Heights Press_20200228

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‘BQE job’s too big’ Pols: City, state and feds should pool efforts and money to fix the crumbling BQE By Mary Frost Brooklyn Heights Press

The job of rebuilding the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is just too big, too multijurisdictional and too expensive for New York City to take on by itself, speakers testified at a packed New York City Council oversight hearing on Tuesday. Continued on page 4.

RIGHT: From left: Amy Breedlove, president of the Cobble Hill Association, and Lara Birnback, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association. Brooklyn Heights Press photo by Paul Frangipane

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Brooklyn Eagle Local

CITY COUNCIL BACKS TWO SWEEPING BQE FIXES: Two recommendations by the City Council and engineering ďŹ rm Arup are based on (left) a design originated by Brooklyn Heights resident Mark Baker and DUMBO’s Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), and (right) a tunnel idea championed by Cobble Hill resident Roy Sloane. See page 3. Image left courtesy of BIG; map right courtesy of Arup

R-e-s-p-e-c-t Rthe z-o-n-i-n-g, Vinegar Hill residents tell property owners ‘We heard everybody’s concerns,’ their lawyer assured the Heights Press By Lore Croghan

Brooklyn Heights Press

Greek-Revival rowhouses The development plan presented to the community board on Wednesday night called for R6A zoning, which permits medium-density residential construction, plus a C2-4 commercial overlay that would allow ground floor shops to be constructed. The Spinard brothers’ lawyer says they intend to come up with a plan that Vinegar Hill residents and CB2 members will find acceptable. “We all walked out of there last night and said to each other, ‘We heard everybody’s concerns.’ And we’re going to accommodate their request to reduce the zoning to R6B with no commercial overlay,” attorney Eric Palatnik told the Heights Press on Thursday. Wednesday night’s vote was part of the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process, or ULURP, that’s required when New York City property owners seek zoning changes for development sites. The Spinard brothers, who own TS Contracting, have used the lot at 265 Front St. as parking for their company’s trucks since the 1980s. The property is currently zoned M1-2, which would allow light industrial and commercial uses and some types of community facilities to be built. The Spinard brothers’ Front Street site is adjacent to Greek Revival-style brick homes on Gold Street that are part of the Vinegar Hill Historic District. They were constructed between 1841 and 1852. No restrictive declaration, please “We invite residential development in underutilized or abandoned sections of the neighborhood as long as it fits with the contextual nature of what makes Vinegar Hill so unique and such a great community,” Vinegar Hill 2 • Brooklyn Heights Press • Thursday, February 27, 2020

Heights Press photo by Lore Croghan

Michael and Tom Spinard wanted to build a nine-unit apartment building with shops on their corrugated fence-enclosed Vinegar Hill property, which has been a parking lot since the 1950s. Neighborhood residents who oppose their development plan said they got the zoning all wrong. Community Board 2’s Land Use Committee voted down the Spinard brothers’ plan for 265 Front St. on Wednesday night and told them to come back with a design for a smaller development. The site is located at the intersection of Front and Gold streets in Vinegar Hill, a quiet, mostly low-rise waterfront neighborhood adjacent to tourist magnet DUMBO. This intersection became a zoning battleground three years ago when the owner of another site there, 251 Front St., applied for rezoning that would have allowed him to construct a nine-story apartment building. The Vinegar Hill Neighborhood Association and numerous area residents opposed the bulky development at 251 Front St. In June 2017, property owner Paul Tocci ended his rezoning effort when it became clear the neighborhood’s City Councilmember Stephen Levin wouldn’t support it in a City Council vote. The resolution about 265 Front St. on which the committee voted on Wednesday night didn’t specify what zoning the Spinard brothers should use in their new design proposal. But committee members’ discussions before the vote and sharply critical testimony from Vinegar Hill Neighborhood Association members made it clear they believed it should be R6B — a type of low-rise residential zoning found in Vinegar Hill which is suitable for rowhouse districts — with no retail space.

The property enclosed by the corrugated fence at right is 265 Front St.

Neighborhood Association President Aldona Vaiciunas said in a letter to CB2’s Land Use Committee. “To increase this zoning to R6A will irreparably destroy this neighborhood and would set a precedent for future developers to ask for the same if not higher zoning,” Vaiciunas said. Vinegar Hill Neighborhood Association member Monique Denoncin also argued that low-rise R6B zoning would be appropriate for 265 Front St. “We do not want to be the reflection of DUMBO,” she said in her testimony. In 1998, the Department of City Planning, with the help of local residents, changed the zoning in part of Vinegar Hill to R6B with a 50-foot height limit for new construction. Doreen Gallo of the DUMBO Neighborhood Alliance, who testified at 1998 hearings about that rezoning, called for R6B zoning for 265 Front St. on Wednesday night. In a presentation about the design proposal that was rejected, the Spinard brothers’ lawyer said they wanted to construct a four-story building although R6A zoning would allow them to go higher. They didn’t want to incur the expense of installing an elevator. Palatnik said his clients would be willing to sign a restrictive declaration that would limit in perpetuity the height of any building constructed on the property. Community board members dismissed this idea and said the City of New York doesn’t respect restrictive declarations. A few years ago, the owner of Lower East Side nursing home Rivington House paid the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to remove a deed restriction limiting the property’s use, then sold the site to developers. The prince of American Catholic architects A few more details about 265 Front St.: Thomas Spinard purchased the property in 1983 and Michael Spinard became its co-owner in 1992, city Finance Department records indicate. The property has a prefabricated steel building on it for parking trucks. From about 1950 until 1985, a paper company located nearby used 265 Front St. as a parking lot, an Environmental Assessment Statement that was drawn up for the property’s rezoning proposal says. As for 251 Front St., the site whose rezoning Vinegar Hill residents fought against three few years ago, it has been sold for $20 million to CW Realty, the Real Deal reported in January. The development firm plans to construct a five-story, 59-unit rental-apartment building, the story said. The Press requested comment from CW Realty about the project plans earlier this month, but the company has not responded. In the 1990s, 251 Front St.’s then-owner, Tocci, demolished the 1860s Roman Catholic Church of St. Ann, which stood on the property. It was designed by Patrick Charles Keely, who was known as the prince of American Catholic architects.

‘BQE JOB’S TOO BIG’— Representatives from Brooklyn community groups , A Better Way NYC, Brooklyn Heights Association and Cobble Hill Association sit in the front row of the City Council chambers during a hearing on the future of the Brooklyn­Queens Expressway on Feb. 25. SEE PAGE 4.. Brooklyn Heights Press photo by Paul Frangipane

City Council backs two sweeping BQE fixes COUNCIL & ENGINEERS RECOMMEND TRANSFORMATIVE DESIGNS By Mary Frost Brooklyn Heights Press

The New York City Council and engineering firm Arup have recommended two different but equally sweeping ideas to replace a decrepit section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The multibillion dollar project would reconstruct, at minimum, a 1.5 mile section of the interstate highway from Sands Street to Atlantic Avenue. The Council is urging the city to use this opportunity to rethink not just the triple cantilever underlying the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, but the entire I-278 corridor. One approach would route the BQE’s cars and trucks along an enclosed highway at ground level along Furman Street, and turn the triple cantilever into a park. Doing this would eliminate noise and pollution from the highway, enlarge Brooklyn Bridge Park by 8 to 10acres and preserve the promenade. The BQE would pass under Atlantic Avenue, unifying Van Voorhees Park. The other approach would replace a section of the BQE with a three-mile long tunnel from the Gowanus Canal to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The BQE from Cobble Hill to Clinton Hill could be converted into a surface street and new open space, “providing significant room for re-imagination, and could include dedicated transit and bicycle lanes, new parks and other public facilities,” the report said. The two recommendations were among those originated by residents, officials and design firms in the aftermath of the release of the city’s controversial proposal in September 2018, which it dubbed the “Innovative Plan.” In its much-maligned plan, NYC Department of Transportation would have replaced the promenade with a temporary six-lane BQE bypass while rebuilding the highway, part of I-278. This would have brought the noise and pollution of roughly 153,000 cars and trucks a day to ground level in Brooklyn Heights for six to eight years. It also would have done nothing toward advancing the city’s goals of reducing traffic and pollution, critics said.

