When I was a boy, my father would take me in his 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air to the then-desolate South Avenue to teach me to drive. He’d put me on his lap as I slowly steered the car up the deserted two-lane, unpaved roadway. Back in the early 1960s, South Avenue was lined on both sides with abandoned cars, used tires, and debris from home renovations. The debris didn’t matter. I was more interested in wrestling with that big steering wheel while my father worked the pedals.
Today, as I drive on South Avenue, I wonder if my father would recognize this street. South Avenue is now the Park Avenue of Staten Island. I know my dad would be proud of what my wife, Lois, and I have built here. Every day, more than 10,000 people drive on this pristine street to work, visit a physician, take a class, stay overnight, dine, or celebrate. We work every day to keep this area beautiful; our staff picks up 20 bags of roadside trash each week; you won’t find a tidier stretch on Staten Island.