Only The Blog Knows Brooklyn

Last Night At The ‘Gowanus Green’ Public Scoping Meeting [PMFA]

What We Did in San Francisco

January 5, 2009 louise crawford 1 Comment

We only had one day in San Francisco during our Christmas trip to Northern California but we always cherish whatever time we have in that great city.

Part of the fun was that we took the BART into town. That means a 40-minute drive from the farm in Tracy to Pleasanton and then a 40-minute ride to the Embarcadero.

We went to the new Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, which meant taking the N-Judah Muni, which is both an underground and overground mode of transport. Cool.

We got off at Ninth Avenue in the Sunset district and walked into San Francisco’s awe-inspiring Park. Imagine our surprise when there was a one hour wait to get into the museum, which opened its new building in October. And that was the member’s line.

But it was a lovely day and we didn’t mind standing on line. Well, we minded a little. But it was worth it: the museum’s new digs are gorgeous complete with a green roof that reminded Teen Spirit of the Teletubby set.

In addition to a great aquarium, the museum features an elaborate rain forest exhibit, dioramas akin to those at New York’s Museum of Natural History, an albino alligator, a penguin exhibit and much more.

Worth the wait. But it was very, very crowded inside.

We also went to the gorgeous new deYoung Museum, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and Fong & Chan Architects, where we saw an amazing—and very powerful—exhibit called In the Name of God: War, Religion and the Reliquaries of Al Farrow, in which the artist appropriates and reinterprets the traditional iconography of Jewish,
Christian, and Islamic religious institutions. The Spine and Tooth of Santo Guerro (2007), is an elaborate construction appears to be a scale model of a European Gothic cathedral. Closer examination reveals
that nearly the entire structure is fabricated from deconstructed gun
components, as well as bullets and steel shot.

Afterwards, we made our usual pilgrimage to the City Lights Bookstore in North Beach, where I browsed their second floor poetry department—one of the best poetry selections I’ve come across.

We walked from North Beach back to Market Street passing the tail end of an Anti-Gaza demonstration, which brought out a crowd of kafiah-clad protestors, police vans, news trucks and police helicopters overheard.

Later, we stopped in the Palace Hotel, our favorite bathroom stop in San Francisco. We also like to gaze at the Victorian Garden Court, and the wood-paneled Pied Piper Bar with its gorgeous Maxfield Parish mural over the bar. That hotel was built before the 1903 earthquake.

Then it was back to Tracy on the BART. 40 minutes and we were back in Pleasanton to begin our drive through Livermore and the Altamont Pass, a hilly area filled with graceful windmills generating electrical power.

Center for the Urban Environment

Urban Environmentalist NYC – Sustainability Beat

January 5, 2009 louise crawford

Here is a snapshot of the sustainability issues that faced the borough and city this past December. The links were compiled by Rebeccah Welch, Senior Associate Director of Communications at the Center for the Urban Environment (CUE). To learn more about CUE, visit www.thecue.org.

The Skyline in Recession [New Yorker]

Do McCarren Park Hawks Understand Irony of Living in Burg? [Gowanus Lounge]

Obscure Fee Pays for Efficient-Energy Projects [NY Times]

The (not-so-big) Dig [Brooklyn Paper]

Gowanus Nest Colony [Sail Brooklyn]

Urban Environmentalist NYC: Q&A on City of Water with Jasper Goldman [Gowanus Lounge]

Yassky Starts Pro-Permit Parking Facebook Group [Brooklyn Heights Blog]

From Wall Street to Taxi Stand: The Recession Trickles Down [Gotham Gazette]

From ‘Crack Garden’ to Greenway [Brooklyn Eagle]

Forest City Puts New Developments on Hold [Crain’s]

Redefining Green: ‘A Sustainable Healthy Future’ [Brooklyn Eagle]

Could Gases Be Leaking Into Greenpoint? [NY Times]