‘Once in a lifetime opportunity’ “New York cannot continue to kick the can down the road on redeveloping the BQE,” City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said in a release Monday. “This is not just about rebuilding a highway, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build the city we deserve and need in the future. I am deeply proud of the work the Council has done with Arup to ensure that the ideas put forward were thoroughly reviewed and that the neighboring communities were partners in this effort, rather than spectators.” The enclosed (or “capped”) highway approach recommended by the Council was originated by both Brooklyn Heights resident Mark Baker and DUMBO’s Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), which

developed the idea further. The tunnel idea was revived and championed by Cobble Hill resident Roy Sloane, a 35-year member of the Transportation Committee of Community Board 6. BIG has estimated that the capped highway plan would cost around $3.2 billion. Arup’s high-ball estimate puts the cost roughly similar to that of DOT’s Innovative Plan. The tunnel bypass would cost much more but would be a more transformative project, the report said, and it could pay for itself using tolls. NYS DOT had ruled the tunnel idea out in an earlier study because of existing underground infrastructure and the need to acquire a “considerable” amount of property “to construct portals and one or more ventilation structures.” The outcome of the Mark Baker/BIG plan would be reminiscent of Brooklyn Heights’s historical conditions, where “the city and the river interlaced seamlessly” before the BQE was built, Jeremy Siegel, an associate at BIG, told a packed crowd at Plymouth Church last April. Sloane told the Heights Press on Monday that it was “deeply gratifying and thrilling” to have the tunnel concept validated. “They have recognized how a tunnel can help improve air quality, improve health, make our urban area more livable, more walkable, more bikeable – very simply, to improve the quality of life for all of our citizens in every way.” It would also be a boon for businesses as well as drivers living far from mass transit, he said. Simply fixing the triple cantilevered roadway “provides no transportation improvement — it merely prevents a truck from collapsing a section,” Sloane added. The Council report said the next step is to pass state legislation this session to create a new governing body to manage the project.

City Council’s recommendation Over the past year, a local group called A Better Way NYC and the Brooklyn Heights Association led community opposition to the city’s original plan. In an unusually effective effort, these groups wrangled protests and letter-writing campaigns, threatened lawsuits and held numerous meetings with officials. BHA came up with its own alternative BQE plan, designed by local designer Marc Wouters, which opened the floodgates for further visionary designs. BHA and A Better Way were later joined by the Cobble Hill Association and other community organizations in a loose coalition. After opposition had reached a furious crescendo, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed a handpicked BQE expert panel, headed by Carlo Scissura, in April 2019 to examine the options and make recommendations. Speaker Johnson selected Arup to double-check the work of the mayor’s expert panel and DOT’s contractor, Aecom, in September 2019.

The mayor’s panel released its report in January. It recommended starting emergency repairs immediately while removing one third of the highway’s lanes. Patchwork on the existing roadway has already begun. The mayor’s panel did not recommend any of the visionary plans floated by the public, but did advise that planning for a “transformational re-envisioning of the entire BQE corridor” start immediately. The City Council’s recommendations take up where the mayor’s panel stopped. Hilary Jager, a member of A Better Way, said in a statement that the group was gratified that the report “echoes our call for a comprehensive, transformative and environmentally sustainable solution — including essential legislation that would create a governing body of city and state representatives to implement the best corridor-wide plan.” Martha Bakos Dietz, president of the Brooklyn Heights Association, said that the report made “a significant contribution to the challenge of determining how to reduce the scale and environmental impact of an antiquated thoroughfare that divided communities and served the transportation needs of a previous century.” Dietz added, “They have presented visions for Brooklyn that minimize the negative impacts of the current BQE by in part burying it beneath our streets or at street level and in part replacing it with green boulevards and more parkland. As importantly, they have identified the immediate need for a governing entity that can bring to fruition any vision for a transformed BQE.” Another version of the plan, developed by Comptroller Scott Stringer, proposed extending a green deck over the despised Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens BQE trench. The Council’s proposal listed “public realm improvement strategies for the Cobble Hill trench and under the Park Avenue viaduct” as a primary concept. “The BQE has been a scar on neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens for decades, and I’m pleased that we are finally taking a bigger picture look at ways to fix the corridor and begin to knit some of our neighborhoods back together,” Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon said. Amy Breedlove, president of the Cobble Hill Association, said the organization was “enthusiastic about the transformative possibilities of covering the Cobble Hill Trench and removing the deadly exit and entrance ramps in our neighborhood.” The section of the BQE from Sands Street to Atlantic Avenue is so decrepit it needs to be replaced before 2026, according to DOT, or tens of thousands of trucks daily will be rerouted through Brooklyn’s residential streets. Arup will present its findings during Tuesday’s Council Committee on Transportation oversight hearing on the BQE. The City Council’s report can be found here.

This overview shows the second of two variations on BIG’s basic plan, which would move lanes Council President Scott Stringer’s proposal called for covering the Cobble Hill and Carroll Rendering via Scott Stringer’s Office Rendering courtesy of BIG Gardens BQE trench with an elevated park. of the BQE to a boxed­over ground level highway topped by a deck. Thursday, February 27, 2020 • Brooklyn Heights Press • 3

‘BQE job’s too big’ Continued from PAGE 1

Speakers said Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo are going to have to work together to accomplish one of the biggest infrastructure projects in city history: replacing a 1.5-mile section of the interstate between Sands Street and Atlantic Avenue that carries 153,000 vehicles a day, including 25,000 trucks hauling freight. Officials also said that the concept must be widened to include not just the triple cantilever underpinning the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, but the entire expanse of the I-278 corridor. At the hearing, the City Council’s engineering firm Arup explained its top two recommendations to rebuild or replace the interstate and urged representatives to move immediately to form a special governing body to move the project to the next level. Arup was hired by the City Council in September 2019 to double-check the work of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s expert panel and the city Department of Transportation’s own contractor, Aecom. The Council and Arup released its recommendations on Monday.

