SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Been wondering what’s up with the Brooklyn Walmart proposed for the Gateway II Center? Us too, but in reality there’s been very little headway in either direction. Walmart, though, did make an attempt to spread some money around: they gave at least $15,000 to State Senate Democrats, whose campaign committee is led by Senator John Sampson who represents the proposed development area. Union leaders balked, and successfully pressured the Dems to return the money to Walmart.

Now, Steve Barrison – president of the Bay Improvement Group and executive vice president of the Small Business Congress of New York City – has issued a statement demanding more vocal opposition from “greenies,” including DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.

Read Steve Barrison’s statement about a proposed Brooklyn Walmart at Gateway II after the jump.

I spotted this poster last week at the bus shelter on Emmons Avenue and East 26th Street, right in front of Applebee’s. The advertisement is a “call to end human trafficking.”

The location is no coincidence. The hotels on Emmons Avenue have been known for years as hooker hotels. Whether that’s true or not, the stigma persists. And numerous young Eastern European women have been brought to the states in much the same way described on the poster, especially in the 1990s.

But it’s not really something most of us think about in our neighborhood. Sheepshead Bay isn’t exactly the kind of place where you’re frequently accosted by hookers and pimps, or see the violence or skeeziness it draws. You don’t see the cars pulling up and the girls leaning in. It ain’t Times Square in the 70s.

But it is a problem in our neighborhood. After all, it was just in May that vigilant internet folk kept a pair of Russian girls from being duped into a sex ring based out of a Sheepshead Bay-area nightclub. Every one of us should similarly be on guard.

Courtesy of Allie_Caulfield via Flickr

From the Brooklyn Eagle:

BROOKLYN — Twenty-six businesses and 76 community groups sent letters in support of the restoration of funding for the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, the Bronx Zoo and all Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) members.

In Brooklyn, this also includes the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, although not the Prospect Park Zoo, which is funded from a different source under the state budget.

These organizations are vital to their communities as they provide jobs and business for local merchants.

More than 56,000 petitions were collected in support of these vital city institutions. Petitioners have flooded the city government to help prevent a 42 percent or $3.9 million cut. These cuts would threaten jobs at cultural institutions around the city and would have a devastating effect to the 114-year-old New York Aquarium in Coney Island, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Bronx Zoo.

“We appreciate each and every petition, letter, and e-mail sent to City Hall on behalf of all the cultural organizations and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium,” said WCS Executive Vice President of Public Affairs John Calvelli. WCS is the parent body for both institutions as well as the Queens and Central Park zoos.

If you believe the aquarium and New York City’s other cultural institutions are worth saving, sign the petition.

If you’re out of work, looking to develop professional skills, or just want to give back to New York City’s communities, the second class of the NYC Civic Corps program is gearing up for the 2010-2011 season.

The year-long program puts do-gooders around the city, working for the benefit of all New Yorkers. But, like the best volunteer programs, it’s not all give without any take. Participants earn money and get health benefits, as well as an education award.

Here’s the info from Paul Berg, the program’s coordinator:

Keep reading about NYC Civic Corps

Thor's vision for its Surf Avenue properties

We received the following e-mail from Save Coney Island, a group dedicated to, um, saving Coney Island. To give you the gist: in order to help preserve the district’s character, the group asked the Landmarks Preservation Committee to create a historic district that would protect many of the buildings on and around Surf Avenue from demolition. However, LPC is a notoriously slow agency, and developer Thor Equities is moving quickly to destroy the buildings before the LPC has a chance to evaluate them. Save Coney Island is trying to halt that from happening, and has created an action plan for residents to help stop “Thor’s Hammer” in mid-swing. You can learn more about Save Coney Island at their website. Below is their e-mail.

Last week, Thor Equities announced that it would immediately begin demolishing the historic buildings that it owns along Surf Avenue in the amusement district. This could mean the end of historic Coney Island. The threatened structures include the Grashorn Building (built in the 1880s), the Henderson Music Hall (built circa 1900), the Shore Hotel (built circa 1903), and the Bank of Coney Island (built circa 1923).

These buildings have great historical and cultural significance: They provide a link to the period of Coney Island’s emergence as the world’s greatest amusement area. They also offer tremendous potential to provide a unique Coney Island experience if they are restored and reused.

Don’t let Thor to destroy Coney Island’s history and ruin the amusement area for future generations.

Keep reading and see the action plan

The Census 2010 was supposed to be like a category 5 storm, where every single resident was going to be sucked up in a flurry of… um… tabulations. Instead, in parts of Southern Brooklyn and Sheepshead Bay, it barely touched ground with participation rates as low as 44 percent in some tracts.

