Star revue early october 2014

The

Red Hook StarªRevue

EARLY OCT. 2014

SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

FREE

FULL STORY ON PAGE 11

MCGETTRICK ON

VALENTINO PIER PARK Valentino Park & Pier, at the foot of Coffey Street in

RED HOOK LOSES TWO DAY MUSIC FEST

Red Hook is no doubt one of New York City’s smallest but also one of the most extraordinary assets. Its unobstructed vistas of the harbor, including the Statue of Liberty, the Verrazano Bridge, Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, the Manhattan skyline, State Island and New Jersey are what attract so many people.

by George Fiala

I

n a decision fraught in a bit of mystery, the Escape Music Festival, which was to bring two days of entertainment to the Columbia Waterfront District, at Pier 9a, abruptly pulled out of Red Hook and moved across the channel to Governors Island.

This came as somewhat of a surprise to people who attended a recent Community Board 6 meeting where the festival was a topic of discussion.

While a few residents had complaints about an event that had taken place the previous Friday, there seemed to be general agreement that the show was on and would be evaluated by the community to see whether pier

entertainment and its Columbia Waterfront District neighbors could peacefully co-exist.

Present at that meeting was John Liantonio, Senior Advisor, Government & Community Affairs for the Port Authority. He stood in front of the audience alongside concert promoter Merrit Quirk as they listened to , Greg Brayman, the pier operator, and his associate Mark Stamatis discuss and describe to the community the upcoming festival.

There was absolutely no indication that it would not go on as scheduled.

Yet last Friday, the Star-Revue received an email from the Escape Productions, producers of the event, to say that their (continued on page 5)

South Brooklyn High School subject of local documentary story and photos by Micah B. Rubin

S

tephanie Gaweda didn’t want to drop out of school, but after learning she was so behind on credits that she couldn’t graduate until she was 20 or 21, her future looked uncertain.

Then a teacher told her about South Brooklyn Community High School (SBCHS), a transfer school located on Conover Street, that transformed Stephanie’s life and is the subject of a documentary she is producing titled Dream Factories.

SBCHS is one of 46 transfer schools in New York City that target students who have dropped out or fallen behind in credits.

“South Brooklyn is a school for people who realize they need to change,” Stephanie said.

Dream Factories documents 10 students from SBCHS’s 2014 graduating class as they approached their June 2014 graduation.

For Stephanie, who is originally from Sunset Park, the student’s stories mirror her own.

Her troubles began shortly after starting high (continued on page 9)

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

Red Hook’s high school is the subject of a documentary. (photo by Micah B. Rubin)

The

Red Hook StarªRevue

Happenings, etc.

proudly introduces our new website

www.Star-Revue.com For Editorial, Advertising and Help Wanted Inquiries, email info@redhookstar.com, or call 718 624-5568 The Star-Revue is published by Kimberly G. Price & George Fiala

SUNDAY OCTOBER 5 Annual Blessing of the Animals This year’s service will take place in front of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and Saint Stephen’s Church on Summit Street between Hicks and Henry Streets. This is a communitywide event -- All are welcome to attend with their pet friends. 4:00 pm

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 8

Community meeting to discuss the bathroom situation at Valentino Pier Park. Tentatively scheduled for 7 pm at PS 15. To make sure, check the Facebook page of Carlos Menchaca, the council member.

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

SATURDAY OCTOBER 11

CATHOLIC Visitation Church 98 Richards St, (718) 624-1572 Saint Paul and Saint Agnes Parish St. Paul’s Church - Rectory & Church Office 234 Congress Street (718) 624-3425 Hours: M - F 830am-12 St. Agnes Church Office 433 Sackett Street, 718-625-1717 Hours: M-F 1pm-430pm Email:stpaulstagnes@gmail.com St. Agnes: Saturday 5pm Vigil Mass Sunday 9 am (English), 11:30am (Spanish) St. Paul’s: Saturday 5pm Vigil Mass Sunday 8 am & 9:30am (English); 11am (Spanish) Monday & Tuesday 8:30am (St. Paul’s) Wednesday & Thursday 8:30am (St. Agnes) Saturday 8am (St. Paul’s) http://stpaulstagnes.org/ Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary - Saint Stephen Roman Catholic Church 125 Summit Street at Hicks Street info@sacredhearts-ststephen.com Saturday Vigil Mass 5:30pm Sunday Masses: 10am & 11:45am (Italian/English) Weekdays Masses: Tuesday Through Saturday 8:30am Confessions: Saturdays 4:45pm and by appointment. Baptisms: Every Third Sunday At 1pm. Please call the rectory one month before to make arrangements. Sick Calls: Please call the rectory to arrange for the sacrament of anointing whenever anyone is seriously ill. Marriages: Please call the rectory at least 6 months ahead for an appointment with a priest http:// www.sacredhearts-ststephen.com St. Paul’s Carroll Street 199 Carroll Street Parish Office: 718-625-4126 Sunday Mass at 10 am Weekday Morning Prayer - Mon.-Thurs. at 7:30 am Weekday masses as announced Holy Days as announced (please see the Calendar) Church open for prayer Tues. 6-8pm & Sat. 2-4pm http://stpaulscarrollst.weebly.com/

It’s the event 25 years in the making! Be there when Black 47 take to the band stage for their last ever Brooklyn concert! It’s an evening not to be missed and one jam-packed with a bevy of special guests including The Lost Tribe of Donegal, John Rafferty and Kevin McCormack.

Rocky Sullivans, 34 Van Dyke Street, 7:30 pm

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15 CB 6 Meeting - Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs Presentation by representatives for the Brooklyn Public Library on the upcoming expansion of library service days + hours at branches throughout the borough, and general updates on branches throughout the district including Carroll Gardens, Pacific, Park Slope and Red Hook. 6:30 pm, Location TBA

THURSDAY OCTOBER 16 CB 6 Meeting - Transportation/Public Safety. Introduction and discussion with Captain Frank DiGiacomo, our new Commanding Officer for the NYPD/78th Precinct. Presentation and discussion with representatives for the Department of Transportation on the department’s ParkSMART pilot program currently in place along portions of Atlantic Avenue, Court Street and Smith Street. 6:30 pm, Location TBA

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22

Baptist

Calvary Baptist Church 773 Hicks St (718) 522-5159

Jewish

Kane Street Synagogue 236 Kane Street, (near Tompkins Place) 718 875-1550 http://kanestreet.org/ August 29 - 30, Shabbat Shoftim Candle Lighting 7:14 PM Shabbat ends 8:17 PM Friday night services, 6:00 PM Shabbat morning services, 9:15 AM Sunday Morning Services 9:00 AM Congregation B’nai Avraham/Chabad of Brooklyn Heights 117 Remsen St., 718 596 4840 x18 www.bnaiavraham.com, www.heightschabad. com Morning Services: Sunday: 8:45am Monday - Friday: 7:45am Holidays (during the week): 8:45am Saturday: 9:45am Evening Services: Sunday: Shabbat candle lighting time Monday - Thursday: 9:00pm Friday: Winter: 5 minutes before Shabbat candle lighting time Summer: 7:30pm Saturday: Shabbat candle lighting time

If your religious institution isn’t listed here, let us know by emailing info@redhookstar.com Thanks!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 28 Gowanus Community Advisory Committee public meeting. Your chance to hear for yourself details of ongoing Superfund activities. St. Mary Star of the Sea, 41 1st Street 6:30 - 9 pm.

Community Telephone Numbers: Red Hook Councilman Carlos Menchaca..............718 439-9012 Red Hook Assemblyman Felix Ortiz.....................718-492-6334 Red Hook State Senator Velmanette Montgomery..718-643-6140 Gowanus Councilman Brad Lander......................718 499-1090 Park Slope Councilman Steve Levin......................718 875-5200 CB6 District Manager Craig Hammerman ............718 643-3027

PS 15 PTA PRESENTS

THE RED HOOK FALL FLEA Saturday October 4th, 2014, 10am to 5pm

76th Police Precinct, 191 Union Street Main phone .....................................................718-834-3211 Community Affairs............................................718 834-3207 Traffic Safety.....................................................718 834-3226 Eileen Dugan Senior Center, 380 Court Street........718 596-1956 Miccio Community Center, 110 East 9th Street.......718 243-1528 Red Hook East Dev. Office, 62 Mill St...................718 852-6771 Red Hook West Dev. Office, 55 Dwight St.............718 522-3880

Located in the PS 15 School Yard on Van Brunt Street between Wolcott & Sullivan Red Hook’s local community school PS 15’s PTA will be hosting our annual flea market. Come and find that missing treasure, browse, chat, eat, and enjoy the many activities available.

