Another Superfund opinion from the New York Post

The New York Post published an opinion piece, which reads as if it were written by some combination of Ronald Reagan, John Wayne and Toll Brothers.

"Already, developer Toll Bros. has announced that it’s pulling the plug on its plan to build 450 units of housing along the canal, citing its inability to find financing and insurance at a Superfund site.

The weak economy may have had something to do with that, too, but the EPA ruling was surely a nail in the coffin.

That’s entirely understandable: While the agency says the project will take only 10 to 12 years, it first intends to sue everyone it thinks helped cause the pollution — potentially causing years of delays.

Moreover, who knows what kind of virgin-wetlands standard it’ll demand before declaring the canal “clean”?"

Of course, there are developments which will proceed as planned, despite the Superfund designation. Wonder why that wasn't mentioned?

You stay classy, Post.

Lana's Barber Shop: Making The Cut For Over 20 Years

The antique sign at 523 Henry Street doesn't credit her name but long-time customers will know this barber shop as Lana's Barber Shop.  Once offered three-thousand dollars for the sign, natives can rest assured that it won't be sold or replaced anytime soon.  In a rapidly changing neighborhood such as this one, some things deserve to stay put.  

Meet Lana Deyeva - our loyal neighborhood barber

In 1988, with a nominal amount of English packed in her bags, Lana left Ukraine and moved to Brooklyn.  Having spent some time living in Italy, Carroll Gardens seemed the obvious choice when looking for work.  Two memorable Italian barbers named Patsy and Philip were the men who hired Lana to cut hair in their barber shop, giving her the wonderful opportunity to mingle with the older generation of Italians.  

"Customers loved Patsy and Philip," Lana says with emphasis.  "They were friends but complete opposites.  Patsy looked liked he worked in an office - always with the crispy white shirt, gold pin, tie.  He was someone that believed in dressing up no matter where you worked.  He was low-spoken, never yelled, and he always gave you nice advice.  Philip?  He was the bubbly one.  Chatty.  He knew the dirty jokes."  Patsy and Philip eventually retired and sold to a man named Peter who decided to combine the barber shop with a reupholstering business.  Peter took to the back of the shop while Lana worked the front.  It was no wonder that Lana became the face of the barber shop.  Three and a half years later, the business was hers. 

It can't be denied that Lana has a soft spot for the old Italians who once came and sat down in her chair.  Unfortunately that generation is just about gone.  "I'll never forget this one man," she begins.  "He said to me 'I'll always come to you, so don't worry - If I'm not here, it means I'm not alive.'"  Lana leans back in her chair and smiles.  "I don't always get a lunch hour, you know?  One day this man noticed that I hadn't taken a break.  He asked me 'Did you eat anything?  I've been sitting here, waiting in line, watching you take customers, but you haven't eaten a thing.'  Fifteen minutes later, he comes back with this huge, huge sandwich!  That's Italian people for you.  That kind of generosity is in their blood." 

It was at the barber shop where Lana really got a handle on the English language.  Holding down a full-time job, on top of caring for a young son, it proved hard for her to take classes.  "My customers were bighearted people who practiced with me.  No one laughed!"  She is beaming.  "You know if I started working today, I'd be doomed.  Back then though, in this neighborhood, people didn't care.  If they liked you, they always gave you a chance to survive because nobody ever forgot how it used to be.  Now it's a different mentality and I don't think people are as willing to experiment."  Lana does have her share of younger customers though and she loves them just the same despite how many she has seen leave the neighborhood.  "The boys now - they get girlfriends, they get married, and then they move away.  I say a lot of 'Goodbyes.'"   

Today the barber shop is certainly busy but nowhere near as busy as it used to be.  Years ago, at seven-thirty on a Saturday morning, you had men lined up at the gate waiting for the door to open at 8 AM.  "Now, the neighborhood is sleeping at eight o'clock," Lana says, quite matter-of-factly.  "Maybe I have my first customer close to ten o'clock, then a huge break, maybe another customer..."  Actually, on the day I went to chat with Lana, she told me to come back in thirty minutes (she was finishing up with a customer).  "It's slow today," she said.  When I returned, she had one guy in the chair and four more waiting to see her.  I guess you never know how many people will walk through your door on a given day.  And that's the beauty of the barber shop, no?  That, and affordability!  Fourteen dollars will get you a haircut and ten dollars will get you a shave. 

