Thanks for reading! You rock. It’s been a lot of fun writing for BK Southie, and I’m glad it’s found an audience.
Also, I have a year-end shout-out for Peter Chan, Kerry Scire, and Rita Jennings for their ’09 contributions to this site. I hope they have enjoyed writing here as much as I have.
To Peter, Kerry, Rita, and all of the readers here, Happy New Year!
A Brighton Beach travel agent was indicted on Monday for stealing more than $26,000 from a dozen clients.
All 12 victims received receipts saying their trips had been fully paid for, but later learned their tickets had not been purchased, according to the indictment. One victim arrived at the airport, expecting to board a flight, only to be told she had no tickets.
Ouch. Kinda makes me want to go the extra mile and buy my own tickets when the time comes. Which is an unfortunate reaction, because it’s hardly fair to the thousand of legitimate travel agents that do their job well and without stealing from anyone. And this article noted that most of the victimes were Russian immigrants. This agent undoubtedly promoted Мы говорим по русски to Russophone clients who would rather let someone else do the talking to Anglophone travel services.
The NYCEDC has reissued an RFP for the Federal Building #2 (map) on the Sunset Park waterfront, according to Crain’s New York Business. A plan to redevelop the site for retail and office space had been in the works since 2005, but stalled earlier this year as a result of the recession. The new RFP is calling for less retail/office space and more manufacturing use.
I had to reread the article a couple of times just to make sure I read that right – the Bloomberg Administration is calling for manufacturing on the waterfront. That must have been painful for Mayor Oligarch to authorize. Or maybe no one has told him yet. Or perhaps he’s having trouble pointing to Sunset Park on a map.
The reopening of the Fort Hamilton branch of the Brooklyn Public Library has been delayed to the fall of 2010, according to the Brooklyn Paper. The 100+ year old building is apparently tasty – if you’re a termite, that is – and will require more extensive work to repair.
When complete, the renovation will increase the library floor space by 50%. But the branch has been replaced for nearly two full years by visits from the BPL’s mobile book truck.
Which I think is really sad, but given the state of library funding in this city (see: the game of Chicken that’s played with the library budget on an annual basis), I suppose a scaled-down temporary branch in an unused storefront is too much to ask for (something the library in Fairfield, CT did a few years ago).
And speaking of that annual game of Budget Chicken, the BPL is sending out a call for help! From Sheepshead Bites:
2009 has been a challenging year for many Brooklynites. Through it all, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has seen a record number of people use our free resources and services to help them achieve their dreams. But, with a current budget shortfall of $7 million and the possibility of more cuts in the future, we need your help.
Please consider making a generous year-end gift to BPL. For a 2009 tax deduction, make your contribution by December 31.
Your gift will help BPL provide:
- Free tutors and after-school programs
- More than 600 workshops to help jobseekers
- Books, DVDs, and literary and cultural programs for families
- Computer and internet access for new Americans and those without home computers
Please donate online now. You can also make a donation by phone at (718) 230-2738.
Brooklynites depend on their libraries, and we rely on your support to help deliver the high quality library service that every Brooklyn resident needs and deserves.
(Photo credit: Brooklyn Public Library)
(Screenshot: nydailynews.com)
Yesterday, the Daily News wrote about the big-ticket development projects in Brooklyn. Can someone refresh my memory – whose Coney Island rendering was this? Was it the City’s? Was it Thor’s? Was it a first attempt, or was it a subsequent iteration? There were so many, so I get confused easily.
Totally digging the way that this vision of Coney Island looks like Tron. Will any of the arcades be adding Light Cycles?
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but the sewer underneath the corner of 17th Avenue and 65th Street smells just absolutely awful.
I mean. Damn.
(Photo credit: Brian Hedden)
Watch the video for a fairly thorough report from WABC, which (after the requisite car commercial) shows how incredibly dangerous this intersection is. You’ll see that the crosswalk where the victim was hit spans a ramp at which the green turn arrow is the default signal, and must be switched off with a pole-mounted button. This would be a harrowing environment for the most able-bodied pedestrian, much less an elderly person who depended on a walker.
No kidding. I’m not a big fan of any of the pedestrian crossings by the Shore Parkway, and though I dislike others more, I have plenty of dislike for this spot. One time last year, I thought I’d try walking to the Best Buy/Kohl’s shopping plaza just past this intersection. Yikes – that was a mistake. I’m much better off hopping on a subway to Manhattan than trying that stunt again.
There are more deluxe displays on 12th Avenue in Dyker Heights, but this spot near 71st Street is the only one I got to this evening before it started to rain on my head. =P
(All photos: Brian Hedden)
Lots of photos of the storm that dropped 11 inches of snow on NYC this weekend below the fold. Enjoy!
(Photo credit: Brian Hedden)
1. The Fundamental Problem With The MTA Is Us
We’re always blaming the MTA for everything that goes wrong. Here’s the problem with that – we’re almost always wrong.
Case-in-point: This newest mess was directly caused by two clearly-attributable actions by the State Government:
(1) The State “realized” it had made a $200 million mistake on the bailout tax – can we still call it a bailout if it doesn’t deliver the cash that the State said it would deliver?
(2) On top of that, the State cut previously approved funding in December by another $143 million
It doesn’t get any more clear-cut than this: there’s a disingenuous and financially inept party here, and it isn’t the MTA. But no one seems to see that – everyone is still hammering on the MTA like they’re the ones who made the mistakes, that it was somehow MTA mismanagement that cause the state to deliver $343 million less than it had promised. I find this attitude particulalry poisonous when politicians like Borough Presidents Scott Stringer and Marty Markowitz bring political pressure to bear against the MTA instead of the Senate – nothing is gong to get fixed that way.
Disclosure: I get really upset when I see the public lashing out at the MTA with so much anger, without getting the facts straight first.
If you are blaming ANYONE outside of the Albany Capitol building for this, you simply are Not. Paying. Attention.
I’m sorry for the scolding, but someone had to say it. I hope we can still be Facebook Friends.
2. The State Senate Is Projecting Its Flaws On The MTA
Senator Carl Kruger (D-Mill Basin) recently blamed the MTA for miscalculating tax revenue. Gee, that’s rich – because it’s Albany that collects taxes, not the MTA. And as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, that really makes it Kruger’s job, more than anyone else’s, to make sure the numbers are right.
Where I work – probably where you work, too – people get fired for making $200 million mistakes. Since Kruger’s performance review doesn’t come up again until November 2010, I suggest he does everyone a favor and resigns, effective immediately.
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