Activities for the whole family throughout the day.

Enjoy the popular PTA POT LUCK, Arts for the Kids, Bounce House, School of Rock Page 2 Red Hook Star-Revue

CB 6 Meeting - Youth/Human Services/Education. Presentation and discussion with representatives for the Commission on Public’s Health System on a proposal to provide opportunities for community involvement in designing an improved, and more responsive health care delivery system. 6:30 pm, Location TBA

NYCHA Satellite Police Precinct, 80 Dwight Street Main Phone....................................................(718) 265-7300 Community Affairs...........................................(718) 265-7313 Domestic Violence...........................................(718) 265-7310 Youth Officer...................................................(718) 265-7314 Auxiliary/Law Enforcement Coordinator ..........(718) 265-7378 Detective Squad...............................................(718) 265-7327

www.RedHookStar.com

Early October2014

Gowanus CAG returns from summer break with good Superfund news

by Diehl Edwards On Tuesday, September 22, the Gowanus Canal’s Community Advisory Group (CAG) held a meeting inviting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have the opportunity to explain the impending large-scale cleanup of the Gowanus Canal. This was the first monthly meeting since CAG’s summer break and was open to the public.

Lead engineer Christos Tsiamis spoke at length, taking questions from both CAG members and unaffiliated citizens.

Tsiamis intended to outline three main parts of the overall canal plan for the CAG, but the schedule was subject to the questions and concerns of the residents in attendance. He began by explaining the subsequent steps the EPA would be taking to address the toxic waterway.

Bulkhead testing to begin Tsiamis began his presentations by speaking about the deteriorated bulkheads lining the canal will be inspected through the November-January months. Cables will be laid to measure the temperature of the water at various depths. By December the limits of the liquid tar seeping upwards from the canal’s bed will be gauged. This fall and winter will be an “information gathering” period, without any actual construction happening.

The conversation in the room dwelled on the issue of the bulkheads, the walls separating the land from the water.

While official inspection of the bulkheads has yet to be completed, it is the belief of the EPA and those who know the canal’s borders, which many of the bulkheads are beyond the point of restoration.

There will be steel reinforcement of the bulkheads, preventing any possible collapse during the actual work on the canal. The prophylactic measure has the double effect of changing the landscape of the Gowanus Canal for “years and years, permanently,” as Steven Miller, a concerned questioner, expressed. While the need for secure bulkheads is plain, the threat of effacing the historical significance of the architecture of the canal doesn’t seem to be included in the EPA’s list of concerns.

“My responsibility is health concerns,” Tsiamis said, reminding the room that while he would try “to minimize the noise and disruption to the community” that the project will cause, “no construction is pleasant.” He emphasized that the goal of the project was to reduce the environmental damage being incurred daily by the polluted canal.

Hodge-podge While the historical merit of the canal was a pressing issue for several outspoken members of the C.A.G. and nonaffiliated attendants, others questioned whether the history was actually substantial, citing the “mix-matched, hodge-podge” nature of the canal due to a history of independent private owners doing what they will with their property. The E.P.A.’s plan, however, does imply a standardization of what the

Red Hook Star-Revue

edge of the waterway will look like after restoration. Tsiamis added that the canal wasn’t recognized as having any “historical uniqueness.”

The plan to combat “upward seepage of liquid tar,” as Tsiamis described it, involves the use of a cement-like substance to patch places where toxins are located to be moving out of the sediment, locking the contaminated material in place. This method allows access to the trouble spots without dredging the water out of the canal. Instead, the cementing material can be injected from a barge and, importantly, removed via barge.

This is more financially effective, and, as the engineer put it, “cost is always a factor.” Also, removal of contaminated material on the waterway rather than by dump truck through the local neighborhoods minimizes the community disruption and inconvenience of the odor and sound truck removal involves.

Lightstone settlement This is an inconvenience already being experienced by those in the surrounding neighborhoods due to the Bond Street construction of the Lightstone housing structure being built, a 700-unit building, which was Tsiamis’ second agenda item. Nearby residents have complained about the noise coming from the construction site and the stench.

The Lightstone building is being built on what is known as a “brownfield property,” which is a property known to be contaminated. The brownfield parcel that Lightstone bought, “17-18,000 square yards of polluted soil between 1st and 2nd streets,” came with it the implication that the new development would “take out more [contamination] than it put in,” as the E.P.A.’s legal counsel Brian Carr explained.

Anyone purchasing a property known to be contaminated is implicated in the associated contamination unless they bought the property without knowing about the toxins in it. Along the Gowanus Canal, one of the most polluted waterways in America, buying blind like this is next to impossible. The agreement the E.P.A. was able to strike with Lightstone was a trade of $20 million donated towards cleanup for the federal certification that the company was no the responsible party for the environmental transgression.

Carr explained that the effect of this arrangement was not limited only to the Lightstone real estate purchase. The hefty sum tied to the serious environmental issues surrounding the canal sets a precedent for any later buyers looking at the area, “deterring future similar developments.”

Retention tank update The third point of order was the placement of the floodwater retention tanks.

This was the focal topic of an earlier public meeting on September 19th at Wyckoff Gardens, which centered on the discussion being held in deciding what properties would be chosen for the location of the two tanks. From an ini-

The respective “mayors” of Red Hook and Carroll Gardens, John McGettrick and Buddy Scotto, sit together at the recent CAG meeting. (photo by George Fiala)

tial 86 proposed sites, whittled down to 14, the count has narrowed to four, the final decision to be made by September 30th. One tank will be put at the north end of the canal and the other at the middle, each residing in a different watershed, Red Hook’s and Owl’s Head’s (the 5th street basin).

Cleanup timetable Tsiamis laid out a timetable for the entire project. By 2016 the E.P.A. intends to have the designs finalized. 2017-18 will be devoted to cementing the canal from the northernmost part down to its turn near 2nd Avenue. 2019-20 will be focused on cementing to 9th Street, and 2021-2022 will see the finish of the floor patching and the project as a whole.

The floodwater retention tanks are expected to be in placed and working by 2017 when the canal restoration begins.

Residents in attendance expressed many concerns, including general doubt in the EPA’s competence for not know-

ing specific levels of contamination in certain areas, or how the exact hydraulics involved with the sewage backups that have been plaguing local housing projects. And while Tsiamis assured them that the federal agency “was going to do their best,” and “wasn’t going to overlook anything,” reminding skeptics that the EPA is “just at the beginning of the process,” his steadfast insistence on the scheduled progression of the already delayed plan amplified the concern locals have that their opinions and objections will be steamrolled. “It’s going to happen,” Tsiamis stated, “we are going to do it.” And although the EPA has all intentions of continuing an open dialogue and will keep the affected neighborhoods updated, the public meetings are not intended to allow affected residents any sway in the decision-making.

Rather, they offer a chance to voice questions and keep abreast of the unfolding construction happening in their back yards.

Those pesky retention tanks The issue of sewage overflows, which occur when excess rainwater overwhelms the Gowanus sewer system and causes raw sewage to be shunted into the Canal, has been a source of contention between NY City and the EPA. The EPA has directed the city to build two large retention tanks to hold the sewage until it can be sent to the treatment plants. This is so that the Canal does not become re-polluted in the future.

While the EPA made suggestions as to the tanks placement, it left the final decision up to the city. The City commissioned a $50 million study to determine the best placement of the tanks. The result, as shown on the map, affirm the EPA’s suggestion as to placing one of the tanks under the Thomas Greene Playground. The report states: “This site is currently park space (Thomas Greene Playground) and is bounded by Douglas Street, 3rd Avenue, Degraw Street and Nevins Street... Site RH-4 ranks well with respect to size and proximity to existing infrastructure. This site ranks well with respect to surrounding uses and historic and cultural resources. With respect to known contamination, the entire site has been identified as a former MGP site and is impacted with MGP waste.