So what're you waiting for?  Go and sit in this lovely woman's chair.  She's been making the cut for over twenty years, you know.

Lana's Barber Shop

523 Henry Street between Sackett and Union

718-596-5603

Open Tuesday through Saturday

Closed Sunday and Monday

Walk-ins are the best kind!

Wait, where am I again?

Gowanus gets some positive (kind of) press!

Hidden in (and, because of) all of the news about Superfund designation happening on the Gowanus Canal, the New York Times published a quick, dirty story about "life" around the canal.

"The news did not interrupt the unhurried rhythms of life along the shadowy canal, the toxic dividing line between two fancy neighborhoods carved into wetlands more than 150 years ago.

On the water where the E.P.A found pesticides and the cancer-causing chemicals known as PCBs bobbed the boat where John Ziegler and a friend have stayed on and off for five months, aiming to “get off the grid.”

They collect sunlight in solar panels for electricity and burn wood for heat. Mr. Ziegler, a writer and an amateur ornithologist, has seen a family of mallards, and hawks. The walls of the canal mute the city noise. The full moons, he said, are “gorgeous.”

But after a big rain, slicks of various colors and toxicities drift by the barge, so Mr. Ziegler said he was pleased that the E.P.A. had stepped in to clean up. “It’ll take a lot longer,” he said, “but it will actually work.”

Upstream from his boat and down, fuel tanks were cleaned, trucks were parked, scrap metal was collected and cars were serviced. Gene Wayda, 68, has watched it all since 1970, when he opened his machine shop on Butler Street at the canal’s northern tip.

Then, Irish schoolteachers lived next door. A Dun & Bradstreet printing plant was on the corner. Mr. Wayda played his own role in the neighborhood’s remarkable commercial diversity, constructing those hand-powered unicycles called distance measuring wheels. His patch of Gowanus had deteriorated and then stabilized. The dirty canal was a piece of unfinished business."

Glass Cube Sculpture for the Gowanus

According to the Daily News, the muck and black mayonnaise that is at the bottom of the canal could be used for a novel purpose: being superheated and turned into glass cubes. The cubes would then function as any glass brick structure, able to be used in a number of applications.

""You could construct an aquarium," Tsiamis said.

"It could become the basis for an art sculpture for the community. Maybe they want to build a monument to commemorate the cleanup of the canal."

The sludge, which is about 10 feet deep, is a mix of industrial metals, coal, tar, sewage and mud.

"That material is really black and nasty," Tsiamis said. "It's oozy like lava. ... It has the texture of mayonnaise.""

Sounds like the EPA's project manager is throwing a lot of black stuff at the canal walls, and seeing what sticks.
Image from the Guardian.

Scarano barred from sealing plans to the NYC DOB!

In a decision that couldn't come quick enough, Robert Scarano was barred by a judge from submitting plans to the New York City Department of Buildings. From the New York Times:

"The judge, Joan R. Salzman, accused Mr. Scarano of “deliberately overbuilding” and said some of his filings were “so deceptive that they call to mind out-and-out fraud.”

“False filings lead to chaos,” she wrote. Mr. Scarano, the fourth architect to be barred from submitting documents under a 2007 state law, did not return calls seeking comment. A spokeswoman, Linda Alexander, said in a statement that his company, Scarano Architect PLLC, “is pursing all avenues available to reverse the erroneous rulings that were issued today.”

Mr. Scarano’s lawyer, Raymond T. Mellon, said he would most likely challenge the constitutionality of the 2007 law, which authorizes the city to bar licensed architects."

