Archives

Carroll Gardens Library To Close This Summer For Roof Replacement

June 8, 2012

The Carroll Gardens Library at 396 Clinton Street will close for two to three months during the summer months, as its roof is replaced, according to the Brooklyn Public Library. Work begins June 17 to replace a deteriorating roof and to perform masonry work to seal leaks in the building, Sasha Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn Public Library, told DNAInfo.com.

Any books checked out from the Carroll Gardens Library may be returned to any other Brooklyn branch, including Brooklyn Heights at 280 Cadman Plaza West, Pacific at 25 Fourth Avenue and Red Hook at 7 Wolcott Street.

(Photo: DNAInfo.com)


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7304

From the Web

Police Blotter

Watch Your Wheels: Hike In Bike Thefts In Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens

June 8, 2012

Trader Joe’s isn’t the only place in the area where a rash of thefts have been reported. Police are warning that bicycle thefts are on the increase throughout Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens over the past several months. Capt. Jeffrey Schiff, commanding officer of the 76th Precinct, notified residents of the bike hike trend at a recent community council meeting, advising riders to keep bikes locked when unattended.

Police have reported nine bike thefts in the past 60 days, Schiff says, compared to only three in March and February. Most occurred in apartment hallways where bikes were stored without locks. Rogues have also used tools to cut locks and swipe bikes from sidewalks.

The 76th Precinct offers bike registration, with an identifiable serial number to help owners protect property and help cops ID stolen bikes. Registration will be free at the Smith Street Fair June 24.


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7296

From the Web

Bring Back The B77 Bus: Carroll Gardens & Red Hook Organizations Rally

June 8, 2012

Two years after the B77 bus was eliminated from the area, The Carroll Gardens Association and Red Hook Civic Association are planning a rally later this month in hopes of bringing the route back. The public outing will take place at the Jackie Gleason Bus Depot in Sunset Park in late June, according to Mike Racioppo, a community organizer with CGA.

He tells DNAInfo.com that residents are fed up with long, unpredictable wait times and crowded buses. “The B61 is packed like a sardine can. It’s pretty intense. It’s the only way for people to get to places like Fairway.” With renovations at the Smith-9th Streets subway stop on the G line still ongoing, the strain on the B61 is even more evident, he adds.

Two years ago, the MTA combined the B77 and B61 bus routes, extending the B61 to operate from Downtown Brooklyn to Windsor Terrace. Previously, the B77 ran from Park Slope to Red Hook along Ninth Street and Court Street in Carroll Gardens. Now, the extended B61 operates on Columbia Street, instead of Ninth Street, and passes Red Hook on its way to Windsor Terrace.

MTA responds that this summer, it will install a GPS in the B61 so that bus-arrival times can be tracked and posted online, allowing riders to check online to see when their bus is arriving. Deirdre Parker, an MTA spokeswoman, says, “we believe that by eliminating the B77 and extending the B61, we are giving customers better options by offering a single route from Downtown to Windsor Terrace via Red Hook. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the service but there are currently no plans to restore the B77.”


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7290

From the Web

Arts and Entertainment, History

CBA’s Cobble Hill Historic Walking Tour: This Saturday, June 9

June 8, 2012

This Saturday, June 9th, join Francis Morrone, director of the Cobble Hill Association’s CH History Project for a two-hour walking tour of the neighborhood’s rich history and architecture—from Jennie Jerome to the impact of its ornamental ironwork. The two-hour tour begins at Congress and Court streets, in front of St. Paul’s Church, from 2-4 p.m. Cost is $20 per person, and $10 for Cobble Hill Association members. Please RSVP to CobbleHillAssociation@gmail.com.

More info is here.


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7286

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights, News

‘Dean Of Brooklyn Reporters’ Dennis Holt Dies At 77

June 8, 2012

Dennis Holt, a longtime columnist and staff writer for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and sister publication Brooklyn Heights Press, died at age 83 77 Thursday after complications from a fall in his home on May 14. He had suffered broken ribs and a blow to the head, made worse by a blood thinner he had been prescribed.

After serving many years as press advisor to a number of elected officials, including former Rep. Stephen Solarz, Holt was one of the founding editors of the Brooklyn Phoenix newspaper in 1972. In the mid-1990s, when the Brooklyn Daily Eagle was revived and merged with the existing Brooklyn Daily Bulletin, he became a senior editor and columnist. He was an active contributor to the Eagle family until his fall, writing the “Brooklyn Broadside” column and other features.

