BENSONHURST'S PREMIER NEWS BLOG

Source: smikulen/Flickr

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowtiz has long dreamed of building a permanent amphitheater in Coney Island to house the popular summer concert series and now it seems that the dream will come true. According to a report in the New York Times, Markowitz and other city officials have reached a deal to build a brand spanking new $58 million music hall and theater. It will be announced at the beep’s State of the Borough address tonight.

The  5,000-seat theater will be built out of the remains of the landmarked Childs Theater, near the boardwalk’s western end. Markowitz has $48 million in his capital budget with the city pledging $10 million extra for hte project. The theater is being developed by iStar Financial.

If built, the Times describes where the theater would fit in the community and how the theater would serve a variety of events:

[T]he theater would occupy part of a building on the Boardwalk that once housed a branch of the Childs Restaurant chain and is protected by city landmark designation. The theater would also occupy an adjoining lot that has been used as an unauthorized community garden. The concerts would be run by a nonprofit operator. The theater could be used for year-round events, including graduations. There are also discussions about designing the theater so that hundreds of additional people can watch from an adjacent lawn when the weather is warm and dry.

The developer is planning to revive the 90-year-old Childs building as a restaurant, retaining the palatial facade, which is famed for its terra cotta seashell ornamentation, wide-mouthed smiling fish and Neptunes. Part of the building’s western wall would be breached to create the backstage area for the theater.

The proposed theater has faced a long stream of resistance from local synagogues and other neighbors afraid of traffic and noise. Neighbors are also not thrilled at the idea of groups like Iron Maiden blasting heavy metal riffs through the community, but Markowitz told the Times that, in the end, the theater will be a net positive.

“Change, I know, is not easy. This will bring so much joy and happiness to the people of New York and Brooklyn,” said Markowitz.

According to officials, the theater would take two years to complete.

Source: nyccouncil via tumblr.com

Councilman Vincent Gentile, who is the chairman of the sub-committee on libraries, expressed public support for Council President Christine Quinn’s plan to create “mini city halls” in New York’s public libraries, according to a report by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Quinn’s plan calls for all of the city’s libraries to provide information on city agencies to the public. In order to achieve this goal, all of the city’s librarians would have to receive new special training. Gentile gave the mayoral hopeful’s plan a ringing endorsement.

“I was proud to join City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to present a new, innovative proposal for a citywide system of ‘Mini City Halls’ inside our libraries that will serve as a one-stop shop for New Yorkers seeking help navigating access to important programs and services,” Gentile said.

“Libraries play a tremendous role in the communities they serve so turning them into ‘Mini City Halls’ is a no-brainer,” Gentile said, who added that the libraries will help bring city government closer to the people.

To me, it doesn’t sound like a terrible way of attempting to engage the public in the matters of city governance. The new service also might free up some of the red tape nightmares people are forced to navigate through before they enter the various city bureaucracies like the courts or the DMV

But I wonder what librarians think about it, since they’ll likely end up taking up more work if this proposal goes through.

Brooklyn Studio (Source: NYC Dept. of Education)

The Department of Education (DOE) is under fire from parents of developmentally disabled children for allegedly doing little to protect them from bullying, according to a report by the Home Reporter News.

They report:

Veronica Stein’s 15-year-old daughter has an Individual Education Plan and attended Brooklyn Studio Secondary School [at 8310 21st Avenue] until October, 2012. She entered the school in sixth grade without any problems, but by the end of ninth grade the bullying got “really bad.”

Stein told this paper that her daughter’s former friends spread rumors about her to the principal and guidance counselor. She said that the administration took their stories as truth and never bothered to question her daughter about the situation.

“Now she is being home schooled, by me, which I have to pay for,” Stein said. “DOE should pay for it; they don’t do enough.”

A spokesperson for the DOE defended the school and claimed that while there was an incident, there was no wrongdoing on the part of any officials in the matter.

Karen Marrero, a mother of another developmentally disabled child, also complained to the DOE about bullying concerning her daughter. Apparently Marreno’s daughter has been victimized physically, verbally and over the internet  since 2009 and that the school has done little to protect her.

Marreno also claims that the school discriminated against her daughter because of medical problems.

“She has a medical condition. There is a problem with her hip and leg,” Marreno told the Home Reporter News. “They wouldn’t let her use a cane; they said it was a weapon.”

Stein summed up the frustration she and Marreno share over the DOE and what they feel was a lack of responsive in on their part.

“They make parents feel inferior,” Stein said. “I still have to answer to the DOE and give quarterly reports. I’m trying to help out my child but no one is helping. I have to purchase an assessment test twice a year. You have to have a licensed teacher to give the test. It’s not my choice that I have to home school my child.”

Dewey H.S. previously came under fire in 2012 when two girls complained of bullying and were denied a transfer out of the school, a decision the DOE reversed after it was reported by news media. Coincidentally, the two girls transferred to Brooklyn Studio, where Stein now says her daughter faces similar bullying.

Source: bondidwhat via Flickr.com

The ‘F’ in F-Train stands for failure, at least according to Councilman David Greenfield. The councilman hammered the MTA over the shoddy service the F has been offering residents of Southern Brooklyn and questioned the metrics they use for jacking up fees, according to a press release.

During a City Council Transportation Committee meeting, Greenfield told the MTA that he is constantly besieged with with complaints about F-train service from his constituents, ranging from constant delays and malfunctioning signal problems. Greenfield also asked if the MTA was considering restoring an express F line in the near future now that the Culver Viaduct is nearing completion.

