A Moment In Carroll Gardens: The Bridesmaids

(photo credit: Triada Samaras)

A joyful moment captured in Carroll Gardens by my friend Triada Samaras this past Saturday.  A white limousine and a big bus parked on Second Street and Smith Street were waiting to take a bride and her bridesmaids to church. "This is the part of Carroll Gardens that is so precious," Triada wrote to us.
We could not agree more. To the bride and groom, we send our congratulations!

Read more

Residents Of Second Street Near Bond Street Are Sick Of Dealing With Sewage Backflow In Their Basements

NYC DEP crew working on Second Street on November 11

 

photos above by Elizabeth Kinney

This afternoon on Second Street between Hoyt and Bond Streets

DEP worker checking on the sewer pipe on Second Place after back flow into people's homes this morning

This morning, several unfortunate residents of Second Street between Smith Street and Bond Street awoke yet again to find their basement flooded with raw sewage due to a back up in the City sewer line on their block. It was the second time this week. On Saturday November 11, at night, local residents had to deal with the same mess and spent their evening calling NYC DEP to get a crew out to unblock the pipes.

Though sewer back-ups have always been an unpleasant reality for residents living so close to the Bond Street sewer and to the Gowanus Canal, these backups are becoming more frequent, especially when rain coincides with high tide at the Gowanus Canal.   Many homeowners have installed back flow systems and check valves, but if one's neighbors have not done the same, the dirty, smelly water just seeps through the common walls anyway.

This morning's episode prompted Second Street resident Elizabeth Kenney to call DEP once again and to follow up with a letter to Community Board 6 to ask for help. Elizabeth writes:

I am a homeowner on (the 100 block) on 2nd Street between Hoyt and Bond Streets and am writing to report we currently have no sewer service on our block due to a backup in the city sewer line. Raw sewage is backing up in neighborhood homes and no sewage can go out.

311 was called and DEP alerted at 7:22 AM this morning. To compound problems, DOT is currently resurfacing our block.

The sewer backed up on 10/11 and DEP was on the scene and reported they were unable to unclog the street line and would send a crew on 10/12. No crew arrived to our knowlege and with the rain last night, we awoke to sewage in our basements.

I personally have reported the city sewer line backed up on nine occasions I have email documentation for - going back to 2013. I know other neighbors have called other times as well.

Our immediate need is to have sewer service restored. We also need to have this ongoing problem addressed. DEP agents told me Saturday pressure needs to be put on the mayor's office to have this line replaced because it is in poor condition and can't handle all of the influx of development.

They also reported on three occasions that the line was clogged with excessive amounts of kitchen grease likely from restaurants on Smith St who do not have grease traps. We would appreciate your help getting the appropriate authorities to inspect the restaurants between 1st Place and 2nd St on Smith. 

Lastly, the DEP agent Saturday said he saw a large amount of road debris in the line and thinks the DOT work on our block may have cracked the sewer line in which chase it would need to be dug up entirely. Hence him saying he would put in paperwork to have a camera crew come out the next day which we don't believe happened.

Thank you for your help with resolving this ongoing problem.

I met Elizabeth in front of her house this afternoon and she pointed to a house several doors down.  where a homeowner was pumping several feet of sewage out of his basement.

Elizabeth believes that her block on Second Street is not the only one that deals with back-ups and that the main problem seems to be the wholly insufficient Bond Street sewer  pipe, coupled with the recent construction of the 750 unit Lightstone Group development at 363 and 365 Bond Street, which appears to have aggravated the situation.  "It is a case of weak infrastructure aggravated by new construction" she feels.

Just two blocks further, on Union Street between Bond and the Canal, another owner seemed to be dealing with  his building's own sewage problems this afternoon, supporting the idea that other blocks feeding into the Bond Street sewer have issues as well.

If you live close to Bond Street and are dealing with sewage back flow in your basement, Elizabeth and PMFA would like to hear from you. Please leave a comment on the blog or on PMFA's Facebook page.

You might also want to join the Voice Of Gowanus Facebook Page to join others in the neighborhood who have the same issue.

Read more

Is This A Practical Joke Or Something Weirder? Nails Propped Up Against Car Tires On Second Street In Carroll Gardens

A resident of Carroll Gardens got quite a surprise when walking up to his car on Second Street yesterday.  Someone had strategically positioned nails around the tires of the vehicle to obviously cause a flat.  Of course, it could have caused more serious harm.

The resident reached out to PMFA to warn others in the neighborhood. Here is an account of what happened:
"At approximately 8 am on Sunday, March 26th, several nails were found surrounding both the rear tires of a grey Jeep Wrangler. The vehicle had been parked overnight in front of 13 2nd Street, between Smith and Hoyt.

The nails were positioned at 45 degrees in both front and back of each rear tire, in a way that any unassuming, hurried driver on their morning commute would have quickly punctured both.

The owner of the vehicle discovered the threatening set-up when checking the right rear tire, which was found to be low on air the previous afternoon.

A police report was filed, due to the nature of the harassment; the perpetrator seemed intent on causing harm to the owner's property, but also had complete disregard for the owner's personal safety behind the wheel."

Pardon me for asking, but is this someone's idea of a practical joke?  Is this about the lack of parking in the neighborhood?  Has anyone else experienced something similar?
Please reach out and let us know. And please spread the word.


Read more

SMART Flower Power On Second Street

This little flowery Smart car with Oregon license plates drew the attention of many passers-by on Second Street at the corner of Smith Street yesterday. Quite a few people took out their phones to take photos. A day earlier, it was parked on Smith Street.
Anyone know who it belongs to?



Read more

Good News! Crossing Guard Coming To Busy Intersection Of Smith And 2nd Street

Ellen Whelan-Wuest, Brooklyn Office Director for State Senator Daniel Squadron, just sent out the email below regarding a crossing guard for the busy intersection of Smith and 2nd Streets.
It seems that many complaints have been called in to the State Senator's office since the closing of the 2nd Place subway station has forced local schoolchildren to cross Smith Street to the subway entrance on 2nd Street.
Ellen informs us that a crossing guard will soon be stationed there.
Read on:

Great news! On behalf of Senator Squadron, I am happy to announce that kids crossing Smith Street at 2nd street will again have a crossing guard!

Since the closing of the 2nd place Carroll Street F train station, all subway riders (including hundreds of schoolchildren) have been forced to enter and exit the station across Smith Street, at the 2nd Street entrance. Our office has received many complaints since the start of the school-year and has been working with the City Department of Transportation and the 76th precinct to implement safety measures at this intersection.

I am happy to inform you that our office has just received word that the 76^th Precinct is in the process of hiring and assigning a crossing guard to the 2^nd Street and Smith Street location. This guard will be on hand during regular crossing guard hours to help safely guide children across the street as they travel to and from PS 58, the Hannah Senesh Day school and the Brooklyn New School every day. Many thanks to Detective Paul Grudzinski, Traffic Officer Hample and the entire 76th precinct for their work on this matter.

Additionally, Senator Squadron is working with the CIty DOT to examine and implement traffic calming measures which will increase the safety of this intersection. I will report to you as soon as we have more details on this front. If you have any questions regarding either of these developments, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Best,

Ellen

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

Read more

Picture Of The Day: Sloping Brownstones

He was slowly walking
down towards the canal,
past this gently sloping
row of townhouses
on Second Street.

Read more