Writing as someone whose chosen profession not only is reliant on the construction industry, but has strict ethical guidelines for those so certified, I can say that Mr. Scarano got what was coming to him. Plenty of architects find little ways to help out clients and are horrific at public relations, but just due to his sheer volume, Mr. Scarano took it to another level. His floor plans became the stuff of legend amongst anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of the Zoning Resolution. Plus, who wants to live in a half-height space?

First, do no harm, Mr. Scarano.
Image from Brownstoner.

Gritty Corner of Smith and 9th Gets Profiled

Metro recently profiled the corner of Smith and 9th Streets. Sounds about right.

"Young hipsters from Carroll Gardens stream off the G and F trains, as do residents of Red Hook’s public housing to the south. Winding past is the murky green Gowanus Canal, declared a superfund site this week by the EPA.

“It’s about time,” Victor Carino, 27, who works at the bagel shop, said of the decision, bemoaned by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and would-be developers eyeing the area. “You don’t have to be an environmentalist to know how nasty and unclean that water is.”"

BookCourt launching Literary Journal

BookCourt, the, yes, book store on Court Street, is launching their own literary journal. No need to go to Williamsburg for the arts scene! From the Daily News:

""It seemed like a natural step, with all of the great ideas that flow through this establishment," said Zach Zook, the Court St. store's general manager and the journal's executive editor.

The twice-yearly publication, dubbed "Cousin Corrine's Reminder," will feature more than 150 pages of fiction and photography from local and international artists and authors, as well as a graphics section curated by Brooklyn comic book author Dean Haspiel.

"You'll be seeing essays and pictures, and then you'll come to the literary equivalent of the Sunday comics," Haspiel said."
Image from Momondo.

Community Board 6 Loses It's Vice-Chairman

The Brooklyn Eagle is reporting that Community Board 6's Vice Chairman, Ray Lohler, is being appointed by President Obama to be a judge, which, as you can imagine, is a "Godfather" offer.

"In February, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer announced that he was recommending Lohier to fill the vacancy, which was created when Hon. Sonia Sotomayor left to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Lohier, a federal prosecutor and attorney, serves as the first vice-chairman of Brooklyn’s Community Board 6, which represents Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Columbia Street District, Gowanus, Park Slope and Red Hook.

On Wednesday, Obama made Lohier’s nomination official, as well as nominating Ohio federal Judge Kate O’Malley to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit."
Image from Brooklyn Eagle.

Superfund Designation Still Eyed Warily by Some

The hits just keep on coming. From the Brooklyn Eagle:

"Dolly Williams, a former member of the City Planning Commission, told an overflow crowd at a public meeting last week that a potential deal fell through because of the stigma associated with the designation, which will trigger a $500 million federally overseen cleanup of the polluted canal.

“I just lost the sale. It’s because of Superfund,” said Williams, co-founder of A. Williams Construction, a general contracting firm based on Third Avenue.

She said the prospective buyer of a property on Ninth Street read about the designation, and was suddenly “no longer interested.”

Williams said a depressed real market has people already adopting a “wait and see” attitude. But the designation is going to make buyers even more cautious, she warned, making it difficult for people like Williams who, she said, “work and create [to] jump start the economy.”"

As my old boss would have said "too bad, so sad". Our economic problems are a little deeper than the Gowanus.

The Silence is Deafening (In Defense of the BSA)

Numerous neighborhood blogs and advocates have bellowed far and wide about the supposed developer-friendly bias of the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals (from Brownstoner today: "a group that historically has bent over back to accommodate developers."). What they fail to note in their complaints, however, is the fact that the BSA is legally bound to reach their decisions based on the laws of New York City, specifically the Zoning Resolution (a ridiculously complex document if there ever were one). And, those laws must recognize the United States' laws about private property rights, which tend to lean heavily toward property owners (in these cases, developers).

Given the uproar that we saw regarding BSA decisions such as 360 Smith Street and the Williamsburg "Finger" building, the silence about the BSA's recent decision to NOT grant extra townhouses to 580 Carroll Street is deafening. In what is being termed as a "death blow" to the project, the BSA basically told the developers that they should have done more due diligence before their construction, which would have made their claimed "unforeseen circumstances" clear. The BSA should be applauded for seeing through this argument, but alas, there was scant coverage of the decision, sharing a post at Curbed:

"The BSA took some time to think about it, but came back earlier this week with another unanimous no for the developers. And it sounds like this one might be final."

Image from NYC.gov

Community Board 6 turns down Charter School

We've already seen rough talk about the realities in Gowanus, and how it is not appropriate for school siting. Well, sounds as if Community Board 6 still agrees with their previous comments. According to Courier-Life, Summit Academy's application to be sited on Butler Street was recommended for denial.

"“This is outrageous,” said board member Debra Scotto, who voted against the special permit. “This is an absolutely horrible place to site a school — primarily because of the traffic, but also because there are prostitutes around the corner [from the site],” she said after the board’s March 10 meeting. “It’s abysmal down there.”

Despite the vote, Natasha Campbell, the school’s executive director, said Summit remains in “an exploratory phase, looking for a permanent home.”

Summit Academy is currently housed inside Public School 27, on Huntington Street in Red Hook. The charter school currently serves 92 sixth graders, and its population is expected to swell next year to 100 sixth graders and 100 seventh graders Campbell said.“We have a phenomenal relationship with PS 27, but the problem is that we are growing,” she added."

Although I sympathize with a fledgling school trying to make it, the fact that this is a charter school softens the blow. Also, let's not forget that the Community Board doesn't actually have any power!

New York City (and others!) Still Pissy about Superfund Designation

Wow. The City doesn't seem to know how to quit. While this trait probably served those in the Bloomberg administration well in private enterprise, it is a little embarrassing coming from the Mayor Office. In a Letter to the Editor of the New York Times, NYC Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway, it certainly sounds as if there is some spilled milk being cried over:

"We are as committed to that goal now as when we submitted our comprehensive plan last July, and we’ll work with the Environmental Protection Agency within the Superfund process to achieve it.

The E.P.A.’s timeline is now three years longer than what the city proposed, and the agency has acknowledged that our cleanup plan was as comprehensive as Superfund.

Our plan did not “rely on federal allocations,” but proposed the possibility of Congressional appropriations that we thought would incentivize responsible polluters to work with us voluntarily. We were right: one of the largest polluters committed to our plan without the need for a Superfund listing."

Following that, we hear from Bill Appell:

"The city committed to work with the Army Corps of Engineers to clean the canal to the E.P.A.’s own standards, but the city’s approach would have accomplished more than just remediation of the waterway.

The Superfund designation does not address the primary source of pollution in the Gowanus Canal: combined sewer overflows, which occur when storm sewers overflow during heavy rainfalls and combine with the sanitary sewers, pouring 300 million gallons of raw sewage into the canal every year."

Brooklyn Public Library's Carroll Gardens History

One of the great hidden gems, and underutilized resources in New York City is the public library system. I remember as a child going to events there, and being fascinated at all of the FREE books that were available. And then computers, and copies and talks and rental equipment. Talk about a true public service and a true public good!

Well, turns out that the Brooklyn Public Library has a great website, aimed specifically at the history of Carroll Gardens: Our Brooklyn - Carroll Gardens History.

"Before there were streets, there was an Indian path along what is now Henry Street. Native American Indians sold a tract of land to Dutch farmers Adrianse Bennet and Jacques Bentyn in 1636, and it was around the area of Carroll Gardens that development first began. Docks and warehouses were constructed in Red Hook, and a plan was made to dredge the Gowanus Creek and drain its surrounding swamps to form a navigable inland waterway. To facilitate the transportation of bodies from Manhattan to Green-Wood Cemetery, the Hamilton Avenue Ferry began service in 1846. These factors encouraged developers of the 1860s to build the residences that are now among the most sought-after homes in Brooklyn."

Although the ethnicity and income classes have changed, sounds like Carroll Gardens has ALWAYS been under development pressure!

Be sure to click over for a synopsis of Irish immigration, BQE construction and, of course, the Carroll Gardens Public Library Branch, on Union and Clinton.

