SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Source: Debbie Egan via the New York Daily News

Huzzah! The mermaids will be able to march down Surf Avenue after all. The Kickstarter campaign launched to save the annual event exceeded its $100,000 goal.

The parade was in danger of becoming another victim of Superstorm Sandy after event organizers having sank all their cash in rebuilding. Tim Pendrell, a development director for Coney Island USA, expressed relief and happiness to Gothamist at the news of the parade’s continuation.

“We’re really excited. When we started this a month ago, we had no idea if it was going to work out,” Pendrell said. “To be able to cover our shortfall is amazing.”

Amazing indeed. I can’t wait to see all the crazy costumes, pretty ladies and other strange attractions expected to roll out on June 22 at 1 p.m. See you there!

Source: bitchcakes via flickr

The walkway connecting the West 8th Street train station to the Coney Island Boardwalk will soon be no more. Brooklyn Daily reports that the city is tearing down the rusted shark-painted bridge for safety reasons.

The bridge, which spans over Surf Avenue, will be replaced by broadened sidewalks and a new crossing light. A new entrance to the boardwalk will be created at West 10th Street.

The walkway was originally built more than 50 years ago to compel people coming off the Culver and Brighton lines to head to the then newly built aquarium.

Chuck Reichenthal, the Community Board 13 district manager, welcomed the end of the walkway.

“It started looking like hell 15 years ago. It has to go,” Reichenthal said.

Todd Dobrin, who is running to replace term-limited Domenic Recchia on the City Council, was angry at the news of the bridge’s impending dismantling.

“It’s a safe gateway into Coney Island and directly onto the Boardwalk,” Dobrin told Brooklyn Daily. “What about all those kids who come here on field trips, and the old people?”

The Kickstarter campaign to save the Mermaid Parade launched yesterday and they are already a quarter of the way to their goal.

Because of damages sustained by Superstorm Sandy, Coney Island USA, the parade organizers, needed to cut back on expenses, leaving them $100,000 short of affording all the things that make a parade happen like security, supplies and staff uniforms. Organizers have already reeled in over $24,000 in just a few days of activity. If this trend continues, their $100,000 goal will be reached long before the deadline hits at the end of the month.

Those who decide to donate will get access to a slew of exclusive prizes.

For example, if you decide to give $13 to the parade you receive a specially designed temporary tattoo from a local Brooklyn artist and you get your name added to a big “THANKS” banner in the parade.

If you give a whopping $10,000 you are declared “King Midas” and are given this  ambiguous promise:

King Midas! You are the Merfolk hero. We’ll make things happen for you by land or by sea. Write us a private message; there are plans to be hatched. (Most of your contribution could be tax deductible)

I wish I was rich enough to just fork over 10 grand just to see what “things” will happen to me. Anyway, if you would like to donate you can do so by visiting the Mermaid Parade’s official Kickstarter page by clicking here.

Source: Debbie Egan-Chin via the New York Daily News

The scantily-clad mermaids are in danger of staying in their magical underwater kingdoms unless everyone chips in to coax them out. Last March, we reported that the famed Mermaid Parade was in danger of being canceled because the event’s operator, Coney Island USA, had sustained $400,000 in Superstorm Sandy damages and needed to cut back on expenses, which included the parade.

To fight the potential cancellation of the parade, the New York Daily News is reporting that a Kickstarter campaign will be launched on May 6 in an attempt to save it. Event organizers are looking raise $100,000.

“The parade brings millions of dollars to the area — and to not have it would be a huge hit to the small businesses,” David Sosnow, who is organizing the online fundraiser, told the Daily News.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz spoke to the importance of the parade and the fundraiser.

“The Mermaid Parade is America’s most underdressed parade and it is a major tourist attraction not only in Brooklyn but the entire city of New York,” Markowitz told the Daily News.

For more information on donating to save the parade, visit savemermaids.org, which will provide the link to the Kickstarter campaign once it is launched on May 6.

Raynaldo Carmoega

The NYPD has issued a silver alert for Raynaldo Carmoega, age 73, pictured above.

Carmoega was last seen in the vicinity of West 33rd Street and Surf Avenue in Brooklyn on March 28 at 5:00 p.m. He was wearing blue jeans, a red jersey with white marking, and a white hat.

Carmoega is 5′ 5″ and weighs 147 pounds. He has short, brown, frosted hair and gold teeth. He is reported to suffer from dementia and diabetes.

If this person is seen, please call 911 immediately.

