Police and fire units were on the scene at Kings Highway and East 14th Street this morning (photo taken at 8:45 am), responding to some emergency. The officer at the scene wouldn’t say what was wrong, but it must have been pretty big because traffic was diverted at East 15th Street. Does anyone have additional information?
Reader Paul Anderson linked us to this photo in his Flickr account, accompanied by the following rant:
This corner, like many corners in this neighborhood are hazardous after any snowstorm because the businesses and residents don’t consider removing the snow and ice from the crosswalks that approach the curbs. The business that faces this crosswalk is a Marines Recruitment Office. Shouldn’t they be more conscientious? The only part of the street that seems to get the most attention is what is used by cars. When I spent some time in a small town in Pennsylvania this condition was a “given”. The car was King and sidewalks were an afterthought. This is Brooklyn not Southeast Bumblef-ck! Can’t the community leaders, whoever they are, get their act together and do something about these continuously hazardous conditions for young and old alike?
I took a walk from this very corner to Avenue U the other day and had this problem just about every corner I passed. My ankles were coated with thick brown slush, and I almost slipped a few times (new source of revenue for Sheepshead Bites?). Your thoughts?
It's a miracle! Common sense prevails in DOT sign changes at Bassett Deli
Way back in October we told you about the bad sign situation in front of Bassett Deli and Caterers on Avenue X and East 14th Street. At the time, the “Stop Sign Ahead” caution blocked the “Alternate Side Parking” sign, causing many customers to become victims of the city’s agressive ticket policies. Police stalked the intersection, waiting for unwitting violators.
Well, no longer. Local drivers and customers at Bassett Deli and Caterers won’t be victimized by this ghost sign anymore.
Early Thanksgiving week, workers from the Department of Transportation arrived to make adjustments. According to Frank Bassett, owner of the neighborhood institution, DOT sought to swap their positions, so the alternate side parking sign blocked the stop sign ahead. But an employee of the deli with a little more common sense came out and suggested that they put both signs on one post. In an amazing instance of bureaucratic clarity, they listened! They’ve removed one pole entirely, and both signs are finally equally visible. Continue Reading »
This is becoming an all-too-familiar sight in Sheepshead Bay. Reader Lisanne Anderson snapped this photo on the corner of Avenue U and East 14th Street almost a month ago, but it could be on any given day. I’d say this heap o’ trash is actually far tidier than most around the area. Turns out it’s not just city garbage cans that are turning into illegal dumping spots for irresponsible homeowners and businesses. Neighbors are now reporting that they wake up to find other people have dumped non-collectible items in the garbage units outside of their homes and apartment buildings, causing them to receive fines. Sheepshead, it’s time to do something about this – any ideas?
The Sukkah Mobile has pulled up in front of the Chabad of Sheepshead Bay on Avenue Y and East 14th Street. The Chabad Lubavitch is throwing a street fair until 7 p.m. tonight, complete with food, music, and – of course – Elmo! What, you didn’t know Elmo was Jewish? Nebbish, red-haired, tight with his mom… we know what Jim Henson was getting at.
Anyway, stop on by and say hello to the Chabad’s friendly director, Zev, then scuddle over to pick up some gefilte, schnitzel, and kreplach – not to mention cotton candy. Then be sure to Challah back and let us know how it went!
Bassett Deli and Caterers on Avenue X and East 14th Street is a Sheepshead Bay institution and community favorite. A community they’ve been serving for many years. However there’s a problem, one that rears it’s ugly head every week on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m: alternate side of the street parking.
Owner Frank Bassett says business dies down like clockwork as the rule takes effect during what would be their busy lunch rush. To make matters worse, the sign warning drivers that they can’t park there is completely obscured by a “Stop Ahead” sign. When asked about its placement, Bassett exclaimed, “It’s a nightmare!”
Bassett Deli made requests with the Department of Sanitation to change the placement of the signs in the past, but pleas for help fell on deaf ears. Bassett says predatory traffic officers routinely come and lie in wait for an oblivious customer to make a mistake and park there, hurting the famed business and local residents, too. In order to help his clientèle, Bassett puts out their own custom sign on Wednesdays to warn of the impending danger.
Meanwhile, the “Stop Sign Ahead” sign seems totally unnecessary. That particular block is very short, and the stop signs are clearly visible from as far as two blocks away. One of our local pol’s should look into the matter and help a local business out. The best we could hope for is a rescheduling of the street sweeping to a less intrusive time slot, and at least the Department of Transportation can switch the placement of the two signs so the street cleaning notice is clearly visible to all drivers. Just in case I’ll be returning to the spot on Monday and using the city’s new 311 iPhone-app to file a complaint that way.
Looking to learn a bit about writing mystery? Meredith Cole is coming to Sheepshead Bay Library to discuss her debut novel, Posed for Murder
The novel hit shelves last February, shortly after stealing the St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic “Best Traditional First Mystery” contest. Posed For Murder follows Lydia McKenzie, an art photographer who recreates murder scenes. After her gallery debut her models start turning up dead – posed in the positions she photographed them. To protect herself and her friends, McKenzie uses the skills she’s learned in her day job as an assistant to private detectives. Before writing novels and short stories, Cole directed films and wrote screenplays, so expect a cinematic flare to her words.
Word of warning, you may have to take a late lunch to attend this. For some reason, BPL coordinators thought it would be best to throw this shindig at 2:00pm on a weekday.
Where:
Sheepshead Bay Library
2636 E.14th street (btwn. Sheepshead Bay Rd. and Shore Pkwy)
(718) 368-1815
When: Wednesday, May 27th @ 2:00pm
Cost: Free
The Brooklyn Public Library system launched an online petition last weekend in an attempt to throw the brakes on a proposed $17.5 million budget cut. If passed the 20 percent cut would usher in a layoff of one of every six employees, reduce operational hours of most branches to five hours a day, five days a week, and cause a drop in available book, audio and video resources.
The cuts are tied to Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed executive budget, a four-year financial plan that seeks to close a $3.4 billion budget gap. But the mayor’s decision to shave off from the public library system to help the economy is logically twisted and ill-advised. During economic recession, libraries are an essential resource to a financial rebound. They provide education, career assistance, communication tools, and a center for community organizing. By giving space, internet access and job hunting tools, libraries serve many as both the soft pillow at the end of our deep plunge, and the ladder to getting us back up.
I know this because, when I lost my job last year, I spent many afternoons building Sheepshead Bites in the cool basement of the Sheepshead Bay library. It was a place to go and do work without the benefit of an office, and the internet access saved me money better spent on groceries. Sheepshead Bites owes a part of its existence to the little library on East 14th street.
Speaking of the Sheepshead Bay branch – an already dilapidated, suffering limb of an increasingly whithered tree – as the city drains the financial juices, it’ll no doubt be southern branches like ours that will pay the deepest price. And when it comes time to shutter doors – inevitable once people show they’re willing to accept cuts – ours will no doubt be high on the list.
Brooklyn Councilman Vincent Gentile, chair of the Libraries Committee, gets it. He beat out the BPL petition by a few days, putting one of his own on his website: www.vincentgentile.blogspot.com. “Mayor LaGuardia kept libraries open seven days a week during the Great Depression,” Gentile noted at a recent Community Board 10 meeting. “The more the economy gets worse, the more important the libraries become.”
So, please, help save our libraries by visiting Brooklyn Public Library and signing the petition. Then head to Councilman Gentile’s and sign his.
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.
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.
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]