Fringeville: An Alt Culture District Hits Critical Mass [NY Magazine]

Buy Local, Stay Local [Brooklyn Paper]

Retail Sales Notch Biggest Drop in 39 Years [WSJ]

Port Authority Presents Green Policies [Queens Chronicle]

New Chemical Plume Discovered Underneath Greenpoint [Greenpoint Star]

Balancing Preservation and Development [NY Times]

Advocates Scale Back Car-Free Prospect Park Push [Brooklyn Papers]

Sustainable Streets Index 2008 [Report-NYC DOT]

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

Jan 5: Xmas Tree Curbside Collection and Recycling Begins

Wondering when to toss your Christmas tree?

Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty announced that the Department will
begin its annual Christmas tree curbside collection and recycling program
on Monday, January 5, 2009. The program will run through Friday, January
16th.

Residents should remove all tree stands, tinsel, lights, and ornaments
from holiday trees before they are put out at curbside for removal. Trees
must not be placed into plastic bags. Clean, non-bagged Christmas trees
that are left at the curb between Monday, January 5th and Friday, January
16th will be collected, chipped, and made into compost. The compost will
be processed and subsequently spread upon parks, ball fields, and
community gardens throughout the city.

In January 2008, the Department collected over 160,000 discarded Christmas
trees.

"The Department is very pleased to offer this special recycling service.
Providing collection and recycling options for residents is
environmentally valuable and benefits our neighborhoods. Working in
conjunction with the City’s Parks & Recreation Department allows residents
to take part in the recycling process and permits them to even reuse their
composted Christmas trees to fertilize for the spring. Compost is a
natural fertilizer and is an excellent soil enrichment that promotes the
healthy growth of plants and grass," said Commissioner Doherty.

And you’re probably wondering when the Mulch Fest begins.

The Parks & Recreation Department will be hosting Mulchfest 2009 on
Saturday, January 10th and Sunday, January 11th from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. at
more than 80 sites throughout the city. To find citywide locations, visit
the Parks & Recreation website at www.nyc.gov/parks. The citywide service
allows New Yorkers to drop off their holiday trees at designated parks for
mulching and event attendees can pick up free mulch. All lights,
ornaments, and decorations must be removed from the trees prior to
drop-off.

For more information on Christmas tree collection and recycling and/or
Mulchfest 2009, visit <http://www.nyc.gov/sanitation> or
<http://www.nyc.gov/parks> or call 3-1-1.

NEW BLOG ON THE BLOCK

New Blog on the Block: CasaCARA: Old Houses for Fun and Profit

If you’re interested in old houses—from Brooklyn to Philadephia, the Hudson Valley and elsewhere—you’ll want to check out a new blog called CasaCARA: Old Houses for Fun and Profit. Here’s the note I got from Cara Greenberg, who runs the blog:

When you get a chance, please take a look at my two-week-old blog
for people who love old houses. Its official name is: CasaCARA: Old
Houses for Fun and Profit.

I
am Brooklyn-based (live in Boerum Hill and own property in Boerum Hill
and Cobble Hill) and a longtime professional journalist. The blog’s
orbit is from Brooklyn to Philadelphia, the Hudson Valley and beyond
— but there will always be a large dose of Brooklyn content.

Some recent posts:

* Brownstone myths & mysteries (rosettes in 1850s parlor ceilings, ‘coffin niches,’ finials on newel posts)

* 1820s clapboard beauty finally sells in Brooklyn Heights

* Why I love Philadelphia, Part 1

* End-of-year bargain$ in Columbia County

* Prettiest block in Brooklyn?

* 10 reasons old houses are a great investment in any market

* Rent a modernist icon

* ISO the perfect beach house

Leon Freilich, Verse Responder: Yost Lears

YOST LEARS

Have you done it yet, remembered to write

Two thousand nine now it’s due?

Then you’re many miles ahead of me–

I’m still writing two thousand two.