However, the statement ends by saying: “It should also be noted that DEP is undertaking a separate study of Gowanus Canal CSO control alternatives... DEP may identify cost-effective alternatives to CSO retention tanks that satisfy the ROD requirement to reduce CSO solids dischargesto satisfy its Clean Water Act obligations under a Consent Order with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Under that process, DEP may identify cost-effective alternatives to CSO retention tanks that satisfy the ROD requirement to reduce CSO solids.”

www.star-revue.com

Early October 2014, Page 3

Columbia Waterfront Park debuts at BGI’s Half Marathon and 5K

T

he Dutch first settled the area now known as the Columbia Waterfront District in 1649; the area was added to the Brooklyn City Charter in 1834.

Since the mid 17th century, the landscape of the neighborhood has changed significantly. Farmland made way to mirrored businesses and housing on both sides of the streets from the 1840s to the 1980s, which transformed into the seemingly abandoned lot that sits there today. Now, a new vision for the area is materializing.

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) set up an office on Columbia Street more than a decade ago. According to Brian McCormick, one of the three founders of the organization, the site directly across from his office has always been a place of interest.

BGI originated in 2004 from the outgrowth of a volunteer task force focused on improving a proposed Brooklyn waterfront trail. There, McCormick met his co-founders, Meg Fellerath and Milton Puryear, who all partnered up to form the nonprofit group.

BGI’s commitment to establish, develop and provide long-term stewardship of the 14 mile Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway has grown from an all volunteers group into a membership organization with broad corporate, community and government support.

The association’s primary role will be to act as stewards of the Greenway by providing “relief from the urban environment,” according to a booklet released in 2012. Through their efforts, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has identified 23 new capital projects to connect already existing segments of the greenway; seven of those projects are in the Red Hook area.

In 2012, DOT hired a Senior Project Manager within the agency to take BGI’s conceptual plans and hold another series of public planning workshops that led to the greenway being formalized as a DOT

by Kimberly Gail Price

capital project. McCormick described DOT as “a catalyst to the community support to secure funding.”

An open space being developed by BGI to the adjoining Greenway, the site of the future Columbia Waterfront Park, has been underutilized for decades. In the 1960s, Port Authority (PA) built piers and demolished buildings to expand the port. However, the main shipping facility was relocated to New Jersey that same decade, leaving the piers underpurposed. Artists rendering of the proposed Columbia Waterfront Park. (Roger Marvel Architects) In the 1970s, DOT took over the site and intended to divert trucks traveling to the for the Columbia Street Restoration and costs that must be completed before an accurate timeline can be established.”

Red Hook Container Port under the city’s the Gowanus Canal flushing tunnel. urban renewal plan. But the diverter lane In the spring of 2014, BGI implemented The next phase of implementation conwas never built. More than twenty years the first phase of converting the con- sists of cost estimates, site preparation, later, DOT, PA and neighborhood activ- struction lot into a future park. Vol- landscaping and further plantings. The ists all agreed that the area was no longer unteers and sponsors planted several park is being “designed to enhance the thousand wildflowers and grasses inside local environment by greening a barren needed to divert truck traffic. the lot. The black plastic coverings were asphalt lot,” according to “Columbia Columbia Waterfront Park Fast Facts removed from the fence in September Street Waterfront Park Program” BGI’s 2014, making the space visually acces- booklet released in Winter 2012.

• Site runs from Degraw to Kane sible. along Columbia Street The Parks Department has “expressed • Total acreage = 1.7 Bryan Quinn and Nancy Seaton of One Na- interest in acquiring the site,” the bookture, a Gowanus based company, designed let also states. BGI is prepared to coordi• Length of the park = 100 feet the landscape for the spring plantings. nate and manage operations and mainte• Estimated cost: $8-10 million • DOT has identified 23 sites for The Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway is nance, which will require a steady stream greenway capital projects; seven a unique design model that creates open of funding. If the space is transferred, the of them are in the Red Hook area. space and sustainable transportation op- Parks Department would assume some of • Columbia Park will connect the tions while incorporating environmental the maintenance responsibilities, easing Red Hook Park (1.3 miles away) services into the borough. BGI is lead- the burden of BGI and allowing their to Brooklyn Bridge Park (0.3 ing development in open spaces - public funding to be used to create more of the miles away).

The Half Marathon is BGI’s first runspaces that adjoin the Greenway along Greenway and other open spaces. ning race. the route - and neighborhood parks.

The Columbia Waterfront Park will not In February 2011, BGI and planning part- An interim enhancement of the current only serve as a middle point between ner, Regional Plan Association (RPA) space is “imminent” and expected “any Brooklyn Bridge Park and Red Hook convened two planning workshops to day now,” according to McCormick. Park, but will also offer different ameniget feedback and ideas they would like to The upgrade may include the addition of ties than its neighboring green spaces. see incorporated into the proposal. More benches, bike racks and “amenity nodes” The site of the envisioned park is than 70 participants from the neighbor- at the street ends, as well as moving the completely flat and in direct sunlight hood showed up. fence back 20 feet. throughout most of the day. Cranes from Some of the communities’ suggestions in- Until plans are finalized, a specific schedcluded a natural amphitheater, a dog run, ule for the project cannot be determined. biking amenities and a comfort station.

“Our goal is to have this particular space BGI created a proposal for the space underway in a couple of years,” McCorbased on response from the community. mick said. “But funding will ultimately Until recently, the site was being used as drive how the park is programmed ina staging area for the construction efforts cluding design elements and associated

the nearby container port cast some lateday shadowing, but do not provide shade.

The lot is partially paved, and the exposed soil is compacted due to construction activities. These two factors add to the lack of infrastructure to manage (continued on page 6)

We ran across the lovely Frances D’Angelo again at the recent Luquer Street block party. Her neighbor Batia is kneeling next to her. She told us about old times, including when lots in the area sold for next to nothing. The party was a blast, with loud Spanish music interspersed with Al Martino, and grilled hamburgs for all!

Page 4 Red Hook Star-Revue

www.star-revue.com

Early October 2014

Port Authority wimps out on potential local music fest (continued from page 1)

permit had been revoked and that they were looking for another venue.

to hire union guards. These payments were to occur after the event.

By Monday they had relocated to Governor’s Island, with the same musical lineup. Their website touted free ferry service and an extra hour of music each day.

Whoever mentioned this is not well informed and doesn’t understand the basic structure of our agreement with RHCT or the PA.”

Craig Hammerman, CB 6 District Manager, met with the Port Authority that Friday, the 26th. He was told that the event was not going to happen at Pier 9, but any other information would come from the promoter.

He continued:

Conversations Merrit Quirk and the Port Authority to find out what had actually happened were ultimately unsatisfying. Each side blamed the other for the cancellation. What has become evident is that something other than the few community protests caused the snafu.

An Absolut concert event at Pier 9A was kind of a surprise to the neighborhood, but garnered very few complaints according to the 76th Precinct. They received more calls about the lighting setup a few days before as people were wondering what the bright lights were all about. Absolut prepared a giant red vodka bottle as well as a shimmering white ball as part of the show, which was a disco dance party filmed for a TV promotion.

Hammerman said that the community board did receive some complaints.

According to Port Authority (PA) spokesperson Steve Coleman, the Escape festival was never approved by the PA. When it was pointed out that a Port Authority representative was right there at the CB 6 meeting and listened interestedly as the nuts and bolts of the festival were being discussed, and never once mentioned that there was any problem, Coleman insisted that no permit was ever given and that we should ask Quirk to see one. He did however say that it could be possible that they had received permission from the Red Hook Containerport LLC, who, as mentioned, runs the piers. He also mentioned that security requirements were not met.

Confronted with all this, Merrit Quirk, who founded Balearic Entertainment in 2012 after a career in financial services, said to us in an email: “That’s entirely false. We met every single requirement. We had a 100 page operations plan that had been vetted for 5 months. I would like to know if they could cite any specific conditions. In our last meeting, the PA clearly stated they had “zero reservations” about our security plan. There’s a good 20+ witnesses to that.

I can tell you that we had the “green light” to book talent on June 17.”

We heard from others that the reason they lost Pier 9 was because they did not make certain payments as scheduled.

Quirk’s response to that was “I can confirm that this is 100% untrue. We did not miss any security payments.

