I’m the lovely red shopping cart just kidnapped from the Staples Office Super Store on the corner of Avenue Y and Ocean Avenue. But, who’s going to be looking for or at me in this post?
Someone stuck this cutie pie baby into me and rolled us over to the brand new P.S. 254 playground. Talk about getting overshadowed. Will anyone notice my lovely red paint or will they just see his baby soft skin? Why do I even ask?
Carts put out with the garbage. (Photo by Ray Johnson)
By the time you see me, it will most likely be too late. I’ll be gone, gone, gone. Oh, but it’s not just me this time, it’s me and a small-sized pedestrian cart that got stuffed into me. Sure, that little thing is not as sturdy as I am, being more susceptible to breakdowns — but he is still recyclable!
I feel like a piece of garbage. The funny thing is, there’s nothing wrong with me. I have all my wheels about me. But, even if I’m missing a couple of screws, I’m sure it’s easily fixed. What’s wrong with these shoppers? They drag me all the way from my job at Pathmark Supermarket (3785 Nostrand Avenue) and leave here on the street. Who knows how many hands pushed me around since then, and why those hands left me here in front of P.S. 254 (1801 Avenue Y) for garbage pickup?
Why didn’t the Sheepshead Bay Pathmark supermarket pick up when a Good Samaritan tried to call? Let’s hope the New Jersey headquarters can get through to the store manager in time. If not, I might try and convince the driver of this yellow school bus to take me to Boro Park. Life can only be better over there at that school. Just so happens the only Hebrew word I can think of is, “chaim”. It just might be the one word I can utter to save my life!
Photo by Leon L.
P.S. 254 students and their leaders hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday morning for the new school playground. With just a few weeks before summer vacation, the finished playground made its tremendous debut with dignitaries giving speeches and a full day’s program.
Borough President Marty Markowitz came without his light saber, while Congressman Anthony Weiner came without his goat (although he did take jabs at his own expense making reference to his latest political “injury”).
After the speeches, dances, and special performances were out of the way, the kids assembled with their physical education coordinators to show their parents just how much fun they plan on having in their new playground and garden area.
When the playground was demolished back in September 2009, we were told that the work could be done as early as October. But though that never happened, it seems the kids’ suffering without a schoolyard has paid off with the brand spankin’ new fixtures, fields and artwork. And this is a project the larger public can enjoy; the park will be open from dawn to dusk, including weekends. [Corrected]
Is this undercurb water leak a symptom of something bigger?
On Wednesday, April 19, 2010 this hydrant was observed in use at the side entrance of P.S. 254 on East 19 Street. There was nothing apparently out of the ordinary about its use, except that there was a pool of brown water collecting at the curb.
Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that there were three or more little fountains of water spewing out from the seam where the curb meets the sidewalk. (The picture doesn’t show the little fountains, but if you look closely you might see one of them towards the left of the picture.) That definitely seemed out of the ordinary, because usually water flows from the hydrant to the hose attached to it.
Is water supposed to be spurting out from the curb or is this a sign of a major leak to come?
Let’s hear from all of you water conservationists and hydrant specialists.
Construction workers are breaking apart a portion of the curb in front of 2447 East 19 Street, between Avenue Y & Avenue X. Just a day ago, the spot was a sidewalk parking spot in front of a private yard and lawn with pretty landscaping.
The foreman in charge of the work told us that the spot was slated to become a parking entrance for the homeowner’s new driveway. This house is part of a row of attached houses with a shared driveway and parking behind the houses. He continued to tell us that the area behind the house is “too crowded” and that there “is not enough space” for the homeowner to park.
The entire row of houses shares one paved easement at the back, but this end unit is fenced off from the rest of the buildings. Whether this back area of these attached units is supposed to be accessible by the shared easement — as in the case of emergency access for the fire department — is unknown.
When asked if there is a permit to build a new curb cut, the foreman said, “Yes, there is a permit.” We asked him where the parking sign will be placed after the driveway is ready, he told us that “it will stay right there.” After showing him the location of the alternate side of the street sign, he realized that it will be need to be removed and placed in a different spot.
Homeowners on the street told us about competing for parking with visitors and employees of the school across the street. Now, many are worried that one less public street parking spot will add to the frustration, especially on alternate side of the street parking days.
A brochure put out by the NYC Department of Buildings says that “both the Zoning Resolution and the City’s Administrative Code have rules governing the location and design of curb cuts” and there have been numerous recorded disputes about new curb cuts and their legality. The brochure answers questions about curb cuts and describes the procedure for having one approved (link added):
What is a curb cut and why do I need a permit?
…curb cuts must not be located in bus stop zones or too near fire hydrants, utility poles or parking signs.
Installing a curb cut without a permit may result in court appearances and the imposition of fines.
Section 3:
A. Once the application is approved and before any work begins, you (or your contractor) must obtain a construction permit (Form PW-2) from the borough office.B. Before beginning work, you must also obtain a permit from the Department of Transportation. A DOT permit allows you to alter the existing curb and sidewalk and, if necessary allows you to obstruct the sidewalk while the work is in progress.