Tom Martinez, Witness: Palestinean Girls

A group of girls in Times Square, part of a demonstration numbering in
the thousands, seeking to call a halt to the rising civilian death toll
in Gaza.

photo by Tom Martinez

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

IDT Energy Scammers Posing as ConEd Employees on Third Street: Beware

January 3, 2009 louise crawford 1 Comment

The IDT Energy scammers showed up at our building yesterday. Hepcat listened over the intercom while they spoke with one of our neighbors on the stoop. They said they were employees of ConEd and wanted to change their payment options or something like that. They asked to see my neighbor’s bill. That’s all that Hepcat heard.

Hepcat found an article about this scam online. The idea is to get customers to switch from ConEd by posing as ConEd workers and using misleading sales tactics.

They say something along the lines of "We need to make sure you got a discount on your last energy bill .Just sign here…"

Just making sure you got a discount. IDT Energy may be a legitimate company(?) but they use terrible tactics to get new customers.

Beware. This is a scam. Mindy Bockstein, Chairperson and Executive Director of the New York State Cosumer Protection Board, had this to say back in December of 2007.

"It is disturbing to hear that many consumers are being taken advantage of by unsavory marketing practices being used by some energy service companies (ESCOs). I am calling on the Public Service Commission to review exisiting policies and to move forward by establishing new and enforceable marketing rules. The new rules should be accompanied by a range of sanctions…"

But this problem persists. So beware.

VERSE RESPONDER: LEON FREILICH

Leon Freilich, Verse Responder: iPhooey

iPHOOEY

The shape is right and so’s the size,
And it vibrates on command,
A gizmo with the full potential
To beat the whisker band.

It’s always with you, home and away,
In bathtub and in car,
Performing dozens of ditsy tasks,
A would-be blazing
star.

Yes, smartphones do this, smartphones do that
And all between flip and flap;
So why can’t they be used to shave?
Multitasking, my app!

The Year in Review at Sustainable Flatbush

Check out what’s been going on all year at Sustainable Flatbush, which is more than a blog. It’s a way of life. Here’s an excerpt. Go to the SF site to read more.

2008 was a wonderful and productive year for Sustainable Flatbush! Our
work ranged from activism and advocacy to fun community-building
activities. We also redesigned our website, created a Facebook page and a monthly e-newsletter, set up a listserv for planning events, polished up our mission statement, outlined our initiatives, and clarified our vision for the sustainable neighborhood we are helping to create.

Another Year in the Park?

Brenda Becker, who writes the blog, A Year in the Park, has completed her year in the Park. Now the big question: will she continue to visit Prospect Park daily?

I am happy to report that the answer seems to be yes:

This little chronicle of my forays will indeed continue into 2009–I
keep finding cool stuff and can’t not share it, just as I promised,
although for Google’s sake I don’t think I’ll rename it "Another Year
in the Park."

Becker writes movingly about what she has learned this year in the park. Here’s an excerpt. Read more at the blog.

A year ago, I wondered aloud in cyberspace whether a year of daily visits to Prospect Park could change my life. To understand what this year has meant, let me tell you a signal moment–a danger sign, if you will–in my shared history with my mother in her old age. Once sharp-witted and tender-hearted, she had slipped into a deepening cycle of depression and disability. One summer evening, as she sulked on the couch before her array of pill bottles (none of which made her any happier), I suggested that we sit together on the porch and get some fresh air, which blows straight off the park to our house.

Why bother pushing the damn wheelchair out there? my mother responded. There’s air in here.

Some folks spend a lifetime searching for the secret to happiness; in that moment, I intuited that I had stumbled on something perhaps even more valuable, the secret to perfect unhappiness. Why move? There’s air in here. I carry half my genes from my mother’s pool, in which swum a brace of robustly morose and self-obsessed Irish neurotics, several of them prone to dramatic suicide attempts. I do not mock her response as much as you might think; I’ve done time draped over the furniture, brain bloated with bad chemicals, barely motivated to breathe the air "in here," much less out there.