South Brooklyn Studio Tours

Join other Gawkers to check out some of the area's artists on Saturday May 22, and Sunday May 23rd. Brooklyn Studio Tours is organizing a tour of (duh!) working studios in the area.

"Our objective is to assist in forming new relationships and exposing your work to a greater public audience.   In the past, Open Studio Weekends have been great successes and lots of fun too.  Our May 2009 tour had many visitors who spanned across multiple studios.  We even had a visit from the Appalachian Mountain club!   Pair that with the Vespa convention on Hicks street and the weekend was filled with plenty of art, action and fun!

We will provide the main publicity, posters and maps.  In addition to our efforts to publish and post these in any and all local areas, websites and blogs  (including but not limited to all major Brooklyn neighborhoods, NYC – Chelsea, Flat Iron, Village, etc.), we ask your help in taking our materials and posting in your favorite locations, send some to friends and relationships, posting the information on your websites, blogs, emails, etc.  Our current distribution lists are now well over 2000 people.  All we need from you is your agreement to open your studio those days, your name(s), address with cross streets (so we can mark the map) and your medium. "

Honoring a local Boy in Blue

Living in one of the safest neighborhoods in Brooklyn certainly has its advantages, although one can't help but question if it makes people feel a bit too safe. One of the reasons we all feel so safe is the continuing work of the 76th Precienct. Captain Corey does a fantastic job of keeping the public informed, and now we learn that Oliver Lopez, a Carroll Gardens officer, does an equally good job helping the area's children. From Courier-Life:

"Lopez, his sons and wife Julissa were all in attendance at Patrol Borough Brooklyn South headquarters on Snyder Avenue last week when Chief Fox handed the award to Lopez, showing that his years of professionalism and strong work ethic didn’t go unnoticed.

An arrest of a mugger in January and the September pinching of a notorious career burglar who used the neighborhood as his happy hunting ground for months before his apprehension is all the same to Oliver. Through the years, most of which have been on the streets of Carroll Gardens and Red Hook, he’s never received a civilian complaint, his captain noted.

“He treats everybody with dignity and respect — even the criminals,” Corey said.

A true role model indeed."
Image from NYC.gov

Old Nino's get reviewed: Francesco's

Francesco's, the old Nino's, on the corner of Henry and Union Streets, is a bit of a mystery. Nino's was well-run and beloved until the owner had to flee for unforeseen circumstances and wound up wearing a Sicilian necktie. I've been hesitant to go back in, but Eat Brooklyn Food wasn't.

"The plain slice is passable, that generic New York slice that would be at home on any corner in Manhattan, but you’d be foolish to skip the lard bread slice - order a pie if you have the time and audience. The pie resembles those Elio’s-like cafeteria slices you loved in Grade school because you didn’t know any better, but there’s a sleek thinness that avoids the Sicilian style label the pie’s shape demands. The drawback, what keeps it from serious discussion, is apparent on grabbing your first slice, as that first piece separates reluctantly from its whole. The pie is blanketed by a down quilt of industrial strength, bargain basement mozzarella, a chore to contend with even straight out of the oven. But the canvas is the attraction, like its obese cousin at L&B Spumoni; cheese is entirely beside the point."

You had me at obese.

Prime Meats: Ironically reviewed

Bloomberg has an extensive review/critique of Prime Meats which is ironic in it's irony. Every one knows that the hipster and yuppie invasions of older neighborhoods bring with them a heavy sense of irony. Well, the irony contained in the fact that Prime Meats got a good review which was ironically critical of it's clientele is, well, ironic.

"If that’s all old school, Prime Meats balances things out with some laid-back cool. No reservations. The wait was 90 minutes on the first Friday of Lent -- curious as this is the famously Roman Catholic Carroll Gardens neighborhood; the steakhouse is adjacent to the church where Al Capone was married. Wonder if he abstained from meat."

"Sometimes the hip slacker factor goes overboard. Lines formed at the single bathroom. A window crank doubled as a toilet paper spindle. And Prime Meats, like Luger and certain parts of the Siberian Tundra, doesn’t take major credit cards. You’ll spend 10 minutes waiting for the server to write out your check by hand. The management, who also run Frankies next door and in Manhattan, tell me a credit-card system is coming in the spring. 