Born in Kansas, Holt moved to Boerum Hill with his wife 40 years ago and raised his family there. Holt has been called a Brooklyn treasure—like Junior’s cheesecake—and the Dean of Brooklyn reporters.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz released the following statement this morning:

I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of longtime Boerum Hill resident Dennis Holt, a veteran columnist and writer who really set the gold standard for journalism among Brooklyn reporters. In addition to his informative reporting for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and other publications during his storied career, Dennis had a keen political insight that he developed as a press advisor to elected officials such as Brooklyn Congressman Stephen Solarz, also of blessed memory. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dennis’ work and he always gave me and this office a fair shake—he was the antithesis of today’s ‘gotcha’ style of ‘journalism.’ On behalf of Dennis’ loyal readers and all Brooklynites, I extend my condolences and prayers to his wife, Susan, and children, Debbie and Matthew, as we mourn the passing of a true Brooklyn legend.

Read more in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle here.


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41902

From the Web

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Building Goes Topless

June 8, 2012

Workers have already removed quite a bit of the roof from the former Brooklyn Eagle Building at 30 Henry Street. McBrooklyn reports that you can see through the slats to what was a conference room and production area of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper. (Larger image below.)

(Photo: McBrooklyn)


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41890

From the Web

Arts and Entertainment, Brooklyn Heights

ISSUE Project Room Welcomes Heights Rez, Former BHA Prez Tom van den Bout As New Chair

June 8, 2012

The ISSUE Project Room brings in architect and community leader Tom van den Bout as its new Board Chair. The nonprofit member of the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance, established in 2003 by artist Suzanne Fiol, is an outpost for cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary arts in the borough.

Brooklyn Heights resident Van den Bout is an architect and founding partner with NV/design.architecture in New York. Before launching the company in 1995, he worked for several other prominent architectural firms. He also served as President of the Board of Governors for the Brooklyn Heights Association for three years, and a Board Member for 12+ years.

He has lived in the Heights since 1991, and brings to ISSUE a strong background in community service. His BHA work focused on development of Brooklyn Bridge Park, preservation and the BHA’s centennial. Van den Bout also served on the boards of the Dodge YMCA, Prospect Park’s Audubon Center and as Chair of the Landmark Committee of Brooklyn Community Board 2.

Van den Bout succeeds the four-year term of Steve Wax, a partner at Campfire media and founder of Cine Manifest and Chelsea Pictures. In addition to van den Bout’s appointment, the Board elected consultant Jeanne Lutfy, former President of the BAM Local Development Corp., as Vice Chair; and David Sims of Lever and Beam, LLC, as Treasurer. Marcus Brauer, of Russell Reynolds Associates also joins the Board.

Van den Bout comments, “It’s an honor to serve as chair for such a wonderful board and such a vital and important performing arts organization. This is an exciting time at ISSUE. Our move to the historic theater at 22 Boerum Place, the impending renovation of the space, the growth of our audience and connection to a new neighborhood will create new opportunities for our organization and the artists we support.”

ISSUE supports emerging and established experimental artists through 100+ programs each year, including music concerts, literary readings, films, videos, dance, visual and sound art, new media, critical theory lectures and discussions, site-specific work, commissions, educational workshops, master classes and genre-defying interdisciplinary performances that challenge and expand conventional practices in art.


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41821

From the Web

Arts and Entertainment, Brooklyn Heights

ISSUE Project Room Welcomes Heights Rez, Former BHA Prez Tom van den Bout As New Board Chair

June 8, 2012

The ISSUE Project Room brings in architect and community leader Tom van den Bout as its new Board Chair. The nonprofit member of the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance, established in 2003 by artist Suzanne Fiol, is an outpost for cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary arts in the borough.

Brooklyn Heights resident Van den Bout is an architect and founding partner with NV/design.architecture in New York. Before launching his own firm in 1995, he worked for Steven Holl Architects, Tod Williams & Billie Tsien Associates, Kohn Pedersen Fox and Michael Gabellini. He also served as President of the Board of Governors for the Brooklyn Heights Association for three years, and a Board Member for 12+ years.

He has lived in the Heights since 1991, and brings to ISSUE a strong background in community service. His BHA work focused on development of Brooklyn Bridge Park, preservation and the BHA’s centennial. Van den Bout also served on the boards of the Dodge YMCA, Prospect Park’s Audubon Center and as Chair of the Landmark Committee of Brooklyn Community Board 2.

Van den Bout succeeds the four-year term of Steve Wax, a partner at Campfire media and founder of Cine Manifest and Chelsea Pictures. In addition to van den Bout’s appointment, the Board elected consultant Jeanne Lutfy, former President of the BAM Local Development Corp., as Vice Chair; and David Sims of Lever and Beam, LLC, as Treasurer. Marcus Brauer, of Russell Reynolds Associates also joins the Board.

Van den Bout comments, “It’s an honor to serve as chair for such a wonderful board and such a vital and important performing arts organization. This is an exciting time at ISSUE. Our move to the historic theater at 22 Boerum Place, the impending renovation of the space, the growth of our audience and connection to a new neighborhood will create new opportunities for our organization and the artists we support.”

ISSUE supports emerging and established experimental artists through 100+ programs each year, including music concerts, literary readings, films, videos, dance, visual and sound art, new media, critical theory lectures and discussions, site-specific work, commissions, educational workshops, master classes and genre-defying interdisciplinary performances that challenge and expand conventional practices in art.


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41821

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights

Busted Chef Now Looking For Love

June 7, 2012

Gawker reports that Dan “Busted Chef” Kaufman is up to his old tricks yet again. Dubbed the “Montauk Grifter” by the tabloid site, Brooklyn Heights Blog readers know him well as the scoundrel who fleeced many residents with his 2008 identity theft scam based out of the Busy Chef and other Henry Street restaurants.

Reporter John Cook at Gawker reveals that Kaufman was spotted by a reader looking for love on OK Cupid:

Dan and the tipster began chatting and talking on the phone. He sent her a close-up photo at her request. (That’s it above.) It appears that Kaufman has dyed his hair, which was greying when we last saw him. He told her he was from Boston, had a sister living in San Francisco, spent summers on Montauk, and had recently returned from a three-month trip to South America (if true, he would have left just after being released from the Manhattan Detention Complex on March 2, having spent more than a month there before making bail).

In a phone conversation, he told the tipster that he worked in online advertising and had recently been at a “shoot with Lady Gaga.” When the tipster tried to Google some of those details to check him out, she found our Montauk grifter story and got in touch. In addition to the photo, she provided the cell phone number Dan E-K called her from. It matched a number we had for Dan Kaufman.

(Photo: Gawker)


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41870

From the Web

Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Landmark Preservation

No More Landmarks Legislation, Insists Realtor Lobbying Coalition

June 7, 2012

A group formed by the powerful Real Estate Board of New York that includes a half-dozen development and labor organizations, is sharpening its knives to rally against future Landmarks legislation in New York City neighborhoods. The new alliance—the Responsible Landmarks Coalition—is gunning to bring a cease fire to what it calls “the increasing prevalence of historic districts, a lack of transparency in the landmarking process and insufficient public input.”

The New York Observer reports that the Coalition insists the growing number of landmark buildings and historic districts are hampering the city’s economy and stymieing development. Their fury was fueled, in particular, by the February approval of the Downtown Brooklyn Skyscraper District, which the realtor groups tried with great might to squash. Their argument then and now: Creating a far-reaching historic district elevates “unspectacular buildings beyond their worth.”

In addition, the Observer says the groups were inflamed by approval of a Landmarked district on West End Avenue on the Upper West Side.

The Responsible Landmarks Coalition has drafted a “Proactive Policy Agenda” that is part policy, part manifesto, and launched a website here, as well as Facebook and Twitter accounts to peddle their message to the public. The Facebook page boasts a total of eight “Likes.”

“We’re concerned that if you apply the concept of landmarks preservation too much, you resrtrict housing and impinge on other aspects of city life,” said Richard Anderson, president of the New York City Building Congress, a trade group for architects, engineers and contractors.

Peg Breen, president of the Landmarks Conservancy, counters that studies find that preservation increases or maintains property values. In addition, she questions the motives of the groups, given that only 4% of NYC is protected by Landmarks laws: “That leaves plenty of room for everybody else.”

In addition to the Building Congress and the Real Estate Board, the coalition includes the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce; three residential landlord groups—the Rent Stabilization Association, the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums and the Community Housing Improvement Program—the Building Workers Union 32BJ and two groups representing construction unions, the Building Trades Employers Association and the Building and Construction Trades Council.

See The New York Observer article here.


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41860

From the Web