Source: intweetion via flickr

The Coney Island boardwalk had a triumphant reopening this past Sunday as thousands of people swarmed the beloved rides and reveled in some pre-summer fun. Despite this positive step towards recovery, many Coney residents aren’t joining in the joy. Still hurting from the devastating destruction left by Superstorm Sandy, protesters demanding action were seen alongside park revelers.

According to a report by Crain’s, the reopening of Coney Island’s boardwalk and rides was a smash success and one of the biggest openings in the park’s history. The usual gaggle of Russian immigrants, dog walkers and joggers navigated a deluge of thrill-seeking roller-coaster lovers, filling the boardwalk with energy and happiness.

“Normally Palm Sunday is a day for the locals and the diehards, but we had people here from all over,” Wonder Wheel operator Steve Vouderis told Crain’s. “It feels good to be back.”

Despite all the revelry and enthusiasm expressed over the return of the rides, Coney Island’s amusement business is still not 100 percent. According to a report by the New York Daily News, Coney Island’s famed freak sideshows are still not operational and won’t be expected to return until May.

Workers need two more months to finish repairing the nearly half million dollars worth of damage inside the Coney Island Circus Sideshow theater on Surf. Ave which was under four-feet of water after the Oct. 29th disaster.

It’s the first time in 32 years since the freaks missed their opening day acts.

“We aren’t happy that we aren’t open. But we are exciting about what we are rebuilding,” said Coney Island USA founder Dick Zigun who runs the shows.

Frustration was also felt by the now long-suffering Coney Island residents, with many protesting the slow progress in restoring much needed public facilities like the library and post office and clearing piles of debris.

“We’re in an isolated peninsula here on Coney Island, and we feel that they forgot about us,” a protester told PIX 11.

Local politicians on hand for the festivities surrounding the reopening of Luna Park promised relief but stressed that time is a factor in making sure all the funds from the $60 billion Sandy aid package are distributed properly.

“Its going to take several months, but the good news is, [the bill] is both generous and flexible, and is aimed at helping people from every different walk of life who were hurt by Sandy,” Senator Charles Shumer told PIX 11.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz understood the slow pace of the federal dispersal of the approved funds, but expressed empathy with the protesters.

“I think they’re right actually,” PIX reported Markowitz saying, “but it should go must faster than its been going.”

Source: intweetion via Flickr

Get ready to spin, twirl and fly again this Sunday as many famous Coney Island attractions are set to open for the first time since Superstorm Sandy caused millions of dollars of damage to the landmark, according to a report by the New York Daily News.

The world-famous amusement area of Coney Island will open with a victorious hot-dog eating contest at a satellite Nathan’s Famous located on the boardwalk. The Nathan’s HQ on the corner of Surf Avenue and Stillwell Avenue is still undergoing repairs but is expected to be in operation for the annual July 4 hot-dog eating championship. A banner hangs defiantly over the iconic frankfurter mecca carrying this message:

“After 100 years, no hurricane will keep us down.”

Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park was soaked with $1 million in damages but that beautiful red and blue wheel will be spinning proud come Sunday.

“They’ve been cleaning, repairing and replacing,” said Ken Hochman, a spokesman for Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park told the Daily News.

Not everyone will be parading through Luna Park and the Wonder Wheel complex with glee come Sunday. Todd Dobrin, an activist and president of the “Friends of Coney Island Boardwalk,” plans to protest this Sunday as the area’s library, community centers and post office still remain closed post-Sandy.

Coney Island may have been battered by Superstorm Sandy last October, but local business operators are still hoping for a record summer, according to a report by Crain’s.

Optimism for a full rebound of America’s Playground comes in the form of all the money and hard work poured into Coney’s rebuilding following the superstorm’s impact. According to Wonder Wheel owner Dennis Vourderis, the dozens of attractions have been repainted and refurbished, giving the area a fresh new look.

“We’re gonna look as good as the first day we opened,” Vourderis told Crain’s. “Probably better.”

Other signs of encouragement stem from the record number of visitors Coney has drawn in recent years, as well as a desire by New Yorkers to make sure the local landmark remains bright and strong.

Since a contentious redevelopment in 2009, attendance at the amusement park has set new records each summer, peaking at more than 1 million visitors last year, a 50% increase over the 2011 season.

What’s more, this summer Coney Island will have something else going for it, a wave of public support.

“We’ve gotten so much support in the recovery, online, on the streets, in donations, and I just know that support is going to be down here when we’re open, to celebrate,” said Johanna Zaki, director of operations at the Alliance for Coney Island, a newly formed business group.

