The Rockaway Beach Branch LIRR tracks and the High Line

Queens residents have renewed efforts to turn old Rockaway Beach Branch Long Island Rail Road tracks into an outer borough version of the High Line, the New York Daily News reported.

The tracks, which run above street level for 3.5 miles from Rego Park to Ozone Park, have been out of service for nearly 50 years, and have already become overrun with trees and vegetation.

“It’s green, yet it has economic development opportunities,” said Andrea Crawford, chairwoman of Community Board 9, who met with city officials to discuss preliminary plans for the transformation. [more]

Catholic parishes are selling off and leasing churches, convents and schools for six- and seven-digit returns in order to stave off bankruptcy as collection plates remain empty from lack of attendance, the New York Daily News reported.
The trend has been starkest in Brooklyn and Queens, where there has been an influx of Asian immigrants, replacing the old European population.

“As the population continues to shift, that puts a strain on particular institutions,” said Msgr. Kieran Harrington of the Brooklyn Archdiocese. “People are having less children. That has an impact on enrollment.”
St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Church in Ozone Park is just one parish that has run into financial difficulties. It shut four years ago after declining attendance forced it to merge with Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary school into the Divine Mercy Catholic Academy. Rev. Paul Palmiotto sought approval to sell a 1920s-era school at the site for $4 million earlier this year. [more]

After months of speculation, the three remaining Off-Track Betting parlors in New York City closed yesterday, leaving doubt over the future of gambling in the boroughs, including up-and-coming institutions like the Aqueduct race track in Ozone Park, Queens. A one-time draw for a cultish following of retirees and gambling enthusiasts, OTB’s demise left a void in the city for many, according to the New York Times. Now, the New York Racing Association is shuttling former OTB fans to South Ozone Park, where gamblers can enjoy Aqueduct race track. [more]

After Governor David Paterson’s ill-fated selection of the Aqueduct Entertainment Group to operate the Aqueduct racino in Queens, state officials are once again soliciting bids from potential developers, according to the Observer. The selection of AEG drew considerable ire from the state officials and the public, as accusations of favoritism and unfair political connections cropped up almost immediately after Paterson’s winter announcement. [more]

A confidential report on the six former Aqueduct race track contract bidders has been released to the New York Times, which had sought it through a Freedom of Information Act request, raising more questions over the legitimacy of Aqueduct Entertainment Group’s selection. The document, prepared by the state Division of Lottery, shows a basic assessment of the six candidates for the Ozone Park casino and race track project, including the controversial pick, the AEG. The assessment, which Governor David Paterson’s communications director said was conducted early in the process, ranks candidates in 11 different criteria, giving each scores of “positive,” “neutral” or “negative.” In the report, AEG garnered four “positive,” three “neutral,” and four “negative” scores. Early pack leader, SL Green-Hard Rock, meanwhile, nabbed seven “positive,” four “neutral” and zero “negative” scores. [more]

New York State Senate Democrats are riled over possible subpoenas from the state Inspector General’s office in relation to the recent Aqueduct racetrack contract controversy. John Sampson, the senate conference leader, said that the inspector has no jurisdiction over the legislature and shouldn’t be allowed to access to private documents related to the selection of the Aqueduct Entertainment Group for the racetrack contract selection last month. The Inspector General’s probe follows massive public outcry over the contract award to AEG and accusations of impropriety on the part of local lawmakers.

The Aqueduct Entertainment Group won’t be running slots in Ozone Park anytime soon. State officials have barred the group from receiving its gaming license, following weeks of corruption rumors surrounding Governor David Paterson’s selection of the group for the racetrack and gambling development contract. After the decision came down, Paterson’s office released a statement saying it would back down from its decision. “The Division of the Lottery has concluded that it cannot issue a gaming license to Aqueduct Entertainment Group. Therefore, the State has officially withdrawn its support for AEG to develop and operate a video lottery terminal facility at Aqueduct Race Track,” Paterson’s office said.

From left: 120-18 132nd Street, 56-10 Waldron Street, 116-36 139th Street, and the Kalua Club

The Queens District Attorney handed down a 327-count indictment against five individuals who allegedly orchestrated a $2 million mortgage fraud scheme by using fake identities to buy and sell Queens properties. District Attorney Richard Brown described the fraud as “brazen,” and said he believed that the “mortgage frauds perpetrated by these defendants were among the root causes of the severe economic downturn of the last few years.” Four of the five defendants, three of whom own the Club Kalua nightclub, have been captured, while the fifth remains at large. Club Kalua was the site of the infamous 2006 Sean Bell shooting incident, in which police shot three men including killing Bell, on the morning after his bachelor party. If convicted in the mortgage scam, the defendants could face prison terms of up to 15 years each. The three properties involved in the scheme, 120-18 132nd Street in Ozone Park, 56-10 Waldron Street in Corona, and 116-36 139th Street in Jamaica, were allegedly purchased with fake identities. “In this particular case, one of the frauds was so brazen that it allegedly involved the sale of a house by two people posing as sellers — one of whom was dead — to a third person posing as a buyer — with the defendants pocketing an astounding $250,000,” Brown said. “These types of financial crimes have real-life consequences and will not be tolerated.” TRD

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Aqueduct Entertainment Group, which emerged late last month as the surprise — and controversial — winner of a drawn-out bidding process to develop the Queens racino, is moving to smooth things over with the public by cutting ties with Darryl Greene, the partner who pleaded guilty to stealing $500,000 from city agencies in the 1990s. AEG will absorb the 0.6 percent stake in the project that was to be otherwise held by Greene and his firm, the Darman Group, and will not seek other investors to replace him. Upon offering the project to AEG, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver had said everyone affiliated with the bid would need to pass a Division of Lottery criminal background check. Greene is also the former business partner of Senate President Malcolm Smith, who chose AEG for the project alongside Silver and Governor Paterson. Rumors have been circulating in recent weeks that Smith’s pick was personally and financially motivated, but in a statement today, AEG attempted to put an end to them. “We can unequivocally state that Senator Smith nor any government official involved in this process will ever be employed by Aqueduct Entertainment Group or any of its partners, investors or affiliates,” Jeff Levine, CEO of Levine Builders, a partner in the bid, said in a statement.

Insiders say Governor David Paterson was expected to announce the winning Aqueduct track bidder months ago

Eight years, and many will-they-won’t-they stories, after former New York Governor George Pataki first granted permission for electronic slot machines to be built at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens, a winning bid to develop the track has yet to be picked. Despite stalled debate on the issue between Governor David Paterson and key state legislators, the financial incentive to pick a winner is certainly there, the New York Times reported. The track could bring in over $1 million a day, while the mandatory $200 million payment to the state from the winning developer could help with the state’s budget deficit. Although it’s unclear why the decision — which was original supposed to be announced by Aug. 1 — hasn’t been made yet, some speculate that the main decision-makers in the project, including the governor, the State Senate and the State Assembly, are simply unable to reach a consensus on which bidder they prefer. J. Gary Pretlow, a State Assembly member, said that the lack of clear cut selection guidelines has made the decision process more difficult. “There are no parameters,” Pretlow said. “The problem is that the process was flawed from its inception. Everyone should have been operating with common guidelines.” [more]