Claude Scales – Brooklyn Bugle

Don’t Go Near the Water

November 1, 2012

We’ve received word from Notify NYC that because flooding has allowed untreated wastewater to flow into local waterways, “direct contact with the Hudson River, East River, New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay and the Kill Van Kull for recreational activities such as swimming, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, or any other water activity that would entail possible direct contact with the water should be avoided until further notice.”

This brings to my mind the Beach Boys’ song “Don’t Go Near the Water,” performed when my old Lion’s Head drinking buddy Blondie Chaplin (left in photo above) was with the group. Video of the song after the jump.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50884

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights

Halloween Decorations in Brooklyn Heights

October 31, 2012

After the storm, some Heights residents were quick to put up their Halloween decorations. Part of the elaborate display at 273 Hicks Street, near the corner of Joralemon, is shown in the photo above (click on image to enlarge). More photos after the jump.

140 Willow Street.

34 Garden Place.

69 Joralemon Street.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50862

From the Web

Update on Transit Options Thursday

October 31, 2012

Shuttle bus service to/from Manhattan: this will operate between Jay Street/Metro tech and 57th Street/Lexington Avenue via the Manhattan Bridge. No info yet on hours of operation/schedules.

Subway service into Brooklyn: There will be subway service between some local stations and destinations within Brooklyn. 4 trains will run between Borough Hall and New Lots Avenue, making all local stops. To get to Flatbush, change to a 5 train at Atlantic Avenue/Barclays Center. A trains will run between Jay Street and Lefferts Boulevard. F trains will run between Jay Street and Avenue X. R trains will run between Jay Street and 95th Street. There will be no service at Clark Street, Court Street, High Street, or York Street, and no G train service.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50847

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights

Trash Pick Up Tomorrow, Park Needs Clean Up Volunteers, and More From BHA

October 30, 2012

Update: Judy Stanton of the BHA tells us that, despite what 311 is saying (that trash collections are suspended because of the need to clear storm debris) citywide, she has been told by the local sanitation garage foreman that there will be regular trash pickup here tomorrow. Bottom line, she says,” I think we will have pick-ups.”

This is just in from the Brooklyn Heights Association:

Our Wednesday Sanitation Service is proceeding normally. If Wednesday is your regular recycling day, put recylables out as usual. All trash should be put on the curb before midnight tonight to be sure not to miss the pick ups.
As I am sure you all know, Brooklyn Heights suffered very little damage during the storm. Some trees lost limbs, and there are leaves to be swept up, but we are extremely lucky compared to so many other parts of the City and region.
A few people have called to ask where volunteers services might be needed. I regret not having a long list but below are 3 suggestions:
1) The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy has put out a call for help tomorrow with cleaning up debris left behind by flood waters which covered parts of the Park yesterday.
Pasted here is their request:
We could use a hand!
Wed October 31 | 9 am – 12 pm and 2 pm – 5 pm
Volunteers, please join us as we begin our Hurricane Clean Up. We will concentrate our efforts on the perimeters of the park, cleaning up debris left over from flood waters. Work will take place near Main Street from 9am-12pm and on Pier 6 from 2-5pm. Wear water-resistant shoes and clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.
If you have brooms, rakes, and gloves, please bring them. While we have extras, we’re hoping that eager volunteers outnumber our current supplies!
Please rsvp to sward@brooklynbridgepark.org. And stay tuned for additional clean up opportunities in the coming days and weeks.
2) The Red Cross will deploy volunteers willing to commit to long shifts: Visit the Red Cross’ website to volunteer: http://www.nyredcross.org/?nd=news_room_detail&news_id=606&jid=63321
3) Visit http://www.nycservice.org for a list of volunteer opportunities in the aftermath of Sandy. Or send an email to: nycservice@cityhall.nyc.gov with your name, email address, and borough to volunteer in the coming days.
Lastly, tree damage should be reported to 311, preferably via their online service. Be sure to give specific street and building address locations when calling in conditions. The Parks and Sanitation Departments will be getting around to pick up tree debris in the coming days, but we know they are swamped by the need for damage control. You may also notify the BHA office at 718-858-9193 and we’ll cross check with lists we have already submitted.
Thank you. Judy Stanton, BHA Executive Director

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50628

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights

Karl Surveys Brooklyn Heights Damage

October 30, 2012

Our man with cam has been out and about, surveying the damage in our neighborhood. Video after the jump.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50486

From the Web

Flooded Subway Tunnels Could Disrupt Service For Long Period

October 30, 2012

Salt water inundation of subway tunnels between Brooklyn and Manhattan, which could include the 2/3, 4/5, A/C, F, and N/R lines serving Borough Hall, Clark Street, High Street, Jay Street-Metro Tech, York Street, and Court Street, could suspend service on those lines for an as yet undetermined period of time, according to this CBS News article. We’ll keep you posted on developments.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50323

From the Web

84th Precinct Hurricane Advisory

October 29, 2012

Capt. Maximo Tolentino, new Commanding Officer of the 84th Precinct, has released this advisory:

1340 Hours: In connection with hurricane Sandy, staffing at the 84th Precinct has been consolidated into 2-12 hour tours, allowing for better coverage during this emergency. Since yesterday, 0700 hours, 84 Precinct personnel have been continuously visiting all areas looking for dangerous conditions and taking corrective action as necessary. Residential and commercial locations located in Zone “A” have all been visited. Public announcements directing an evacuation are also being made and recommended. There is 1 shelter, located at 285 Jay Street, confines of the 84th Precinct, that is currently housing approximately 35 people. There is room for upwards of 600 People. All critical care patients have been visited. If you elect not to evacuate, I recommend that for the duration of the storm that you stay indoors. Any emergency should be called into 911. Stay dry- stay safe.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50259