Despite the enthusiasm for a full Coney comeback, one famed event – the annual Mermaid Parade – might not make it this year:

The future of the famed Mermaid Parade is also in doubt, because its operator may not be able to afford the event. The parade has grown more popular in recent years, reaching more than half-a-million spectators last year, but so has the cost of hosting it.

Coney Island USA, which has a museum and performance space on Surf Avenue, sustained more than $400,000 in damage, said Dick Zigun, who runs the organization and parade and is often considered the “mayor” of Coney. Mr. Zigun is banking on a fundraiser at Webster Hall Sat., March 9, to see him through. “Without that money, we’re going to have to cut back somewhere,” he said. “As it is, unless we get a lot of walk-ups to the party, I’m not sure we’re gonna make it.”

New Yorkers displaced from their homes because of Superstorm Sandy have a chance to gain some affordable housing via the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Preference will be given to storm victims in a lottery to gain affordable housing in the new Coney Island Commons development, according to a press release.

HPD Commissioner Matthew Wambua announced that a 25 percent preference will be given to Sandy victims who meet the requisite income-eligible qualifications.

The new Coney Island Commons, located near Surf Avenue, is being developed under Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan (NHMP), a plan that sets to add 165,000 units of affordable housing across the city for half a million New Yorkers by the end of 2014.

The idea to provide a bonus for Sandy victims to get on the ground-floor of this new development was a matter of common sense.

“The destruction caused by Sandy has made it very difficult for many low-income families to find affordable housing. This initiative is a creative way to utilize the City’s available resources to solve that problem,” said Brad Gair, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations, in the press release.

Here are the relevant details for those looking to apply:

Coney Island Commons, near Surf Avenue, is currently accepting applications. Completed applications must be returned by regular mail only and must be postmarked by March 26^th, 2013. Qualified applicants will be required to meet income and family size guidelines and additional selection criteria. To request an application, mail a post card to Coney Island Commons, c/o: ELH Mgmt. LLC 3^rd FL, 98 Rockwell Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217. Or download the application from www.coneyislandcommons.com. As per the City’s affordable housing lottery rules, current and eligible residents of Brooklyn Community Board 13 will receive preference for 50 percent of the units. In addition, income-eligible applicants who can document displacement by Hurricane Sandy and/or its related storms will receive preference for 25 percent of the units.

Located at 2960 West 29^th Street and 2961 West 30^th Street in Coney Island, Brooklyn, Coney Island Commons will have a total of 195 units—39 of which will be set aside for the homeless. The remaining 156 apartments will be affordable to households earning up to 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI)—equal to a household income of $49,800/year for a family of four. Of the 156 apartments, there is a preference for qualified households displaced by Hurricane Sandy for 39 units in the building. There are a total of 20 studio units, 55 one-bedroom units and 80 two-bedroom units, with one unit set aside for the superintendent. The anticipated completion date for the development is summer of 2013.

Some of the damage in Sea Gate, at the tip of Coney Island, left by Sandy. Photo by Erica Sherman

A news report is shining a light on Coney Island residents still left in the dark with no power, and in some cases with no heat or hot water. Public housing buildings right by the boardwalk got smashed by Sandy – flooding basements, pouring sand into building lobbies, and totaling cars – leaving elderly residents vulnerable, and causing increasing dismay as each day passes.

“Cold, no water, can’t flush my commode, I have to come downstairs and bring water up, ice, my refrigerator is not working because I have no electric. We need help,” told a Coney Island tenant to NY1.

As Sheepshead Bites’ own Laura Vladimirova previously reported, the situation on Coney Island is dire, and the area is in desperate need of supplies and volunteers like her and Bensonhurst Bean’s David Cohen, who both graciously offered their time to help out. If you are looking to donate, Laura recommends the following items: water, matches, candles, flashlights, canned goods, blankets, and clothing.

The Red Cross, FEMA, and the National Guard have set up emergency services in the area to help residents in the area with food and supplies. If you are a Coney Island resident in need of relief services, you can head to Brighton Beach Avenue and Coney Island Avenue until 4:00 p.m. Services are also being offered at West 25th Street and Surf Avenue until 4:00 p.m., and FEMA will be at the MCU Ballpark until 5 p.m.

More information can also be found on the Twitter pages of local pols, including Councilman Domenic M. Recchia, and Assemblymen Alec Brook-Krasny, both of whom are supplying up to the minute status reports and updates from Coney Island in an effort bring the area back from the abyss.