By Dustin Brown
The streets they once called home carry countless memories left behind by the uniformed officers who died Sept. 11. The roofs they caulked and the barbecues they flamed still bear their imprints, as do the gardens they tended and the front doors they shut.
But under a bill introduced last Thursday in the City Council, dozens of streets across the city will hold yet another reminder of the lives they lost, only in more tangible form: street signs.
At its Aug. 14 meeting, Community Board 5 solemnly and unanimously endorsed 10 new street names proposed by City Councilman Dennis Gallagher (R-Middle Village) and Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) in memory of 10 local uniformed officers who died trying to save victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
“Some of us look at this as the least we can do as far as honoring some of these uniformed officers who lost their lives,” the board’s district manager, Gary Giordano, said after the measure was approved.
A total of 71 new street names were proposed in the bill, which was sponsored by 21 council members including Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), Tony Avella (D-Bayside), Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), Eric Gioia (D-Woodside), John Liu (D-Flushing) and James Sanders (D-Laurelton), as well as Gallagher and Katz.
All 10 officers honored within the confines of Community Board 5 were firefighters, but police officers and emergency medical personnel are also included in the Council’s street-naming measure.
The new names will be posted directly above the existing street signs, giving those stretches of roadway an additional name to commemorate the fallen officers.
In most cases streets are to be renamed where the firefighters were living at the time of the attacks, but some mark the neighborhoods where they grew up or where their families live.
Gallagher said he anticipates that the full measure will be voted into law before the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
“Certainly honoring these heroes is something that we all want to do in many shapes and forms, and I’m sure there’ll be many other ways that we can express our gratitude not only to the victims but to the family members,” Gallagher said.
Streets within Community Board 5 will be renamed as follows:
• “Lt. Steven J. Bates Street” will designate 74th Street between 78th Avenue and Myrtle Avenue.
• “Lt. Michael P. Warchola Way” will designate 84th Place between Furmanville Avenue and 64th Road.
• “Lt. Kevin Pfeifer Place” will designate 79th Place between Furmanville Avenue and Juniper Valley Road.
• “Lieutenant Kenneth J. Phelan Way” will designate 69th Lane between Eliot Avenue and 60th Avenue.
• “Firefighter Vincent S. Morello Street” will designate 81st Street between 62nd Avenue and 63rd Avenue.
• “Firefighter John Heffernan Street” will designate 78th Street between Eliot Avenue and 62nd Avenue.
• “Firefighter Scott A. Larsen Boulevard” will designate Woodhaven Boulevard between 83rd Avenue and Myrtle Avenue.
• “Capt. Patrick Waters Road” will designate 69th Road between 75th Street and 73rd Place.
• “Firefighter John J. Florio Place” will designate 77th Place between Eliot Avenue and Juniper Boulevard North.
• “Firefighter Michael Weinberg Way” will designate Eliot Avenue between 72nd Street and 74th Street.
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