A sign asks patrons to leave strollers outside. That’s bold for a family-friendly neighborhood. Prime Meats is crammed with pretty girls and their plaid-clad, bearded boyfriends, along with a bartender who complains about Robert Moses (a pastime in these parts) and the patrons who drink his expert libations. Try an unusually sour Rye Manhattan constructed with citrus Buddha’s Hand bitters made in-house."

"I asked my companion, a svelte hipster from Fort Greene, if she recognized the woman with Momofuku chef David Chang. 

“She’s the creative director at Vogue,” she replied nonchalantly. “I modeled for her when I was a teenager. She said I was too skinny.”"

Image from the Daily News.

Springtime Walking Tours of Carroll Gardens Announced!

Lost City blogger, Brooks of Sheffield, will be starting up his Springtime Walking Tours with a tour of Carroll Gardens at the end of the month.  Whether you've lived here six months, six years, or sixty years, I'm willing to bet that Brooks can shed light on some good neighborhood truth and particulars.

Click here for all of the information.    

Are the MTA service cut projections using faulty logic?

Benjamin Kabak at Second Avenue Sagas recently penned a good summary of the situation surrounding the latest round of MTA service cuts. But, of course, this blog is about Carroll Gardens, so we care about how they will affect us, right?

"I’ve looked at the B71 elimination and determined that, by and large, walking to Carroll Gardens from Park Slope will serve me better than taking bus routes along Bergen or 9th Sts. would. The revenue loss along these bus routes could be quite significant."

Although the distance used in this example is very small, Mr. Kabak does have a good point in that a) Bergen and 9th Streets, as the East-West travel routes, are relatively far apart, and b) the existence of the Gowanus Canal and industrial area in between the two neighborhoods creates a psychological barrier to walking for some.

More Kentile

Brooklyn Bridge Park to have a lotta grub

Brooklyn Bridge Park (or, more accurately, the expansion of Brooklyn Bridge Park) is slowly making progress. One of the fun things about the construction of this park is that the progress is so visible. Whether in a car on the BQE, walking along the Promenade, on the Brooklyn Bridge, in a Water Taxi or from Furman Street, there are many good vantage points from which to see what is going on in the (eventual) park.

The City (and sort of the State) are now looking for restaurants and food vendors who will sell delectables to the park users. From the New York Post:

"The Pier 1 concessions will include two locations for mobile food carts, a 130-square foot location inside the Pier 1 gatehouse at the park’s main entrance at the intersection of Old Fulton Street, and a 2,500-square foot elevated outdoor plaza that could serve beer and wine as well as great food.

So famished park patrons will have options other than the swanky, yet expensive River Café next to Pier 1 or Grimaldi’s pizzeria across the street, which is as famous for its long lines as it is for its brick oven pizza.

Interested respondents must submit proposals for one or more of these sites by April 1. The Pier 1 concessions are expected to be running by mid-summer 2010.

Food concessionaires are also being sought for the Pier 6 portion of the park, also slated to open this spring.

One request for proposal will be for a sit-down restaurant with almost 2,000 square feet of interior space, plus outdoor dining space on both the adjoining terrace and the rooftop. The other RFP will be for a 170-square foot space in Pier 6’s Gatehouse at the park’s southern entry off Atlantic Avenue."

Lets hope they include some nutritional thresholds for who the select! 
Image source: New York Times

Tan Tax hits em where it hurts: the skin

Of all of the initiatives President Obama has started, this is probably the best: a 10% tax on tanning. Now, this is one of the most non-essential things we, as a society, have come up with. Surely no one will have a problem with this, right? I mean, "The Situation" has already been interviewed in the neighborhood, we don't want to see any (more) Snookis roaming the streets, do we?

"“It’s just amazing how arbitrary it can be,” complains Robert Alimena, owner of The Tanning Room in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. “This is going to drive business completely the other way.”

“It’s just a bad idea. It encapsulates everything that’s wrong with Washington,” says John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association, which apparently exists."

