THE FEDERATION OF ITALIAN AMERICAN ORGANIZATION AND COMMUNITY BOARD 11 HAS TAKEN AWAY OUR RIGHTS TO

The Federation of Italian American Organization (FIAO) is having their 6 story Community/Cultural Center constructed on 18th Avenue & Benson Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.  This organization will have 2 parking lots, one which is an underground garage which has 37 parking spaces and is located on a one-way street adjacent to a private properties driveway. The other is in an on-street level parking lot which has 47 parking spaces that was given to the FIAO from the Church. This church also rents out the property to the Chairman of the Community Board who also is the CEO and President for the Residence and School for Autistic Children. This on-street parking lot is located adjacent to the Residence for Autistic Children.

This Community Cultural Center will be open from approximately 7AM to 10PM and later on the weekends/7 days a week. They will have social services, classrooms, recreation room, senior citizen center, swimming pool, gym, entertainment and banquet rooms, etc., etc.

This organization is encouraging people to drive to this community. You would think that this organization would not encourage people to drive here due to the environment impact it will have on this community. Especially since there is a bus stop right in front of this Center and there is a train station one block away.

The residents who live in this community will be forced to deal with more air and noise pollution because of this Center. As well as the long term toxic effects it will have on our health.

THIS ISSUE IS PARTIALLY RESOLVED SINCE THE MOTORCYCLE REPAIR SHOP MOVED OR WENT OUT OF BUSINESS. NO THANKS TO BILL GUARINELLO!  ALL OF THE OTHER ISSUES REMAIN AND WILL GET WORSE ONCE THE FIAO OPENS THEIR COMMUNITY/CULTURAL CENTER AS THIS WILL CAUSE MORE TRAFFIC, AIR AND NOISE POLLUTION. BILL GUARINELLO WHO IS THE PRESIDENT/CEO OF THE HEARTSHARE PROGRAM, AND IS ALSO THE CHAIRMAN OF OUR COMMUNITY BOARD  HAS DONE NOTHING TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE RESIDENTS IN THIS COMMUNITY.  IF ANYTHING THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE.  RECENTLY, MR. GUARINELLO'S VAN THAT IS USED FOR THE RESIDENCE FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN HAS BEEN PARKED ON THE STREET ILLEGALLY (PERMIT SAYS VAN IS ALLOWED TO PARK FROM 8AM TO 10PM WITH 3 HOURS AND 0 MINUTES AT EACH LOCATION. THIS VAN IS USUALLY PARKED IN THE CHURCH PARKING LOT. BUT THE CHURCH IS PAVING THEIR PARKING LOT TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE PARKING SPACES THEY HAVE GIVEN TO THE FIAO. THESE ARE THE SAME PARKING SPACES THAT ARE LOCATED NEXT TO THE RESIDENCE FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN.  THIS VAN HAS BEEN CONSTANTLY PARKED ON THIS STREET IN FRONT OF THE NO PARKING ANYTIME SIGN FOR DAYS AT A TIME. UNFORTUNATELY, OFTEN A CAR, SCHOOL BUS, ETC. GOES PAST AND THE VIBRATIONS HAS CAUSED THE ALARM OF THIS VAN TO GO OFF ALL HOURS OF THE DAY AND NIGHT. THIS HAS CAUSED US NOT TO SLEEP OR HAVE ANY PEACE. WE HAVE CALLED TO MAKE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VAN AND AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS THEY FINALLY GOT A TICKET. WE BELEIVE THE POLICE HAVE DONE NOTHING BECAUSE BILL GUARINELLO IS INVOLVED.  

The Children from this Residence and School for Autistic Children already have been dealing with a lot. There is a lot of traffic on this block as well as a Motorcycle Repair Shop across the street from them. The owner of this shop constantly leaves motorcycles idling for long periods of time. On many occasions he and his friends have had motorcycle races back and forth on this one-way street pass the Children’s Residence and School. You would think that the CEO and President of this organization would be protecting these children and residents living here. Sadly, these children as well as the residents living here have not been protected and our complaints have not been resolved.

The fumes and the noise from these motorcycles is very serious and have made me ill, I often worry about what effects it has on these poor innocent children. I have spoken to the owner of the Motorcycle Repair Shop regarding the children and residents of this community. He told me it is my problem and if I don’t like the noise I should move to the suburbs. I have called 311 and the police many times regarding the noise and fumes from the motorcycles and this continue to be a problem.

I have even spoken to the Priest who is giving the FIAO the on-street parking spaces adjacent to the Residence for Autistic Children; needless to say the Priest did nothing.

The CEO and President for the Residence and School for Autistic Children seems to have his own agenda and it doesn’t seem like that includes those children or the residents living in this community. He is more concerned about his friends from the FIAO and any other affiliations he has. Needless to say that the FIAO is extremely connected and have Board Members on our Brooklyn Community Board past and presently, as well as they have Board members on many other Boards. One of their Board Members has worked for the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office and he presently is the President of the Chamber of Commerce, another of their Board Member works for the Department of Buildings, etc.