“Barely a day goes by without yet another delay along the F train, which is a vital link to Manhattan for many residents of Southern Brooklyn. I am pleased that the MTA agreed to review my request to restore express service along this critical line, and I am hopeful that the promised review of the F train will lead to significant service improvements in the near future,” Greenfield said in the press release.

The Bensonhurst Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare. Source: Google Maps

Community Board 11 will hold its next general meeting April 11 at 7:30 p.m. inside the Bensonhurst Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare, 1740 84th Street.

For further information, call (718) 266-8800, email info@brooklyncb11.org, or go towww.brooklyncb11.org.

Source: jasonneppinke via flickr.com

The Verrazano-Narrows bridge is getting especially rusty looking as it nears its 50th anniversary in 2014, and the MTA isn’t going to waste time to make it look prettier, at least not until 2017.

According to a report by SI Live, the bridge, which is due to get a major reworking on its upper deck platform starting next year, is visibly rusting over on the sign gantries and median. While it doesn’t look too nice, the MTA isn’t concerned since they plan to replace the entire upper deck in 2017.

The two main features of the new level will be its orthotropic deck, which is a continuous structure made of lighter-weight steel without expansion joints, which are subject to leaks and deterioration, and the reversible HOV/bus lane, which will flow with the same direction as rush-hour traffic in the morning and evening commute.

While most prep work this year is taking place during normal lower-level maintenance closures or during off-peak daytime lane closures, the real disruptions will begin in 2014.

Source: Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia

The deadline to register for FEMA and SBA assistance is coming and this time there won’t be any more extensions, the agency warns. The final deadline is this Saturday, April 13. Below we are posting the relevant information on how to register as well as some new information on how federal assistance will affect your taxes and how to appeal a denied claim.

• New York survivors have until April 13 to register for possible federal disaster assistance.
• For Sandy survivors who receive assistance and file income taxes: Federal disaster aid such as grants for temporary housing, or replacement of personal property is not taxable income.
• Survivors will not pay additional federal taxes or lose Social Security, Medicare or other government benefits because of federal disaster assistance.
• Federal disaster assistance excluded from federal taxable income is also excluded from NY state taxable income.
• For more information, survivors can visit the IRS’s Tax Relief in Disaster Situations page at IRS.gov and the State of New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance Hurricane Sandy relief page at tax.ny.gov.
• Registered survivors who receive a determination letter may appeal within 60 days of the date of the last decision letter.
• Registered survivors should respond to letters from FEMA and keep their contact information updated.
• Survivors can register:
  • Online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov or download the FEMA app.
  • By calling the FEMA Helpline: 800-621-3362 (Voice, 7-1-1/Relay) or  (TTY) 800-462-7585. The line is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EDT, seven days a week.
  • A FEMA Language Assistance Line is available for those who need services in languages other than English or Spanish. Call: 866-333-1796.
• April 13 is also the deadline to apply for a disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
  • Apply online at https://DisasterLoan.SBA.gov/ ELA.
  • Call the SBA Disaster Customer Service Center at: 800-659-2955 (TTY800-877-8339). Help is also available by sending an email to DisasterCustomer­Service@sba.gov or at sba.gov.
  • To find a Disaster Loan Outreach Center or the nearest Business Recovery Center call: 800-659-2955 (TTY800-877-8339) or visit www.FEMA.gov/ disaster-recovery-centers.
• State and federal officials encourage anyone affected by the disaster to register for assistance by calling toll-free:
  • 800-621-3362 (Voice 7-1-1/Relay).
  • Or TTY: 800-462-7585.
  • Register online anytime at DisasterAssistance.gov.
  • Visit m.fema.gov on your mobile phone or download the FEMA app on your smartphone or tablet.
  • Multilingual operators are available.
  • For more information on programs in several languages visit: www.fema.gov/all-languages.

Councilman David Greenfield

Councilman David Greenfield has found a niche in the world of local New York politics: making parking more fair. Having previously been subject to unfair tickets in his own experience and having successfully fought for motorists who have dealt with their own bogus tickets, Greenfield is setting his sights on Muni-Meters.

According to a report by the New York Daily News, Greenfield is introducing a bill that will require Muni-Meters to start accepting payments 30 minutes before meter requirements take effect. Besides the cost, this is the most frustrating thing about the meters because people who arrive for work or appointments early, have to return to the meter once it activates at 9 a.m. or risk paying a ticket.

“It’s a common problem people are having – their days are starting earlier than the meter is,” Greenfield told the Daily News. “You want to go about your business and can’t because the meter hasn’t started… It’s just a convenience issue, and can be easily rectified.”

If Greenfield gets this legislation through, it’ll add to his impressive resume of making the terrible experience of parking just a little less maddening.

The day devoted Kohl’s lovers have been waiting for has finally arrived. Kohl’s is open!

The Ceasar’s Bay Kohl’s, located at 8973 Bay Parkway, opened on Sunday, April 7, and welcomed back a large crowd of eager shoppers.

The parking lot was filled to a point that is far from common, with the store not being any less crowded. In fact, the line to pay was so long that it went around the inside of the store. Of course, that still didn’t stop me from knocking the dust off of my Kohl’s charge card and racking up some debt.

The Ceasar’s Bay Kohl’s was closed after Superstorm Sandy hit last fall. Other stores in the shopping complex suffered as well, including Toys ‘R’ Us, but Kohl’s was the latest to re-open.

New Utrecht Reformed Church

A thrift sale is being organized at the New Utrecht Reformed Church to raise funds to help with the centuries old church’s restoration, according to a report by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

The sale will be held at the Parish House (18th Avenue and 84th Street) on Saturday, April 13, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. with parking available in the Church lot. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle described the almost ancient history of the church: