Picture Of The Day: Clinton In The Afternoon

I was late coming home,
and should not have stopped,
but how could I have resisted
capturing the late afternoon light
playing on the façades of these brownstones
on Clinton
on that day in May.

Hey Neighbor! Pardon Me For Asking, But...

It is Friday again, dear Reader, so, of course, it is time to pose the question of the week. I know you have been waiting patiently all week.
Won't you please, please answer this question for me:

Are you ready?

What is your favorite way to spend Memorial Day Week-End in the neighborhood?
Where will you go, where will you eat and where will you play?

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39th Council District Candidates React To IND Endorsement

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall at last night's Independent Neighborhood Democrats' vote to endorse John Heier as the club's candidate. Their endorsement of the most conservative contender in the race to replace Councilman Bill DeBlasio seems to be an indication that they are a bit out of touch, to say the least. Below are the statements released by candidates Josh Skaller and Bob Zuckerman after the IND vote.

Statement From City Council Candidate Josh Skaller Regarding IND Endorsement

"It is sad that a majority of IND's voting membership insulted many IND members and community residents by choosing to support a conservative Democrat for City Council who opposes Superfund relief for the Gowanus Canal and whose opinions on choice and marriage equality are confusing, at best. The residents of the Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens and Gowanus communities want progressive leadership committed to reforming City government and unafraid of marriage equality, a woman's right to choose and a real, federally-supported clean-up of the Gowanus Canal. That is why organizers of a recent candidates' forum decided to endorse my campaign for City Council. I welcome grassroots support from all over the 39th Council District, but I will always prefer the support of community residents whose perspectives are free from the developer dollars and entrenched business interests."


Statement From City Council Candidate Bob Zuckerman Regarding IND Endorsement

“I am deeply troubled that the Independent Neighborhood Democrats decided to endorse a conservative candidate who is anti-choice and anti marriage equality. This club is in danger of becoming an irrelevant voice because of its endorsement process over the last few years. IND is made up of many wonderful and smart people who are committed to the progressive values it was founded on over thirty years ago. But the actions of some have continued to tarnish the progressive reputation of this club and it saddens me to think, as last night’s vote demonstrated, it’s no longer independent or reform.”

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'Why The Gowanus Should Be A Superfund Site' By Tom Angotti, PHD

Dear Reader, please take a moment to read this excellent analysis of the Gowanus Canal by Dr. Tom Angotti, Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning at Hunter College. It is a chilling account of the many problems that plague the area.

Why the Gowanus should be a Superfund site

Submitted by Dr. Tom Angotti

I am a Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning at Hunter College, City University of New York, and Director of the Hunter College Center for Community Planning and Development. I am a native of Brooklyn, and as a senior planner with the New York City Department of City Planning was responsible for studies of land use and zoning along the Brooklyn waterfront, including the Gowanus Canal. I have written extensively on community planning, environment and sustainability in New York City and beyond.

I am deeply concerned about the future of the Gowanus area. It is one of the most contaminated in New York City and I find it troubling that after so many years of concern by residents and workers in the area, city government has yet to carry out a thorough study that looks at the long-term effects of the contamination on the health of people who live and work in the area. Nor does the city have an adequate strategy to clean it up the Canal. Designation of a Superfund Site would bring to bear the missing attention and resources and while it will not resolve all environmental and health problems it will bring us much closer than New York City’s limited efforts.

The proposal to rezone the area advanced by New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) can derail efforts to improve the environment. It is not based on any careful scientific study of contamination, the long-term effects of climate change and sea-level rise, or existing and future impacts on human health and local ecosystems. The rezoning responds to proposals for new residential development and would limit existing and potential industrial uses. DCP claims that as sites get redeveloped property owners will be required to clean them up. However, environmental impact statements (EIS) for individual sites, even large sites, will not produce the kind of remediation needed to make the Gowanus safe for residents and workers. First of all the EIS is a disclosure document. Applicants are required to disclose potential impacts; they are not required to remediate pre-existing conditions, nor are they even required to mitigate unhealthy conditions that are created by their own projects. And site-specific mitigation may very well lead to the migration of toxic waste to other sites and increase public exposures to unhealthy conditions. The EIS is so inadequate as a tool for environmental improvement that specialists at both the conservative Manhattan Institute’s Center for Rethinking Development and my Center, on the opposite end of the philosophical spectrum, agree that it needs a major overhaul.

Even as shipping declined and industries continued operating in the Gowanus area, residual wastes have became part of a vast pool of contamination that does not obey the boundary lines of the multiple property owners in the area. Currents shift and waste migrates below the surface, and the Gowanus has become one large toxic wasteland. This is why any effort to remediate the Gowanus cannot be simply based on site-by-site remediation. And this is why remediation of the world’s largest oil spill below our very own Greenpoint in Brooklyn is based not on site-by-site remediation but on a comprehensive cleanup. The Gowanus deserves no less.

City government also wants us to believe that the current plan by its Department of Environmental Protection to flush out the Canal, once it is fully implemented, will constitute an adequate cleanup. However, flushing out the canal will not remove the toxic sediment in the canal or prevent leeching into surrounding properties. It will not resolve the long-term problem of contaminated Combined Sewer Overflows. It will not make further development around the Gowanus Canal safe for people who live and work there.

We hear the argument that even if Superfund cleanup might be better if will take too long and in the meantime prevent new development, which is supposed to mean more jobs and housing units. This is a reckless way of treating public health hazards. It can also result in a net loss of jobs as residential uses replace industry. New residential development within breathing distance of the Gowanus Canal will place many more people at risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and respiratory illnesses. Government has not adequately studied existing levels of exposure or projected future levels of exposure. This is needed so that the public can make informed judgments about whether or not to develop, where to develop, and the precautionary measures that need to be taken.

Mayor Bloomberg’s long-term sustainability plan, PlaNYC2030, is a major challenge to short-term thinking which does not take into account the long-term quality of our environment and the health of the public. Rezoning the Gowanus now is a short-term tactic at a time when we need the 2030 plan’s long-term thinking. We have seen what short-term thinking has done in the past. It created contaminated industrial waste sites in the first place. It created a major financial crisis that left many neighborhoods with foreclosed properties and empty apartments.

Now global warming and sea-level rise are forcing all of us to think long-term and to re-think the way the city grows. That is yet another reason that the Gowanus should not be developed as proposed. Our best science suggests that much of the area targeted for new development could be under water by the middle of the century. The cost of building above the future flood level – whatever that might be -- would no doubt be daunting and surely limit affordability. Common sense dictates that we plan for future development in areas less vulnerable to natural disasters and better able to support development.

Finally, this is perhaps a time to put an end to the bleeding of industrial jobs in New York City at the hands of rezoning for large-scale real estate development. With the flight of financial sector jobs and real estate capital, our city’s economy would be much stronger if we had more industry to fall back on. Only 3% of our work force is in manufacturing, one of the lowest of any major city in the United States. If our industrial and mixed-use communities had not been rezoned for residential development and we had retained our historic economic diversity, we might have retained more jobs.

In the 1980s DCP acknowledged in a major study that the Gowanus area was one of the most vital industrial zones in the city and in the 1990s designated it a Significant Maritime and Industrial Area. The March 11, 2009 statement of the Municipal Art Society summarizes existing evidence and makes a strong case for a more careful and cautionary approach to rezoning and planning.

In conclusion, I support nomination of the Gowanus as a Superfund site and oppose DCP’s proposed rezoning proposal.

Tom Angotti, Ph.D.

Director, Center for Community Planning & Development

Hunter College, HW1611

695 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10065

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PIcture Of The Day: Meet You At The Corner

They had gathered
at the corner
of Second Place and Court Street
for an afternoon chat
after doing their days shopping.

How Safe Is It To Garden Along The Shores Of The Gowanus Canal?

Though I certainly do not like to be an alarmist, the poster above, announcing the monthly clean-up of the Gowanus Canal Conservency certainly makes me uneasy. In light the EPA's proposal to place the Gowanus Canal on the list of Superfund sites, it would seem that digging in the dirt of its shores may not be the best idea.

The Gowanus Canal overflows on a regular basis in the area, saturating its banks with its heavily polluted waters. The photos on the poster show children happily sticking their hands into the dirt. Is this a good idea?

Don't misunderstand me. Volunteering to clean up the area is a noble endevor. I myself volunteer regularly in Carroll Park. But the Gowanus area is totally different.
I am not sure I would take the chance.

What do you think, dear Reader?

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Reader Comment Of The Day

Comment left on: 'City Limits' Takes An In-Depth Look At Councilman Bill DeBlasio's Political Career

"Bill DeBlasio has earned this job: Advocate for Developers Who Don't Give a Shit About Our Neighborhoods."

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Big Movies For Little People: Season Finale

You won't remember this either by Jeff Scher

BIG MOVIES FOR LITTLE KIDS

Monday, June 1st at 4pm

Short Films by Jeff Scher

A very special screening of the virtuoso delights of Brooklyn artist, filmmaker and "ink monkey," Jeff Scher. See big screen versions of his highly original paintings-in-motion from The Animated Life blog at the New York Times, as well as other-kid friendly films including, Fast Forward Theater (about taking toddlers grocery shopping), The Bread Ballet (yep, it's about dancing bread) and You Won't Remember This Either (about being three years old). Mr. Scher will introduce the films and take questions.

*Don't miss the Season Finale - Monday, June 15th

Wallace and Gromit: Three Amazing Adventures!

BIG Movies for Little Kids:

Time: 4pm (every other Monday, following the public school calender) Ages: 2 and up (all ages welcome) Location: Cobble Hill Cinemas, 265 Court Street @ Butler Subway: F train to Bergen St. Cost: $6.50/pp (as per theatre policy, all walkers need a ticket) For more info: http://bigmoviesforlittlekids.blogspot.com Don't wait in line, advance tickets are recommended and are available directly at the cinema's box office (after 1pm daily). To secure a seat, tickets may also be purchased on-line: www.cobblehilltheatre.com A special thanks to this season's sponsor New York Kids Club: www.nykidsclub.com

Thank you for your continued support,

Big Movies for Little Kids
718 624.3748
bigmovieforlittlekds@gmail.com
www.bigmoviesforlittlekids.blogspot.com

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A Taste Of Bococa At The Transit Garden

A BITE OF BOCOCA

Saturday, June 6, 2009 1pm- 6pm
rain date: Sunday, June 7

A Food & Wine Tasting Event at The Transit Garden,
Smith Street and 2nd Place

Featuring samplings from over 20 of our wonderful
Smith Street & Court Street restaurants, food & wine shops,
bakeries etc. @ only $2.00 per tasting.

Tickets will be on sale at the garden gate.
$10 for 5 tastings or the super bargain of $20 for 12 tastings, We are Family Friendly too. For the kids we have pizza,
mini bagels, etc.., while their parents sample the gourmet fare.

Enjoy your tastings while you listen to the sounds
of an array of local musicians and vocalists who will
entertain us all day long.

Contact:
Bette Stoltz 718-207-9570,
Rita Miller 347-661-8819

All proceeds to go to garden plantings, maintenance and our non-profit sister SBLDC covering garden-related and insurance costs.




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A Moment In Time: Reading The Paper

Sitting in front of a social club,
he was reading
his newspaper
in the shade
on Court Street.

'City Limits' Takes An In-Depth Look At Councilman Bill DeBlasio's Political Career

Photo Credit: City Limits

City Limits reporter Jarrett Murphy takes a look at the political career of City Councilman Bill DeBlasio who is running for Public Advocate. The article considers his years as our councilman, including some of the controversies during his two terms in office , such as the Atlantic Yards and the Gowanus Canal.
Murphy even goes back to the days of DeBlasio's stint as a District 15 school board member and the financial mismanagement of then- Superintendent Frank DeStefano (with a quote from yours truly, Ms. Pardon Me.)
Here are some excerpts from the article:

**In 1999 de Blasio left HUD to run Hillary Clinton's campaign for U.S. Senate. Around the same time, he won a seat on his local nine-member community school board (a part of the school system that no longer exists). During de Blasio's tenure some parents in the district began to raise questions about the leadership style and fiscal practices of local superintendent Frank DeStefano. They took their concerns to de Blasio.
"He listened. He's very good at listening. He took notes. Asked really great questions," recalls Katia Kelly, one of the parents. But even as concerns about DeStefano mounted, deBlasio defended him. DeStefano ultimately resigned in 2001 as it emerged he had amassed $57,000 in car service bills, spent heavily on conferences and retreats and driven the district to a $1 million deficit. "I thought [de Blasio] was really going to look into it," says Kelly. "Turns out, he wasn't."

**De Blasio's harshest critics find fault with his approach to development in and around his district, which includes parts of Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Kensington, Borough Park and more. While de Blasio has opposed some projects, he has largely supported rezonings—in Park Slope, South Slope and Gowanus—that protect certain low-density areas at the cost of allowing significantly heavier development (and, defenders say, the chance for more affordable housing) nearby.
Marlene Donnelly, an activist in Gowanus, recalls when she and other neighbors mounted opposition to a developer who wanted a zoning variance in 2004. "De Blasio had his aide call us, saying, 'Stop opposing this or this developer's going to build the ugliest industrial building and it's going to ruin your community,'" she recalls. The developer lost. The ugly building never materialized. But other projects de Blasio backed are getting built.

**The most high-profile project in Brooklyn, of course, is Atlantic Yards, which falls close to his district and which de Blasio backed from the beginning. Only last year—well after demolition had begun on the site—did de Blasio say he wanted a moratorium on tear-downs until it was clear that the developer, Forest City Ratner, would make good on its promises of affordable housing and jobs."I'm obviously not satisfied with how the process unfolded," de Blasio says. "I think there was an opportunity to take the initial vision which was in the community benefits agreement and involve the community and figure out a way to achieve what was in the [agreement] in a way that was acceptable. I really think that didn’t happen."Foes of Atlantic Yards don’t think de Blasio's late-day skepticism is genuine. "He has supported Atlantic Yards uncritically for years and now, like nearly every other supporter, has modified his position by picking away at this thing or that thing or 'I support it if [blank],'" says Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn spokesman Daniel Goldstein.

To read the entire article (and I highly recommend it), click here

The race for Public Advocate will be an interesting one. Do you think that Councilman Bill DeBlasio's record in our district will help or hurt his run for this office?

A Bit Of Faux-Moorish Architecture On 9th Street

9th Street between Court And Smith Streets

Number 184 9th Street

In between a row of 3 story brick townhouses on 9th Street between Court and Smith Streets, there is a home that is not quite like the others. Beige and blue stucco, marble columns and glazed tiles have turned this house into a bit of an oddity. The balconies jut out onto the sidewalk which is rather strange. The effect of all these elements rather reminds me of Moorish architecture, which doesn't quite work here in Brooklyn.

Does anyone have any information on this place? How long has it looked like this?


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A Personal Moment

Photographs taken by Max Kelly

Dear Reader,

Please, please forgive me for not posting, but it was a very busy day. It was a great day.
No, It was a splendid day at my daughter's graduation. Anna Quinlan spoke and Hillary Clinton was the keynote speaker. Need I say more?

Will be back tomorrow to report on local news. Thanks for your understanding.



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Picture Of The Day: Angels And Stoops

Some
may decorate
their Brooklyn stoop
with geraniums and petunias.
Others prefer
to adorn theirs
with angels.

Pardon Me For Asking, But Where Have The Years Gone?

First Day Of Kindergarten at PS 58

Photo credit: Max Kelly

This Monday will mark an important day in my daughter's life. After four years, she will be donning a cap and gown and graduating from college. I will be sitting in the audience, clutching a handkerchief and occasionally dabbing at my eyes.
(Oh, who am I kidding. I will most probably weep.)

It is a huge milestone for her. Though I hope that she will continue expanding her mind and explore the world around her forever, I understand her happiness at finally being able to step out of the classroom and into the rest of her life.

But, pardon me for asking, how did we get to this momentous day? Yes, I do remember distinctly, every first day of school, every science project and essay, every failed test and every perfect grade as she moved from PS 58, her elementary
school, through middle and high school and finally to college.
I can recall her first attempt at Twinkle, Twinkle on the violin in the school orchestra, the excitement of her first field trip, the first dance and the first betrayal of a best friend.

I spend the better part of her Kindergarten year picking her up for lunch because she cried every time the teacher brought the class into the cafeteria. The other kids were "too loud" my little shy daughter told me, grabbing my hand and pulling me home. Dutifully, she would go back after eating a sandwich and kissing her baby brother good bye.

From this shy little girl, she blossomed into a self-assured, independent young lady.
She leads her own life now, which of course is as it should be. She is a tremendous writer and I wish I had her skill with words. And though she now lives in Manhattan, you can not take the Brooklyn out of her. Some of her best writing pieces are about growing up in Carroll Gardens.