I have asked neighbors to get involved because they have made comments regarding issues stated above as well as other things going on in this community. Some of my neighbors have told me that even if they complain nothing will change. Sadly, I can agree with that. Some neighbors will not complain because they have told me they are fearful of these people and they are afraid that they will hurt them or their families.

These organizations are extremely powerful and have no concerns for the residents living in this community. We the residents of this community have absolutely no rights and have no voice on what takes place where we live. No Public Officials with the exception of one who wants to keep anonymous due to the fact that he probably would never get into public office again if they found out. We have no one who is interested in helping us. The FIAO has board members who have been on our Community Board past and presently and are friends with Bill Guarinello, Chairman of the Community Board, one of their Board Members was Chief of Staff for the Brooklyn Borough President and also was involved with a conflict of interests with him, Presently this Board Member is the President of the Chamber of Commerce, another Board Member works for the DOB, another one worked as the Chaplin for the Police Dept.  Much of the money they received for funding this Community/Cultural Center was allocated by the local politicians. The FIAO and the local private and public agencies are very much involved with the Federation.    

The Federation of Italian American Organization as well as our Brooklyn Community Board has members that are very politically connected and they do not care about us. I have contacted the Public Advocate, DOB, DOT, Mayor’s Office, Brooklyn Borough President’s Office, etc., and after these organizations heard the name of the organizations we were fighting no one has helped us.

In our community there is already much too much motorists’ traffic due to the number of businesses here.  In a two (2) block radius of this Community/Cultural Center there is a Post Office, Library, Fire Station, 5 Churches, Lumber Yard, 2 Motorcycle Repair Shops, 6 Restaurants, Department Store, Medical Building, Medical Laboratory, Doctors’ Offices, 8 Auto Repair Shops, 2 Supermarkets, Plumbing Supply Store, Social Club, Home Decorating Center, Children's learning Center, etc., etc.  Motorists circle our block many times or just sit and idle their engines until they see someone pulling out of a parking space.

When this building is completed the motorists and pedestrian traffic will increase. Due to all the traffic we will never have any peace. This Center will have very long hours and will take away from our any quality of life we could ever hope for. We the residents of this Communtiy  will be forced to inhale these dangerous emissions from cars lining up next to our/and neighbors properties waiting to get into their underground or on-street level parking areas all hours of the day and night. As well as the noise from these motorists honking their horns trying to get past the traffic light that is located right on the corner of this Community/Cultural Center. 

The FIAO with the help of our Brooklyn Community Board 11 has taken away any enjoyment of our homes. They have put our Community at risk for possible serious health problems due to the increase in traffic right next to our homes. This will create more traffic, air and noise pollution. They have taken away our/and neighbors privacy by having the windows of this Community/Cultural Center look directly into our homes. As well as motorists coming to this location all hours of the day and night/7 days a week causing these fumes to be a constant reminder of the fact that we live next to this Community/Cultural Center.  We/and neighbors won’t even be able to entertain in our own backyards because they can see directly into our backyards from their 5^th floor balcony. Another possible problem will be the increase in pedestrian traffic which might be problematic due to people hanging out by our homes as well as possible loitering and littering. We already get our share of this.

This organization has all the rights and we have none. It is like Big Brother is in charge of the Residents of this Community. How can they call themselves a community organization? We have asked to have a meeting with them and they refused. They are very bad neighbors and we will be attached to them as long as we live in this community. We have no voice and no rights in our own community.

We should have the right to be healthy and free from the pollution they will be forcing us to inhale these toxic fumes all day and night. We do live here, so why do we not have any rights?

This Community/Cultural Center with the help of our Community Board has dictated what they want and this does not include helping the residents of this community. We are being forced to accept what they have created. We cannot change the fact that this building will be completed. But we would hope that maybe they could do something to help the residents living here to have a tiny bit of peace and that is to change the traffic pattern going to this center. Also, shorten the amount of hours and perhaps less days that this Community/Cultural Center will be open.  As well as cut off the street going to this underground garage by putting up a barrier so motorists and pedestrian traffic would be using a street that is not next to resident's homes. The traffic pattern would include a cement circle which motorists would drive in and out of the Community/Cultural Center. This would help with the traffic, fumes and the noise next to our homes. Also, change the street that goes to the on-street level parking lot so the children living in the Residence would not be as affected. Perhaps this will control some of the traffic coming down our local streets, also, possibly discourage trucks that are illegally using our street as a truck route (this is another issue that neither the Police nor the Community Board have done anything about resolving this problem).

We have called or gone to see the Public Advocate, local politicians (who are very involved with the FIAO), DOB, DEP, etc., etc. and not one of these people or organizations have helped us after we mentioned the FIAO.

If these issues mentioned above are resolved perhaps this will give the residents in this community a healthier environment, a tiny bit of peace and a possibly a say in what goes on in our Community. Living here is like having Big Brother control your life.   

I ask you to sign this petition because this could happen to you in your community. Just think that they have taken away your voice in what is taking place right next door to you. And on top of that they are poisoning your community by increasing the traffic, automobile emissions and the noise in a community that already has too much of it.