But the other half of my family tree, like the tree above, seemed to have gifts of astonishing resilience. My father, who never met a human being in whom he couldn’t find some interest and goodness. His twin elder siblings, Don and Valeska, who lived to their mid-nineties defying a battery of physical ailments and frailties just to get out of the house, explore their worlds, and (especially in Don’s case) take pictures, even when one eye no longer worked and his hands shook. (He produced some wonderfully impressionistic photos in this phase.) They would all have understood AYITP and come along for the walk, in any weather. They showed me another way forward, even into old age, beyond thin ice.

Tom Martinez, Witness

Tom Martinez, Witness: Happy New Year!

photo by Tom Martinez

Update: Viacom and Time Warner Cable Reach Agreement in Principle

January 2, 2009 louise crawford 1 Comment

I want my MTV! That’s what Park Slopers are saying to Time Warner Cable who discontinued some of the area’s most popular children’s and adult programming, which happens to be provided by Viacom (which owns MTV).

I was just over at the Time Warner Cable website and they’re saying that the two companies have reached an agreement "in principle."

TWC says to "ignore incorrect Viacom/MTV ads" that were in newspapers today and yesterday. Time Warner Cable and Viacom have reached agreement for continued carriage of 19 of Viacom’s MTV Networks, with no interruption for Time Warner Cable customers. They are calling them false ads. The ads, which wrongly stated that Viacom had pulled programming from Time Warner Cable, ran in New York, Cleveland, Orlando, Dallas, and Raleigh

Sounds like the programming isn’t back yet but it will be in the next few days—once they are able to finalize negotiations.

Here’s the press release from the Time Warner Cable’s website:

Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) and Viacom (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) jointly announced this morning that they have reached an agreement in principle to renew carriage for Viacom’s MTV Networks. The companies expect to finalize the details of the agreement over the next several days.

Glenn Britt, President and CEO of Time Warner Cable said, "We are pleased that our customers will continue to be able to watch the programming they enjoy on MTV Networks. We are sorry they had to endure a day of public disagreement as we worked through this negotiation."

Philippe Dauman, President and CEO of Viacom said, "We’ve been partners with Time Warner Cable for a long time, and we’re happy to be renewing that partnership for the benefit of their customers and our loyal viewers. It’s gratifying that we could reach an agreement that benefits not only our audiences but that is also in the best interest of both of our companies.

VERSE RESPONDER: LEON FREILICH

Leon Freilich, Verse Responder

A SWAP FOR OUR TIME

The major leagues of baseball do it,
Give guys a second chance,
So why not Wall Street and the pols
Who make Chicago dance?

Let’s see a trade of faded stars
That could bedazzle once more,
With Chicago and the Street exchanging
Players who’ve known the score.

Bernie Madoff, the magician
Adored by all his clients
Who begged him to accept their millions
And placed him among the giants.

And Gov. Rod Blagojevich,
A real maverick,
The master of going it alone
And making statecraft tick.

Bern for Rod and Rod for Bern,
A trade to rock the clocks–
A smile to brighten the grayish Loop
And a swagger to lift all stocks

Tonight: Amahl and the Night Visitors at Park Slope Church

My friend Michele Madigan Somerville sent word of a performance of ”Amahl and the Night Visitors “ at her church TONIGHT.

She writes:

“…well, it’s for the worthy cause of the bricks and mortar of the baby cathedral. Ann the soprano singing the lead adult role may be the best singer I’ve ever heard. Her voice makes me cry. The ticket prices are a litle steep for some, but they are donations and there are student and senior rates too. No one should stay away because of a price of a ticket.

“‘Amahl ‘ is a Christmas opera. It’s short (one hour) and it’s in English — a great introduction to
opera for younger children! It’s in English. Dancer and Berkeley Carroll teacher Dalienne Majors has
directed this performance for the past three years .

