Bus stop in front of home leads to a barrage of summonses
By Daniel Beekman
Comment
Rosanna Gennarelli didn’t ask the city to put a bus stop in front of her E. Tremont Avenue house. Gennarelli hasn’t encouraged bus passengers to toss trash on her sidewalk and lawn. But apparently the city doesn’t really care.
Gennarelli has been ticketed for trash a handful of times. The 51-year old has fought ticket after $300 Environmental Control Board (ECB) ticket; Senator Jeff Klein even wrote a letter on her behalf to the ECB. But Gennarelli was ticketed yet again on Saturday, November 14 and Thursday, November 19.
“I fight [the tickets] because I refuse to pay for something that isn’t my fault,” Gennarelli said.
Gennarelli has lived on E. Tremont Avenue between Philip and Randall avenues since 1996. In 2000 or 2001, the city extended a bus stop from the corner of E. Tremont and Randall avenues, in front of Pete’s Donut Shop & Restaurant, up further, in front of five private homes, the widow said. The bus stop is designed to hold two tandem buses, Gennarelli added.
Prior to the change, the city consulted Community Board 10, but Gennarelli, who returns home from work in Manhattan at around 7 p.m., wasn’t able to attend the meeting, she explained. Not only are Gennarelli and her neighbors ticketed for trash, buses and bus passengers often block her driveway, she said.
Some two years ago, Gennarelli purchased a trashcan for the bus stop. She locked it to a pole but when the city Department of Sanitation stopped by to take the trash, the trashcan was unlocked and stolen, Gennarelli said. When Klein interceded, she spoke to a DSNY supervisor who told her that trashcans are only allowed on corners.
The supervisor had Gennarelli’s property observed and found her guilty of no violations. But the ticket barrage didn’t end. Gennarelli thinks that the city uses ECB tickets to raise revenue; her tickets have all been excused.
Gennarelli thinks that a single DSNY agent wrote her tickets on November 14 and November 19. Her November 19 ticket reads: “I observed a large accumulation of scattered bottles, cigarette packs, paper bags, pieces of paper, tissue wrappers and other debris in the front yard,” Gennarelli said. It was issued between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
“I don’t smoke cigarettes!” Gennarelli groused. “I get to work at 8:30 a.m.”
Gennarelli phoned Klein again on Friday, November 20. The senator has noticed more and more walk-in cases that resemble Gennarelli’s, he said.
“People need help with disability benefits, scams and tickets,” Klein said. “When the economy is tough, people don’t want to lose money. My goal is to put money back in [constituents’] pockets.”
The senator has introduced legislation designed to help property owners and tenants. The senator thinks that the city uses ECB tickets to raise revenue, he said. City statistics reveal that CB10 sidewalks are more than two percentage points cleaner than the city average.
Gennarelli has been ticketed for trash a handful of times. The 51-year old has fought ticket after $300 Environmental Control Board (ECB) ticket; Senator Jeff Klein even wrote a letter on her behalf to the ECB. But Gennarelli was ticketed yet again on Saturday, November 14 and Thursday, November 19.
“I fight [the tickets] because I refuse to pay for something that isn’t my fault,” Gennarelli said.
Gennarelli has lived on E. Tremont Avenue between Philip and Randall avenues since 1996. In 2000 or 2001, the city extended a bus stop from the corner of E. Tremont and Randall avenues, in front of Pete’s Donut Shop & Restaurant, up further, in front of five private homes, the widow said. The bus stop is designed to hold two tandem buses, Gennarelli added.
Prior to the change, the city consulted Community Board 10, but Gennarelli, who returns home from work in Manhattan at around 7 p.m., wasn’t able to attend the meeting, she explained. Not only are Gennarelli and her neighbors ticketed for trash, buses and bus passengers often block her driveway, she said.
Some two years ago, Gennarelli purchased a trashcan for the bus stop. She locked it to a pole but when the city Department of Sanitation stopped by to take the trash, the trashcan was unlocked and stolen, Gennarelli said. When Klein interceded, she spoke to a DSNY supervisor who told her that trashcans are only allowed on corners.
The supervisor had Gennarelli’s property observed and found her guilty of no violations. But the ticket barrage didn’t end. Gennarelli thinks that the city uses ECB tickets to raise revenue; her tickets have all been excused.
Gennarelli thinks that a single DSNY agent wrote her tickets on November 14 and November 19. Her November 19 ticket reads: “I observed a large accumulation of scattered bottles, cigarette packs, paper bags, pieces of paper, tissue wrappers and other debris in the front yard,” Gennarelli said. It was issued between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
“I don’t smoke cigarettes!” Gennarelli groused. “I get to work at 8:30 a.m.”
Gennarelli phoned Klein again on Friday, November 20. The senator has noticed more and more walk-in cases that resemble Gennarelli’s, he said.
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The senator has introduced legislation designed to help property owners and tenants. The senator thinks that the city uses ECB tickets to raise revenue, he said. City statistics reveal that CB10 sidewalks are more than two percentage points cleaner than the city average.
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Angry Counsin wrote on Nov 28, 2009 7:55 PM: