SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Well, wouldn’t you know it, but yet another real estate office has closed. We’re not sure how long ago it happened, since such things kind of pass beneath our notice at this point, but the real estate office at 4175 Bedford Avenue has been replaced with something new.

I passed by earlier today and the new sign was up: Sheepshead Bay is getting a new bike shop! As the sign says RideBikeProGear is opening a bicycle show room and test center. As it turns out, RBPG looks like a well-established internet-based business, glancing at the page it looks like it’s been around a long time. The shop is not open yet so we don’t know just how much local service it’s going to provide, but let’s hope it’s a full-fledged bike shop. The area could use more unique businesses, even if they are just an outlet for a website.

On a slightly related topic, one does wonder what brings such a business to Bedford Avenue. While Bedford is one of the longest bicycle paths in the city it’s not exactly the safest or most scenic. Maybe the owner is from Sheepshead Bay, or perhaps this is the start of a new trend, where web businesses and dot-coms open offices in more affordable commercial areas outside Manhattan. Either way, RideBikeProGear is more than welcome here. If we can have a scuba shop, why not a bike shop!

In addition to break-ins and thefts, Sheepshead Bay residents need to worry about out of control drivers at night. One reader sent in these photos of cars that were struck by traffic. The BMW was hit as recently as Sunday night on Coyle Street and Shore Parkway, while the van has sat at Avenue Y near Bedford Avenue for more than a week. We’ve seen dozens more like this in the area. Sheepshead Bites is reminding you to park in a well-lit section of the street whenever possible, and avoid the corners. Not only will it protect you from break-ins, but cruddy drivers will have an easier time seeing you.

See more photos of overnight accidents

I love this photo. It reminds me of Married With Children, though Al Bundy drove a Dodge not a Buick. It’s also refreshing to see license plates with some character again.

Flickr user MatthewChamberlain captured this awesome shot on Bedford Avenue.

The Never Forgotten 9/11 Memorial Service and 8th Anniversary Candle Vigil details have been announced. Those of you who attended last year’s ceremony, know what a truly touching this ceremony is.

The event will be held again at the Bill Brown Park. Details on the flyer are as listed:

Date: Friday, September 11, 2009
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Bill Brown Park – Handball Court
Avenue X and Bedford Avenue

A few weeks ago we told you about the Waterpod, a sea-based experiment in sustainable living. Back then, the Waterpod had just sailed in to Sheepshead Bay. It was new – one of its first stops – and we were wide-eyed with excitement over a cool eco-project in our bay.

Well, it turns out living the green-life aquatic is harder than the four crew members imagined.

“It’s been a lot more work than any of us have expected,” Alison Ward, one of the crew who’s been on the boat about six weeks and plans to stay at sea until October, told the Daily News. “I kind of thought we’d just be able to float around.”

According to the article, the Waterpod has been beset by heavy downpours, algae explosions, bugs and – would you believe it? – waves.

To be honest, we’re not all that surprised. Living on the water is rough. And living sustainably is rough. So who woulda thunk putting those two together would’ve been a bitch?

The Daily News says the crew’s chief objective is to get New Yorkers thinking. Well, it’s got me thinking about how, when the destructive edge of climate change sets in, or when zombies take over our inner-cities, I’m not heading to the waves – I’m heading to the hills.

Thanks, Waterpod. In case I wasn’t sure about who to follow when the world begins to fall apart, I now know, I’ll follow the soldiers and the survivalists. Not the artists.

You’d better hurry, though, because just as quickly as it sailed in, it will sail out.*

The Waterpod Project, based out of New York, is a self-sustaining floating home to four artists, a few chickens, and a large array of vegetables. The barge, made from recycled and reused materials found around New York, was built as a collaborative effort by a multinational team of very innovative people in an effort to transform the way we think about living “off the land”, so to speak.

And living “off” land is what this team of artists plans on doing when they are not visiting the shore. They have everything they need for survival on the barge: food, water, power, and waste treatment.

While the facilities are spartan, they meet the needs of the inhabitants sufficiently. When we visited them at their humble abode moored in Sheepshead Bay, they were quite content preparing a snack in the open air kitchen.

With the wide variety of fresh vegetables growing in their various tiers, as well as the eggs supplied by the chickens, the peas in the pod seem to be quite satisfied nutritionally.

They asked us for nothing other than we should let everyone know that their Waterpod will be at Pier 2 (Bedford Ave & Emmons Ave) in Sheepshead Bay until July 5, 2009. And oh, if you should have any extra eggshells that would be welcome, too. The chickens on board will thank you.

There is no admission price, but donations to support the project are welcomed. You can visit the self-sustaining home from Wednesdays to Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check the Waterpod website for full details and open hours. Get to know three ofthe residents before you enter their living room garden, Mary Mattingly, Eve Tremblay, and Mira Hunter and their artistic expressions at the website.

*Technically, the barge doesn’t have any sails and was pulled in by a tugboat from the Weeks Marine Transportation, Inc. as a donated service.

(Photo by Ray Johnson)

Six Belt Parkway bridges, including four in the Sheepshead Bay area, will get a $6.8 million face lift by Fall 2011, says Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The mayor made the announcement during the unveiling of the Stimulus Transportation Projects on Monday. The list of projects includes construction sites in all five boroughs, racking up a total price tag of $1.1 billion and, according to the administration, will keep or create 32,000 jobs. The projects are funded in part by $271 million in federal stimulus money for transportation projects.

(Photo by Ray Johnson)

The city is replacing the protective coating on the overpasses’ steel skeletons, an update expected to extend their lifespans by 20 years. Work on the rust and salt encrusted metal begins this spring and will also see the removal of the lead-based paint. The bridges involved are the Bay 8th Street, Cropsey Avenue, Sheepshead Bay Road, Ocean Avenue, Bedford Avenue, and 14th Street Pedestrian bridges.

In addition to these works in Sheepshead Bay, the city is pushing $15 million to continue renovating the Coney Island boardwalk. Planks along the historical walkway were torn out months ago, and empty spaces have remained. The spaces line many of the boardwalk’s restaurants and bars, worrying communities members over whether or not the establishments will open in time this season. In January, officials said the boardwalk would be restored by Easter, but with that date fast approaching little progress has been made.

(Photo by Jonsey PabloJonsey)

The injection of $15 million is expected to end the need for such “band-aid” repairs, instead favoring sustainable materials that have a lower carbon footprint, lower maintenance costs and will reduce future deterioration to unsafe conditions. Reconstruction work will take place from West 31st to West 37th Street, West 15th Street to Stillwell Avenue, and Surf Avenue / Ocean Parkway to Brighton 2nd. Construction will finish in Spring 2011.

Meanwhile, in Bath Beach a $14 million project seeks to reconstruct the 67-year-old access ramp to the Belt Parkway. The city says the work here will address deficiencies and substandard features, bring the bridge into compliance with current safety standards, reduce maintenance costs, and extend the useful life of the ramp. It will finish in Spring 2011.

[info via Gotham Gazette's The Wonkster]

The 9/11 Memorial and Candlelight Vigil, held at the Bill Brown Park at Bedford Avenue and Avenue X, was an honorable tribute to all those who lost their lives on that tragic day. The event was well-organized and very moving. There were personal accounts of some who had experienced it firsthand, as well as testimonials from those who lost loved ones.

Hundreds of local area residents attended and the event was well-represented by FDNY, NYPD, EMT personnel representing their fallen comrades. Local politicians were also in attendance and Borough President Marty Markowitz spoke out boldly against U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Some young men, at the adjacent court, continued to play basketball and they could be heard celebrating when they shot a hoop. Otherwise, the mood of the moment was sober, but hopeful. The musical presentations were very touching, as everyone listened to songs with themes of love, friendship, and peace, such as, the Beatles’”Let It Be” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters”. There were quite a few tearjerkers that were played, such as “Little Did She Know” and they helped us remember the sacrifice that our heroes and their families make each day as they go to work.

The names of many who perished that fateful day are painted on the handball court mural, which started almost as a mandate from God. Many of you may already be familiar with the mural artist, Ray “Rockin’ Ray” Fiore, whose colorful personality is reflected onto the canvas and his car. Ray, who was standing by with a ladder, paint, and brushes to add names to the wall, said that he was inspired to express his emotions a few days after September 11, 2001, telling those who tried to stop him that “God told me” to do this. From then on, his artwork has been a welcome memorial.

The Brooklyn-Bedford Park 9/11 Memorial Committee is a cohesive bunch who understands that our community needs a venue in which we can honor the memories of those lost on that day. These hardworking people, who put the focus off of themselves, are: Mary Bracken, Regina Coyle, Mary Dwyer, John & Linda Errante, Tina Gray, David Meisel, Angela Sabino, and Albert Semey. Ray Fiore, who as the artist who inspired the annual tribute with the mural, has a big part in its planning.

By the time, the memorial was over, the mood had turned from sober to hopeful and healing, in true Bay spirit as the crowd sang “New York, New York” and the committee locked arms to do leg-kicks, Rockettes-style. Many wished that the committee would keep up this tradition “forever”. Sheepshead Bites will be there, as Bob Benefield so aptly put it in a speech delivered at the memorial, to remember “a day of tears”.

(Photos by Ray Johnson)

(Posted Flyer – Photo by Ray Johnson)

9/11 Memorial Service and Candlelight Vigil to take place at Bill Brown Park (Ave. X and Bedford Ave.) this Thursday, September 11, at 6:30 p.m. Please refer to the above flyer for more details.

According to Community Board 15 chairperson Theresa Scavo, Verizon will begin installing large poles – similar to telephone poles – in front of homes in order to deliver is FiOS fiber-optic service to the area. Scavo notes that once the pole is in the ground they will not be moved. If you see Verizon workers preparing to work in front of your home, and you are not happy with the potential placement of the pole, Scavo advises calling the board immediately – before work begins – at (718) 332-3008.

The streets the company will deploy to are:

• Ave. V from Bragg to Ocean
• Bragg from Ave. X to Ave. T
• On Brigham from Ave. W to Ave. U
• Haring from Ave. Z to Ave. X
• Coyle from Emmons to Shore
• Batchelder from Shore to Voorhies
• Nostrand from Voorhies to Emmons
• Bedford from Ave. Y to Ave. V
• E. 12th from William Court to Guider
• Coyle from Ave. U to Ave. T
• E. 17th from Ave. W to Ave. Y
• E. 18th from Ave. W to Ave. X
• E. 19th from Ave. W. to Ave. Z
• E. 26th from Ave. X to Ave. V
• E. 28th from Ave. X to Ave. T
• E. 29th from Ave. V to Ave. X
• E. 7th from Ave. Y to Shore
• Lancaster from E. 7th to Coney Island Ave.

[where: 11235] [where:Sheepshead Bay]