I saw the dress rehearsal tonight. Nicholas Frieman
is wonderful in the role of the boy and Ann Beirne, a wondrous and exquisite soprano, plays the role of
the mother.

The opera is performed in St. Augustine Church proper. As you know, St. Augustine Church
is an architectural masterpiece , a unique brownstone church – a Gothic –Romanesque blend — built in
1887 -1890. This performance of Amahl is a benefit for the restoration of the church and bell tower.
(An extensive, expensive restoration of this landmark and local work of art has been ongoing for the
past few years.)

The Where and When

Amahl and the Night Visitors
Friday, January 2nd 8pm
St. Augustine Church
116 Sixth Avenue
Between Park and Sterling Places in Park Slope
$20, $10 for students and seniors (suggested donation)
(718) 783-3132.

No Noggin, No Dora, No John Stewart for Time Warner Cable Subscribers!

Parents in Park Slope and especially those who subscribe to Park Slope Parents are upset that Noggin, the groovy kid’s cable channel popular with Park Slope toddlers was not being provided on Time Warner Cable in the last few days. Seems that there’s a very public conflict going on between Viacom (which provides the programming) and Time Warner Cable. Here one member of Park Slope Parents explains the situation.

So sorry everyone is missing Noggin and Dora!

The crux of the matter is not a local one, and phone calls to Time Warner Cable
won’t do a whole lot, I’m afraid. Getting the message to the central
bodies of these companies may do more, but voting with your dollars
will do even more than that.

Viacom is a huge company that essentially provides programming and
channels to the huge company that delivers them to your house, Time
Warner Cable. Viacom thinks they’ve been underpaid for their
programming for some time and are demanding an increase in what TWC
pays them, despite the current horrific economic conditions. TWC has
said no, so Viacom stopped providing the channels. As of this morning,
Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central are on track to return ASAP.

Expect the “blackout” to persist for quite a while for some channels-
until TWC loses too many customers or some agreement is reached.

I am uncertain but strongly suspect that all other providers still
have the Viacom channels (DirectTV, RCN, Optimum, etc). As of this
morning, we definitely do and are a non-TWC family.

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

January 1, 2009 louise crawford 1 Comment

—Institute for Collaborative Education!

Things to Like About 2008

January 1, 2009 louise crawford

Like every year there are things to like and things not to like.
Especially as you get older, stuff happens. People get sick. Precious people die. There are personal and professional disappointments, as well as
terrible world events.

Life can be scary and sad.

And this year was one for the record books. One awful thing after another and then some.

Luckily there are always a few things to remember that make you feel
good about things, our community and the world we live in. Ever since I
started this blog, I make this list. If you’re interested, check out: 2004, 2005 , and 2006 and 2007.

–All the time I had with my dad last year, including the day we visited the Chelsea galleries and had lunch at a Cuban/Chinese diner on 9th Avenue; our many trips to the Metropolitan Museum to visit the new Greek and Roman Galleries, and the Turner show; his 79th birthday on January 16th at Po in Cobble Hill; many lunches at the Pain Quotidian on Madison Avenue; sitting in his living room talking and listening to music…

–Wonderful family and friends!

–Running in Prospect Park!

—Writers at the Beach in Rehoboth, Maryland!

–Montauk Basement Writers!

—Brooklyn Reading Works including Edgy Moms, Poetry Punch, Feast, Baby Love and more!

—Weight Watchers meetings with Melanie at the Montauk Club!

–Getting an agent!

–Finishing my book proposal!

—The Brooklyn Blogfest at the Brooklyn Lyceum!

–The Jamie Livingston/Photo-of-the-Day frenzy in June!

–OSFO’s graduation from PS 321!

–My week on Block Island at the Sea Breeze!

–Ace in the Hole at Movies with a View /Brooklyn Bridge Park!

