SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Source: Senator Storobin’s office

The following a press release from the offices of State Senator David Storobin:

As of last month, Brooklynites can enjoy a cleaner Avenue U, thanks to the efforts of State Sen. David Storobin (R-Brooklyn).

After opening his District Office at 22-01 Avenue U in June, the Senator noticed garbage being dumped illegally on the street, which is one of Brooklyn’s most vibrant commercial strips. The Senator reached out to the local DSNY supervisor, requesting that new trash cans be placed on the avenue at strategic locations where dumping had occurred.

“I urge residents to use the new trash cans only for litter from shopping at the wonderful small businesses here on Avenue U,” Storobin said. “By working together, we can keep the street clean for businesses, shoppers and strollers alike.”

Household garbage cannot be placed in the cans, or they may be removed once again.

Wait, did he just threaten us? Well, we hope it works out better than our Garbage Theory…

“Bullet Points” is our new format for Community Board 15 meeting coverage, providing takeaways we think are important. Information in Bullet Points is meant only to be a quick summary, and some issues may be more deeply explored in future articles.

Boardmembers push to beautify Manhattan Beach, oppose aesthetic improvements at Knapp Street sewage plant: Parks Department’s Brooklyn Chief of Staff Martin Maher came before the Board last night to provide the community with updates on ongoing projects in the district – including at Bill Brown Park, Galapo Playground, Brigham Street Park and Emmons Avenue – but the presentation quickly turned to Manhattan Beach as members barraged Maher with questions and complaints (video above).

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A 5-year-old child was struck by a car on East 2nd Street, between Avenue X and Avenue W, according to a call on the police radio.

The incident occurred in front of 2359 East 2nd Street just minutes ago. The child’s condition is unknown, and it sounds as if the driver remained on the scene.

Police are on their way to respond to the incident.

Correction (1/17 at 2:30 p.m.): This incident was on East 2nd Street, not East 22nd as originally reported. The info above has been changed to reflect the correction.

This is a breaking news story and may contain inaccuracies. We will update it as more information becomes available. If anyone has more information or additional photos, please send them to tips (at) sheepsheadbites (dot) com.

The remainders of a tree toppled by Hurricane Irene have plagued residents of East 22nd Street between Avenue W and Gravesend Neck Road, but, despite complaints, the city said it’s in no rush to get rid of it.

The tree fell over into power lines during the August 28 hurricane, and the city took days to remove the branches – leaving some on the block without power. But the stump lies on its side, at least three feet high, with roots dangling over the sidewalk on one side and the stump’s top creating a hazard for cars attempting to park. Underneath, the tangled fibers have proved a fine trap for garbage.

“It has to be removed,” said Tanya Brouk, a resident who works within spitting distance of the stump. “A child or anybody else could get hurt whenever they pass there.”

Though the city is ordering residents to repair the most minor of cracked sidewalks, they don’t seem to see the same urgency in the case of this stump.

“There is no sidewalk damage nor any trip hazard present and the sidewalk is passable for pedestrians,” said Meghan Lalor, press officer for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

But neighbor Fannie Kleinman and her son disagree. Her son, who asked not to be named, walks with his elderly mother, and embraces her for support. When they come to the stump, the usable sidewalk narrows, forcing them to walk single file and leaves his mother vulnerable.

“Until it becomes an emergency, the city won’t do anything,” Kleinman’s son said.

The Parks Department said they “hope to remove it by the end of next week.” However, residents told Sheepshead Bites that they’ve lodged multiple complaints over the three months since the tree fell, and the city has said before that it would be removed “next week.”

A reader sent in the above photograph, showing a white Lincoln Town Car that smashed into the deli at 2124 Gravesend Neck Road last night.

The accident happened just before 8:00 p.m. at the intersection of East 22nd Street. Fire department and EMT responded to the scene.

It’s not clear what caused the accident, if any other cars were involved, or if anyone was hurt.

Police search the backyard of a Sheepshead Bites reader living near the scene of the crime.

Residents watch the search efforts unfold from East 23rd Street and Avenue Z. (Photo by nolastname)

Two thugs allegedly assaulted a man on Avenue Z between East 21 Street and East 22nd Street this evening, sparking off a police pursuit lasting nearly an hour.

According to police officials, the assault happened at approximately 9:13 p.m. It’s unclear what led to the fight, but after dealing out blows to their victim, the suspects fled on foot as police arrived on scene.

NYPD began searching after they arrived, with several low flying helicopters lighting up streets, backyards and roofs as police hunted for their suspects. The focus of the search appears to have been around East 24th Street, between Voorhies Avenue and Avenue Y.

All three people involved were taken into custody before 10:00 p.m., and no suspects remain on the loose.

The victim did not appear to have any major injuries and was taken to the 61st Precinct to be interviewed, where EMS responders met him to tend to his wounds.

The heightened police activity sparked numerous messages to Sheepshead Bites, with various accounts describing the chaotic scene as it unfolded. Some of those witness accounts can be read on our previous post.

A reader snagged this photo of a car that plowed through a neighbor’s yard and into her stoop on Saturday night.

The incident happened at 2295 East 22nd Street, on the corner of Avenue W. According to those at the scene when the reader showed up, the driver ran the stop sign and nipped another car, before peeling off towards the residence.

Both airbags deployed, so there may have been a passenger. Either the driver or passenger may have sustained minor injuries.

After thousands of dollars worth of school books and supplies at P.S. 197 were destroyed two weeks ago, staff, faculty and parents at the school decided to throw a car wash fundraiser this past weekend to replace the materials.

The school, at 1599 East 22nd Street, paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars after a negligent exterminator covered nearly every surface – including children’s desks and books – with poison meant to eradicate bed bugs. The decontamination that followed required tossing out many of the school’s supplies, leaving teachers wondering if the city would be able to replace the items before the school year ended.

Thanks to Janelle F. for the information and photos.

View the photo gallery.

Many would think having a school filled with bedbugs was bad enough, but parents and teachers at P.S. 197 are outraged after an exterminator over-zealously attacked the problem, leaving poison and destruction everywhere.

According to a WABC report, the school, at 1599 East 22nd Street, recently discovered a possible bed bug infestation. But the exterminator they hired, listed as Joe’s Extermination Company, ended up spraying the smelly poison on desks, books, floors and more.

The decontamination is estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars on top of the $100,000 already paid for extermination.

Parents are worried about their children’s health, while educators are wondering if the materials they lost will be replaced for the rest of the school year.

We receive a lot of complaints from readers about the auto repair shop on Jerome Avenue and East 21st Street. Some told us about the physical condition of the shop; others complained about cars without plates taking up parking spots on the streets around it (though no one could prove it came from this garage).

Reader David M. has had enough, and has started taking note of the conditions around the lot. He snapped the above before and after photo, and shot us a note via Facebook saying the following:

This vehicle repair shop on Jerome Ave between E21 St & E22nd St is truly an eyesore to our community. Cars without plates are always parked on the sidewalk and there are weeds that look like small trees sprouting from the sidewalk. They also don’t seem to care that the sidewalk has become a dumping ground at night. In any event, after several complaints to the Sanitation Department, they’ve finally cut all the weeds and picked up all the garbage. Let’s see if they keep it up. I’ll keep you posted.

We hope you do, David. Thanks for keeping an eye out for the community.