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LIRR Pledges to Remove Graffiti From Forest Hills Station Before Christmas

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | December 17, 2015 4:20pm
 Some of the markings have marred the walls for months, residents say.
LIRR Promises to Remove Graffiti at Forest Hills Station Before Christmas
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QUEENS — The Long Island Rail Road promised to remove graffiti from the walls of its historic Forest Hills station after residents’ pleas, officials said.  

Locals said numerous markings have covered the sidewalk walls under the 71st Avenue overpass since last spring, defacing the Station Square area which was designed more than a century ago by renowned architects Grosvenor Atterbury and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.

There is also graffiti spray-painted under the Ascan Avenue overpass, locals said.

“Most of the graffiti has been there since at least May of this year,” said Stephen Melnick, a Forest Hills resident and member of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce.

Melnick, who has discussed the issue with the office of local Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, said he has written four letters to the LIRR since August.

Each time, he said, he received a response that the information will be forwarded to a department in charge of the station’s maintenance.

“They keep stating that they will have it cleaned but we are still waiting for them to take action,” Melnick said. “It’s a disgrace.”

In an email earlier this week Meredith Daniels, a spokeswoman for the MTA, said that “LIRR is aware of graffiti at the Forest Hills station and plans to remove the markings before Christmas.”

“We are committed to providing a pleasant environment for our customers,” she added.