SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

State Senator Marty Golden (Photo By Erica Sherman)

State Senator Marty Golden sponsored a bill that provides huge tax breaks for Manhattan luxury apartment building developers. The New York Daily News is reporting that legislation backed by Golden designates tax breaks for five developments, costing the city tens of millions of dollars as the city wrangles with an already starved budget.

One of the buildings eligible for a tax break includes One57, a massive 75-story luxury apartment development being built near Central Park. Believing that the legislation will help create jobs, Golden otherwise pleaded ignorance when questioned on the breaks.

“These projects were ready to go,” Golden told the Daily News. “I’m not sure where they came from,” Golden said in response to who earmarked the developments for special favor.

The bill’s sponsor in the Assembly, Keith Wright, a Manhattan Democrat, was also unsure for who and why the tax breaks were included.

“These five properties — it was important that they benefit from the piece of legislation probably, and I don’t know why, because some of the folks in the Senate wanted them to be included,” Wright told the Daily News.

The answer as to why the developments got special favors was not surprising. The Daily News discovered that significant campaign contributions were made to various state campaign committees:

The developers of four of the projects, their relatives and affiliated companies gave $1.5 million to various state campaign committees during 2008-12 — including $440,962 last year, records show.

The contributions included $53,000 to the state Senate Republican campaign treasury, $34,000 to the war chest of Assembly Democrats and $150,000 to the campaign of Gov. Cuomo, who signed the bill Jan. 30.

Advocates of campaign finance reform saw this measure as another example of how the system is broken.

“That real estate developers were able to win such a huge giveaway is a reflection of . . . just how broken the current campaign finance system is,” Jaron Benjamin, president of the Metropolitan Council on Housing, told the Daily News. ”The reason Albany lawmakers agreed to spend millions subsidizing luxury housing for the wealthy is clear: Developers who contributed to their campaigns . . . expected to be rewarded.”

City Comptroller and mayoral candidate John Liu sent out a press release today blasting the actions of the Senate and Assembly.

“Extending tax breaks to super-luxury apartment buildings in Manhattan is wrongheaded and shows grossly misplaced priorities. It’s sad and outrageous that billionaires get huge subsidies while the Rent Guidelines Board considers significant rent increases for millions of New Yorkers. It’s especially galling that the tax abatement in question, called 421-a, was meant to promote construction of affordable housing,” Liu said in the release.

Source: Retrofresh via flickr

The efforts of local politicians to beautify their neighborhoods is easily reflected in the quality of parks. The New York Times is reporting that quality of local parks depends not on how much private donations buffer parks budgets, or even on how much the city doles out, but on how hard local councilmembers work to steer funds to the Parks Department.

The Times details the contrast between Kelly Park in Sheepshead Bay and Canarsie Park, located just five miles down the road. It’s not just a tale of two parks in neighboring council districts, but a tale of two councilmembers:

On a sun-splashed afternoon in late spring, Abigail Mastroserio, 2, scampered in the playground at Kelly Park, in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn. It was not long before she tripped on uneven cobblestones near the faded play equipment. Her mother, Melia, could not even comfort her daughter with a sip of water from the water fountain. It was broken. “This park used to look better when I was a kid,” said Ms. Mastroserio, 38, who grew up nearby.

Barely five miles away, a different scene unfolded in Canarsie Park, where young families explored a newly renovated nature trail, complete with fitness equipment, and athletes practiced on a recently installed cricket field. In an elaborate new skate park, teenagers and others careered over stair sets and ledges, and swooped on a half-pipe. “We love this place,” said James Belly, a 26-year-old skateboarder. “We’d be pleased with anything since we had nothing before. But this is something of real quality.”

According to the Times, the reason why Canarsie Park is beautiful and Kelly Park is falling apart is the difference between the priorities and political clouts of the councilmembers representing the areas. Councilman Lew Fidler, who represents the Canarsie section of Brooklyn made sure to direct $18 million for parks over his 12 years in office, with $13 million coming in the last three fiscal years alone. Michael Nelson, who represents the parts of Sheepshead Bay that cover Kelly Park, has steered a paltry $1 million over the past years in comparison.

Fidler expressed pride in his efforts to keep the Brooklyn parks in his communities beautiful.

“Because I represent the hinterlands of Brooklyn, I know that our parks are not going to be the priority that some of the chichi parks are in Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan,” Fidler told the Times. “I made a commitment that just as the people of my district were not second-class citizens, they weren’t going to have second-class parks.”

Nelson was criticized by Julius Spiegel, the former Brooklyn borough commissioner for the Parks Department.

“It’s a pittance compared to what Lew Fidler gave, and the parks in Michael Nelson’s district show it,” Spiegel said.

Looking to address the inequality of small city parks, often brought on by inaction of local politicians, the nonprofit advocacy group “New Yorkers for Parks” has drawn up a program that calls for more financing for park maintenance, among other issues:

“Scores of neighborhood parks have not benefited from the huge influx of capital dollars that has flowed into the handful of large parks targeted by the administration for upgrades,” the platform asserts. The dependence on elected officials to finance modest capital projects — a playground renovation, a new roof on a comfort station, new paving — “creates an inefficient, inequitable and potentially politicized process,” the platform said.

New Yorkers for Parks are looking to present their platform before mayoral candidates and local community boards across the five boroughs.

Lauren Passalacqua, a spokeswoman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, was highly defensive on the way the city spends on parks.

“Our parks system was just rated second-best in the nation thanks to the unprecedented investments we’ve made to park improvements and development projects across the city. Of course we have to prioritize projects based on needs and goals,” Passalacqua told the Times.

Spiegel believes that more money for parks is needed in a city that has 1,700 parks.

“Compared to other boroughs, we did O.K. But there are dozens and dozens of projects that aren’t getting done. We’re O.K. at picking up the garbage. But when you scratch below the surface, there are serious infrastructure problems,” Spiegel said.

After Superstorm Sandy dealt destruction to Coney Island’s Steeplechase Pier, the New York City Park’s Department is promising a brand new pier with a slew of new amenities, including a see-through observation deck so visitors can gawk at the waters below them.

Local photographer Brian Hoo sent along the accompanying images taken over the weekend, showing contractors hard at work on the pier. The spurred us to ask Parks for a status update.

According to Parks spokesperson Meghan Lalor, the $19.4 million project is on schedule to be completed by July 4 – just in time for visitors to watch the fireworks.

But they’re not just rebuilding it back to its preexisting condition – they’re making a bevy of improvements.

“The pier will be surfaced with recycled plastic lumber that has the look and feel of wood while still providing durability and longevity.  The design of the deck allows beachgoers to see through the deck to the water below,” Lalor wrote to Sheepshead Bites. “New seating and railings will be constructed with wood salvaged from the existing pier. Other amenities include shade structures, lighting, bait cutting stations, and an observation platform.”

Work on the 1,000-foot pier began in March, but suffered a setback when one of the barges and a crane involved in the repairs sank into the water in April .

Click to enlarge

The Carmine Carro Community Center

The Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association will hold its “Annual Meeting” — the final meeting of the season — this Thursday, June 20, 7:30 p.m. at the Carmine Carro Community Center in Marine Park, along Fillmore Avenue from Madison Place to Marine Parkway.

The meeting will present an opportunity to meet and greet with candidates running for various local and citywide positions prior to the September 10 primary.

There will be an election of directors, as well as awarding two civic-minded, local junior high school students the Mary Powell Awards, named for the civic organization’s late, long-time president.

Desserts and refreshments will be served. The Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic will not meet again until October 17.

For further info, contact  Ed Jaworski via email at coachedj@aol.com or call (718) 375-9158 or (347) 661-6960 (cell).

A Blacktip Shark (Source: Wikipedia)

I have a simple rule in life. Never trust anything named Zane, whether they be Blacktip sharks or corporate executives. Those who have scoffed at my simple life rule were proved to be fools recently as “Zane the Shark” recently went on a killing spree in the fish tank at the new Coney Island Applebee’s, which is owned by Zane Tankel, CEO and chairman of franchisee Apple Metro Inc.

The New York Daily News reported that Zane, the Blacktip Shark, ate three Lookdown fish – truly shocking behavior for a shark. The chaos continued when a Whitetip shark died while smashing into a three-foot Wonder Wheel replica located in the middle of the 5,000 gallon aquarium set to be a main attraction at the yet to be open Applebee’s spot. The death of the Whitetip shark was especially surprising, considering the relative abundance of decorative ferris-wheel structures lining the ocean floors.

Tankel blamed the sad events on the sharks being unable to adjust quickly enough to an unnatural habitat.

“They went from being in an ocean to being in a tank. They were all disoriented,” Tankel told the Daily News.

Zane the shark was transferred to an aquarium in Fishkill, NY, apparently achieving his goal of escaping a life condemned to swim in a cage at Applebee’s.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Some lame duck politicians go out on a whimper, defeated by gridlock, apathy and restlessness on part of the people. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not one of those politicians. In just the past few months alone, Bloomberg has pushed a massive $20 billion storm protection plan and scored a victory when the New York State Supreme Court upheld his plan to expand taxi service across the city. He’s expanding recycling programs, banning styrofoam, and even pissing off Sarah Palin. The New York Times is now reporting that Bloomberg is seeking to make major changes to the city’s building code to increase the resiliency of buildings citywide in the event of more extreme weather incidents like Superstorm Sandy.

Needing only the approval of the City Council, Bloomberg’s plan to overhaul the building code would make New York City a national leader in making buildings more resilient in the face of hurricanes. For the time being, the new rules would mainly affect the construction of new buildings and big renovations on existing buildings in the flood areas, including much of Sheepshead Bay.

But some upgrades could also be required in existing larger buildings. The Times listed changes that would have to made to residential buildings, co-ops, condominiums, public housing and rental apartments:

For example, emergency lights will be required in hallways and stairwells in case of extended blackouts. Existing buildings will have to add faucets to a common area on lower floors, like a laundry room. That is intended to allow people on upper floors, which lose water pressure from electric pumps during blackouts, to obtain water.

Officials and experts estimated that a 20-story co-op could spend $16,000 for faucets in a laundry room, and more than $100,000 for backup lighting that could last many days. The lighting would be far cheaper if owners deployed battery-powered lights with a shorter life.

Bloomberg’s task force, which he set up with Council Speaker Christine Quinn, did not propose any new rules for existing single-family homes. Still, homeowners looking to make major renovations would have to conform to new regulations like using longer screws and nail fasteners on windows and doors so they can stand up to high winds. New sloped roofs would have to use reflective shingles to cut down on heat.

Hospitals would also have to protect their windows, potentially costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars per building. The city also wants to force businesses that store toxic chemicals to keep them in flood-proof areas. Resistance to the plan is expected to come from real estate developers who fear the overall increased costs they would incur.

In pushing the changes, Bloomberg cited the destruction of Sandy as an imperative.

“Sandy clearly underscored why we need to protect our buildings. We learned a lot, and we want to make sure we won’t forget those lessons,” the mayor said at a press conference.

Mayoral front-runner Christine Quinn stressed speed as being an important factor in executing Bloomberg’s plan.

“We plan to move as quickly as possible,” Quinn told the Times.

Photo by Nukri Palagashvili

Source: LugoLounge/Flickr

Well, the Q line will be a hot mess for late-night commuters in Manhattan, and it and the B do some daytime local/express switcheroo in Brooklyn. Here are this week’s transit advisories:

B LINE

From 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday to Friday, Brighton Beach-bound B trains run local from Prospect Park to Brighton Beach.

Q LINE

From 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday to Friday, Manhattan-bound Q trains run express from Sheepshead Bay to Prospect Park.

At night, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday to Friday, there are no trains at N, Q and R stations in Manhattan. Q trains are rerouted via the D 6 Av line in Manhattan to/from the 57 St F station.

Q trains operate as follows:

• Manhattan-bound Q:  After DeKalb Av, Q trains run via the D to 47-50 Sts, then to the 57 St F station, the last stop.
• Coney Island-bound Q:  Q trains originate at the 57 St F station then run via the D to Brooklyn. Regular Coney Island-bound Q service resumes at DeKalb Av.

F LINE

From 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m., Tuesday to Friday, 179 St-bound F trains run local from Roosevelt Av to 71 Av.

An adult Diamondback Terrapin. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

While being parked on the tarmac at JFK airport, you would never guess that the cause of your delayed flight are migrating turtles wandering onto the runway. The New York Post is reporting that airport officials have constructed a huge barrier in hopes that the turtles will be safely herded away from the runways.

When the turtles, classified as Diamondback Terrapins, come to shore to nest, they have made the airport runway part of their journey, causing flight delays. To create a solution that improves airline service but also protects the turtles, airport workers plan to construct a 4,000-foot, 8-inch-wide plastic pipe that stretches across runway 4L and leads into Jamaica Bay marshes favored by the turtles.

“We’re trying to find a balance between nature and aviation,” Port Authority spokesman Ron Marsico told the Post. “We don’t want to see the turtles get hurt, and this should keep the airport running smoothly.”

While the barrier plan is expected to be effective, not all experts believe that it will make the turtles any safer. Dr. Russell Burke, a biology professor at Hofstra University who consulted with Port Authority on the fence, warned that the barrier might expose the turtles to raccoon predators.

“If you build a barrier like that, they might just walk along the barrier and nest there. Between 90 and 100 percent of terrapin turtles are killed by predators, so they need to be given a fighting chance,” Burke told the Post.

While those are harrowing numbers, the turtles, which are a protected species, have actually thrived in recent years. Burke estimates that their population has risen to over 20,000. Despite Burke’s warnings over predators, he still believes the barrier is the best solution.

“I think the barriers are a step in the right direction. It should stop flight delays and will hopefully keep the turtles safe,” Burke said.

The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs has secretly ordered agents to dole out a minimum number of fines to small businesses, while also pressuring judges to rule in favor of the city during the appeals process, the Daily News claims in an exclusive report.

The paper reports that documents they have obtained and whisteblowers in the agency reveal disturbing practices, in which inspectors are ordered to fine one in four businesses they visit, administrative law judges are pressured to side with the city, and whopping fines are disproportionately smothering minority-owned and outerborough businesses.

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