A few days after concerns were raised about the conditions of the Throggs Neck Volunteer Ambulance Corps property, community leaders stepped in to help clean up the site.
The longtime TNVAC property on East Tremont Avenue had become neglected and overgrown with weeds and vegetation, prompting concerns from a neighboring homeowner.
Following those concerns, Throggs Neck Business Improvement District Executive Director Bob Jaen stepped in to see what could be done. Jaen helped coordinate an effort to have the overgrowth cut back and the property cleaned.
Approximately 65 feet of overgrowth was cleared from the site at no cost.
The cleanup came just days after Jaen first learned about the conditions and said he would look into how the BID could help. While getting the property cleaned up addressed the immediate concern, attention is now beginning to turn toward what could be next for TNVAC.
Longtime members Jackie McQuade and Ruth Leich, along with other community members with ties to TNVAC, are hoping to see the volunteer ambulance corps get back up and running and once again become an active part of the neighborhood.
Donald Engledrum, who also has longstanding ties to TNVAC, said seeing the property cleaned up is a good place to start.
“TNVAC was a big part of this community for a long time, and I would love to see it become that again,” Engledrum said. “The cleanup is a great first step, but I think we have an opportunity to do something bigger here.”
Engledrum said there are still many people in the neighborhood who care about TNVAC and what it meant to the community.
“There are still a lot of people who care about TNVAC and want to see this property put back to use serving the community,” Engledrum said. “If there is a way to get it back up and running, I want to be a part of making that happen.”
McQuade, Leich and other community members are now looking at what can be done to move things forward and what it would take to eventually have TNVAC serving the neighborhood again.
There are still a number of questions that would have to be answered before TNVAC could become active again, and no formal plans to reopen have been announced.
For now, the cleanup is the first noticeable change at the property since concerns were raised. With the overgrowth cleared, longtime TNVAC members and others in the community are hoping the attention surrounding the property can continue and lead to more progress.