4 • Brooklyn Heights Press • Thursday, February 27, 2020

From left: Marc Wouters, Martha Bakos Dietz of the Brooklyn Heights Association, Hilary Jager of a Better Way. One approach, inspired by the Mark Baker/BIG plan, would route the BQE’s cars and trucks along an enclosed highway at ground level along Furman Street, turning the triple cantilever underpinning the Brooklyn Heights Promenade into a park. Atlantic Avenue would run beneath the open space, and the Cobble Hill trench could be topped with green space. The other approach would replace a section of the BQE with a three-mile long tunnel from the Gowanus Canal to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The former BQE from Cobble Hill to Clinton Hill would be converted into a surface street and new open space. The tunnel idea has long been championed by Cobble Hill resident Roy Sloane, a 35-year member of the Transportation Committee of Community Board 6. While the city had ruled out a tunnel in years past, technology for boring has improved enormously in the past decade, according to Arup. Speaker Corey Johnson said that he was not endorsing any one particular plan. “It’s about getting information to the public and moving it forward.” This means “setting up a public authority charged with overseeing this process for years to come,” Johnson said. The governing body would have “oversight over multiple city, state and federal administrations, keeping their eye on the prize and working with the communities and every level of state government along the way.” “I’m admonishing the governor and the mayor that it’s time to work together and come up with a structure that has the authority to do this kind of work,” Councilmember Stephen Levin said. “It’s incumbent that they set aside any difference they have and work together on a governance structure.” “We said months ago a governance structure was needed. A true entity that has teeth, money and actual power to build, or

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson gathered with community members in City Hall Park ahead of a hearing about the future of the Brooklyn­Queens Expressway in the council's Committee on Transportation on Feb. 25. Brooklyn Heights Press photos by Paul Frangipane nothing will happen — city, state and federal,” said Carlo Scissura, head of a BQE panel appointed by the mayor in April 2019 to study the problem. He added, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get this right.” Scissura said that state Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon “have to come together to create legislation in Albany” to create the new government entity. “Can we get it done before the budget, I don’t know. But we need to get the conversation started.” The state had originally planned to carry out the project, but it “dropped the ball” years ago, Councilmembers said. Visit brooklyneagle.com for more of this story.

News From Your Neighborhood SUNSET PARK LEADERS: DON’T LET FEAR OF VIRUS BECOME OVERRIDING

SUNSET PARK — Sunset Park community leaders on Thursday met with local politicians at Park Asia restaurant on Eighth Avenue in Sunset Park to discuss fear the Asian American community is facing in connection to an upcoming Lunar New Year’s celebration at New Utrecht High School, according to the Brooklyn Reporter website. U.S. Rep. Max Rose said that fear of the coronavirus, which was first reported in Wuhan, China, must not get in the way of people dining and congregating in Sunset Park. Thursday’s event was organized by Brooklyn Asian-American Civilian Observation Patrol’s Louie Liu. Assemblymember Peter Abbate also said that “there is no reason for people not to come out to restaurants and shops, and people should patronize our businesses.’ 

PRODUCER OF PIONEER TV SERIES ON BED-STUY DIES

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Charles Hobson, who pioneered African American television in New York with his two series “Inside Bedford-Stuyvesant” and “Like It Is,” died earlier this month at age 83, according to The New York Times. Hobson, who lived in Boerum Hill, helped show the complex reality of neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy. The 52 episodes of “Inside Bedford-Stuyvesant” featured entertainers like Eubie Blake, Harry Belafonte and Max Roach; local teachers and police officers; and street performers. “Here was a community of about 400,000 people at that time, with all of their culture and churches and no coverage,” Hobson told the Times in 1998. He grew up in a brownstone in Bed-Stuy, then graduated from Boys High and Brooklyn College. 

GREENPOINT SENIOR FOUND DEAD IN NEWTOWN CREEK

GREENPOINT — A 76-year-old Greenpoint woman with dementia who was missing for two weeks was found dead in the water by the shoreline of Newtown Creek, according to the New York Post. Czeslawa Konefal had been last seen at St. Stanislaus Church on Humboldt Street on Feb. 9, police said. Family members said she spoke only Polish. The city’s medical examiner is set to determine the cause of death. 

CITY RECONSIDERS PLANS FOR CANARSIE BIKE PATH

CANARSIE — The city Department of Transportation is reconsidering its plan for a bike lane on Remsen Avenue between Foster Avenue and Canarsie Park in Canarsie after strenuous opposition from local leaders. “Maybe eventually we will need bike lanes when people are going to be forced off the streets and forced to ride bikes, scooters, and roller skates,” Dorothy Turano, the district manager of Community Board 18, told the Brooklyn Paper. Many residents of southern Brooklyn, where residents are dependent on car usage, have opposed bike lanes on the grounds that they would create more auto congestion, the Brooklyn Paper said. Councilmember Alan Maisel (D-Canarsie) said that Canarsie already has two streets with partial bike lanes, and this makes the proposed Remsen Avenue lane unnecessary. 

PIONEER CONEY BOUTIQUE TO CLOSE DUE TO RENT HIKE

LET US TELL YOUR STORY

CONEY ISLAND — A boutique and souvenir shop that has been on the Coney Island Boardwalk for 19 years will close because of a massive rent hike, according to the Brooklyn Paper. Dianna Carlin, can reach backseat multi-taskers theWe owner of even Lola Star Souvenir Boutique, spent months negotiating her rent after her landlord, Zamperla, demanded a 500 percent increase, the Brooklyn Paper reported. Even after negotiations, the giant corporation, which also owns Luna Park, was still demanding a 400 percent hike. Several other Boardwalk businesses, such as Ruby’s Bar and Grill, successfully negotiated agreements with Zamperla, and some insiders said the other tenants received better terms than Lola Star, the Brooklyn Paper said. 

NEW PIZZERIA SHOWS SIGNS OF GREATNESS

WILLIAMSBURG — Leo, a new pizza place at 318 Grand St., Williamsburg, shows every sign of becoming both a great takeout emporium and a great in-house pizzeria, according to New York Eater. The restaurant’s strength is that it serves both good Neapolitan pies and good Sicilian (or “square,” for the uninitiated) slices. While most takeout-oriented pizzerias incorporate many styles under one roof, “fancier institutions … tend to focus on a singular kind of whole pie,” New York Eater said. Effective ad campaigns for

NEW SCHOOL PLANNED IN GOWANUS

Less than spend coffee.Authority, GOWANUS — The Newyou York City Schoolon Construction which handles construction of new facilities for the city DepartContact us about seasonal online and in print. ment of Education, recentlypromotions filed plans for a three-story school building at 197 Ninth St. in Gowanus, according to New York Ask for a consultation: YIMBY. The site, which is currently a vacant lot, is one block west QUEENS: of the Fourth Avenue-Ninth Street subway station. The new BROOKLYN: jdh@queenspublicmedia.com building will house a pre-kindergarten center, seating about 180 jdh@ebrooklynmedia.com 4-year-olds from the surrounding Park Slope and Gowanus areas. AECOM Capital is listed as the architect of record. Thursday, August 23, 2018 • BQ Daily Eagle • 17

Brock Nelson (right) exults after scoring the tying goal with 17.9 seconds remaining Tuesday night to salvage a point for the Islanders in their eventual 4-3 overtime loss to the Rangers in Uniondale, N.Y. AP photo by Kathy Willens 

EIGHT-STORY BUILDING PLANNED FOR BRIGHTON BEACH

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MARINA IN GRAVESEND TO CLOSE AFTER 50 YEARS

BRIGHTON BEACH — An eight-story building is planned for 15 West End Ave. in Brighton Beach near the B and Q trains’ Sheepshead Bay subway station, according to New York YIMBY. The building is set to have 34 residential units, most likely rentals, as well as 9,803 feet of community facility space on the first and second floors. Leonid Bogomolniy, under the name 15 West End LLC, is listed as the owner, and Kindo Holdings is listed as the architect. The site, which is currently a vacant lot, is in the former bungalow district. 

