that Lisella stood out from the other candidates “because of the quality of her poetry and because of the clear and creative vision she has for promoting a love of poetry to the diverse audiences found in The World’s Borough.”

By Forum Staff