You stay classy, tanners everywhere. From the New York Post.

Atlantic Avenue BID gets off the ground

As a small business owner, I am aware of the pitfalls that can come with not being properly promoted, with all that it takes to get noticed, and what location means. It seems that local business owners on Atlantic Avenue have noticed as well, and have also noticed what success other Business Improvement Districts have had around the city. From the Brooklyn Eagle:

"“The city likes BIDs because they’re established by legislation and their boards are established by legislation.”

Sponsored by the AABID Steering Committee, the Feb. 23 event attracted about 100 business and property owners and residents to the Belarusian Church in Boerum Hill.

The Steering Committee, comprised of all volunteers who are also business or property owners along the avenue, began working on the BID formation process in 2008, according to Ariana MacPherson, project manager, in her overview

MacPherson outlined the major benefits, including improved local control specific to the Atlantic Avenue community; marketing and promotion for the businesses; capital improvements and beautification projects; and services that would be supplemental to what the city provides, such as sidewalk sweeping."

It's not that shops on Atlantic Avenue aren't thriving, rather it's that the businesses want to have their voices heard and want to pool communal resources together for communal services to benefit all of them.

Some Love for Jake Walk

Now the new owners of a sliding door on Sackett Street that evokes the old days when there was actually some manufacturing that took place in their neighborhood, Jake Walk has always gotten positive press. Now, some food loving bloggers are calling it their new favorite bar. It is a nice place to go for a drink before getting some actual food, but they do also serve a limited menu there as well. Between Courses:

"All dark wood and dim lighting, the JakeWalk has the feel of an old-school bar without the sour booze smell and lack of food options. A small space with a wrap-around bar and two rows of charmingly rickety tables, the JakeWalk offers up creative cocktails, great wine, and solid tap beers. It also has an enticing menu - one whole side of which is devoted just to cheeses and charcuterie (heaven!). We selected from among nearly 30 cheeses and a diverse selection of sausages. The food was delivered on a wooden cutting board; each cheese happily paired with a bit of fruit preserves. Favorites included the Seal Bay Triple Cream cow's milk and the hot, addictive chorizo coins."

World's Oldest Profession: Gowanus Style

A little noticed comment in Community Board 6's list of issues for a new charter school in the Gowanus/Boerum Hill neighborhood was: prostitutes. To be more accurate, it was reported that Gowanus was home to "roving bands of hookers and drug dealers"; sounds like my kind of town! Is it still true? From the Brooklyn Ink:

"...locals claim that streetwalkers still make their presence known. A receptionist at a nearby Holiday Inn Express would not confirm whether she’d seen any hookers or drug dealers on the block, but did say that she advises guests to “walk the other way”, to Third Avenue, when leaving the hotel rather than turning right toward the empty lot next door.

“After a certain hour, when all the businesses close up, it’s pretty much free business for prostitutes,” said Marlon Joseph, a supervisor at Petroleum Tanks, directly opposite an empty lot on Butler Street.

Of the hookers and drug dealers on the block at night, Joseph said, “I guess that’s their time to party, when we all go home for the day.”

An attendant at a gas station on the corner of Third Avenue, a block away from the intended location of the school, said during the daytime the area is safe, but after midnight it is “crawling with hookers.”"

Another Hardware Store Relocates

Sid's, the anchor hardware store for many in downtown Brooklyn for what seems like forever, is moving into the neighborhood. Always family owned, Sid's is moving to Hamilton Ave and 14th Street (the corner of Hamilton Place). They should do well in their new location, as it is on a major thoroughfare, on a heavily used corner, and many people intending to go to Lowe's may use Sid's as an alternative to having their money travel out of Brooklyn. From the Brooklyn Paper:

"The hardware store that stuck with Downtown through the best of times and the worst of times (and these times, which are somewhere in the middle), has finally gotten sick of Downtown.

“Look, the rents are too high, there’s no parking, and this dead scene isn’t a place to run a business,” said Rich Popper, a store manager. “The other day, I had one guy go around the block for 20 minutes so he could pick up a couple cans of paint.”

