By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
For one week every fall, residents of Bay Ridge set aside their differences to do what they do best — party.
This year was no different. With three unique festivals in seven days, the party felt like it never ended. But taken together the celebrations remind us all of why life at the end of the R continues to be Brooklyn’s best-kept secret.
The secret can be boiled down to two things that in this case go hand in hand: diversity and food.
This year’s grub-fest kicked off last weekend with The Holy Cross Greek Cultural Festival, a three-day event which began on Friday, Sept. 21, and showcased our community’s prominent Greek presence.
Locals who wondered down to Ridge Boulevard found traffic closed from 86th to 84th streets for the most-famous (and perhaps only) loukoumades-eating contest in Brooklyn, not to mention live Greek music, rides, and plenty of ouzo (which is an anise-flavored liqueur best known for inebriating generations of uninitiated backpacker tourists).
But this party wasn’t just for toga-lovers
Last Saturday’s Ragamuffin Parade featured a scene that was equal parts Sesame Street and David Lynch, as an army of three-foot tall King Kongs, Dora the Explorers, Batmans (Batmen?), and Little Mermaids dutifully marched down the street together in the 41st annual installment.
The sight was beautiful as it was macabre, with children (some soaked in fake monster blood) taking over Third Avenue (“Children of the Corn,” anyone?) as adults stood in the background, only coming out to occasionally steer their costumed tykes away from the overpriced balloon merchants.
If that wasn’t enough fun, the next day’s Third Avenue festival featured plenty of food, not to mention a minor street-side political convention.
All the local pols had similar pitches, offering small bribes like tote bags and stickers in exchange for e-mail addresses — but the most original may have been the Brooklyn Democrats for Change, which offered Bazooka Joe chewing gum (the ones with the comics) to those brave enough to fork over contact info.
But the festivals were about more than really great food, creative costumes, and sketchy-looking rides: these 10 days were a kaleidoscope of shapes, colors, and smells that strike at one of humanity’s few remaining common denominators, resonating right at an instinctual core within all of us (besides hunger) — the need for whimsical celebrations.
The concept of celebrating our existence, for the sake of existing, isn’t something that is too common in this day of age, and it is an overall feeling that is carried throughout Bay Ridge most of the year — a communal vibe, if you will.
In a town where outsiders paint us as fractured along political and cultural lines, the festivals showcased our harmonious diversity, where everyone sets aside his differences in the name of funnel cakes and falafels.
That should be a big part of the reason Bay Ridge is a community that finds itself worthy of celebrating, again, and again, and again.
But just don’t tell anyone.
It’s our secret.
Matthew Lysiak is a writer who lives in Bay Ridge.
The Kitchen Sink
Funny little footnote to last week’s story about Councilman Domenic Recchia’s challenge to five-term Rep. Vito Fossella: The Congressman’s campaign staff quickly pounced on Recchia’s out-of-district address, but The Sink couldn’t help but notice that the phone number for the Committee to Re-Elect Vito Fossella has a 703 area code — that’s Virginia, folks. …
Overheard on Sunday at Salty Dog, the firefighter bar on Third Avenue between 75th and 76th streets: “I will never watch another Mets game so long as I live,” one dejected fan screamed at the big screen as the Marlins put up seven in the top of the first. “Or at least I won’t until next year.” …
Poly Prep completed a $4.5-million upgrade of its track and athletic fields. The new field is now covered with something called Mondoturf Ecofill, a rubber substitute that retains about 20 degrees less heat than black rubber, supposedly lowering athletes’ fatigue. …
The tornado-ravaged Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church, which is at Fourth Avenue near 67th Street, will be holding a concert/fundraiser in the sanctuary on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 4 pm. The event will feature songs and duets by Elizabeth Inghram and Douglas Jabara and the suggested donation is $30, but everyone is welcome. Rev. David Aja-Sigmon has been busy praying overtime, especially since he is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and now those loveable losers are in the playoffs.
Showing posts with label lysiak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lysiak. Show all posts
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Has Ridge hum been solved?
By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
City Councilman Vince Gentile thinks he’s solved the mystery of Bay Ridge’s great hum-conundrum. But this columnist isn’t ready to award him a MacArthur grant.
The lawmaker was obviously responding not only to local complaints of a hum coming from the water near the Owls Head sewage treatment plant, but also a series of columns I’ve done about the mysterious sound.
It all started in April, 2005, when chiropractor Concetta Butera noticed “this awful noise.”
The hum returned in the following summers and has been so loud that some residents blamed passing trains, the treatment plant, and even UFOs — until this humble columnist floated the theory about a humming fish.
It seemed like a good fit.
The oyster toadfish has been described as “homely” for its large protruding eyes, broad mouth, and flesh-like whiskers surrounding a short snout. To attract a mate, it produces a vocalization that some liken to a “foghorn.”
But that isn’t all.
The toadfish’s spawning season extends from April to October, which corresponds to the time when residents in Bay Ridge hear the mysterious noise. The male locates a private nesting area (often using old tin cans or decayed wood lying on the bay bottom (how romantic), and then calls out in the low, mournful “foghorn” to spawning females.
“The toadfish is Bay Ridge’s story of the century,” said Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann. “Fox News was even here.”
Still, despite all the media attention, the noisy toadfish was always more fish theory than fish fact — at least until I got the call the other day.
“I think we have solved the mystery,” said Eric Kuo, who is Gentile’s spokesman. “We tracked down a marine biology professor from Staten Island and he did some tests.”
Yellow Hooker was downright skeptical. But Gentile had done his homework, and had Cornell University professor of neurobiology and behavior Andrew Bass test the waters — literally.
“He came to the pier for the morning and dropped a microphone into the water and listened,” said Kuo. “He heard fish, but they weren’t toadfish.”
So I was wrong all along? We can now rule out these aquatic adventurers?
Not exactly. Turns out, there are some problems with the test performed by Bass (if that’s really his name).
Not only was the test performed near the end of the fish’s mating season, but also it is a well-known fact that these gilled Casanovas prefer to mate on hot summer nights. So why did Bass perform the test on a morning in September?
Of course, there is nothing about this mystery that has an easy explanation.
“I placed an underwater microphone into the water at several locations off of Pier 69 and heard no signs of toadfish sounds,” Bass told me, sticking to his story. “It is highly unlikely that any of the noise that residents are complaining about have their origins from fish.”
But if it isn’t the toadfish, then what is making the noise?
Like many great mysterious, every answer gives us more questions — and another column down the road.
Matthew Lysiak is a writer who lives in Bay Ridge.
The Kitchen Sink
They call that “express”? Sources tell The Sink that residents are up in arms over overcrowding on the express bus, particularly the X37 from Brooklyn into Manhattan. Residents say that not only are the buses late, but finding a space to stand, much less to sit, is impossible. Maybe it is time to rethink the water-taxi idea. …
Hippies beware! Apple Tree natural market, at 7911 Third Ave., may be the local go-to spot for organic health foods and everything natural, but their tie-dye-wearing clientele may need a heavy dose of nag champa after hearing conservative shock-jock Michael Savage blaring through the store radio speakers. “I guess it is kind of strange, but we always turn the channel if people complain,” said one employee. …
Time to stock up on pitchforks and torches. Look for a local group of concerned citizens to begin storming local meetings in an effort to force the hand of community officials into action against a suspected crack house, on 93rd Street between Third and Fourth avenues. …
Earlier this month, Bay Ridge Neighbors for Peace held a rally outside of Rep. Vito Fossella’s Bay Ridge office to protest his support of the War in Iraq — but someone forgot to tell them they were supposed to at least pretend to support the troops. Fliers scattered all over Bay Ridge depicted American soldiers intentionally targeting innocent Iraqi civilians. …
Congrats to Ridge resident Isabella Noonan, who was recently accepted into the United States Naval Academy, where she is also a member of the crew team. Noonan graduated from Our Lady of Angels in the Class of 2006.
The Brooklyn Paper
City Councilman Vince Gentile thinks he’s solved the mystery of Bay Ridge’s great hum-conundrum. But this columnist isn’t ready to award him a MacArthur grant.
The lawmaker was obviously responding not only to local complaints of a hum coming from the water near the Owls Head sewage treatment plant, but also a series of columns I’ve done about the mysterious sound.
It all started in April, 2005, when chiropractor Concetta Butera noticed “this awful noise.”
The hum returned in the following summers and has been so loud that some residents blamed passing trains, the treatment plant, and even UFOs — until this humble columnist floated the theory about a humming fish.
It seemed like a good fit.
The oyster toadfish has been described as “homely” for its large protruding eyes, broad mouth, and flesh-like whiskers surrounding a short snout. To attract a mate, it produces a vocalization that some liken to a “foghorn.”
But that isn’t all.
The toadfish’s spawning season extends from April to October, which corresponds to the time when residents in Bay Ridge hear the mysterious noise. The male locates a private nesting area (often using old tin cans or decayed wood lying on the bay bottom (how romantic), and then calls out in the low, mournful “foghorn” to spawning females.
“The toadfish is Bay Ridge’s story of the century,” said Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann. “Fox News was even here.”
Still, despite all the media attention, the noisy toadfish was always more fish theory than fish fact — at least until I got the call the other day.
“I think we have solved the mystery,” said Eric Kuo, who is Gentile’s spokesman. “We tracked down a marine biology professor from Staten Island and he did some tests.”
Yellow Hooker was downright skeptical. But Gentile had done his homework, and had Cornell University professor of neurobiology and behavior Andrew Bass test the waters — literally.
“He came to the pier for the morning and dropped a microphone into the water and listened,” said Kuo. “He heard fish, but they weren’t toadfish.”
So I was wrong all along? We can now rule out these aquatic adventurers?
Not exactly. Turns out, there are some problems with the test performed by Bass (if that’s really his name).
Not only was the test performed near the end of the fish’s mating season, but also it is a well-known fact that these gilled Casanovas prefer to mate on hot summer nights. So why did Bass perform the test on a morning in September?
Of course, there is nothing about this mystery that has an easy explanation.
“I placed an underwater microphone into the water at several locations off of Pier 69 and heard no signs of toadfish sounds,” Bass told me, sticking to his story. “It is highly unlikely that any of the noise that residents are complaining about have their origins from fish.”
But if it isn’t the toadfish, then what is making the noise?
Like many great mysterious, every answer gives us more questions — and another column down the road.
Matthew Lysiak is a writer who lives in Bay Ridge.
The Kitchen Sink
They call that “express”? Sources tell The Sink that residents are up in arms over overcrowding on the express bus, particularly the X37 from Brooklyn into Manhattan. Residents say that not only are the buses late, but finding a space to stand, much less to sit, is impossible. Maybe it is time to rethink the water-taxi idea. …
Hippies beware! Apple Tree natural market, at 7911 Third Ave., may be the local go-to spot for organic health foods and everything natural, but their tie-dye-wearing clientele may need a heavy dose of nag champa after hearing conservative shock-jock Michael Savage blaring through the store radio speakers. “I guess it is kind of strange, but we always turn the channel if people complain,” said one employee. …
Time to stock up on pitchforks and torches. Look for a local group of concerned citizens to begin storming local meetings in an effort to force the hand of community officials into action against a suspected crack house, on 93rd Street between Third and Fourth avenues. …
Earlier this month, Bay Ridge Neighbors for Peace held a rally outside of Rep. Vito Fossella’s Bay Ridge office to protest his support of the War in Iraq — but someone forgot to tell them they were supposed to at least pretend to support the troops. Fliers scattered all over Bay Ridge depicted American soldiers intentionally targeting innocent Iraqi civilians. …
Congrats to Ridge resident Isabella Noonan, who was recently accepted into the United States Naval Academy, where she is also a member of the crew team. Noonan graduated from Our Lady of Angels in the Class of 2006.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Is Kohen Ridge Ratner?
By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
Developer Andrew Kohen wants to build a new Home Depot and hundreds of units of housing along a vacant Bay Ridge railyard, but faced an Atlantic Yards–sized backlash from local preservationists and Community Board 10.
In fact, Bruce Ratner’s taxpayer-underwritten antics have inspired an uprising by community boards against developers.
Locals fear that Kohen’s ambitions are too large for the surrounding area’s infrastructure and that the developer is more concerned about his wallet than the interests of the community (sound familiar?).
Of course, Kohen isn’t Bruce Ratner and Home Depot isn’t Atlantic Yards. In fact, in many ways Kohen is the anti-Ratner: he is accessible (he even speaks to reporters), has a proven track record of keeping his word (at least according to CB10), and isn’t looking to boot anyone out of his house or have the state seize private property and turn it over to him.
But that hasn’t stopped the Ratner cloud from blowing over Kohen’s proposal.
The cynicism of local officials towards developers has hit a new high (which is really saying something in Brooklyn).
Board member — and failed congressional candidate — Steve Harrison even accused Kohen of greed at CB10’s land-use committee meeting last month.
Harrison and others have seized on one aspect of Kohen’s project to deride it as Atlantic Yards-lite: Kohen needs a zoning change before he can build residential units on the commercial land of the railyard at 62nd Street and Eighth Avenue. The resulting complex would consist of an 11-story building with 216 apartments (43 of which will be below-market-rate), office space, and the 100,000-square-foot Home Depot.
CB10 members chewed him out — but mostly because they could, unlike the three boards around the Yards site, which never got to quiz Ratner directly because his project is sponsored by the state and, thus, has no local oversight.
When members finished their anti-development sermons, ranging on everything from the height of Kohen’s buildings to the size of his carbon footprint, they privately said that the real problems can be boiled down to two things: trust and accountability.
“[Like we’re learning with Ratner], we know what Kohen is telling us and what actually happens could be two different stories,” one member said. “These projects have a way of spiraling out of control.”
No one could blame local officials for being a little gun-shy to greenlight Kohen after details keep emerging about that other developer’s development in that other part of Brooklyn.
Despite Ratner’s promises to the contrary, it becomes increasingly clear that taxpayers are actually footing the bill for his “privately built project,” and local officials who approved of the deal are learning they have no way of holding Ratner accountable now that they’ve approved the project.
So it’s no wonder that other communities are now asking a lot more questions.
But Kohen has an answer for them. “This is not an extension of Atlantic Yards, and those who may take that view are sadly mistaken,” he said. “Unlike Atlantic Yards, there is no vehement opposition to this project, and in fact, there is very strong community support.”
Late Wednesday night, CB10 actually surprised me by approving Kohen’s rezoning request (see page 4), but the board did as the hard questions. So I guess we can thank Bruce Ratner for one thing: the current climate of developer distrust could at least force developers to start giving answers if they want local support.
The Kitchen Sink
Al Gore is coming to Bay Ridge, or at least his movie “An Inconvenient Truth” is. Gore’s cinematic war against carbon dioxide will unspool on July 12 as part of the Narrows Botanical Gardens free Summer Cinema Series. Bring a hemp blanket and some organic snacks. …
Little Cupcake Bakeshop at 9102 Third Ave. has a great red velvet cupcake, but if you order a piece of Oreo cookie cake, be prepared to loosen your waistbands — the slice sizes are absolutely monstrous! …
State Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) may be limping into the Mayor’s race. Our source tells us the bum knee that he hurt a few years ago on an elliptical machine has been giving him problems again. That sure didn’t stop him from shaking every hand and kissing every baby at last week’s Independence Day Parade on Third Avenue. …
A country-club Democrat? Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) recently got funding for some new tennis courts and free tennis lessons in the PS 229 schoolyard. The program runs from July 2–Aug. 24. For information, contact Gentile’s office at (718) 748-5200. …
The Bay Ridge Hum is back! The Stoop is getting reports that the hum that keeps residents along Shore Road awake on some summer nights, is back and as annoying as ever. Many believe it’s the mating call of the Oyster Toadfish, so if you’re interested in a little frog action, head to the waterfront.
The Brooklyn Paper
Developer Andrew Kohen wants to build a new Home Depot and hundreds of units of housing along a vacant Bay Ridge railyard, but faced an Atlantic Yards–sized backlash from local preservationists and Community Board 10.
In fact, Bruce Ratner’s taxpayer-underwritten antics have inspired an uprising by community boards against developers.
Locals fear that Kohen’s ambitions are too large for the surrounding area’s infrastructure and that the developer is more concerned about his wallet than the interests of the community (sound familiar?).
Of course, Kohen isn’t Bruce Ratner and Home Depot isn’t Atlantic Yards. In fact, in many ways Kohen is the anti-Ratner: he is accessible (he even speaks to reporters), has a proven track record of keeping his word (at least according to CB10), and isn’t looking to boot anyone out of his house or have the state seize private property and turn it over to him.
But that hasn’t stopped the Ratner cloud from blowing over Kohen’s proposal.
The cynicism of local officials towards developers has hit a new high (which is really saying something in Brooklyn).
Board member — and failed congressional candidate — Steve Harrison even accused Kohen of greed at CB10’s land-use committee meeting last month.
Harrison and others have seized on one aspect of Kohen’s project to deride it as Atlantic Yards-lite: Kohen needs a zoning change before he can build residential units on the commercial land of the railyard at 62nd Street and Eighth Avenue. The resulting complex would consist of an 11-story building with 216 apartments (43 of which will be below-market-rate), office space, and the 100,000-square-foot Home Depot.
CB10 members chewed him out — but mostly because they could, unlike the three boards around the Yards site, which never got to quiz Ratner directly because his project is sponsored by the state and, thus, has no local oversight.
When members finished their anti-development sermons, ranging on everything from the height of Kohen’s buildings to the size of his carbon footprint, they privately said that the real problems can be boiled down to two things: trust and accountability.
“[Like we’re learning with Ratner], we know what Kohen is telling us and what actually happens could be two different stories,” one member said. “These projects have a way of spiraling out of control.”
No one could blame local officials for being a little gun-shy to greenlight Kohen after details keep emerging about that other developer’s development in that other part of Brooklyn.
Despite Ratner’s promises to the contrary, it becomes increasingly clear that taxpayers are actually footing the bill for his “privately built project,” and local officials who approved of the deal are learning they have no way of holding Ratner accountable now that they’ve approved the project.
So it’s no wonder that other communities are now asking a lot more questions.
But Kohen has an answer for them. “This is not an extension of Atlantic Yards, and those who may take that view are sadly mistaken,” he said. “Unlike Atlantic Yards, there is no vehement opposition to this project, and in fact, there is very strong community support.”
Late Wednesday night, CB10 actually surprised me by approving Kohen’s rezoning request (see page 4), but the board did as the hard questions. So I guess we can thank Bruce Ratner for one thing: the current climate of developer distrust could at least force developers to start giving answers if they want local support.
The Kitchen Sink
Al Gore is coming to Bay Ridge, or at least his movie “An Inconvenient Truth” is. Gore’s cinematic war against carbon dioxide will unspool on July 12 as part of the Narrows Botanical Gardens free Summer Cinema Series. Bring a hemp blanket and some organic snacks. …
Little Cupcake Bakeshop at 9102 Third Ave. has a great red velvet cupcake, but if you order a piece of Oreo cookie cake, be prepared to loosen your waistbands — the slice sizes are absolutely monstrous! …
State Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) may be limping into the Mayor’s race. Our source tells us the bum knee that he hurt a few years ago on an elliptical machine has been giving him problems again. That sure didn’t stop him from shaking every hand and kissing every baby at last week’s Independence Day Parade on Third Avenue. …
A country-club Democrat? Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) recently got funding for some new tennis courts and free tennis lessons in the PS 229 schoolyard. The program runs from July 2–Aug. 24. For information, contact Gentile’s office at (718) 748-5200. …
The Bay Ridge Hum is back! The Stoop is getting reports that the hum that keeps residents along Shore Road awake on some summer nights, is back and as annoying as ever. Many believe it’s the mating call of the Oyster Toadfish, so if you’re interested in a little frog action, head to the waterfront.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Cell tower wars in Ridge
By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
Tenants of an 81st Street apartment building are up in arms over the installation of more cellphone equipment on the roof of their building — and now want someone to give them some say over where cellphone carriers install their antennas.
The trouble began several years ago, when the owner of the building at 301 81st St. installed several antennas atop the building.
But last Friday, residents of the radio active complex noticed a crane attaching even more equipment to the roof.
“I asked the workers what they were doing and they wouldn’t tell me,” said Ernie Homsey, a resident of the building since 1945. “They tried to sneak it up there without anyone knowing what was going on and now the whole block is furious.”
Tenants filed complaints with the Department of Building against the owner, Gus Sideratos, for “storing heavy equipment on top of roof,” but the complaints were dismissed after an inspection.
Sideratos may have been unavailable for comment — but his actions aren’t without reason.
Cellphone companies pay building owners big bucks in exchange for a little rooftop space — and most residents enjoy the full bars on their phone and the flush cash in their building’s general fund.
But there is so much cellular equipment all over the neighborhood — and virtually no advance warning about its placement — that residents are revolting.
“I have heard that these towers can cause cancer, and that is what a lot of people are concerned about,” added Homsey.
At this point in the column attentive Ridge residents might begin feeling some deja-vu.
That’s because it has been barely 18-months since parents of St. Anselm’s School fought the construction of a Sprint/Nextel tower to be placed atop a nearby building at 8300 Fourth Ave. As in the 81st Street building, parents at the school didn’t know that the tower was coming until a crane showed up late one night.
The public uproar caught the attention of state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) who quickly intervened.
“For companies to come in the dark of the night and simply erect these towers is unacceptable,” said Golden. “Communities should not have to wake up and find that a cellphone tower was placed near their school or their home.”
Golden even pushed for legislation that would have prohibited the erection of cellular towers and antennas within 500 feet of schools throughout New York City — but the bill never became a law.
But for parents at St. Anselm’s, they gladly took a loss in that battle for a victory in their tower war.
That’s because although the bill may have been defeated, parents did garner enough negative publicity to force Sprint to halt construction of the antennas.
Now the angry 81st Street residents are going to use the same textbook to force their landlord to take down all the equipment amassed above their heads.
They are signing petitions, calling their pols, and even contacted the local media (hi, everyone!) to help get the word out.
“We are looking to bring this to people’s attention,” said Homsey. “All we are asking for is to have a discussion about the effects these towers will have on the neighborhood.”
The phone at Councilman Vince Gentile’s (D–Bay Ridge) office has been ringing off the hook over the issue and it is going to be brought up at the next meeting of Community Board 10 (which is currently enjoying its summer vacation now).
It looks like another tower war is coming to Bay Ridge.
Of course, Yellow Hooker can’t find one study that validates community concerns that cellphone towers actually hurt people’s health (not that I want one on my roof). That said, I am gracious enough to offer one sure-fire way for residents to rid our neighborhoods of these towers: throw your cellphone in the garbage.
Can you hear me now? I didn’t think so.
The Kitchen Sink
If you find your street overrun by teens dressed as Goths, don’t worry — you didn’t take a wrong turn and end up in the Village, it is only Harry Potter Night, sponsored by state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge). The magic begins at 8 pm in front of Bookmark Shoppe, at 8415 Third Ave., and concludes at midnight Friday, July 20 (12:01 am on Saturday, July 21), with the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”… On July 10, the Strictly ’60s will be playing, what else?, classic ’60s music at a free concert at 79th Street and Shore Road. Bring a blanket. …
Nouvelle, located at 8716 Third Ave., has a great eel sushi, but it is the last time our source attempts to order a margarita at an Asian fusion restaurant! …
Brooklyn’s new Republican Party Chairman Craig Eaton is trying to rebuild the GOP from the ground up, and is starting in cyberspace with a new Web site www.brooklyngop.com. And Eaton says he’ll launch the organization’s “School of Politics” in the next six months. Can President Bush take a refresher course? …
It may be early, but Bay Ridge is already busy mobilizing for the presidential election. Bay Ridge for Obama will hold its next meeting on June 28, at Chris and Erin’s Bay Ridge Obama Headquarters (also known as their apartment), at 7911 Fifth Ave. What’s next, a Ron Paul Fan Club? Any man who goes after Rudy the way he does will certainly get some votes in Bay Ridge.
The Brooklyn Paper
Tenants of an 81st Street apartment building are up in arms over the installation of more cellphone equipment on the roof of their building — and now want someone to give them some say over where cellphone carriers install their antennas.
The trouble began several years ago, when the owner of the building at 301 81st St. installed several antennas atop the building.
But last Friday, residents of the radio active complex noticed a crane attaching even more equipment to the roof.
“I asked the workers what they were doing and they wouldn’t tell me,” said Ernie Homsey, a resident of the building since 1945. “They tried to sneak it up there without anyone knowing what was going on and now the whole block is furious.”
Tenants filed complaints with the Department of Building against the owner, Gus Sideratos, for “storing heavy equipment on top of roof,” but the complaints were dismissed after an inspection.
Sideratos may have been unavailable for comment — but his actions aren’t without reason.
Cellphone companies pay building owners big bucks in exchange for a little rooftop space — and most residents enjoy the full bars on their phone and the flush cash in their building’s general fund.
But there is so much cellular equipment all over the neighborhood — and virtually no advance warning about its placement — that residents are revolting.
“I have heard that these towers can cause cancer, and that is what a lot of people are concerned about,” added Homsey.
At this point in the column attentive Ridge residents might begin feeling some deja-vu.
That’s because it has been barely 18-months since parents of St. Anselm’s School fought the construction of a Sprint/Nextel tower to be placed atop a nearby building at 8300 Fourth Ave. As in the 81st Street building, parents at the school didn’t know that the tower was coming until a crane showed up late one night.
The public uproar caught the attention of state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) who quickly intervened.
“For companies to come in the dark of the night and simply erect these towers is unacceptable,” said Golden. “Communities should not have to wake up and find that a cellphone tower was placed near their school or their home.”
Golden even pushed for legislation that would have prohibited the erection of cellular towers and antennas within 500 feet of schools throughout New York City — but the bill never became a law.
But for parents at St. Anselm’s, they gladly took a loss in that battle for a victory in their tower war.
That’s because although the bill may have been defeated, parents did garner enough negative publicity to force Sprint to halt construction of the antennas.
Now the angry 81st Street residents are going to use the same textbook to force their landlord to take down all the equipment amassed above their heads.
They are signing petitions, calling their pols, and even contacted the local media (hi, everyone!) to help get the word out.
“We are looking to bring this to people’s attention,” said Homsey. “All we are asking for is to have a discussion about the effects these towers will have on the neighborhood.”
The phone at Councilman Vince Gentile’s (D–Bay Ridge) office has been ringing off the hook over the issue and it is going to be brought up at the next meeting of Community Board 10 (which is currently enjoying its summer vacation now).
It looks like another tower war is coming to Bay Ridge.
Of course, Yellow Hooker can’t find one study that validates community concerns that cellphone towers actually hurt people’s health (not that I want one on my roof). That said, I am gracious enough to offer one sure-fire way for residents to rid our neighborhoods of these towers: throw your cellphone in the garbage.
Can you hear me now? I didn’t think so.
The Kitchen Sink
If you find your street overrun by teens dressed as Goths, don’t worry — you didn’t take a wrong turn and end up in the Village, it is only Harry Potter Night, sponsored by state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge). The magic begins at 8 pm in front of Bookmark Shoppe, at 8415 Third Ave., and concludes at midnight Friday, July 20 (12:01 am on Saturday, July 21), with the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”… On July 10, the Strictly ’60s will be playing, what else?, classic ’60s music at a free concert at 79th Street and Shore Road. Bring a blanket. …
Nouvelle, located at 8716 Third Ave., has a great eel sushi, but it is the last time our source attempts to order a margarita at an Asian fusion restaurant! …
Brooklyn’s new Republican Party Chairman Craig Eaton is trying to rebuild the GOP from the ground up, and is starting in cyberspace with a new Web site www.brooklyngop.com. And Eaton says he’ll launch the organization’s “School of Politics” in the next six months. Can President Bush take a refresher course? …
It may be early, but Bay Ridge is already busy mobilizing for the presidential election. Bay Ridge for Obama will hold its next meeting on June 28, at Chris and Erin’s Bay Ridge Obama Headquarters (also known as their apartment), at 7911 Fifth Ave. What’s next, a Ron Paul Fan Club? Any man who goes after Rudy the way he does will certainly get some votes in Bay Ridge.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Eulogy for the Green Church
By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper
The Green Church will not be saved — you can take that to the bank and cash it. Yet despite the writing on the check, some members of the community continue to fight the inevitable.
Call it denial (or call it optimism), but many residents are having a hard time coming to terms with losing their beloved church, which according to a spokeswoman for the Massey Knakal realty giant, is as good as sold.
“The property is under hard contract,” said Keri Neering.
So Bay Ridge United Methodist, the 107-year-old structure on Fourth and Ovington avenues, will be torn down and it will become condos — but don’t blame a lack of effort from local preservationists. They have worked hard, and against long odds, to maintain the integrity of our neighborhood, prompting the consensus cliché — the Hail Mary.
The first “Hail Mary” attempt was by Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge), who worked out a deal that would have saved the church, added condo units to the neighborhood, and yielded a $300,000 annual windfall for the church for upkeep.
Most viewed Gentile’s pass as a perfect spiral, except for the congregants of the church, who wanted no savior (at least in terms of saving the structure).
The second Hail Mary attempt (remember you get four downs) was thrown by the Committee to Save the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church. They urged people to call the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which has the power to declare a building a landmark even without the owner’s permission. But that pass never even made it back to the line of scrimmage: Landmarks promptly declined the request to protect the 100-year-old church.
Then, historian Wade Goria raised the roof at last month’s Community Board 10 meeting in yet another attempt to save the church. Goria, whose microphone was pulled out of his hand at the previous meeting by CB10 Chairman Dean Rasanya after he bashed the Methodist hierarchy, began an impassioned sermon of his own, ranting and screaming (at times, quite eloquently) at the standing-room-only audience.
“We can not let them take this from us,” Goria shouted. “This is our community, this is our church, and this is our fight, now is the time to make our voices heard.”
Yellow Hooker is thinking a new cliché might be more appropriate. This one involves an obese woman and the final few notes of a song. Well, they gave it a shot (or two, or three).
The Kitchen Sink
Everything Zen? Not at least as far as the garbage and debris at Shore Road Park is concerned. The trash is located between two of the park’s most-cherished attractions: the Zen Garden and the Butterfly Park. Before we can cleanse the doors of perception, perhaps officials should first cleanse the large cement stones and the old fencing. …
War, what is it good for? How about the best shawarma with garlic sauce? Bay Ridge Neighbors for Peace is now meeting on Mondays at Mazza Plaza, which is at 8002 Fifth Ave., at 8 pm. …
A source tells The Stoop that state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) is closer to running for Mayor. “Let me put it this way, at this point we feel quite encouraged,” said the source.
The Brooklyn Paper
The Green Church will not be saved — you can take that to the bank and cash it. Yet despite the writing on the check, some members of the community continue to fight the inevitable.
Call it denial (or call it optimism), but many residents are having a hard time coming to terms with losing their beloved church, which according to a spokeswoman for the Massey Knakal realty giant, is as good as sold.
“The property is under hard contract,” said Keri Neering.
So Bay Ridge United Methodist, the 107-year-old structure on Fourth and Ovington avenues, will be torn down and it will become condos — but don’t blame a lack of effort from local preservationists. They have worked hard, and against long odds, to maintain the integrity of our neighborhood, prompting the consensus cliché — the Hail Mary.
The first “Hail Mary” attempt was by Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge), who worked out a deal that would have saved the church, added condo units to the neighborhood, and yielded a $300,000 annual windfall for the church for upkeep.
Most viewed Gentile’s pass as a perfect spiral, except for the congregants of the church, who wanted no savior (at least in terms of saving the structure).
The second Hail Mary attempt (remember you get four downs) was thrown by the Committee to Save the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church. They urged people to call the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which has the power to declare a building a landmark even without the owner’s permission. But that pass never even made it back to the line of scrimmage: Landmarks promptly declined the request to protect the 100-year-old church.
Then, historian Wade Goria raised the roof at last month’s Community Board 10 meeting in yet another attempt to save the church. Goria, whose microphone was pulled out of his hand at the previous meeting by CB10 Chairman Dean Rasanya after he bashed the Methodist hierarchy, began an impassioned sermon of his own, ranting and screaming (at times, quite eloquently) at the standing-room-only audience.
“We can not let them take this from us,” Goria shouted. “This is our community, this is our church, and this is our fight, now is the time to make our voices heard.”
Yellow Hooker is thinking a new cliché might be more appropriate. This one involves an obese woman and the final few notes of a song. Well, they gave it a shot (or two, or three).
The Kitchen Sink
Everything Zen? Not at least as far as the garbage and debris at Shore Road Park is concerned. The trash is located between two of the park’s most-cherished attractions: the Zen Garden and the Butterfly Park. Before we can cleanse the doors of perception, perhaps officials should first cleanse the large cement stones and the old fencing. …
War, what is it good for? How about the best shawarma with garlic sauce? Bay Ridge Neighbors for Peace is now meeting on Mondays at Mazza Plaza, which is at 8002 Fifth Ave., at 8 pm. …
A source tells The Stoop that state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) is closer to running for Mayor. “Let me put it this way, at this point we feel quite encouraged,” said the source.
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