We were responsible for security costs.

We were contracting a private security company and that obviously would not go through the PA. We had set fees for PAPD and also had

Red Hook Star-Revue

“When it became political (you’ve seen the letter), it was a much better use of our time to go to a well-known venue that wanted us and not have to deal with layers of inefficient bureaucracy, mindless regulations, and wasted costs.

While we had a legal right to hold the event, my time is much better used on creating a great fan experience at an established venue.”

The letter the Quirk referred to was one written on September 16. It was addressed to Greg Brayman, RHCT (Red Hook Container Terminal) operator, and Patrick Foye, Executive Director of the Port Authority. It was signed by the following elected officials: Brad Lander, Joan Millman, Daniel Squadron, Jerrold Nadler and Carlos Menchaca.

The gist of the letter was to reaffirm government’s desire to maintain Piers 7-12 for maritime purposes, including shipping. It states “There are many uses that would pay more rent than maritime commerce; we hold the port in public ownership precisely because we want to protect those maritime and industrial uses.”

The letter went on to state that it was very important for these events to be vetted before the community at CB 6 meetings. “While events on Port Authority property are not subject to public review, we request that the application for Escape Music Festival undergo a Community Board approval process.

We request that the operator work closely with us and Community Board 6 to ensure that, should the event be approved, community needs are considered, including utilizing local vendors and providing solutions for anticipated problems.”

In fact, the CB 6 meeting had already been scheduled for the 17th, and Craig Hammerman had earlier met with the Port Authority, the containerport, the promoter and the 76th precinct in an August meeting at the Containerport.

At that meeting Hammerman adroitly expressed community concerns and asked for and got a fact sheet detailing the festival plans.

Quirk made the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and Portside concert sponsors, and guaranteed the non-profits a financial contribution.

Dealing with the points made by the elected officials was a large part of the Sept. 17th CB 6 meeting. Greg Brayman explained the procedures for renting out the pier, and guaranteed that in the future the community would be well informed if such a situation arose again.

Sound, control control and security issues were addressed and explained and questions were entertained from local residents who attended the meeting, which seemed to the Star-Revue reporter a conciliatory response.

Yet the following week an inflammatory

Mike Stamatis, far left, and Merrit Quirk, far right, speak to the community at a CB 6 Parks committee meeting on September 17. (photo by George Fiala)

front page article in the Brooklyn Paper panned the event. Reporter Noah Hurowitz wrote “The transformation of a Red Hook port facility into a booming nightclub for three nights this month and the next is a disruption that poses a threat to all of Brooklyn’s working waterfront, according to neighbors and local pols from around the borough.”

Perhaps the PA was scared off by this negative publicity.

In fact, most people the Star-Revue spoke with were intrigued by the festival, and many locals were hoping to attend. Local bars, including Alma and MikNik, reported better than usual sales on the Friday of the Absolut event, and we noticed nothing untoward on our walk up and down Columbia Street the evening of the Absolut show. Victoria Hagman, local real estate broker and recent CB6 appointee, had publicly called the Absolut event a ‘shitshow’ and said that she noticed people vomiting in the street, and was quoted in the Brooklyn Paper article.

Louise Franqui, 71, a lifelong Red Hook resident currently living right across

Pier 9 on Columbia Street, said about the concert, “if it bothers you, go somewhere else.” She thought it might have been a “cool” thing, and that nowadays people are “crybabies.”

The Red Hook LLC is looking for additional income from the waterfront due to a recent decline in shipping volume as well as the threat of reduced investment in the piers from government and the Port Authority. The main threat to industrial use of the local waterfront is reduced income, which rental from the Escape Music Festival would have mitigated.

It was generally agreed that the Festival would have been an experiment to see if cultural uses might co-exist with maritme use.

Councilman Menchaca’s response to the cancellation was positive. Speaking for the electeds, he stated “we were very happy to hear that the concert moved away.” He reiterated his concern for maintaining maritime use of Pier 9.

Quirk mused, “It’s too bad,” he said. “I think we could have done some cool things long-term in Red Hook.”

The Star-Revue is still looking for a music writer, so we cannot speak knowledgeably about the lineup above. We are told that for those in their thirties this will be an exciting event and we did notice a lot of online chatter in various blogs. DJ Times says “The fest’s second stage is presented by Barcelona’s Elrow, which has curated a set of artists set to represent the best of underground dance. The stage will feature performances from Alan Fitzpatrick, Boris, Miss Kittin, Sebastien Leger, New York City’s own Sleepy & Boo, and more.”

www.star-revue.com

Early October 2014, Page 5

HALF MARATHON ROUTE

Start at Columbia Waterfront Park opposite of BGI’s office at 153 Columbia Street at 9 am -----> through the Red Hook Cruise Terminal -----> turn around at Pioneer Street -----> back down Columbia Street -----> down Atlantic Avenue into Brooklyn Bridge Park -----> Brooklyn Bridge Park to Dumbo -----> through the Navy Yard – for the first time ever! -----> across the Williamsburg Greenway -----> turn back -----> run along the waterfront back to Columbia Waterfront Park (excluding the Navy Yard) The 5K will trace the same path for part of the half marathon and loop back to Columbia Waterfront Park.

BGI encourages spectators along the route to encourage participants.

After party will be held at The Hop Shop immediately after the marathon. ** Route may vary slightly**

BGI Half Marathon

thon exclusively on the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway.

stormwater runoff. Adding greenery to the site will alleviate the direct sunlight as well as provide a natural barrier to help prevent flooding.

A 5K run/walk has been added this year to include runners and walkers of all abilities. Participants will be supporting plans and implementation of the greenway throughout Brooklyn.

(continued from page 4)

Increasing use of the greenway will also bring more foot traffic to the area, bolstering the local economy.

Later this month, BGI is hosting their first event in the new space, their second annual half marathon along the Greenway. The area went from being private property to fenced-off public property.

“Just this year, the space has become permeable,” McCormick said. “Both visually and physically.”

Seven hundred people will be coming to the proposed park for the first time. Runners will have “the opportunity to showcase the future Columbia Street Park by being in that space,” Olivia Lynch, Program Manager of BGI said.

“The perspective from Columbia Street is very skewed. Once you’re inside the space, its true scale appears,” McCormick added. “A way of having more eyes within the space is key to seeing its potential because it’s another way of presenting our work and this new addition to the Greenway.”

BGI is presenting the half marathon in partnership with the South Brooklyn Running Club. It is the only half mara-

The half marathon will begin and end in the future Columbia Waterfront Park, looping from Red Hook through Williamsburg before doubling back. The run will also route through the Brooklyn Navy Yard for the first time.

Lynch says that BGI “encourage[s] spectators along the route because it motivates the runners.”

More than 700 registrants are expected to sign up this year – more than double the level of participants in 2013. A finishing medal will be awarded to everyone who completes the half at an after party hosted by The Hop Shop, a new local venue that has not yet opened their doors to the public.

“The marathon will highlight [BGI’s] progress in achieving a fully completed greenway along the Brooklyn waterfront,” Lynch said. Participants can “experience the full impact of the waterfront and how it will fit together.

“Storytelling,” McCormick as describes it. “The half marathon is creating the narrative to engage people so that we can keep doing the work we’re doing. We’re returning these lots to the public realm.”

Some ongoing Brooklyn Greenway Initiative events and projects: The Epic Ride ~ A 40 mile journey along the Brooklyn and Queens Waterfronts New Views ~ An annual summer benefit to celebrate the “newly accessible locations” along the waterfront.

Half Marathon and 5K ~ The only half marathon exclusively on the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. This is the first year of the 5K run.

Seasonal Plantings ~ From spring through fall, these plantings help maintain and beautify BGI’s greenspaces.

Corporate Volunteer Day ~ Companies like Target and Goldman Sachs send their employees out to volunteer on the greenway on paid company time. The company also makes a monetary donation Adopt-A-Greenway ~ Launched in 2014, patrons can now sponsor segments of the 14 mile greenway.

Red Hook Community Justice Center Monthly Cleanup ~ An alternate youth sentencing program to do community service instead of harsher penalties.