It will reopen “in the next couple weeks” on Hamilton Avenue near 14th Street, he added. For now, contractors can still place orders, but the walk-in business is finished."

As the Atlantic Yards Report correctly points out, Sid's isn't just bailing on Downtown, they're bailing on any hope that Ratner's folly will bring them new business.

Superfund Happening!

From the New York Times:

"The federal Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it was designating the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn a contaminated Superfund site, paving the way for a cleanup of decades-old pollution there. 

The decision comes as a blow to the Bloomberg administration, which had proposed a cleanup that would avoid such a designation. The city argued that the federal designation could set off legal battles with polluters, defer completion of the cleanup and torpedo construction by developers deterred by the stigma of a Superfund label. 

The E.P.A., which first proposed that the canal be designated a Superfund site last April at the urging of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, made its decision after reviewing comments from the public, city officials and others."

News Flash: Red Hook still Rough

As if we didn't already know it, despite Ikea, lobster rolls, water taxis and key lime pies, Red Hook remains very real. Over the past week weeks, the 76th Precinct has received reports of a trio of armed robbers who have brandished weapons in an effort to get their victims to hand over cash. From Courier-Life:

"“Three in a row is a pretty serious thing,” said John McGettrick, the co-chair of the civic group. And the actual number of robberies might actually be higher, he said. “Sometimes there is an unfortunate tendency not to report a crime that’s committed against you,” McGettrick said, adding that he has heard anecdotally that there was more than three recent robberies.

“Young people using guns to engage in criminal activity — that’s a bad combination,” he continued, “and that has heightened the level of concern.”

Corey said he understood the fear, and reacted quickly to the situation.

After the first incident, the precinct deployed extra cops to the area, a tactic that proved successful when cops nabbed a member of the trio the next day.“The additional resources resulted in the arrest Monday evening,” the top cop said."

"Clean Gowanus Now!" vs the EPA

We've seen why the group "Clean Gowanus Now!" may not be exactly what they claim to be in their press release. Now, courtesy of Courier Life, we've got some quotes from group members, to go up against word that a Superfund designation may come tomorrow morning or Thursday at the latest. Who will win?
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"“The EPA has been spinning everything from day one,” said David Von Spreckelsen, a senior vice president at Toll Brothers, the national homebuilder planning a multi-million residential development along the banks of the canal, and a member of the coalition Clean Gowanus Now! “They are trying to hide the impact that this will have on the neighborhood, so I would tend not to believe them,” he said.""

VERSUS

"“If you asked me to put money on it, I think they will announce on Thursday,” said the person, who was not authorized to speak on behalf of the agency about the controversial designation, and requested anonymity.

But a decision may come even sooner than that.

The EPA will be making an announcement to reporters on Tuesday at 10 a.m., “related to the Gowanus Canal.” No additional information was provided by the agency, nor was an official confirmation provided."
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“It is astonishing that the EPA has either not read, or does not understand the new FHA regulations, which plainly and clearly state that there is a new, much higher standard and risk evaluation for making loans at Superfund sites,” said Ethan Geto, a spokesperson for the coalition."

VERSUS

"While the employee received no official word about the designation — which has been vehemently opposed by the mayor, along with developers and landowners who say it will stifle development along the polluted waterway for decades — the person said that signs are pointing to an imminent declaration.

“In my heart of hearts, I think it will happen this week,” the EPA employee said."
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“HUD’s approval process does require lenders consider a wide variety of environmental conditions, only one of which is proximity to a Superfund site,” she said. But in fact, several of these listed environmental conditions already exist for development locations near the Gowanus Canal, even in the absence of a Superfund designation."

VERSUS

"The EPA typically designates Superfund sites in March and September, and EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck recently said that a decision would come early this month.

Superfund sites compel entities responsible for polluting a site to pay for its clean-up. The agency has said that the cleaning the canal, once a vital cog in the Industrial Revolution, would span 10-12 years."
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I guess we'll have to wait until the official announcement is made. But it sure looks like that was a short lived opposition!