–Thursday visits to 11th Street.

–New Voices Middle School!

–Election day.

–ELECTION NIGHT!

–The Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving!

–Ice Skating with Ducky, Diaper Diva and OSFO!

–No Words Daily Pix!

–Thais at the Metropolitan Opera with Renee Fleming!

–Christmas in California!

–All of you: you know who you are!

–New Year’s Eve spent eating, drinking, reading Henry James, talking to family and playing Trivial Pursuit in California. A festive end to a pretty awful year.

About Brooklyn: Best Brunches, Pizza and Cheap Eats

January 1, 2009 louise crawford

To ring in the New Year, Kristin Goode of about.com Brooklyn brings us the best of Brooklyn:

Best Brunches in Brooklyn

There’s nothing better than a great-tasting weekend brunch, and Brooklyn restaurants dish out some of the best and most innovative breakfasts in New York City. Whether you’re looking for a delicious bargain or music with your meal, these top picks…read more

Best Pizza of 2008

Looking for the best pizza in New York City? The odds are that you’ll find it in Brooklyn, where family-owned pizzerias have been dishing out delicious pies for decades. Try one of these top picks, and you won’t be disappointed…read more

Top Ten Cheap Eats

A delicious meal doesn’t have to cost a fortune, especially if you live in Brooklyn. These wallet-friendly dishes will please even the pickiest foodie–without breaking the bank…read more

No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford

links to no words

Gowanus Lounge: Top 10 Brooklyn Stories of 2008

Real Estate slump, the meltdown of the Atlantic Yards, Coney Island and more: go to Gowanus Lounge to see his picks for the Top 10 stories of 2008.

VERSE RESPONDER: LEON FREILICH

The Oh-So-Prolific-One: Leon Freilich/Verse Responder

SOME THINGS NEVER

I took a pioneering trip

To Mercury on a rocket ship;

The sights were new but not the pattern–

My luggage spent the week on Saturn.

BOTTLE BATTLE

In the world’s poorer
countries

It’s water you need to fear

While in the prosperous sections

It’s best to avoid the air.

Election

Oral Arguments in Term Limits Lawsuit Begin on Monday, January 5th; Media Availability Following Court Appearance

December 31, 2008 louise crawford 1 Comment

Oral arguments on the merits of the Term Limits
lawsuit will begin this Monday, January 5th, at 4:30pm.

This diverse coalition of local
elected officials, candidates, good-government groups, and voters filed the
lawsuit in November to challenge the term limits extension that was passed by
the City Council and signed into law by Mayor Bloomberg this fall. The
plaintiffs seek to invalidate the law, and further seek the court’s declaration
that a fundamental change in the City’s term-limits law, such as the extension
enacted by the Council and the Mayor, requires a public referendum. The case
has been assigned to Judge Sifton in the Eastern District. The judge has set an
aggressive schedule for moving the case forward, and has also rejected the
City’s request to transfer the Term Limits case to the Southern District of New
York in Manhattan, after finding that combining the cases in the Southern
District would not save any resources or serve the interests of justice, as the
City had claimed.

Fireworks Tonight!

Tonight: The 27th annual New Year’s Eve fireworks spectacular at Grand Army Plaza . The free celebration, sponsored by BP Markowitz and held in partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance, starts around 11 p.m. with music from Blacksmith Organization. Hot refreshments will be provided by Starbucks.

Best locations for viewing the midnight fireworks include anywhere in Grand Army Plaza , inside the Park on the West Drive , and along Prospect Park West between Grand Army Plaza and 9th Street.

Tom Martinez, Witness: For Esme with Love…

A 3-year-old went for a joy ride at
Hershey Park (PA). Surprisingly balmy weather made
for
a surreal, spring-like day in the middle of winter.

photo by Tom Martinez

Coney’s Last Stand: Save the Amusement Zoning

December 31, 2008 louise crawford 1 Comment

On Thursday, January 1, 2009 at 12 Noon in Coney Island express how you feel about what’s going on in Coney Island. Join others on West Tenth Street at the memorial shrine on Boardwalk Gates of Coney Island’s closed and dismantled Astroland Park…Bring photos, drawings, letters, poems, flowers to add to the shrine.

