Laquan Julien recaps Community Board 13 December 2016 General Meeting from a Southeast Queens Resident Perspective.
Attending my first meeting of Community Board 13 was an enlightening experience. Seeing the diverse amount of people in one room is always a great sight to see during a time when the country is transitioning into new management. Speaking of a management, a lot of what I see is done from a management perspective with the collective opinion of the community in mind. The board discussed multiple goals either in the process or for the future.
One of the few topics was in regard to street vendors. All upcoming street festivals would only be granted permits if 50% or more of the vendors come from that district. One of the better ideas I believe to help keep the money within the community. A lot of times people who attend these community festivals never actually get to support or enjoy the cultures that they’re community or neighbors could provide.
Another topic of discussion was this winter’s snow removal. It’s been an unspoken thing in New York City to know that if your home is not on a main street it will not be cleaned properly. According to the board, this action will mandate that every street will be cleaned and maintained the same as others. To reassure the people ,they will also provide contact information in case residents feel your block should be done again. On a side note ,they did indeed mention ,in case of a block is being redone the request from the resident will have to wait until the end of the original snow plow. These proposals were all presented by Chairperson Bryan J Block and Mark McMillan.
Towards the end of the meeting , Jophiel Phillips, a USAF Veteran was being acknowledged by the board which they stated they do every month. Jophiel Phillips was awarded a bronze star and a purple heart. Jophiel attended St. Francis Prep before graduating and attending Hofstra and Stony Brook University where he played football and studied law. Soon after he graduated and began a career with the military as a part of Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
All and all the topics of discussion were worth the attendance of the people. The community members take their votes very seriously as they do their communities as well. The future may hold some different situations but I’m more than sure this committee can always create a solution. Perseverance is an inevitable outcome for all Queens natives.