Greenway + Industry ~ An autumn Brooklyn business networking event

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142 Union Street Brooklyn, NY 11231 Early October 2014

D

Dance on the Greenway to grace IKEA’s Erie Basin

ance on the Greenway is quickly becoming one of Dance Theatre Etcetera’s (DTE) premiere events of the season, merging local and professional choreographers together to tell their stories through movement. Now in its third year, Dance on the Greenway will showcase four choreographers in two shows, separated by a panel discussion, all on the IKEA waterfront on October 11.

Martha Bowers, Executive Director of DTE, wanted to bring dance back to Red Hook. She wanted professional artists to be included. She also thought community participation was vital to the event.

Born out of past successful on-site productions, Dance on the Greenway emerged, incorporating DTE’s mission and community into a festival of exploration and expression.

“It’s not your typical dance experience.

What makes it special,” Education Program Manager, Jasmin Foreman explains, “is that the main characters for the show are the dancers, the weather and the waterfront.”

The producers DTE was officially incorporated in 1994 to make the arts “a vital component of urban renewal efforts in the waterfront community of Red Hook, Brooklyn,” according to their website. In 2002, the organization’s board strategically decided to focus their mission and primary activities on arts education. They also produce the annual Red Hook Fest and other showcases to provide opportunities for students to work with professional artists.

Their mission statement states, “Dance Theatre Etcetera stimulates the social imagination through acts of informed expression, [and] creating a more just and joyful world.”

by Kimberly Gail Price

the then largely abandoned waterfront.

These two shows included cast members from the community as well as professional artists. The two original shows were Bowers’ introduction to the community. Her involvement “planted the seeds for a long association with the Red Hook community,” the website reads.

“After producing the award winning ‘Angels and Accordions’ at Greenwood Cemetery for 7 years, I wanted to bring our-site specific events back to Red Hook by commissioning work from other choreographers,” Bowers said. “Part of DTE’s mission is to support and nurture the talent of local youth.”

To incorporate that element into the yearly Dance on the Greenway, Bowers commissions work from two local emerging artists and two professional choreographers from the Downtown New York dance circuit.

“I look for choreographers with interests in creating site-specific work, who enjoy the challenge of thinking about the potential that dance has for animating public space,” Bowers explained.

Volunteers from South Brooklyn Community High School, one of DTE’s partnership programs, will assist by setting up, promoting, filming and marketing the event.

The series will be located in different areas around the park. Guides will lead the audience to specific sites on the waterfront from one performance to the next, and will even control where the audience stands during the dancing.

Based on the choreographer’s wishes, audience members may be led to completely encircle the space around the dancers.

There are “no rules” for staging according to Foreman. “Choreographers can decide what the audience is going to see and how they are going to see it.”

Each choreographer will be presenting 10-20 minutes of work.

Last year, nearly 300 people attended each performance.

DTE is already looking ahead to future years of Dance on the Greenway.

“Hopefully, next year, we’ll be able to expand the program to highlight other young choreographers in the area,” Jasmin says.

Panel Among their many goals, DTE aims to offer innovative performing arts and media education programs, as well as producing produce multi-disciplinary events that celebrate the urban locale. They also nurture relationships between emerging and professional artists while utilizing the arts as a tool for civic engagement.

The event Dance on the Greenway began in 2012 after DTE launched two other site-specific dances in Red Hook in the ‘90s. “On the Waterfront” in 1994, and “Safe Harbor” in 1998 combined live dance and music performance with a walking tour of

Red Hook Star-Revue

Between shows, a panel will discuss the role of arts and culture in strengthening communities. The panel, Engaging Arts Practices, will be moderated by Caron Atlas, Director of Arts and Democracy.

The panelists have yet to be announced.

They will represent community based cultural organizations, along with associated artists who have played significant roles in strengthening their local communities.

Atlas will begin the talk by asking questions about how arts play a role in the community. Audience members will be allowed to ask follow-up questions.

Foreman hopes the conversation will

Dancers circle the sundial at last years event. (photos by Todd Seelie, courtesy of DTE)

spark a discussion about the vital role of the arts in communities like Red Hook.

from CYC including Macy Simmons, Claire Sifton and Mateo Vidals.

“As NYC becomes increasingly people gentrified, we wanted to host a discussion that looked at the roles of local artists and cultural organizations who have played a role in sustaining cohesive, healthy communities by preserving their cultural identities, and providing spaces for local learning and creative expression as well as the effective strategies they have implemented to engage new residents with community life,” Bowers wrote in an email to the Star-Revue.

Last year’s panel included Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, and board member to DTE, John Quadrozzi, Jr.

COMMON DANCES is a series of short pieces that deal with universal themes of love, loss, forgiveness, and loneliness, “in small packages,” says Katie Dean. The compilation will be shown for the first time in its entirety in October 2015.

The Dancers The four commissioned choreographers are required to create new work for Dance on the Greenway. This year’s professional artists are Joya Powell and Kathy Westwater. Cora Dance and Solomon Goodwin are participating as the local artists for their second consecutive year.

Joya Powell founded her company, Movement of the People Dance Company (MOPDC), in 2005. MOPDC blends dynamic contemporary dance with traditional folk dances to incorporate socio-cultural issues with diverse multicultural backgrounds and international experience.

MOPDC has performed in venues in San Diego, Toronto, Long Island, and New Jersey.

Kathy Westwater earned her MFA at Sarah Lawrence, and since 1996 has been creating dances to address the “societal landscape” between the human body and its emotional counterparts.

Her works include “PARK,” exploring the landscape of parks and landfills; “Macho,” expressing the phenomenon of war and pain; “Dark Matter,” the psycho-physical states of fear; and “twisted, tack, broken,” an experience in human and animal culture.

Founding Artistic Director, Shannon Hummel brings Cora Dance into the event with three dances from theirCOMMON DANCES that will all be centered around tables. The first two duets feature Sarah Burke and Nadia Tykulsker, followed by Katie Dean and Cora Youth Company (CYC) member Claire Sifton. The third will be a trio

www.star-revue.com

Through Cora, Hummel is driven to create access to the arts for all people because she believes everyone should have access to “high quality arts experiences through performance and education.” Her work has been presented in more than 30 NYC venues and she will stage performances at the BAM Fisher Theater in January 2015.

Solomon Goodwin is an emerging dance artist who grew up in Red Hook and started his first hip hop group at age 11.

He learned by “swapping moves” with his friends in the hallways of the Red Hook Houses. He performs regularly with Dance Theatre Etcetera, Red Hook Initiative, and Dancing in the Streets.

He is also part of the Cora Dance’s COMMON DANCES ensemble.

Goodwin teaches hip hop at Cora Dance and Dancing in the Streets to students aged 9 through adult.

His company, MVP, will be dancing out his choreography as the final performance of Dance on the Greenway.

Bowers describes Goodwin as “a rare talent who integrates the virtuosity of hip hop to showcase that talents of his young cast members and shine a light on the community that surrounds this site.”

As far as what the audience can expect at this year’s event, only the artists involved and Bowers can say for sure. The dress rehearsal on Saturday, October 4 will be the first time DTE sees the performance. But the interactive experience triumphs the arts, the dancers and the local landscape that is so unique to this corner of the city.

“The festival celebrates the cultural diversity that abounds in Brooklyn, while animating an urban site rich in history and symbolic of current global trends,” Bowers says.

Performances at 1 and 4 pm on October 11 at Erie Basin Park behind IKEA. Panel discussion, Engaging Arts Practices, at 3 pm. The event is free and open to the public. Rain date: Sunday, October 12.

Early October 2014, Page 7

Page 8 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Early October 2014

Dream Factories

English teacher Sydney and her student Brandon hugging during his last class at South Brooklyn.(photos by Micah B. Rubin) (continued from page 1)

school. She realized a career in music wasn’t for her and as a pupil at the Urban Assembly School of Music and Art, she felt bored and suffered from what she called “Peter Pan Syndrome.” Before long, she was skipping lectures and spending more time hanging out in the cafeteria than in class.

After transferring to SBCHS, Stephanie found the accelerated program challenging. “When I felt challenged, I worked harder to overcome that challenge,” she said.

The teachers at SBCHS pushed and supported her success. “If I ever had a day I was unsure I could make up all these credits, they would be there and let me know ‘You got this’,” Stephanie said. “When I wanted to give up, they wouldn’t let me.”

She not only excelled in her studies, but also graduated early and landed a scholarship at Columbia College in Chicago where Dream Factories began as a class

Red Hook Star-Revue

assignment to document a cause she cared about.

The initial 10-minute short evolved into a full-length documentary. With the help of her crew of fellow Columbia College students, it became a way for Stephanie to give back to the school and use her filmmaking talents to raise awareness to change stereotypes about transfer schools.

To finance the film, Stephanie turned to crowd sourced funding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo where she successfully raised nearly $4,000. She is self funding the remaining amount.

Stephanie plans on releasing the film for free and has already received invitations to screen it at festivals throughout the country.

“Everyone has their own story,” Stephanie said. And she hopes through telling the student stories in Dream Factories she will foment change: “I want to promote growth, personal change and societal change,” she said.

www.star-revue.com

Early October 2014, Page 9

EDITORIAL:

This is how our governor rolls

I

f anyone was wondering why our mayor - who used to lead rallies across the street from Long Island College Hospital to prevent its closing - has barely said boo about it since February, one need only to look north to the governor’s mansion.

One could get a clue by paying attention to Andrew Cuomo’s actions during this past primary season, when he faced what became a real threat from challenger Zephyr Teachout.

He obviously took her quite seriously back in the spring, culminating in a pragmatic deal he struck with the Working Families Party to gain their endorsement.

In a rare example of Cuomo doing something he really did not want to do, he cut a deal, giving the WFP what they wanted, or at least a promise to do so, in order to keep Teachout off of their line on the ballot.

When Teachout decided to continue her challenge, he hired high priced local lawyer and former legislator Marty Connor in an unsuccessful attempt to knock her off the ballot again. When it looked as if she might get a significant number of votes, due in part to a well publicized NY Times article about his questionable handling of the Moreland Commission investigation of corruption, he used strong arm politics to ensure endorsements from state politicians, including de Blasio.

WNYC reported receiving anonymous complaints from politicians citing threats to their district, including future funding, were they to endorse Teachout. This is the crux of the whole Bridgegate scandal in New Jersey, where it is alleged that Governor Christie’s office there tied up traffic in Fort Lee after not receiving that particular mayor’s support.

The governor is the Chief of State. He

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

(send yours to editor@redhookstar.com)

Valentino Pier bathroom

I thought the budget was a quarter million not 2.5 million!

What happens in the winter when the park is not a tourist attraction, when Key Lime and Hometown are shuttered and the traffic is mostly locals?

We’ll be stuck with this monstrosity .

I agree the foot print for this is way too large for such a small park.

Is it really not possible for the parks depatment to supply us with a modest latrine? Paige Tooker

Remembering Johnnies Bootery

My mom bought our shoes there, I bought my son & daughter’s shoes there plus my daughter bought her son’s shoes. The nicest people you ever wanted to meet in retail. You don’t find that anymore. God bless you on your

Page 10 Red Hook Star-Revue

can approve or veto laws passed by the State Legislature. He appoints Appellate judges. He chooses the heads of many branches of state government, including the health department and SUNY. It has been said that the only two politicians with any real power in the state are the governor and the assembly speaker.

McCall remained bitter, without endorsing Cuomo for Attorney General in 2006.

Mayor de Blasio needs state approval for many of the local initiatives that he is invests in. City tax policy, education funding, the MTA, and the Port Authority are just a few of the institutions directly affecting the city that are controlled by the Governor.

This case eventually put Comptroller Alan Hevesi in jail. Charges against Convent Capital were quietly dropped, for reasons we could not uncover. By that fall, McCall was actively campaigning for Cuomo.

In April, 2013, Kiimberly G. Price, writing in the Star-Revue said: “the problem of whether or not Cuomo will instruct the Department of Health to close down LICH or keep it viable for the south Brooklyn community lingers. Maybe he sits on it until the perfect scenario is fully ripe. Or maybe he turns the property over for real estate development.

If he is vying for future presidency – or even keeping his seat as governor – will he risk going against the unions?” http:// www.star-revue.com/the-governor-and-lich-bykimberly-gail-price/

A few months later we published an extensive article about Carl McCall, who was appointed Chairman of the State University of New York (SUNY). McCall, who has overseen the efforts to close LICH, is a former State Comptroller who ran for governor in 2002. His campaign was derailed by Andrew Cuomo, who waged a surprise primary race at a time when the Democrats needed to concentrate on the November election against Pataki.

Cuomo, who saw that he could not overtake McCall’s polling advantage, withdrew ten days before the primary, after forcing the McCall campaign to use up much of the funding it really needed to take on the incumbent.

In 2009, as Cuomo was already planning his gubernatorial run, he indicted McCalls’ company, Convent Capital, in a broad ranging sting involving “pay-toplay” corruption regarding the State’s pension fund investments.

McCall was further rewarded by the new governor by serving on his transition team and being named SUNY Chairman. He has dutifully done Cuomo’s bidding in closing our local hospital.

As a younger man, McCall was an advocate for the poor, and led a campaign to save Harlem’s Sydenham Hospital, which the Koch administration eventually closed.

To paraphrase a recently popular expression, “this is how Cuomo rolls.”

Who knows whether the recent reduction of the NY Times newsroom staff is a consequence of Cuomo’s wrath after their Moreland reporting and non-endorsement in the primary. Probably not, but stranger things have happened.

The latest LICH sham involves a lawsuit filed by the NY State Nurse’s Association (NYSNA). After a much ballyhood but ultimately failed attempt by the community to retain a full service hospital, SUNY had entered into a deal with their preferred recipient of the LICH property, the Fortis Group.

This last minute lawsuit, filed by NYSNA against SUNY for not living up to their commitment to hire NYSNA nurses at the enfeebled health facility that would remain. The lawsuit threatened the entire deal when Judge Johnny

Lee Baynes expanded the suit to include NYU/Langone, who was to operate an emergency room.

NYU decided that being a party to a lawsuit was not worth their participation, and they decided to withdraw from this mess.

The thing to note is that Brooklyn Health Partners and Peebles - two entities that ranked ahead of Fortis in the ratings system that Baynes’ court settled upon - were dropped by SUNY for much less cause.

Instead, according to a report in Capital New York, frantic negotiations between SUNY, NYU, Fortis and “officals from the governor’s office” resulted in Judge Baynes, who had previously seemed interested in maintaining a full service hospital, suddenly threw the entire case out of court, bringing NYU back into the fold and allowing the deal to go through.

It is OK to assume that a tremendous amount of work (and legal fees paid by NY State, reportedly in excess of $2 million), went into saving this deal.

Were Fortis to be dropped from consideration, as were the Brooklyn Health Partner, the state would be legally bound to offer the campus to the next bidder, Prime Healthcare, who had promised to run a full service hospital.

This is politics at its very worst. Using raw power to get one’s way is the mark of a tyrant, not what some who started this country ever wanted. It reminds us of Boss Tweed, Tammany Hall, Dick Cheney, Chris Christie and Rick Perry.

It is hard to believe that despite the damning insinuations of the NY Time’s reporting of the Moreland Commission, and the outcome of the LICH debacle, all out there to read in the public press, these things can still happen, especially in our so-called progressive state.

But of course, this is how our governor, still with presidential ambitions, rolls.

100th birthday. -Peggy Tranchina Happy 100th Birthday, Faye!!!!! My siblings and I all got our shoes at Johnnie’s Bootery and I was so happy to be able to bring my own children there for their first pair of shoes. God bless you all and many happy returns to Faye.- Laura Eng HAPPY BIRTHDAY. All of my family’s shoes were bought there. School, play and dress. Thank you for fond memories. As a matter of fact, I saw in a shoe store only yesterday about bronzing baby shoes. The first time I ever saw that was in your store. I think of that store often. God bless you all. - Mark

Forgetting about Sandy

One huge thing everyone is forgetting or doesn’t want to acknowledge is that In every other disaster Red Hook had LICH. A hospital & real emergency room. In Sandy people evacuated themselves to LICH & LICH was ready. A community can’t be prepared for disaster without a hospital. How do you talk about this without mentioning that Red Hook does not have adequate medical for any emergency - Carl K.

www.star-revue.com

Early October 2014

OP-ED OUR BELOVED VALENTINO PARK

by John McGettrick

V

alentino Park & Pier, at the foot of Coffey Street in Red Hook is no doubt one of New York City’s smallest but also one of the most extraordinary assets. Its unobstructed vistas of the harbor - including the Statue of Liberty, the Verrazano Bridge, Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, the Manhattan skyline, State Island and New Jersey - are what attract so many people.

At other times when it is shrouded in fog or encased in swirling snow, and the only sound is the crunch of snow underfoot and the foghorns in the distance, it is a place of quiet contemplation and can let your mind take you wherever you want to be.

This very special place is adjacent to where Fort Defiance once stood, and played a pivotal role in the Battle of Brooklyn, in the Revolutionary War. Sadly this park and pier came into existence, in large part, as a result of a tragedy. A firefighter, raised in Red Hook, and a member of the FDNY elite Rescue 2 Unit, died in the line of duty in February 1996.

His family, in their time of grief, kindly agreed to support the naming of a longpromised community park and pier in his honor. His father, Louis Valentino was a long time, well known and beloved community and labor leader in Red Hook.

Subsequently, naming legislation was swiftly passed by the New York City Council and signed by the mayor and supported by many elected officials, especially the Borough President.

The architects designing the project actively encouraged local input in the process. The maritime history of the community was incorporated whenever possible.

Wooden pilings at the main entrance, steel fencing that includes a wave, a sloop mast as a flagpole and an uninterrupted view corridor going from the beginning of the park to the end of the pier.

The pier itself was designed to extend as far out into the harbor as possible, to maximize the viewing opportunities. It was referred to by many as the “lollipop design.” The long, narrow corridor to the wide end of the pier is interspersed with set back alcoves to enable emergency vehicles to quickly and safely reach the end of the pier, and allow individuals to step back as needed.

The Valentino Park & Pier opened to the public in 1999. A number of years

Red Hook Star-Revue

Corner O

BY MARK SHAMES

On Short Notice

ur exalted publisher George sent me an email last night (September 30) just before midnight telling me that he would like to have a column in hand by the next day. I said I would comply and asked for and have now received a general schedule for future publication. From now on I will endeavor to be as prepared as the best Eagle Scout.

However, there is so much more to this special place, providing enjoyment to young and old alike. Activities includebut are not limited to - fishing, crabbing, and a sandy beach where dogs swim and kayaks are launched. Free kayaking, life vests and instruction are provided!

Family picnics, children’s birthday parties and even weddings are celebrated here. Local merchants sponsor a great summer movie series, complete with food offerings. It is the place where Dance Theatre Etcetera holds annual festivals. There are spectacular sunsets and frequent firework displays.

Mark’s

Unfortunately, as one who procrastinates, I have not banked away a number of columns to spruce up and send out in short order. While I do write the occasional poem, publishing them in place of a political/policy column would just drive my too few readers away and bring ridicule from serious poets. The above is an explanation and apology for the seeds and stems that follow. prior to that, a supplemental fund of $50,000 per year was established for the maintenance and improvements at the park. These monies were, and are, being paid directly to the Park’s Department by a private landowner as a condition of his leasing space to the New York City Police Department.

Sandy battered the pier and park; there was erosion and damage to a number of trees and other vegetation as the result of being inundated by seawater. But damage to other parts of Red Hook was far greater.

Currently, some proposed changes by the Parks Department to this special place have caused concern among many in the neighborhood. One proposal calls for asphalt paving of a portion of the park to, in part, prevent standing water from accumulating, reduce erosion and bolster an existing bulkhead. Additional paving above and beyond these efforts has been the source of a controversy.

However, the main concerns, indeed opposition, are focused on the size, loca-

“Most believe they, as planned, are too big, in a terrible location and much too expensive. Others even question the need for the bathrooms.” tion and especially the price of proposed bathrooms. This cost could approach close to $4,000 a square foot. Most believe they, as planned, are too big, in a terrible location and much too expensive. Others even question the need for the bathrooms.

They have held meetings with the Parks Department and others concerned about the matter, including Community Board 6 and Councilmember Menchaca. Working with the Councilmember, a meeting has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday October 8, 7 PM at PS 15, the Patrick Daly School, on Sullivan Street. A number of community members, including local architects, are working on developing more satisfactory alternatives.

Primary season ends

Congratulations are in order for the winners in the Democratic Primary that took place on September 9. First congratulations to District Leader Simon who ran an excellent campaign by keeping the focus on her years of involvement in the community and implied incumbency coupled with the tradition of this seat being held by a woman. When this was added to the important New York Times endorsement she was not to be beaten. I won’t feign surprise in her victory and I admit I am nonetheless disappointed. I wish her success in her work for our communities and in reducing corruption in our state government.

There are always valuable lessons to be learned in defeat (even if it is only greater humility) and I hope that after taking some time to heal Pete Sikora stays active as a voice for change in both Albany and our community. After all Pete received more votes than nearly every one of the winners in other assembly districts. There is no truth to the rumor that Doug Biviano is going to work for Berlin Rosen. Biviano’s participation in the race did hurt Sikora’s percentage showing but Simon got 53% of the vote, so he was irrelevant to the final outcome.

On the other hand, I was pleased but again not surprised by the dimensions of Jesse Hamilton’s victory in the State Senate race in the 20th district.

Jesse ran a high-energy campaign that contrasted with his relaxed and reassuring personality. He seemed to be everywhere and documented it all very well on social media. It seemed as if his only real competition would have been if his son little Jesse had run a write-in campaign against him. His campaign made up its shortfall in funds, against a well-financed challenger, by getting substantial contributions from the Independent Democratic Caucus. I have not yet heard word as to whether he will join the IDC. As an aside, the IDC won wherever it had primary opponents. While I thought it was a mistake for former Comptroller John Liu to run for a State Senate seat after holding citywide office, I was hoping he could pull out a victory. That was not to be.

The result in the primary for Governor was just about right from my prospective. Andrew Cuomo was and is our best available choice for Governor, but whether he admits it or not he has taken note of the degree of dissatisfaction being expressed about his governance by a substantial segment in his own party. If the Democrats can win enough seats to organize the State Senate together with the IDC, there will be additional progressive legislation passed in the second term. I am sorry if this displeases State Senator Majority Leader Dean Skelos but it would be good news for the average worker.

Looking around at the results in the borough and state as a whole, there seems to be no reason to expect to see any change in how the Assembly will function and little reason to expect much change in how the Democratic Party Executive Committee will function.

Other miscellany

I wish my young friend Buddy Scotto a happy birthday. For his present he asked that the full-scale remediation work on the Public Place site begin immediately. While on the subject of the Gowanus Canal, we are now seemingly down to two sites for each of the two proposed retention tanks at the large Combined Sewer Overflow outfalls on the canal know as Red Hook 034 and Owl’s Head 007. The selection will be finally whittled down to one at each outfall in the coming year. The proposed sites that were chosen were the same ones that most of us originally suspected would be chosen. The city is sure to be asked again by the CAG about the cost of this exercise and whether such cost was warranted. The late Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen is reputed to have said, “ A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money”, so here a guess we are still talking chump change.

www.star-revue.com

Early October 2014, Page 11

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FALL FAMILY FUN ABOARD

THE WATERFRONT MUSEUM SUNDAY, SEPT. 28 AT 1PM

DeadPan Alley with New Vaudevillian Will Shaw Featuring astounding juggling, fancy cowboy roping, flying boomerangs and—watch out front row— lots of audience participation.

Will has performed on The Late Show, The Daily Show, Sesame Street and more.

The Lorraine Street day care center participated in “Dads Take Your Child to School Day.” They report: “We had a GREAT turnout (28 men) that included Dads, cousins, uncles, and grandfathers! The fathers enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and had some fun activities to do with their children.”

They created a bulletin board entitled “Someday I Hope to Fill Your Shoes.”

Then the children and fathers decorated a child-size footprint and glued it to the adult-sized footprint.

Dads also read the story “What Daddies Do Best” by Laura Numeroff. Then the fathers and children created their own pages of what they like to do with their fathers and drew a picture.

We put all the pages together and created a story called “What Bumblebees R Us Fathers Do Best.” We also had all the Dads, uncles, etc. take pictures at our photo booth. The event was a great success and everyone had a great time!

Pirate School with veteran NY family entertainer David Engel Live out your sea-faring dreams and learn the finer points of mischief.

Suitable for kids 4-11. Come dressed to pillage and plunder!

David’s one-hour show was featured in NY Magazine’s “Best of NY KIDS.”

Advance tickets: Adults $13; Kids $10 Tickets at (877) 238-5596

or order online at www.smarttix.com. Use code “waterfront”At the door (when available): Adults $15; Kids $12

Page 12 Red Hook Star-Revue

Carroll Gardens potentate Salvatore “Buddy” Scotto celebrated his 86th birthday at his Carroll Gardens Association (CGA) on October 1st. Fellow board members surprised him with a tasty apple pastry from a nearby bakery.

Buddy has been a community force since the 1960’s, when he recognized a need to re-invigorate Carroll Gardens in order to stem a flood of its long-time residents to the suburbs.

He formed CGA in the 1970’s to renovate housing and create senior citizen centers. He saw that the Gowanus Canal was filled with dangerous, noxious chemicals and germs, and received major funding to begin its cleanup.

He received an award in 2000 from the Municipal Arts Society for his Gowanus achievements. The award was given jointly with the NYC DEP, who said “We share this award with Salvatore “Buddy” Scotto, a member of the Gowanus Canal neighborhood community, whose tireless efforts over more than three decades saw his dream realized.”

SUNDAY, OCT. 5 AT 1PM

Both shows aboard the historic Waterfront Museum, docked at 290 Conover Street, Red Hook across from Fairway.

Information: www.waterfrontmuseum.org or call 718-624-4719.

IT’S BUDDY’S BIRTHDAY

Madison Campbell brings her dad to school one day last month.

www.star-revue.com

Buddy has never considered a career in politics, but he is founder of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats.

Early October 2014

Red Hook Star-Revue

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Early October 2014, Page 13

Columbia Waterfront Fest cut short by rain

The Carroll Gardens Association held their annual street festival on September 13.

It featured many local organizations and businesses, as well as music and dance presented on a stage at the intersection of Columbia and Union Streets. Pictured above is the CGA table, from left Cynthia Gonzalez, Pat Ruiz and Ben Fuller-Googins. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez made an appearance and spoke from the stage. Rain had threatened all day, and finally arrived around 3 pm.

CALLING ALL RED HOOK RESIDENTS! Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC) provides advocacy and services to help businesses in the Sunset Park, Red Hook and Gowanus neighborhoods grow and create employment opportunities for local residents. www.sbidc.org SBIDC is conducting a survey to better understand which retail opportunities work best for you in your neighborhood. If you live in Red Hook, please take 5 minutes to complete this short survey. All responses are confidential and will be used to inform our business attraction efforts in Red Hook.

Access the online survey at the following link: http://bit.ly/1svIa34

THE STAR-THEATER JAM HAS MOVED TO ROCKY SULLIVAN’S!

EVERY MONDAY 8 - MIDNIGHT BRING YOUR AXE!

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Page 14 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Early October 2014

Waterfront Museum wraps up season with Pirate School

by Diehl Edwards

C

elebrating the barge’s 100th anniversary, Red Hook’s Waterfront Museum is announcing the last performance for the season.

The final show of the season, to be held on October 5th at 1pm, is David Engel’s Pirate School. Engel, one of New York City’s premier child entertainers, performs as the “bumbling buccaneer character Billy Bones.

The performance is an interactive experience that appeals to children’s pirate-like sensibilities: “adventure, independence, discovery, and challenging authority.”

But some choppy waters are spotted in the distance.

According to Sharps, although the museum weathered the surge from Hurricane Sandy with relative ease, (it’s hard to flood something that floats), the coast guard is demanding that the barge be dry-docked and have its underside inspected for necessary repairs. This means a trip upstate to find a place that is able to accept the barge and a hefty fee for keeping it there.

This future obstacle doesn’t daunt

Engel’s performance is described as him “teaching teaches youngsters how to be good pirates with zany lessons on how to stand, talk, sing and laugh like jaunty Buccaneers.

Audiences David Engel as a pirate engage in boisterous competitions and learn the finer points of light-hearted Sharps. The good-spirited captain talks mischief while cannons boom, skulls amicably with me, running around watalk, cutlasses drop, bubbles pop and tering plants and taking business calls as pets run amok.” And being held on we chatted. It’s a full time occupation a floating ship, the show finds a great that he has committed himself to since purchasing it for just one dollar nearly home at the Waterfront museum. thirty years ago. The barge had sat, obsoTickets are $13 for adults and $10 for lete and half sunk for seven years when kids if bought in advance, $15 and $12 Sharps rescued it and began the project respectively at the door. of renovation. Beginning his entertainIn its 29th year as a show barge, the ment career as a cruise ship juggler, he Waterfront Museum, is holding up well. has gone on to create a space in line Despite celebrating its 100th year, the with the legacy of traveling carnivals barge looks as good as ever. The floor and Mississippi showboats. “We carry planks gleam and the ropes holding it to on that tradition,” he said. The muthe pier groan. David Sharps, the mu- seum itself is a historical artifact. And seum’s coordinator, keeps a tight ship. in a world of entertainment saturation,

the neighborhood performance space is a welcome change of pace from DVDs and Netflix. A show at the barge is “less than the cost of a movie—and it’s live!”

Always committed to community good, the non-profit museum holds free weekly hours on Thursdays from 4 - 8 pm and Saturdays from 1-5 pm. It seeks to

support cultural and artistic education for Red Hook residents and beyond.

Sharps called it “a floating classroom.”

Investors Bank, Brooklyn Bridge Realty, and the O’Connell Organization, a group that has been integral to the creation and continuation of the Waterfront Museum, sponsor the upcoming events.

Jenny belin’s Art

Our friend Jenny, who exhibits locally at the Brooklyn Collective, 212 Columbia Street, sends us this and tells us “a portrait of Catherine Deneuve in The Hunger.

(One of my favorite movies!) “ Jenny’s website is www.jennybelin.com

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Home Improvement

Thursday, September 11, 2014 9:30 am to 12:00 pm

Save $ on your electric bill. NRG Home Solar offers free installation if you qualify. Call 888‐685‐0880 or visit nrghomesolar.com. HIC# 1427914, HIC# 5972, Wc24767h12, H11586400000

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To register, visit npccny.org/workshop.htm or call 212-502-4191 ext. 230.

Legal

REAL ESTATE CLOSINGS Buy/Sell. Expd Attorney, Real Estate Broker, ESTATES/CRIMINAL MATTERS Richard H. Lovell, P.C., 10748 Cross Bay, Ozone Park, NY 11417 718 835‐9300. www.LovellLawnewyork.com

Lots & Acreage

WATERFRONT LOTS-Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

Red Hook Star-Revue

137 King Street Brooklyn, NY 11231 Fax: (718) 935-0887

Vito Liotine (718) 625-1995 (718) 625-0867 aliotine@aol.com

“ART & ANVIL LIBERTY INC” (RED HOOK) IS CURRENTLY SEEKING: •

Skilled welder-fabricator experienced with wrought iron railings, fencings, gates, furniture etc. Necessary experience of no less than 3 years.

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Blacksmith assistant. Training provided.

Resume by fax (347) 529 6353 or by e-mail oleg@artandanvil.com

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No job too big or too small

Toilets, Boilers, Heating, Faucets, Hot Water Heaters,

Pool Heaters.

B & D HEATING 507 Court Street 718 625-1396 To place an ad in this section call 718 624-5568 or email info@redhookstar.com.

Rates start at $30 per issue.

Early October 2014, Page 15

EVERYBODY IN RED HOOK GOES TO

MARK’S RED HOOK PIZZA RISTORANTE

See you there!

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35 25 17 14

19 21 19 17

14 31 27 24

COUPON SPECIAL #1

COUPON SPECIAL #2

(eat in or delivery)

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One 18” large pie

One 16” Square pie

10 Wings (hot, bbq or plain)

10 Wings (hot, bbq or plain)

2 Liter Bottle of Soda

2 Liter Bottle of Soda

$21

$25

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Open daily 10 am to 11 pm, Sundays 11 am - 10 pm. Free Delivery Available

(718) 624-0690 (718)624-1628 Fax (718)624-2145 All Credit Cards Accepted ($10 min)

Page 16 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Early October 2014