What are the reasons that the census forms were not sent back? Readers, feel free to write in and add to this list:

• many people are suspicious of the government
• some truly did not know much about what the census is
• the census doesn’t have much importance in the minds of those who didn’t send it back
• some households wanted to stimulate the economy by getting those census funds spent on workers knocking on doors
• since the census forms that came in the mail neglected to mention the  deadline date (April 16, 2010), many didn’t know that the deadline was upon them
• many did not know that if they sent their form in even after the deadline, they may still be counted, possibly eliminating the need for a census enumerator might to be sent to their home
• residents were surprised to learn that the census form required them to put their name on the form, and felt this to be an invasion of their privacy
• some are too hip or too frum to be filling out forms or using snail mail, even if postage was not necessary.

To help rally in some more households in Southern Brooklyn, yours truly has been called into the enumerator brigade. It’s not as if I’m looking forward to barking dogs, doors in my face, communication difficulties, braving the elements, or serious dangers of approaching strangers (especially ones with guns) – but I’m thankful to be a federal worker, even if it is for a just a couple of weeks.

Let Ray convince you to fill out the Census

According to Midwood Assemblywoman Rhoda S. Jacobs, the New York City Board of Water is proposing to raise water and sewer charges nearly 13 percent next year. Alongside other new fees on the table, city dwellers could end up paying hundreds of dollars more annually. In the letter below, she urges residents to attend a public hearing and say no the proposal. Read on after the jump to see a digital copy of the Water Board’s booklet that she references.

Dear Neighbors:

I am forwarding to you a copy of a booklet my office received from the New York City Board of Water.

According to page 8 of the booklet, an increase of 12.9% has been planned for FY 2011. This would raise the annual water-and-sewer charge from approximately $723 per household to $816 in 2011. The proposal also includes an introductory 1% discount for customers who have metered billing and who subscribe to have their bills automatically debited from their checking account. Those that subscribes to direct debit will have an increase of approximately $85 per year, compared to the $93 increase for non-subscribers.

In addition to the general 12.9% increase and the 1% direct debit discount for metered-billed customers, the Board is considering the following changes:

1. A new sewage charge for storm water not to exceed $0.05 per square foot of property area will be introduced for standalone parking lots that do not pay for wastewater service because they do not receive drinking water service, which is used to calculate wastewater charges under the current rate structure. A credit program will be offered for parking lots implementing Stormwater Best Management Practices based on criteria and standards established by the City.
2. The water shut-off fee will be increased from $500 to $1,000.
3. The hydrant flow test fee will be increased from $250 to $500.
4. A new backflow prevention plan review fee of $350.
5. A new backflow exemption approval fee of $100.

The Water Board will hold public hearings on the proposed FY2011 rates and charges for water and wastewater service.

Public School 102
211 72nd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11209
Thursday, May 13, 2010
7:00 p.m.

Anyone who wishes to testify at a hearing should contact Kevin Kunkle at (718) 595-3601 to register no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day before the hearing. Oral testimony will be limited to five (5) minutes duration. A copy of any prepared or written statement may be submitted for the Board’s consideration by 5:00 p.m. on May 14, 2010 to :

Kevin Kundle at New York City Water Board
59-17 Junction Boulevard, 8th Floor
Flushing, NY 11373
or email kkunkle@dep.nyc.gov

As always, please contact my office for assistance.

Assemblywoman Rhoda S. Jacobs
(718) 434-0446

View the DEP/NYC Water Board’s pamphlet

State Senator Carl Kruger may not care much for gay rights, but he’s pulling his weight on animal rights issues.

Kruger sponsored a bill in the State Senate that would make illegal “canned shoots” – fenced-in hunting facilities where shooters pay to kill animals that are not wild. The bill is being touted by the Humane Society as a step forward in stopping the unfair slaying of animals.

According to the Legislative Gazette, the Humane Society says so-called hunters use the rigged shoots to obtain trophy-size animals to decorate their homes with. Animals are often raised by private breeders, they say, and make no effort to escape because of previous human contact. On the society’s website they write that “lions raised as pets who end up at canned hunt facilities would lick the hands of hunters before being shot. In another widely reported case, a ram stood still as arrows were repeatedly shot at the defenseless animal.” Which begs the question, who the hell would go from having their hand licked by a lion to shooting it in the freakin’ face?

Theresa Scavo, Community Board 15 Chairperson

The New York City Community Boards – the 50 member panels forming the hyper-local level of city government – are accepting applications until Monday, February 22. For nearly half a century, the Boards have served as a go-to resource for residents who need help from the city government, and they also serve an advisory role to city decision-making including land use, zoning, and project funding. Though many of their functions have recently been duplicated by the launch of the citywide 311 system, advocates around the city continue to laud local community boards for their personal, human service and their role as the first line of community advocacy – while the 311 system is mired in criticism.

Last week, Sheepshead Bites teamed up with BK Southie to pick the mind of Theresa Scavo, the Chairperson of Board 15 (Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach, and Manhattan Beach). We discussed the importance of the Boards to the communities they serve, the benefits of community service, and where Boards need to be strengthened. Scavo has been a member of Community Board 15 since the 1990s, and has been the Chair since 2006, a run she described as “sometimes weird but always rewarding.”

If you don’t know what Community Boards are, or you’re interested in getting involved in your community’s future, this interview is the place to start.

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