GRAVESEND — The 50-year old Marine Basin Marina in Gravesend will close in April, inconveniencing more than 500 boat owners, according to the Brooklyn Paper. Tenants were given eight to 10 weeks to find a new spot for their boats, the Brooklyn Paper said. The Gagliano family, which owned and operated the marina for more than 50 years, sold the marina to a real estate investment firm for $57.5 million. 

BROWNSVILLE — Police are investigating a fatal shooting in Brooklyn that took place Friday morning, according to ABC7. The shots rang out at 10:30 a.m. on the 100 block of Herzl Street in Brownville. Witnesses say a 38-year-old man was shot in the stomach after getting into an argument. He was taken to Brookdale Hospital in critical condition and later died from his injuries.

CARROLL GARDENS — Ladybug Daycare, a daycare chain that has locations on Smith Street and Fourth Place in Carroll Gardens, has signed a 10-year lease for 2,800 square feet at 138 Union St. between Hicks and Columbia streets, according to the Commercial Observer. The day care center on Union Street is scheduled to open in six months.

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They said yes! Brooklyn resident headed to Hollywood after “American Idol” audition By Jaime DeJesus INBrooklyn

A Brooklyn-based singer is headed to Hollywood! Bushwick resident Meghan Fitton told this paper about her experience on the hit singing competition show, “American Idol,” but couldn’t reveal the final results until after the show’s premiere aired on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 16. Luckily, she nailed the nerve-wracking audition in front of judges/singers Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, receiving all yeses, and now she is headed to Hollywood to compete in the next phase of the show. “It was surreal,” Fitton told this paper. “I’ve seen Luke Bryan three times live and to have him kind of jump in right after I finished my performance and say I was, ‘a rock star and incredible’ was crazy. Someone I’ve screamed from the stands for is now telling me I’m amazing? What?! And then Lionel Richie, on top of that, looking me in the eyes and saying he was excited about me, and saying I was raw and wonderful, was so amazing and reassuring. He is a music legend. Something like that doesn’t happen everyday.” During the show, Fitton, a Foxboro native and fitness instructor, discussed her love for another reality show, “The Bachelor,” (she

hosts a podcast focused on the show) and sang “Where You’re At” by Allen Stone. The judges, especially Bryan and Richie, said how impressed they were by Fitton’s performance. “That was incredible,” said Bryan. “That’s like rock star soul, grit, angst. It was incredible.” “I’m thinking that I had to close my eyes for a minute, open my eyes to see where the heck that voice was coming from, because it’s raw and wonderful,” added Richie.” Perry offered some advice as well. I think you have really special moments,” she told the Idol hopeful. “I definitely think you need to connect them more, and they need to be a bit smoothed out. It’s like when you’re driving stick, and you stop in the middle. But you can get to that gear. There’s something very raw, and we’re always looking for that diamond in the rough.” Fitton felt relieved about what they showed in the episode. “You never know on TV how things are going to be portrayed or received,” she explained. “I thought ‘American Idol’ and ABC did wonders, and made me look like myself. I definitely feel a sense of validation, rewatching the praise from the judges, as

Meghan Fitton showing her golden ticket.

Photos courtesy of Meghan Fitton

well as receiving so much love and support from strangers since my audition aired.” She added, “I honestly was just trying to stay calm and in the moment. I also didn’t want to forget the words, but I knew I was doing well when Luke reacted positively a few seconds after I started. It gave me a surge of power to just be me and finish, because I believed that I had

already caught their attention for the better.” Fitton also discussed the advice from Perry with this paper. “I appreciated it. She’s only trying to help me get better, and she did also say I was a diamond in the rough, which is a HUGE compliment,” Fitton said, “a diamond that just needed a little polish.” Fitton’s choice of Stone’s song proved to be a strong one as she belted lyrics such as, “So love where you’re at, yeah, love where you’re at, and keep your dirt on the surface and just love where you’re at. I wear my sins on my collar so everyone sees, and there ain’t no bother in spreading rumors about me. “He is one of my favorite art-

ists,” Fitton said. “His songs are so well-written and soulful and definitely my vibe. It was like a destiny moment, the minute my friend Brian showed me the song a few months ago. “I knew I could bring my own energy to it while holding true to the original version,” she added. While Fitton acknowledged that she was originally going to do a different song, she told this paper that she had rehearsed the Stone song “in case they asked me to sing another song, and I knew that was it. It felt right, and I think the lyrics resonated with the current state of my career.” Stone saw her performance on Youtube and commented on it, writing, “Wowza. This is amazing. Good luck, Meghan.” Slowly, after the show aired, friends, family and fans took to Instagram to praise Fitton’s performance. Fitton tagged many of them, posting them to her story to show her appreciation. She was thrilled to share the news with her family, who are huge fans of the show. “I do this all for them because they’ve supported me since I was a baby,” she said. “All I wanted to do was get that golden ticket to show them that all the time spent listening to me sing was worth it. I’m so lucky to have them in my life, standing by me and this crazy life choice.” Perry surprised her with a live feed of “The Bachelor” host Chris Harrison giving her the good news. “Meghan, will you accept this final rose?” Harrison joked. “Wrong show. Meghan, welcome to Hollywood.” “Never would I have thought that would be my story on the

show,” Fitton said. “It was fun to take videos, blowing rose petals out of my hands, and meet Chris Harrison.” However, putting yourself on national television isn’t all roses. Fitton said she was criticized by some people for how she chose to dress, in a tank top, jeans and sneakers, for the audition. “It was kind of crazy to me that most of the comments under the Instagram and Youtube video of my audition were about my outfit and not my actual performance,” she said. “I definitely wasn’t expecting that. I wore what I wore because I wanted to be my most authentic self, and to me that’s minimal makeup, sneakers, jeans and a tank top.I said to myself early in the process that if I’m going to be on a reality show, I’m going to be Meghan, through and through, and if I get to Hollywood, I wanted it to be because I can sing, not because I was wearing this crazy outfit.” Nonetheless, despite the few cynics, Fitton — who performs at local clubs in New York City — said that the experience has been a positive one. “I have already gained so many new supporters and met so many cool and amazing people through the process,” she said. “I just hope that I can reach more people with my music, and I’m excited to continue to share it. I have a lot of shows coming up, and the release of my first EP ‘All Over the Place’ is coming, and I hope to engage with new faces and new ears.” You can keep up with Fitton on Instagram @meghanfitton or via her website, meghanfitton. com.

SINGERS WANTED

The Kingsborough Musical Society Chorus, Mark Mangini, conductor, is seeking choral singers. The chorus offers a mixed repertoire of theater, folk and classical music. It performs two free concerts annually in December and May. Rehearsals are Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at the King’s

Chapel Church, 2702 Quentin Rd. (corner East 27th Street). Previous choral experience is helpful. This May 17th, the Kingsborough Musical Society Chorus will be performing its annual free spring concert. For information about joining the chorus, call Steve Friedman at 718-338-9132.

4INB AA Special Section of Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/HomeEagle/Heights Reporter/Brooklyn Spectator/Brooklyn Record/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of February 27 - March 4, 2020 4INB INBROOKLYN Section of Daily Press/Home Reporter/Brooklyn Spectator/Brooklyn Record/Greenpoint Gazette •• Week 4INB•••INBROOKLYN INBROOKLYN—— — A Special Special Section of Brooklyn Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Home Reporter/Brooklyn Spectator/Brooklyn Record/Greenpoint Gazette Week of of February February 27 27 –– March March 4, 4, 2020 2020

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Matt Damon’s Brooklyn Heights condo is in an old Jehovah’s Witnesses building. What became of all these properties?