Residents and tourists who come to Coney Island on New Year’s Day will be shocked to find historic bars and storefronts closed and colorful signage obliterated by Thor Equities “Space for Lease” banners. A few days before Christmas, Thor CEO Joe Sitt’s agents began evicting longtime tenants by cutting off locks, asking for triple the rent, or refusing to discuss 2009 leases. On Christmas Eve, huge custom-sized "Space For Lease" banners were put up on Ruby’s Bar & Grill, Nathan’s Boardwalk store, Cha Cha’s, and others businesses on Thor owned property in Coney Island. On September 7, Astroland closed forever after 46 years as Coney Island’s largest amusement park when Thor refused to grant a lease for the 2009 season.

"Especially in this economy, the city should not allow Thor Equities to displace an entire community of successful, thriving businesses who are contributing tourism dollars and tax revenue to the city,” says Dianna Carlin, owner of the Lola Staar Souvenir shop who found out on Christmas Eve that Thor Equities was evicting her from her shop on the Boardwalk. "This is the type of economic climate where Coney Island, the People’s Playground, would thrive because it provides accessible recreation for all during tough economic times and instead they are allowing it to be senselessly destroyed."

Why are Mayor Bloomberg, City Councilman Domenic Recchia and Lynn Kelly, President of the Coney Island Development Corporation, allowing Joe Sitt to get away with murdering Coney Island? This is your opportunity to say Thor No More!… Mayor Mike, Give Us Back our Playground!…Hey Domenic, Don’t let Pal Joey Kill Coney!….CIDC, Go Back to the Drawing Board!

“It is tragic that the City’s flawed redevelopment plan allowed predatory developer Thor Equities to take over and darken Coney Island,” says historian Charles Denson, a Coney Island native who began documenting his world-famous neighborhood when he was 12 and Steeplechase Park was set to be demolished. “The only way Coney Island will be saved for future generations is if the Bloomberg administration modifies its unrealistic rezoning plan and preserves the existing amusement zoning in its entirety. It is hard to believe that a shopping mall developer from Bensonhurst has brought the Bloomberg administration to its knees.”

The City’s rezoning plan is a capitulation to Thor Equities and almost completely abolishes the amusement district for the sake of high rise condos disguised as hotels and generic retail. Coney Island is currently zoned for 61 acres of amusements; the city’s new proposal reduces the amount of amusements to 9 acres. This reduction of the Amusement District will destroy Coney Island’s legacy as "the People’s Playground" and defeat the goal of creating a world class amusement and tourist destination.

“Change is inevitable in Coney Island but it MUST be change we can believe in,” says Dick Zigun, the founder and director of Coney Island USA . Known as the unofficial “Mayor of Coney Island” and the spokesman for the amusement district, Zigun was on the board of directors of the Coney Island Development Corporation until he resigned in protest in June 2008. “The CIDC compromised its plan for the amusement park last May to the extent that I had to resign to live with myself,” says Zigun. “Now its becoming clear that they city doesn’t have any interim plan and as a result, five hundred working people have lost their jobs in the amusement industry. The Municipal Arts Society of Manhattan has come forth with a plan for a world class tourist attraction in Coney Island for the 21st century. It is faster, better and cheaper. The CIDC must go back to the drawing board!”

For additional information on Coney Island redevelopment & how to help visit:
–Save Coney Island @ http://www.fightforyourrighttoconey.com/Home.html
–Save Coney Island @ http://www.myspace.com/saveconeyisland
–Municipal Art Society’s www.imagineconey.com

Tonight: The New Year’s Eve Fun Run