From the Web

Arts and Entertainment, Brooklyn Heights

Brooklyn Heights Cinema Open Tomorrow, with Special Matinee

October 28, 2012

While many, if not most, local businesses will be closed tomorrow (Monday, October 29), Brooklyn Heights Cinema owner Kenn Lowy tells us the shows will go on at the Cinema, 70 Henry Street(corner of Orange). He’s adding a special 3:00 p.m. matinee. The Master will be showing at 3:00, 5:15, and 8:00; The Other Son will show at 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, and 9:00. Pity Kenn couldn’t get Key Largo on short notice.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50046

From the Web

Around Brooklyn, Bloggers

Live blogging Hurricane Sandy from Brooklyn Heights

October 28, 2012

An encouraging omen? Brooklyn Heights Blog reader Jay took this video from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade of a rainbow appearing to extend from the Statue of Liberty to lower Manhattan.

9:30 a.m., Tuesday, October 30: There’s still a brisk wind but, at the moment, no rain. Lots of people are out, and the flimsy tape barrier across the Promenade entrance is being ignored with impunity. Our building crew are out clearing leaves from the sidewalk.

Damage to the Brooklyn Heights area has been limited to downed trees and limbs and some minor structural damage. Nearby low-lying areas have been flooded–the storm surge was a whopping thirteen feet above normal–and, in a flooding related incident, there was a fire, evidently caused by electrical problems, in the basement of a large co-op apartment building just below the Heights. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Other areas of the City were not so fortunate. Probably the worst disaster was a fire that destroyed about eighty houses in the Breezy Point section of Queens. There is extensive damage to shorefront properties throughout the region. As has been widely reported, an explosion destroyed an electrical substation in lower Manhattan, and much of that part of the City, which includes the financial district, will be without power for an indefinite period. A concern for Brooklyn residents like me is that the subway tunnels connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan have been flooded with salt water, which could damage switches and signals and keep trains from running for several days.

Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie….

Gerard Manley Hopkins, Spring and Fall (1918).

It’s dark outside, and there’s a steady rain falling, The wind seems to have abated, but as I type this, there’s a strong gust. I’ll be back in the morning.

4:40 p.m.: Despite the police barrier, and a cruiser occasionally coming by with a loudspeaker imploring people to get off the Promenade, they keep coming. This is confirmed by the video made by my BHB colleague Karl Junkersfeld today, featuring an appearance by our publisher, Homer Fink.

Update: The Daily Beast has this snarky view of what’s going on in the neighborhood.

2:30 p.m.: The wind is stronger and steadier, but there are still people on the sidewalks, some walking dogs.

11:30 a.m.: The wind is picking up again. Tape has been stretched across the entrance to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, which is part of the New York City Parks system, and therefore subject to an order closing all NYC parks for the remaining duration of the storm. A civilian leaving the Promenade helpfully lifts the tape for an NYPD car to enter.

10:30 a.m.: I decide to take a walk to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, just across the street from where I live. The wind is minimal, a few desultory drops of rain come down, and lots of people are out. Afterward, I walk back a block and find our local supermarket, Key Food, is open, so I’m able to score two things I forgot yesterday: half-and-half for my coffee and kitty treats.

Fellow Brooklyn Heights Blog contributor Chuck Taylor went out with his camera earlier and got these photos.

8:15 a.m. Monday, October 29. There’s a strong, steady wind, and some rain has fallen during the night. A neighbor is walking his French bulldog.

10:30 p.m.: the Jersey lights are still bright, the wind has settled, and The Weather Channel’s storm tracker shows the center of the storm still a little south and east of Cape Hatteras. The North Carolina Outer Banks must be taking quite a pounding now. TWC’s projected path has it somewhere well east of the Virginia capes tomorrow evening (gad, this thing moves slowly), though we should be feeling its effects pretty strongly by then. Projected landfall is somewhere around the mouth of Delaware Bay Tuesday morning. I hope Cape May’s Victorians emerge unscathed.

It’s 8:55 p.m. and I can still see New Jersey from my window. The wind seems to have calmed down a bit.

At 6:30 p.m. I realize I’ve forgotten to put Idaho potatoes in the oven prior to my wife’s safe arrival from Boston, so I go on an emergency run for Tater Tots. I find the wind picking up, but still no wet stuff.

At 5:21 p.m., dusk is approaching. The sky is a solid gray overcast. The playground is empty. There is a steady, soft breeze. Sandy, it seems, will arrive after nightfall.

For the duration, I’ll be posting updates, including photos when possible, on the storm’s progress as seen from my window overlooking Pierrepont Place in Brooklyn Heights. If things get exciting enough, I may include some video snippets. This was the scene at 10:20 this (Sunday) morning: some sunshine, a gentle breeze, and kids in the playground. New York City is taking storm preparation very seriously: evacuation orders have been issued for low lying areas as a storm surge that could be as much as eight feet above normal is possible; and the subway system is shutting down starting at 7:00 this evening. Stay tuned.

Source: Self-Absorbed Boomer
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/tzVM/~3/FIO-qxbtUB0/live-blogging-hurricane-sandy-from.html

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Brooklyn Heights, Events, Kids

Scenes From Today’s Halloween Parade

October 27, 2012

This morning was cloudy, but there was no rain and the temperature was…temperate, so conditions were just about ideal for the Brooklyn Heights Halloween Parade. Photo (click to enlarge): kids in costumes and parents, many also costumed, gathered in the Pierrepont Playground before the parade. More photos and text after the jump.

Borough Prexy Marty Markowitz handed out candy. “The more you eat, the less I do.”