She is an adult now, in every sense of the word and that makes me very happy and proud. And yet...I miss the days when she needed me and I had a bigger part in her life. That is why I smiled when she called the other day. " Finally," she blurted into the telephone, "I have been trying to talk to you for days. I keep getting Papa or Max, but I wanted to talk to you."
What music to my ears. My little girl needed to talk to me, and no one else would do.

Yes, the rest of the world sees her as the beautiful accomplished young woman she is now, but part of me still sees her as that little girl with a pink ribbon in her hair on the first day of Kindergarten.

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Area Residents Speak: A Sampling of Comments On 'Superfund Gowanus Now' Petition

Have you signed the Superfund Gowanus petition yet? No? Well, what are you waiting for? Many Carroll Gardens/Gowanus area residents have. And this is what they have to say:

*The canal is centrally located and is a linchpin of the community. Its toxicity is a long-running joke, but now it's time to get serious. The real estate/local government's aversion to Superfund status is flagrantly cynical and while seemingly expedient in the short-term, is a recipe for potential disaster. Clean up the canal thoroughly NOW (or soon), and it will yield more, better results in the future.

*It is time to clean up the whole canal, not just a piece of real estate the Toll Brothers claim they will clean up. Remember, their main concern is profit, not the clean up of the canal. We have lived with this pollution for many years and our property value has not gone down because of it. If there is a dip in the value during the clean-up, so be it. In the long run the health of the community is far more important.

*It boggles the mind that this situation with the Gowanus still exists. "Unbelievably highly contaminated." Strong words from the EPA. The Superfund designation is an appropriate and necessary response in order to tackle this decades-old public health hazard once and for all. Please listen to our pleas.
To build housing, shopping centers, and small businesses along a canal which has been badly polluted for over a hundred years makes no sense at all. Clean it up properly while the funds are being offered. If not, how about universal health care???

*Side with your conscience, not the developers. Help us make our neighborhood a safe and healthy place to raise our children.
It's imperative that we clean up the Gowanus. Designating the canal an EPA Superfund site is the most comprehensive way to achieve this. Instead of stigmatizing the canal and the neighborhood, as some politicians fear, I believe that the "EPA Superfund" label will provide welcome relief to Brooklynites that a serious, comprehensive, clean-up effort is finally underway. It's a worthwhile short-term investment that will improve our health, create new opportunities for development and recreation, and greatly improve our community and our city.

*I am a Brooklyn resident and homeowner whose family lives just a few blocks from the Gowanus Canal. I am concerned that the Gowanus Canal is a serious, long term health threat to not just the immediate, adjacent properties, but to the surrounding communities as well. And although I applaud recent efforts to improve the Gowanus neighborhood, especially for light industrial, manufacturing, and mixed uses, I have little sympathy for residential, speculative developers who have purchased property on or near the Canal only to see their investments decline due to the proposed EPA Superfund designation. I also think that NYC's rezoning to allow residential uses on the canal is shortsighted; toxic waste and environmental questions persist, and a more rational land use is to preserve light industrial and manufacturing opportunities in historic locations such as these within the city. Superfund designation will hopefully address the former, and good city planning and zoning, the later. This should not, however, preclude, in the long term, limited access, recreation and public amenities to help invigorate this mixed-use neighborhood.

Sign the petition here

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Much Accomplished At "It's My Park Day" In Carroll Gardens

Saturday was the official city-wide "It's My Park Day." In Carroll Gardens, the volunteers of the Committee To Improve Carroll Park, of which I am a member, were busy weeding, digging and planting for most of the day. After much work, the park looked amazing.

I was pulling weeds in the garden border on Smith Street between Carroll and President Streets. About three years ago, I adopted the stretch and began planting many variety of flowers.
If you walk by, take a look and let me know how you like it.

And if you would like to help garden in Carroll Park, contact the Committee at :
friendsofcarrollpark@yahoo.com

Concert Benefit: Gene Ween Band at PS 29

The PS 29 PTA
Presents

Gene Ween Band In Concert

Thursday, May 21, 2009
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
PS 29 Auditorium

425 Henry Street

Gene Ween Band is the newest inventive rock group from Gene Ween, the iconic frontman of the critically acclaimed, seminal alternative band Ween. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Show starts at 7:00 PM. Seating is general admission. Tickets purchased online will be held under your name at the door. All proceeds benefit arts programming at PS 29 For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking