Queens Nabes Finally Connected To Sewer, Hit With Bills

City Toilet Collapses With Man On It

A pair of tiny southeastern Queens neighborhoods have finally been linked to the city's sewer system, meaning the water that goes down residents' drains will no longer be dumped directly into a creek that terminates in Jamaica Bay. "When I first moved here, they told me, 'You're all getting sewers soon,'" said Lenny Zamiello, 88, a retired carpet and linoleum installer. "That was 60 years ago."

According to the Times, the city has finished a $37.5 million sewer construction project that will add the neighborhoods of Meadowmere and Warnerville to the grid. The project is "part of a citywide trend to improve public health and the state of Jamaica Bay," said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway.

But it's not all good news according to residents of the oft-flooded communities. The city informed homeowners in August that they must now pay plumbers to connect their homes to the sewer system—and that job has been quoted at prices as high as $10,000. "They've been telling us for 50 years that sewers were coming and all of a sudden, we get told we have to find 10 grand to hook up to it," said George Argo, who owns a local boatyard.

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By Ben Muessig in News on February 17, 2010 6:15 PM

Comments [rss]

Snoopy

The guy is 88 years old and has lived without a sewer for sixty years. I guess the concept of sewers has nothing to do with longevity of the populace.

He's probably pissed because now he will have to pay either sewer or water taxes.

ANGRYGOD11

At 88 years-old, he's lucky to be paying bills.

Snoopy

For a long time these outer boro types didn't have water meters. All of a sudden?

gaylebx

I went on a tour with the Bronx River Alliance this past Monday, and this is happening in the north Bronx/Yonkers into the Bronx River as well. You could see the sheen on the water. Amazing in this day and age, right?

Kevin Walsh

Meadowmere/Edgemere

http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/endofqueens/bridge.html

Ramblersville/Hamilton Beach

http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/ramblersville/ramblin.html

FrankMartin

'You're all getting sewers soon,'" said Lenny Zamiello, 88, a retired carpet and linoleum installer. "That was 60 years ago."

Pretty much sums it All up. Exactly when were those good old days?

thefacts

This neighborhood looks like Appalachia: rusted cars, delapidated houses, tons of junk in the yards, a Texas flag flying from a yardarm, racist grafitti, one sign in the yard that reads 'No Trespassing', jets flying 1000 feet overhead, and a shack that sells worms and chum for bait.

It is surrounded by junk and auto yards, and heavy industry, and when I took a friend, a tough drug dealer, to the Bay House, the only restaurant there, one night, it was so unreal and desolate that he thought I was luring him there for a 'hit'.

longacre

I suspect you're thinking of the Bayhouse, which is in a similarly desolate area but on the opposite side of the airport (pretty good food, I must say).

The area they're talking about in the article is actually more rural than where the Bayhouse is, no restaurants, stripclubs, junkyards or anything.