CB5 discusses pre-k, housing at meeting

Residents discussed pre-kindergarten, tenant protection and the proposed homeless shelter at Wednesday night’s Community Board 5 meeting at Christ the King High School in Middle Village.

Jeremiah Hay, deputy outreach manager for Pre-K For All, said all children born in 2012 can enroll in free pre-kindergarten classes. The first application closed on March 9, but the second round will open from May 2 to May 20. Letters for those who applied during the first round will go out next week.

“Every single child in every neighborhood in every income bracket has a spot,” Hay said.

Angela Mirabile, executive director of the Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corp., a coalition of local leaders and legal services and housing groups, then gave a presentation about the challenges tenants face. She told stories of how landlords used illegal harassment tactics to force out their tenants.

“We canvass and we get complaints bouncy castle for sale about this kind of situation,” she said. Mirabile also encouraged community members to learn about their rights as tenants.

At the meeting, the owners of Sweet Jane’s located at 64-02 68th Avenue in Ridgewood, also announced that their bar had officially opened.

After going through liquor license applications and renewals, demolition notices and updates from elected officials, the board voted to deny the liquor license to Blue Bar, located at 681 Seneca Avenue.

Finally, Community Board 5 welcomed its newest member at the April meeting: Rego Park’s Kelvin Rodriguez. The Ridgewood native went to Christ the King Regional High School and graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in business management. Rodriguez now works for a property management company.