Eye on

REAL ESTATE By Lore Croghan INBrooklyn

A property the Jehovah’s Witnesses sold when they moved their world headquarters out of Brooklyn Heights to upstate New York is now a condo building where Matt Damon reportedly bought the penthouse. There are lots of stories to tell about what’s become of the Watchtower’s Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO property portfolio, which the organization disposed of in a multi-year selloff. The most glamorous of the properties is the Standish at 171 Columbia Heights, thanks to the Oscar-winning actor’s reported $16.745 million condo buy there. I’ll tell you more about Damon’s reported deal in a minute.

The Watchtower’s headquarters had an iconic sign, which is shown in this 2017 picture.

INBrooklyn photos by Lore Croghan

The Brooklyn Heights building where Matt Damon reportedly owns a condo is one of many neighborhood properties that formerly belonged to the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Purchasers of other Jehovah’s Witnesses properties in the two neighborhoods are now busy developing them into luxury apartment complexes, an upscale seniors residence, modern offices and housing for formerly homeless people. For nearly a century, the Jehovah’s Witnesses were big-time property owners in these two neighborhoods. They made their presence known with an electric sign that said “Watchtower” atop their waterfront world headquarters at 25-30 Columbia Heights. You could see those blazing red letters on the Brooklyn Bridge and in Lower Manhattan. Many other properties served as residences for the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Some were used for Bible-printing. The Watchtower’s Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO property sales added up to at least $2.19 billion. I say “at least” because possibly I didn’t find all the transactions when I was checking city Finance Department records.

Here’s the facade of the Standish, where Matt Damon reportedly owns the penthouse.

Jason Bourne in Clark Kent’s building

The New York Post reported in December 2018 that the Standish penthouse purchase was Damon’s, and Variety did too, a few days later. The buy was made through an LLC with Gary Kress as sole manager, Finance Department records indicate. A 2012 Hollywood Reporter story identifies Kress as Damon’s manager. The star of the Jason Bourne film franchise isn’t the only celebrity who’s believed to own a condo at the landmarked former Standish Arms Hotel, which opened in 1903. Actor couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski spent about $11 million for an apartment there, the Wall Street Journal reported in January 2019. An interesting bit of trivia from the world of comic books: The building Superman’s mild-mannered alter ego Clark Kent lives in is called the Standish. In the real world, the Jehovah’s Witnesses sold the Standish to a developer for $50 million in 2007, Finance Department records indicate. That purchaser turned the tower into a rentalapartment complex before selling it in 2014 to condo converters DDG and Westbrook Partners for $60 million. The Jehovah’s Witnesses also sold off small residential buildings they owned next to the Standish — 161 Columbia Heights went for $2.95 million in 2012 and a carriage house at 165 Columbia Heights went for $4.1 million in 2012, Finance Department records show.

Condos in Brooklyn Bridge Park and a historic hotel

I devised a walk to show you a generous sampling of the former Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO Watchtower properties. The stroll starts at condo building One Brooklyn Bridge Park, which is easily reached via the NYC Ferry, whose Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6/Atlantic Avenue stop is just steps away. One Brooklyn Bridge Park’s address is 360 Furman St. The Watchtower sold the 14-story industrial building to developer Robert A. Levine for $205.02 million in 2004, Finance Department records show. The condo units on the side of the building facing the park and Lower Manhattan have tremendous views. The back of the building overlooks the BQE. It would be easy to spend hours in scenic Brooklyn Bridge Park. That’s a walk for another day. Instead, head up Joralemon Street into Brooklyn Heights and turn left on Hicks Street, and soon you’ll arrive at another big former Watchtower property, the Hotel Bossert. Before the Jehovah’s Witnesses owned the landmarked Renaissance Revival-style hotel at 98 Montague St., it was a high-society hot spot where the Brooklyn Dodgers celebrated when they won the World Series in October 1955. The Watchtower owned the Bossert for three decades before selling it for $81 million in 2012, Finance Department records show. Its current owner, the Chetrit Group, is renovating it as a boutique hotel.

—Continued on page 11INB—

10INB Press/Home Reporter/Brooklyn Spectator/Brooklyn Record/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of February 27, 2020 10INB •• INBROOKLYN INBROOKLYN— —AASpecial SpecialSection SectionofofBrooklyn BrooklynEagle/Heights Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Home Reporter/Brooklyn Spectator/Brooklyn Record/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of February 27 – March 4, 2020

Matt Damon’s Brooklyn Heights condo is in an old Jehovah’s Witnesses building. What became of all these properties?

Eye on

REAL ESTATE

In 2017, RFR bought an adjacent property, 90 Sands St., for $135 million, Finance Department records indicate. You can also get a good look at this 29-story tower, which the Watchtower constructed as a hotel in the early 1990s, from up on the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian path. Supportive-housing developer Breaking Ground, which purchased 90 Sands St. from RFR for $170 million in 2018, plans to create 305 apartments for formerly homeless people and 202 affordable apartments for extremely-low-income to moderate-income tenants in the building. Breaking Ground is working its way through a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, or ULURP, that’s legally required because it is seeking to change the property’s zoning so residential use will be allowed.

Three acres is a lot of land

When you leave the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian path, head down Prospect Street, which takes you through the center of the DUMBO Heights complex. You will walk beneath a skybridge and pass the front entrance of Etsy’s offices.

This is the gated courtyard of 107 Columbia Heights, which is now an apartment complex called Clover House. Continued from page 10 INB

Fancy Dodgers’ lodgings and the old Watchtower HQ

Turn left on Clark Street and walk to the corner of Willow Street for a look at The Towers. Before the Jehovah’s Witnesses owned it, the landmarked 16-story property at 21 Clark St. was a hotel where the highest-paid Brooklyn Dodgers stayed during the baseball season. The Watchtower sold the building for $202.5 million in 2017, Finance Department records show. The current owners and developers are investment firm Kayne Anderson with Watermark Retirement Communities/The Freshwater Group and Tishman Speyer. They’re turning the property into a luxury senior-living facility called The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights. Last fall, I took a hard-hat tour of this renovation project, which should be completed soon. Walk up Willow Street. Along the way, you will pass a favorite Brooklyn Heights house, which is on the corner of Cranberry Street. This house at 19 Cranberry St. is where Cher’s character lived in the movie “Moonstruck.” Stop when you get to the corner of Middagh Street. Down below, on the far side of the BQE, you’ll see the Watchtower’s old headquarters complex at 25-30 Columbia Heights. These industrial properties had belonged to pharmaceutical giant E.R. Squibb & Sons Inc. before the Watchtower bought them.