Increased construction of concrete driveways and curb cuts replacing what used to be green space in Sheepshead Bay was a topic of discussion in this New York Times article. On April 14, 2010, the City Council adopted the Residential Streetscape Preservation Text Amendment. These rules prohibit homeowners from turning their front yards and gardens into concrete. How the new curb cut and the homeowners were able to cut through the bureaucracy — if it they did indeed — is something that should be shared with the rest of us New Yorkers who seem to get nowhere when trying to deal with the city.
Crossing guard sits in her car & chats with another visiting crossing guard while kids cross themselves. (Photo by Ray Johnson)
At the corner of East 19th Street and Avenue Y, the crossing guard stationed there is not always, ummm, stationed there.
Children attending P.S. 254 can be seen crossing themselves, while the crossing guard sits in her parked car chatting on her cell phone. When this photo was taken, the crossing guard’s co-worker was chatting with her as she sat sheltered from the chilly temperature. Just a few minutes after this photo was taken just before 8:40 a.m., she was seen driving off. That is more than 20 minutes before her shift was officially over. It appears to be a regular occurrence, because during this investigation we observed her leaving early on numerous occasions.
One parent told us that since the crossing guard began manning the corner a few months ago, she has often been observed talking on the phone during work hours. Another parent said, “Why doesn’t the school do something about her? She leaves early and doesn’t pay attention to the kids. It’s not safe for these kids. We’re better off not even having a crossing guard here than someone who doesn’t do her job.” Since, school crossing guards are NYPD employees, the possibility exists that the message did not get to the 61st precinct.
Have any of you noticed the missing crossing guard at Avenue Y and East 19th Street? If so, did you complain about the problem and your complaints went unheard? Write in and let us know.
Correction: The original post incorrectly identified the corner as East 18th Street. The intersection where the crossing guard works is located at East 19th Street and Avenue Y. Thanks to the readers for bringing this typo to our attention.
Pizza left on sidewalk, E 18 St. (Photo by Ray Johnson)
This pizza and an unknown decoction in an olive jar was seen on the sidewalk on East 18 Street, between Avenue Y and Avenue X.
Leftover pizza for breakfast can be a real treat, but this Thursday morning leftover is no such thing. In Brooklyn, where pizza is practically worshipped, leaving a pie on the streets might be considered blasphemous. But to top it all off, children on their way to school at P.S. 254 were forced to look upon this horrendous sight.
What was it about this pizza pie and its accompanying beverage made the diners leave it for the rats?
The Parks Department is removing a tree that fell on a house on East 19th Street, between Avenue X and Avenue Y near the P.S. 254 playground (currently closed for construction).
The street has been closed to vehicular traffic, but pedestrians have not been prohibited from standing nearby. One of them has set up a lawn chair to sit on while watching the work being done. A few are taking pictures of the crane and mulcher in action.
The sound of the mulching machine pulling in and pulverizing the branches will be heard until the tree is fully gone. Hopefully, that will be before school is out, because we wouldn’t want anyone distracting the workers from operating the dangerous wood chipper.
Cart brought in from New Jersey for Fall cleanup
They brought me in from New Jersey. The “they” I’m talking about is the company that owns me. I’m just a shopping cart, so I can’t read or nothing. I only know that I belong to this company — a landscaping one, I think — that takes me on trips here and there to do work for them.
I didn’t get a chance to go to school. Until now, that is. I mean, this company that owns me, brought me here to this school in New York City. Well, they told me I was going to New York City, but next thing I know I was in Brooklyn. Is that a part of New York City? Continue Reading »
One early morning not so long ago when we would normally expect school children to be settling into their first class, an entire school of them were instead calmly but determinedly walking the streets.
Normally, for a school fire drill, P.S. 254 students line up in the schoolyard and on the sidewalks around the school. Since the schoolyard is under construction, we figured that the children had to wait somewhere else for the drill to be over.
Supervisors and teachers, were holding manuals, binders, instructions, and signs while directing traffic and leading the children all the way to Ocean Avenue from the school at 1801 Avenue Y. They were concentrating so intently on getting the children away from the school that none of them heard me as I tried to ask about what was going on. Adding to the seriousness of this drill were a number of police cars parked at the major intersections.
Later, a conversation with one of the school crossing guards revealed that this sober march was actually nothing out of the ordinary. Since the September 11 tragedy, the Department of Education has instituted a special evacuation drill. The evacuation drill differs from a fire drill in that students are escorted to another school in the area, instead of waiting at the building’s perimeter.
The evacuation drill is similar to regular fire drills in that the students are given no warning and are not given any time to get their coats or bags, thus allowing for the speediest exit. This particular fall morning was chilly, but the sun and the brisk walk seemed to keep the kids from shivering.
Pedestrians and drivers, unaware of these drills, might find the situation alarming. So to keep informed about the safety procedures and drills, you can check the September 2007 Safety and Discipline Procedures memorandum and the Safety Plan (Section A-415) of the Chancellor’s Regulations. The NYC DOE also has a Safety Plan Guidelines for Early Childhood Centers which outlines rules for safe evacuation for community-based organizations.
Next time you’re driving down Ocean Avenue and find streets closed with children and their teachers moving hurriedly with police escorts — don’t worry — it’s just children being well-prepared for emergencies.
