My Very Dear Queens Villagers,

          Happy New Year to all of you. I hope everyone had an enjoyable, safe, and healthy holiday season.

          Our annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony last month was sparsely attended due to the cold and soaking rain. Those who braved the inclement weather, including Assemblywoman Barbara Clark and Senators Frank Padavan and Malcolm Smith, were treated to several Christmas Carols sung beautifully by the Choir of the Hollis Avenue Congregation Church. We thank those who worked on the affair and also the Indy Electric Corporation for donating the fresh-cut tree.

          Our guest speaker this month will be Detective Lynda L. Marmara, of the DCAA Counter-Terrorism Outreach Liaison Task Force. We should take this opportunity to familiarize ourselves with what it takes to make our communities and our country safe for all to enjoy. Freedom is not free, and we must be ready and willing to do our share to preserve our freedoms and democratic society.

          The problem of tractor trailer trucks parked on our local streets is now rampant throughout our community. Commercial vehicles are not allowed to use our streets as a parking lot. There are large fines for this illegal activity. Call the 105th Precinct at 1-718-776-9090 to report the perpetrators. You will be helping to preserve our quality of life and also earn revenue for our cash-strapped City.

          Our Community Board 13 is doing a good job receiving our complaints and reporting them to the appropriate City agency. Please give them a call with your community problems at 1-718-464-9700 and have them do the leg work. Call us at 1-718-464-2160 if you don’t get action.

          We congratulate Senator Padavan for attaining the position of Vice President Pro Tempore of the New York State Senate and thank him for his work and perseverance on the Cease and Desist Law. (Refer to article in the news page.)

          You can become a more vital part of Queens Village by joining our civic association. I hope to see you on January 21.

               Effective February 1, 2003, callers in the New York City area wi1l be required to dial 1 + area code + the seven digit telephone number for all local calls. This change in dialing, stipulated by the Federal Communications Commission, requires the dialing of 11 digits when one or more area code covers the same city or neighborhood. Calls to 911 and 411 will not require additional digits. Current New York City area codes are 917, 212, 646, 347, and 718.

               Queens Borough President Helen Marshall is urging immigrants who would like to become United States Citizens to make use of the free service offered by Citizenship NYC. Sponsored by the city Department of Youth and Community Development, Citizenship NYC helps immigrant New Yorkers to become citizens by providing free naturalization application assistance and photos at five locations. The Citizenship Center in Queens is located at 79-01 Broadway in Elmhurst. The office will answer questions about becoming a citizen, provide naturalization application assistance, make referrals to English and United States history classes, and provide assistance to homebound individuals and community groups. All services are free of charge, but applicants must provide a money order in the amount of  $310.00  payable to the Immigrant and Naturalization Service. The fee can be waved by providing documentation of financial hardship. For more information, please call 1-888-374-5100 between 9:00 A. M. to 5:00 P. M. Monday through Friday. Multilingual operators speaking more than 25 languages are available.

•    The New York Department of Sanitation will be picking up plastic items again for recycling starting July 1, 2003.

•   It is against the law, punishable by a fine, not to have your house number posted. Your house number should be seen clearly from the street. This is a necessity to receive emergency services promptly to safeguard life and property.

•    Repeat-offender violations for graffiti vandalism in New York City is now a Class-A misdemeanor violation punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

•    Our Queens Village Library Branch, located at 94-11 217th Street, has 2002 Federal and New York State Income Tax Forms on hand. Call 1-718-776-6800 to find out the days and hours when it is open.

•    You can stop the Junk Mail Bandit from entering your home almost everyday by requesting that your name be removed from national mailing lists . Send your request to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P. 0. Box 9008, Farmingdale, New York, 11735-9800. Include your full name and address. It may take several months before you see a noticeable difference in your mailbox.