After nearly a half-century of ownership, the Jehovah’s Witnesses sold the five-building complex in 2016 for $340 million, Finance Department records indicate. The current owners, a joint venture of CIM Group and LIVWRK Holdings, are turning it into an office and retail complex called Panorama. Last August, I got to tour this redevelopment project. The Jehovah’s Witnesses took the shining red letters off their headquarters’ “Watchtower” sign when they left Brooklyn Heights. The letters that are now on the sign spell out the This skybridge can be found in DUMBO Heights . word “Welcome.” INBrooklyn photos by Lore Croghan

Four properties, three buyers

If you turn left onto Columbia Heights instead of walking down the hill to Panorama, you will find four residential properties the Watchtower sold that are located within a couple blocks of each other. One buyer, Hawkins Way Properties, purchased two properties in 2017. One is 97 Columbia Heights, a modern building for which the investment firm paid $58 million, Finance Department records indicate. It stands on the site of the historic Hotel Margaret, which burned down in 1980 while developer Ian Bruce Eichner was converting it to a co-op apartment building. The other property is 117-125 Columbia Heights, for which the investment firm paid $18 million, Finance Department records indicate. It includes a building constructed in 1969 that was designed by a proponent of Brutalist architecture named Ulrich Franzen and three old-fashioned rowhouses adjacent to it. Both properties are being turned into student housing complexes operated by a provider called Found Study. The second buyer was an affiliate of David Bistricer’s Clipper Realty Inc., which purchased a gated property with a courtyard at 107 Columbia Heights. The real estate firm paid $87.5 million for it in 2017, Finance Department records show. Bistricer has renovated it and turned it into a rental-apartment building called Clover House. The third buyer was Vincent Viola, the owner of the Florida Panthers hockey team. He purchased 124 Columbia Heights for $105 million in 2016, Finance Department records show. This building is located directly on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, so even its lowest floors have stellar views of the Manhattan skyline. The other three properties are not located directly on the Promenade.

When you turn left on Jay Street, you will see a mammoth development rising several stories above a construction fence. This project, which will have 408 condos and 320 rental apartments, is called Front & York. There will be 21-story towers on two corners of the three-acre site. Other portions of the complex will be eight stories tall. The Jehovah’s Witnesses sold this site at 85 Jay St. for $345 million in 2016, Finance Department records show. The purchasers were a developer team consisting of CIM Group, LIVWRK and Kushner Cos., which at that time was headed by Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Kushner gave up his role of managing the company when he became a senior advisor to President Trump. And Kushner Cos. later sold its stake in the 85 Jay St. development project to CIM Group. For more of this story visit brooklyneagle.com

Bible-printing plants

Now head for DUMBO to see other former Watchtower properties. One way to get where you need to go is to take a left on Pierrepont Street and then another left on Monroe Place, since it’s a particularly pretty street. From there, you go right on Clark Street and left on Cadman Plaza West, then cross Cadman Plaza Park to Cadman Plaza East. You’re heading for the stairway to the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian path. Up on the bridge, you get an excellent view of five industrial buildings where the Jehovah’s Witnesses printed Bibles in at least 180 languages. Their addresses are 117 Adams St., 55 Prospect St., 81 Prospect St., 77 Sands St. and 175 Pearl St. The Watchtower sold them in a package deal for $240 million in 2013. Developers Kushner Cos., RFR and LIVWRK Holdings have turned them into an office and retail complex called DUMBO Heights. of February 27, • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Eagle/HeightsPress/Home Press/HomeReporter/Brooklyn Reporter/BrooklynSpectator/Brooklyn Spectator/BrooklynRecord/Greenpoint Record/Greenpoint Gazette Gazette •• 11INB Week of February 27 – March 4, 2020Week • INBROOKLYN — A2020 Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights

OBITUARIES

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718-238-3600 the family’s glass-engraving business. In lieu of flowers, please continue Jean’s legacy of supporting animals by making a donation to the ASPCA. All services arranged by Clavin Funeral Home.

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MASON, Jean (nee Stene) — Of Bay Ridge, passed away peacefully on Feb. 10 with her family by her side. Beloved wife of Jackie (John) for 63 loving years, Jean is survived by her husband and two sons, Roger and his wife Annette, and Christopher and his wife Robin. One of Jean’s greatest joys was spending time with her three grandchildren — Sky Rae, Sara Olivia and Taylor John — all of whom cherish the love she offered so generously and the memories they created with their grandmother. Together with her adoring husband, Jean would often be found planning the next adventure for the grandchildren, from horseback riding and trips to Coney Island, to trick-or-treating and the annual tradition of baking Christmas cookies. Jean was born in Brooklyn to Norwegian immigrant parents, Lars and Birgit Stene, on Sept. 16, 1938. She was a resident of Brooklyn her entire life and after the birth of their sons, the family spent summers in Tarrytown, New York. Tarrytown was a fitting place for Jean as she adored the wildlife and the gardens. She was an avid bird watcher, but could often be found curled up with a good book. Most of all, she loved spending time with her children and the friends and family that came to visit. Jean grew up with her sister Carol Zwerenz and brother Dennis Stene (deceased). She began her professional career as a New York City model and after raising her two boys, she eventually went on to join

Debbie, Kathleen, Susan, Denis, Brian, Kathy and the late Mark. Dear cousin of (Norris family) Bobby, Gary, Vicky, Donna, Michael, Carol, Jean and Bob Reis. Tom was always known for his big smile, kind eyes, and loving nature. Tom was a dear friend to many and an all-around neighborhood guy. He was loved by all and he will be forever in our hearts. Please visit clavinfuneralhome. com for service information.

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VALINTIS, Thomas — On Feb. 23. Beloved husband of Barbara Anne (nee Bemis). Beloved son of the late Kathleen and the late Tony Valintis. Dear brother of Veronica Broderick and the late Kathleen Higginbotham. Loving uncle to Bobby,

MCGLYNN, Edith — Born Feb. 3, 1932 in Sunset Park. Edith passed away peacefully on Feb. 23 at the Addeo Hospice Residence on Staten Island. As a child growing up in Brooklyn, she attended the O.L.P.H Parish and its schools. She was a long-time employee of Wood Gundy in Manhattan until she retired. Edith was predeceased by her loving husband John

who passed away in 2000. She was a wonderful sister to Doris Kalinowski. Loving aunt to Elizabeth Biviano, Josephine (John) Rex, Charlie (Linda) Kalinowski, Doris (Mario) Correia, Michael Kalinowski and Carol (Luke) Lamberson. Loving great aunt to John Rex, Christopher Rex, Steven Biviano, Daniel and Ambica Biviano, Matthew Correia. and Justin Correia. Edith was a devout Catholic whose faith had sustained her throughout life. She loved to visit and travel with her family and friends. She also enjoyed reading,

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doing crossword puzzles and going to the movies. She was beloved by all who knew her, and she will be truly missed. She will forever be honored and remembered by her family and friends. A Mass of Christian Burial was held Thursday, Feb. 27 at St. Anselm Roman Catholic Church with burial at St. Charles/Resurrection Cemeteries in Farmingdale, New York. All services arranged by Clavin Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Edith’s memory to St. Anselm Roman Catholic Church. Please visit clavinfuneralhome. com for more information.

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KETELSEN, Donna A. — On Feb. 23. Beloved mother of Eric Ketelsen Alexieff, Evan Edward Alexieff and Tristan Jeannette Alexieff. Loving daughter of Edward and Jeannette Ketelsen (nee Cuomo).

Dear sister of Catherine Ketelsen, Janet Stover (Mark) and Lynn A. Ketelsen. Proud aunt of Kaleb and Kevin Stover. Loving niece of Ralph Cuomo, Roy and Karen Ketelsen, and John Ketelsen. Also survived by many loving cousins and dear friends. Proud registered nurse for over 30 years at Methodist Hospital. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, Feb. 28 at Saint Saviour R.C. Church in Brooklyn. All services arranged by Clavin Funeral Home.

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Traditionally, a loss of any kind to the arch-rival New York Rangers is very hard to swallow for the New York Islanders. But not this loss, and certainly not in the midst of what is shaping up as a down-tothe-wire race for the final few Eastern Conference playoff spots. “That was a hell of a comeback by us to get a point,” Isles Head Coach Barry Trotz said Tuesday night after his team rallied to force overtime before dropping a 4-3 decision to the visiting Blueshirts in front of 13,917 fans at the renovated Nassau Coliseum. “It was a real character point for us.” Trailing 3-1 with under six minutes remaining in regulation, the Isles (35-20-7, 76 points) cut the deficit in half on Jordan Eberle’s power-play goal at the 14:23 mark and equalized with only 17.9 ticks left when Brock Nelson delivered his team-leading 23rd goal of the year. Though Mika Zibanejed settled matters with the game-winner just 28 seconds into the extra session, giving the surging Rangers (34-244) their eighth win in nine games, the Isles emerged feeling victorious just for having averted a pointless night. “That tells me a lot about

my team,” Trotz said. “Even when we were down 3-1, all the leaders, all the key guys for us, were saying, ‘We’re coming back in this,’ and ‘Let’s kill this penalty off. Let’s go.’ There was no woe is me; it was, ‘We’re getting some points tonight.’” And they did get one, which kept them one point ahead of Columbus for the first wildcard spot in the East while moving within two points of Philadelphia for third place in the Metropolitan Division standings. Newly acquired Jean-Gabriel Pageau also scored in his Isles debut as New York continued its surge toward a second consecutive playoff berth with 20 regular-season contests remaining. “The organization, the team, all the players here, made me feel comfortable since day one, really made me feel like I was part of the family,” said Pageau, who was picked up by Isles General Manager Lou Lamoriello prior to the NHL’s trade deadline after spending his first eight seasons in Ottawa. With the Senators out of serious playoff contention, Pageau now has a chance to help the Isles make their postseason push. “What a great pickup by Lou,” noted Trotz. “The [draft] picks [we gave up for him] are nothing. A lot of picks never play, and we have a solid guy, and he fits right into our team.

Brock Nelson (right) exults after scoring the tying goal with 17.9 seconds remaining Tuesday night to salvage a point for the Islanders in their eventual 4-3 overtime loss to the Rangers in Uniondale, N.Y. AP Photos by Kathy Willens

You saw his character, how he plays, his smarts and all that. He’s going to be impactful for us. I’m glad he’s on our side.” So are his teammates, especially after the veteran center stepped up to defend teammate Michael Dal Colle after what he described as a “high hit” by the Rangers’ Jacob Trouba early in the third period. “He’s standing up for teammates right away,” Nelson said of Pageau. “He hasn’t been here long, but guys have respected him before; he’s going to fit right in.” Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves for the Isles, who might want to keep closer tabs on the surging Rangers, who climbed within four points of Columbus for the second wild card by pulling out the win. “We’re finding a way right

Acquired prior to this week’s NHL trade deadline, Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a goal and stuck up for his new teammates during his Islanders debut Tuesday night at the Nassau Coliseum.

Though his team lost the game, Isles Head Coach Barry Trotz was pleased by how it rallied to earn a point before losing in overtime to the surging New York Rangers Tuesday night.

now, and that’s what we need going forward,” Zibanejad said. “Right now, we’re just really consistent the way we play and the way we manage games.” “This time of year, any team that wins a game in the National Hockey League, your goalie better be good, and our guy was really good tonight,” Rangers Head Coach David Quinn said after Alexandar Georgiev stoned the Isles for most of the night with 42 saves. Having gone 2-0-1 on their three-game homestand, the Isles hit the road tonight in St. Louis before returning to Uniondale, N.Y., Saturday to host the Boston Bruins. And they’ll do so, feeling better about themselves despite an overtime loss at home to their rivals. “We would have liked to

get two [points against the Rangers], but being in that position in the game to find a way to get it to overtime and get one, we’ll take it,” said Isles forward Josh Bailey after picking up an assist on

Pageau’s goal. “I thought we played a pretty solid 60 minutes of hockey, so we can walk out of here with our heads high and move forward with a positive mindset.”

ISLE HAVE ANOTHER

Prior to Saturday afternoon’s game vs. Boston, the Isles will hold a jersey retirement ceremony for former center and long-time team broadcaster Butch Goring at the Coliseum. Goring’s No. 91, which was most recently worn by former team captain John Tavares, will be raised to the rafters alongside that of former teammate John Tonelli, who had his jersey retired prior to last Friday night’s 4-1 victory over Detroit. Goring and Tonelli were both part of the dynastic Isles squad that won four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980-83. … Dal Colle did not return following the brutal hit he took from Trouba and defenseman Andy Greene, another of Lamoriello’s pre-deadline acquisitions, left Tuesday’s game in the first period with an upper-body injury. Both players are listed as day-to-day.

Thursday, February 27, 2020 • A SPECIAL SECTION of Brooklyn Heights Press/Brooklyn Eagle Weekly/Greenpoint Gazette/The Record • 5

‘West Side Story’ opening draws protesters on Broadway By John Carucci

The Associated Press

There was a chorus outside the Broadway Theatre on Thursday at the opening night of a new revival of “West Side Story” but what was being sung was a protest chant. A group of about 100 people demanded the removal of cast member Amar Ramasar, who was fired and then reinstated last year at New York City Ballet for sharing nude photos of women and sexually explicit texts. The protesters chanted “Hey hey, ho ho, Amar Ramasar has got to go!” before the curtain went up, even as the opening night celebration drew such stars as Andrea Martin, Julie Taymor, Vanessa Hudgens, Alec Baldwin and Iman. Protests outside Broadway shows are relatively rare but have occurred. Anti-Scientology activists gathered outside “All My Sons” starring Katie Holmes in 2008 and people upset by the material in the show protested outside “The Scottsboro Boys” in 2010. Alexandra Waterbury, a former student with the City Ballet’s affiliated school, the School of American Ballet, alleged in 2018 that Ramasar and two other men shared nude photos of her, taken without her knowledge, with other men in the company. Since, then, there’s been a petition to remove Ramasar from “West Side Story,” where he plays Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. Producers in a statement last week backed the actor, noting that the incident took place in a different workplace and “has been both fully

Protesters demonstrated at the Broadway opening night of “West Side Story” at the Broadway Theatre on Thursday. Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP adjudicated and definitively concluded according to the specific rules of that workplace.” “There is zero consideration being given to his potentially being terminated from this work-

place, as there has been no transgression of any kind, ever, in this workplace,” the statement read. Protesters held signs that read: “Boo Bernar-

MTA could make many more stations accessible, study finds By Jose Martinez, THE CITY

Many more subway stations could be made accessible, according to an MTA-commissioned study on bringing the system in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The first part of the $17.6 million review, obtained by THE CITY, also found elevators could be added to four above-ground stations in Queens that underwent extensive renovations from 2017 to 2019 — but whose improvements did not include lifts. “There is no question that we can have an inclusive subway system,” said Michelle Caiola, managing director of litigation at Disability Rights Advocates. “Now the MTA must do the work.” In February 2018, the MTA hired Stantec, a Canadian engineering consulting firm, to study the feasibility and cost of making hundreds of non-accessible subway and Staten Island Railway stations in sync with a 30-year-old federal law requiring equal access for all. Only 124 of the system’s 493 stations are accessible, including nine subway platforms in just one direction. Possible but pricey The consultants found that almost all of the first 100 stations they surveyed could be retrofitted with elevators — even though costly utility relocations or property purchases might be necessary in some cases. None of the potential upgrades cited in the study come with a price tag attached. An MTA spokesperson said costs would depend on bids for elevator work, scheduling and ongoing efforts to cut expenses by reducing customization of designs. The initial results of the Stantec study were released after the nonprofit Disability Rights Advocates filed a records request in October 2018. The findings from the next 100 stations are set to be released Friday, with the rest due by the end of March. “We should never have had to fight this hard for this long for New Yorkers to get information that we paid for,” Caiola said. In November, THE CITY reported that the initial $10 million budget for the study had increased to $16.9 million. It is now $17.58 million, according to MTA documents.

Consultants studied the stations’ layouts as well as their surrounding areas, using Department of City Planning data to factor in the number of residents over the age of 70 near each stop. “You see the older people around here who would like to get on the train and they can’t, so they take the bus,” said Maria Fernandez, 32, who helped her sister carry a stroller with a 6-month-old baby up the stairs to the newly renovated 39th Avenue stop in Astoria, Queens, on the N and W lines. As part of its proposed $51.5 billion fiveyear Capital Program, the MTA has committed to spending $5.2 billion to make 66 more stations accessible, with a goal that riders will not be more than two stops away from stations that meet ADA standards. Four other stations that will get elevators were added to the MTA’s current 2015-2019 capital plan. “These surveys show the exhaustive study and careful consideration that are going into assessing stations for accessibility upgrades, as we work diligently to invest in our system,” said Shams Tarek, an MTA spokesperson. Next stop… The study was used to select which stations will next be made fully ADA-compliant as part of the MTA’s proposed capital plan. Among those is the Broadway stop along the N and W lines in Astoria, which was among 19 stations renovated as part of the socalled Enhanced Station Initiative launched in early 2016. The pilot program — which originally would have renovated 32 stations with a single firm handling design and construction — was criticized by advocates as a “missed opportunity” for not including elevators. An MTA spokesperson said the work at the Broadway stop was designed to allow for easier elevator installation at a later date. One option, according to the study, is installing elevators at one end of the station’s two platforms so riders could go from the street to the trains, with a stop in-between at the mezzanine level. New turnstiles would be required. A few stops away from Broadway on the

N and W line, four elevators are being added to the Astoria Boulevard station. It will be the first of the Astoria line’s seven stations to become fully accessible under the ADA. “You have to have all this strategy about how to get somewhere if you have a stroller or if you have a disability,” said Kasia Zalwska, 37, who was at the 39th Avenue stop with her 21-month-old child. “It’s either that or you have a car or take a taxi.” Obstacles remain The study cites hurdles to accessibility at some stations, including the need to acquire property or relocate utilities. “No one expects 360 subway stations to sprout elevators overnight — accessibility will come over time and we are demanding a legally binding agreement to ensure that it does,” Caiola said. “But their continued flagrant disregard for the law will only make it more expensive.” Some stations and platforms are not good fits at all for elevators, the Stantec study found. At Union Square, the study notes, there is “no fully accessible solution at this time” for the southbound platform on the 4, 5 and 6 lines because of its “extreme curvature.” ADA accessibility at the Court Street station on the R line in Downtown Brooklyn was “deemed infeasible” in the study, because of impact to the ceiling that would require “a large number of conduits” to be rerouted. Tarek said the MTA is “fully committed to system-wide accessibility.” But a rider who moves through the transit system in her motorized wheelchair said she will need more convincing. “Let’s be honest, we’re talking big bucks here,” said Edith Prentiss, an advocate for people with disabilities. “So, I’m not going to hold my breath.” This story was originally published by THE CITY, an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York.

6 • A SPECIAL SECTION of Brooklyn Heights Press/Brooklyn Eagle Weekly/Greenpoint Gazette/The Record• Thursday, February 27, 2020

do” and “Keep Predators Off the Stage.” One of the organizers, Megan Rabin, said she wanted alleged abusers to know they’ve been put on notice. “I hope that we can set the precedent that Broadway is no place for a sex offender. There’s no place in the spotlight for a sex offender, and men who abuse their power will face consequences for it,” Rabin said. Actor’s Equity Association, which represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers, issued a statement saying it is trying to ensure that all Broadway actors work in a harassment-free environment. “Everyone at ‘West Side Story’ should be able to go to work and perform feeling safe and protected in their workplace. Equity has been in communication with the general manager and the members of the show. As a union, Equity’s role is to ensure that our members are protected in the workplace and we take that responsibility very seriously. Equity will continue to hold all employers to their legal obligation to maintain a safe and harassment-free environment,” said Executive Director Mary McColl. Ramasar and another dancer were initially terminated by New York City Ballet. The third dancer resigned before he could be fired. Their union, the American Guild of Musical Artists, appealed the firings to the arbitrator, and both were reinstated last year. Ramasar did not return to the ballet company. Associated Press writer Mark Kennedy contributed to this report.

State attorney general plans to sue city over taxi medallions By Karen Matthews The Associated Press

New York’s attorney general announced plans Thursday to sue New York City for $810 million for inflating the price of taxi medallions, which were marketed as a sure-fire investment before ride-hailing apps upended the taxi industry. Attorney General Letitia James filed a notice of claim against the city, which she said auctioned off medallions at artificially high prices between 2004 and 2017 and continued to market the medallions at overvalued rates even after internal reports raised warnings about inflated values. “Government should be a source of justice, not a vehicle for fraudulent practices,” said James. The city made $855 million on sales of medallions, the licenses that allow a person to operate a yellow cab, between 2002 and 2014 when it stopped holding medallion auctions. The value of a medallion has plummeted from over $1 million in 2013 to less than $200,000 now, leaving thousands of owner-drivers buried in debt. Uber and other ride-hailing apps have taken much of the blame for the crash in the medallion market, but critics have also blamed the city and lenders who pushed immigrant drivers into risky loans. City officials adopted a moratorium on new licenses for Uber and other for-hire vehicles in 2018 and extended it last year, but they have not yet taken action to provide relief to debt-ridden drivers. A task force that studied the taxi industry released a report last month recommending that the city recruit “mission-driven” investors to help bail out struggling medallion owners. No action has been taken on the recommendations yet. Freddi Goldstein, a spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio, said the mayor and his administration have spent six years “putting money back into the pockets of drivers and attempting to curb the harm from Uber, years before anyone else wanted to recognize the threat.” She added, “If the attorney general wants to launch a frivolous investigation into the very administration that has done nothing but work to improve the situation, this is what she’ll find.” But Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a labor organization for drivers, hailed the attorney general’s announcement. She said restitution from the city “is long overdue and we hope just the beginning as we continue our fight for debt forgiveness and lesser monthly mortgages.”

Thursday, February 27, 2020 • A SPECIAL SECTION of Brooklyn Heights Press/Brooklyn Eagle Weekly/Greenpoint Gazette/The Record • INSIDE BACK PAGE

BACK PAGE • A SPECIAL SECTION of Brooklyn Heights Press/Brooklyn Eagle Weekly/Greenpoint Gazette/The Record • Thursday, February 27, 2020

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