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Including The Bensonhurst Paper

BROOKYN’S REAL NEWSPAPERS

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BROOKLYN’S REAL NEWSPAPERS

©The Brooklyn Papers. Established 1978. Phone 718-834-9350. Celia Weintrob, Publisher (ext 104) • Neil Sloane, Editor (ext 119) • Lisa J. Curtis, GO Brooklyn Editor (ext 131) • Vince DiMiceli, Senior Editor (ext 125) • Ed Weintrob, President (ext 105)

Read The Papers –complete – cover-to-coverincluding GO Brooklyn andregional pages.

www.BrooklynPapers.com

SEALED WITH A KISS

By Jess Wisloski

The Brooklyn Papers

A deal binding a community organ-

ization to developer Bruce Ratner’s con-

tentious Atlantic Yards project, antici-

pated since last fall, has finally arrived.

The pact, between Ratner and ACORN,

a national organization, was sealed — lit-

erally — with a kiss.

ACORN Executive Director Bertha

Lewis planted wet ones on both Mayor

Michael Bloomberg and Ratner at a me-

dia event staged in Brooklyn Borough

Hall on May 19. Lewis, Bloomberg and

Ratner declined to answer most questions.

Ratner hopes to build a basketball are-

na and 17 office and housing high-rises

on 24 acres of property stretching east

into Prospect Heights from the intersec-

tion of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues.

The actual signing of the agreement,

which was written as a memoradum of un-

derstanding, will not take place until after

various governmental actions are taken

that are necessary for the Atlantic Yards

project to proceed.

Bloomberg said the city would fund a

“50-50” affordable housing scheme on

the Ratner site that would allow half of

the proposed 4,500 residential units to be

reserved for what has been described as

low-, moderate- and middle-income renters.

The other half of the six-block stretch

would be rented at market rate.

Shaun Donovan, commissioner of the

Department of Housing Preservation and

Development, said a 50-30-20 structure

was contemplated, with the 20 percent be-

ing low-income units, 30 percent moder-

ate and 50 percent market-rate.

Ratner, mayor, ACORN, agree on housing planACORN — an acronym for the Asso-

ciation of Community Organizations for

Reform Now — would be responsible for

processing applications for the low-, mod-

erate- and middle-income units.

ACORN’s activities would be monitored

by HPD, Donovan said.

No overall price tag was assigned at the

Borough Hall event to the city’s pledge,

although it was stated that the Housing

Development Corporation, a city housing

fund, might alone be on the hook for

$67.5 million in subsidies.

“Developments [like the] one we envi-

sion at the Atlantic Yards, become ever

more important as our city’s housing

prices continue to rise almost exponential-

ly,” said Bloomberg.

“We’ve all read the stories: Our red-hot

real estate market shows that our econo-

my is growing, but it’s also a mixed bless-

ing, because as housing becomes more

expensive, more longtime residents are

getting priced out of their own neighbor-

hoods,” said Bloomberg to a chorus of

support from backers of the project who

attended the event.

“We know, if you give people economic

incentives to do things, they respond the

way they should be,” said Bloomberg, who

congratulated Borough President Marty

Markowitz for promoting Ratner’s project.

The incentive for Ratner is an expecta-

tion that the HDC will offer him 1-percent

tax-exempt mortgages for the construction

of the project’s moderate-income units.

“HDC adds up to $45,000 a unit to

subsidize construction of the moderate-in-

come units,” explained HPD’s Donovan,

whose agency would implement HDC

funding. “Just like tax-exempt bonds have

a lower interest rate, we give a 1 percent

mortgage up to $45,000 per unit in ex-

change for the developer to charge mod-

erate-level rents.”

The 20 percent for low- and very low-

income rentals are subsidized with low-

interest-rate, tax-exempt bonds and tax

credits, said HDC spokeswoman Tracy

Paurowski.

“This agreement represents the first

time that this concept of 50-50 has been

implemented in a private agreement by a

private developer in a project of this

scale,” Lewis said at Borough Hall. “And

it represents the first time that ACORN’s

tiered income concept has been imple-

mented on such a large scale.”

According to the memorandum of un-

derstanding, 50 percent of the 2,250 be-

k t nits will consist of studio

Bertha Lewis, executive director of the Association of Community Organizations

for Reform Now (ACORN), kisses Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Borough Hall.

Lewis, who at Borough Hall last week cemented her new role as a community

advocate for Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yard’s project, also kisses the developer.

MTA opens bidding on rail yards site

kiAnd you’d better work quickly — the

proposals are due July 6.

li Transportation Au-

more of three parcels of the rail yards,

properly called the Vanderbilt Yards,

which sit between Atlantic Avenue and

Pacific Street, from Fifth Avenue to Van-

i P ospect Heights. e

could bid on the MTA property, the RFP

was the first public attempt the agency has

made to solicit bids there.

“An RFP makes sure that everybody and

his mother knows about it, and they can bid

if they want,” Kelly explained this week.

h ntire process to anyone

great public pressure to seek top-dollar for

the Vanderbilt Yards.

Since Ratner’s Forest City Ratner Com-

panies announced plans to build a profes-

sional basketball arena and 17 residential

and commercial high-rises emanating

from Atlantic and Flatbush avenues out to

Vanderbilt Avenue in December 2003, no

h ve come forward, accord-t City

Including The Brooklyn Heights Paper, Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Paper, DUMBO Paper and the Downtown News


Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 16 pages • Vol. 28, No. 22 BWN • Saturday, May 28, 2005 • FREE

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/TomC

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By Jotham Sederstrom

The Brooklyn Papers

State officials are investi-

gating charges that manage-

ment of the Towers of Bay

Ridge co-operative apart-

ment complex allowed un-

qualified applicants to breeze

through an extensive waiting

list of potential shareholders

in exchange for paying well

above the state pricing

schedules for the Mitchell-

Lama apartments.

The probe, by the Division

of Housing and Community

Renewal, which regulates af-

fordable-, low- and middle-in-

come housing in the state, cen-

ters on the sale of more than a

dozen apartments at the twin

co-op high-rises, on 65th Street

between Fourth Avenue and

Ridge Boulevard in Bay Ridge,

Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 16 pages • Vol. 28, No. 22 BRZ • Saturday, May 28, 2005 • FREE



The Brooklyn Papers

Say it ain’t so — first the Dodgers and now

Kleinfeld.The giant bridal emporium, a Brooklyn mainstay

since 1941, announced Wednesday it would move to

Manhattan this summer.

Kleinfeld, the country’s largest outlet for designer wed-

ding dresses, has outfitted generations of brides who have

perused selections — by appointment only, of course —

at its Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street flagship in Bay Ridge.

Its new location will be at West 20th Street and Sixth

Avenue in Manhattan’s fashionable Chelsea neighbor-

hood, co-owner Ronald Rothstein announced. Kleinfeld’s

185 employees will move with the store.

The decision to move was based partly on the fact that about

80 percent of the store’s customers work in Manhattan, Rothstein

said. The new location would also allow a “grander, more theatri-

cal environment” and 35,000 square feet of floor space — about

twice as much as the Bay Ridge store, he said.

Built from an initial $600 investment in 1941, the business

grew to encompass three storefronts and become a mecca for

brides-to-be and their entourages. After the store was sold to a

French investor, in December 1990, it suffered a decline, but its

resurgence came in 1997, when Gordon Brothers Capitol, a Man-

hattan investment firm that buys failing businesses, rights them

and then sells them saved the shop from bankruptcy.

The firm sold Kleinfeld in 1999 to a partnership that included

Rothstein, Mara Urshel and savvy investor Wayne Rogers, the

actor who played Trapper John on the 1970s television series

“M.A.S.H.”

“I was not familiar with the wedding dress business when I

first entered into this partnership, but over the last six years I

have learned that absolutely everyone comes to Kleinfeld,”

Rogers said this week.

In a 1999 interview with The Brooklyn Papers, Hedda Klein-

feld Schacter, who founded the store with her father and her hus-

band, Jack Schacter, credited the artisans she employed with the

store’s success.

“People would say, ‘Why did you stay in Bay Ridge?’” she re-

called. “It is because we had the best working staff. It was a

classy labor market. The seamstresses and the sales people had

very high standards but didn’t like the idea of traveling to the city

everyday, so they came here and they had an outlet for their tal-

ents, and it was very good for the reputation of the store.”

Kleinfeld quits Bay Ridge

That staff will now be bused into

Manhattan, Rothstein said in a state-

ment Wednesday.

The Kleinfield store opened at

8206 Fifth Ave. in 1941, a year after

Hedda emigrated from Vienna with

her family.

“It was a labor of love,” said Hed-

da. “I used to love fashion. Since I

was a little girl in Vienna I would get

the American fashion magazines and

just eat them up. It was a love. It was

an art and it was a craft.”

Her father, an engineer in Vienna,

went back to his father’s business

when he arrived in America and be-

came a furrier.

Hedda’s family worked in the store

but Hedda’s father, who wanted her to

me time out of the city, al-

hi dogs

Help is on the wayFrom left, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Rep. Vito Fossella and CB10

Chairman Craig Eaton view one of of several sinkholes along the Shore Parkway

bike path between 92nd Street and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Approxi-

mately $7 million has been set aside to rebuild the pathway with work sched-

uled to begin next month.

TheBro

oklyn

Papers

/Greg

Mango

State probing

sale of TowersEXCLUSIVE

The Towers of Bay Ridge cooperative on 65th Street.

See TOWERS on page 12

MTA opens bidding on rail yards site

kiAnd you’d better work quickly — the

proposals are due July 6.Transportation Au-

more of three parcels of the rail yards,

properly called the Vanderbilt Yards,

which sit between Atlantic Avenue and

Pacific Street, from Fifth Avenue to Van-

P spect Heights.

could bid on the MTA property, the RFP

was the first public attempt the agency has

made to solicit bids there.

“An RFP makes sure that everybody and

his mother knows about it, and they can bid

if they want,” Kelly explained this week.

h ntire process to anyone

great public pressure to seek top-dollar for

the Vanderbilt Yards.

Since Ratner’s Forest City Ratner Com-

panies announced plans to build a profes-

sional basketball arena and 17 residential

and commercial high-rises emanating

from Atlantic and Flatbush avenues out to

Vanderbilt Avenue in December 2003, no

h e come forward, accord-t City

TheBro

oklyn

Papers

File/To

mCalla

n

Last week’s Downtown & Park Slope Group papers Last week’s Bay Ridge Group papers

NOWONLINE!

WIN A MAGNIFICENT HONEYMOON CRUISE — EASY ENTRY ON PAGE 2

By Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Among the gift registries, wedding gownmerchants and tuxedo outlets along FifthAvenue’s Bridal Row, Legends SportingGoods — with its caps, bats and jockstraps— is an anomaly.

But after Kleinfeld Bridal said last weekthat it would move to Manhattan this summer,abandoning Bay Ridge after 64 years, Legends’owner said he shares the fears of his nuptial-minded neighbors.

“They draw a huge crowd, they alwayshave,” said Andy Lanza, who opened his sport-ing goods store at 8224 Fifth Ave., a few build-ings south of Kleinfeld, 20 years ago. “And alot of stores here are going to get hurt — big,big time.”

Merchants of all trades have been lamentingthe emporium’s impending move to Manhattanwhile speculating on their own futures. The na-tionally renowned business, they say, stood atthe crest of a trickle-down economy thatdripped dollars along Fifth Avenue.

To Lanza, the departure threatens to stifle asmall but faithful segment of customers he de-scribed simply as wandering bridegrooms.Soon-to-be husbands, he said, routinely findthemselves scouring racks of baseball jerseyswhile their fiancees consider gowns costingmany thousands of dollars down the street.

In addition to the business he generates byoutfitting many of the neighborhood’s schoolsand athletic leagues, the spillover from Klein-feld provides a steady cash flow, he said.

And while merchants along Fifth Avenueuniformly trumpet Kleinfeld’s legendary drawof customers from all corners of the country,Lanza has proof of its geographic reach —Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox base-ball jerseys sell nearly as well each year asthose of the hometown Mets and Yankees.

“We’re gonna be selling a lot less of the out-of-town teams, that’s for sure,” said Lanza.“We’ll miss ’em. It’s gonna hurt.”

Next door, Helen Mavronas, the owner ofthe 30-year-old Gifts on Fifth, a provider ofwedding invitations and other nuptial knick-


Residents along Bay Ridge’s only streetlisted in the National Register of HistoricPlaces are in a tizzy over plans to installcellular phone antennae on the rooftop ofan office building on the block.

Expected to be installed by T-Mobile in Au-gust, the antennae, say residents on Senator Streetbetween Third and Fourth avenues, threaten toblemish the otherwise pristine block of roughly40 renaissance-style homes.

Worse, say some, the installation would en-courage other cellular phone companies to followsuit.

“I’m absolutely concerned,” said Ron Gross,

who lives on Senator Street and helped spear-head an initiative in 2002 to have the 25-acreswath included among roughly 30 other historicareas in Brooklyn.

“These things are disgusting, and they’repopping up all over the place, and on low-risebuildings. As a historic district, I think it’s a badplace for this.”

The issue surfaced last month, thanks in partto National Environmental Policy Act, whichrequires companies like T-Mobile to alert city orstate agencies before placing the antennae.

Russ Stromberg, a senior manager for de-velopment at T-Mobile, said that because ofdead zones in the area, the company had beenlooking to expand its coverage.

Old glory in the RidgeFlags and politicians were both very much in evidence as the annual Bay Ridge Memorial Day parade made its way down Third Avenue Monday.(Above) Kristen Kupper, 2, leaves no doubt of her patriotic allegiance. (Below) Ironworkers from Local 361 carry a giant flag down the avenue. (Atbottom) Rep. Vito Fossella, Brooklyn North commander Joseph F.X. Cunneen (the event’s Grand Marshall), Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Miss U.S.O.2005 Lynelle Johnson, and Justice Jerome D. Cohen of Jewish War Veterans parade in the sunshine.

Redgrave on the wayIn an exclusive interview with GO Brooklyn, newly installed director Tony Harrison speaksfrankly about the behind-the-scenes turmoil of “Hecuba,” starring Vanessa Redgrave (abovecenter). Euripides’ play comes to the Brooklyn Academy of Music on June 17. See page 9.

JILTEDNeighbors mournKleinfeld’s flight

Cell antennasmenace Ridge

See FLEE on page 6

See CELLS on page 6

EXCLUSIVE

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MAKING HEADLINES

IN 2005 By Ariella CohenThe Brooklyn Papers

A former natural gas plant inCarroll Gardens is pollutinggroundwater winding its waybeneath the neighborhood withtoxic chemicals — and expertsdon’t know where it’s going orhow much of a threat it is.

Originated in the marshy ground sur-rounding the former Citizens GasWorks (Public Place) site, a former gasmanufacturing plant on Fifth Street atHoyt Street along the Gowanus Canal,

the polluted groundwater contains poi-sonous coal tar and other dense runoffassociated with industrial manufactur-ing.

The pollutants have also been foundin the canal itself.

This week, researchers working forKeyspan Energy — whose predecessorBrooklyn Union Gas processed andmanufactured natural gas at the site forabout one-hundred years, and which isresponsible for cleaning up the area —began digging up soil along the edge ofthe 11.5-acre site in hopes of findingout exactly where the sludge is headed.

Brooklyn Union discontinued oper-

ations at the site in the 1960s. In 1975,the city took ownership of about halfof the entire oddly shaped parcel,bounded by Fourth Street, Hoyt Street,Fifth Street, Smith Street, HuntingtonPlace and the canal.

“They know [it] is traveling in theSmith Street direction,” said Keyspanspokeswoman Diana.

Found at depths between 10- and150-feet below street level, the contam-inants run in the groundwater in move-ments known as plumes, according toKeyspan.

In city study in 1990, inspectors

Gas plants’ pollutants seeping way through nabe

Assemblyman speaksagainst eminent domainThe Brooklyn Papers

Speaking before fellow state legislators at a hear-ing on eminent domain last Friday, assemblymanRoger Green challenged the legality of exercisingeminent domain in his Prospect Heights district,where up to 11 acres could be condemned to acco-modate Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project.

“For the record, that neighborhood is not blighted,said Green. “I repeat, that neighborhood is not blighted.”

“Under the definition of blight, as related to pover-ty or environmental degradation, this definition is notrelated to Prospect Heights,” Green told The Brook-lyn Papers afterwards.

Opponents said the statement by Green — who hasbeen a vocal supporter of Forest City Ratner’sproposed 21-acre mega-development — was a blowto Ratner’s case for eminent domain.

“He shot down their argument,” said Patti Hagen, anopposition leader who attended the hearing.

Councilwoman Letitia James, in whose district theAtlantic Yards lies, said Green’s words, bolstered bystate legislation, could affect plans for the housing andoffice development that would also include a profes-sional basketball arena.

“The admission of [Green] that the area is notblighted is wonderful,” said James. “If we can expe-dite the legislative process and a bill is passed in Jan-uary or February, then it can affect the project.”

Green told The Papers that he “wanted to get it onthe record that it is pretty clear that there are

By Ariella CohenThe Brooklyn Papers

City inspectors have found dan-gerous levels of mercury vapor inthe Williamsburgh Savings Banktower, the landmark building at 1Hanson Place which is being con-verted into luxury condominiumapartments by Earvin “Magic”Johnson’s development company.

The building, across from the LongIsland Rail Road terminal and near theproposed Atlantic Yards mega-develop-ment site, is the tallest in Brooklyn.

The Department of Health (DOH)sampled the air inside of the building onJune 15, one month before Johnson’scompany, Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund,was preparing to demolish the building’sinterior to make way for condos.

In a former dental office on theeighth floor of the 34-story building,the air sampler recorded 2,300-2,400nanograms of mercury vapor per cubicmeter — more than double the levelthat would mandate a government-su-pervised cleanup in a residential unit.

Before Johnson’s company teamedwith developer Dermot Co., to buy the

tower, many dentists offices were lo-cated there. In years past, mercury wasa common ingredient in dental fillings.

In one-third of the locations tested bythe DOH, mercury vapor levels werewell above the governmental safety reg-ulations for residences: 200-300nanograms per cubic meter.

“Every time someone made a filling,he would take a mortar and pestle andmix up a little bit of mercury,” said Ar-nold P. Wendroff, the Brooklyn residentwho requested that the Department of Environmental Protection inspect

In the beginningNew York City Marathon runners rumble across the Verrazano-NarrowsBridge en route to Bay Ridge and beyond after starting the race in Stat-en Island on Sunday

Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 16 pages BRZ • Vol. 28, No. 44 • Saturday, November 12, 2005 • FREE

Still Smokin’Former Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier puts aglove on one of his famous fists during a break from sign-ing copies of his new book, “Box Like The Pros,” at theNovel Idea book store, 8415 Third Ave. on Tuesday.

BIG WIN Car killssenioron 86th

P 14P 7

Gere stars in local’s ‘Bee Season’ Game roundup



Gentile defeats Russo handilyBy Ariella CohanThe Brooklyn Papers

A close and somewhat bitter matchfor the 43 District City Council seatcame to a fast if not predictable end at9:53 pm on Tuesday night when aDemocratic district leader passed hisBlackberry cell phone over to theincumbent, Vincent Gentile.

“He called me and said ‘this is Pat Russo.I want to tell Vinny he gave a good fight’,”Joe Bova recounted to the Brooklyn Papers,“I passed over the phone.”

It was that simple. Gentile won a third term in the City Coun-

cil Tuesday, besting Republican challengerRusso by 10 percentage points.

“We had been waiting for that call a longtime,“ said Gentile of Russo’s concessionphone call. “Hearing his voice on the phonewas the icing on the cake.”

It was the second race between the twoBay Ridge natives and was the borough’sonly seriously contested council race.

Gentile captured 14,361 votes (55 percent)to Russo’s 11,745 (45 percent), according tounofficial tallies.

“We never worried,” said Diana Castignani,a Gentile supporter who, on Tuesday night,joined him for eggplant Parmesan and cham-pagne at a post-poll bash at the Stars and StripesDemocratic Club on 15th Avenue.

As the party seeped out of the storefrontDemocratic club and onto the avenue, Gen-tile’s supporters spoke jubilantly of the hardwork that had gone into the win.

“I was concerned,” said AssemblywomanJoan Millman, “but we came through.”

“People came in from Downtown to helpand, of course, voters here know what’s bestfor their communities,” she added.

Before Tuesday the race had featuredmentions of Republican Mayor Bloombergand the impact of his popularity on BayRidge voters, a group known to swing be-tween party lines.

The fear that Russo would be able to rideBloomberg’s coattails to victory went unreal-ized.

Furthermore, Bloomberg’s presence at thetop of the ticket may have ended up, for Rus-so, a lump of coal, rather than the bonus hisstrategists predicted.

“Having Bloomberg in the race was a sur-

Councilman Vincent Gentile raises fists in victory during election night celebration at the Stars and Stripes Democratic Club on 15th Avenue.

VINNY: RACE GOT UGLYThe Brooklyn Papers

With victory champagneslicking his hair to his forehead,re-elected city Councilman Vin-cent Gentile called his latestbattle to keep his seat one of thenastiest he’s been in.

“I don’t know if this race wastougher,” said the former state sena-tor who has been finding ways towin contested elections since 1996.“It was certainly more attack filled.

Some of the attacks were below thebelt. That didn’t happen in the lastrace.”

In the last week of the cam-paign, Republican opponent PatRusso distributed pamphlets call-ing his rival a serial abuser, allud-ing to allegations of sexual harass-ment that had been dismissed aftera Council investigation.

The circulars got him in troublewith Gentile ally and boroughpresident Marty Markowitz, who

showed up on Fourth Avenue topublicly dismiss the charge.

“The implication of the flier wastotally disrespectful to the voters inthat district,” said Markowitz in aninterview with The Brooklyn Papersbefore the election.

Russo’s jab at the incumbentmay have only muddled his mes-sage, according to some Ridge ob-servers.

“Most people in my parish, andthat includes the Republicans, are

pretty horrified by that kind of talkeven when it comes from the Re-publican Party,” said Mary Speers,pastor of the Union Church of BayRidge.

“You know it when someonegoes too far,” said Speers. “Mysense is people thought, ‘Ouch! Iwish he hadn’t said that’.”

With his second loss in a rowagainst Gentile, Russo just mightbe feeling the same way.

— Ariella CohanSee GENTILE on page 4

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By Lilo H. StaintonThe Brooklyn Papers

Crossing Fourth Avenue proved deadly for a 90-year-oldBrooklyn woman this week.

Ray Allan died at Lutheran Medical Center after she wasstruck by an SUV while traversing the busy avenue near 86thStreet at 10:55 am Nov. 7, according to police.

Allan was transported to Lutheran Medical Center in seriouscondition after the accident. She died there a short time later, ac-cording to published reports.

The driver of the car, who remained at the scene until policearrived, was not charged with any violations.

While the intersection of 86th Street and Fourth Avenue hasbeen among the most dangerous pedestrian crossings in theneighborhood, the accident rate has declined there, according toTransportation Alternatives. The activist organization used citycrash data from 1995 through 2001 — the most recent informa-tion available — to develop maps detailing all vehicle collisionswith pedestrians and bicycles citywide.

GREEN:IT’S NOTBLIGHT!

See BLIGHT on page 13 See MERCURY on page 13

See TOXIC PLUME on page 13

Mercury rising in D’townW’burgh bank builiding

Toxins in C’Gardens

Ass

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By Gersh KuntzmanThe Brooklyn Papers

He was there when they went to work in themorning, trudging over the Brooklyn Bridge in theirsneakers or walking their bikes, and he was therewhen they came back, a little worse for wear, butstill in good spirits.

Many bi-ped commuters just assumed Borough Pres-ident Markowitz spent the entire first day of the strike onthe bridge’s fabled footpath.

“Welcome back to the big time, Brooklyn, USA!” theirrepressible Beep told his constituents as they returnedhome during the evening rush hour on Tuesday.

Despite the hassles of the day, most were smiling.“Were you here all day, Marty? God bless you,” one

woman said.“No, just a couple of hours in the morning and a

couple of hours now,” Markowitz told her. But he gota hug anyway.

On a practical level, Markowitz was steering the massof humanity towards Borough Hall, where his staff wasdispensing coffee, tea and little Entenmann’s carrot cakes(not bad, by the way).

This being Brooklyn, there were some who viewedMarkowitz’s caffeinated offering warily.

“Is it free?” asked one man.“Of course it’s free!” Markowitz said. “Oy, the last

thing I need is to charge people for coffee. I’d be onthe front page of all the papers!”

On a less-practical level, Markowitz said he felt anobligation to entertain the troops during the strike.

“What else can I do? I don’t have a seat at the nego-tiating table,” he told The Brooklyn Papers. “I feel thatthis is the least I can do to keep people’s spirits up.”

Dozens took Markowitz up on his offer, drinking thecontents of three large coffee urns and using up severalrolls of toilet paper, a Markowitz spokeswoman said.

Welcome to BrooklynOne Upper East Sider who decided he’d walk to

work in DUMBO got hopelessly lost — while he wasstill in Manhattan!

The confused pedestrian started down SecondAvenue, which would have led him to the ManhattanBridge — but when foot traffic was too heavy, heshifted to First Avenue.

When he got to the eastern spur of Canal Street, heturned left instead of right, and “ended up getting lost inthat crazy off-the-grid tangle down there,” his boss, whorequested anonymity for everyone involved, told TheBrooklyn Papers.

“When he finally got to work, he was tired, yes, butfar more mortified that he had gotten lost on the islandof Manhattan.”

A timely class tripFor a Fort Greene school, the transit strike made for

an exciting class trip.More than 40 students from the Urban Assembly

School for Law and Justice — the ones who actuallymade it to school on Tuesday — headed to CadmanPlaza, where a group of transit strikers were walkingthe picket line.

“We decided this was a good chance to show the stu-dents something relevant to their lives and the legalissues they study,” said teacher Julian Sciammarella, whohanded out clipboards and told the students to interviewthe strikers.

“They really want their money,” said ninth-graderEdania Heslop, who lives in Flatbush.

“I understand where they’re coming from, but ifI’m going to be a lawyer, I need to understand bothsides.”

But, Heslop added, even standing in the cold tointerview strikers was “more fun than a regular day atschool.”



Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 16 pages BRZ • Vol. 28, No. 50 • Saturday, December 24, 2005 • FREE

©The Brooklyn Papers. Established 1978. Phone 718-834-9350. Celia Weintrob, Publisher (ext 104) • Gersh Kuntzman, Editor (ext 119) • Lisa J. Curtis, GO Brooklyn Editor (ext 131) • Vince DiMiceli, Senior Editor (ext 125) • Ed Weintrob, President (ext 105)

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HOME DEPOT PLOTS RIDGE MEGASTORE

Ratner preps Atlantic Yards site

Boro’s biggest New Year’s nightlife guideP 10


It has begun: Bruce Ratner hasstarted clearing the site of his pro-posed Atlantic Yards arena, resi-dential and office mega-project.

Workers wearing gardening glovesand knit caps arrived at the moodySamuel Underberg Building at the in-tersection of Atlantic and Flatbush av-enues around 11:30 on Tuesday morn-ing to begin what will be amonths-long process of removing tox-

ic asbestos and then demolishing the19th-century structure.

Five other buildings nearby will fol-low — the historic beginning of a proj-ect that may take more than a decade tocomplete and cost $3.5 billion.

In this first step this week, the

workers used grocery carts to haul oddpieces of furniture and mixing bowlsstill wrapped in plastic from the Un-derberg building, which once houseda food supply store.

The buildings — all owned by Rat-ner or in contract to be sold to him —

will be demolished before the mega-project is even approved.

The initial demolition work fol-lowed a report issued by a Ratner-hired engineer that recommended thebuilding be torn town to prevent a col-

See RATNER on page 13


A developer wants to build a HomeDepot — topped by 11 stories ofhousing — next to the Long IslandRail Road tracks at 64th Street andEighth Avenue in Bay Ridge.

The developer, Andrew Kohen, toldCommunity Board 10 this week thatHome Depot has signed a letter of intenton the site. Kohen also said he has shown

preliminary plans to the Department ofCity Planning, which would have to re-zone the lot before the superstore could bebuilt.

At the Dec. 19 board meeting, manyresidents said the project would over-whelm an already-crowded junction.

“It’s just too huge for that spot,” saidCB10 preservation committee chair Victo-ria Hofmo. “Go two blocks to the northand you hit the congestion on Eighth Av-enue. Go two blocks south and you are

smack in central Bay Ridge traffic.” Kohen envisions the Home Depot as the

ground-floor anchor of a glassy tower thatwould include three stories of parking, twoand a half floors of office space, 241 units ofhousing and a landscaped roof area.

The mixed-use layer-cake would abut thedormant LIRR tracks and replace a parkinglot now along the N-train station on EighthAvenue at 61st Street.

An environmental consultant hired bythe developer estimated that the 100,000-

square-foot store would attract 700 carsduring its peak hours.

“You’re not going to get a lot of transittrips for shoppers,” consultant JamesHeineman admitted last week in his pres-entation.

Heineman said traffic is the greatestconcern: “We have to make sure we arenot going to make things significantlyworse then they are.”

Many senior citizens live in the areaand some community members ques-

tioned putting a car-dependent develop-ment in an area that could support pedes-trian-friendly businesses.

CB10 members told Kohen that hisproject would be better placed along theSunset Park waterfront.

“If you want a big box that’s easy fordrivers to get to, there is a lot of aban-doned property near Costco on 39thStreet,” said CB 10 member Wade Goria.“I am not sure why they don’t think aboutbuilding there. To put a super-store [where

Kohen wants] seems the height of lunacy.”Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Bay

Ridge) said a traffic study would be need-ed before any plan for development couldbe approved.

“With a big store like that there wouldbe a radius of congestion that could reallyaffect traffic patterns,” Gentile told TheBrooklyn Papers via cell phone — stuckin transit strike gridlock as he made hisway to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel andCity Hall beyond.

By Emily Kellerfor The Brooklyn Papers

At first glance, the carolers — with their red-and-green felt hats, their sheet music and theiraccordion accompaniment — appeared to bejust another group of holiday mirth-makers onPark Slope’s Fifth Avenue this week.

And then they broke into song.“On the 12th day of Christmas, Bruce Ratner took

from me/12 months of taxes/11 blocks of sidewalks/10acres peopled/nine cultures mixing/eight uncloggedsubways/seven days a-strolling/six sportlessmonths/DE-MO-CRA-CY!/four years inbuilding/three neighborhoods/two thoroughfares/andan apartment for my family!”

If the lyrics didn’t give them away, a closer inspec-tion of the jaunty hats revealed the words “eminent do-main abuse” with a red slash mark through them — asymbol of groups opposed to Ratner’s sports, residen-tial and commercial mega-development at the AtlanticYards.

The so-called Prospect Heights Action Carrollers(sic) were mostly well received in Park Slope, but

The Prospect Heights Action Carrollers (sic) sing outagainst the Atlantic Yards project in Park Slope.

Carolersto Bruce:You’re a Scrooge!

they did quickly overstay their welcome at the newCommerce Bank on Fifth Avenue.

At first, an unsuspecting bank employee let the rev-elers inside — but once there, the singers broke intosome of their big hits, turning “Jingle Bell Rock” into“Ratnerville Sucks” and “Silent Night” into “BlightedHeights.”

“Ratner’s a shmoe and Ratnerville blows,” theysang to frightened employees, including bank man-ager Eileen Holmes, who worried the new branch’simage would be tarnished.

“We can’t get political,” said Holmes. “We’re notsupposed to have this stuff. We’ll get hate mail.”

But one customer threatened to close his brandnew account if Holmes booted the singers.

The customer, Jon Crow, told The Brooklyn Papersthat he had opened an account with the bank becauseit showed good faith when it abandoned a plan for adrive-through window after local complaints.

“If I hear different[ly], I’m going to close my ac-count here,” Crow warned Holmes.

After filling the bank with holiday cheer, the car-olers headed towards Seventh Avenue, where theyencountered giggles, smirks and indifference.

Some pedestrians said they thought the lyric,“Ratner hell time/Something smells time/To linepockets at the MTA,” was about the transit strike.

But the singers were undaunted. “Our caroling is one of those little events that

drive the big guys crazy,” said Schellie Hagan.It was unclear how crazy. Joe DePlasco, a

spokesperson for Ratner, said simply, “For what it’sworth, we hope that they — and the handful of peoplethey speak to — have a wonderful holiday season.”

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T HE TRANSIT STRIKE is thebest thing that could ever hap-pen to us — even if some of us

can’t see it.“Transit chaos!” screamed the

front page of the Post. “We’reStuck,” added the Daily News.

And these people call themselvesNew Yorkers?

Let’s face it, the only time a NewYorker is truly happy is when hegets to complain about how tough itis to be a New Yorker.

So what’s the inconvenience of

THE BROOKLYNBy Gersh

KuntzmanANGLE

Mayor Bloomberg marches over the Brooklyn Bridge Tuesday morn-ing from the Office of Emergency Management building in DUMBO.Many Brooklynites also walked the bridge to Manhattan.

Real New Yorkers LOVE the transit strikesie (from Canarsie, Jerry! Canarsie!).

Naturally, reporters ignored the realstory and chose to lead the gripe pa-rade. At the mayor’s digs — the Of-fice of Emergency Management head-quarters under the Brooklyn Bridge,where he slept on a double-wide cotand an air mattress — news producersscreamed at mayoral spokesman Jor-dan Barowitz after he said the mayorwould not do live interviews withMatt and Katie or Harry Smith.

“You don’t understand,” one ofthe producers screamed. “This is a

network!”“This is a transit strike,” Barowitz

retorted.The mayor, hatless, eventually

emerged, and gave his first exclu-sive of the day to this bike-grease-stained wretch.

“The hospitality I’ve experiencedin Brooklyn has been extraordinary,”Hizzoner said, although he did echothe most persistent culinary complaintof DUMBO residents: No bagels.

“I would have thought that ourcommissioner, Joe Bruno, a lifelong

Brooklynite, would have ensuredthat there was coffee and goodbagels. I will talk to him about that.”

Fortunately, the mayor was told,La Bagel Delight has finally openedon Front Street.

Bloomberg walked a few moreblocks in his faded jeans and tasseledloafers, and then he was off, bound-ing up the stairs of the BrooklynBridge towards the world beyond.

People travel from all over theglobe to walk over the BrooklynBridge. So who am I to complain?

biking or walking in the cold to ajob you probably hate when you canwhine all day about it and be com-pletely justified?

New Yorkers generally don’t talkto each other, but the transit strike ac-tually brought us together, as weshared cars and shared war stories. Ieven talked to a woman from Canar-

OVER THE RIVERBrooklyn left walkin’ as transit union strikes

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The Brooklyn Papers

It wasn’t until a tenant in the same building asLaila Labdaoui marched into the 68th PolicePrecinct and demanded a word that authorities real-ized they had a couple more heroes on their hands.

That’s because police officers Abdo Almasmary, 36, andWilliam Hayes, 26, humbly continued their midnight patrolon Jan. 10 without so much as a peep after performing life-saving CPR on Labdaoui’s 18-month-old son, Adam Ab-delmonem.

It was only after a neighbor in the same building as Lab-daoui spoke to Lt. Litman Kwai, at around 7 am — aboutthe same time the cops were finishing their shift — thatanyone outside of the apartment learned that the officershad saved the child’s life.

Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 14 pages • Vol. 28, No. 4 BRZ • Saturday, January 22, 2005 • FREE


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Provisions for the Artistic Mind

By Jess WisloskiThe Brooklyn Papers

The affordable and market-rate housingcomponent in plans for the Atlantic Yardsarena complex will likely expand by 1,300units, a Forest City Ratner executive told TheBrooklyn Papers this week.

The development company’s principal owner,Bruce Ratner, proposes to build a $2.5 billion com-plex that would include a basketball arena for his

round the arena — at the intersection of Atlantic andFlatbush avenues — from office buildings into apart-ment high-rises, the official said the company couldrealize its goal of increasing the housing stock inBrooklyn while providing residential buildings in thefirst phase of construction and therefore become animmediately visible presence in the community.

“This is a very revolutionary thing we’re doing,”the Forest City Ratner executive told The Papers.

The additional housing would eliminate 1,502,889square feet of office and commercial space from At-

lantic Yards, the executive said, but would help thecompany speed up the process of building and occu-pying the properties. One of the four towers aroundthe arena, all of which are being designed by archi-tect Frank Gehry, would remain for office space.

If the buildings stayed commercial, the sourcesaid, Forest City Ratner would need to wait untilsubstantial anchor tenants — generally large Man-hattan corporations hoping to move back-offices toBrooklyn — agreed to lease the space before start-ing construction.

That, and subsidies from the city and state, arehow Ratner’s Metrotech office buildings were filled.

A commercial site being switched to residentialin the planning stages shouldn’t be looked on as asurprise in the still-evolving Downtown Brooklynarea, said Michael Burke, director of the Down-town Brooklyn Council.

“It’s not unexpected,” he said, adding that hedidn’t think the shift by Ratner indicated a floun-dering market for downtown office space. “Resi-

New Jersey Nets. The original plans also called for17 buildings including four office skyscrapers and13 apartment and commercial buildings.

By turning three of the four skyscrapers that sur-

More housing, fewer offices in new Nets plan

See RATNER’S NEW PLAN on page 4

NOT JUST NETSTHE NEW BROOKLYN

EXCLUSIVE

Hoopit upXaverian High School forwardChris Lowery drives to the bas-ket ahead of Devin Epps of Car-dozo during the Nike Super Sixtournament at Madison Square

Garden Sunday. TheClippers dropped thematch 77-73.

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The Brooklyn Papers

The New York Aquarium,long home to the oldestknown sand tiger shark incaptivity, will triple the num-ber of sea predators it caresfor as part of a multimillion-dollar makeover of the near-ly 50-year-old complex inConey Island, starting withthe shark house.

A $29 million fix-up of theshark habitat will add as manyas two dozen nurse sharks, car-pet sharks, pajama sharks andleopard sharks to the dozen orso that already live in theaquarium. It is expected to becompleted by 2007.

To accommodate the new-comers, officials plan to installa state-of-the-art, 500,000-gal-lon tank surrounding a walk-

The Brooklyn Papers

A Bronx councilman thisweek trashed Brooklyn aspart of an attempt to fight themayor’s plan to build a newJets football stadium onManhattan’s West Side.

Former state Attorney GeneralG. Oliver Koppell, now a council-man from Riverdale, wrote toMayor Michael Bloomberg thisweek that while he was pleased tohear about the plans for a newcruise ship port, “the Brooklyn lo-cation is not a good one.”

“The big attraction of New Yorkas a cruise ship destination is thatpassengers can land right in themiddle of Manhattan where touristswant to be,” wrote Koppell.

See AQUARIUM on page 4 See BX JEERS on page 10See COPS on page 2

BRONXJEERSCouncilman: PutJets in Brooklyn


A decision to raze a turn-of-the-century home used for decades as aboarding house threatens to strandseveral of the formerly homelessmen and war veterans who live there.

The owner plans to tear down thebuilding next month and build a seven-to nine-unit condominium in its place.

Last March, say tenants, the owner ofthe three-story home at 219 68th St. noti-fied the 15 men who live there that theywould need to make arrangements fornew housing by January. While most ofthe elderly tenants have signed agree-ments for housing at another building inBay Ridge, others say that they are stilllooking for other housing.

Under current Department of HousingPreservation and Development regula-tions, the owner, Henry Tancredi, can doas he pleases with the property, despiteits current designation as a boardinghome.

“It’s not as dire as it may seem in mycase,” said George Mastermaker, 60,who said he lived on the streets for adecade before moving into a second-floor room at the home in 1996. “There’s

rooms on 42nd Street, the rat-infestedjoints. But a lot of these guys don’t wantto leave. They’ve put in 20 years at thehouse and thought they were going tolive here and die here.”

Despite the decision to raze whatwould normally be a two-family home,however, tenants say that Tancredi hasbeen generous. Besides helping themfind new housing, the landlord — wholives in the home — has offered to pay apercentage of each tenants’ rent for up totwo years. Currently, each pays $400 amonth with the help of Social Securityand pension funds. Rents for the relocat-ed would cost roughly the same.

Tancredi said that an offer to house allof the men at a single-room-occupancyfacility on 95th Street between Third Av-enue and Ridge Boulevard was acceptedby all but a few of the men. The offerwas in addition to the commitment hemade to pay a portion of their rent.

“I’ve always told them that they didn’thave to go on their own again,” said Tan-credi, who said his decision to raze thehouse stemmed from its frame structure,which, when dealing with multiple-unitdwellings, raises difficulties with financ-ing and insurance.

CONDOS TO REPLACEOLD BOARDING HOUSE

This turn-of-the-century boarding house at 219 68th St. is being torn down andreplaced with a market-rate condominum.

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Cheers forlife savers

Police Officers Abdo Almasmary (left) and William Hayes share a laugh with AdamAbdelmonem, 18 months, who they saved, and his mother, Laila Labdaoui, during68th Precinct Community Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

Ridge rezone hearing draws fewBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

There were nearly as manyopponents of a neighbor-hood-wide rezoning of BayRidge as there were support-ers testifying at a hearing atBorough Hall this week.

Only five people testified.The opponents, two real es-

tate businessmen, told Bor-ough President Marty Marko-witz on Tuesday that the plan,the largest rezoning effort in

Brooklyn to date, would ad-versely affect property valuesin Bay Ridge.

Both Councilman VincentGentile, who made a last push toamend proposed zoning on Gel-ston Avenue, and Borough Pres-ident Marty Markowitz roundlyendorsed the Bay Ridge zoningchange and efforts to similarlyrezone Dyker Heights and Ben-sonhurst, calling all three, “thegreatest good for the greatestnumber of people.”

“Government has a right to

temper some of the more egre-gious impulses of some of us tomaximize on the return,” saidMarkowitz, a former tenant ad-vocate, referring to developerswho have bought up old homesin Bay Ridge over the last sev-eral years and replaced themwith condominiums.

The Jan. 18 Borough Hallhearing was the second step inthe city’s Uniform Land UseReview Procedure (ULURP),a roughly seven-month processthat requires hearings before

and recommendations byCommunity Board 10 —which already voted to ap-prove the zoning measure witha few recommendations —Markowitz, the City PlanningCommission and the CityCouncil. Markowitz was re-quired to make his recommen-dation by Friday, Jan. 21.

Put forth by the Departmentof City Planning at the behestof CB10 and Gentile, the planwould preserve the built char-acter of Bay Ridge, in part by

designating three times the cur-rent number of blocks for de-tached housing, the neighbor-hood’s pride.

The 249-block proposalwould also reduce by half thenumber of blocks in Bay Ridgedesignated for so-called Fed-ders-style housing.

While comments made at asmany as 11 community board-sponsored public hearingswould suggest widespread ap-proval, a real estate developerand a Realtor who spoke at the

hearing say that they’ve beeninundated with phone callsfrom homeowners scramblingto sell property before the plangoes into effect.

The worry, as they see it, isthat the most lucrative oppor-tunities to sell single-familyhomes will diminish after safe-guards are put in place to limitthe growth of larger multi-family condos.

“You’re not getting theopinions of all homeowners,”charged Rocco Basile, a proj-

See CONDOS on page 5

ect manager with the BasileBuilders Group, and a residentof Bay Ridge, who added,“We believe in Bay Ridge.”

But the effort by Basile andSal Calabrese, a mem-ber of the BrooklynBoard of Realtors, topush back hearings onthe proposal for sixmonths in order to givehomeowners a chanceto sell, was balked at byMarkowitz, Gentile andCommunity Board 10

Chairman Craig Eaton, whocountered that property valuesare soaring in Bay Ridge.

The differing forecasts, saidSee ZONING on page 5

29M sharkhouse set forAquarium

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Spurred on by a combina-tion of low turnout at a previ-ous hearing and the circula-tion this week of an anony-mous letter warning of plum-

meting property values, BayRidge homeowners and de-velopers turned out in drovesto a public hearing before theCity Planning Commissionon a proposal to down-zonethe neighborhood.

While it was difficult to sayexactly how many people at-tended the hearing, since otherproposals from all five boroughswere also on the calendar, near-ly a dozen spoke either in sup-port or opposition to the preser-vation effort before the

13-member commission.One explanation for the inter-

est, which dipped to only fivepeople at last month’s BoroughHall public hearing, was the sur-facing of a misleading anony-mous letter sent to homeowners

gonna need it.”More contentious, however, were his

endorsements of an Ikea store that is tobe built on the Red Hook waterfront anddeveloper Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yardsproject. The latter, a 24-acre plan, wouldbe built on a portion of Prospect Heights,stretching from the intersection of Flat-bush and Atlantic avenues, and rely oneminent domain property condemna-tions to construct apartment and officeskyscrapers and a basketball arena forRatner’s New Jersey Nets.

The mention of the Ratner projectdrew loud boos from anti-arena ac-tivists Patti and Schellie Hagan, whosat among a pool of reporters in theback of the auditorium.

When Markowitz said the projectwould create “about 10,000 permanentnew jobs” and “15,000 construction-relat-

Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 18 pages • Vol. 28, No. 6 BRZ • Saturday, February 5, 2005 • FREE


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Quiet change of command

Idiot’s delightParticipants in the first “Idiotarod” cross the Brooklyn Bridge with a shopping cart last Sat-urday. The event, which takes its name from the famous Alaskan dog-sled race, the Iditar-od, saw teams of five race shopping carts from Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn to Tomp-kins Square Park in Manhattan for cash prizes. While there was no set course, teams wererequired to make stops at two checkpoints in downtown Manhattan along the way.

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Williams out at Fort Hamilton,replaced with first woman COBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

The Army will appointCol. Tracey Nicholson ascommander of the FortHamilton Army base laterthis month, marking thefirst time in the garrison’s174-year history that awoman has filled its highestpost, The Bay Ridge Paperhas learned.

The appointment comesnearly three months after Col.Kewyn Williams was quietly Col. Kewyn Williams Col. Tracey Nicholson

Although a woman hadbeen commander of the re-cruiting post on the base, thebase command has alwaysbeen held by men, most no-tably Capt. Abner Doubleday,who is popularly credited withinventing the modern game ofbaseball in 1835.

Besides Doubleday, wholed the base for only onemonth in June of 1861, Capt.Levi Whiting is rememberedas Fort Hamilton’s first com-mander, in 1831.

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“It’s Just a Plant,” a children’sbook about pot use.

Golden fuming over new kidsbook promoting pot smoking


A Bay Ridge legislator lashed out this week at aProspect Heights author who penned a children’s bookpraising the virtues of marijuana, calling it “harmfuland dangerous to the children of our society.”

State Sen. Marty Golden said the illustrated book, “It’s Justa Plant,” by Brooklyn native Ricardo Cortes, crossed the lineby sending a pro-pot message to children.

The small-press book, published by Magic Propaganda Mill,a creative design group, was sponsored by the Marijuana Poli-cy Project and the Drug Policy Alliance, two drug advocacygroups.

“This guy Ricardo Cortes should get his head examined,”said Golden, a conservative Republican who last year camedown on a children’s book about different types of housing in

America and abroad that included a depiction of a family sleep-ing in a car in a city that appeared to be New York.

“It’s just so wrong, telling kids it’s alright to get messed upon marijuana,” said Golden, a former New York City police of-ficer.

Cortes defended the book’s contents as more truthful thanmost efforts to educate parents and children about pot, whichhe called scare tactics similar to those in the 1938 anti-marijua-na propaganda movie “Reefer Madness.”

“It’s not promoting marijuana use by any means,” saidCortes, who said he anticipated that addressing the topic“would be a Trojan horse to some extent.”

“This came out of looking at current forms of marijuana ed-ucation and seeing how terrible they were,” said Cortes.

With pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge in the background, thestory line of “It’s Just a Plant” revolves around a young girl,

PAGE 7-11

Behind the scenes of ‘Assisted Living’

See CHANGE on page 4

See WEED on page 15

See ZONING on page 15


Using statistics, Andrew Zollipredicts such things as foreignwars waged over natural re-sources and a future in which themodern nuclear family makesway for European-style multigen-erational living.

Zolli is what is known as a futurist.But one thing the Park Slope resi-

dent likely didn’t foresee is the Na-tional Geographic Society one day re-cruiting him as a resident voyager.

But on Monday, Feb. 7, the 117-year-old institution will name Zolli —who runs Z + Partners, a think-tankthat specializes in helping people andinstitutions understand and respond tochange, from an office on Jay Street in

DUMBO — an Emerging Explorer. The wildly coveted title will be

awarded to just he and five otherschosen from among several hundredcandidates worldwide. Sharing therecognition with an Argentinean high-altitude archeologist and an Englishcrocodile hunter, Zolli, 34, is one offour from the United States to be cho-sen, and the only one from New York.

The others from the UnitedSee EXPLORER on page 12

See STATE BORO on page 12

Brooklyn’s own ‘Explorer’Ridge zoning hearing turnoutis large thanks to scare tactic

MARTY’S BROOKLYNIt’s cruises, Ikea, Nets

Brooklyn-born actor Tony Danza of “The Tony Danza Show” and Borough President MartyMarkowitz stand in front of model of cruise ship Markowitz hopes will sail from Brooklyn.

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Borough President Marty Mark-owitz promoted Brooklyn as a futurehome to professional basketball, thecity’s first Ikea furniture store and,most conspicuously during his Stateof the Borough address, a dock forcommercial cruise ships.

Kicking off the address at theBrooklyn Museum on Jan. 27,Markowitz walked on stage alongsideactor Tony Danza carrying a card-board mock-up of a cruise ship.

“Thanks, dock it in my usual spot —Pier 11 in Red Hook,” Markowitz toldthe Brooklyn-born actor and TV talkshow host as he approached the podium.

Two lines, Norwegian and Carnival,are expected to dock at Pier 12 in RedHook as early as this fall with Pier 11used as an entryway to the dock.

“Those cruise lines will bring tens ofthousands of new tourists into Brook-lyn,” Markowitz said of the construc-tion, which is scheduled to begin inMarch. “So it’s a good thing that lastweek we broke ground for the expan-sion of the Brooklyn Marriott — we’re

EXCLUSIVErelieved of the command forwhat base sources said werepersonal reasons related to hiswife’s arrest in 2003 on drunkdriving charges.

Since November, Col. Cur-tis Wrenn Jr. has acted as tem-porary garrison commander inanticipation of Nicholson’sappointment, which is to beannounced officially on Feb.15, sources said. Wrenn willbe reassigned to Fort Monroein Virginia.

EXCLUSIVE


The Judge and Jury pub will bereplaced next week by the Pour House,whose opening, its owners hope, willadd a touch of high-tech to Third Avenue.

Barry O’Donovan said his decision tosell the pub at 7901 Third Ave. to three ofhis former bartenders stemmed from hisdesire to spend more time with his fami-ly in New Jersey, but was expedited be-cause of tobacco laws that prohibitsmoking in bars and restaurants.

“I’ve got two kids and I’m getting old,”

said O’Donovan, who will continue to runHenry Grattan’s at 8814 Third Ave. “It wasjust time to move on. And, anyway, it’s theirturn to take a piece of the pie.”

Jimmy Wiffin, who along with An-drew Gannon and Billy Quinlan pur-chased the establishment from O’Dono-van, said their watering hole could openas soon as next Thursday, Feb. 17,though possibly a week later.

Wiffin said that unlike the rather staidJudge and Jury, Pour House will cater toa crowd in its 20s. Among the perks, hesaid, will be a state-of-the-art jukeboxtapped into the Internet and a regular

lineup of DJs on Thursdays, Fridays andSaturdays.

“Myself and Andrew had been think-ing about this for a long time,” said Wif-fin, adding he and Quinlan grew up and stilllive in Bay Ridge, while Gannon movedto the neighborhood after growing up inDublin, Ireland. “This was our chance.”

O’Donovan bought the establishmentin 1996, changing its name to Judge andJury from Carney and Burke, which ithad been for years. Before that it wascalled Lynch’s, a Bay Ridge landmark



SATURDAY • FEBRUARY 12, 2005



I N S I D EChoose from52 venues —

More than 180 events!

BROOKLYN

NightlifeDINING IN & OUT ON

VALENTINE’S DAY

CONDOMONIUMDevelopers rush to scoop upland before zoning change


The one-family home at 456Ovington Ave. near Fourth Avenuehadn’t been targeted by devel-opers, but that didn’t stop a BayRidge real estate agency from run-ning an advertisement proclaim-ing it “perfect for condo develop-ment.”

The ad concludes: “Act now beforezoning laws change.”

The asking price? $1,750,000.The agency, Re/Max 1st Choice Re-

alty at 8112 Third Ave., and its broker,Jeanne DeLorenzo, ignited a stormwhen elected officials and homeownerswere alerted to the 1-3/4-inch by 2-1/4-inch notice.

As the city is weighing new zoninglaws to protect houses like the oneRe/Max 1st Choice is advertising,some viewed the ad’s text as the heightof chutzpah.

DeLorenzo said the building neigh-bors her own and is owned by the chil-dren of a recently deceased familyfriend. The three siblings, one of whomlives in Connecticut, want to sell the

This ad for a one-family house on Ovington Avenue shows an asking price of$1,750,000, which could be a good value to a developer seeking to erect condos —if he acts “now before zoning laws change,” as the ad suggests. See RUSH on page 4

Hunt Ridge rapistBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Police have released the name andpicture of a tattooed man they aresearching for in two rapes — one inBay Ridge and another in East Flat-bush.

The suspected rapist, who police identi-fied as Lamar Thomas, 20, struck first inBay Ridge on Dec. 18 and again on Jan.30 in East Flatbush, said cops.

Police say Thomas has a distinctive tat-too on his arm that depicts Jesus Christwith blood-red tears running down his face.

In the first incident, the man engaged awoman in her 20s in conversation ataround 5 am. Sources say the mangrabbed the woman near Third Avenueand 79th Street and dragged her down thestairs to a trash cellar where a mattresshad been set up.

Police said the man raped and sodom-ized the woman before fleeing with herjewelry.

In the second assault, police say Thomasattacked another woman in her 20s after sheopened the door to her apartment sometimearound 8 pm. Police said he forced his wayinto the home after revealing a knife whenshe answered the door.

Police say the suspect also goes by twoother names: Christian Harris and IsaiahMitchell.

He is described as 20 years old and ei-ther black or Hispanic.

Police said that the man, who sports abushy mane of dark hair that he tucks intoa ponytail, is 5-foot-11 and weighs about220 pounds.

Anybody with information on Thomas’whereabouts is asked to call the CRIME-STOPPERS hotline at 800-577-TIPS. Allcalls will be kept confidential.

See POUR on page 2

Pour House bumps Judge


Citing shrinking enroll-ment over the last five years,the Roman Catholic Dioceseof Brooklyn shocked parentsand schoolchildren on AshWednesday, announcing itwill shutter 17 of the bor-ough’s Catholic schools atthe end of this semester.

Among the schools to closein Brooklyn are: Saint Fin-bar’s, at 1825 Bath Ave., inBath Beach; Sacred Heartsand St. Stephen’s, at 135 Sum-mit St., in Carroll Gardens;and St. Thomas Aquinas, at211 Eighth St., in Park Slope.

The schools will be closed af-ter the school year ends in June.

Eleven others, a diocesanspokesman said, will eithermerge or be integrated into oneof four existing schools, two inEast Flatbush, and one each inWilliamsburg and Midwood.

One regional school will openin Williamsburg, at Most HolyTrinity School, 140 MontroseAve. Two regional schools willopen in East Flatbush, at Holy

Cross School, 2520 ChurchAve., and at St. Rose of LimaSchool, 259 Parkville Ave. Thefourth will open at Our Lady ofChristians School, 1340 E. 29thSt. in Midwood.

The list of schools, includingnine others in Queens, had longbeen considered at-risk, saiddiocesan spokesman FrankDeRosa, who cited the increas-ing cost of operating the facili-ties and a shift in religious de-mographics throughout the cityfor the declining enrollment.

DeRosa said that a study un-dertaken by the diocese re-vealed that over the last fiveyears, parochial schools inBrooklyn and Queens haveseen enrollment drop by11,000 students. In addition, hesaid, the diocese has con-tributed $7 million to schoolswhose revenues could notmeet annual operating expens-es.

According to a policy estab-lished two years ago, schoolswith fewer than 225 studentswere considered at risk.

“Our goal is to continue tohave a parochial school presencein every part of the diocese, if it

Racy RomanceCover of Brooklyn woman’smag raises eyebrows, ire

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Romantic Times founder and CEO Kathryn Falk in her home near Love Lane in Brooklyn Heights this week. Insetshows cover of the December issue of her 24-year-old magazine, which has upset a librarian and several readers.


When Jane Raetzman, a librarian inOregon, picked up the December issue ofRomantic Times, the self-described“Christian widow” said she experiencedseveral fits of embarrassment before fi-nally writing an angry letter to the maga-zine’s Brooklyn publisher. She would notbe renewing her subscription, she wrote.

No, it wasn’t the interview with LindaHoward, author of “To Die For,” thatsteamed Raetzman and several other reg-ular subscribers of the monthly women’sromance-fiction magazine whose officeis on Bergen Street in Cobble Hill. It wasthe front cover, the type most picturewhen they think of Harlequin novels.

Draped in a red background, the coverreveals a bare-chested man and naked

woman wrapped in each other’s armswith only the woman’s blue robe block-ing her nether region.

The “clinch,” as the deep embrace typ-ical of romance novel covers is called,set off a flurry of debates, not least of allon the very state of the romance novel.

“I realized,” said Raetzman in an e-mail to the 24-year-old magazine, “it’snot enough to skip the Erotica section[anymore].”

Since it went on stands worldwide, theDecember issue has managed to ranklereaders from as far away as Australia andas near as, well, Brooklyn. But whilesome readers defended the cover, as ei-ther perfectly tasteful or as artwork pro-tected by the First Amendment, otherssaid it was the type of image that beggeddisparagement.

“We have tried so hard and so long to

get some respect for romance novels,”wrote a subscriber of Romantic Times,Beth Johnson, in an e-mail to the magazine.

“The cover of RT’s December issuewas a giant step backward. The revealingpicture was unnecessary, and the head-line ‘Hot Novels’ was only slightly betterthan the caption ‘Scorchingly Sensual.’Please, be tasteful and appropriate.”

Kathryn Falk, who began publishingher magazine from an apartment in close— and appropriate — proximity to LoveLane in Brooklyn Heights, said much ofthe controversy stems from an unexpect-ed break from recent tradition.

While the cover usually features an au-thor, December’s chosen cover girl,Nicole Jordan, told publishers she pre-ferred the cover of her most recent novel,“Lord of Seduction,” be shown instead.See ROMANTIC RHUBARB on page 14

Diocese will shutter17 Brooklyn schools

Suspected rapist Lamar Thomas.

is at all possible,” said Msgr.Michael Hardiman, vicar for Ed-ucation in the Diocese of Brook-lyn, which includes Queens.“This is the best reconfigurationof the schools at this time.”

Parents from Saint Finbarlearned of the eventual closingon Tuesday, when studentscame home with a typed lettersigned by the Rev. Joseph Hol-comb, the pastor of the parish,and Rosina Katsoulis, theschool’s principal. Although ameeting for parents was hastilyorganized for that evening, sev-eral dozen parents and childrenwho showed up were told by

Holcomb that the meeting hadbeen postponed.

“You’re children should be athome doing homework rightnow,” he said sternly before re-turning to the rectory.

DeRosa said that the 196 stu-dents currently enrolled at SaintFinbar would likely be admittedto either St. Frances Cabrini, at35 Bay 11th St., or St. MaryMother of Jesus, at 8401 23rdAve. But many parents said thata rush to register their kidswould force some to either bebused to a distant parochialschool or attend public school.See SCHOOLS on page 14

Parents and students outside St. Finbar’s School on Bath Av-enue after learning Tuesday that their school would be closed.

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Interfaith Medical Center inBedford-Stuyvesant amonghospitals health care profes-sionals speculated could beshuttered.

Victory Memorial is on92nd Street at Seventh Av-enue.

“It’s absolutely idiotic,”said DiCunto of the article.“We’re not going to close,and there’s very little sub-stance in the thing.”

Cynthia Rigg, a projectseditor at Crain’s, defendedthe article by reporter GaleScott, saying that the GreaterNew York Hospital Associa-tion and the 1199 SEIUhealth care workers unionhave agreed that closures arenecessary to consolidate lim-ited resources and reducestate Medicaid costs.

But a statement releasedthis week by the HealthcareEducation Project, a joint ini-tiative of the Greater NewYork Hospital Associationand 1199 SEIU, also blastedthe article.

“It is irresponsible forCrain’s New York Businessto publish a list of hospitalsthat are ‘ripe for shuttering,’”the joint statement reads.“The Healthcare EducationProject supports a processwhereby a thoughtful analy-sis of and planning for com-munity healthcare needsmust be the foundation forany recommendations forhospital or nursing home re-structuring, including but notlimited to closures, and un-der which community needs,workforce needs, and othercritical issues must be ad-dressed.”

The list, said Rigg, wasformed after interviews withhealthcare professionals whomade their decisions basedon, among other things,whether the hospitals werelosing money and whethernearby hospitals could ac-commodate new patients.

It also said, however, that


Assemblywoman Adele Cohenis eyeing a Brooklyn SupremeCourt judgeship and will give upher Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights,Coney Island and BrightonBeach seat if she is elected to thebench in November, sources toldThe Bay Ridge Paper this week.

Cohen, 62, who last Novemberwas re-elected for a third term, de-nied the rumor.

“I have no comment other than Ilove my job,” said Cohen. “I’m hav-ing a perfectly wonderful time. I canaccomplish a lot in the Assemblyand I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

But sources within the Kings

County Democratic Committee saythat Cohen has been putting out feel-ers — to everyone from the party’sexecutive director, Jeffery Feldman,to many of the borough’s 42 districtleaders — since the Democrats be-gan advertising for judicial candi-dates in issues of the New York LawJournal last week.

Several sources, including a dis-trict leader in Cohen’s 46th Assem-bly District, confirmed that the three-term lawmaker had been delicatelyseeking support for one of two coun-tywide seats expected to be vacatedin September.

Delia Schack, a co-district leaderin the 46th AD, and Ralph Perfetto, aleader in the neighboring 60th AD,both said Cohen was testing the wa-ters for a run at the bench.

“At the moment, what I’m hear-ing is she’s looking for a SupremeCourt judgeship,” said Perfetto.“You know, there’s a lot of peoplewaiting countywide, so I don’t knowhow doable that’s going to be.”

Although elections will be heldfor six seats throughout both Brook-lyn and Staten Island this September,four are currently filled by incum-bents who are eligible for reelection.Once the Democratic Party judicialscreening panel receives applicationsfrom likely candidates, an executive





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‘Fever’floor is on theblockAssociated Press

The flashing, colorful Brooklyn dance floorwhere John Travolta strutted and hustled in“Saturday Night Fever” will be offered at auc-tion, a dealer of Hollywood memorabilia saidTuesday.

The floor, which was the centerpiece of the 2001Odyssey nightclub at 802 64th St. in Bay Ridge, wassaved by owner Jay Rizzo after the club closed lastweek.

The auction will be held on April 1 at the galleriesof Profiles in History, a memorabilia dealer in BeverlyHills, Calif., its editor, Kevin Hasely, said.

The floor will remain in New York City duringthe California auction. It has already attractedprospective bidders, particularly memorabilia col-lectors, Hasely said.

“We have interest from private collectors whowant the dance floor for themselves, and from clubowners who know the commercial value of havingthe floor made famous in ‘Saturday Night Fever,’”Brian Chanes, director of sales at Profiles in Histo-ry, told the Daily News.

Rizzo, who renamed the 2001 Odyssey to Spec-trum in 1987, also said that the floor has long beena curiosity, especially among tourists.

“Over the years, we’ve had thousands of peoplewho come here just to see it,” Rizzo told the News.“It is incredibly popular with tourists — particular-ly from Europe.”

In the 1977 movie, the floor was the scene whereTravolta’s character, Tony Manero, went from paintstore clerk to disco playboy on Saturday nights.

The 10-year-old Profiles in History describes itselfas the nation’s leading dealer in guaranteed-authenticoriginal historical autographs, letters, documents, vin-tage signed photographs and manuscripts, and auc-tioneer of Hollywood memorabilia.

In August 2003, Bay Ridgites celebrated the neigh-borhood’s 150th anniversary with a screening of “Sat-urday Night Fever” in Narrows Botanical Gardens.

While many of the establishments featured in themovie are now defunct (including the White Castleon 92nd Street where Travolta’s bone-headed friendsstand on a table and bark like dogs) the movie stillholds a special place in the hearts of many.

In fact, tourists still wind up on the doorstep ofPeggy Pierce, a Community Board 10 memberwho is the proud owner of the home on 79th Streetwhere Tony Manero lived in the film.

The once gray house is now painted brown andwhite but fans find it anyway, Pierce said at thescreening, noting that just a few years ago touristsfrom Brazil appeared in her driveway.

Pierce and her husband, Ray, moved into thehome three months before “Saturday Night Fever”hit the theaters in December, 1977.

— with The Brooklyn Papers

John Travolta, as Tony Manero, dances the nightaway at 2001 Odyssey, the Bay Ridge nightclubfeatured in in “Saturday Night Fever.”See COHEN on page 4 See VICTORY on page 4

Cohen eyeing bench

Victory chief:We’re staying!By Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

The president of Vic-tory Memorial Hospitalvehemently denied a re-port published this weekthat fingered the 105-year-old Bay Ridge med-ical center and sevenother small hospitals aslikely to be closed be-cause of Gov. George Pa-taki’s efforts to reduce ris-ing state Medicaid costs.

Donald DiCunto said thereport in Crain’s New YorkBusiness, which named Vic-tory Memorial among twoBrooklyn hospitals speculat-ed to be closed, unfairly cre-ated its list by taking an in-formal survey of health carespecialists that he believesskewed heavily in favor oflarger hospitals, which wouldbenefit from consolidations.

The report only mentionsVictory Memorial once, aspart of a list that also includes

Rep. Vito Fossella presents check for $100,000 to Victory Memorial Hospital Presi-dent Donald DiCunto (center) and Emergency Department Director Dr. Mark Kind-schuh in February of 2004. Reports this week said the hospital may be closing.

hardt, was reprimanded by JHS51 Principal Xavier Castelli. Kun-hardt issued a statement of apolo-gy through the Department of Ed-ucation.

“The teacher acknowledgesthat he made a mistake and theprincipal plans to add a letter ofreprimand to his file,” said AliciaMaxey Greene, a spokeswomanfor the Department of Education.

Although Jacobs was not sta-tioned in Iraq, it didn’t stop thepint-size pundits from dashing off21 mostly unhappy letters thatseemed to confirm every stereo-type of the liberal Park Slopemindset and its widespread oppo-sition to President Bush. Whileone wrote, simply, that she be-lieved “this war is pointless,” oth-ers weren’t so easy on the 20-year-old soldier.

In one essay, a student wrotethat soldiers were “destroyingholy places like mosques” whileanother accused Jacobs of “beingforced to kill innocent people.”

Elected officials, meanwhile,issued carefully worded state-


The founding director of a Brooklyn an-imal shelter was arrested Tuesday and charg-ed with 11 counts of animal cruelty followingan investigation by the American Society forthe Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Carmello “Mel” Salamone, 51, of Mastick,Long Island, was picked up by 66th Precinctpolice on Fifth Avenue at 25th Street in SunsetPark, one block south of where he turned overthe carcass of a dead pit bull to animal res-cuers on Jan. 31 following a raid on the facili-ty he helped organize.

Salamone is charged with “overdriving, tor-turing and injuring animals and failure to pro-vide proper sustenance for animals,” accordingto the district attorney’s office. He could faceup to 11 years in prison — one year for eachcount — an ASPCA investigator said.

Reached for comment after the arrest. Sala-mone asked The Brooklyn Papers to call himback later, but then did not return subsequent


ASPCA Special Agent Richard Ryan escorts Carmello Salamone, 51, from the 66th Precinct, at16th Avenue and 58th Street, to Central Booking on Tuesday. Salamone, founder and presidentof the Hearts and Homes animal shelter, was charged with 11 counts of animal cruelty.

ASPCAarrests ‘Hearts’founder

See LETTERS on page 6

Slope kids bashAmerican soldierBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

A class of Park Slope sixth-graders shocked the nation thisweek when it was discoveredthey had sent demoralizing let-ters to a soldier stationed nearNorth Korea as part of a socialstudies assignment.

Several of the letters sent to Pfc.Rob Jacobs by students from JHS51, the William Alexander MiddleSchool, on Fifth Avenue at FifthStreet, attacked soldiers for partici-pating in the war in Iraq.

According to the New YorkPost, which first reported the storyon Monday, one girl wrote that shebelieves Jacobs is “being forced tokill innocent people” and chal-lenged him to name an Iraqi terror-ist, concluding, “I know I can’t.”

Deputy Schools ChancellorCarmen Farina, the former super-intendent of Park Slope’s SchoolDistrict 15, who has a nephewserving in Iraq, said on Tuesdaythat she would personally issuean apology to the New Jersey sol-dier and his family.

The teacher who assigned theletter-writing project, Alex Kun-

Newsboxes removedThe Brooklyn Papers has ordered the temporary removal ofits on-the-street newsboxes in Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst.While we believe much of the recent legislation regulatingnewsbox placement is unconstitutional, we are neverthelessmaking a good-faith effort to comply with those rules. Pend-ing the return of our boxes in a few weeks, we have in-creased deliveries to stores that carry our newspapers andour net circulation is unchanged. If you need help in locatinga store that carries our Paper, please call Cynthia at (718) 834-9350, ext. 101, between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm weekdays.

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EXCLUSIVE

See ASPCA ARRESTS HEAD on page 6

Denies Crain’s report hospital ripe for closing

I N S I D EBROOKLYN

NightlifeWhere toCALENDAR OF EVENTS

PLUS

SPA REPORT 2005

Sandra Roper announces deal at state SupremeCourt on Court Street Monday.


A Dyker Heights movietheater that opened thesame year as the firstHollywood musical “TheBroadway Melody” andsurvived protests in 1979after screening the then-controversial Monty Py-thon film “Life of Brian,” is

expected to close later thisyear, according to a realestate firm handling the saleof the movie house.

Philip Baffuto, director ofsales for Massey Knakal Re-alty, said that the Fortway, afive-screen theater at 6720Fort Hamilton Parkway, wasput on the block in Januarywith an asking price of $4.5million. Although most poten-

tial buyers have expressed in-terest in converting the prop-erty, either to residential orother commercial space, no-body has committed to a bid,said Baffuto.

Jeffrey Deneroff, the ownerof the building, confirmed thathe was selling his property, butsaid that despite a number of in-terested buyers none had com-mitted. He said he would fur-ther elaborate later this month.

Deneroff would not saywhy he had decided to sell theproperty now and would notsay whether he would giveLoews Cineplex an opportu-nity to renew its lease.

A spokeswoman forLoews, which leases thespace, issued an initial com-ment stating, “The theater isnot closing,” before retractingthe statement and simply say-ing, “No comment.”

Both Deneroff and Baffutobelieve the theater was built in1929, just as silent movieswere giving way to “talkies.”Later, in 1979, Catholicsprotested outside of the the-ater when it chose to screen“Life of Brian,” a controver-sial Monty Python comedy inwhich the main character isconfused for a messiah.

The movie’s tagline was


Breaking with a policy thatbars the naming of publicschools until at least a yearafter a proposed honoree hasdied, Schools Chancellor JoelKlein has approved the re-naming of a Dyker Heightselementary school in honor ofthe late District 20 Superin-tendent Vincent Grippo.

While effective immediately,

America to account to itsfounding promise of freedomand equality,” Bush said. “It’s alesson for people coming up tosee. One person can make a bigdifference in setting the tone ofthis country.”

When Robinson joined theBrooklyn Dodgers in 1947, hewas the first black player on amajor league team. He died in1972 and his No. 42 was retiredthroughout baseball in 1997.

“This medal confirms whatwe know,” Rachel Robinsonsaid. “Jackie Robinson standsas a heroic role model for allAmericans who believe in jus-tice and equality.”

Speakers extolled Robinson

sioners voted “yes” on theplan with almost no discus-sion.

One exception was DollyWilliams, an appointee ofBorough President MartyMarkowitz, who lauded theplan before issuing her own“OK.”

“City Planning and thepeople in Brooklyn did a fab-ulous job of the rezoning ofBay Ridge,” said Williams.“What we have been seeingin recent years is the destruc-tion of this wonderful, won-derful neighborhood.”

The hearing marked thepenultimate step in the city’sUniform Land Use ReviewProcedure (ULURP), a rough-ly seven-month process thatrequires hearings before andrecommendations by Com-munity Board 10, Markowitz,the City Planning Commis-sion and the City Council.

Bloomberg has voiced hispublic support for the efforton several occasions and isexpected to quickly sign offon it.

“I would say that this zon-ing in Bay Ridge is probablyup there among the most sig-nificant things to happen to

See ZONING on page 3See GRIPPO on page 2

See HERO on page 4

By Erica WernerAssociated Press

WASHINGTON — Morethan a half-century afterbreaking sport’s color barri-

er, Jackie Robinson wasposthumously awardedCongress’ highest honor, aCongressional Gold Medal.

On Wednesday, President

PAGE 7

Art from CaptainCook’s voyage

Ridge rezonecould passthis monthBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Quickly and without muchfanfare, the City PlanningCommission unanimously ap-proved the rezoning of 249blocks of Bay Ridge Wed-nesday morning.

The council will review the

Congress honorsDodgers’ Jackie

Bush gave the medalto Robinson’s wi-dow, Rachel Ro-binson, in a statelyceremony in theCapitol Rotunda. TheDemocratic and Re-publican leaders ofthe House and Senateand baseball com-missioner Bud Seliglooked on.

“His story is onethat shows what oneperson can do to hold

Enough? I snow what you mean!Brooklyn was hit with another half a foot of snow overnight Monday. The white stuff painted a pretty picture in Shore Road Park.

Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 16 pages • Vol. 28, No. 10 BRZ • Saturday, March 5, 2005 • FREE




Get ‘The L’ off bus sheltersBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Marty Golden, Brooklyn’s Republi-can-Conservative state senator, has hisown L-word for ads promoting a les-bian-themed cable TV show called“The L Word” whose cast of sexy starsbare it all in ads at city bus-stops: Lewd.

Outraged by the sight of nine nudewomen provocatively splashed acrossbus-stop shelters in his district and else-where, Golden is demanding that thecity remove advertisements for the hotShowtime drama, which chronicles thesex lives of a gaggle of gorgeous LosAngeles lesbians.

“I’ve never even seen [this many]naked women,” said a blushing Golden,who sent a Feb. 22 letter to the Depart-ment of Transportation calling for theadvertisement’s removal. “In communi-ties like ours, it’s not the type of ad thatshould be around. Young minds are vul-nerable and I think these need to be inresponsible locations.”

Introduced early last month to coincidewith the Feb. 20 premier of the show’s sec-ond season, the ad (a portion of which ispictured above) reveals a skin-tangled por-trait of the series’ stars, whose interlockedlegs and arms cleverly conceal body partsthat only premium cable can unlock.Among the bevy of bunched-up beauties,

Jennifer Beals, best known for her star turnin the movie “Flashdance,” strategicallycrosses her arms to cover her chest whilethe series name runs just below. Above thatis the phrase “Venus Envy.”

The show also stars ‘70s action filmstar Pam Grier.

A far cry from Ralph and Alice Kram-den, whose televised love affair in “TheHoneymooners” was set in Bensonhurst,the season premier of “The L Word” elec-trified TV sets with talk of suicide, anadulterous lesbian love triangle and unbri-dled sex in a public restroom. The grittyrealism has garnered widespread praisefrom critics since the show premiered lastyear building on the premium cable net-

work’s first gay hit, “Queer as Folk.”But despite heaps of acclaim, resi-

dents in Bay Ridge have doused com-plaints on Golden, who said his officehas received nearly a dozen calls sincethe ads were hoisted in all five bor-oughs, including at a bus shelter onThird Avenue at 77th Street.

His anger over the ads, he contends,stems from a concern that children willtake a gander at the voluptuous vixens,not the fact that the characters are les-bians. Golden has consistently chal-lenged businesses and entrepreneurswhose wares he believes are inappropri-ate for children, including a children’s

RIDGE STATE SENATOR TO CITY:

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See ‘L’ on page 15

See FORTWAY on page 4

Fortway theater closing

plan next and, if approved, itcould be signed into law byMayor Michael Bloomberg bythe end of this month.

As quickly as zoning matter“C 050314” was introduced ata March 2 meeting at the CityPlanning Commission’s officeon Reade Street in LowerManhattan, the 13 commis-

School namedfor Grippo

Vincent Grippo.

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Embattled district attorney candidate Sandra Roperhas agreed to pay nearly $9,000 to the elderly womanaccusing her of fraud in an unorthodox deal that willclear the attorney of all charges but may leave her vul-nerable to political jabs.

While emphasizing that the agreement was neither anadmission of guilt nor the result of a plea, Roper said thatshe would compensate $8,829 to Mary Lee Ward, the for-mer client whose accusations of fraud led to Roper beingtried for grand larceny. A trial ended in a hung jury in No-vember and she was about to be retried when the specialprosecutor handling the case made Roper an offer shecouldn’t refuse.

Although she still faces possible disciplinary action,Roper is now free to focus on her campaign against KingsCounty District Attorney Charles Hynes.

“I am truly thankful that these false charges against mehave been dismissed, finally,” said Roper, flanked by sup-porters on the steps of Brooklyn Supreme Court Monday.

“Indeed, these charges never should have been brought,”she said. “Our courts, one of the best of institutions, are fair,but not infallible. As the next Brooklyn district attorney, I’ll al-ways remember that the purpose of American courts is to pro-tect society and protect the rights of the individual accused.”

See ROPER on page 14

Charges droppedas Roper pays fee

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But foe of DA Hynescould still be disbarred

that he would forego his cam-paign for the 43rd Councilmanicseat and instead endorse fellowRepublican Pat Russo, who hewas expected to face in a primaryelection.

Russo is now the sole declaredchallenger to Gentile, a Democratwho is up for re-election in 2006.

“Due to personal family rea-sons, I will be unable to committhe time and energy over the nextnine months necessary to be suc-cessful in the race to representthe 43rd City Council District,”said Capano.

Although he declined to elabo-rate on his reason for bowing out,sources say that Capano ran intounexpected financial troubles af-ter learning on March 3 that fi-nancial assistance had fallenthrough for his 18-year-old sis-ter’s education at Wagner Col-lege in Staten Island. His family’sprimary earner since his fatherdied in 1997, Capano indicated toallies that, rather than push for-ward with an expensive politicalcampaign, he would invest in hissister’s college tuition.

Asked to confirm those inten-tions, Capano said, “No com-ment. I believe personal is per-sonal and private is private.”

Consequently, Capano saidthat he will be returning some$15,800 in political contributionsto about 170 donors.

The decision comes on theheels of Capano’s resignation asa community liaison for Brook-lyn Borough President MartyMarkowitz, a title he had heldsince hired by Markowitz’s pred-ecessor, Howard Golden, in1999. Although he said he wouldcontinue to support local Repub-





WHY ‘FEDDERS’ IS SUCH AN INFAMOUS HOUSEHOLD NAME: SEE P. 19

ON THE UPSWINGConey Island is now a hot commodityBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

A soon-to-be-released plan forthe redevelopment of ConeyIsland that is intended to restorethe former seaside resort area toits place as the borough’s mainattraction has sparked a real estateboom, say real estate agents andland owners.

A slew of undeveloped lots thathave languished for much of the last

three decades and structures that havelong sat dormant have seen their val-ues nearly double just in the last year.

From the barren, weed-strewn lotbeside Keyspan Park to the formersite of the famed Childs Restaurant,developers are betting on a revitalizedConey Island, particularly its C-7amusement district. Members of theConey Island Development Corpora-tion (CIDC), the group charged withreinvigorating the area, expect to re-lease a draft of their plans withinmonths.

In the meantime, the neighborhoodhas seen the rebirth of summertimethrongs with the success of KeyspanPark at West 17th Street between SurfAvenue and the Boardwalk, whichdraws thousands to see the short-sea-son single-A Brooklyn Cyclones base-ball team, as well as a brand new,grand subway hub at Stillwell Avenuethat reopened in May.

Added to that has been the nationalattention and thousands of visitorswho hit Coney island for the annualJuly 4 Nathan’s hot dog eating con-

test, the refurbishing of the old Para-chute Jump, which may become thesite of a pavilion, and plans to mod-ernize the New York Aquarium.

But what really has property own-ers, speculators and potential develop-ers licking their chops these days isthe city-backed redevelopment plan,the details of which are expected to bereleased by this summer, although noexact date has been set.

Michael Harari, a broker withMassey Knakal Realty, a commercial

Defending Fort Ham By Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

On the heels of a De-partment of Defense man-date to slash a quarter of thenation’s military installa-tions, Rep. Vito Fossella onMonday released a finalreport defending the FortHamilton Army Base as cru-cial to national security.

Prepared over the course ofa year by the 23-member TaskForce to Save Fort Hamilton,the 66-page report cites the35,000 soldiers who passthrough the base’s recruitmentprogram each year and therole the base plays in nationalsecurity in making its caseagainst closing the 180-year-old garrison. The Pentagon’sBase Realignment and Clo-sure Commission is expectedto announce its recommenda-tions by May.

The Fort Hamilton reportwill be delivered to DefenseSecretary Donald Rumsfeldthis week, said Fossella.

“This is to justify and ex-plain what we all know to bethe obvious,” said Fossella,flanked by members of the taskforce outside the army base, onFort Hamilton Parkway at101st Street. “This base notonly benefits Bay Ridge, butall of New York and the mil-

Vito’s report says it’s vital

On Monday, Rep. Vito Fossella announced his Fort HamiltonTask Force Report, which found that the historic base mustremain open to protect the city from terrorist attacks.

lions of people who come hereon a daily basis.”

Fossella said the task forcefound that the base meets allseven criteria that the Base Re-alignment and Closure Com-mission uses to judge the meritsof each installation. Amongthem, he said the base keeps anactive Military Entrance Pro-cessing Station, provides a se-cure location for training andoccupies land close to majortransportation systems.

Additionally, said Fossella,the report argues that the baseprovides security for militarymovements within the city

while providing support toNew York and New Jersey insecuring New York Harbor.

The Bay Ridge-Staten Is-land congressman added thatby staying open, the base actu-ally saves taxpayers $1.3 mil-lion a year because it alsohouses the Army Corps of En-gineers, which would other-wise have to shell out rent atanother location.

The latest base cuts willmark the fifth round of clo-sures by the Department ofDefense, which began seeking

PAGE 9

Woody Allen on‘Melinda & Melinda’


Mayor Michael Bloomberg,Gov. George Pataki and realestate developer Bruce Ratnersigned a “memorandum ofunderstanding” March 3 thatofficially spells out Ratner’s plan

to build a basketball arena and 17residential and office high-riseson 21 acres of property emanat-ing from the intersection ofFlatbush and Atlantic avenues.

The memorandum of understand-ing (MOU) calls for the city and thestate to each pay $100 million for

the project. A press release from the mayor’s

office touted the agreement as bring-ing “over 4,000 units of mixed-in-come housing,” and Bloombergcalled it an “historic project that willcontinue to energize the borough ofBrooklyn.”

According to the MOU, the de-

veloper’s Forest City Ratner Cos.will move Ratner’s New Jersey Netsbasketball team to Brooklyn for aperiod of no less than 30 years. Theywill also develop mixed-use, multi-family housing, and office and retailspace, of which 4.4 million squarefeet will be housing, 321,000 retail

See ARENA on page 17

City, state & Bruce agree:‘Yards the place for Nets

Capano bows outof ‘06 council raceBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Only weeks after formallyannouncing his candidacy,and just days after sittingdown for interviews with theKings County ConservativeParty, Bay Ridge City Coun-cil hopeful Bob Capano saidhe would not seek to unseatincumbent Vincent Gentilenext year.

Citing “personal family rea-sons,” Capano said on March 8

Republican Bob Capano hasdropped out of the race forBay Ridge’s council seat.

Golden pitchesballfield dollarsBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Sports fans who scoff at pitcher Pedro Martinez’s pricey$53 million contract with the New York Mets and shedtears over Yankee slugger Jason Giambi’s steroid use, takenote: pint-size athletes in Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst aredoing more with less — and loving it.

Thanks to more than $60,000 in state funding, more than a thou-sand future homerun kings, soccer stars, Heisman winners andjump-shot geniuses will begin their seasons fresh, with new equip-ment and uniforms. The budget allotment, to be spread throughoutindependent and Catholic youth programs throughout southwestBrooklyn, was secured by state Sen. Marty Golden.

“This funding will go towards the purchase of new equipment andsupplies to help grow our sports programs and to allow for our youngplayers to have the best available opportunities to learn and to excel insports,” said Golden, whose 22nd Senatorial District encompasses BayRidge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Marine Park. “I’m proud tosupport the efforts of the parents, the coaches and the players, whichwill keep America’s pastime, as well as other sports, alive throughout

See CAPANO on page 4See BALLFIELD on page 6

See CONEY on page 5 See FORT HAM on page 6

History at Borough HallBorough President Marty Markowitz unveils portrait of Brooklyn’s first black state Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Williams, in Borough Hall’scourtroom. The portrait is the first of a black dignitary to have a permanent place on the walls of Borough Hall. With Markowitz at the unveilingon Feb. 24 are (from left) Edna Moshette, Williams’ son Oliver L. Williams, Williams’ daughter Ann Messinger, state Supreme Court JusticeYvonne Lewis and portrait artist Donovan Nelson.

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SAY YOURPRAYERS





X MARKSTHE SPOTCinderella Xaverian takescity title, state is nextBy Vince DiMiceliThe Brooklyn Papers

It was the year they weren’t supposed to do it, but some-how they did anyway.

The Xaverian Clippers men’s basketball team won their first-everCatholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) AA-Division citychampionship on March 10 with a dramatic 67-66 win over heavily fa-vored Rice at Fordham University.

Along the way to the most coveted trophy in Catholic high schoolbasketball, the Clippers also eliminated Christ the King, taking downtwo nationally ranked top-10 teams in two weeks.

“It was an improbable run to knock off two giants,” Coach Jack Ale-si told The Brooklyn Papers. “But it just goes to show you, persistencepays off. Our team really came together in the last month.”

Led by 6-foot-5 senior forward Saiquon Stone’s 22 points — 13 ofwhich came in the fourth quarter — and stellar defense, the Clippers turneda 53-50 deficit with 5:25 to go into a 57-53 lead in under two minutes.

But Rice rallied back, and with the Clips hanging on to a 64-63 leadwith 57 seconds remaining, Brian McKenzie hit a three-pointer to sealthe win.

The championship came a year after the Clippers lost in the finals toSt. Raymond’s with what was considered a better team than this sea-son’s squad.

“Last year, you might have expected it,” Alesi said of the champi-onship. “But going into this season, after graduating some guys, dis-missing two starters before the start of the season, and having a verytough schedule, who knew?”

But with a starting five of Stone, honors student McKenzie, seniorpoint guard Levance Fields, Timmy Hepworth and Jake Stevens, theClippers defied the odds.

“These guys were the foundation of the team,” Alesi said. “And they didit the typical Xaverian way, with teamwork, chemistry and solid defense.”

While Xaverian had never won a city championship before, the boys’team has had some success over the years. In 1981, led by future Na-tional Basketball Association all-star Chris Mullen, the Clippers won thestate A-Division championship. And in 1985, the X-Men took home thesame title in the B-Division.

During the 10 years Alesi has coached the team, the Clippers havewon three CHSAA Brooklyn-Queens championships and made it to thecity’s final four six times.MARCHMADNESS: On Saturday, March 12, the Clippers defeatedSt. Mary’s 71-69 at Fordham University, thus winning the CatholicHigh School State Championship and advancing to the overall statechampionship game Saturday. The loss was the first of the year for St.Mary’s, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation, going 24-0 on the sea-son. The X-Men will play for the state title on Saturday, March 19 inGlenns Falls, NY.

Xaverian forward Chris Lowery goes up for a slam dunk duringClippers improbable 67-66 win over Rice last Wednesday.

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GENTILE TO SUNDAY METERS:

Vincent Gentile says the CItyCouncil can override a may-oral veto.


Locked in a politicized battle withMayor Michael Bloomberg, 36 CityCouncil members have united toform what Bay Ridge CouncilmanVincent Gentile described as a veto-proof majority in support of legisla-tion that would eliminate Sundayparking meters.

Flanked by Queens Councilman HiramMonserrate, Gentile announced on Fridayat the steps of City Hall, and again on Sun-day in Bay Ridge, that he had corralledsupport from two-thirds of the council’s 52members, the magic number needed tooverride an expected veto by Bloomberg.

If approved, the legislation sponsoredby Gentile would amend an administrativecode to allow for the suspension of Sundayparking meter regulations, which were put

into effect by Bloomberg in 2002 as a par-tial antidote to the city’s escalating budgetdeficit. Gentile said this week that hehopes widespread support of the legisla-tion, now idling in the council’s transporta-tion committee, will prompt Bloomberg torevoke or recast the Sunday meter opera-tion, which draws $7 million annually.

“Now that that’s the case,” Gentile saidof the veto-proof bill, “we’re going to giveit a little more time.” Gentile gathered onSunday at the intersection of Fifth Avenueand 79th Street to raise the issue. “Hope-fully, the mayor and the [Department ofTransportation] will come to the table,” hesaid.

Long a concern in Bay Ridge, wherechurchgoers charge that having to run outto feed parking meters midway throughMass has disrupted Sunday services, theissue has escalated since last month to

Seek funds for crumblingShore Road Park seawallThe Brooklyn Papers

A decade-long struggle torebuild nearly a third of the dete-riorating Shore Parkway bike pathwas revived this week as theArmy Corps of Engineers agreedto conduct an inspection of the

aging seawall along the route andCommunity Board 10 announcedits intention to create a multi-agency task force to coordinatefuture reconstruction.

The combined efforts were an-nounced on Monday by Bay Ridge

Rep. Vito Fossella, who said he wouldresubmit a request for $16 million infederal funding to rebuild the crum-bling seawall and restore a four-milestretch of bike path between 79th and95th streets that has long been plagued

See SUNDAY on page 6

See SEAWALL on page 4

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I N S I D EBROOKLYN

NightlifeWhere toCALENDAR OF EVENTS

PLUS

FITNESS SPECIAL

City: Parksready to rollBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

As much a sign of the comingof spring as pitchers and catchersreporting to Florida, city officialsthis week descended upon ConeyIsland for last-minute safety ins-pections before throngs of thrillseekers flock to Brooklyn’s am-usement mecca this Sunday.

Some 82 rides at Astroland Parkand Deno’s Wonder Wheel weredeemed safe for the hundreds, or per-haps thousands of revelers expectedto spill into the neighborhood onMarch 20, when the attractions openfor business for the first time sinceSeptember.

Save for a loose nut there, and a wig-gly bolt there — all of which were cor-rected before being given the green lightby Department of Buildings inspectors— each of the rides passed inspection.

“We’re just making sure they’reready for riders,” said Buildings Depart-ment spokeswoman Jennifer Givner.

By Ariella Cohenfor The Brooklyn Papers

If plans for new residential development innorthern Sunset Park proceed under the neigh-borhood’s current zoning code, the Goddess ofMinerva at Green-Wood Cemetery risks losing aflirtation nearly 90 years old.

Separated by New York Harbor and about six av-enue blocks of low-rise Brooklyn real-estate slopingdown toward the harbor, the Minerva statue and theStatue of Liberty have spent the better part of the lastcentury locked in a stone-eyed stare.

But a new residential development planned for thecorner of Seventh Avenue and 23rd Street, where theNational Produce Warehouse stood until last year,threatens the sight line between the two historic monu-

See SUNSET on page 16

See CONEY on page 16

FIGHTING IRISHEarly Easterforces boro’s2 paradesinto 1 Sunday

A bagpiper marches in the BrooklynIrish-American Parade in 2003.


As the luck of the Irish would have it,two separate St. Patrick’s Day paradeswill wend their way through streets inBay Ridge and Park Slope on Sundayafternoon, a scheduling gaffe that hasinjected new life into the term “fightingIrish.”

Thanks to an unusually early Easter,which this year falls on March 27, the annu-al Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade is onMarch 20, a week ahead of schedule and onthe same day as the Brooklyn Irish-Ameri-can Parade in Park Slope, which celebratesits 30th anniversary this year.

Kathleen McDonagh, who has organizedthe Park Slope parade since its inception in1975, initially declined to comment on thedueling events, but later conceded that shebelieved the Bay Ridge parade, itself only 11years old, should have been rescheduled.

“Yes I do,” said McDonagh. “Ours has al-ways been on the third Sunday of March. Al-ways.”

Jerry Callahan, president of the Bay Ridgeparade committee, said that his organization— which normally hosts the parade on thefourth Sunday of March — began planningfor this year’s event as early as 2003, know-ing far in advance that Easter Sunday wouldbe off limits and the week after that wouldpush it into April, nearly three weeks after St.Patrick’s Day, March 17.

He noted that Irish heritage parades wereheld in the Rockaways and on Staten Islandlast week.

“You hear rumors,” Callahan said ofgrumbling in Park Slope.

The Park Slope parade begins at 1 pm, on

15th Street at Prospect Park West, followingan assembly at noon and a rededication cere-mony for 9-11 victims at 12:30 pm, said Mc-Donagh. The route then traces 15th Streetwest to Seventh Avenue, where green-cladrevelers will march north to Union Street.From there, the crowd will head back toProspect Park West and then return to their

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Sun’Parkseeks newzoning law

The statue of Minerva atop Green-Wood cemetery’s Battle Hill will lose her intended view of giganticgal-pal the Statue of Liberty (inset), if a high-rise condo development in Sunset Park goes forward.

Coney rides given once-over

City inspectors examine rides at Coney Island, which opens this Sunday.

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Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 14 pages • Vol. 28, No. 36 BRZ • Saturday, September 10, 2005 • FREE



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Events mark 9-114th anniversary

PAGE 7

D’Onofrio fathers‘Thumbsucker’

9-11 • FOUR YEARS LATER • 9-11A WIDOW’S TALEBy Ajla GrozdanicThe Brooklyn Papers

Americans will commemo-rate this Sunday, Sept. 11, asthe fourth anniversary of thetragic day when the UnitedStates was attacked on its ownsoil and lost thousands ofinnocent lives.

For Marian Fontana the datealso marks the 12th anniversaryof her marriage to DavidFontana, a firefighter with ParkSlope’s elite Squad 1 who per-ished in the line of duty on 9-11,leaving her a widow and a singlemother to their then-5-year-oldson, Aidan.

Fontana, 39, who has since be-come a leading voice among thefamilies of 9-11’s heroes and oth-er World Trade Center victims,will mark this year’s anniversarywith the release of her book, “AWidow’s Walk: A Memoir of9/11” (Simon & Schuster; $24).On Sept. 9, she will be hosting aprivate party for close family andfriends — among whom shecounts the former First Lady,Sen. Hilary Clinton.

In an interview this week withThe Brooklyn Papers, Fontanasaid she wrote the memoir forher son as a testament of her ex-perience of that tragic day andthe year that followed, because,she said, she knew that shewould forget the details as theyears passed.

“I really wrote it the wholetime with my son in mind,” shesaid. “So that he has a document

of what happened.”Fontana said that she was

pleasantly surprised at how wellthe personal memoir was re-ceived by both critics and thepublic. (The most recent issue ofVanity Fair featured excerptsfrom Fontana’s book.)

“I’m pleased with how mov-ing it was for people,” she said.

“A Widow’s Walk” recordsFontana’s personal journey, start-ing early on the morning of Sept.11, 2001, when she was rushingto drop off Aidan at school, sothat she could make it to a Con-necticut Muffin coffee shop inPark Slope on time to meetDavid, then 37, after his shift atthe firehouse ended. The two

planned to celebrate their eighthwedding anniversary by spend-ing an undisturbed day togetherwalking around Manhattan andgoing to the Whitney Museum.

The couple’s plans were inter-rupted before they even started,when the first passenger jetcrashed into one of the NorthTower, 10 minutes beforeDavid’s shift ended. Instead ofmeeting Marian, David, who,Marian wrote, “would never missa fire,” was one of the 12 Squad1 members (both his shift of sixmen and their relief shift) whoanswered their final rescue call atthe World Trade Center.

“OK. I’ll see you at Connecti-cut Muffin in 10 minutes,”

Memoir recounts experience of 9-11 hero’s wife

Firefighter David Fontana with his son, Aidan. Fontana’s wife,Marian, has written a memoir about her 9-11 experience.


Forest City Ratner this week doubled its bidfor development rights over the MetropolitanTransportation Authority’s Atlantic Avenue railyards, but is still offering less than half of whatthe property is estimated to be worth, accordingto a published report.

The right to build over the Long Island Rail Roadstorage yards in Prospect Heights is a crucial compo-nent of the development company’s plan to build a19,000-seat professional basketball arena and 17 of-fice and residential high-rises, including several sky-scrapers that would tower over the surrounding area.

The development site of the proposed AtlanticYards is bounded by Dean Street and Flatbush, At-lantic and Vanderbilt avenues.

Citing unnamed sources, identified only as “two ex-ecutives involved in the talks,” the New York Timeson Wednesday reported that a special meeting mightbe held as soon as this Tuesday, Sept. 13, to approvethe deal because developer Bruce Ratner had uppedhis company’s bid from $50 million to $100 million.

An appraisal of the property for the MTA put itsvalue at $214 million.

The MTA put out a request for proposals, or RFP,for the site on May 26. Although Ratner’s bid was thelower of the two bids submitted by the July 6 dead-line, the MTA board on July 27 chose to negotiate ex-clusively with Ratner.

The competing bid, by Extell Development Com-pany, was for $150 million for the three parcels, andoffered to pay to build platforms above them.

The MTA board is made up of 17 appointees, mostof them direct or indirect appointees of Gov. GeorgePataki.

At the July 27 MTA hearing, the board’s chair, Pe-ter Kalikow, read a prepared motion to further discussthe bidding solely with Ratner, a Columbia LawSchool classmate of Pataki’s. The governor has been asupporter of the Ratner plan since it was announced inlate 2003.

Forest City Ratner executives argued at the July 27meeting that their bid was greater despite only offer-ing $50 million up front, because it included $29 mil-lion in renovations of the rail yards (to help pay fortheir relocation required under the Ratner proposal), aswell as $20 million in environmental remediation ofthe property (which needs to be done in order to de-velop the site for housing), $182 million to build aplatform (to build the housing and commercial prop-erties over the shifted rail yards), $25.4 million inMTA operating expenses and $23 million in projectedsales tax revenues.

The MTA board voted to give Forest City Ratner 45days — until Sept. 10 — to negotiate exclusively withKalikow and Katherine Lapp, the executive director ofthe MTA and a former Pataki aide, leading to the $100million, according to the Times report.

Neither MTA nor Forest City Ratner officials wouldcomment for this article.

Additionally, an MTA spokesman said that neither

Sandy’s got a dandyBrooklyn Cyclones mascot Sandy the Seagull holds aloft a copy of The Brooklyn Paper during Brooklyn Papers Night at Keyspan Park lastThursday. The Cyclones, who fell out of playoff contention later in the week, kept hope alive with an 8-4 spanking of the hated Staten Is-land Yankees. For Brooklyn’s best coverage of the Cyclones, see page 15.


Colliding with a natural dis-aster so different in nature butclose in the scale of casualties,the fourth anniversary of theterrorist attacks of Sept. 11,2001 bears an inextricable con-nection to the floods of Louisi-ana this past week.

Brooklynites and other NewYorkers are revisiting through thesuffering down South the pain ofdestruction, and remembrance ofthe thousands of lives lost whenairplanes turned into missiles andsmashed into the World TradeCenter towers.

Here in Bay Ridge, there willbe a 9-11 memorial event Sundaynight at the 69th Street Pier, wherethe Brooklyn Remembers 9-11memorial stands. The pier is atBay Ridge Avenue and ShoreRoad. The event, which starts at 8pm, will feature a 21-gun salute, amoment of silence and inspira-tional speeches.

Bruce Ratner doubled his bid for the AtlanticYards site this week to $100 million.

Lapp nor Kalikow had been around when the Timesstory broke.

“I can’t verify that [the Times article is correct] be-cause I don’t know about it,” said MTA spokesmanTom Kelly, a spokesman for the MTA.

“Kalikow has been away and Lapp has not seen afinal [bid], so I don’t know,” said Kelly, who insistedthat whatever information had been leaked was likelycoming from the developer.

“This is not an MTA source,” Kelly said. “The ‘of-ficials,’ as far as I can see, could be Ratner people; thiscould be their way of getting this out there,” he said,

RATNER DOUBLES DOWNHigher bid still far short of MTA site’s value

Two bunches of balloons, onebunch of 9 and one bunch of 11,will be released into the air inmemory of the lives lost, and theoriginal song “Towers in the Sky”will be performed by ShannonGrace.

Many religious congregations arefinding ways to reach out to thosesuffering in New Orleans whilehelping themselves heal.

Others will continue to offer fo-rums for reflection and criticalthinking here at home. All servic-es are open to the public.

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, a FireDepartment chaplain and spiritualleader of Congregation MountSinai, a conservative synagogue inBrooklyn Heights, will lead acommemorative service for fire-fighters, their families and thegeneral public at FDNY headquar-ters, 9 Metrotech Center, at 1 pmon Sunday.

In the following week, Congre-gation Mount Sinai will hold serv-ices for “special remembrance andresponse, to come together andlearn about what can be done,”said Potasnik, to connect 9-11 sur-vivors with the victims of Hurri-cane Katrina.

The Church of the Assumptionof the Blessed Virgin Mary, also

Fontana recalled in her book ofthe last words she spoke to herhusband. “That’s it. No profounddiscussions. I can’t even remem-ber if I told him I loved him.”

Fontana’s memoir records theevents of 9-11, as she experi-enced them, as well as her per-sonal journey of coping withgrief, widowhood and the chal-lenges of being a single parent. Aperformer, writer and comedi-enne by profession, Fontana fillsher heartbreaking story withlove, friendship, compassion and,as surprising as it might seem,humor.

She writes about a priest who,upon learning that Sept. 11 marksher and David’s anniversary,said, “God is incredibly tacky.”She writes about going to one fu-neral after another, memorizingeulogies and laughing with otherwidows over an increase in de-mand for grief makeup and elab-orate wreaths in the shape of golfclubs, football jerseys, surf-boards, cigars, logos of bandsand movies and even a HarleyDavidson motorcycle.

But most of all, she writesabout David, a loving father andhusband, a courageous firefighterwith a passion for art and history,a lifeguard and a beach lover.Fontana spent his career at Squad1, a specially trained firehousethat covers a broad terrain, in-cluding three quarters of Brook-lyn, all of Staten Island and partsof Lower Manhattan.

“It was the most difficult thing Iwrote,” Fontana said of her mem-

The South Tower on Sept. 11,2001, as plane hits it.

See COMMEMORATION page 5

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Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 20 pages • Vol. 28, No. 39 BRZ • Saturday, October 1/8, 2005 • FREE



“I did come in today with some fears,”said Michael Carr, the Australian captain ofthe Oriana.

“I thought they sent me to the wrongport and the wrong wharf, since all I sawwas a bundle of bollards,” he said aboutpictures he received a week before arriving.

He added, however, that the arrival wentsmoothly.

“It was lovely to come in this morning,”Carr said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who orches-trated the officially non-campaign eventduring a day of campaign stops, said to thecaptain and his passengers and crew, “Wehave 8.1 million New Yorkers who wel-come you today.”

Bloomberg said the ship’s arrival wasout of necessity, although according to thecity’s Economic Development Corporation,there are no others scheduled in Brooklynuntil this April, when the $45 million RedHook Cruise Terminal is slated to open.

“Today we had a parking problem in Man-hattan,” explained Bloomberg, who pointed


At a ribbon-cutting ceremonyMonday, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Rep.Vito Fossella, Mayor MichaelBloomberg, Borough PresidentMarty Markowitz, state Sen. MartyGolden and Councilman VincentGentile joined Fort Hamilton offi-

cials to celebrate the opening ofDoubleday Village, a new, light-blue and beige colonial-style resi-dential addition built on the 175-year-old garrison’s old paradeground and baseball field.

Built and managed by GMH Mili-tary Housing, a private companybased in Pennsylvania, Doubleday Vil-

lage is one of the first military housingcomplexes built under a national De-partment of Defense privatization pro-gram. Through the Residential Com-munities Initiative (RCI), militarybases lease land to private companiesfor residential development.

“Fort Hamilton deserved to stayopen and to be one of the first bases tosee what our Army is doing now with

privatized housing,” said Clinton, be-fore ending her short speech by askingMarkowitz if she had done “OK.”

The public-private project is thelargest development completed on thebase since 2003, when Congressplaced it on a list of bases that couldbe closed as part of a military consoli-dation plan.

See FORT HAM on page 6


A crowd turned out to welcome her,and the gleaming white ship with thebellowing horn, which burst out louderthan even the amplified booming ofBorough President Marty Markowitz’svoice, didn’t disappoint.

On Saturday morning, the Oriana, atransatlantic luxury liner, docked in RedHook, prematurely christening the piers thatwill usher a glamorous industry of Queensand Princesses to the county of Kings.

The gathering at Pier 12, which waslargely comprised of industry and city in-siders — the public was prohibited entry— took place in front of a stage set up onthe pier just off Pioneer Street.

The ship, which had set sail from Lon-don, pulled into Buttermilk Channel just af-ter 7 am. Passengers, at least those whowere awake, patiently waited onboard andwatched from the decks and stateroom bal-conies as the press conference welcomingtheir arrival commenced.

PAGE 9

Yimou directsdance at BAM

PAPER HOLIDAY…This week’s Brooklyn Papers are “double issues” — a new Paperwill not be published next week, and our offices will be closedTuesday, Oct. 4, for the Jewish New Year, and Thursday, Oct. 13,for Yom Kippur. The next edition will be dated Saturday, Oct. 15.

By Jess Wisloski and Ariella CohenThe Brooklyn Papers

Assemblyman Clarence Norman Jr., the boss of Brook-lyn Democratic politics for 14 years as chairman of theKings County Democratic Committee, was convictedTuesday of violating election law and falsifying businessrecords. He promptly resigned from both offices.

The Sept. 27 guilty verdict marked the end to the first of fourcorruption cases brought against Norman by his one-time politi-cal ally, District Attorney Charles Hynes, who has said thecharges against the party chief stemmed from a probe by his of-fice into judicial corruption and the selling of judgeships.

Hynes investigators claimed to have found evidence that Nor-man, a 23-year veteran of the state legislature, mishandled cam-paign contributions, leading to conspiracy and grand larcenycharges, which led to the other charges against him.

Norman, who represented Flatbush and Crown Heights, faces upto four years imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 29.

Defense attorney Edward Rappaport argued the case did notmerit a felony charge, calling it merely an unintentional infrac-tion of campaign law, but prosecutors proved to the jury thatNorman had committed a crime when he solicited and concealed$10,000 in contributions from a lobbyist — more than the statelimits — in the 2000 and 2002 primaries.

Norman hid the contributions in the party’s coffers instead ofclaiming them on his campaign disclosures, prosecutors said.Norman called it an unwitting mistake.

Norman’s resignation from his political offices, which would havebeen enforced under law had he not quit, may signify a sea change forBrooklyn’s Democratic Party, say some experts.

“I think removal of Clarence Norman, the re-nomination of


Calling it a “crisis” situation, residentsnear Owl’s Head Park are calling on the cityto thwart what they see as an all-too-rapiddeterioration of conditions in the green spaceat Bay Ridge’s northwest corner.

“Owl’s Head Park is in a crisis and somethinghas to be done before the damage is irreversible,”wrote Bernadette Hoban, chairwoman of the groupFriends and Neighbors of Owl Head’s Park, in a“plea for help” she sent last month to local electedofficials, Community Board 10 and the city’s De-partment of Parks and Recreation.

The Parks Department is overseeing the renovationof a one-story brick park ranger station and pubic rest-room at the 68th Street entrance to the park. That mil-lion-dollar improvement project slowed after a privatecontractor hired by the city agency jumped ship inJuly 2004, abandoning the vacant ranger station andleaving a mess behind its 8-foot fence.

Hoban’s letter lists eight maintenance problems,all of which link to a lack of indoor toilets on site,the need for steady ranger supervision and lossesincurred when the comfort station closed for reno-vation in March 2004.

“Once the park attendant is gone and the toiletsgone, the park deteriorates,” said Elinor Petty, chair-woman of the CB10 parks committee, who spokeon behalf of Friends and Neighbors of Owl’s HeadPark at last week’s community board meeting.

“Not having a park employee present has led tomany problems including large groups (greater

BOSS GUILTYNorman quits political posts

Former Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman Assemblyman Clarence Nor-man Jr. stumps at the West Indian Day Parade last year.

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Pizza on paradeHundreds of coustumed children in homemade outfits — like this slice of pizza from 2003 — will beon parade during Saturday’s 39th annual Ragamuffin Parade between 72nd and 92nd streets alongThird Avenue. The festivities kick off at 1 pm. The Bay Ridge Fifth Avenue Fair is on Sunday.

See NORMAN on page 5

Ratner to bar public from promised parkBy Jess WisloskiThe Brooklyn Papers

Plans for a glorious, 52,000-square-foot publicly accessiblerecreational space on the roof ofBruce Ratner’s proposed FrankGehry-designed basketball arenawill not be open to the public,according to a document releasedlast week by the state authorityacting as lead agent for the project.

The elevated parkland, describedas “1+” acres in earlier promotionalmaterial distributed by the develop-er’s Forest City Ratner Companies,which hopes to develop the site withthe help of at least $200 million inpublic funds, is now going to be for

private access only, according to the“Draft Scope of Analysis for an En-vironmental Impact” on the AtlanticYards plan. The project would alsoinclude office skyscrapers and morethan a dozen high-rise apartmentbuildings and relies on the use ofeminent domain to seize privateproperty for the developer.

The document was prepared byconsultants hired by Forest CityRatner.

That private roof garden was theonly green space locals were prom-ised for the first 11 years of develop-ment of the 22-acre Atlantic Yards,which would stretch east across sixsquare blocks of Prospect Heightsfrom the intersection of Atlantic and

Flatbush avenues.Another promised “7+” acres of

open space would be completedonly after the rest of the project isdone, estimated for 2016, accord-ing to the scoping document.

And that’s if the plan sticks to itsconstruction schedule.

As initially envisioned in ForestCity Ratner promotions, the openspace would be both active (featur-ing such amenities as tennis courts,jungle gyms, playgrounds, black-tops) and passive (typically bench-es, trees, grass, landscaping).

Norman Oder, a freelance jour-nalist who on Sept. 1 published a168-page report criticizing the NewYork Times for a lack of critical re-

porting on the Atlantic Yards pro-posal, pointed out the differencesbetween what was promoted andwhat the developer actually plansto build, on his Web log, www-.timesratnerreport.blogspot.com.

“One of the selling points forthe Atlantic Yards has been thepromise of publicly accessibleopen space,” he wrote, citing aMay 2004 promotional flier sent

out by Forest City Ratner. “But don’t hold your breath,”

Oder added.A Forest City Ratner handbook

describing the plan, also released in2004, stated: “The roof of the Are-na offers an exciting opportunity tocreate new public space, with52,000 square feet of new passiverecreation and active public spacefor community residents.

“A promenade along the outsideedge of the Arena will providelushly landscaped areas for passiverecreation, and outstanding viewsof Manhattan. For active recre-ation, an outdoor ice-skating rinkconnects the four gardens; inwarmer months the rink will be-come a running track,” stated thepublication “Bring Basketball toBrooklyn.”

As recently as May 26, a colorbrochure distributed to press andmembers of the City Council at theone official public hearing that’sbeen held on the plan, promised,underneath the bold heading “OpenSpace for All of Brooklyn,” that

Bruce Ratner

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RATNER’S $5M FUNDEDPRO-ARENA GROUP

PAGE 8

See ARENA on page 8

See CRUISIN’ on page 3

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (at podium) welcomes the Oriana, which docked at Red Hook’s Pier 12 last Saturdayafter a trans-Atlantic voyage. With him (from left) are NYC & Company CEO Christyne Nicholas, Oriana CaptainMike Carr, Borough President Marty Markowitz, Councilman David Yassky, Economic Development CorporationPresident Andrew Alper and EDC Vice President Kate Ascher.

Owl’sHead‘crisis’

CRUISIN’Luxury liner docks in Hook

Hil, Vito welcome Fort homes


See OWL CRISIS on page 5

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Major hurricane couldwash away Coney Isle

Yassky: Shifta-PARK-mentsto DUMBO

B’klyn Lawdorm opens


Forget Manhattan? How about, forget L.A.?Pushing by leaps and bounds the trend of

celebrities moving from “the city” to BrownstoneBrooklyn, Hollywood hunk Heath Ledger and hisgirlfriend, former “Dawson’s Creek” starlet Mi-chelle Williams, have bought a brownstone onDouglass Street, a couple of blocks from the Go-wanus Canal, several real estate and gossip Websites are reporting.

Ledger sold his 5,000-square-foot, Spanish-

style house in the Los Feliz suburb of Los Ange-les, and the couple will raise their baby girl, whois due this month, in the Boerum Hill walk-up.The Australia-native Ledger, 26, who met Wil-liams on the set of the soon-to-be-released AngLee film, “Brokeback Mountain,” is best knownfor his roles in the period action flicks “The Patri-ot” and “A Knight’s Tale.” He and Williams, 25,had reportedly also looked at houses in Harlemand Park Slope.

Publicists for the two actors did not return callsseeking comment for this article.

ting us on the head saying, ‘There,there. Trust us.”’

The trust is far from absolute. A re-cent WNBC-TV/Marist Poll indicat-ed that 62 percent of New Yorkersfelt it was not possible to evacuatetheir neighborhoods.

Not true, respond city emergencyofficials. New York is ready to re-spond to the hurricane risks, and thecity dispatched staffers to New Or-leans and Texas in hopes of learningfrom Katrina and Rita.

“There’s a lot of criticism and pub-lic debate, but our plan is workableand we’re prepared,” said JarrodBernstein, spokesman for the city Of-fice of Emergency Management.“Our plan is comprehensive and onlygetting better.”

Although well north of the usualsites for storm devastation, New Yorkis the United States’ third most vul-nerable city to a hurricane, behindonly New Orleans and Miami.

A major hurricane barrels intoNew York City about once every 90years. Given that the last big blowcame with the deadly 1938 “Long Is-land Express,” the city is about dueagain.

“If it happened before, it will hap-pen again,” said hurricane expertNicholas Coch, a Queens Collegeprofessor of coastal geology. “And ifit hasn’t happened in a long time, it’sgoing to happen soon.”

The city’s current response planfor a category 4 storm with 155 mphwinds would handle 3.3 million evac-uees and provide shelter for up to800,000 displaced people, Bernsteinsaid.

Brodsky and others were particu-larly harsh about an earlier OEM es-timate that a category 4 would onlyaffect a fraction of those numbers.

Evacuation time is another ques-tion. The OEM estimated it wouldtake nearly 18 hours to evacuate just1 million people, putting a severestrain on emergency services, masstransit and the infrastructure.

Coch mentioned another rarelydiscussed factor: a northern hurricanemoves typically at 34 mph, abouttriple the speed of a southern storm.

A big blast would come with astorm surge of 30 feet, turning thewater into “a giant bulldozer sweep-ing away everything in its path,” ac-cording to OEM’s “Hurricanes andNew York City.”

The disaster-film scenario is all tooreal. A September 1821 hurricane lift-ed the tide 13 feet in an hour, with theEast and Hudson rivers convergingover lower Manhattan as far north asCanal Street.

Deaths and property damage were

By Larry McShaneAssociated Press

It’s coming, with skyscraper-rattling winds and a 30-footstorm surge that threatens to sub-merge Wall Street, flood the sub-ways and turn Coney Island intoa water park.

And when it arrives, more than 3

million New York City residents —more than six times the population ofNew Orleans — could face evacua-tion from a city swamped by its firstmajor hurricane since 1938.

A killer storm in the nation’slargest city, with flooding in all fiveboroughs, inaccessible highways andairports, and enormous traffic jams,would require an unprecedented re-

sponse. After the summer of Katrinaand Rita, New Yorkers are wonderingif the city can handle the challenge.

“The plan now is full of technicaland other management flaws,” saidAssemblyman Richard Brodsky, whochairs a committee investigating thecity’s planned response. “There’s abasic bottom line: We are incrediblyvulnerable, and our leaders are pat-

Adopt-a-grandparentThe Cobble Hill Health Center launched an Adopt-a-Grandparent Program on Oct. 2 with a street car-nival for children, including these four. Congress Street between Henry and Hicks streets was filled with alarge crowd of people who came to enjoy rides, a petting zoo, pony rides and performances by a localdance group and marching band.


Seeking to lessen the impact ofproposed high-rise condominiumdevelopment near Atlantic Aven-ue at the southern end of Brook-lyn Bridge Park, Councilman Da-vid Yassky wants planners to con-sider building more of the reven-ue-generating luxury housing oninland development sites off thepark’s northern edge, in DUMBO.

A 30-story tower, and a wide, eight-story condominium are planned nearthe Atlantic Avenue gateway to theproposed 1.3-mile development. A 14-story former Watchtower Bible andTract Society book distribution plantnext to that site, at 360 Furman St., isto be converted to 17 stories of con-

dos. An additional 17-story building isproposed for construction on BridgePark property in DUMBO.

And Fulton Ferry Landing, which isalready a tourist destination, would behome to a 150-unit residence and ad-jacent 220-unit luxury hotel with awater’s-edge restaurant.

Yassky has suggested a modifiedplan that identifies two sites in DUM-BO — which is undergoing a rapidconversion from a warehouse andmanufacturing district to million-dol-lar condominiums and pricey rentals— that he says merely need zoningchanges. One is an existing manufac-turing building at 10 Jay St., and theother a city-owned parking lot onWashington Street near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway overpass.

See DAWSON on page 3

1st studentswelcomed tocontrover-sial D’towntowerBy Ariella CohenThe Brooklyn Papers

With the snip of a rib-bon, Brooklyn Law Schoolbid farewell to a difficultbuilding project and wel-comed its first-ever dor-mitory.

Ecstatic alumni and stu-dents toured the 104-year-old college’s new high-riseat 250 State St. betweenCourt Street and BoerumPlace, at a lavish receptionon Sept. 29. The 21-storydormitory was designed bythe eminent architect RobertA.M. Stern.

Housing 360 students anda ground-floor restaurant,“Geraldo’s,” named for tele-vision journalist and 1969law school alum Geraldo Ri-vera, the 216-foot-tall, sand-blasted brick and limestonebuilding’s christening mark-ed the official end to aheartily fought battle thatpitted neighbors — and evena religious order — againstBrooklyn Law and its manyhigh-profile supporters.

“This was an “untouch-able” district, nothing was tobe over 120 feet, but Brook-lyn Law School ran rough-shod over it,” Heloise Gru-neberg, a former president ofthe Boerum Hill Associa-tion, told The Brooklyn Pa-pers this week.

“Their victory proved thatno matter the zoning you cango against it, and you canwin,” she added.

See DORM on page 15 See YASSKY on page 15

City: Brooklyn is overdue for a Katrina-like storm

INSIDE• Desserts inspired by Autumn

• Brooklyn Nightlife listings

• Performances, tours and more inWhere to GO

PLUSBrooklyn BitesYour essential guide to BROOKLYN EATS

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From ‘Creek’to the Canal‘Dawson’s Michelle Williams and her hunkHeath Ledger are settling in Boerum Hill

Australian actor Heath Ledger and his girlfriend, actress Michelle Williams, have moved toBoerum Hill, a few blocks from the Gowanus Canal. The couple is expecting a baby this month.

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Brooklyn atSundance

NOT JUST NETS

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Downtown

It’s the most exciting Brooklyn news infive decades.

But Bruce Ratner’s plan to bring theNew Jersey Nets to an arena he wouldbuild near the intersection of Atlanticand Flatbush avenues is miniscule incomparison to all the developmentplanned for the greater Downtown andBrownstone Brooklyn areas. The arenais even dwarfed by the massive officeand residential towers that Ratner plansto build immediately adjacent to it, tow-

ers that would substantially obscure thearena from the view of motorists onbusy Flatbush Avenue.

The massive Downtown Brooklyn Plan —which would turn the area into a sister toMidtown Manhattan with skyscrapersmeant to attract corporate back-office leas-es and government tenants — is, rightnow, coursing through the city publicreview process. The Downtown Plan over-laps both the Brooklyn Academy of MusicCultural District and Ratner’s Atlantic Yards,

where the Nets arena would be located.Meanwhile, just south of the arena site,

Park Slope’s Fourth Avenue has been up-zoned to allow taller buildings and encour-age commercial and residential develop-ment. To the west, Lowe’s home improve-ment and Fairway supermarket will soonopen traffic-generating big box stores, andan Ikea is planned in Red Hook.

On the waterfront, there’s BrooklynBridge Park commercial-recreational devel-opment, negotiations to bring Carnival Cruise

Lines to Pier 7, and a city-Port Authorityreview of the best uses for Piers 8 through12 in Carroll Gardens and Red Hook.

If anything, this photo, taken by SpaceImaging in December 2002 and anno-tated by The Brooklyn Papers this week,omits some projects.

If implemented, these projects would,collectively, forever change Brooklyn aswe’ve known her. Some will, by law,require public review; for others, devel-opers and elected officials will seek to

skirt scrutiny and debate.• • •

Advocates of the overlapping Down-town Brooklyn Plan and Atlantic Yards(which form one entity, only a tiny por-tion of which would house the Nets)want the projects discussed separately.

But only by considering jointly the im-act of all the projects shown above canany of them be properly evaluated.

In the center spread: an enlarged viewof the Downtown Plan and Atlantic Yards.

Satellite image by Space Imaging


BQE

The Brooklyn Papers

Praising The Brooklyn Papers “on a coura-geous piece of work” in its “Not Just Nets” cov-erage of developer Bruce Ratner’s “AtlanticYards” plan, the National Newspaper Associationthis week awarded the newspaper its top prize forBest Investigative or In-depth Story or Series.

The 120-year-old NNA, with 3,200 daily and weeklycommunity newspaper members, is the nation’s largestnewspaper association.

Throughout 2004, The Brooklyn Papers coverage ofRatner’s proposal set the newspapers apart from thecity’s other media, which ignored or downplayed theproject’s impact.

Brooklyn Papers readers were repeatedly remindedthat the project was a multi-billion-dollar super-blockmega-development involving more than a dozen apart-ment high-rises and several office skyscrapers. The Pa-pers pointed out that the story was not, as generally por-trayed in other media, primarily about construction of anarena for the New Jersey Nets basketball team; the arenawould fill only a small portion of the site.

“Your commitment to the truth shines through,” wrotethe judges. “This is what it’s all about.”

In a related citation, the NNA awarded The Papers anHonorable Mention for Community Service.

“In many ways, you were just doing your job,” wrote thejudges. “However, staying the course when all around youhave a different agenda was worthy of recognition.”

Papers Editor Neil Sloane attended the Oct. 1 awardceremony at the NNA’s annual convention in Milwaukee,Wisc., and accepted the prizes on behalf of The Papers.

PAPER PRIZEAccolades for Ratner coverage

Additional awards were presented to The Papers for:• Best Breaking News Story (second place) for

“Death on the job,” about a balcony collapse at a condo-minium under construction in Bay Ridge that resulted in aday laborer’s death.

“Good reaction included with little notice,” the judgeswrote.

• Best Serious Column (third place) for Sloane’spiece, “CB2 blows it big time,” which decried the com-munity board’s inability to weigh in on the DowntownBrooklyn rezoning proposal during the rezoning plan’spublic review period.

Of the column, the judges wrote:“An orange in a basket of apples. This is a great ex-

ample of a lost facet of journalism — alive and well inBrooklyn! Timely, courageous and informative in bothmeeting coverage and the background you bring in —you’re the expert in your community. Well done.”

• Best Performing Arts Story (honorable mention)for GO Brooklyn Editor Lisa Curtis’ “Water torture,” aninterview with the Brooklyn Heights couple who wroteand directed the movie “Open Water.”

• Best Feature Story (honorable mention) for an ar-ticle headlined “Hoop dream a nightmare for residents,businesses in path of Ratner project.”

In the first place award for The Papers’ “Not Just Nets”coverage, NNA judges cited the work of Sloane and re-porters Jess Wisloski and Deborah Kolben. See CANE on page 4

a home for our family in Brooklyn’s bestneighborhood to raise children,” saidPhillip Musacchio, adding that he looksforward to working with neighbors on thefurther modifications of his home.

On the advice of legal counsel, Mus-sacchio offered a prepared statement anddeclined further comment.

In other area projects that have gener-ated complaints by neighbors, the Depart-ment of Buildings in September issued astop-work order at 219 93rd St. for amodification that would enlarge a housebeyond bulk limits.

On Oct. 3, the Buildings Department is-sued a stop-work order on the conversion ofa two-family home to a five-family home at7402 Narrows Ave. following a request foran audit of the property from neighbors.

“Just because there was a rezoningprocess does not mean that the varianceprocess is nullified,” said Weinberg.

Dyker Heights is bounded by 65thStreet to the north, the Belt Parkway tothe south, 14 Avenue to the east and Sev-enth Avenue to the west.

A rezoning, says Councilman VincentGentile, will protect the low-rise charac-ter of the neighborhood.

“It’s key that we enforce zoning codesnow,” said Greg Hanlon, a spokesman forGentile. “We have to make sure we contin-ue to set the precedent for contextual neigh-borhood and responsible building.”

ment and I think we’ve raised the bar forhow to do affordable housing,” he told a re-porter outside Tuesday’s public hearing onthe project. “We have a long tradition as acompany in doing that.”

Project opponents have called the




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CRUISE WINNERS INBACK PAGES

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Slopers, Ridgites rip cell phone towers

He likes MikeCrossing party lines, Borough President Marty Markowitz (left), a Democrat, endorsed Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s re-election bid, during a gathering at Borough Hall on Sunday. The Republican mayor is squaring off against Democrat Fer-nando Ferrer in the Nov. 8 election. Markowitz had supported Ferrer opponent Gifford Miller in the Democratic Primary.

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DOWNZONERACE IS ONHomeowners fight restrictionsBy Ariella CohenThe Brooklyn Papers

Advocates of a plan to downzoneDyker Heights hope to begin publicreview of the proposal within a month.

Meanwhile, residents of that neighbor-hood and Bay Ridge are discovering thatsometimes rules breed exceptions.

Nearly a year ago, the city Departmentof Buildings filed a violation against theMusacchio family for adding an illegalthird level to their two-story home at1060 82nd St. The family paid a $130fine for building without permits.

With the third story constructed, the is-sue was dropped until last month’s meet-ing of Community Board 10’s Land Usecommittee, when the house reappearedon the agenda.

The Musacchios had come beforeCB10 seeking approval of a zoning vari-ance that, if approved by the board andthen the city Board of Standards and Ap-peals, would make their house legal.

Twelve committee members votedagainst approving the variance. Two vot-ed in favor.

“Following the rezoning of Bay Ridgethere have been a number of modificationsstarted and we have gotten a flurry of callsasking if the alterations are compliant,” saidCB10 district manager Josephine Beckman.

“In certain instances we find that the ap-

PAGE 5

BAM’s Frenchfilm fest begins


Adispute between shareholdersin a Park Slope co-op apartmentbuilding and the co-op’s board ofdirectors over a plan to lease roofspace to a cell phone company fora series of relay towers has caughtthe attention of state AttorneyGeneral Eliot Spitzer.

The co-op board voted last Aprilto authorize the installation of sixantennas and a base station by cellphone service provider T-Mobile onthe roof of their building, at 130Eighth Ave. at Carroll Street.

A group calling itself ConcernedShareholders of 130 Eighth Avenuehired a lawyer and on Oct. 14 got atemporary restraining order block-ing the planned Oct. 17 placement

of the antenna system. They alsocontacted Spitzer’s office.

Brad Maione, a spokesman forthe attorney general, this week con-firmed that documents from theConcerned Shareholders group hadbeen received and were under con-sideration for further investigation.

At the core of the co-opdwellers’ concern is worry over po-tential health risks from the anten-

nas, mirroring a battle being wagedin Bay Ridge, where residents arefighting the installation of cell tow-ers atop an apartment building onFourth Avenue. On Thursday, Oct.20, a Brooklyn Supreme Courtjudge was scheduled to hear thatgroup’s plea to extend a restrainingorder currently stalling the installa-tion of an antenna and base stationatop 8300 Fourth Ave. at 83rd

Street. Spearheaded by Republican state

Sen. Marty Golden and activist PatRusso, a Republican candidate forCity Council, the lawsuit allegesthat the owner of 8300 Fourth Ave.did not give proper notification ofthe installation to neighbors, includ-ing the St. Anselm’s Catholicschool, across the street.

With a tip-off from worried St.

Anselm’s parents, Golden initiallyinterrupted Nextel workers on Oct.3. Arguing with the contractors atthe site that no one in the neighbor-hood had been told of their workplans, he frustrated workers attempt-ing to install a several-ton, lead-linedbase station enough that they quit fora day.

“The Nextel workers hightailed itout of here that night. Hopefully that’s

a sign that they won’t force the issue,”said Suzanne Whiteaker, president ofthe Catholic school’s PTA and themother of an eighth-grader at theschool.

The next day, St. Anselm’s attor-ney Lance Lazzaro, who filed alawsuit seeking to bar Nextel fromconstructing the antennas, got atemporary restraining order halting


See RATNER on page 2

Having a ball

Ratner exec:We paid oursupportersThe Brooklyn Papers

A top Forest City Ratner officialfor the first time this week acknowl-edged that the development compa-ny has been paying large sums ofmoney to organizations offeringwhat they’ve presented as grassrootsneighborhood support for the pro-posed Atlantic Yards development.

As reported by The Brooklyn Paperstwo weeks ago, Brooklyn United for In-novative Local Development (BUILD)reported on its non-profit tax filings that itwould receive $5 million from developerBruce Ratner.

Dated Dec. 20, 2004, the 501-c3 filingswere completed six months before a so-called “community benefits agreement”(CBA), a non-governmental pact betweenthe developer and supportive communitygroups, was announced.

BUILD President James Caldwell is be-ing paid $125,000 a year and two otherBUILD executives — Marie Louis andShalawn Langhorne — each receive$100,000 a year, according to the IRS fil-ing.

Forest City Ratner Executive Vice Presi-dent James Stuckey, who is the AtlanticYards project manager, defended his com-pany’s dealings with BUILD.

“We created a community benefits agree-

70 years!You can get a lot accomplished in 70 years — like raising eight sons!At Sirico’s Caterers on 81st Street and 13th Avenue on Oct. 15, AnnaMaria Turchi, 87 and Nicholas Turchi, 91, celebrated their 70th anniver-sary with sons, (from left) Sal, Umberto, Peter, Mario, Carmine. Enrico,and Anthony. Their eighth son, Domenico is deceased.

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plications had the old zoning written in andneed correction. Sometimes, stop-work or-ders are issued because they weren’t com-pliant with rules. In either case, they cantake it to the BSA,” she explained.

“A body fender shop would be achange of character, not a third level on asingle-family home,” argued HaroldWeinberg, the attorney representing theMusacchios.

As more of Brooklyn moves towardstricter limitations on the size of new con-struction and alterations, two trends canbe seen: People are rushing forward withtheir modifications and out-of-size proj-ects and they are applying for exemptionsto zoning through the BSA.

“We put our life savings into building

Councilman Vincent Gentile takes a turn at bocce courts in Dyker Beach Park af-ter announcing city’s $325,000 allocation that will replace the clay surface of thecourts with one better equipped to handle rain, along with corrugated steel cov-ers at either end of the courts.


The feature presentation may be“Rent,” but the movie theater is forsale.

Alpine Cinemas, which has been a BayRidge movie palace since before the GreatDepression, is being offered for a cool $10million — and its owners don’t carewhether it remains a cinematic showcase.

“We aren’t putting any restrictions onthe buyer,” said Jeffrey Deneroff, aspokesman for the cinema’s parent com-pany, Alpine Theatre LLC, which hasowned the moviehouse since the 1980s.

“I can’t tell you what a buyer will dowith the site.”

Deneroff would not comment onwhether business was good at the theater,which sits on Fifth Avenue between 68thand 69th streets. “Let me just say that it’stime to move on [from running a theater],”he told The Bay Ridge Paper. “We thinkthe real-estate market may be peaking, sothis is a good time [to sell].”

A real-estate listing from the firm ofMassey Knakal said the “large retail/officeconversion is a one-in-a-lifetime opportu-nity.” The listing said the facility can gen-erate $1 million a year in gross income.

The seven-screen theater, designed as asingle-screen, 2,100-seat movie palace byCarlson & Wiseman in 1921, has been on themarket for three weeks, Deneroff said.

Councilmember Vince Gentile (D-BayRidge) said he would fight to keep it as a




P 7

Sloper predicts end of the world, offers survival tips

equipment [on the roof], but it appears that their equipment would exceedthat,” said DOB spokeswoman Jennifer Givner.

She said that Sprint/Nextel omitted a generator from its permit filing,which the DOB discovered after conducting a review requested by Gentileand Golden.

The stop-work order is only temporary — but it does require Sprint/Nex-tel to figure out how it can install the equipment without exceeding the 400-square-foot limit.

“They have to do some finagling,” Givner said. “Obviously, that’s not theactual technical term.”

But the owner of the building, which sits at 83rd Street and Fourth Avenueand is across the street from St. Anselm’s Church school, said the city iswrong in its assessment.

“First of all, there is no generator in the plan,” said the owner, Jeff Mal-louck. “Second, the total square-footage of the equipment is only about 200square feet, not 400.”

Mallouck said construction will proceed “in days or hours — once the cityrealizes that there is no problem here.”

Bay Ridge residents have repeatedly rallied in front of the building, argu-ing that a cellphone antenna should not be so close to students.

Gentile and Golden admit that there is no evidence that cellphone towersare unsafe, but want such radio-wave-emitting equipment relocated awayfrom schools because there are no long-term studies of their safety.

There are several measures before the council that would restrict the place-ment of cellphone antennas. And opponents touted a recent law passed in a SanFrancisco suburb that would prevent such equipment from being installed with-in 600 feet of a residential district — the nation’s most-restrictive law.

Golden added that the temporary “stop-work” order was not a nail in thecoffin, but said he hoped it would encourage a revisiting of the plan.

“We hope this gives them a chance to do the right thing,” Golden said.“They say they don’t want to put this kind of equipment near schools, sohere’s their chance to say what they mean and mean what they say.”

Golden said he was most alarmed to hear that some parents were threaten-ing to pull their children out of St. Anselm’s, a private school, which wouldsuffer from a loss of more than $100,000 in tuition money.

“I can understand the parents’ concerns,” he said.Mallouk said Sprint/Nextel will pay him close to $1,800 a month in rent.

Alpine Cinema isyours for $10M

Antennawork isstoppedBy Gersh KuntzmanThe Brooklyn Papers

All they needed was thewhite horse.

Councilmember VincentGentile and a staffer forstate Sen. Marty Goldenrode in at the crack of dawnlast Friday to hand a city-is-sued “stop-work” order to acrane operator about to be-gin construction of a contro-versial cellphone antennaatop a Fourth Avenue apart-ment building.

The order, issued by thecity Department of Build-ings earlier in the week,forbade the construction ofthe antenna because itssize and features do notmatch the plans thatSprint/Nextel submitted tothe city months ago.

“They’re only permittedto have 400-square-feet of

For now, a cellphone antenna will not riseatop this Fourth Avenue building.

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Silo, sell high

This converted gas tank along the Gowanus Canal near Carroll Street is available for rent or sale byowner David Leflowitz. The interior of the silo features skylights and a winding stairway.

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Bought for a song in ‘98, quirkycanal property is on the market


Is it an all-weather mausole-um, the Jolly Green Giant’scorn-oil drum or a three-storycement space shuttle?

Of all the ex-industrial structuresalong the famously foul GowanusCanal, a renovated silo betweenNevins and Bond streets might bethe most curious.

Outside, it’s just a cement tower.But inside, wooden floors shine withnatural light streaming in throughskylights, stylish appliances equip acurved kitchen that leads to a 1,000-square-foot dining room, and there’seven a Jacuzzi with a waterfront viewfrom the ground-floor bathroom.

And it could be yours. This quirky bit of Brooklyn histo-

ry has been on the rental market forseveral months since it was vacatedby a doctor.

“I don’t think he saw patientshere,” said Spencer Ostrander, areal estate broker who thinks theoddly shaped space could be per-fect for the right tenant.

At one time, that was David Lef-lowitz, a writer with a penchant foropen water and secluded living. In1998, he bought the silo, and twoothers, near the Carroll Street Bridge.

And he got them for a song,which is no surprise, considering thatthe former gas tanks were moulder-ing on weedy marshland next to aputrid corpse of water.

The existing zoning bars a resi-dential use for the silos, so Leflowitz

redesigned them as odd-duck com-mercial spaces. Soon enough, he hadcommercial tenants that included thedoctor and an avant-garde jazz groupthat used the space as a studio.

But change is coming. Develop-ment is rapidly altering the face ofthe Gowanus and Leflowitz doesnot see his rag-tag silo village sur-viving the transformation.

“This is a great spot now, butmoney talks,” said Ostrander. “Thisis going to be like DUMBO, withcondos and lofts, not silos.”

Ostrander has already fielded sev-eral multi-million dollar offers tobuy the space and tear down the si-los for residential redevelopment. Sofor now, Leflowitz is dangling onlyshort-term commercial leases so hecan cash in when the time is right.

“It’s just so much more lucrativeto put residential condos there,”Ostrander said.

He said that temporary tenantsinclude a wine bar, another doctor’soffice or a tech firm. And, despiteinterest, there is no chance that thesexy silo will be rented out to resi-dential tenants, no matter howmuch they are willing to pay.

Thanks to zoning laws, “we reallycan’t do that now,” said Leflowitz.

There has yet to be a solid rentaloffer, but Ostrander is optimistic.

“I do get weird phone calls aboutthe property late at night,” he said.

Sadly, with the doctor gone, theJacuzzi might disappear too.

“It’s pretty cheesy to have aJacuzzi in a professional office,”Ostrander admitted.


Fairway is looking for a few goodmanagers.

The gourmet supermarket chain, whichmany feared would never actually open inRed Hook, has finally started advertisingfor workers. According to ads spotted lastweek on www.craigslist.com, the storeneeds several assistant department man-agers to begin training in advance of theMarch opening.

With about as much floor space as anice-sized suburban supermarket, the52,000-square-foot Fairway — on the wa-ter’s edge at the end of Van Brunt Street— is expected to give Red Hook shoppersthe same illustrious assortment of spicedartichokes, exotic cheeses and importedolive oils that residents of the Upper WestSide and Harlem have come to enjoy.

As such, all new hires must be wellversed in brie — or at least prepared tolearn, said company spokesman Tom

Hoover. “Candidates for the cheese, security

and meat department should have somerelated experience,” the ad says. Pay willfall between $9.10 and $10. 50 per hour— partially funded by a city grant to en-courage small businesses to hire locally.

About 200 people will be employed atthe Red Hook location, which is beingbuilt by developer Greg O’Connell.

“We think that physically the storeshould be ready, with cash registers set upand ready to be trained on, by February,”said Ruth McMonigle, a human relationsspokesperson for the New York-basedcompany.

Fairway plans to offer the same deliv-ery and catering services it offers at itsother supermarkets, but may bring in afew local delicacies too.

That would be good news for retailerslike Baked, a locally owned bakery onVan Brunt Street, which hopes to sell itsfresh sweets at Fairway’s large bakerycounter.

“We are talking to them and we’ll sellwhatever they want,” said Matt Lewis, aco-owner of the bakery.

No job-searchers have so far respondedto the craigslist ad, according to Mc-Monigle. Yet it is sure to attract a few hitsfrom curious neighborhood residents whohave been convinced that the long-await-ed grocer would never actually open.

The ad, neighbors say, is the first cluesthey’ve seen that progress is movingahead as planned. Yet there’s still skepti-cism.

“Are you sure [the ad] is for real?”asked one anonymous community boardmember.

O’Connell bought the vacant ware-house from the city in the mid-’90s. In2002, the former police detective beganthe process of bringing Fairway to thesite.

As the project moved forward, so didrelated controversies, including the resig-nation of a Red Hook community boardmember, who felt her opposition to the

project was not being heard, and the in-dictment of City Councilman Angel Ro-driguez for an attempt to extort $50,000from O’Connell in exchange for supportof the project.

The grocer will occupy the bottom twofloors of the Red Hook Stores, a Civil War-era warehouse loft overlooking New YorkHarbor. Above the store will be 45 market-rate, one-bedroom apartments, leased byO’Connell.

A private water taxi company will soonestablish a stop at Beard Street pier, con-necting the development to lower Manhat-tan, according to O’Connell. There will beoffice space available to non-profit organ-izations and a public esplanade leading tothe water.

Observers say that Fairway set a prece-dent for the community’s ongoing rede-velopment — and the supermarket hasbeen able to avoid a lot of scrutiny be-cause of Ikea’s much-debated plans for a22-acre, big-box store on the waterfront.

See FAIRWAY on page 2

Fairway prepares for opening


theater.“When you lose amenities like movie

houses, you lose the small-town feel of aplace like Bay Ridge,” he said.

The first movie ever shown there wasParamount’s pre-talkies “City of SilentMen,” plus the obligatory newsreel. Thetheater’s 12-person resident orchestra

(imagine that!) performed. The admission price was 15 cents for

weekday matinees and 25 cents at night,according to Cinema Treasures, a cata-logue of movie theater history.

The Alpine was “twinned” in 1976.Further subdivisions came later. Manycustomers complained of getting lost inthe Alpine’s “funhouse” and say theywon’t miss the theater.

“It is absolutely the worst cinematic ex-perience I ever had,” a customer recentlyposted on the Cinema Treasures website.

“Inside you loose all sense of direction.The theater is bisected by a long narrowcorridor with ultra-mini theaters on eitherside. It reminds one of a funhouse, but itain’t fun. Each mini theater has too manybroken seats and a flypaper sticky sub-stance on the floor from spilt soda and oth-er things they sell to eat... It was so filthythat it gave me the creeps.”

The customer also complained of “in-audible” sound.

If the Alpine’s final curtain does fall, theclosest movie theaters for Bay Ridgiteswill be the Kent theater near BrooklynCollege or the Pavilion in Park Slope.Slightly further, but easier to get to by caron the Belt Parkway, are the Loew’s KingsPlaza 6 and a 14-screen theater inSheepshead Bay.

The Loew’s Cineplex Fortway, on near-by Fort Hamilton Avenue, has been closedsince the spring.

At one time, Brooklyn had 200 movietheaters.

The Alpine Cinema on Fifth Avenue between 68th and 69th streets.

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‘We were born to succeed, not to fail’BE A WINNER IN 2006 – JOIN THE PAPER TEAMJanuary openings in EDITORIAL, SALES and WEB departments


Go to BrooklynPapers.com and click on Job Opportunities

– Henry DavidThoreau

By Lucky Ngamwajasatfor The Brooklyn Papers

Bay Ridge’s Fort Hamilton High School footballTigers shocked the city gridiron world by winning thePublic School Athletic League championship Saturdaywith a stunning 46-22 win over the heavily favored —and undefeated — powerhouse, Herbert H. Lehman HS.

It was an amazing end to a season that could’ve gone south onthe Tigers. After starting the season 2-0, the team lost to themediocre DeWitt Clinton HS in the third week.

But head coach Vincent Laino said the loss actually energizedhis young squad.

“It was only at that point that our leadership started to crystal-lize,” Laino told The Brooklyn Papers. “Our boys realized theycouldn’t let it happen again.”

Indeed, that loss to Clinton would be the last of the season, asFort Hamilton trampled the competition the rest of the way,rolling off six consecutive regular-season wins, and three more inthe playoffs, before taking down Lehman.

Throughout the year, the Tigers had an unforgiving, balancedapproach on offense, led by sophomore quarterback JeffreyLegree and junior running back Antonio Walcott.

Walcott led the PSAL in rushing on the season and racked up211 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ playoff win overMidwood.

Legree saved his finest performance for the title game, throw-ing for three TDs and running for two — an easy pick for thegame’s Most Valuable Player award.

“One of my offensive linemen used to tell me ‘relax, relax’,” said

Tigerstake

The Fort Hamilton Tigers celebrate their championship.

See TIGERS on page 4

PSALcrown


Un-happy New Year!That will be the cheer of many Brooklyn busi-

nesses as the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1, 2006,according to a just-released report by the borough’sChamber of Commerce.

Only 31 percent of business owners believe theywill have a good year in 2006 — a marked contrastto the 80 percent of companies that expected goodthings as they went into 2005.

Roughly 55 percent think 2006 will be worse orabout the same as 2005.

Chamber President Kenneth Adams attributed thepessimism to higher energy and real estate costs. Fuelexpenditures jumped to number three on the businessowners’ list of “obstacles to growth,” right behindhealth care and insurance costs, those perennial rev-enue-sappers.

“Brooklyn businesses did well in 2005, butthey’re looking at 2006 with caution,” Adams said.

“Brooklyn is a small-business economy, and thosetypes of economies are very dependent on externalforces. We don’t have large margins for error. If thebills go way up, it’s a big deal.”

The survey was sent to all 1,200 Chamber mem-bers, but answered by only 177 businesses.

The survey also showed that:

• Nearly 70 percent of businesses believe theywill hire new employees next year.

• The city needs to do a better job in Brooklyn.Nearly 80 percent cited poor streets conditions as aproblem. Litter was a concern of 64 percent.

• A majority — but not a strong majority — be-lieves the city school system is moving in the rightdirection. The 53 percent who said the school systemis getting better is a jump from only 40 percent whoanswered that way last year.

• Only 18 percent of business owners opposeBruce Ratner’s plans for a 24-acre commercial, resi-dential, retail and athletic complex at Atlantic Yards;sixty-one percent support it — numbers almost iden-tical to last year’s poll results.

• Wal-Mart still has a lot of ’splaining to do. Thecompany is in the midst of a large public-relationscampaign, yet only 33 percent of Brooklyn business-es support a big-box Wal-Mart in the borough —and only if “a suitable location could be found.”Forty-four percent oppose the discount retailer.

Big support for Ratner, but little support for Wal-Mart — but Adams did not see a contradiction

“Small business owners support projects they thinkwill strengthen the marketplace by bringing in newcustomers or new investment, but they think Wal-Martthreatens the vitality of marketplace,” Adams said.

“And some just don’t like the company.”

THE SURVEY SAYS...

BORO’S BIZFEARS 2006

PAGE 7

‘Produced’ in Brooklyn

Nathan and Uma star in firstfilm shot at Steiner Studios


Reality has already hitJoe Sitt’s development planfor Coney Island.

Where only a few monthsago, Sitt was hawking an in-door, Vegas-style complexwith a water park, a climbingwall, a blimp port, and aHouse of Blues theme restau-rant, new schematics nowshow a more subdued facefor his proposed amusementMecca.

Sitt’s “Stillwell Walk”would run from Surf Avenueto the Boardwalk, from W.

Less Vegas, more ConeyAnother new plan for beachfront Mecca scales down original

a longtime player in the sea-side attraction’s future.

Sitt’s plan for a 19-storycondo tower and retail centerhas drawn intense fire fromcommunity members.

“I don’t know why theykeep trying this in Brooklyn,”said Zigun, “Don’t they everlearn that amusement parksand bars where people getdrunk and loud don’t mixwell with housing.”

For now, the condos arejust another sandy mirage —unless Sitt can get the city tochange the zoning to even al-low a residential use.

15th to W. 12th streets. Ifit’s built, Coney land-marks such as Ruby’s Baron the Boardwalk, andFaber’s Fascination, anold-time game salon onSurf Avenue, would bedemolished.

Instead of those vintageamusements, Sitt bets onbringing in the Board-walk’s only movie theateror even a circus.

Sitt owns 12 acres ofprime, albeit faded, Board-walk properties near Still-well Avenue. He presentedthe plans to CommunityBoard 13 last Thursday.

Sitt did not return re-peated calls from TheBrooklyn Papers.

Coney Island insiders— who’ve seen plenty of“renewal” plans burstfaster than balloons in acarney sideshow —viewed the new designswith some optimism.

“It’s better than it was,but it still needs somework,” said Dick Zigun,founder of the Coney Is-land Circus Sideshow and

New plans for development along the Boardwalk in Coney Island (above) have been scaled-down since original glitzyplans were revealed in September (below).

A winter welcomeA snowman either has his arms raised in glee or is shooing away some pesky Canadian geeseafter the season’s first snowfall, at DUMBO’s Empire Fulton-Ferry state park on Sunday.

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KuntzmanANGLE Bright ideasA holiday gift guide





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– WayneGretzky

State: Seniors staying on in Bay Ridge’s‘Naturally Occurring Retirement Community’

MTA: No new trains for Nets

FLORIDA NORTHBy Gersh KuntzmanThe Brooklyn Papers

Bay Ridge in Brooklyn andBay Pines in Florida now sharesomething more than their firstnames.

Last week, a portion of BayRidge was officially designated asa “naturally occurring retirementcommunity,” a classification thatkicks in when at least 40 percent ofthe residents of a neighborhood,housing complex or even a singlebuilding reach their golden years.

In Bay Ridge, the NORC zoneextends from Bay Ridge Parkwayto 88th Street, from Ridge

Boulevard to Shore Parkway.There are 1,300 seniors living inthe zone.

When a NORC is established,the non-profit groups within thezone are eligible for state grantsto provide services to the“retirees.”

This week, the state Office forthe Aging gave BethlehemLutheran Church a $144,000grant — one of only nine suchgrants statewide.

The Bay Ridge Center forOlder Adults, which is based inthe church, will soon establish anoffice on 90th Street where case-

workers and medical staff will beavailable.

“The first step is determiningwhat services seniors in this areaneed,” said BRCOA executivedirector Russell Norris. “In someNORCs, seniors need medicalservices. In others, they just needhelp getting around.”

Norris said the services canrange from health checkups tofinding volunteers to help theanti-snowbirds keep up with lawnand home maintenance.

State Senator Marty Golden(R-Bay Ridge), who is chairmanof the Senate’s Aging Committee,

was crowing about the new statedesignation.

“[NORC grants] allow seniorsto reside in a location that is popu-lated with many other seniors, yetat the same time, not have to moveto a senior-living facility,” he said.“It promotes a lifestyle of inde-pendence, dignity and choice.”

Norris said the $144,000 grantis only for one year. After that, theamount declines and the serviceagency is expected to pick up theslack with outside donations. Inthe second year, the grant is cutby 15 percent. By year five, it’scut in half. Marty Golden

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regular service is sufficient?”she said. “That was very sur-prising to hear that.”

A spokesman for the MTAsaid he would let the agency’sstatement speak for itself.

The MTA’s statement alsosaid that “buses are not a keycomponent of any serviceplan” after concerts and gamesat Madison Square Garden —which also angered the Brook-lyn contingent.

“How can they say that bus-es are not critical in Brook-lyn?” asked Shirley McRae,chairwoman of CommunityBoard 2, which lies to the northof the Atlantic Yards site.

McRae called on the MTAto include buses in the agen-cy’s traffic analyses of the area.

The borough’s elected offi-cials have been meeting regu-larly to prepare for the releaseof a draft environmental im-pact statement for the Ratnerproject. The DEIS, which isexpected to be completed nextmonth, is supposed to analyzeexisting conditions and offermitigations for problems suchas traffic or litter that arecaused by the project.

This week’s discussion ontransit issues, combined with asimilar gathering earlier thismonth on traffic, suggest thatmuch more work needs to bedone to convince local offi-cials that the $3.5-billion Rat-

On theroad,twowinsoneloss:

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If 19,000 cheering Netsfans come pouring out ofan arena at the corner ofAtlantic and Flatbush av-enues someday, the MTAis not going to add serviceto help get them home.

The transit agency, whichmany hope will play a signifi-cant role in reducing con-gestion resulting fromBruce Ratner’s pro-posed AtlanticYards mega-devel-opment, droppedthis mini bomb-shell this week atBorough Hall,where BoroughPresident Marko-witz, local electedofficials and Commu-nity Board chairs met todiscuss Atlantic Yards issues.

The MTA refused to send arepresentative to the meeting,Markowitz said. Instead, theagency sent over a statementoutlining its plans for serviceto and from Nets games at theRatner arena.

“For Madison Square Gar-den, the regularly scheduledservice is sufficient for everytypical event,” the agency saidin a statement. “MadisonSquare Garden is the ... model[for Nets game service] be-cause it is about the same sizeand situated on multiple lines.”

Brooklyn elected officials— some who support Ratner’splan, others who oppose it —

SMARTmom

Vintage vixen

10,000 pennies for Yard thoughtsBy Ariella CohenThe Brooklyn Papers

Someone wants to know whatBrooklyn thinks of Bruce Ratner’sAtlantic Yards project — and thatsecret someone is willing to payhundreds of thousands of dollars tofind out.

Thousands of Brooklyn residentshave been paid $100 each to attend fo-cus group sessions conducted by aCobble Hill marketing research firm.

The sessions centered on people’sperceptions of the $3.5-billion com-

mercial, residential and arena mega-project — and how well Forest CityRatner is getting its message out aboutthe project’s purported benefits.

“They kept telling us how much af-fordable housing there would be,” saidone small business owner who partici-pated. “They told us about the park.They told us about how many jobsthere would be.”

Another business owner in the samesession called it “a bunch of talkingpoints.”

“We were rolling our eyes,” said Er-ica Kalick, the owner of Erica’s

Rugelach and Baking Company. Focus groups, which have become a

staple of modern marketing, allow bigcompanies to reach out to potentialconsumers and hear how well — orhow poorly — their sales or public re-lations strategy is working.

In political campaigns, they are oftenused as a way of swaying public opinionunder the guise of a neutral survey.

That seemed to be the approach

here, participants said.“It was fun, but scary,” explained one

attendee. “I came in against the project,but by the time I left, my attitude was,‘Oh yeah, let’s build. It’s going to bewonderful’.”

Experts said focus groups allow politi-cians and companies to hide their inten-tions while testing various messages.

“It gives a grass-roots feel,” saidTony Herbert, a vice president of VitalMarketing in Manhattan. “It helpsidentify the brand and the demand forthe product.”

Oy tannenbaum!

MAYOR BLOOMBERG said earlier this weekthat if there is a transit strike, he would sleep ata city office in DUMBO so he could walk to

City Hall over the Brooklyn Bridge.The remark, predictably, set off intense preparations by

city officials to accommodate the mayor. Meanwhile, adifferent set of preparations were being made in DUMBO.

Entirely Brooklyn preparations, that is.“What the hell do I care?” asked a counterman at

Grimaldi’s, the famous pizzeria that stands less than aquarter-mile from the mayor’s would-be digs.

Given my reputation as a newshound (or a pizzahound,I sometimes get them mixed up), I asked the manager ifhe’d make aspecial pie forthe mayor.“What are youtalking about,special pie?”the man said.“Get out of here.” (Note to self: ouch!)

This reporter had gone to the legendary pie shop — noslices! — to find out how the locals were preparing for themayor’s relocation.

Expecting excitement, orat least a soupcon of mildinterest, I found insteadthat the “Bronx cheer”may be misnamed.

At The River Cafe, gen-eral manager Scott Stam-ford could not have beenmore bored by the topic ofthe mayor bedding down15 feet from his frontdoor (is it just a co-incidence that themayor chose tosleep RIGHTNEXT DOORto one of thebest restau-rants intown?).

Stamfordtreated melike I was ahealth inspec-tor on anunannouncedvisit. “Youknow,” hesniffed, “the mayor has eaten here before.”

Yes, I suggested, but this time, it’ll be different. If themayor is truly in emergency management-mode, he’ll bewearing one of those fancy OEM “man of action” fleecepullovers — a clear violation of the River Cafe’s “Jacketsrequired in the dining room” rule.

“I think we can waive the rule for the mayor,” Stamfordsaid. “He could come in with a bomber jacket if hewants.”

Across the street at Pete’s Downtown, owner PeteThristino said he was planning nothing special for the realmayor. “We had Pacino in here once,” he said, referring tothe star of “City Hall.”

E VEN THE MAYOR’S HOSTS at the OEM head-quarters — officially surplus warehouse B-53 —were subdued at the prospect of late night games of

“Twister” or making prank calls to 311 with their boss.I stopped by the warehouse, you know, to welcome the

mayor and offer him a pillow, but was stopped by a copwho called inside. Within a few minutes, OEM deputypress secretary Andrew Troisi (what, I don’t rate an AC-TUAL press secretary?), came out.

Everything Troisi said was off the record (which wasodd, considering that all he said was that the OEM staffwould be happy to accommodate the mayor), but Troisidid confirm that the mayor would, indeed, be sleeping ona cot.

“We’re OEM. We have plenty of cots inside,” Troisisaid before nervously putting the rest of the conversationagain off the record (too bad, because he told me the se-cret burial site of Judge Crater).

From the OEM office, the mayor would have a half-mile walk to the Brooklyn Bridge. But he should not ex-pect people along the route to be throwing rose petals be-fore him.

The first place the mayor will pass on his pedestriancommute to City Hall is St. Ann’s Warehouse, a perform-ance space. Given the mayor’s support for the arts, I fig-ured the folks there would be excited to sell Bloomberg aticket (“Measure for Measure” opens Tuesday).

Brooklyn:Bloomie’ssleepoverno biggie


KuntzmanANGLE

Of all the people we met, only MartaKrawiec of the Water Street Ale Housewould welcome the Mayor to DUMBO.

Borough President Marty Markowitz pulled the switch on Brookyn’s official Christmas tree this week — and alsoplunged into a growing nationwide controversy over what to call the seasonal evergreens. “They’re ‘Christmastrees,’ not ‘holiday trees’!” the beep told The Brooklyn Papers. “Next thing, people will tell me I light a ‘holidaymenorah’ at home, not a Hanukkah menorah.” The Papers deconstructs Markowitz’s holiday card, page 5.

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could not disagree more.“People who believe that

Madison Square Garden is thesame [as a Brooklyn Nets are-na] don’t know Brooklyn,”said Assemblywoman JoanMillman (D-Park Slope).

Millman was most surpris-ed by the MTA’s admissionthat it does not add service be-fore or after Knick games.

“How can they say their

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EXCLUSIVE

See NO TRAINS on page 13See THOUGHTS on page 13

See MAYOR SLEEPS on page 2

A chat with model Alison Houtte


It had spiraled to a point where Brooklyn’s unrivaledposition as the city’s leading purveyor of Norwegianprincesses was, indeed, worth questioning.

While garnering the lion’s share of tiaras since the NorwegianImmigration Association began handing them out in 1954 as partand parcel of its annual Miss Norway of Greater New York pag-eant, Brooklyn in recent years had gotten used to the sight of itsneighborly competitors walking away with the title.

Things only got worse two years ago, when the pageant up-rooted from Bay Ridge in an effort to resuscitate interest in theevent, which at its peak in the 1960s hosted as many as 75 con-testants.

But all that changed on Sunday, when 23-year-old Karen Freely,of Dyker Heights, regained for Brooklyn the title of Miss Norway, adistinction surrendered for the past two years to women from NewJersey and upstate New York. Boasting her family’s “strong Vikingpower,” the Fontbonne Hall Academy graduate out-charmed nineother contenders to become Brooklyn’s newest queen — and one of






The Brooklyn diocese an-nounced Wednesday that two ofthe 17 schools it threatened toshutter in Brooklyn wouldremain open following success-ful business plans submitted bysupporters of the Bath Beachand Carroll Gardens schools.

Michael Hardiman, vicar foreducation for the Diocese ofBrooklyn, said in a statementthat both St. Finbar’s School at1825 Bath Ave., in Bath Beach,and the Sacred Heart-St. Ste-phen’s School, at 135 SummitSt., in Carroll Gardens, andwould remain open next year.

Another, in Queens, was alsospared.

St. Virgilius, in Queens, was theother school saved.

“We are feeling fantastic,” said ashaken Enrico Bruzzese, the fatherof two boys at St. Finbar, hours af-ter receiving the word.

“It’s great news. It was delayed,so we were a little worried. It stillhasn’t sunk in completely. Theteachers were crying, the parentswere crying. Everyone is just sohappy.”

Hardiman said that the twoBrooklyn schools submitted five-year business models which gave

SPARED

Smiling Irish eyes“Little Jimmy” has a grand Irish time at the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade along Fifth AvenueSunday. Several thousand revelers and, of course, a few elected officials turned out for the pa-rade. State Sen. Marty Golden was this year’s grand marshal. For more photos, see 6

Supporters’ strong business planhelps to keep St. Finbar’s afloat

‘Oracle’ pops the questionBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

The electronic billboardabove the Pintchik hard-ware store on FlatbushAvenue has answered hun-dreds of tiny questionssince being turned over toa local writer more than ayear ago and used to dis-pense predictions, adviceand even the occasionalvaudevillian one-liner.

To the question, “Am Igonna be in the NBA?” ask-ed by a high school student,the board answered, “Maybe.

As a fan.” When another asked for help

dealing with cancer, the board— whose operator is rumoredto be writer Jonathan SafranFoer, but is commonly knownas the Oracle — coaxed thewoman to keep positive by get-ting fresh air and exercise.

But last Friday evening,the Oracle was the one ask-ing the questions after PeterPhilbin, a Prospect Heightsman whose bedroom win-dow across the avenue facesthe billboard at Bergen Streetin Park Slope enlisted help inseeing through a marriageproposal to his longtime girl-

friend, Rachael Dehner.“Rachael Dehner, will you

marry me? Yes. this is real.No, this is not a joke. Justsay yes,” read the LED tickeras cars raced by on FlatbushAvenue last weekend.

“Yes,” said Dehner, andthe Oracle recorded its firstmarriage proposal since be-coming Flatbush Avenue’shonorary sage.

“We’ve gotten 10 or 12phone calls asking that wekeep them posted,” said thehardware store’s owner,Matthew Pintchik, of the an-swer to Philbin’s proposal onMarch 18.

“So, we put up a congratu-lations message so that peo-ple who have been followingalong knew what happened.”

Philbin, 31, said that he hadbeen planning to propose toDehner, his girlfriend of twoand a half years, but had hit asnag trying to come up with aclever way of posing the ques-tion. Friends suggested that hemake it public, perhaps on asports arena scoreboard or inan advertisement.

“But the more I thoughtabout it, I realized that therewas a perfectly good signright outside of our apart-ment,” said Philbin, a Bear

A decent proposal on Flatbush — and the answer is ‘Yes!’

Peter Philbin drops to one knee to recreate his marriage proposal tohis fiance, Rachel Dehner, in front of the Pintchik hardware store’s“Oracle” sign at the corner of Bergen Street and Flatbush Avenue.

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Stearns futures investor whomoved to New York sevenyears ago from Vermont.

The evening began simplyenough. Dehner, 28, a lawyerin Manhattan, had to worklate, so the pair skipped din-ner and headed to TimesSquare to catch a showing ofAvenue Q, the Tony-winningpuppet show on Broadway.The couple loved it, and thenheaded back to Brooklyn im-mediately afterward.

In the cab, Dehner askedabout their engagement, asubject the two had been dis-cussing, without realizingthat a proposal was comingsooner than she realized.

“I was kind of giving her ahard time,” said Philbin. “Iended up baiting her a littlebit, so she got perturbed withme.”

When the cab neared theirapartment, Philbin had thedriver stop short. In front ofGino’s Pizza, on FlatbushAvenue at Bergen Street,Philbin kneeled on the side-walk and began to propose.But Dehner, thinking he was

insincere, told him to stop. Itwas only then that she sawthe glaring red sign loomingbehind her. She was ecstatic.

“I’ve never thought ofmyself as terribly romantic,so this I’m proud of,” saidPhilbin, who said that a wed-ding date had not been set.

Once devoted solely tohawking Pintchik’s wares(trash bins in back; pesticidesup front), the 12-year-old, redLED sign overlooking Flat-bush Avenue malfunctionedlast summer and forced ownerPintchik to choose only onemessage to be repeated daysand hours on end.

So for three months, pass-ersby on the busy intersectionnear the entrance to the 2 and 3line subway station were greet-ed with an ode to the borough’sbiggest cheerleader.

“Borough President MartyMarkowitz loves Brooklynand Brooklyn loves BoroughPresident Marty Markowitz.”

But when Dean Olsher,host of the public radio show“The Next Big Thing” posit-

PAGE 7

Chitter-Chatterwith Liam

Ridge rezoning is nowthe law of the landBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Bay Ridge took to Manhattan tocelebrate the passage of a new zon-ing law this week that communityleaders had sought for decades toprotect against a wave of newdevelopment in the neighborhood.

Following a unanimous 49-0 voteby the City Council on March 23, theBay Ridge rezoning passed into law. Itis intended to preserve the built char-acter of Bay Ridge, in part by desig-nating three times the current numberof blocks for detached housing, theneighborhood’s pride. The law willalso reduce by half the number ofblocks designated for so-called Fed-ders-style row houses.

“This, today, is a victory lap, and it’sa victory for everyone who lives in BayRidge and who will live in Bay Ridge,”said Bay Ridge Councilman VincentGentile, following the favorable vote.

Gentile joined dozens of Bay Ridgecommunity leaders at the council’s16th-floor cafeteria near City Hall tocelebrate the new law. While noshingon sandwiches and macaroni salad,

elected officials streamed in to con-gratulate the neighborhood, which firstbegan looking at amending the zoninglaws as early as 1997.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg onThursday stated his support for thenew zoning regulations.

The Bay Ridge rezoning passed thecity’s Uniform Land Use Review Proce-dure in what may be record time. Whilenormally a seven-month process, the re-zoning passed in just about four months.

Most impressive, however, was thecake Gentile presented — from the Bay

Ridge Bakery on Fifth Avenue at 78thStreet — that featured a near replica ofthe very zoning map that had beenetched on the minds of many involvedwith the plan for the past year.

“We wanted it to be a two-tieredcake, but because of the new zoning ithad to be one,” Gentile quipped.

Among those who attended the re-ception were Council Speaker GiffordMiller, Bensonhurst CouncilmanDomenic Recchia and Borough Presi-dent Marty Markowitz, in addition to adozen Community Board 10 members.

“We’re talking about preserving oneof the most beautiful communities inBrooklyn, and preserving the life thatwe have in Brooklyn,” said Marko-witz. “And the life we have is bigtown-small town.”

But even as Ridgites celebrated,some wondered if new developmentcurrently being pushed on severalblocks throughout the neighborhoodwould be allowed to continue.

By law, if a significant portion of abuilding’s foundation has already beenplanted then it would be allowed to con-tinue under the old zoning rules.

Ridge 9-11 memorial setto be dedicated in MayBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Delayed by months of set-backs, Brooklyn’s firstmemorial to honor its owncivilian victims of 9-11 willfinally be unveiled in itsplace on the 69th Street Pierin Bay Ridge this May, sayorganizers behind the mas-sive installation.

Following last-minute safetymeasures to ensure that the pier,

also known as the VeteransMemorial Pier, will not be en-dangered by the weight of the5,500-pound monument, organ-izers say they will retrieve theinstallation from a hangar in up-state Bethel — where it hasbeen sitting since November —in time for a May 16 ceremony.

“We were concerned about

putting together an event in De-cember when the chances of badweather were much more like-ly,” said Robert Ressler, whosesculpture, “Beacon,” was select-ed among more than 50 otherproposed works. “The chancesof the weather being beautiful ismuch higher in May.”

William Guarinello, chairman

of both Community Board 11and Brooklyn Remembers, thecommittee that spearheaded theproject, said he anticipates asolemn morning ceremony inwhich elected officials would beon hand. Later in the evening, asecond candle-lit vigil wouldmark a lighting ceremony forthe sculpture, which nightly willcast a 3,000-watt light similar tothe ones that project twin beamsfrom the base of the World

See SAYS YES! on page 5

See MEMORIAL on page 16See ZONING on page 5

See AX on page 18

EXCLUSIVE

‘Norway’award back home again

Dyker Heights resident Karen Frely, 23, is thenew Miss Norway.

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Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 16 pages • Vol. 28, No. 14 BRZ • Saturday, April 2, 2005 • FREE




PAGE 7

‘The Contract’ ballet at BAM


While mass-market beer compa-nies continue to dish out promotionalvacations to Tahiti and Jamaica, SteveHindy, president of the BrooklynBrewery, is offering an all-expensespaid trip to a locale closer to homethat in addition to beaches, featureshigh culture, fine dining and even anamusement park — Brooklyn.

Beginning this week, the brewery isoffering a sweepstakes in which 10 win-ners and five of their friends will be treat-

ed to a day on the town that will includea tour of the Williamsburg-based brew-ery, a trip to Coney Island and tickets to aBrooklyn Cyclones minor league baseballgame at Keyspan Park, as well as a lim-ousine to transport the lucky winnersfrom one side of the borough to the other.

“We’ve always had to compete withthese giant corporations, these interna-tional brewing conglomerates,” saidHindy, who started the homegrown brew-ery nearly 20 years ago. “They’re alwaysdoing these programs, offering trips toScotland or Pebble Beach or the

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Basquiat bringsBoss to BrooklynBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Marilyn Monroe may havebeen blessed with beauty, but itseems that another troubledgenius is melting the hearts of thecity’s celebs.

Indeed, since opening at the Brook-lyn Museum on March 11, the worksof artist Jean-Michel Basquiat havebeen drawing a steady stream of bold-face names, not least of all LeonardoDiCaprio, Giselle Bundchen and “TheBoss” himself, Bruce Springsteen.Top that off with visits by Spike Leeand celebrity chef Bobby Flay and it

becomes clear that Basquiat, notMonroe, is the real star catcher.

But who could blame ‘em. Whilethe Monroe exhibit, “I Want to beLoved By You: Photographs of Mari-lyn Monroe,” has been a bonafidesuccess, with officials extending theshow by two weeks, it is the Basquiatretrospective that New Yorkers in theknow have been anticipating since1992, when the Whitney hosted a sim-ilar exhibition.

Sally Williams, a spokeswoman forthe museum, said that during theopening weekend both DiCaprio andhis on-again, off-again supermodelgirlfriend Bundchen showed up to

gaze at the neo-expressionist art.Since then, filmmaker Lee and Flay,host of the Food Network’s “Hot Offthe Grill with Bobby Flay” havedropped by the museum, as well asone actor from “Law & Order” whosename — oops —museum officialscould not recall.

But it took until last week — March24, to be exact — for Springsteen todrop by. James Gordon, a media rela-tions manager for the museum, said thatonly an hour after calling ahead, Spring-steen, his wife, Patti Scialfa, and theirtwo kids showed up eager for a tour. Af-ter a brief detour into the American

See BOSS on page 14

Brewery contestgrand prize is atrip to Brooklyn

At Main Street’s Brooklyn Bridge Park Wednesday, Cyclones mascot Sandy the Seagull(left), Borough President Marty Markowitz (center) and Brooklyn Brewery President SteveHindy unveiled a sweepstakes in which 10 lucky winners get dream vacations to Brooklyn.

Bruce Springsteen visited the Brooklyn Museum last week to see the Basquiat exhibit.

As Assemblyman Matthew Mirones looks on, Republi-can Pat Russo announces his candidacy for the CityCouncil at the Bay Ridge Manor on Monday.

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The Brooklyn Papers

A bike-riding deliverymanfor a bagel shop in Bay Ridgewas fatally struck and killedafter a truck dragged him fornearly a block.

Police said John Martinez, 28, of86th Street in Bay Ridge, wasstruck by a white delivery truck onMarch 30, around 4 pm, while mak-ing a delivery on 75th Street nearSixth Avenue.

An owner at Dale’s Bagels, at

Fifth Avenue at 77th Stree, saidthe man had worked at the storefor roughly two years.

The street where the accidenthappened was not a truck route.

“There was a lot of people com-ing in, asking [what had hap-pened],” said an owner of the bagelshop, who would not give hisname. “His family came in, theydon’t know what’s going on He was a good kid, we lost him, weloved him. We don’t know what todo.” — Jotham Sederstrom

Truck drags,kills man on75th Street


A promised water ferry connection inBay Ridge, which would be the firstsuch service in the neighborhood ineight years, has been caught in abureaucratic net and may have to befished out in city courts, CouncilmanVincent Gentile charged this week.

Gentile: DOT blocking plannedWater Taxi at 69th Street Pier

WATERLOGGEDSix months after New York Water Taxi

announced that it would extend its service tothe 69th Street Pier, in part to reverse flag-ging ridership, Gentile and CouncilmanDavid Yassky, chairman of the waterfrontscommittee, say that $125,000 allocated forthe project is being waylaid by the city De-partment of Transportation.

The decision to hold back the operatingsubsidy, said Gentile, is a potential violation

of city law because the allocation was ap-proved as part of Mayor MichaelBloomberg’s signed budget.

“What has happened is the tyranny of thisbureaucracy has decided that they do notwant to spend the money on a ferry subsidy,even though it became law when the mayorsigned off on it in his budget,” said Gentile.

“What authority does the DOT, as an ad-ministrative agency, have to supercede thecouncil and the will of the mayor?”

Should the DOT continue to withholdfunding, as agency officials have indicated,Gentile said that he would evaluate what le-gal avenues could be pursued.

“It’s become a process issue becausethey’re refusing to carry out a valid law,”said Gentile. “We’re looking into the possi-bilities now. We could definitely file a mo-tion to force the agency to follow the rulesand spend the money to subsidize the ferryservice.”

Gentile said that the funding, earmarkedfor the new dock in Bay Ridge and operatingexpenses at an existing stop at 58th Streetnear the Brooklyn Army Terminal in SunsetPark, was snubbed by Brooklyn DOT Com-missioner Lori Ardito at a budget hearing lastmonth.

Referring to the same hearing, aspokesman for Yassky said that Ardito citedan internal policy that bars, or at least frownsupon, subsidizing private businesses withpublic money. If so, the policy would be indirect contrast to funding that the departmentallotted to a bus line in Queens last year, saida Yassky spokesman.

“The DOT has reiterated that they wouldnot spend that money,” said Yasskyspokesman Evan Thies. “We’re aghast thatthey would refuse a directive from their su-periors, in this case the council and the may-

PassionateJohn Malone, 76, carries cross along 18th Avenue in Bensonhurst during GoodFriday Way of the Cross ceremonies on March 25.


Pat Russo wants a rematch.The Bay Ridge Republican, who in 2003

garnered 46 percent of the vote against in-cumbent Councilman Vincent Gentile, aDemocrat, this week formally announcedhis second challenge of Gentile.

The March 28 announcement came lessthan a month after fellow RepublicanRobert Capano bowed out of the race cit-ing personal family reasons, a decisionthat all but ensures Russo will be the GOPchallenger against Gentile this November.

“Today I am announcing my candidacyfor the office of New York City Council in

the 43rd District,” said Russo, flanked byhis wife, Joanne, and their daughters Anneand Catherine, ages 5 and 3.

“I am committing myself 100 percentto this race,” said Russo. “I could not dothis without the support of my family, andI’m grateful to Joanne, who is behind thiseffort all the way. We are in this race to-gether, as a family.”

Already promised an endorsement bythe Kings County Republican Party, andexpected to be endorsed by the county’sConservative Party next week, Russo’s an-nouncement was pretty much expected.

Russo, who resigned last month asdeputy inspector general to the state’s

Welfare Inspector General — as requiredof candidates by the city Board of Election— said that Bay Ridge has been under-served by Gentile.

“When Marty Golden represented thisdistrict, he delivered for us,” said Russo. “Sodid Sal Albanese — from this very room —for 15 years. They demanded that we gotsomething back for our tax dollars. And theydidn’t take no for an answer. Today, we areovertaxed and under-served. I’m not surewhich is worse. But I plan to change both.Because our communities deserve better.”

Gentile, who won the seat in a specialelection in February 2003, declined to com-ment on his challenger’s announcement.

Pat Russo announcesbid to unseat Gentile

See WATER on page 2

Vito backwith MikeAssociated Press

Rep. Vito Fossella wasnamed Tuesday to serve asthe Republican chair ofMayor Michael Bloom-berg’s re-election cam-paign.

Fossella, who representsBay Ridge and StatenIsland, was briefly men-tioned last year as a possi-ble challenger to themayor, but he has sincecome out in full support ofBloomberg and said he

was “honored” to work onthe mayor’s campaign.

“Mayor Bloomberg hasamassed an outstanding recordof achievement that includesrecord drops in crime, an un-paralleled commitment to ourpublic schools and continuedrecovery from September11th,” Fossella said in a state-ment. “In the months ahead, Ilook forward to helping tellthis success story and workingalongside the mayor and histeam to ensure his victory in

See VITO on page 2

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See VACATION on page 15





Cyber cafe law backBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Introduced in Albany lastyear, but stymied by lawmakersoutside of New York City, legis-lation placing significant regula-tions on cyber cafes was passedfor a second time in the stateSenate after being retailored toinclude only businesses in thefive boroughs.

Eight months after Assemblymembers in upstate New York andLong Island voted against the bill, inpart for the pricey operating certifi-cates it would have required of busi-ness owners, the amended legislationis expected to return for a second vote

in the Assembly within the next fewmonths. This time, say lawmakers,the bill is expected to pass, making itthe first law of its kind since city leg-islators successfully rezoned parts ofNew York to reverse the growth ofvideo game arcades in the 1980s.

“By requiring oversight and regu-lation of cyber cafes, this legislationis responding to problems that putpatrons in danger,” said Bay Ridgestate Sen. Marty Golden, who spon-sored the bill. “We must realize thatthe current lack of regulation insidethese cafes is pouring onto ourstreets.”

Originally introduced by Goldenin 2003, the legislation was draftedto combat a wave of violence and al-leged drug dealing that had pervaded

Internet access establishments insouthwestern Brooklyn and, to alesser extent, portions of Queens.The issue reached a fever pitch in2002 after a fatal stabbing outside ofthe Y&Z Internet Cafe, on 58thStreet at Seventh Avenue.

Like its predecessor, the new billlimits the hours cafes are allowed tooperate and requires owners to col-lect and save the vital information oftheir customers. The only distinction,in fact, is that rather than confiningthe law to cities with one millionpeople, as the original bill stipulated,the new legislation would furtherlimit the regulations to New YorkCity alone. Other large cities wouldhave the option to be included.

sage of a House appropria-tions bill that if ratified by theSenate would provide $4 mil-lion to help rehabilitate andmodernize the heavily traf-ficked, deteriorating station.

The allocation, said Fossella,

could persuade the MetropolitanTransportation Authority to reex-amine the station, which, alongwith the remainder of the R-line,was passed over late last year in afive-year capital budget plan thatheavily favors Manhattan.

“The MTA has no justification

for ignoring Bay Ridge and theneed to renovate the 86th Streetsubway station,” said Fossella,who represents Bay Ridge, DykerHeights, portions of Bensonhurstand Gravesend, and Staten Island.

“This federal funding will help

DANCE FEVERwere notified of the temporary re-straining order before the floor wenton the block. Nonetheless, it sold for$160,000 — twice what auctioneersbelieved it would fetch — after anApril 1 bidding war that ended latein the evening.

“A challenge to the title has re-cently been asserted with respect toLot 149,” said Hart in a preparedstatement. “Notwithstanding anyterms to the contrary in the ‘Condi-tions of Sale’ or elsewhere in the cat-alog, neither title nor possession norany other rights in and to Lot 149shall pass to the successful bidderunless and until the challenger is fa-vorably resolved.

“Upon successful resolution, titleand possession shall be transferredto the successful bidder in accor-dance with the conditions of sale.”

Besides the 24-foot by 16-footfloor, memorabilia collectors paid$63,250 for Darth Vader’s Jedi robeand cape from the movie “StarWars” in the auction. The hat wornby the Wicked Witch of the West inthe “The Wizard of Oz” sold for$54,625. The “Fever” floor, howev-er, received the highest bid by far.

A marvel of technology when itwas built in the mid-1970s, the discofloor made a cameo appearance in“Saturday Night Fever” as the dancefloor preferred by Travolta’s charac-ter Tony Manero. Following itsblockbuster success, the club —called 2001 Odyssey at the time —drew droves of gawkers to DykerHeights and Bay Ridge, where thefilm was set.

While many of the establishmentsfeatured in the movie are now de-funct (including the White Castle on92nd Street where Travolta’s bone-headed friends stand on a table andbark like dogs), the movie still holdsa special place in the hearts of manyfilm and Travolta buffs.

In fact, tourists still wind up onthe doorstep of Peggy Pierce, aCommunity Board 10 member whois the proud owner of the home on79th Street where Manero lives inthe film.

The once gray house is nowpainted brown and white, but fansfind it anyway, said Pierce, notingthat a few years ago tourists fromBrazil appeared in her driveway.

Pierce and her husband, Ray,moved into the home three monthsbefore the movie hit the theaters inDecember 1977.

Seek subway bucks


Confined for more than a de-cade to America’s great wideopen, wood-burning outdoorfireplaces, known as “chimin-eas,” are becoming an urbanphenomenon that has city offi-cials scratching their heads andapartment dwellers fuming.

Long a fixture in rural settingsand suburbia, the fireplaces hadfailed to flicker in the hearts, mindsand backyards of New Yorkers.But when sales of the largely aes-thetic clay-and-cast-iron chimineas(chimi-NAY’-ahs) flourished else-where two years ago, so too did in-terest from city folks.

Now, say area hearth and gar-dening retailers, the fiery fad hassparked in Brooklyn, especially inneighborhoods where privatehomes thrive. And although thephenomenon is only smoldering,officials are trying to balance the

desires of outdoorsy homeownerswith the health concerns of theirapartment-dwelling neighbors, whosay they are inundated by an in-evitable byproduct of the ovens —black smoke.

“This thing, I guess it’s to heatyou up,” said Fire Department As-sistant Chief Howard Hill. “I don’tknow how popular they are here,but enough people are starting toget them that we have to deal withthe issue.”

The problem cane to the foreearlier this month, after tenants atan apartment building in BayRidge, on 79th Street at Sixth Av-enue, began jamming the city’s311 switchboard and the phonelines of Community Board 10 withcomplaints of black smoke waft-ing through their windows.

Although residents perched onthe highest levels of the six-storybuilding couldn’t pinpoint the ori-gin of the smoke, tenants closer to

Hynes foe: Living outsidecity, staff breaking the law


A complaint has been filedwith the city Conflicts of In-terest Board charging that 33prosecutors working for Brook-lyn District Attorney CharlesHynes live illegally outside ofthe city.

In his complaint, John Ken-nedy O’Hara charged that roughlyone-third of the 98 assistant dis-trict attorneys employed by Hynesdo not meet residency require-ments under state law.

The infraction, O’Hara be-lieves, threatens to clog the courts

with hundreds of appeals fromconvicted criminals who wereprosecuted by the out-of-city ADAs.

O’Hara ran unsuccessfulprimary campaigns for Assemblyand City Council against Democ-ratic Party-supported candidatesin the late 1980s and ’90s beforeHynes tried him for voter fraudfor registering to vote and votingfrom a temporary address.

“This is chaos in the court-house,” said O’Hara of his allega-tion regarding the ADAs. He isworking as an unpaid volunteerfor Sandra Roper, a lawyer who ischallenging Hynes in the primary

A group of first-grade students from PS 27 in Red Hook visit the shark tank at the New York Aquarium inConey Island on Tuesday. Brooklynites got a real taste of spring this week, as sunshine, blue skies andwarmer temperatures covered the area.

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See 86TH ST on page 2

See CYBER LAW on page 3

See SMOKE on page 13

O’Hara says 33 of 98 ADAs work illegally

Fossella: Fed funds could spur MTA on 86th St.By Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

In a bid to expedite long-awaited renovations at the86th Street R-line subwaystation, Rep. Vito Fossellaannounced this week the pas-


The disco floor that won fameafter appearing in the movie“Saturday Night Fever” in 1977— and later went on to draw twogenerations of strutters to a Dy-ker Heights dance club — wassold this week for $160,000.

But the disco-loving winning bid-der, whose name was not revealedby Profiles in History, the BeverlyHills auctioneers who sold the icon,won’t be hustling anytime soon.Club Promoter Vito Bruno has fileda lawsuit earlier claiming that he hadalready won the floor in an auctionheld in February by owners of Spec-trum, the club that closed last month.

BLOWIN’ SMOKENew ‘chimineas’ causing a stink

Chiminea on 79th Street in Bay Ridge.

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Court to determine whogets club’s famous floor

“We’ve been busy with this forthe past week,” said Bruno Codis-poti, an attorney for Bruno. “It’s tak-ing up all our time.”

Scheduled to be heard beforeBrooklyn Supreme Court Justice IraHarkavy on April 6, the case waspostponed when Jay Rizzo, owner ofthe club on Eighth Avenue at 64thStreet, failed to appear. The case is

now rescheduled for April 20. Untilthen, the floor, comprised of 300flashing light bulbs, remains disas-sembled in a warehouse.

Lorna Hart, a spokeswoman forProfiles in History, said she couldnot reveal details of the mysterywinner until the restraining order islifted. A statement by the company,however, stressed that all bidders

Charles Hynes John O’Hara

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NO KIDDING!Associated Press

Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. are tostar in a film about photographer Diane Arbusto be shot at Brooklyn’s new Steiner Studios.

Douglas C. Steiner, chairman of the Hollywood-style complex in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, announcedTuesday that “Fur” is to be directed by Steven Shain-berg, in agreement with River Road Productions.

With “Fur” moving in and the film version of thehit Broadway musical “The Producers” currentlybeing filmed on four of the studios’ stages, Steinersaid, “we’re completely full even before we’ve fin-

ished building and officially opened.” The 15-acre Steiner Studios is rising as the largest

modern production facility east of Los Angeles. Set construction for “Fur” begins immediately on

a 16,000-square-foot soundstage at Steiner — one oftwo to be used for the film. Shooting is scheduled tobegin next month, continuing through July.

Based on Patricia Bosworth’s “Diane Arbus: ABiography,” the screenplay by Erin Cressida Wil-son presents an imaginary portrait of the life of thelate New York fashion photographer known for herphoto images of eccentric personalities from the1950s and 1960s. She committed suicide in 1971.

Nicole Kidman, who will be shooting the film “Fur” with Robert Downey Jr. in Brooklyn’s new Stein-er Studios in the Navy Yard next month, is pictured at the Venice Film Festival last September.

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mailed invitations to the BoroughHall meeting.

Goldstein said DDDB was notinitially invited, but after askinganother local group to urge theirinclusion, “[Markowitz] said, OK,we could come, but Daniel Gold-stein can’t come. Also Patti andSchellie [Hagan], and PHAC[Prospect Heights Action Coali-tion] can’t come either.”

Asked why certain people orgroups were barred from attendingthe meeting, Markowitz saidthrough a spokeswoman, “Thiscommunity meeting brought to-gether leaders of over a dozencivic organizations and elected of-ficials from the neighborhoods ad-jacent to the Atlantic Yards andNets arena who represented everypoint of view on the project. Thesize of the group was relativelysmall to create a working groupfor constructive dialogue.”

Local elected officials, includ-ing Councilman David Yassky,Councilwoman Letitia James, andstate Senators Carl Andrews andVelmanette Montgomery attended.

Prospect Heights CommunityNeighborhood Alliance PresidentGib Veconi said Markowitz “madean effort to reach out to more

Wants apartmentson site of 30-yearBoerum Hill gardenBy Jess WisloskiThe Brooklyn Papers

A Boerum Hill community garden that sur-vived for decades on little more than silverbells and cockleshells is now in the crosshairsof a battle between the neighbors who plant-ed it and the church that owns it.

With spring summoning daffodils, bluebells andgoldenrod to poke through the Hoyt Street Gar-den’s wrought-iron fence and buds to sprout on itsknobby oak tree, the Iglesia Del Vivo Cristo, orChurch of the Living Christ, has asked the HoytStreet Association, which built and planted the gar-den, to get lost.

Margaret Cusack, founder of the Hoyt Street As-sociation, who lives only doors from the little pinkchurch on Hoyt Street between Atlantic Avenueand Pacific Street that abuts the garden, says she’s

By Frank EltmanAssociated Press

Only a half-century old, it certain-ly doesn’t have the provenance of amedieval tapestry. But it is a one-of-a-kind, and to millions of baseballfanatics it’s probably more valuable.

The 1955 World Series championshipbanner captured by the Brooklyn Dodgers— the only one the team ever won — wasunveiled Wednesday following a $16,000restoration by experts at the Textile Conser-vation Laboratory at the Cathedral Churchof St. John the Divine.

“It’s just fantastic,” beamed Jessie Kelly,president of the Brooklyn Historical Soci-ety, which will feature the banner as thecenterpiece of its upcoming exhibit on theDodgers.

The 8-foot by 17-foot, blue-and-white,cotton-and-nylon banner — inscribed“World Champions 1955 Dodgers” — re-ceived about three months worth of tenderloving care, said Marlene Eidelheit, head ofthe cathedral’s textile lab. She said after a“gentle cleaning,” workers restored the tat-tered edges and some of the lettering.

“It’s just such a great opportunity to bepart of this history, because we were work-ing on a historical icon of our time,” Eidel-heit said. “Our job is always to preserve

something so others can enjoy it for the fu-ture and that’s an important thing for us.”

The banner was won when the Dodgersbeat the despised cross-town rival NewYork Yankees following decades of frustrat-ing defeats for the Brooklyn faithful, knownas Dem Bums. It only flew for a brief timein Brooklyn before Dodgers owner WalterO’Malley packed up the team and moved toLos Angeles in 1957.

Where it went from there is a bit murky,by most accounts.

It was believed to have been liberatedfrom a Los Angeles hospitality suite by ateam of New York sportswriters during the1959 World Series. The banner was then se-creted in a suburban basement, where it satfor decades, and eventually was turned overto the Hall of Fame — with the understand-ing that it would stay in Cooperstown untila deserving Brooklyn home could be found.

Thirty years after winning the pennant,O’Malley’s son, Peter — then the owner ofthe Dodgers — came up with the idea ofgiving the flag back to the people of Brook-lyn in 1995.

The Brooklyn Historical Society exhibitwill be the first time in decades that the ban-ner gets a wide showing. The exhibit, at itsheadquarters on Pierrepont Street at ClintonStreet in Brooklyn Heights, is scheduled torun from April 22 through the fall.

Brooklyn Dodgers Duke Snider and Don Newcomb celebrate Dem Bums’ vic-tory over the New York Yankees in the 1955 World Series.

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Dodgers’pennantrestored

See DOOMED on page 17

Churchdooms‘oasis’

Rally for rezoning

Sunset Park Rep. Nydia Velasquez addresses protesters at Battle Hill Monumentin Green-Wood Cemetery at the conclusion of Sunday’s march in protest of newreal estate development in Green-Wood Heights that threatens the neighbor-hood’s low-rise character and harbor views.

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SHUT OUT AGAINBy Jess WisloskiThe Brooklyn Papers

Borough President MartyMarkowitz has hosted anotherclosed-door meeting about de-veloper Bruce Ratner’s AtlanticYards proposal, continuing hispolicy of shutting out communitymembers who have prominentlyvoiced opposition to the plan tobuild a basketball arena as wellas 17 residential and office high-rise towers.

Last October, Markowitz held asimilar meeting, shutting out re-porters as well as members ofneighborhood groups that openlyprotested the plans.

According to attendees of bothmeetings, the policy has resulted inexcluding those living in theProspect Heights footprint of theplanned development, bounded byDean Street and Atlantic, Flatbushand Vanderbilt avenues.

This time around, Markowitz re-lented in allowing members of theanti-Atlantic Yards group Develop— Don’t Destroy Brooklyn to attendthe March 24 meeting, just not theirchief spokesman, Daniel Goldstein.

“One reason they gave that Icouldn’t come is that I’m a figure-head of the opposition,” said Gold-

Marty holds another closed-door arena meet

stein, the last holdout who has notsold or agreed to sell to Ratner hiscondominium in the Atlantic Artsbuilding at 636 Pacific St. withinthe Atlantic Yards footprint.

“We eventually decided not to goat all, because we don’t think Bor-ough President Marty Markowitzhas the right to say who representsour group,” said Goldstein. “Insteadof making a scene we decided tostep back this time. We will attendthe next meeting.”

The groups or individuals were

Marty Markowitz

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Fearlandmarkwill betorn downBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Only a month shy of its175th anniversary, Broo-klyn’s oldest Methodist con-gregation could be forced tocelebrate its 176th on thestreet if parishioners of theBay Ridge church fail torenovate its rapidly deterio-rating sandstone facade.

More than a decade after rainand wind began bruising the out-er walls of the United MethodistChurch, on Fourth Avenue atOvington Avenue, officials saythe historic building may finallybe sold and, perhaps, demol-ished. A real estate agent empha-sized that negotiations were on-going, but parishioners contendthat a board of trustees has al-ready begun meeting with devel-opers to discuss the future of the105-year-old church.

“This has been an albatrossaround this congregation’s neckfor quite some time,” said DebraJamet, a parishioner who haslived less than a block from thechurch for 10 years. “For a few[trustees], they may have stars intheir eyes, but for the majorityit’s simply exhaustion.

“My concern is that theyaren’t considering any optionother than tearing the churchdown.”

Listed as a landmark in theNational Registry of HistoricPlaces and boasting one of theborough’s last surviving four-faced clock towers, the churchhas been plagued since the1980s by the ravages of weatherand a shrinking congregation.Although thousands of dollarshave already been spent to pro-tect and renovate its eroding fa-cade, some say that the cost to

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An official with a German shippingcompany that took its $1.6 billion tradedeal to New Jersey after first consider-ing Brooklyn’s port, said this week thatthe decision came down to the city’srefusal to back a Red Hook port.

“There’s usually other factors that are inplay, but it is correct that the lack of along-term lease agreement affected ourdecision,” Rainer Dehe, chief of opera-tions for the international shipping compa-ny Hamburg Sud said. The company hadhoped to ship to Brooklyn for the next fiveyears at the Red Hook piers operated by

American Stevedoring Inc. (ASI), promis-ing the creation of 400 jobs here, he said.

The company instead signed a contractwith a port in Bayonne, N.J., after city Eco-nomic Development Corporation officialsrefused to guarantee that the Red Hook portwould remain open through 2009.

“It was definitely a factor that they havea relatively short contract that extendsonly to 2007,” added Dehe.

After extensive negotiations, the PortAuthority of New York and New Jerseylast December granted ASI a three-yearlease extension on piers 7 through 10,claiming piers 11 and 12 for conversion toa cruise ship port.

“That certainly hasn’t helped [ASI] in

securing long-term contracts,” said Dehe.“As a shipping line, we want to be surethat we have a terminal in five to 10 years,maybe even 20 years. Seeing as terminalseverywhere are filling up very quickly, ifwe transferred our ships to Brooklyn we’dend up without a place to go when theirlease expired.”

But, he added, “it certainly makes senseto maintain a viable active port in Brooklyn,”given its proximity to truck routes, buyers,adequate water depth for docking largefreighters and the reputation of ASI.

“The operator of the terminal has a goodreputation as somebody who is managingoperations efficiently and fast,” Dehe

DEATH OFA CHURCH

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City: Keep working piersin Jersey — not Brooklyn

The historic United Methodist Church, at the corner of Fourth and Ovington avenues, may be demolished.


Merchants: Make your customers happy! Offer them the latest Brooklyn PaperAt no cost to you, we’ll deliver the latest edition “hot off the press” Friday afternoon. You and your customers will be among the first to read Saturday morning’s Paper. Just call: (718) 834-9350 ext 105

officials wondered, has thedeveloper not met with thecity-sponsored panel chargedwith rejuvenating the seasideneighborhood?

While an exact location forthe amusement mall has notbeen revealed, Lee Silber-

stein, a spokesman for ThorEquities, confirmed that thedevelopment company hasindeed purchased land withinthat fabled swath, in additionto parcels on either side ofKeyspan Park and west ofStillwell Avenue.

Thor Equities is owned byJoseph Sitt, who redevelopedthe Gallery at Metrotech, anailing indoor shopping mallabutting the Fulton StreetMall in Downtown Brook-lyn, after it was aban-

one of three UFT-organizedmarches in Brooklyn last weekand the first in a series ofprotests expected to touch downin all five boroughs later thismonth. While others descendedseparately on learning supportcenters in areas as disparate asDowntown Brooklyn and Flat-lands, the throng of more than athousand educators was unifiedin its call for higher salaries andbetter classroom conditions.

David Tarlo, a math teacher atFDR High School for the last 19

years, waved a sign near thewestern arc of a half-moon ofeducators that proclaimed, “Nocontract, no respect.” Along witha handful of his colleagues, Tar-lo and other longtime educatorswho stormed the support centersaid they had not been involvedin such a fight in decades.

“We haven’t had a contractin two years and we haven’thad a raise in two years,” saidTarlo, who indicated that teach-ers like himself, with master’s


Honing in on a neighbor-hood generally believed to besupportive of Mayor MichaelBloomberg, more than 200teachers, placards raised high,marched to the Department ofEducation’s Learning Sup-port Center in Bay Ridge todemand new contracts and, intheir own words, “respect”from Bloomberg and SchoolsChancellor Joel Klein.

Chanting, “Hey, hey, ho, ho,Klein and Bloomberg have togo,” teachers from schools asvaried as Franklin Delano Roo-sevelt High in Borough Parkand the High School of Tele-communications in Bay Ridgecalled on the city to renew con-tracts that expired two yearsago. Educators say that wagesfor teachers throughout NewYork have been harnessed bystandards set in 2003, just afterBloomberg took control of theDepartment of Education.

“How can this man call him-self the ‘Education Mayor’when he can’t even treat theparents and teachers with re-spect,” shouted Randi Wein-garten, president of the UnitedFederation of Teachers, whilecrowded among her unionmembers in front of the Region8 learning support center on89th Street at Fourth Avenue.

She later added: “He wants hisJets, but he needs his teachers,” areference to Bloomberg’s pushfor a new football stadium onManhattan’s Upper West Side.

The march on Region 8 was





Atlantic Yards objectionists who werebanned from last week’s Chamber ofCommerce luncheon at Gargiulo’s inConey Island protest outside therestaurant.


Plans to build an indooramusement and retail centerat Coney Island’s famed

boardwalk were met by sea-side locals this week with asmuch enthusiasm as a Na-than’s hotdog without a bun.

Why, business owners and


Kowtowing to demands by developer Bruce Ratner, theBrooklyn Chamber of Commerce this week barred the publicfrom an official Chamber function, a luncheon where Ratner’scontroversial Atlantic Yards project was discussed.

The event had been advertised for three weeks as “free and open to allbusinesses” on the Chamber’s web site as well as on postcards sent to theChamber’s mailing list, which, in addition to Chamber members, includedthe news media, community board offices and non-members.

In unusual form for the Chamber, which serves to publicize and pro-mote businesses in the borough, the Chamber barred several merchants

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe, right, and catcher JasonPhillips (both wearing throwback uniforms in honor of the BrooklynDodgers) celebrate Lowe’s three-hitter against the San Diego Padreson Friday, April 15 in Los Angeles. The Dodgers won 4-0.

Bums againAssociated Press

LOS ANGELES — No matterhow many players pass throughthe Dodgers’ clubhouse, JackieRobinson will remain the heart-beat of an enduring and endear-ing franchise that was the first tointegrate the major leagues.

That point was driven home atDodger Stadium last Friday night whenRachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow, wason hand with daughter Sharon to markthe 58th anniversary of her husband’sfirst major league game and the break-ing of the color line.

The Dodgers took the field against

PAGE 9

Simmonsrips art

gallery bias

Chamber bows to RatnerBars public fromarena plan forum

Storefronts on the Coney Island boardwalk, like these next to Deno’s Wonder WheelPark, may be bought up and converted into an indoor amusement and retail center.

Boardwalk mall plan ismaking waves in Coney

Former Papers publisherheads Time Out group

Brooklyn Papers

Alison Tocci, former general man-ager of The Brooklyn Papers andfounding publisher of its Bay RidgePaper, has been promoted from pub-lisher of Time Out magazine to TimeOut president and group publisher, thecompany announced Tuesday.

During her four years at The Papers inthe early 1990s, the Boerum Hill residentoversaw expansion of the company’s pub-lications and originated successful promo-tional campaigns that heightened readerinvolvement, said Papers President EdWeintrob.

At Time Out, she succeeds Cyndi Stiv-ers, Time Out New York’s founding editorAlison Tocci of Time Out.


and residents who have ex-pressed criticism of Rat-ner’s plan, as well as re-porters, from attending themeeting.

“This was not set up tobe a debate about the proj-ect,” said Randy Pierce, aspokesman for the Cham-ber. “We knew there wasn’tgoing to be any new infor-mation; that’s why we did-n’t invite the press.”

Some local newspaperpublishers were invited onthe understanding that theywould not report on themeeting. The chairman ofthe Chamber is Dan Holt,co-publisher of the Couri-er-Life newspaper chain.Holt could not be reachedfor comment by press time.

Pierce said the meetingwas closed to foes of theRatner plan in order toavoid stirring controversy, and the Chamber had complied with ForestCity Ratner’s requests to ban certain community members and businessowners from the meeting.

“We did work with Forest City Ratner in terms of discouraging any in-dividuals we’ve known to be disruptive at these kinds of things in the pastfrom attending,” said Pierce. “We did everything we could to reach out tothem and get them to know they wouldn’t be on the list of attendees.”

Forest City spokesman Barry Baum said it was “collectively agreed itwould be best to keep this as a non-media event.

“We wanted business leaders to feel comfortable to have an open dis-cussion without concern about being quoted in the press.”

Among the community activists barred were Daniel Goldstein, an or-ganizer with the anti-Ratner arena group Develop-Don’t Destroy Brook-lyn, and sisters Patti and Schellie Hagan, who created the ProspectHeights Action Coalition, also an opponent of the plan.

Along with several other Brooklynites, they stood outside the gates ofSee RATNER on page 14

in chief, who will become executive vicepresident of Martha Stewart Living Omni-media on May 18.

During Tocci’s eight years at Time Out,the magazine’s circulation tripled to 138,000and it consistently outsold every other region-al, state and city magazine in the country inadvertising pages, a company statement said.

“Alison has proven a terrific publisher,”said Time Out Chairman Tony Elliott.

Prior to joining Time Out, Tocci was pub-lisher of Brooklyn Bridge, a monthly maga-zine.

Time Out publishes magazines and cityguides throughout the world, including inLondon, Paris, Buenos Aires and Berlin.Tocci recently oversaw the launch of TimeOut Chicago.

See BUMS AGAIN on page 14

See TEACHERS on page 6

Dodgers shine in B’klyn bluePoly-brationFireworks light up the night sky above Poly Prep Country Day School’s clock tower during the in-stitution’s 150th anniversary party on April 16. For more photos of the celebration see page 6.

ON THE MARCHTeachers picket 89th St. office

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A contractor whose unsafeworking conditions at a condo-minium construction site inBay Ridge led to the 2004 deathof one worker and the seriousinjuries of two others pleadedguilty on Wednesday to chargesthat he brought on the accident

by ignoring OccupationalSafety and Health Admin-istration regulations.

Kang Yeon Lee, a contractorand owner of Big Apple Develop-ment and Construction pleadedguilty to causing the death of im-migrant worker Angel Segovia,who fell to his death last Maywhen a balcony upon which he

and the other workers were pour-ing concrete came crashing down.

Additionally, Lee pleadedguilty to mail fraud in connectionwith an unrelated job involvingthe construction of a U.S. PostalService project at John F.Kennedy International Airport. Inthat incident, prosecutors say heknowingly failed to adequatelypay his workers.

Oddly, Lee, who lives in Bay-side, Queens, faces a maximum of20 years imprisonment for themail fraud and just six months forSegovia’s death. He also must payfines of $250,000 for each count.Additionally, as part of the pleaagreement, he has agreed to pay$1 million to compensate the vic-tims and their families.

See GUILTY on page 13

Merchants: Make your customers happy! Offer them the latest Brooklyn PaperAt no cost to you, we’ll deliver the latest edition “hot off the press” Friday afternoon. You and your customers will be among the first to read Saturday morning’s Paper. Just call: (718) 834-9350 ext 105






With Republicans about as easyto find in Bay Ridge as a neighborwith an Italian surname, localDemocrats don’t always see eye toeye when discussing how best toreclaim their slice of Brooklyn.

But one thing they can agree on isthat a coup always tastes better withan ice-cold Coke and a slice of pizza,particularly from local parlors.

And so, on Tuesday night, mem-bers of the Brooklyn Democrats forChange political club cast their votesfor the best pizza in Bay Ridge.

The winners among the 12 pizzerias

invited to compete in the fundraisingevent at the Pour House, a pub onThird Avenue at 79th Street, were Pep-pino’s and Nino’s, a pair of Third Av-enue parlors that shared top-honors onthe strengths of their margherita, vod-ka sauce and grandma variations.

“Happy, that’s what I am,” beam-ed Vinny Mancino, who with hisbrother Joe co-owns Peppino’s, aone-year-old parlor on Third Avenueat 91st Street.

Brian Honan, president of BrooklynDemocrats for Change, said that thecompetition was an imaginative way toinject life into the group’s first fundrais-er. The idea, he said, came after amember of the club suggested they

take a cue from the annual chili cook-offs she enjoyed as a native Texan.

While the event raised an estimat-ed $2,500, it was the contest resultsthat had pizza partisans talking.

Seamlessly interjecting pizza andpolitics into his chatter Tuesdaynight, Honan conjured the immortalwords of the late Chicago MayorRichard Daley, when he told clubmembers to “vote early and often”for their favorite pizzeria.

“Feel free to lobby people here,” hesaid. “This is a political club after all.”

But as much as the evening wasabout pizza, waffling was served up inheaping portions, too

Although they all voted on secret

ballots for the best slice, when asked toname their favorite of the 12 parlors,most elected officials present skirtedthe question entirely, saying insteadthat they supported all neighborhoodpizzerias equally.

“Tonight, every one of these piz-zas is a winner,” said Borough Presi-dent Marty Markowitz, who re-strained his usually healthy appetitebecause of Passover.

Councilman Vincent Gentile, whospoke to a reporter between bites of aslice from Rocco’s, a pizzeria on FortHamilton Parkway at 64th Street,also praised all of the local parlors. “Ilike them all,” he said.

Told of the pizza waffling, Jerry

Kassar, chairman of the Kings Coun-ty Conservative Party, took the op-portunity to label such indecisivenessas typical of the Democratic Party.

“Coming off of John Kerry’s cam-paign, I’m surprised they didn’t de-clare who they liked and thenchanged their minds an hour later,”said Kassar, adding that the pizzaparlor of record for fellow Republi-cans and Conservatives is either Roc-co’s or Gino’s, on Fifth Avenue at74th Street.

Rounding out the list of Democra-tic contenders are: Buon Gusto, CasaCalamari, Francesco’s, LaSala, Pepi-no’s, Positano Tuscany Grill, Verra-zano Pizza and Vesuvio.

Brian Kassenbrock and Jeannie May do some judging at thePour House in Bay Ridge on Tuesday.

Bay Ridge Dems split ‘best pizzeria’

The Brooklyn Papers

Six years after being sentencedto 1,500 hours of community serv-ice, political activist John O’Harasaid this week that he will seek tooverturn his conviction on voterfraud charges based on new infor-mation he says was obtained dur-

ing an investigation by a freelancejournalist.

Long contending that BrooklynDistrict Attorney Charles Hynes’repeated prosecutions of him oncharges that he voted while regis-tered at a non-primary address werepolitically motivated, O’Hara now

believes that Assemblyman JamesBrennan, a Democrat against whomhe waged several primary chal-lenges, was the impetus behind theprosecution all along.

O’Hara attorney Barry Fallickwas expected to file a motion in

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Citing story, O’Hara setsout to clear his name

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Although he’d readily pose for photographersand come out to greet his Prospect Heights neigh-bors, it took city agents five tries to trap a pluckyred rooster, which had kept the residential area onedge with its way-too-early-in-the-morning crow-ing.

But the rooster’s entrapment Tuesday stirred mixedfeelings among neighbors in the block-square area ofbackyards shared by the bird, between Vanderbilt andUnderhill avenues, from Bergen to Dean streets, al-though from the sound of it he’s going to a far betterplace.

“Because there was so much interest in it, we havecaptured the rooster, and he’s now being sent to a rehabcenter,” said a spokeswoman from TJ Public Relations,the firm representing Animal Care and Control.

“It’s a place that lets roosters and birds live happily onthe grounds, and they feed them and care for them,” saidthe spokeswoman, who would not disclose the locationof the Birdie Ford Clinic other than to say it was withinthe state.

“They don’t want people finding out where they are,because then people start dropping off every wild animalknown to man,” she said.

“I know where they sent the rooster, and I know it’s a birdsanctuary,” she said, adding, “It’s a well-known place forpeople in the industry. You’d be surprised the things peopledo.

“It took a long time and a lot of effort but the turkey’sbeen saved,” the ACC spokeswoman said, and correctedherself, “I mean, the rooster,” which she said rescuerscalled a “pesky little comic.”

At least one neighbor wasn’t laughing about the fowlplay in his backyard.

CAUGHT

Noisy rooster on wayto ‘Birdie Ford Clinic’

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Watch’em blossomA couple walks through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden during the height of the cherry blossomseason. The annual Cherry Blossom festival is this weekend. See GO Brooklyn, page 7

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DOUBLE PARKING PLANBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Double-parkers, you have afriend in high places.

Spurred on by stories of driversticketed after mad dashes to the cor-ner deli, Bay Ridge Councilman Vin-cent Gentile has introduced legisla-tion that would allow New Yorkers afree pass to double park, as long asit’s just for five-minutes. The inten-tion, he said, was to separate those insearch of a quick cup of coffee to-gofrom those who flagrantly sidestepthe law by double parking for longstretches of time.

“Nobody is condoning doubleparking, but the way traffic agents areissuing tickets, it certainly calls intoquestion the motto, ‘Courtesy, profes-sionalism and respect,’” said Gentile,referring to the police department slo-gan.

“It’s a common sense approach todealing with the issue,” he added.

Vinnie: Make it legal … for 5 minutes

A new bill floated by Councilman Vincent Gentile would allow drivers todouble park their cars for five minutes in order to run into a store.

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“Double parking can impede trafficflow, but this is more to addresssomeone who’s running in for a bageland a cup of coffee. They’re not af-fecting traffic in a detrimental way.”

The NYPD splits parking enforce-ment duties with the Department ofTransportation.

If passed, the legislation would re-quire traffic agents to wait five min-utes after first spotting a double-parked car before issuing a ticket,which usually costs $115. While crit-ics say that the law would hamperagents, Gentile insists that the five-minute window would allow them tocircle the block in search of otherscofflaws before penalizing a driverin search of little more than a slice ofpizza.

Besides food-runs, however, Gen-tile said that he was drawn to the leg-islation after hearing stories from sev-eral constituents, whose parking woesare decidedly more serious than hamon rye. In April, he said, a woman inBay Ridge called his Third Avenueoffice to complain about being ticket-ed after walking her handicappedchild to the front door of his school.When she returned to her car, lessthan two minutes later, a ticket waswaiting on the windshield.

Monroe Goldberg, another of Gen-tile’s constituents, said that the heavyenforcement of parking regulations isamong the reasons he and his wife re-cently bought a home in Bethesda,Md. While he still retains a residencein Bay Ridge, the lifelong Brook-lynite said that he is now decidingwhether to sell his home or remain inthe neighborhood in which he’s livedmost of his life.

Most recently, he said, trafficagents ticketed him while he and oth-ers sat in his car waiting for anotherdriver to back out of a parking spacenear 59th Street on Fort HamiltonParkway. While looking behind, hesaid, the agent slapped a $115 ticketon his windshield and walked away.It was only after a passenger toldhim, ‘Hey, you just got ticketed,” thatGoldberg realized the agent hadstealthily come and gone, without

See PARKING on page 13

Guilty in worker’s death

nity Board 10, which filed its own com-plaints with the Department of Build-ings. “They were upset, very upset. Itwas a large sign and they thought it wastoo big for the neighborhood.”

For Joe DeVito, one of the brokerswhose number was listed on the sign, theseemingly endless calls were at first per-ceived as proof that the advertisementhad paid off. Several reprimands later,however, it became clear that he wouldnot be cashing in anytime soon. Thesame went for Samantha Yoruk, anotherbroker with Fillmore, who owns theproperty where the sign was installed.

“Well, they weren’t the kind of callswe were hoping for, to say the least,”said an apologetic DeVito, just hours af-ter the firm willingly removed the signlast Friday. “There was no end.”

DeVito said that he and Yoruk agreed toinstall the sign last month. Neither, howev-er, figured for the commotion that wouldensue, even after the printer they hired sur-prised them by designing the billboardtwice as large as they had requested.

The billboard’s size, coupled with itscontent, raised the ire of neighbors, whocalled the sign an eyesore.

Buildings Department inspectors de-termined that no permit had been issuedallowing the billboard on the property.

On Friday, John Reinhardt, the presi-dent of Fillmore, a real estate companywith 21 offices in the five boroughs, saidhis firm took down the billboard imme-diately after learning about the clutch ofcomplaints.

“It was not our intention to offend thecommunity, and as soon as we found outthat it did we took immediate action andtook it down,” said Reinhardt. “Weapologize for any inconvenience and inthe future we’ll be more sensitive.”

While seemingly innocuous, the bill-board brouhaha illustrates at once thedeep resentment over new developmentfelt by residents and the neighborhood’slong legacy of activism, which some sayfirst came to light nearly half a centuryago when city Parks Commissioner andmaster planner Robert Moses announcedplans to dig a trench through SeventhAvenue. While that project succeeded aspart of a freeway leading to the Veraz-zano-Narrows Bridge, the threat tohomeowners along that stretch bolsteredresidents to create the Bay Ridge Com-munity Council, which still exists today.


It seemed an anomaly last weekwhen dozens of Bay Ridge residents,normally averse to the interests ofRealtors and developers, began com-pulsively dialing a pair of cell phonenumbers listed on a newly installedreal estate billboard near the cornerof 92nd Street and Dahlgren Place.

The sign for Fillmore Real Estate, af-ter all, was advertising, among otherproperties, the sort of condominiumsthat many have blasted as out of charac-ter in Bay Ridge, which last monthamended its zoning laws, in part to pro-tect against the spread of such buildings.

But like the proverbial mule, residentsultimately revealed their stubborn side, aswell as an unrivaled vigilance over theneighborhood’s beauty. Rather than call-ing for new digs, the homeowners, itturned out, were lamenting the sign itself,installed last week in front of a three-sto-ry, two-family home at 626 92nd St.

That flurry of complaints proved toomuch for Fillmore, which removed thebillboard on April 29, just eight days af-ter its premier.

“It’s been solved,” said JosephineBeckmann, district manager of Commu-

Big realty billboardraises Ridgites’ ire


Residents within sniffing distance ofthe Owl’s Head Wastewater TreatmentPlant in Bay Ridge can expect to be over-whelmed by the foul smell of sewage, asthe much-maligned facility undergoes amonth-long cleaning.

The routine endeavor — initiated on Mon-day, May 2, by the city Department of Environ-mental Protection (DEP) and expected to con-tinue through early June — aims to swab andsanitize six sewage tanks, which combined col-lect as much as 120 million gallons of grit andscum each day.

And while residents within a five-block ra-dius of the notoriously pungent plant nearShore Road at 67th Street resigned themselvesto the inevitability of the trash bath, most stuckup their noses at the fumes they expect to waftthrough area windows.

“I’m not happy that it’s going to smell, butit’s something that, I guess, has to be done,”said Eleanor Petty, who lives within blocks ofthe plant. “I think that letting us know in ad-vance was an attempt to reach out to the com-munity, and it’s generous on their part to let usknow about the cause of this odor.”

Aside from polluting the senses of nearby resi-dents, however, the cleaning has fanned worriesthat odors would dampen the surrounding areanext week, when elected officials are expected togather on the 69th Street Pier for the long-await-ed unveiling of the borough’s first memorial tovictims of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

While a spokeswoman for the DEP said thatall cleaning would be suspended during the May

Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications, 55 Washington St, Ste 624, Brooklyn 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © • 20 pages • Vol. 28, No. 19 BRZ • Saturday, May 7, 2005 • FREE



Stenchto hitRidge


Bay Ridge State Sen.Marty Golden and QueensAssemblyman Michael Gi-anaris introduced legisla-tion this week that wouldrequire Time Warner Cableand Cablevision to refundtheir cable customers for theMets games being misseddue to their feud.

Cablevison pulled its MSGNetwork and Fox Sports NewYork channels from TimeWarner before the seasonstarted in a dispute over fees.Those two channels broadcastnearly two-thirds of all Metsgames. The only games Metsfans in Brooklyn who do nothave satellite systems havebeen able to see thus far thisseason have been Saturdayand Sunday games broadcaston WB-11.

Even games scheduled tobe shown on ESPN or againstthe Atlanta Braces on TBShave been blacked out due tocontractual obligations.

That means only eight ofthe first 27 games have beenviewable in parts of Brooklynserved by Time Warner.

Under the Golden-Gianarisbills, the companies wouldeach be required to refund 10cents a day to an estimated 2.4million customers.

That equates to more than$7 million over the span ofjust one month and $86 mil-lion for an entire season.

The legislation, however,does not refer to either com-pany and instead targets “re-gional sports networks.” Andrather than mentioning theMets by name it simply refersto all withheld programmingso that it can apply to any fu-ture discrepancies. Much asthe Yankees did in 2002,when the team offered theirown cable network, YES, tobroadcast games. The Metsplan to start their own net-work when their MSG con-tract expires.

Whether the Mets win or

Golden attacksMets blackout

Hot ticketsIndividual game tickets for the Brooklyn Cyclones 2005 seasonwent on sale outside Keyspan Park in Coney Island Sunday morn-ing where Wayne Armstrong (center between Pee-Wee andSandy the Seagull) was the first person to purchase for the up-scoming season. Below, Borough President Marty Markowitz andCyclones manager Mookie Wilson were also on hand.

SIGN OF THE TIMES

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Billboard on this two-family home on 92nd Street upset neigh-bors so much it was taken down.

See STENCH on page 3

See METS on page 15

Associated Press

The Diocese of Brooklyn isselling four Old Master paint-ings at auction to raise moneyfor a $100 million endowmentfund for Catholic education.

The May 25 sale at Christie’sauction house features BartolomDe Esteban Murillo’s “Saint Au-gustine in Ecstasy” (presale esti-mate: $1.5 million to $2.5 mil-lion), “Saint Francis Embracingthe Crucifix” by Bernardo Strozzi($300,000-$500,000), “The Flight

into Egypt” by Jacob Jordeans($50,000-$70,000) and “The Reston the Flight into Egypt” by 17thcentury Flemish master Gasper deCrayer ($20,000-$30,000).

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, whonow heads the diocese, will use theproceeds from the sale to form aproposed $100 million endowmentfund for future Catholic education,Christie’s said in a release on Friday.

That fund will likely come toolate for 15 Brooklyn Catholicschools that will be closed at theend of this school year.

The diocese announced in Feb-ruary that 17 catholic schools inBrooklyn and nine in Queenswould be closed due to shrinkingenrollment. A month later, two ofthe Brooklyn schools and one inQueens was spared after they sub-mitted five-year business plansthat rely on the private fundraisingof lay advisory boards.

The saved schools are SacredHeart-St. Stephen’s School in Car-roll Gardens; St. Finbar’s School,at 1825 Bath Ave., in Bath Beach;and St. Virgilius, in Queens.

Diocese to fund schoolswith masters artwork

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STARTS THIS WEEKBACK PAGE


Big plans announced for ConeyBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Relics of Coney Island’s glory days, likethe B&B Carousel and the boarded-up ShoreTheatre, could earn starring roles in theneighborhood’s revival, according to a draftmaster plan unveiled this week that aims tocombine modern glitz with honky-tonk gold.

Released on May 3, the draft plan envisions plentyof new rides, outdoor restaurants and even hotels, butalso more than a few of the neighborhood’s legendarystaples, some of which have sat idle for years.

“We’re working on a coherent story that balancesthe history and authenticity of Coney Island whilealso recognizing the importance for new growth,”said Joshua Sirefman, chairman of the Coney IslandDevelopment Corporation (CIDC) and CEO of thecity Economic Development Corporation.

Although the plan was short on specifics, KateCollignon, a special projects coordinator with theEDC, said officials hoped to turn Coney Island intoa year-round destination, in part by offering indooramusement attractions like, perhaps, a water park,bowling or shopping, as have been suggested atprevious meetings.

And if artist renderings can be trusted, visitorscan expect a whole lot more — like fire jugglingstilt-walkers, new public art and enough neon lightsto illuminate the entire neighborhood.

The city hopes to return Coney Island and its famous boardwalk, depicted above in Coney Island Development Corp. rendering, to its glory days.


A group of Red Hook communitymembers, divided over whetherplans for an Ikea furniture mega-store would help or hurt the transit-isolated neighborhood, are mendingtheir rift over a problem caused bythe project — the possible airbornerelease of asbestos.

At the center of the concern is Added

Value, a produce farm that, along withits Saturday farmer’s market, has be-come a Red Hook meeting ground inthe four years it’s been operating.

The farm and market have sproutedfrom a little-known planting project to asite that supports a major agricultural pro-gram with children ages 8 to 18 workingin the garden and farming throughout theyear to grow vegetables and herbs for lo-cal restaurants and other consumers.

Problem is, the Added Value farm sits

at Halleck and Columbia streets, justdown the block from the Ikea demolitionsite, which was slapped with 18 violationsand issued a stop-work order in Januarydue to alleged under-reporting of asbestoscontained in a group of Civil War-erawarehouses being razed to make way forthe Swedish home-furnishings giant.

The demolition started in December,but on Jan. 7, the city Department ofEnvironmental Protection (DEP) haltedthe demolition when an investigator

found large amounts of asbestos in therubble.

According to the city, contractorshired by the U.S. Dredging Corporation,which is clearing the land for sale toIkea, did not follow safety proceduresfor asbestos removal, and may have re-leased filaments of friable, or readilycrumbled, asbestos into the air. Addi-tionally, the DEP charges, a site investi-gator hired to examine the site before

Concern Ikea asbestos in Hook air


See ASBESTOS on page 6

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NOT JUST NETS

THIS WEEK

Uproar over sex shops . . . . .3DEP: ‘Ikea’ asbestos lie . . . 6City hurting port biz . . . . .17

begins on page 9

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He conquered the NBA, he’s a giant in theretail franchising field and now Earvin“Magic” Johnson towers above Brooklyn withhis latest purchase — the Williamsburgh Sav-ings Bank tower.

An investment fund led by the NBA Hall-of-Famer teamed up with a New York developer topurchase the building at 1 Hanson Place, the bor-ough’s tallest, the partners announced this week.

They plan to convert the city landmark officebuilding, which stands 34 stories and 512 feet tall,into luxury condominiums with ground-floor retail.

The Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund, which incor-porates Johnson’s development company — whichalso has another luxury condominium project inprogress in Park Slope, at 45 Park Place — “focus-es on the development of urban properties in under-served neighborhoods,” according to a press re-lease by the company.

They teamed up with the Dermot Co. to pur-chase the building. One report had the price tag at$71 million, although that could not be confirmedby press time.

From the time it was built in 1929 until 1962,the Williamsburgh Bank building’s four-sidedclock was the largest in the nation. A city landmark,the grand limestone building, which combines Ro-manesque and Byzantine elements, is overdue for afacelift. Besides HSBC bank, which sold the towerand will vacate its eight floors, the building housesthe offices of many dentists.

A project manager for Canyon-Johnson, BobbyTurner, said he saw the Williamsburgh tower op-portunity as “unrivaled” and “unbelievable.”

“The whole mandate of the fund that we manageis to revitalize densely populated and ethnically di-verse communities, and look for unique opportuni-ties to contribute in development,” Turner said.

“Here’s a building that was built in the 1920sthat is unparalleled in its landmark status and archi-tectural design. It has the fourth largest four-facedclock in the world, it’s got unobstructed views ofManhattan, we are strategically located at the frontdoor of one of the largest business transit terminals


Fort Hamilton made the final cut.The 175-year-old garrison in Bay Ridge will re-

main active, according to a base closure list re-leased by the Department of Defense this week thatcalls for shutting down more than 150 military in-stallations nationwide.

Although the list awaits final approval, electedofficials who helped spearhead a campaign to savethe base say they are confident, finally, that Brook-lyn’s only military outpost will survive a final deci-sion in September by President George W. Bush.

Since 2003, many Bay Ridgites have worriedthat the base might be included in the push to con-solidate the nation’s military might.

“We didn’t take anything for granted, and wewon’t take anything for granted,” said Bay Ridge-Staten Island Rep. Vito Fossella, who created a taskforce last year to study the consequences of a pos-sible closure. “We felt passionately about FortHamilton because of what it’s meant to our nationalsecurity. It’s not just a piece of land.”

Fossella cited community activism as one reasonthe base was spared. Although many supporterscontend that it was never in danger, a 15,000-signa-ture petition in support of the garrison was sent toDefense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld earlier thismonth. Combined with a 66-page report detailingFort Hamilton’s role in homeland security and mili-tary recruitment, the campaign sought to enlightenan otherwise uninformed ad hoc committee incharge of selecting the closures.

Leading up to the May 13 announcement, Fos-sella and other officials touted the 35,000 new re-cruits that pass through the base each year as wellas the $1.3 million saved annually by providingspace on the base for the Army Corps of Engineers,which would otherwise be faced with renting pri-vate property at the expense of taxpayers.

But most crucial, they say, is the fort’s unique

BORO’SBEACONBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

On a breezy, sun-filled day eerily reminiscent of the Septembermorning when two commercial jets were flown into the WorldTrade Center towers, several hundred people, many of whom wit-nessed the destruction from the 69th Street Pier in Bay Ridge,returned to that dock for the unveiling of Brooklyn’s first-everborough-wide memorial to victims of those attacks.

Fire and police boats quietly circled Monday morning as, one-by-one,officials involved with the Brooklyn Remembers memorial project steppedbehind a podium and carefully reflected on the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Alight fog blurred an otherwise clear view of Lower Manhattan.

“You can understand what a perfect place this is for a memorial. Justlook around you,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the May 16 cer-emony, adding later, “We saw blazing towers go down. But human beingshave the capability to mourn while also looking to the future.”

More than 400 men and women, many of them relatives of the 283 Brook-lynites who died that day, appeared stoic, if not a bit solemn, as Bloombergand other elected officials took turns praising the memorial, a bronze sculpturedepicting the once prominent trumpet used by firefighters to announce danger.

See BEACON on page 5

Firefighter John Dilillo (Engine 14, Manhattan) with his mother, Angela Dilillo, visit Brooklyn’s Sept. 11 memorial, “Beacon,” onthe 69th Street Pier in Bay Ridge on Tuesday, the first night it cast its beam of light into the sky.

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower, at 1 Hanson Place,has been purchased by Magic Johnson and partners.

Magic’skingdomNBA Hall-of-Famer buysWilliamsburgh Bank tower

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Our 9-11 memorialdedicated in Ridge

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Fort Ham

See FORT HAM on page 12

See MAGIC on page 5

survivescut-backs

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Even with hundreds of newparking spaces included in theDowntown Brooklyn Planredevelopment project, thearrival of some 3,000 UnitedNations employees woulddrown the area’s alreadypacked streets with wall-to-wall congestion, not to men-tion deplete an already bleakparking situation, a trafficexpert and an elected officialwarned this week.

State Sen. Marty Golden, ofBay Ridge, who blocked a votein Albany over whether to allow

the issuance of $600 million inbonds to fund construction of a35-story skyscraper next to theUnited Nations’ current head-quarters, said that a move toBrooklyn would almost certainlyusher in traffic and parking woes.

“They don’t respect the trafficlaws of the city of New York, soI expect them to be parked allover the place,” said Golden.“So in Downtown Brooklyn,which is already congested, itwill just continue to go on.They’ll need more meter maids,which will cost taxpayers moremoney.”

The failure of U.N. officialsand foreign diplomats to repayparking violations, he said, is

one reason he blocked the bidfor new digs in Manhattan.

Secretary-General Kofi An-nan said in a report issued lastweek that the United Nationsmay have found commercialspace in Downtown Brooklynthat could serve its Secretariatand General Assembly needswhile its iconic glass-and-steel

headquarters on the East Riveris being renovated.

Besides its staff of 3,000, theU.N.’s General Assembly meet-ings require a conference hallbig enough to seat 1,800 —which a development proposedon the southern corner ofWilloughby and Flatbush av-enues might be able to provide.

Designed as a major push toretain back-office space in NewYork City and keep corporationsfrom fleeing to New Jersey, theDowntown Brooklyn Plan,passed by the City Council inAugust, is expected to encour-age more than 6 million squarefeet of office development in ad-dition to 1 million square feet ofretail space and residential de-velopment — in part by allow-ing buildings to rise up to 400feet.

But according to a draft envi-ronmental impact statement forthe Downtown Brooklyn Planreleased in November 2003,whose authors could not haveforeseen the added impact of the

United Nations and its slew ofdiplomatic license plates, inter-sections all along Flatbush Av-enue are predicted to see addedtraffic. It cited WilloughbyStreet in particular, of which de-veloper Joseph Sitt has saidU.N. officials inquired.

“Willoughby Street wouldfunction as the primary accesscorridor for much of the com-mercial development that wouldoccur with the proposed ac-tions,” it states, before adding:“The east-bound left-turn move-ment from Willoughby Streetonto Flatbush Avenue Extensionexperiences congestion in allpeak periods.”

PAGE 7

Where and how

to tanSee CLOGGED on page 15

UN in Brooklyn could clog streets

Children from the Fredheim Lodge, Sonsof Norway, ride in a mockup Viking Boatduring last Sunday’s Norwegian Day Pa-rade down Fifth Avenue. At right, MissNorway 2005 Karen Freely acknowledg-es her adoring fans.


State officials are investi-gating charges that manage-ment of the Towers of BayRidge co-operative apart-ment complex allowed un-qualified applicants to breezethrough an extensive waitinglist of potential shareholdersin exchange for paying wellabove the state pricingschedules for the Mitchell-Lama apartments.

The probe, by the Divisionof Housing and CommunityRenewal, which regulates af-fordable-, low- and middle-in-come housing in the state, cen-ters on the sale of more than adozen apartments at the twinco-op high-rises, on 65th Streetbetween Fourth Avenue andRidge Boulevard in Bay Ridge,




The Brooklyn Papers

Say it ain’t so — first the Dodgers and nowKleinfeld.

The giant bridal emporium, a Brooklyn mainstaysince 1941, announced Wednesday it would move toManhattan this summer.

Kleinfeld, the country’s largest outlet for designer wed-ding dresses, has outfitted generations of brides who haveperused selections — by appointment only, of course —at its Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street flagship in Bay Ridge.

Its new location will be at West 20th Street and SixthAvenue in Manhattan’s fashionable Chelsea neighbor-hood, co-owner Ronald Rothstein announced. Kleinfeld’s185 employees will move with the store.

The decision to move was based partly on the fact that about80 percent of the store’s customers work in Manhattan, Rothsteinsaid. The new location would also allow a “grander, more theatri-cal environment” and 35,000 square feet of floor space — abouttwice as much as the Bay Ridge store, he said.

Built from an initial $600 investment in 1941, the businessgrew to encompass three storefronts and become a mecca forbrides-to-be and their entourages. After the store was sold to aFrench investor, in December 1990, it suffered a decline, but itsresurgence came in 1997, when Gordon Brothers Capitol, a Man-hattan investment firm that buys failing businesses, rights themand then sells them saved the shop from bankruptcy.

The firm sold Kleinfeld in 1999 to a partnership that includedRothstein, Mara Urshel and savvy investor Wayne Rogers, theactor who played Trapper John on the 1970s television series“M.A.S.H.”

“I was not familiar with the wedding dress business when Ifirst entered into this partnership, but over the last six years Ihave learned that absolutely everyone comes to Kleinfeld,”Rogers said this week.

In a 1999 interview with The Brooklyn Papers, Hedda Klein-feld Schacter, who founded the store with her father and her hus-band, Jack Schacter, credited the artisans she employed with thestore’s success.

“People would say, ‘Why did you stay in Bay Ridge?’” she re-called. “It is because we had the best working staff. It was aclassy labor market. The seamstresses and the sales people hadvery high standards but didn’t like the idea of traveling to the cityeveryday, so they came here and they had an outlet for their tal-ents, and it was very good for the reputation of the store.”

Kleinfeld quits Bay Ridge

That staff will now be bused intoManhattan, Rothstein said in a state-ment Wednesday.

The Kleinfield store opened at8206 Fifth Ave. in 1941, a year afterHedda emigrated from Vienna withher family.

“It was a labor of love,” said Hed-da. “I used to love fashion. Since Iwas a little girl in Vienna I would getthe American fashion magazines andjust eat them up. It was a love. It wasan art and it was a craft.”

Her father, an engineer in Vienna,went back to his father’s businesswhen he arrived in America and be-came a furrier.

Hedda’s family worked in the storebut Hedda’s father, who wanted her tospend some time out of the city, al-lowed her to take a job watching dogs

Help is on the wayFrom left, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Rep. Vito Fossella and CB10Chairman Craig Eaton view one of of several sinkholes along the Shore Parkwaybike path between 92nd Street and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Approxi-mately $7 million has been set aside to rebuild the pathway with work sched-uled to begin next month.

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State probingsale of TowersEXCLUSIVE

The Towers of Bay Ridge cooperative on 65th Street.See TOWERS on page 12


Get regular checkups. Consult the MMC website at www.maimonidesmed.orgfor free seminars. Call 888-662-6463for a free brochure on the latest in stroke care, prevention tips, and technologies.

“Every secondcounts.”

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MTA opens bidding on rail yards siteBy Jess WisloskiThe Brooklyn Papers

If you want to build somethingother than a basketball arena and sky-scrapers over the Atlantic Avenue railyards, this is your chance.

But judging from the bidding over theHudson Yards in Manhattan earlier thisyear, you’d better have several-hundredmillion dollars.

The ear of the mayor and governorwouldn’t hurt.

And you’d better work quickly — theproposals are due July 6.

The Metropolitan Transportation Au-thority quietly issued a Request for Pro-posals (RFP) this week seeking bids fordevelopment rights over its Long IslandRail Road storage yards near Atlantic andFlatbush avenues, where developer BruceRatner wants to build a 19,000-seat bas-ketball arena and four skyscrapers.

The RFP invites proposals for “the saleor lease of all or some of the air space andrelated real property interests” in one or

more of three parcels of the rail yards,properly called the Vanderbilt Yards,which sit between Atlantic Avenue andPacific Street, from Fifth Avenue to Van-derbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights.

The three parcels are 100,000 squarefeet, 119,000 square feet, and 148,000square feet, and the complete guidelinesare available on the MTA’s Web site,www.mta.info.

Although MTA spokesman Tom Kellyhad told The Brooklyn Papers in previousinterviews that anybody who wanted to

could bid on the MTA property, the RFPwas the first public attempt the agency hasmade to solicit bids there.

“An RFP makes sure that everybody andhis mother knows about it, and they can bidif they want,” Kelly explained this week.“It opens up the entire process to anyonewho would be interested in bidding.

“The purpose is to see who else is inter-ested in the property,” he said.

The cash-strapped MTA, which faces amassive budget deficit and has threatenedservice cutbacks and fare hikes is under

great public pressure to seek top-dollar forthe Vanderbilt Yards.

Since Ratner’s Forest City Ratner Com-panies announced plans to build a profes-sional basketball arena and 17 residentialand commercial high-rises emanatingfrom Atlantic and Flatbush avenues out toVanderbilt Avenue in December 2003, noofficial bids have come forward, accord-ing to the MTA. Neither has Forest CityRatner offered a public bid on the devel-opment rights over the rail yards.

See MTA BIDDERS on page 5 See KLEINFELD on page 4

By Michael WeissensteinAssociated Press

Four people were killed Sat-urday afternoon when a single-engine plane crashed on thebeach in Coney Island, hittingthe sand as stunned sunbatherslooked on, officials said.

The victims, all on board theCessna 172S, were dead at thescene following the 1:30 p.m.crash, said Federal Aviation Admin-istration spokeswoman Holly Bak-er. Police and fire officials were atthe scene, where the shattered whiteaircraft remained on the beachabout halfway between the AtlanticOcean and the boardwalk.

Eyewitnesses said the plane wascircling above Coney Island when itsengine suddenly stalled, and the air-craft quickly plunged into the beach.

The pilot tried desperately to rightthe 4-year-old plane after it went intoa tailspin, said Herbert Lecler, 51,who was fishing on the beach.

“He couldn’t, and he bounced onthat beach,” said Lecler.

Joshua McCabe, a registerednurse visiting from San Diego, waseating inside Nathan’s Famous hotdog restaurant when he heard thecrash. McCabe and another witnessrushed to the scene, where theyfound the pilot already dead and afemale passenger barely alive.

Within seconds, he said, “shewasn’t breathing and then she losther pulse.”

Dick Zigun, a longtime ConeyIsland resident who was at the crashsite, said it looked like the planehad come down nose-first.

“The wings are broken off, andthe cockpit glass was smashed up,”

he said. “It didn’t look like anyonecould survive that.”

Zigun said it was the first planecrash on the beach that he could re-call. Several sunbathers were on thebeach when the plane came down,although the Coney Island crowdwas generally sparse, he said.

Police and fire officials movedquickly to close off the beach afterthe crash. Dozens of people weregathered along the boardwalk staringout at the wreckage, which was insight of the Wonder Wheel attraction.

There were no injuries on theground.

The crash occurred on a sunnyspring day at the world-renownedbeach, home to the Cyclone roller-coaster and the Astroland amuse-ment park. The plane hit the beachnear West 19th Street, close to Key-span Park.

Four die as planecrashes in Coney

Officials look over wreckage of the single-engine Cessna 172S, which crashed on Coney Island beach Sunday, killing the pilot and three pas-sengers on the sightseeing flight. No one on the ground was injured.

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Walentas Nats bidJoins contest tobuy Washingtonbaseball teamBy Jess WisloskiThe Brooklyn Papers

Brooklyn developer DavidWalentas and his son Jed haveplaced a bid on Major LeagueBaseball’s Washington Nation-als, The Brooklyn Papers con-firmed this week.

“We sent a package to MajorLeague Baseball,” said Jed Wa-

lentas, a principal at his father’sdevelopment company, TwoTrees Management, which paid$100,000 last month to secure theright to bid on the team.

An article in the June 2 Wash-ington Times reported the Walen-tas bid had not yet arrived oneday before the deadline, but Wa-lentas told The Brooklyn Papersthat a bid had been submitted.

“We certainly took the processseriously, and we have an interestin getting involved in major leaguebaseball,” said Walentas. “I’m notat lots of liberty to discuss specificstuff with the Nationals. I don’tthink Major League Baseball

wants us commenting too muchon the process. We certainlywouldn’t want to go through this ifwe didn’t have a didn’t have a sin-cere interest in it.”

He would not disclose howmuch the bid was for.

The Natonals, formerly theMontreal Expos, is expected tosell for as much as $400 million,topping the highest price everpaid for a major league team.

Last Tuesday was the deadlinefor bidders to submit an offer.

Competition faced by the Wa-lentases include investmentgroups with such high-profile

See NATS on page 17




Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications, 55 Washington St, Ste 624, Brooklyn 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © • 20 pages • Vol. 28, No. 24 BWN • Saturday, June 11, 2005 • FREE

CRUISE WINNERS INBACK PAGES

In a photo taken last year, one of 11 trolley cars sits in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. They were hauled away earlier this month.

TROLLEYS SCRAPPED

Last go ’round forConey’s carouselBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Coney Island’s last carousel, tucked inside a SurfAvenue arcade for nearly 75 years, is heading for theauction block later this summer when, say carnival his-torians, the ride could fetch several million dollars.

Bidding for the Bishoff & Brienstein “Carousell,” one ofonly 100 authentic horse-and-pony rides still operating nation-wide, will commence in August, said Arlan Ettinger, presidentof Guernsey’s, the Manhattan-based auction house commis-sioned to make the sale.

“It’s the sole surviving Coney Island carousel,” said Et-tinger, who described his auction house as the leading dealerin carnival curios. “As such, it could certainly be argued thatit’s the most important, historically significant, carousel in theentire world.”

Lest purveyors of Coney Island’s storied history part wayswith the 50-horse ride, Ettinger believes the relic could draw aflood of solicitations, enough, in fact, to ensure that the win-ning bidder is one who is dedicated to preserving the carouselintact. Should the auction garner enough interest, Ettingerpromised bidding would be confined to those willing to keepthe ride in one piece, as opposed to salvaging and selling itsvaluable ponies.

“It’s a crown jewel and the hope is that it does stay com-plete and does stay in Brooklyn,” said Ettinger, of the carouselknown familiarly as the “B&B.” “Right now, it’s sort of onestep at a time, and the first step is generating interest.”

Coney Island preservationists fear, however, that the auction

Left in Navy Yard 4 years,11 cars will be destroyedBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

No one will ever be dodging these trolleys.After four years of sitting in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, 11

1940s trolley cars were hauled away to a scrap yard in Queenswhere they will be salvaged for parts, representatives of theBrooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation told The Brook-lyn Papers this week.

Salvagers lugged away the trolleys, which were owned by theBrooklyn Historic Railway Association, following an unsuccess-ful campaign to temporarily relocate the cars for the purpose ofshowcasing them in museums — or even reintroducing them tothe streets of Brooklyn. The trolleys, say Navy Yard officials, hadlanguished for far too long on land slated for commercial devel-opment.

“For more than a year, the Navy Yard worked hard to find anew location for the trolley cars,” said Navy Yard spokesmanSteve Vitoff. “We advertised their availability and we engaged in

a marketing effort targeting trolley museums, trolley brokers andtransit systems around the country.

“No one expressed interest in taking possession.”For several trolley advocates, the decision ended the hunt for

someone willing to donate space for an indefinite stretch of timewhile permanent housing for the cars was located.

“It’s very sad,” said Arthur Melnick, a member of the Brook-lyn City Streetcar Company, an organization that hopes to one

This door is all that’s left of the Navy Yard trolleys.

500 rallyProtesters of Bruce Ratner’s planned Atlantic Yardsarena, housing, and office development downtownmarched over the Brooklyn Bridge Tuesday beforerallying near City Hall. They joined by those protest-ing other Ratner projects. See page 6.

Sing it!Jessie Diamond, of Jessie Diamond & The Thousand, performsduring the Five Borough Indie Battle of the Bands at Grand ArmyPlaza Sunday. The contest was part of Borough President MartyMarkowitz’s Best of Brooklyn festival held in and around GAP andat the Brooklyn Children’s Museum in Crown Heights.

See TROLLEYS on page 4 See CAROUSEL on page 4

COPS SHUT STAB BARCB10 wants Samba to close for goodBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

A Third Avenue nightclubwith a history of noise and vio-lence complaints was abruptlyshut down last week after policefound that the raucous bar anddiscotheque was operating with-out liquor or cabaret licenses.

Now, complaining of fighting,late-night noise and public urina-tion, residents and community lead-ers are lobbying the State LiquorAuthority to deny it a license forgood.

Renamed Samba last July, andsold to new owners last month, theclub on Third Avenue at 96thStreet, they contend, has drawn

trouble since at least 2003, when apolice officer was beaten after re-sponding to a brawl outside.

Last week, more than 100 neigh-bors signed a petition demandingthat the club be denied licensing,which was terminated last monthwhen previous owners sold the barto an entrepreneur who owns an-other tavern on Staten Island.

Along with a letter from Communi-ty Board 10 Chairman Craig Eaton,which chronicles years of violenceand subsequent violations, residentshope their efforts will persuade theState Liquor Authority to rejectnew requests for a liquor license.

A fight inside Samba on May 14spilled outside, ending with a stab-bing that sent one patron to the hos-

pital. That incident, which drewcomplaints to the liquor authority,happened less than one week afternew owners began operating theestablishment.

Deputy Inspector WilliamAubry, commanding officer of the68th Precinct, said that the brawldrew seven violations from the

See STAB BAR on page 6

SHAME!

Just duckyTwins Ethan and Ava Gelfand, 3, play with rubber duckies during the Fifth Avenue Fair Sunday.

Cops guard Ridge churchwhere support our troopsbanner was vandalizedBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

Police are stepping up effortsto find the vandal who twicepoured red paint on a patrioticbanner draped outside of theChurch of St. Bernadette inDyker Heights.

This week, police officers stoodguard outside of the 170-year-oldCatholic church on 13th Avenue at82nd Street, next to a brand new signthat reads, as did its two predeces-sors: “Support Our Troops. GodBless America.”

The increased detail comes fol-lowing an incident on June 3. Parishofficials discovered thick red paint— and the word “murder” —

splashed across the sign. A similardesecration — without the “murder”— occurred one week earlier.

“It’s uncharacteristic of the neigh-borhood,” said Councilman VincentGentile. “I really believe the culpritsare coming from elsewhere, and I’mtotally supportive of the efforts of thepolice to track these people down.”

Deputy Inspector William Aubry,the commanding officer of the 68thPrecinct, declined to comment onspecifics of the investigation, exceptto say that it is “ongoing.”

Before last week’s incident, many inBay Ridge and Dyker Heights wereangered by the desecration, but still un-sure whether it was a message of reli-gious intolerance, petty vandalism or

See SHAME on page 6

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Rickie Lee Jones kicks off this summer’s Celebrate Brooklyn series on Wednes-day, June 15, at the Prospect Park Band shell. Admission is $3. See Page 9.

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As part of the planned AtlanticYards development, an agreement isbeing hashed out between the state-run MTA and Forest City Ratnerthat would require Ratner to foot thebill for moving the Long IslandRailroad train storage yard a block

away from its present site.Moving the rail yards could shift

the burden of some of the potentialeminent domain property takings to a“public use,” as opposed to ForestCity Ratner’s requesting the condem-nation on those blocks for a privatehousing development, although thepublic use would be necessitated by

the private development. Ratner seeks to build an arena for

his New Jersey Nets basketball team,as well as 17 high-rises on propertyemanating from the crossroads of At-lantic and Flatbush avenues. Theplan includes a mix of office space,retail and as many as 7,300 units ofhousing.

To build the project, the develop-

er will need to purchase air rightsover 11 acres of MTA rail yardproperty. The remaining 13 acresare owned or controlled by Ratneror else are subject to state condem-nation for Ratner’s use under emi-nent domain laws.

The MTA did not sign on to thememorandum of understanding(MOU) agreed to in March by the

city, state and Ratner. The MTA is ne-gotiating separately with Ratner, saidForest City spokeswoman Lupe Todd.

In discussions between ForestCity Ratner Companies and theMTA, the developer has agreed topay for “the entire rail relocationproject,” said Todd.

Todd said that under the ForestCity Ratner plan the rail yards would

be “reconfigured and redesigned toaccommodate the future needs of therailroad on MTA land.”

“The rail yards will move fromAtlantic and Pacific, primarily be-tween Fifth and Carlton avenues, toprimarily between Sixth Avenueand Vanderbilt Avenue, shiftingdown a block,” she said.

Then the housing, instead of the

arena, would be built over the railyards. Todd could not explain whythe arena could not be built atop aplatform over the rail yards as wasplanned for the proposed New YorkJets football stadium on Manhat-tan’s West Side.

Todd called the rail-shift planan “upgrade” that would turn





WIN A MAGNIFICENT HONEYMOON CRUISE — EASY ENTRY ON PAGE16


With a week left before thecancellation of weekend ex-press bus service in BayRidge, Councilman VincentGentile and Council SpeakerGifford Miller announced abid to save the routes.

At a press conference at CityHall Monday, Gentile and Millersaid that should the MetropolitanTransportation Authority followthrough with its plan to discontin-ue the X27 and X28 routes, fund-ing would be earmarked throughthe council’s budget, due July 1.

That commitment to provide$1.15 million follows a resolutionintroduced on May 25, in whichGentile and eight other co-spon-sors called on the MTA to main-tain the buses, which travel fromBay Ridge and Bensonhurst toMidtown Manhattan. The routesare scheduled to end on June 26,say transit officials, who cite thelines’ comparatively low ridershipof 2,000 as their reason for aban-doning the service.

“I want to thank Speaker Millerfor his commitment to the peopleof southwest Brooklyn to maintainweekend bus service,” said Gentileat the June 13 press conference.“While I agree it’s the responsibili-ty of the Transit Authority, thespeaker has correctly determinedthat it’s more important that theservice continue. By providing thefunding, Speaker Miller makes itcertain that we will continue tohave this service.”

Introduced in 2002 to abatedisruptions from constructionprojects on the Manhattan Bridgeand the Stillwell Avenue subwayterminal on Coney Island, theroutes, say transit officials, hadalways been intended as a tem-porary service. Nonetheless,when threatened the followingJuly, state Sen. Marty Golden se-

cured $990,000 to keep them inoperation for one more year, justas he did last summer during anelection-year coup.

And just like Golden, bothGentile and Miller likely hopetheir deliverance translates tovotes later this year, when bothhope to overcome formidableelection challenges. While Gen-tile faces Republican challengerPat Russo this November, Millerhopes to outlast three other De-mocrats in a September primaryand then take on RepublicanMayor Michael Bloomberg.

“We still believe that the fund-ing for this service should comefrom the Transit Authority, sinceit’s so critical to the community’squality of life,” said Miller. “How-ever, if the funding is not forth-coming from the TA, or any othersource, the City Council is com-mitted to making the funding forthis service a part of its budget.”

While the future of the routesmay never rise to the level of thenow-quashed but still controversialproposal to build a football stadiumin Manhattan, the issue has alreadybecome an election-year topic.

On the same day Miller an-nounced his pledge to save thebuses, Bloomberg that night toldattendees at a meeting in the neigh-borhood that he would ask MTAPresident Lawrence Reuter to re-consider his decision to cancel theservice. To some in the crowd whowere aware of Miller’s commit-ment, the promise seemed hollow.

For those in Bay Ridge whoare elderly or disabled, the routesare crucial because of under-ground subway stations, whichremain accessible only by stair-ways, rather than elevators.

“It’s essential for us,” saidLouise Hidar, a Bay Ridge seniorwho takes the express bus toTimes Square to see Broadwayplays. “I just wouldn’t go back toManhattan without it.”


Mayor Michael Bloomberg openedhis first campaign headquarters inBrooklyn Monday, in a Bay Ridgestorefront that previously housedThings on Third, a gift shop.

The space, at 7920 Third Ave., will bemanned by John Johnston and MichaelAllegretti, both of whom formerly workedin the district office of Republican BayRidge state Sen. Marty Golden, accordingto Patrick Brennan, a Bloomberg aidewho attended the opening. A third em-ployee will be Dan McNeil, who helped

to organize the Republican National Con-vention last summer, Brennan said.

“Bay Ridge has traditionally been astrong base of support for the mayor,” saidBrennan, adding that as many as a dozenvolunteers would be stationed at the site tohelp with petitioning and other tasks.

“None of the other candidates have putan onus on reaching out to this communi-ty like we have,” he said.

The same day as Bloomberg’s Brook-lyn visit, Council Speaker Gifford Millerheld a press conference at City Hall, an-nouncing that the council would commit$1.15 million to keep weekend express


Bringing new meaning to the phrase“dog days of summer,” two animal-lovingBay Ridge residents plan to unleash a day-long “adopt-athon” next weekend thathopes to do for wayward pets what eBaydoes for throwaway collectibles.

Mary Jo Tobin and Patricia Downs, both areareal estate agents, plan to unroll the fifth install-ment of their popular “Adopt-a-Pet” program onSaturday, June 25, at Christ Church, on RidgeBoulevard at 73rd Street. Since November, theeffort has united nearly 200 cats and dogs withfamilies throughout the five boroughs.

“We’ve had so many people come in just totell us how happy they are with their new pet —people from all over the city and especiallyBrooklyn. Canarsie, Sunset Park, Flatbush,Sheepshead Bay — you name it,” said Downs,who founded the event with Tobin last year afterthe two bonded while working at Prudential Ap-pleseed Realty, on Fifth Avenue at 80th Street.

Like previous engagements, the event on Sat-urday will showcase 30 or more pets, all anglingfor new homes while residing at a city AnimalCare and Control center in East New York,where they landed after being stranded by neg-lectful owners. From calicos and Persians topoodles and rottweilers, the potential pets, saidDowns, are ready to be swooped up that day, aslong as they aren’t awaiting outstanding shots.

The initiative is a labor of love, made possibleafter the pair began sharing stories about theirunequivocal love for pets. Even after Tobin leftPrudential to establish her own agency — TobinKatzos Realty at 9303 Third Ave. — the palscontinued their plan to provide homes for theirfour-legged friends.

Following negotiations between the AnimalCare and Control shelter, which now providesthe animals, and a no-kill shelter on Long Island,which lends a bus to transport them to Bay

Ridge, the pair began scouting for locations.A grassroots effort from head to tail, the pro-

gram began humbly last November, when sym-pathetic co-workers at Prudential opened theirdoors to nearly three dozen frisky cats and dogs.Despite the impromptu setting, however, animallovers adopted each and every kitten only onehour after the event began. By the end of theday, roughly 30 pets had found new homes.

“We had dogs running all over the office andcats curled up at the window,” said Downs, theowner of three cats and a dog. “But everybodywho showed up stuck around all day, just play-ing with them.”

Since then, the women have helped house ex-actly 164 animals, even as they continue tosearch for a permanent location to host theirevent, which occurs irregularly, whenever thepair is able to make time. They also have agroup of about 20 volunteers, most of themfrom Bay Ridge, who have donated their time atthe events.

And even as it struggles to expand, the pro-gram continues to produce a bevy of satisfiedpet owners, some who claim the adopt-a-thongave them a new lease on life.

Ruth Bedell, a lifelong Bay Ridgite, countsherself among the throngs who have gained newfriends thanks to the program. After a visit inNovember, in which her adoption of a miniaturepinscher was blocked due to the need for vacci-nations, Bedell united with a papillon, a rarespaniel breed, which she named Lili.

Nearly seven months later, Bedell and Lili areinseparable. Named after the 1953 film of thesame name, Lili enjoys hearing tunes from herowner, who whispers on occasion, “Hi Lili, HiLili, Hi low,” after a song from the movie.

“Life is more exciting with Lili,” said Bedell,who adopted the dog on Feb. 12. “She was myvalentine, and we’re a match made in heaven.She’s the cutest thing you’ll ever see.”

For more information about the June 25event, call (718) 836-2600.

From left, Pat Downs with Holly, her 2-year-old mixed-breed; Mary Jo Tobin with Monster,her 6-year-old Lhasa apso; and Ruth Bedell, with Lili, her 1-year-old papillon. Tobin andDowns will host their fifth adopt-athon, which over the years, has paired more than 200wayward cats and dogs with loving families.

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Duo celebratesdog days withadopt-athon

See YARDS on page 12

See RIDGE on page 12

BONUS BUSESMiller, Gentile: Council willpick up weekend X-bus tab

Old Guard sounds off

Mayor Michael Bloomberg with supporters on Monday opens his new cam-paign office at 7920 Third Ave. in Bay Ridge.

Bloomie opensboro stumphouse

Ratner’s train re-location could affect eminent domain fight

Members of the United States Army Military District of Washington’s 3rd Infantry Division, otherwise known as the Old Guard, march in formationduring last Saturday’s Twilight Tattoo at Fort Hamilton Army Base. This year’s Tattoo came as the fort celebrated its 180th birthday.





STILL LOOKING FOR A SUMMER CAMP? TURN NOW TO PAGE 14


When the memory of the late actorVincent Gardenia was honored more than10 years ago, naming 16th Avenuebetween 86th Street and Cropsey Avenueafter him, friends, family and neighborsrejoiced. And why not? Despite a half-century acting career in films including“Moonstruck” and “The Hustler,” theItalian immigrant never let go of his BathBeach roots — let alone his home aroundthe corner.

So it seemed a case of deja vu when lastweek those same neighbors gathered on thecorner of 16th Avenue and Bath Avenue for the

unveiling of “Rita Blau Way,” in memory of amother of two who died in the Sept. 11, 2001attack on the World Trade Center.

Thus, where once was simply a sign declar-ing “16th Avenue” now also stand signs pro-claiming “Vincent Gardenia Boulevard” and“Rita Blau Place.” While perhaps confusing tovisitors, the trio of signage, say some, stands asa reminder of the neighborhood’s abundance ofpersonality, talent and goodwill.

“This is a first, but we didn’t even think aboutit,” said Howard Feuer, district manager of Com-munity Board 11. “We just did it. This is a hero,this woman, so it was a no-brainer. And VincentGardenia was a talent, absolutely.”

The result is something akin to Four Corners,the only spot in America where the boundaries of

At the June 12 co-naming of 16th Avenue in Bensonhurst for Rita Blau are her husband,Ira, and daughters Nicole Effress and Michele Buffolino.

Not just 16th

See 16TH AVE on page 18


The City Council on Thursdayapproved a zoning initiative intendedto scale back much of Bensonhurst, aneighborhood that, like most of south-west Brooklyn, has experienced anonslaught of new condominiumdevelopment over the past decade.

Praised this week by Mayor MichaelBloomberg, the 120-block zoning plan camebefore the full council on June 23, putting torest a breezy four-month journey from certi-fication to law that took only half the time asimilar initiative in Bay Ridge did.

“All in all it’s what we really wanted,”said Howard Feuer, district manager ofCommunity Board 11. “We knew therewould be developers that would try to comein and overdevelop Bensonhurst, and nowthat won’t happen.”

Feuer said that, far from over, he andothers would now seek to complete a sec-ond zoning plan for the remaining portionsof Bensonhurst, which Department of CityPlanning officials said was left out the first

time around in the interest of saving time.Redrafting the entire neighborhood all atonce, said City Planning spokeswomanRachaele Raynoff, would have taken in-spectors twice the time to survey.

Upon Bloomberg’s final approval, theplan will cover an area bounded by BayParkway and 61st Street to the north, Mc-Donald Avenue to the east, Avenue U to thesouth and Stillwell Avenue to the west. Therezoning establishes height limits wherelow-rise housing predominates while elimi-nating the potential for uncharacteristicallylarge medical storefronts and buildings de-signed for mixed commercial and residen-tial use.

While commercial corridors along por-tions of Bay Parkway, Kings Highway,Highlawn Avenue and avenues O and Twould flourish, three quarters of the planwould safeguard detached and semi-de-tached housing by limiting new develop-ment to 35 feet and under.

“This rezoning helps fulfill my promiseto protect the city’s primarily low-densityneighborhoods by ensuring that new devel-opment does not change the character of

our neighborhoods,” the mayor said in aprepared statement. “As a result, residentswill know that my administration hearstheir concerns about out-of-scale develop-ment in Bensonhurst and is working hard toprevent it.”

But before moving forward with the re-maining parts of Bensonhurst, City Planningofficials say they will likely move forwardwith plans to down-zone Dyker Heights.Centered between Bensonhurst and BayRidge, the largely one-, two- and three-fami-ly home neighborhood has attracted new in-terest from condo developers warded off byzoning changes on either side.

Councilman Vincent Gentile said thisweek that plans to rezone Dyker Heightscould be certified by September or October.From there, the plan would course throughthe city’s Uniform Land Use Review Pro-cedure, a roughly seven-month process thatrequires hearings before and recommenda-tions by Community Board 10, BoroughPresident Marty Markowitz, the City Plan-ning Commission and the City Council.

Kristin Guild, a City Planning representa-

Bensonhurst’sdownzone setDyker Heights rezone is next

See ZONING on page 17

Once neighbors, an actor and a 9-11victim now share a Bath Beach street

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An award-winning documentary film-maker, whose previous work includesexposes of former Secretary of StateHenry Kissinger and Enron, has hissights set on Brooklyn, in particular Dis-trict Attorney Charles Hynes.

Following up this year’s “Enron: TheSmartest Guys in the Room,” filmmaker AlexGibney saidthat he hadalready am-assed hoursof footagefor a documentary starring John KennedyO’Hara, the Sunset Park man convicted ofvoter fraud six years ago.

The film, he said, intends to follow the for-mer perennial political candidate as he strug-gles to reverse his conviction, which O’Haramaintains was ordered by Hynes as a favor toPark Slope Assemblyman James Brennan.

To Hynes and his allies, however, the as-yet-untitled documentary couldn’t have comeat a worse time: Gibney said that while a longshot, the documentary could be finished intime for release just before the Democraticprimary in September, where Hynes for thefirst time in his 16 years as DA faces acrowded field of challengers.

“I think its an important story with nation-al implications,” said Gibney, who is also fol-lowing former Hynes challenger Sandra Rop-er, who last month pulled out of the race andinstead will run for a civil court judgeship.

“The larger story is how do citizens makea difference, and how do governments get en-trenched in ways that defy political stereo-types,” said the filmmaker.

Although he has been filming O’Hara sinceJanuary, Gibney said he was still unsure whatdirection the project would take. Fluent in bothtelevision and film, the New Jersey residentsaid that he hadn’t decided if the documentarywould be best suited for the big screen or, say,the Public Broadcasting System.

The Enron documentary, said Gibney,played in 1,200 theaters nationwide, to audi-ences who called the film “shocking.”

See MOVIE on page 7

B’KLYN IDOLSClones beat Yanks, take opener

Brooklyn second baseman Armand Gaerlan scores in front of Yankees catcher P.J. Pilittere in the eighth in-ning of the Cyclones 10-7 Opening Night victory at Keyspan Park in Coney Island.

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Brooklynite and former “American Idol” contestant Constantine Maroulis,left, who sang the National Anthem and “God Bless America” Mondaynight, with Pee-Wee (center) and a sheared Sandy the Seagull.

By Vince DiMiceliThe Brooklyn Papers

It was deja vu all over again.And again. And again. And

again.For the fifth time in their five-

year history, the Brooklyn Cy-clones took the season opener,this time with a 10-7 victory overthe hated Staten Island Yankees.

In front of the largest crowdever to make its way intoKeyspan Park, Mookie Wilson’ssquad put on a show featuringtimely hitting, aggressive baserunning and, minus three errors,some excellent glove work.

But it was Jesus Gamero’stwo-run homer off the left fieldscoreboard in the seventh, whichput the Clones up 6-4, that gar-nered the biggest cheer of thenight from the crowd of 9,303.

The Clones went to work onthe base paths early when, in the

See OPENER on page 6

BROOKLYN’S BEST CYCLONES COVERAGE: PAGE 6

SLAM!TISHRIPSGIFF

By Jess Wisloski and Neil SloaneThe Brooklyn Papers

Letitia James is no fanof Gifford Miller.

And, the councilwoman saidthis week, she wants to makethat point perfectly clear inlight of mailings to Democratsin her district — paid for bytaxpayers — that imply an al-liance between the City Coun-cil speaker, who is running formayor, and the Fort Greene-Prospect Heights legislator.

It’s not so much that themailings carry the air of im-propriety — despite emanat-ing from the City Councilthey amount to little morethan campaign literature forthe Upper East Side council-man — although that, toobothers James. No, in this caseit is the implication that thecouncilwoman is an ally ofsomeone who supports a proj-ect which she has risked herpolitcal career fighting — de-veloper Bruce Ratner’s pro-

Gifford Miller

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PAGE 9

Bluegrass legend Del McCoury to play Celebrate Brooklyn

Ready for a close-upNoted filmmaker focuses on Hynes, O’Hara

John O’Hara and his lawyer, Barry M. Fallick, are filmed by docu-mentary cameraman outside Brooklyn Supreme Court Wednes-day. Film will focus on O’Hara’s conviction for voter fraud and sub-sequent battle to clear his name.

EXCLUSIVE

See TISH RIPS on page 7

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dough, but neither willthey be able to takecredit for a big saveduring a crucial cam-paign period.

Gentile contends,however, that it was be-cause of pressure fromhe and Miller that theMTA chose to continuethe services.

The buses, whichcost $1.1 million to op-erate, transport 2,000commuters each Satur-day and Sunday, ac-cording to MTA re-cords.

“This is a win-winproposition for every-one,” said Gentile thisweek. “I think the com-mitment that SpeakerMiller and I made tofund the express busesupon passage of the city


Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 18 pages • Vol. 28, No. 27 BRZ • Saturday, July 2/9, 2005 • FREE



EDITORIAL


Brooklynites hoping to catch aview of the city’s annual fireworksextravaganza Monday can join thethrongs of spectators at the BrooklynHeights promenade and FultonFerry Landing.

But savvy spectators might benefitfrom staking out spots in Bay Ridge andRed Hook, where the crowds tend to beslightly less dense.

Thousands will descend on the water-front hotspots when Macy’s kicks off itsannual July 4 pyrotechnic display — thenation’s largest fireworks show — at 9pm.

With fireworks barges just south ofthe Brooklyn Bridge and between Ellisand Governor’s islands near the Statueof Liberty, traffic is likely to be at astandstill.

“The best bet is taking mass transit,”

said a community affairs officer withthe 84th Police Precinct, which patrolsBrooklyn Heights. “Put that in bold let-ters if you like — every year there’s lotsof traffic.”

Most popular among the viewing ar-eas in Brooklyn is the promenade, en-tered at the end of Montague Street inBrooklyn Heights. The promenade,which runs over the Brooklyn-QueensExpressway along the neighborhood’swestern edge, offers spectacular viewsof the East River and draws spectatorsfrom throughout the city. But get thereearly, or you may be shut out as policewill be watching for overcrowding.

In Downtown Brooklyn and BrooklynHeights, at least seven streets will beclosed for some period on July 4, policesay. They are: Montague Street, fromCourt Street to Montague Terrace, the laststreet before the promenade; Remsen

Happy Fourth!We’ve printed a U.S. flagon this week’s back page.

Display it proudly.

GOD BLESS AMERICAThe Brooklyn Papers offices will

be closed next week. Look for ThePapers again on Saturday, July 16

Mermaids!At the annual Mermaid Parade, held on Saturday, June 25, revelers pose onthe boardwalk while they party prior to the parade in Coney Island. The bigevent there this week will be Monday’s July 4th hot dog eating contest.

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Brooklyn’s the place to seegreat fireworks on the 4th

See FOURTH on page 4

Meet thePAGE 9

GIRL

COLD WARIce cream shops bracefor ‘Cold Stone’ arrivalBy Jotham SederstromThe Brooklyn Papers

A cold war could escalate inBay Ridge this week when agimmicky new ice cream chainopens only blocks from a bevyof established purveyors of thefrozen treats — including acouple that have been dollop-ing homemade scoops formore than five decades.

Fresh off the arrival of its firstfranchise in Brooklyn — at down-town’s Atlantic Terminal mall —Cold Stone Creamery, an Arizona-based chain with more than 1,000locations worldwide, plans to opena second outpost this Saturday, July2, on Third Avenue at 84th Street.

While a boon to ice creamlovers, the chain, say some, couldsiphon business from a pair ofCarvel franchises within blocks ofthe store as well as hometown he-roes Hinsch’s and Anopoli, both ofwhich have served homemade icecream for more than 80 years.

“It’s another big brand comingso, yeah, we’re a little worried,”said Francis Yoo, a manager at theCarvel store on Third Avenue at74th Street. “It’s competition, butwhat are you going to do?”

Cold Stone Creamery firstopened in Tempe, Ariz., in 1988and has since expanded to includemore than 1,000 storefront fran-chises, including one that openedlast month in Japan. According to aspokeswoman, the chain will dou-ble in size within the next year.

The company owes its success inpart to the gimmicky process inwhich the ice cream is served — infull view of customers with thehelp of, well, cold granite slabsupon which the ice cream of a cus-tomer’s choice is mashed togetherwith the toppings of their choice —and the tendency for employees to

break out in song.Asked if Cold Stone Creamery

was intentionally targeting Carvel,Hinsch’s and Anopoli, Anne Chris-tenson, a spokeswoman for thecompany, said that the Bay Ridgelocation was chosen by a localfranchisee after research suggestedthat the neighborhood was a wisechoice for a new ice cream shop.

“They wouldn’t put a storewhere they thought it wouldn’t ap-peal to the community,” said Chris-tenson, who said variety was agood thing, noting, “It’s ice cream,so if you love ice cream you’re go-ing to love all types of ice cream.”

Manny Saviolakis, the owner ofAnopoli, seemed to agree. Claim-ing his diner and desert parlor was100 years old, Saviolakis said thathomemade selections like freshstrawberry and peach ice creamdraws a steady stream to his store-front on Third Avenue at BayRidge Avenue. A new competitor,he insisted, would not change that.

“It’s the old-fashioned way, andnobody’s gonna beat that,” saidSaviolakis. “Anyway, people obvi-ously like us here and we like beinghere, so I think we’ll do fine.”

Deborah Williams, a waitress atHinsch’s, on Fifth Avenue at 86thStreet, echoed Saviolakis’ senti-ment, saying that fans of the diner’shomemade ice cream wouldn’tstray too far. That’s one reason theparlor has been able to thrive since1948, when a shop known as “Rik-ers” changed hands and becameknown as Hinsch’s.

John Logue, its current owner,was not available for comment, butWilliams said he likely wasn’t con-cerned.

“I don’t think he’s worried onebit,” said Williams on Monday.“We have a diehard clientele andmost of them just keep on comingback for more.”

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A Bay Ridge fixture for years, Hinsch’s Lunchenette(top) and other Ridge ice cream shops could face athreat from the new Cold Stone Creamery.


Two weeks after CouncilmanVincent Gentile announced fund-ing to extend weekend expressbus services in Bay Ridge, stateSen. Marty Golden said that itwould be he —not his longtimepolitical rival — saving theendangered routes.

Golden announced on June 24 thatthe state Senate and Mayor MichaelBloomberg had secured a combined$1.1 million to extend the X27 andX28 weekend bus routes for one moreyear. The lines, which run express be-


A state probe has con-cluded that nearly twodozen apartments at theTowers of Bay Ridgeaffordable housing coop-erative were illegally soldby a sales manager, whomay have charged unqual-ified applicants exorbitantfees in exchange for expe-ditious approvals.

Officials with the Depart-ment of Housing and Commu-


Where senior citizens and handicappedpeople in Bay Ridge see express buses as aconvenient mode of transportation, localelected officials simply see voters — atleast 2,000 of them.

And so it came as no surprise this week whenRepublican state Sen. Marty Golden announcedthat he had secured $1.1 million for the X27 andX28 weekend express routes — just a week afterhis longtime political rival, Democratic Council-man Vincent Gentile, made the same claim.

That’s because since 2002, when the weekendbuses were introduced to abate several subwayconstruction projects, both have launched separate

and very vocal campaigns to save the routes,which travel between Bay Ridge and MidtownManhattan on Saturdays and Sundays.

And while both Gentile and Golden have be-gun petition drives, introduced resolutions andmet with Metropolitan Transportation Authorityofficials, it’s the latter who for three consecutiveyears has taken credit for saving the buses.

This time around, the war even reached thecity’s mayoral race, with both Council SpeakerGifford Miller, a Democrat, and Mayor MichaelBloomberg, a Republican, voicing their support(and offering their budget allocations) for the trou-bled routes. In the end, Bloomberg won out afterhe promised to secure a portion of the $1.1 mil-lion needed for one more year of the lines.

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BUS-TEDAfter Gentile says he’ll saveX-buses, Golden does it

tween Bay Ridge and Midtown Man-hattan, were slated to be discontinuedby the Metropolitan TransportationAuthority last weekend.

“This is a victory for the communi-ty’s seniors, disabled and all riderswho either are part of the six- or sev-en-day work week, or who wish to gointo Manhattan to shop, dine or forentertainment,” said Golden, who likeBloomberg, is a former Democratnow registered as a Republican. “Thisservice remains necessary and I amproud that with a cancellation datelooming we have been able to reachan agreement that will keep these bus-es rolling.”

Marty Golden rides the X27 bus in 2002.

Golden’s announcement comes justtwo weeks after Gentile, in a jointpress conference with Council Speak-er Gifford Miller, said that the councilwould provide funding should theMTA terminate the lines.

With the funding secured by Gold-

en and Bloomberg, the MTA willspare the routes, which expect to oper-ate uninterrupted through next June.As a result, Miller, a Democratic may-oral candidate, and Gentile, a Democ-rat who is up for re-election this year,will not have to cough up council

See EXPRESS page 15See POLITICS on page 15Vincent Gentile

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Great X-pectationsRidge weekend bus service political bait

Corrupt ‘Towers’State: Apartments sold ‘under the table’

nity Renewal (DHCR) deter-mined that a longtime em-ployee had profited by allow-ing 15 to 20 applicants tovault to the top of a five-yearwaiting list. Aside from thosealleged dealings, officials saythat the resale manager, iden-tified as Lisa Thayer, lost orfailed to file paperwork for adozen other apartments at theMitchell-Lama subsidizedbuildings.

“DHCR completed a re-view of the tenant selectionprocess and found instanceswhere DHCR approval was

not obtained and people whowere not on the waiting listwere sold apartments,” saidPeter Moses, a spokesman forthe state agency.

“We are turning over the in-formation we uncovered to theproper authorities,” Mosessaid. “We have also indicatedto the board of directors ourunsatisfactory evaluation ofthe managing agent [JAL Di-versified Management Corpo-ration], and that agent’s con-tract will not be renewed.”

Asked what would happento anyone who had obtainedtheir co-op apartment illegally.Moses declined to commentfurther.

While already promptingThayer’s dismissal, sharehold-ers in the co-op say that thescandal has convinced the co-op board to reject a new con-tract for JAL, a formality sinceDHCR has already revokedthe contract.

“It’s more than upsetting,it’s appalling,” said CharlesNeil, a shareholder who haslived in one of the twin 30-sto-ry buildings since 1980.“These people should be go-ing to jail.”

Thayer could not bereached for comment.

As first reported exclusive-ly in The Bay Ridge Paper lastmonth, the probe by DHCRhad centered around the saleof at least 16 apartments in thebuildings on 65th Street be-tween Fourth Avenue andRidge Boulevard. While someof those were proven to havebeen sold lawfully, albeit withsignificant clerical errors, most


The Towers of Bay Ridge, a pair of Mitchell-Lama subsidizedco-ops where investigators say units were sold illegally.

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Whether Bruce Ratnergets to build his AtlanticYards mega-project restsnot on any eminent domaindecision (he already ownsmuch of the private prop-erty on the site) but on gov-ernment’s willingness toput our treasuries at thedeveloper’s disposal.

Undoubtedly, some of Rat-ner’s acquisitions were at leastfacilitiated by the threat of emi-nent domain — property ownersknew that if they did not negoti-ate a settlement early, their prop-erty might be taken later underless advantageous circum-stances. But at this point, for At-lantic Yards, eminent domain isnot the issue.

The issue is that taxpayers arebeing asked to pay for Ratner’sgame.

An honest discussion will putthe public price tag at $1 billion ormore, not $100 million (a tokendown payment referenced by theManhattan news media). Taxbreaks associated with the NewJersey Nets component of the

Ratner’sall aboutmoney

See EDITORIAL on page 16

By Ajla Grozdanicfor The Brooklyn Papers

“You can call me BJ, you cancall me Stumps — whateverworks,” said Robert Jackson Jr.as, microphone in hand, he took

the stage at the Wicked Monk, aBay Ridge bar that on Sundayhosted a fundraiser to aid dis-abled War on Terror veterans.

Jackson, 24, of Iowa, who lostboth of his legs below the kneeswhile serving in Iraq in 2003, is

the national spokesman for theCoalition to Salute America’s He-roes, the beneficiary of the fund-raiser.

The organization’s cause, sup-porting wounded and disabled mil-itary personnel fighting the War on

Terror, inspired Bay Ridgites KevinDonnellan, 30, and his girlfriend,Stephanie Bradley, 24, to organizethe event, which was co-sponsoredby Verizon, the New York Knicksand the Brooklyn Cyclones.

By Sara KuglerAssociated Press

Arabs should be targeted for searches oncity subways, Bensonhurst CouncilmanJames Oddo and Borough Park Assembly-man Dov Hikind said this week, contend-ing that the police department has beenwasting time with random checks in itseffort to prevent terrorism in the transit sys-tem.

The city began examining passengers’ bagson subways and buses after the second bombattack in London two weeks ago. Police Com-missioner Ray Kelly and Mayor MichaelBloomberg have said several times that officerswill not racially profile.

But over the weekend, Hikind said policeshould be focusing on those who fit the “terror-ist profile.”

“They all look a certain way,” said Hikind, aconservative Democrat. “It’s all very nice to bepolitically correct here, but we’re talking aboutterrorism.”

“The reality is that there is a group of peoplewho want to kill us and destroy our way of life,”

said Oddo, a Republican who also representsStaten Island. “Young Arab fundamentalists arethe individuals undertaking these acts of terror,and we should keep those facts prominently inour minds and eyes as we attempt to secure ourpopulace.”

Oddo commended Hikind for “rushingheadlong against the strong undertow of politi-cal correctness.”

Hikind said he planned to introduce legisla-tion allowing police to racially profile, andOddo said he intended to introduce a resolutionin the City Council supporting the measure.

But the director of the New York chapter ofthe Council on American-Islamic Relations,Wissam Nasr, said their push for racial profil-ing is offensive and ignorant because “terrorcomes in all shapes and sizes, and certainlythere’s no legislation or system that’s going toidentify terrorists on the spot.”

In response to Hikind’s suggestion, the NewYork Police Department said in a statementthat racial profiling is “illegal, of doubtful ef-fectiveness and against department policy.”

The Republican mayor reiterated Tuesday

Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2005 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 16 pages • Vol. 28, No. 31 BRZ • Saturday, August 6, 2005 • FREE





He’s long called it Brooklyn’s EiffelTower, and now, says Borough PresidentMarty Markowitz, Coney Island’s long-dormant Parachute Jump will be lit atnight like the French icon.

It will be bathed in multicolored lightingarrangements created by designer LeniSchwendinger, he said in a published statement.

“I am delighted that New York City Parksand New York City Economic DevelopmentCorporation [EDC] worked with me to makethis dream a reality,” Markowitz is quoted inhis newsletter “Brooklyn!!”

The Parks Department and the EDC referredcalls to the borough president’s office, and offi-cials with Leni Schwendinger Light Projects alsodeclined to comment. Through a spokeswoman,Markowitz declined to comment further.

The lighting will show “seasons at aglance” and “a kaleidoscope of sequences forspecial dates” on the soon-to-be Brooklynbeacon, Markowitz’s statement said.

An illustration that appeared in the newslettershowed a color scheme of bright red and irides-cent blue lights, the latter glowing from the baseof the structure, while the bursts of red lightbloomed from each of the old parachute-carts,which used to hold the “riders” until the mecha-nism released the amusement park patrons intheir chutes to drift to the ground below.

Judi Stern Orlando, director of the AstellaDevelopment Corporation, who sits on theConey Island Development Corporationboard, said the plan to light the ParachuteJump was seen as an asset by her fellow


A developer has quietly bought up prop-erty next to a Brooklyn Academy of Musictheater, planning what neighbors believewill be a high-rise hotel and condo.

Manhattan-based developer The Clarett Grouppaid $12 million for three lots at the northwestcorner of Fulton Street and Ashland Place, an as-semblage that abuts the four-story BAM HarveyTheater.

Under the current C6-4 commercial zoning forthat block, a more than 20-story hotel, officetower or mall could be built. The equivalent resi-dential zoning, should a zoning change or vari-ance be granted, could support up to a 30-storytower.

The Clarett Group did not return calls seekingcomment for this article, but the company, whichhas built four tower-style, luxury residences inManhattan since 2003, has in the past developedatop old theaters and church space. Several siteswere in high-demand areas where they bought alarge building, demolished it, and made room fora high-density residential tower.

The first project demolished the Olympia The-ater at Broadway and 107th Street in Manhattanand built the 22-story Opus, a 64-unit buildingwith family-sized luxury condominiums.

The company has since purchased the Sutton

Theater, on West 57th Street, for its 36-storyPlace 57.

The Church of the Transfiguration’s parishhouse, a Gothic-revival building adjacent to thechurch at East 29 Street and Fifth Avenue inManhattan, will make way for a 54-story towercalled Sky House, while the church offices willmove into the new building’s lower floors.

It seems no surprise then, that the new proper-ty acquisition is concentrated around the HarveyTheater.

“We would never sell that building,” BAMspokeswoman Sandy Sawotka said, laughing atthe notion when told this week about the ClarettGroup’s acquisitions.

Meanwhile, the leases of commercial tenantsin the two- and three-story properties at 657-671

Arts group refuses profile in Ratner ‘rag’

By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVEREForest City Ratner Companies

(FCRC) formally announced late lastmonth that it had fulfilled its promise ofpurchasing much of the property atAtlantic Yards, limiting the use of exer-

cising eminent domain. “We have always promised to do

everything possible to reduce the needfor eminent domain,” said FCRCExecutive Vice President James Stuckey,who made the announcement at the May

26 hearing of the City Council’sEconomic Development Committeeattended by community supporters,unions, and Brooklyn Borough PresidentMarty Markowitz.

June/July 2005 • VOL. 1, ISSUE 1 A Publication of Forest City Ratner Companies

Legendary broadcaster and Brooklynnative Marv Albert, the voice of New Yorksports, has joined the Nets. Beginning inSeptember, he will call 50 games on theYES Network, as well as host a 13-episodeto-be-determinedshow.

Albert, who grewup in BrightonBeach andManhattan Beach,called his first gamesin grade school on hisown tape recorderhe broughtto EbbetsField. Heis lookingforward tocallinggames againin his homeborough.

Recently, TheBrooklyn Standardsat down with

By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVEREIn the 20 years since Forest City Ratner

Companies (FCRC) broke ground on itsfirst Brooklyn project, a lot has changed. Theborough that many were once ready to writeoff has exploded with development and pop-ularity, more vital today than ever before.

The development company has had amajor hand in this transformation. Startingwith 1 Pierrepont Plaza in 1988, FCRC hasadded 15 buildings to the borough. Betweenthe construction jobs and permanent ones atthe office space in MetroTech Center andelsewhere, the economic benefit to Brooklyn

has been enormous. This in turn has meantmore residents and more culture, enrichinglife in the borough in nearly every way.

The construction of Atlantic Yards will bea continuation of this progress. Expected togenerate $6.1 billion over the next 30 years

Inside:Around Brooklyn 8-9

Brooklyn Family 10

Sports 12-13

Old Brooklyn 15

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Yes!Voice of New YorkSports Joins Nets

A listing of arts,community events

and activities in ourborough.

What to do thissummer for kids

and families.

Preview of theBrooklyn Cyclones’

Season.

A look intoBrooklyn’s rich

architecturalhistory.

BROOKLYN’SBOOMING

Atlantic Yards Will Bring Jobs, Housing and Hoops

Atlantic Yards will create a 22-acre residential, commercial and retail neighborhood in Brooklyn.

MarvAlbert

Forest City Ratner Continues Efforts to Avoid Condemnation

www.brooklynstandard.com

EXCLUSIVE


An attempt by real estatemogul Bruce Ratner to curryfavor among local artists forhis plan to build a basketballarena, skyscrapers and apart-ment high-rises in ProspectHeights backfired this weekwhen an arts group not onlyturned down the offer of freepublicity in his bimonthlyBrooklyn Standard but thenwent on the Internet to slamboth the Atlantic Yards devel-oper and his publication.

Rooftop Films slams Forest City on Web

The cover of the first issue of the Forest City Ratner promotional publi-cation The Brooklyn Standard, designed to look like a newspaper.

“The Brooklyn Standard is [For-est City Ratner’s] promotionaltool, posing as a community news-paper,” said Mark Elijah Rosen-berg, artistic director of RooftopFilms, a Park Slope-based organi-zation that screens independentmovies throughout the summer atoutdoor sites around Brooklyn.

“The purpose of the publica-tion is to promote the AtlanticYards project by creating the im-pression that the community —including arts groups like Roof-top Films — are in support of theproject,” Rosenberg told TheBrooklyn Papers

Which, he said, they are not.

Rosenberg added, “Not appear-ing in the publication was notenough — no one would know thatwe chose not to appear.”

Instead, they publicized it, andThe Brooklyn Papers found thegroup’s July 28 letter to “the edi-tors and readers of The BrooklynStandard” posted on the Web log,NoLandGrab.org.

“Rooftop Films believes thatour neighborhood, our organiza-tion, and other organizations likeours will suffer if the AtlanticYards project is built — as theneighborhood and small business-es have suffered in the wake ofForest City Ratner Companies’

other development projects, suchas the Atlantic Mall, Atlantic Ter-minal and Metrotech,” reads a por-tion of the letter, signed by Rosen-berg and his fellow Rooftop Filmsdirectors, Dan Nuxoll and SarahPalmer.

“The Brooklyn Standard clearlystates that it is published by FCRCto share information about the At-lantic Yards project,” the letter con-tinues. “But the paper does not of-fer balanced and diverse opinionsabout the project.

“Rooftop Films is fundamentallyat odds with FCRC and the At-lantic Yards project, and we do notwish to appear in a publication de-signed for the sole purpose of pro-moting that project.”

Rosenberg told The BrooklynPapers, “We hope that like-mindedpeople and organizations will seethat it is possible to turn down freepublicity, and that it is possible forindividuals and small arts organiza-tions to stand up to gigantic ne-farious conglomerates.”

Forest City Ratner officials de-clined to discuss what the featurewould have entailed, or whetherRosenberg’s letter would run in thenext issue as a letter to the editor.

The Brooklyn Standard is pro-duced for Ratner by ManhattanMedia, which publishes four Man-hattan community weeklies.

Bruce Ratner is listed as theStandard’s publisher.

The first issue of the free publi-cation, which forthrightly notes onits front page underneath its titlethat it is “A Publication of ForestCity Ratner Companies,” was pub-lished in late June.

“The interaction was very sim-ple,” said Rosenberg, describinghow the Standard’s editor, Edward-Isaac Dovere, who works out ofManhattan Media’s West 38thStreet offices, called them.

“They said they were interestedin doing an article, and they want-ed to use some information fromour Web site and do an interview,”Rosenberg said.

“We discussed it internally” be-fore issuing and publicizing the let-ter, he said.

After receiving Rooftop’s reply,the Ratner paper’s editor sent onelast e-mail, Rosenberg said.

“Thank you for your time,” readDovere’s brief response.

Dovere did not return calls for

Keyspan sparksWhether the Brooklyn Cyclones win or lose, their Friday nights always end with fireworks atKeyspan Park in Coney Island. For Brooklyn’s best Cyclones coverage, see page 13.

See STANDARD on page 15

See HARVEY on page 15

See CHUTE on page 15

See ODDO on page 2

See BENEFIT on page 4

‘HOTEL HARVEY’Developer pays $12M for 3 lotsnext to BAM’s Fulton St. theater

The Parachute Jump in Coney Island.

Beep tolight upConey

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Oddo: Terror copsshould target Arabs

Councilman James Oddo, shown above inundated photo, is in favor of racial profilingat subway checkpoints.

Bar benefit for Iraq war vets

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2 AWP December 31, 2005THE BROOKLYN PAPERS • WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM • (718) 834-9350

The popular show, entitled SmartKids,began three years ago as a monthlyprogram but recently moved to a weeklySaturday morning time slot. “I might aswell put a bed in that studio,” laughsMcGhie.

McGhie first became inspired to doher show after working with many indi-viduals at BCAT on their own programs.“I worked with a variety of producers,”recalls McGhie, as she expresses grati-tude to the numerous BCAT-trainedcommunity producers like BerniceBrooks, Julian Hill, and Ruperto Davis,among others, who helped her along theway. “The studio has a very pleasantfeeling. I learned so much being in thecontrol room, directing work, and itinspired me,” says McGhie.

After working on other people’s showsfor awhile, though, McGhie decidedthat it was time to start her ownprogram. She looked no further than herown two sons and daughter for thepremise. “I thought, what am I going todo with these kids?” remembersMcGhie, as she looked for a fun andeducational activity in which they couldparticipate. The answer was to start thetalk show, SmartKids, and showcasethem, along with other kids, on theprogram.

For its debut, SmartKids featured areading of the classic children’s book,Green Eggs and Ham. In the next taping,McGhie tackled the subject of childrenwith disabilities, and for her third show,welcomed a group of nine-year-olds, oneof whom recited a speech from Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. Over the nextfew months, she hosted dancers,rappers, singers – children and adultsalike – and gained a following. “I wouldbe walking down the street and people

would come up to me and want to be onthe show,” says McGhie.

The 43-year-old welcomes the atten-tion, and the willing guests. Whetherconversing with a civil court judge orlistening to a ten-year-old rapper per-form, McGhie hopes people watchingat home will learn something. “I wantpeople to say ‘I didn’t know this’ or ‘Idid not know that’,” she says. Althoughthe format constantly changes and eachshow features something different,there are a few things that neverchange. “I always open the show withmusic,” she says, pointing to howshe recently discovered that EllenDeGeneres begins her morning talkshow the same way.

For McGhie, her love of interviewingpeople began at an early age. “I havebeen doing this since I was a kid,” shesays, remembering how she would oftengo visit her uncle at his record store inHarlem and talk to the people whowould come into the shop. In college,McGhie studied nursing and laterworked for several years at a home forthe elderly. During this time, sherealized how important it was to try tofulfill one’s dreams, recalling how somepatients had planned trips that theynever got to take. “I didn’t want to say, Iwish I could’ve, should’ve – I’m going togo do that,” she says.

In her twenties, she pursued dancingand modeling, which allowed her totravel around the world. But no matterwhere she went, (even Jamaica, herfavorite hotspot) she always found herway back to New York. “I have alwayslived in Brooklyn. I have been halfwayaround the world to different islandsand countries but I guess I’m juststrictly a New Yorker,” she says.

After the whirlwind nature of hertwenties, McGhie, one of seven childrenherself, has now settled comfortably intofamily life, raising her three kids in athree-family house she shares with hertwo sisters and all of their children. Butdon’t think she’s slowed down too much.

In addition to taking the BCATclasses, McGhie received her A+Certification in computer servicetechnology from State University ofNew York/Brooklyn Educational Op-portunity Center (SUNY-BEOC), aftercompleting an 18-month program. “Youhave to keep up. We live in a fast-pacedsociety,” she says, of the valuable com-puter training she received.

McGhie believes that BCAT helps toan this important mission. “You have somany different groups and nationalitieshere. It’s educational. [BCAT] givespeople the opportunity to come in thereand produce their own shows, and I’mone of them,” she says.

As she recounts a makeover show shejust completed, and how gorgeous herfriend Rose looked afterwards, it is hardnot to think of that other famous lady oftalk: Oprah Winfrey. McGhie laughs offthe comparison. “I think there are a lotof Oprahs at BCAT since before I gotthere. I admire her, though: she couldhave quit… If somebody wants to putme in that category, I’d be blessed.”

Move over, Ms. Winfrey. Ms. FeliceMcGhie is on her way.––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––SmartKids can be seen onBCAT on Saturdays at 10am onTime Warner Cable channel 34,Cablevision channel 67, andstreaming live online atwww.bcat.tv/bcat.

Smart Mom ProducesSmartKids on BCATBy Anne Louise Urda

BCAT Program Guide – What’s on Brooklyn Community Access Television

For Felice McGhie, a life-long Brooklyn native,hosting her own show on Brooklyn Community

Access Television (BCAT) is already a dream come true.But what makes doing it even better? She gets to sharescreen time with an adorable co-host: her eleven-year oldson, Travis.

–––––––––– FIND THIS WEEK’S COMPLETE BCAT PROGRAM GUIDE ON PAGE 10 ––––––––––

Felice McGhie’s own childrenare among the smart kidsfeatured on her weekly show.

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And the winner is...By Gersh KuntzmanThe Brooklyn Papers

This year, The BrooklynPapers would like to honor thepeople, the businesses, and theneighborhoods that make our

plants. The move will cost themarket $15,700 more per yearfor electrical power. But if theprice of organic, fair-trade,shade-grown heirloom kalegoes up, all bets are off!

The “Caveat emptor”award: A few months afterMagic Johnson’s developmentcompany bought the Williams-burgh Bank building, mercuryvapor was found on the site,which for years housed den-tist’s offices. It could have beenworse; imagine if Johnson hadbought a building that oncehoused a porno studio.

The “Merchant of theyear” award: If you’re goingto own your own business,you’re going to fight for everypenny. But the owners of F-lineBagels in Carroll Gardens hadto do that while also fighting

pages so lively. So, withoutany further ado, here are thewinners of “The Brooklyn Pa-pers Awards” for 2005:

The “Win-win of theyear” award: When ParkSlope residents protested Com-merce Bank’s plans for a drive-thru window at a new branchon Fifth Avenue, the bank actu-ally changed its design to suitthe community. Too bad all de-velopers don’t treat their neigh-bors the same way.

The “1970s Revisited”award: In our only tie of theyear, this award is split betweentwo big stories: The sale of thefamed “Saturday Night Fever”dance floor from Bay Ridge’s2001 Odyssey nightclub and areported rise in gas-siphoningduring the summer’s gas crisis.What’s next? The return ofBanlon pants? Exploding FordPintos? Tony Orlando andDawn?

The “We have seen thefuture and it’s dressed invelour jogging suits”award: In September, the firstcruise ship docked at RedHook’s Pier 12, a portent ofwhat city officials promise willbe a wave of cruise ship moor-ings in Brooklyn.

The “I love the smell offecal coliform in the morn-ing” Award: Mega-star HeathLedger (“Brokeback Moun-tain”) and girlfriend MichelleWilliams (aka “Dawson’s Creekhottie Michelle Williams”) snub-bed Los Angeles, Manhattan,and even Park Slope, by buy-ing an apartment on DouglassStreet in Boerum Hill. Thehouse is just a couple of blocksfrom the Gowanus Canal,where most of BrownstoneBrooklyn’s sewage goes whenit rains. But, hey, it beats thepersistent threat of earthquakes.

The “Mother Earth”award for environmentalstewardship even in theface of great expense: Thefamously crunchy Park SlopeFood Co-op voted unanimous-ly to buy electrical power froma wind farm rather than fromgreenhouse-gas-emitting power

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2005THE YEAR IN REVIEW

the MTA. The transit agencysued the store, claiming its F-line logo infringed on theMTA’s copyright. Our guess isthat the MTA really sued out ofjealousy because F-Line Bagelsis actually much cleaner thanthe Smith/9th Street stationacross the street.

The “Last picture show”award: The residents of BayRidge deserve this bittersweethonor for watching the demiseof their two remaining movietheaters. Now if they want towatch a movie, they will needto, um, rent one.

The “Left at the altar”award: Again, Bay Ridgetakes the honors here, thanks tobridal Mecca Kleinfeld’s deci-sion to relocate to Manhattan.Like anyone gets married there!

The “Crime of the year”award: If you’re watchingporno movies in a private boothat an adult video store, it’sprobably not a good idea totake a picture of the pervert inthe booth next to you. A 30-year-old man learned that thehard way when he angered hisfellow adult-film aficionado bytaking his picture on his cell-phone. The camera-shy cus-tomer fought back, stealing thecamera and an iPod from thewould-be portraitist.

The “What rhymes withkidney?” award: Brooklynpoet laureate Ken Siegelmanpulled an entirely different setof heartstrings after we report-ed in February that he’s indesperate need of a new kid-

ney. Despite still needing a re-nal transplant, Siegelman fin-ished a new book, “CitySouls,” which will be honoredat the Park Slope Barnes &Noble on Jan. 12. Siegelman’stalent and strength under ex-cruciating circumstances in-spired this piece of doggerel:“He’s in dialysis half theweek/Yet still writes poetrythat’s hardly meek/Got a bookcoming out that’ll burnish hisname/This poet laureate putsall writers to shame.”

The Noah Websteraward: Thanks to a rash ofugly development in BayRidge, Sunset Park and thesouthern part of Park Slope, theterm “Fedder’s Houses” enteredthe Brooklyn lexicon. The termbecame so widespread, in fact,that the company’s CFO wentinto spin mode: “I would hopethe houses are as well built andas high quality as the air condi-tioners they’re named after,”Robert Laurent told The Papers.

“Fedder’s Houses” struck every part of the borough.

Heath Ledger and MichelleWilliams’ romance mightnot have worked out in“Brokeback Mountain,”but hopefully they’ll havemore luck in Gowanus

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2005


In a city with 51 councilmembers, 13 con-gressional representatives, 63 members of theAssembly, 26 state Senators, a mayor, five bor-ough presidents, five districtattorneys and a public advo-cate (who does what, exact-ly?), it’s not always so easy fora local pol to get noticed.

But boy oh boy did ourelected officials try! Here’show our favorite sons anddaughters got their name inThe Brooklyn Papers this year:

FebruaryWho IS da Boss?: BoroughPresident Markowitz openedthe political season by havingactor (and native Brooklynite) Tony Danzashow up at his “State of the Borough” address.Given Danza’s troubled history with TV ratings,it was unclear whether Markowitz was trying toride on the star’s coat-tails or visa-versa.

• • •Ooh, that smell: State Senator MartyGolden (R-Bay Ridge) fumed over a ProspectHeights man’s children’s book which Goldenbelieved promoted marijuana use. The book,“It’s Just a Plant,” focuses on a young girl whowalks in on her parents as they’re sharing ajoint. The experience sends her on a journeywhere she meets a farmer who grows his ownweed. In the end, she vows to fight for “fair”marijuana laws when she grows up (stunted, ifyou can believe the marijuana opponents).Golden’s outcry led to two major develop-ments: 1) The book received enormous public-ity that it might not have gotten and 2) Senatestaffers no longer bothered to include Goldenin their all-night bill-drafting and pot parties.

• • •Premature Pressreleaseation: Council-member David Yassky is not reluctant to issuea press release, but the Brooklyn Heights

Democrat pressed the“Send” button on one

release too quickly forthe NYPD. Yasskywanted to get well-

deserved credit forencouraging localcops to step upenforcement oftruck violations inBoerum Hill —but his announce-ment tipped off the

very scofflaws he was hoping to apprehend, sothe cops cancelled the ticket blitz.

MarchThe naked are the damned: Who couldhave a problem with naked women? Well,

state Sen. Marty Goldenproved he was no fan ofHoward Stern when heprotested the Showtime series“The L-Word” after itsposters appeared in bus shel-ters and subway billboards.The ad (at left) depictednaked women snuggling.Golden said he objected to thesupposed lewdness, but basedon his interview with ThePapers, it might have beenconstrued that he was simplyoverwhelmed by the conspic-

uous concupiscence: “I’ve never even seen[this many] naked women,” he said.

AprilAll you need is love: Borough PresidentMarkowitz dived into a national controversyover gay marriage by coming out in support ofsame-sex unions — although he can’t actuallydo anything about it: the city clerkrefused to issue marriage licenses togay couples and courts said there’snot anything wrong with that.

• • •Any way they slice it: ABay Ridge political club,Brooklyn Democrats forChange, lacked the convictionto even agree on the neighbor-hood’s best pizza, namingNino’s and Peppino’s as co-win-ners. Good thing they left toppingsout of the debate or else they’d still bearguing.

• • •Convenient excuse: CouncilmemberVincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge) got in thepapers for all the wrong reasons after propos-ing that drivers be allowed to legally double-park for five minutes so they could run into astore for a quick errand. It was hard to knowwhich was louder: the screaming from theNYPD or the laughter from local Republicanshoping to exploit the gaffe at election time.The bill died, but Gentile survived.

MayPhoto op of the year: In the “You can’tmake this stuff up” category, BoroughPresident Markowitz was joined by Ms. Full-

Figured U.S., Andria Gazelle, for a walkathonas part of the Beep’s “Lighten Up, Brooklyn”campaign. Despite his own weight-lossefforts, Markowitz again won the “Full-Figured NYC Borough President” pageant,again beating out Queens Beep HelenMarshall for the honors.

JulyLrg Ofc, Riv Vu: The United Nationsannounced that it willneed temporary officespace during its up-coming renovation —so who else but ourown Borough Presi-dent went straight toTurtle Bay to lobbyKofi Annan personal-ly? Markowitz pre-sented Annan with astatue of the BrooklynBridge, but in the inter-ests of internationaldiplomacy, did not ask the trim U.N. secretarygeneral for his diet secret in exchange.

• • •God’s parking lot: The City Council didaway with traffic meter enforcement on

Sundays, arguing that people should nothave to pay to pray. Mayor Bloomberg

vetoed the Vincent Gentile-backedbill, calling it, “Another way of[councilmembers] trying to get theirnames in the paper in an electionyear.” The Council over-rode theveto in October. The new law ledto a brief surge in religious con-versions before people realized itcovered all parkers, whether theybelieve in God or not.

• • •Out of his bunker: Vice President

Dick Cheney came to town to stumpfor Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Bay Ridge), one ofthe president’s more reliable allies inCongress. Fossella got another boost later inthe year when the federal base-closing panelspared Fort Hamilton from its ax. ButFossella’s Republican street cred has madehim a target of Democrats, who are seeking acandidate — Councilmember Vincent Gentile,perhaps? — to defeat him in November ’06.

AugustFoot in mouth award: City Coun-cilmember James Oddo (R-Bensonhurst) toldThe Papers that the NYPD should use racialprofiling against Arabs. “The reality is thatthere is a group of people who want to kill us

and destroy our way oflife — young Arab fun-damentalists.” Howcontroversial wereOddo’s comments?Even the NYPDobjected.

OctoberPay the piper: For-mer Assemblymember(and Brooklyn Demo-cratic Party boss) ClarenceNorman (D-Crown Heights) was found guiltyof violating election law and falsifying busi-ness records. Two months later, Norman was

convicted again on similarcharges. The verdicts came aspart of a wide-ranging inves-tigation into whether Normanand his cronies sold judge-ships. The crime wasn’t thatthey sold judgeships though,but that they charged retail!

• • •Party on!: Borough Pres-ident Markowitz – a proudDemocrat – jumped off theDemocratic bandwagon toendorse Mayor Bloomberg

for re-election. With Marty’s help, theRepublican mayor was re-elected by a historicmargin over Fernando Ferrer. The mayor laterrepaid Markowitz for his endorsement bychoosing Brooklyn as his home base duringthe three-day transit strike. The mayor evenhad breakfast at Markowitz’s favorite joint,Junior’s, but skipped the famous cheesecake indeference to Markowitz’s diet.

NovemberA come-from-ahead win: City Coun-cilmember Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge)must have felt like he had a bull’s-eye on hisback, what with so many Republicans trying tounseat him. The neighborhood’s GOP braintrust — state Sen. Marty Golden, Rep. VitoFossella and Assemblymember MatthewMirones — all backed challenger Pat Russo.But even though Republican MayorBloomberg won the district by more than 3 to1, Gentile pulled out a squeaker (well, asqueaker by today’s standards), winning 55-45.

March of the politiciansTHE YEAR IN REVIEW


He doesn’t build amusement parks, but 2005was a roller-coaster ride for Bruce Ratner.

The Brooklyn-based developer, who builtMetrotech and the Atlantic Center and AtlanticTerminal malls, was in our pages seeminglyevery week, typically as the target of scorn byopponents to his Atlantic Yards mega-project.

But he also made news for his successes:obtaining the site from the MTA and makingdeals with some community groups.

Here’s how The Brooklyn Papers coveredthe Year of Ratner.

January3 BR, TRN YRD VU: Ratner claims he willadd 1,300 units of much-needed affordable andmarket-rate housing — and eliminated morethan 1.5 million square feet of less-neededoffice space — at his arena-residential-com-mercial mega-project.

MarchWell, rec-u-u-u-se me!: Borough PresidentMarkowitz, a strong supporter of the project,suffers a political black eye when hisappointee to the City Planning Commission —Brooklyn’s only voice on the panel — recusesherself from review of the project. As ThePapers reported, Williams and her husbandown a stake in the Nets, the very basketballteam Ratner is hoping to move to a new arenain Brooklyn.

• • •Dial O for Opinion: In a stunning gaffe, aRatner pollster called notorious Atlantic Yardscritic Patti Hagan for her opinion on the project(he might as well have called President Bushfor his opinion of Jacques Chirac!). Luckily forus, Hagan had her tape recorder on. “I amabsolutely opposed to the whole damn thing!”

Hagan told Ratner’s unsuspecting pollster.

AprilEasy money: Developer Shaya Boymelgreensold a building in the Atlantic Yards footprint toRatner for $44 million. Just eight months earli-er, Boymelgreen paid $20 million for it. That’snot a bad return on investment. Thanks, Bruce.

MayNot so fast: The Metropolitan TransportationAuthority announces that it is seeking biddersbesides Ratner for the Atlantic Yards site.

Sealed with a kiss: Ratner gets a big wetone from activist Bertha Lewis (above) afteragreeing to set aside half of his 4,500 apart-ment units to low-, moderate- and middle-income renters. For good measure, Lewis alsokissed Mayor Bloomberg. Photographic evi-dence makes it clear that the famed ladies manBloomberg enjoyed the kiss more.

JuneSeizing the day: The Supreme Court rulesthat cities are allowed to seize privately ownedproperty on behalf of private developers — abroad expansion of the notion of eminentdomain. The cheering from Forest City Ratner

headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn could beheard all the way to Bay Ridge.

JulyNot so fast, part II: The MTA tells Ratnerthat his $50-million bid for the rail yards isnot enough, even as the transit agency rejectsa $150-million bid from a rival developer.

• • •Picture this: Ratner gives the New YorkTimes a sneak peak at FrankGehry’s design for the entire proj-ect — but the reaction to theVegas-style skyscrapers and Nets-logo friezes (above) is so nega-tive that he eventually orders his“starchitect” back to his draftingtable.

AugustLow “Standard”: A ParkSlope movie company turnsdown a chance to be profiledin Ratner’s supposed com-munity newspaper, “TheBrooklyn Standard” (right) —and then publicly blasts the paper as“designed for the sole purpose of promoting[the] project.” The film company need nothave worried; the Brooklyn Standard pub-lished just two issues in ’05.

SeptemberUpping the ante:Ratner doubles hisbid to $100 million— which is stillless than half the$214-million valueof the developmentrights, according tothe MTA’s ownappraiser — andwins control of the

8.5-acres train yard air rights.• • •

Now you tell us?: A week after Ratnersecures his deal with the MTA, BoroughPresident Markowitz makes his first publicrequest that Ratner downsize his mega-project.

OctoberKeep off!: The Papers reveals that a one-acrepark on the roof of the Gehry-designed arena— which Ratner had once touted as “an excit-ing ... new public space [for] passive recre-ation and active public space for communityresidents” — will actually be off limits to thepublic. So much for the promised skating rinkand hot chocolate.

• • •Buy me love: The Papersalso reveals that Ratnergave $5 million to sup-posed “community group”Brooklyn United forInnovative Local Develop-ment (BUILD). That kind ofmoney buys a lot of friends.

NovemberCrackpot: Actress RosiePerez doesn’t do opponents ofthe Ratner development anyfavors by saying that the mega-project would create unfriendlyManhattan-style neighborhoods.

“When I lived in Manhattan, I knew thecrackhead on my corner better than myneighbors,” she said. Ratner spokespeopleimmediately denied that 10 percent of theirhousing units had been set aside for crack-

heads.• • •

He-a culpa: Frank Gehrytells a group of architects thathis initial design for theAtlantic Yards was “horri-ble.” At the same meeting, heeven posed for a photo withrabid opponent Patti Hagan(left). Amazingly, Gehry stillhas a job.

The year of living Ratnerly

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Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by theSupreme Court, Kings County on the 23rd day ofDecember, 2005, bearing Index Number 38288/05, acopy of which may be examined at the office of theclerk, located at 360 Adams St., Brooklyn, in roomnumber 188 grants me the right to assume the nameof Jessica Morel. My present address is 191 73rdStreet, #255; the date of my birth is 9/30/81; my pres-ent name is Yesica Morel..

SP51

Notice is hereby given that an Order entered bythe Civil Court, Kings County on the 28th day ofNovember, 2005, bearing the Index NumberN501028/2005, a copy of which may be exam-ined at the Office of the Clerk, located at CIVILCOURT, KINGS COUNTY, 141 Livingston Street,Brooklyn, New York 11201, in room 007, grantsme rights to: Assume the name of: NatalieHerminia Rivera. My present name is: FemaleSepulveda a/k/a Natalie Herminia Rivera. Mypresent address is: 45 Argyle Road, Brooklyn,New York 11218. My place of birth is: New York,New York. My date of birth is: September 10,1987. BP51

Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by theCivil Court, Kings County on the 19th day ofDecember, 2005, bearing the Index NumberN501075, a copy of which may be examined at theOffice of the Clerk, located at CIVIL COURT, KINGSCOUNTY, 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, New York11201, in room 007, grants me rights to: Assume thename of: Zachary Maxeau Lapomarede. My presentname is: Zachary Maxeau Regis. My present addressis: 55 Winthrop Street, Brooklyn, New York 11225. Myplace of birth is: Brooklyn, New York. My date of birthis: January 25, 2003. BP51

Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by theCivil Court, Kings County on the 21st day ofDecember, 2005, bearing the Index NumberN501076/05, a copy of which may be examined atthe Office of the Clerk, located at CIVIL COURT,KINGS COUNTY, 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn,New York 11201, in room 007, grants me rights to:Assume the name of: Craig Mendel Phillips Flamm.My present name is: Craig Mendel Flamm. My pres-ent address is: 145 Hicks St. #B40, Brooklyn, NY11201. My place of birth is: Manhattan, NY. My dateof birth is: 10/10/72. BP51

Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by theCivil Court, Kings County on the 23rd day ofDecember, 2005, bearing the Index NumberN501079/05, a copy of which may be examined atthe Office of the Clerk, located at CIVIL COURT,KINGS COUNTY, 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn,New York 11201, in room 007, grants me rights to:Assume the name of: Sandra El Badry. My presentname is: Sandra Yaser Gaafar. My present address is:243 - 78th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11209. Myplace of birth is: Brooklyn, New York. My date of birthis: July 23, 2003. BP51

Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by theCivil Court, Kings County on the 23rd day ofDecember, 2005, bearing the Index NumberN501080/05, a copy of which may be examined atthe Office of the Clerk, located at CIVIL COURT,KINGS COUNTY, 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn,New York 11201, in room 007, grants me rights to:Assume the name of: Maayan Malka Semandov. Mypresent name is: Malka Shirel Semandov. My presentaddress is: 2554 East 2nd Street, Brooklyn, New York11223. My place of birth is: Brooklyn, New York. Mydate of birth is: June 16, 2005. BP51

Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by theCivil Court, Kings County on the 23rd day ofDecember, 2005, bearing the Index NumberN501077/2005, a copy of which may be examined atthe office of the Clerk,located at 141 LivingstonStreet, Brooklyn, New York, in room number 007,grants JOHN LOW the right to assume the name ofJOHN POH HA LOW. His present name is JOHNLOW. The date of his birth is February 3, 1928. Theplace of his birth is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His pres-ent address is 167 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

BP51

Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by theCivil Court, Kings County on the 16th day ofDecember, 2005, bearing the Index NumberN501072/05, a copy of which may be examined atthe Office of the Clerk, located at CIVIL COURT,KINGS COUNTY, 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn,New York 11201, in room 007, grants me rights to:Assume the name of: Connie Haskins. My presentname is: Catherine Haskins a/k/a Connie Haskins. Mypresent address is: 182 East 93rd Street, Brooklyn,New York 11212. My place of birth is: Brooklyn, NewYork. My date of birth is: December 15, 1972.

BP51

Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by theCivil Court, Kings County on the 23rd day ofDecember, 2005, bearing the Index NumberN501078, a copy of which may be examined at theOffice of the Clerk, located at CIVIL COURT, KINGSCOUNTY, 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, New York11201, in room 007, grants me rights to: Assume thename of: Steven Semerik. My present name is: IslamRamazanov. My present address is: 2722 BatchelderStreet, Brooklyn, New York 11235. My place of birthis: Kiev, Ukraine. My date of birth is: April 21, 1991.

BP51

Horn Affiliates Realty LLC, Notice of forma-tion of Limited Liability Company (LLC).Articles of Organization filed with theSecretary of State of New York (SSNY) onSeptember 27, 2005. Office location: KingsCounty. SSNY has been designated asagent of the LLC upon whom processagainst it may be served. SSNY may mail acopy of any process to Leonard M. Ridini,Jr., Esq., 534 Broad Hollow Road, Suite 430,Melville, NY 11747. BP49-01

Articles of Organization of Guardian PropertyManagement of Brooklyn, LLC. Under Section203 of the Limited Liability Company Law. FIRST:The name of the limited liability company isGUARDIAN PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OFBROOKLYN, LLC. SECOND: The county withinthis state in which the office of the limited liabili-ty company is to be located is Kings. THIRD: Thesecretary of state is designated as agent of thelimited liability company upon whom processagainst it may be served. The post office addresswithin or without this state to which the secretaryof state shall mail a copy of any process againstthe limited liability company served upon him orher is Corporation Service Company, 80 StateStreet, Albany, New York 12207. FOURTH: Thename and street address within this state of theregistered agent of the limited liability companyupon whom and at which process against the lim-ited liability company can be served isCorporation Service Company, 80 State Street,Albany, New York 12207. FIFTH: The limited lia-bility company is to be managed by 1 or moremembers. Joanne A. Burkhartt, Organizer.

BP48-02

LEGAL NOTICES

Highlightsfrom KeyspanBy Ed Shakespearefor The Brooklyn Papers

The story of the 2005Brooklyn Cyclones wassometimes more promis-ing off the field than on it.

Sure, the Clones were in theplayoff race for most of the sea-son, but they faded at the end.

Yet off the field, 2005 sawnumerous former Cyclonesmake good in the Bigs.

Most significant was firstbaseman Mike Jacobs, whojoined the Mets in August andhit a homer in his first at-bat.

Jacobs — who will be for-ever remembered at KeyspanPark for driving in the win-ning run in the 10th inning ofthe first Cyclones’ home gamein 2001 — hit home runs ineach of his next three gamesfor the Mets, becoming thefirst big leaguer to hit fourdingers in his first four games.

The Mets promptly tradedJacobs at the end of the season.

Another member of the in-augural Cyclones, Justin Huber,made his major league debutwith Kansas City this season.

And four former Cyclonesare currently on the Mets’ 40-man roster: pitchers Brian Ban-nister and Matt Lindstrom, in-fielder Aaron Baldiris, andoutfielder Angel Pagan.

On the field, the 2005 Cy-clones showed a lot of the samegrit once shown by those im-mortal Brooklynites. Managedby Met legend (and Bill Buck-ner nemesis) Mookie Wilson,the Cyclones finished the sea-son at 40-36, in third place inthe McNamara Division of theNew York-Penn League.

Although they missed theplayoffs, the Cyclones did havethree players in the first NYPLAll-Star Game, which was heldat Keyspan Park.

Left-hander Bobby Parnell,winner of the “Mel Parnell NoRelation” Clonie Award, pre-sented by The Brooklyn Pa-pers, made the team thanks tohis miniscule 1.73 ERA.

Third-baseman Josh Pe-tersen also made the All-Stars,but a back injury limited hisplaying time. He did hit .286during the season.

Speedy Long Islander JoeHolden, All-Star outfielder, hit.291, and he won a ClonieAward as the best semi-localCyclone.

Another promising Cyclone,catcher Drew Butera, hit only.217, but his great throwing

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2005THE YEAR IN REVIEW

arm earned him a “Statue ofLiberty Upraised ThrowingArm” Clonie.

Infielder Ivan Naccarata be-came the first player to hit threehome runs into the stiff oceanbreezes blowing over the rightfield bleachers at Keyspan Park.

To commemorate the 50thanniversary of the BrooklynDodgers’ 1955 World Serieswin, Keyspan Park hosted fourmembers of that team: pitchersCarl Erskine, Clem Labine andEd Roebuck, and outfielderGeorge “Shotgun” Shuba.

The 2005 season also fea-tured a metaphysical ceremonyinvolving Archie “Moonlight”Graham, a 126-year-old formerNew York Giant outfielder fi-nally getting his long-awaitedat-bat. In real life, Graham (fa-mously portrayed in “Field ofDreams” by Burt Lancaster)made his big league debut atBrooklyn’s Washington Parklate in the 1905 season. Theyear ended before he got a sin-gle at-bat.

Facing Cyclones’ pitchingcoach Steve Merriman, Grahamfinally got his chance — butstruck out, on a fastball no less.

On a more serious note,Keyspan Park hosted the long-awaited unveiling of a statue ofJackie Robinson and Pee WeeReese. The monument com-memorates the moment inMay, 1947 when Reese, awhite ballplayer, put his armaround his black teammate,who was being taunted byracist thugs before a game.

The statue is permanently in-stalled at the stadium.

The Cyclones’ 2006 sched-ule has not been announced,but there are 172 days untilOpening Day.

But who’s counting? Well,we are!

The Jackie Robinson andPee Wee Reese statue wasunveiled in November.

enue sidewalks, on brownstonestoops, in the Third Street Playground,on the beach at Coney Island, in everykind of public bathroom imaginable,even on the Staten Island Ferry.

But enough of Smartmom’s glorydays of diapering. While Twin triedto hide Ducky’s bottom from publicviewing, Smarmom stood guard.Ducky herself wasn’t real happyabout being changed in public andshe twisted and cried a bit. But it allwent very quickly and cleanly: thewhole ordeal took less than two min-utes.

Afterwards, Ducky went back tositting in her stroller, sucking on herElmo sippy cup. Twin put the diaperin a plastic bag and took it out to thegarbage pail on the corner of ThirdStreet and Seventh Avenue. Whenshe got back, she went into the out-of-order bathroom and washed herhands. Thoroughly.

A S PRESIDENT BUSHmightsay, mission accomplished.Smartmom and Twin were

already back to their lattes and gos-sip when one of the baristas walkedover.

“I know you had to do it. But wecan’t allow you to do that here,” shesaid.

“Sorry,” said Twin.“She did it here because the bath-

room was out-of-order,” Smartmomchimed in, aware that she sounded abit defensive.

“I know. But for future reference,you can’t do it here. It’s against thelaw AND it’s unhygienic. We couldget closed down for that,” she said.

Twin apologized again. Obvious-

ly, she knew it wasn’t the best ideato do it in the first place — but she’snew at this baby stuff. Nobody likesto watch a diaper-changing — evenone at Olympic speed — but what’sa mom to do?

Yet even after being upbraided bythe counter-help, Twin was still smil-ing. And that smile said it all. Twinbecame a mom just over threemonths ago after longing to be onefor years. Pre-baby, she was oftenannoyed by the mommy mafia of

Park Slope: the strollers blocking theaisles at Key Food, the kids runningwild at Blue Ribbon, the publicbreastfeeding at the Mojo Café.

It was hard enough not having herown child, but to be surrounded by somany people with children was down-right annoying. But once Twin and herhusband adopted Ducky from Russia,everything changed.

Three months into motherhood,Twin is already becoming one ofthose infant-obsessed Park Slope par-ents. Diapering a baby in a cafe.Imagine.

But just because she’d broken thelast taboo didn’t mean that Twinwasn’t going to live her life. Lastweek, she, Smartmom and Duckyreturned to the scene of the crimeand stoped gossiping long enough tonotice a tall Nordic-looking womancome into the café, her small baby ina sling, and sit in the now-infamouswindow seat.

Without any self-consciousness atall, she unbuttoned her shirt and re-vealed her large lactating breasts forall to see. Tall Nordic Woman beganto breastfeed without even botheringto cover herself or the child.

Smartmom (unlike Barbara Wal-ters, who expressed her disgust withbreastfeeding on “The View”) foundTall Nordic Woman’s lack of inhibi-tion refreshing. She’s European.They’re so much more progressiveabout breastfeeding (and breasts, cometo think of it) than Americans are.

And then it happened. Tall NordicWoman began to diaper her infanton the window seat — no diaperpad, no nothing. And she didn’t evencheck to see if the public restroom

was in or out-of-order.“You’re not going to believe this,”

Smartmom whispered to Twin.“Maybe this is becoming THE placeto diaper babies. They should put afully-stocked changing table therecomplete with Huggies, Desitin,wipes, and Bag Balm.”

THE SISTERS WATCHED,fascinated, as Tall NordicWoman undressed her little

Hamlet, cleaning his pink bottomwith a wipe, exchanging the dirty di-aper for a clean one, and quicklyputting the dirty diaper into her bag.Finally, she snapped her infant intohis baby blue onesie.

Very efficient. Quite discreet. Nomuss, no fuss.

Smartmom and her sister had dif-ferent reactions.

“That wasn’t disgusting,” Smart-mom said. “The diaper wasn’t eventhat dirty,” Twin said.

“It looked like the most naturalthing in the world,” Smartmomadded. “I bet SHE won’t be repri-manded,” Twin added, with somebitterness.

Smartmom didn’t think anyoneelse saw. Besides, she imagined that ifanyone so much as began complain-ing, Tall Nordic Woman would’veopened up a can of Grendel all overthe complainer. Smartmom was se-cretly hoping someone would saysomething so she could hear TallNordic Woman let her have it.

The sisters went back to sippingtheir lattes. “Diapering a baby in acafé. Imagine,” Smartmom saidaloud with fake incredulity.

Check out Louise Crawford’s blog athttp://onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn.com

SMARTmom

By Louise Crawford

Diapering: The Final Frontier

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ATM FOUND IN SCHOOLYARD62/68 BLOTTER

By Lilo H. StaintonThe Brooklyn Papers

Automated teller mach-ines don’t usually travel adozen blocks on theirown.

Police said thieves dumpedan ATM at a Stillwell Avenueschool after burglarizing astore on 20th Avenue, near78th Street, on Dec. 20.

Workers discovered theATM in the schoolyard, near82nd Street, around 10 pmand called the cops.

When they traced the ma-chine back to the 20th Avenuebodega, police discovered thelocks snipped on the buildingand a cleaned-out cash regis-ter inside. And in addition tothe ATM, robbers had re-moved a Lotto machine, alocked cabinet, plus an unde-termined number of telephone

charge cards and numerouscartons of cigarettes, policesaid.

Luckily for the businessowners, police found the cabi-net and returned it to the vic-tims, still stocked with $1,813in cash. But the Lotto machineis still at large.

Granny beatA trio of thugs got radical

on a woman’s head, bashingher with a skateboard during aDec. 21 robbery.

Police said the thievesjumped the 61-year-old victimat the corner of 82nd Streetand 19th Avenue, around 7pm. One robber smacked thewoman on the skull with hisboard, knocking her out cold.

As she lay unconscious onthe pavement, the thievesgrabbed her purse, which heldan unknown amount of mon-ey, her cellphone, address

book and other valuables, po-lice said. During the heist, oneof the robbers stood guard.

When the woman came to,she walked home, and herniece took her to Coney IslandHospital, police said.

Ride alongA gun-wielding thug

jumped into a delivery truckon Bay Parkway on Dec. 20and, within moments, robbedboth the driver and his vehi-cle, according to police.

After making a stop nearthe corner of 85th Streetaround 4:30 pm, the 20-year-old driver hopped back intohis truck and began to pullaway from the curb. That’swhen the thief joined him,leaping into the cab throughthe unlocked passenger-sidedoor, police said.

The surprise guest pulledout a black handgun and de-manded the driver’s money.The victim turned over all hehad — $8 — but it didn’tseem to be enough. Policesaid the gunman also grabbedthe driver’s gold necklace andthen pried the CD player loosefrom the truck’s dashboard.

The robber then leapt fromthe truck and ran off, headingsouth on Bay Parkway, policesaid.

Guard attacked Maybe his printer had run

dry at a critical moment. Ormaybe it was the high cost ofthe cartridges that motivatedthe thief.

Police don’t know why theman stole multiple ink car-tridges from a Kings Highwayshop near Quentin Road onDec. 20, but a security guardsaw him stashing the comput-er accessories inside his shirtaround 7:30 pm.

This shoplifter was deter-mined. When the security guardtried to stop him near the store’sexit, he became wild, flailing hisarms. He escalated to punchesand bashed the guard across thehead, leaving him with a lumpon the noggin and a black eye,police said.

Rush hour robThe thieves didn’t take the

shirt off his back. They took thejacket. And his cellphone, too.

Police said a posse of fourmen surrounded a 14-year-oldat the corner of Quentin Roadand West Ninth Street, at 6:15pm on Dec. 21. Two thugspushed him up against a wallwhile the other two stripped himof his red-and-white jacket andsnatched his cellphone. Then therobbers — described as threeAsians and one white man, all

dressed in jeans and black jack-ets — ran off, police said.

Teen muggedIf only that ride had showed

up on time.But unfortunately for a

teenager, waiting on the cor-ner of Bay Parkway andCropsey Avenue on Dec. 21, arobber got there first, accord-ing to police.

Police said at 4:05 pm astranger appeared and askedthe 17-year old if he had anymoney. Without even waitingfor an answer, the thug added,“Give me your cellphone orI’ll stuff you.”

The victim turned over hismobile phone, and the muggerran down Cropsey Avenue be-fore the victim could get agood look at him, police said.

Church theftIs nothing sacred anymore?Someone snatched the

purse of a 78-year-old womanwhile she attended a Christ-mas day service at a church onEighth Avenue, police said.

The victim said she left herpew at 1:10 pm on Dec. 25and returned less then 10 min-utes later to find her bag miss-ing. The tan leather purse con-tained $20, various credit anddebit cards, her cellphone andcar keys, police said.

Police have too many sus-pects: some 400 peoplepacked the church, near SixthStreet, for the holiday service.

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The teller obliged, filling a bag with an undisclosedamount of cash, and the man ran away. He was last seenwearing a blue baseball cap, a dark jacket, blue jeans andsneakers.

Police have asked anyone with information to call theanonymous hotline at (800) 577-TIPS.

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Hey, beer man!An armed robber snatched

$4,000 from a man making abeer delivery on Ninth Streeton Dec. 20, police said.

After the 42-year-old deliv-ery man made a brewski dropnear Sixth Avenue, at 5:50pm, a stranger shoved a gun inhis back and demanded, “Giveme your money.”

The thief reached into thevictim’s jacket, snatched thewad of cash, and then ran downSixth Avenue, police said.

The delivery man describedthe robber as a black man, 6-foot-1, wearing eyeglasses.His outfit that day consisted ofa black baseball hat, bluejeans and a black overcoat, ac-cording to police.


Eric Ringsby isn’t aracist.

Honest.But the Fort Greene land-

lord certainly had an uphillbattle convincing Council-woman Letitia James (D-Prospect Heights) after a con-stituent told James about adiscriminatory apartment adRingsby had placed.

The listing specified a pref-erence for “European” renters.

Granted, Fort Greene maybe one of the few neighbor-hoods where it’s easier to finda baguette than a slice, butJames promptly called Rings-by and told him his “prefer-ence” was illegal.

“He was surprised to heardirectly from a council-woman,” James said. “Butthat’s me.”

Ringsby blamed the “dis-criminatory” ad on a momen-tary loss of judgment, citinghis wife – and a recent trip toItaly — as the culprits.

“We don’t discriminate,” hesaid. “My wife just likes Eu-ropeans.”

But the councilmemberwasn’t buying. So Ringsbypulled out his own race card,telling James about workingfor Jesse Jackson’s RainbowCoalition and about the civilrights marches his mother tookhim to when he was a child.

He also dropped the name“Martin Luther King.”

Ringsby’s liberal street credeventually persuaded thecouncilmember that it was anhonest mistake.

“I’ll give him the benefit ofthe doubt,” she said.

Tishslamsad

Namestreet forsoldierThe Brooklyn Papers

Park Slope marked the one-year anniversary of the loss ofnative son Joseph Behnke inIraq by renaming part ofProspect Avenue in his honorlast week.

Behnke, 45, died on Dec. 4,2004 in a Humvee crash southof Baghdad. A son of a WorldWar II vet, Behnke tried to en-list to fight in Vietnam at age13. At age 17, though, theArmy accepted the eager re-cruit and he served in the82nd Airborne from 1976-80.

After Sept. 11, he re-enlist-ed with the National Guardand was sent to Iraq.

He was posthumously pro-moted to sergeant and award-ed the Bronze Star.

— Gersh Kuntzman

Celeb portraitsFor glimpses of the private and public lives of New

York City celebrities, “Celebrity Moments: The Workof Daily News Photographer Richard Corkery,”promises a gallery full of 30 atypical color and black-

and-white portraits. Curated by the Daily

News’ Thomas Monas-ter, the exhibition — ondisplay at the Brooklyncampus of Long IslandUniversity beginningThursday — featuresshots that Corkery hassnapped for the tabloidover the last 25 years.

Among the boldfacenames that the Bronx na-tive will display are thoseof presidents (Ronald

Reagan, backstage at the “Will Rogers Follies”), mu-sicians (Madonna, above), actors (Johnny Depp, shar-ing a cocktail with Kate Moss) and many more.

“Celebrity Moments” is on display from Jan.4-27 at the Humanities Building Gallery in LongIsland University, at the junction of Flatbush Av-enue Extension and DeKalb Avenue in Down-town Brooklyn. Gallery hours are Mondaythrough Friday, from 9 am to 6 pm and week-ends from 11 am to 5 pm. For information, call(718) 488-1198. — Lisa J. Curtis

ART

The Brooklyn Papers’ essential guide to the Borough of Kings December 31, 2005(718) 834-9350

THEATER

Galapagos Art Space launches its new theater se-ries, “Evolve,” on Jan. 6 with Clay McLeod Chap-man’s “Bar Flies.” Curated by Artistic DirectorTravis Chamberlain, the series will feature a differentshow each month.

Chapman’s “BarFlies” stars the play-wright — plus ac-tors Karl Allen,Hanna Cheek,Dave Guerieraand SeanTwomey — set-tled amongst thepatrons in Gala-pagos’s back room.The five stories relat-ed by the actors will mixwith music from the band.

Chapman (pictured) is perhaps best known as thecreator of the “Pumpkin Pie Show,” which has beenplaying in New York and around the world for thepast eight years. He is also the author of “Miss Cor-pus” (Hyperion).

Future “Evolve” series pieces will include newworks from Rachel Shukert (February); Kyle Jarrowwith performance artists Desiree Burch, MichaelCyril Creighton and Brian Mullin (April); and mo-nologist Mike Daisey (May).

“Bar Flies” performances are Jan. 6, 13 and 27at 8 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at thedoor. Galapagos is located at 70 North Sixth St. atWythe Avenue in Williamsburg. For information,call (718) 782-5188 or visit the Web site atwww.galapagosartspace.com. — Lisa J. Curtis

Variety showMUSIC

If you’re a musician — or music lover — whowishes there was more live footage of bands per-forming on television than the musical guest fea-tured on “Saturday Night Live,” look no fartherthan Lee Chabowski’s “The What Goes On!Show.” The Cobble Hill musician-director’s DVDfeatures surprisingly slick footage of 10 diverseNew York acts — with six from Brooklyn — all

uncut, with just enoughcamera angles to keepit interesting.

The bands are intro-duced in skits filmed onlocation around the city.(One features a womanhanging out her laun-dry; another, a personwaiting on a subwayplatform.)

In addition to writ-ing, directing and pro-ducing the “What GoesOn! Show,” Chabowskialso fronts the rockband, New Delhi Mon-

key Man, which is featured on the DVD, too. Chabowski told GO Brooklyn that he and wife

Margaret Pine Chabowski are at work on volume IIof the Ed Sullivan-inspired musical-variety show.

“This is an ongoing project for us,” Chabowskisaid of his directorial debut. “We are constantlylooking for new bands.” Bands wishing to submitmaterials can e-mail [email protected].

“The What Goes On! Show” is $19.95 and can bepurchased through the www.whatgoesonshow.comWeb site or rented at local stores: Video FreeBrooklyn [244 Smith St. at DeGraw and Douglassstreets in Boerum Hill, (718) 855-6130] and ReelLife South [1111 Eighth Ave. at 11th Street in ParkSlope, (718) 965-9775]. — Lisa J. Curtis

By Drew Pisarrafor The Brooklyn Papers

In outward show at least, Shakespeare’sGlobe Theatre production of “Measurefor Measure” — which runs through

Sunday, Jan. 1 at St. Ann’s Warehouse inDUMBO — belies an ultra-traditional ap-proach.

Jennifer Tiramani’s stately costumes areornamented with ruff collars, lacey cuffsand brocade capes; Claire van Kampen’scourtly musicalarrangements areplayed on 16th-cen-tury instrumentslike hammer dul-cimer, bagpipe andrecorder; and manyof the all-male castare powdered towithin an inch oftheir lives.

Yet on closer ex-amination, the sen-sibility informing London’s lauded touringproduction ends up infinitely more Victori-an than Elizabethan as director Mark Ry-lance has instructed his two primary cross-dressing actors to play the lead femalecharacters as sexually repressed.

Dressed in corsets that stress their flatchests (as well as the seams), these Ama-zonian ingenues skirt cliched feminine wilesand weaknesses by exhibiting a highly pro-nounced reserve that suggests their brains aswell as their bodies have been restrained bythe most stringent morality. Edward Hogg’sIsabella is all pinched voice and gentlyprayerful hands (plus a single swoon), whileMichael Brown’s Mariana has a royal stiff-ness that’s firm without being steely.

Since neither performer camps or vampsoutside the quietly quivering voices andhighly contained movements meant to con-vey courtly femininity, these roles never

register as either real women or comicmockeries. They’re well-behaved geldingsin girlish gear — a strange conceit whenyou consider the script’s narrative thrust isnothing if not hormonal.

Shakespeare’s tale starts with one novi-tiate, Isabella, finding her world upendedwhen, on the eve of renouncing all earthlypleasures for convent life, she’s called uponto argue for her brother’s release fromprison. (He’s been sentenced to die. Thecrime? Premarital intercourse.) The self-

righteous judge, An-gelo, acting as surro-gate for the exiledDuke, invites her totrade her virginityfor her brother’sfreedom. Instead,with the help of theDuke, who’s dis-guised as a friar, shesets up her persecu-tor to sleep with hisown former fiancée,

Mariana, who’s been pining for him for fivelong years.

To strip these principal players of all car-nal desire is to turn what is usually an im-passioned battle of the sexes into a coollyconceived war of philosophies. Any trans-gression registers as conceptual; any statedirrational longing, as a crafty political move.

Liam Brennan’s Angelo isn’t lusting afterHogg’s Isabella. He’s challenging her reli-gious code. Mariana isn’t moonstruck byher former betrothed. She’s seeking herrightful husband. With Freudian overtonesset securely on the back burner, this “Mea-sure for Measure” is short on heat.

It’s akin to an “Othello” with an all-whitecast or a “Richard III” with a matinee idoldressed to the nines. Which is not to say itcan’t, or doesn’t, work but simply howstrange it is to begin with. Similar to the Na-tional Asian American Theatre Company’s

pan-Asian take on “Othello” in 2000 whichturned the feud between Iago and the Moorinto a straightforward potboiler, this produc-tion resurfaces as an Adlerian contest ofwills with, this time, chastity instead ofadultery, as the linchpin.

Power is everything — even as rape isheld at abeyance. And as the central conflictbetween Angelo and Isabella is desexual-ized, a secondary element comes to the fore.

The Duke (played with comic brio by Ry-lance himself) shifts from a benign puppet-master to an insecure protagonist whosemakeshift machinations are impromptu ex-

pressions of his own fears and desires. Takinghis cue from the line “I love the people/But donot like to stage me to their eyes,” Rylance’sDuke is a self-conscious, if well-meaning,ruler, an emotionally stunted middle-agedmonarch whose bungled phrasing and abruptlapses into silence reflect a discomfort withthe emotional and sexual realms. A sub-sub-plot concerning a self-aggrandizing courtiernamed Lucio (Colin Hurley) who slandersthe Duke when the latter’s incognito, andslanders the alter ego when the Duke reap-pears, emerges as a significant narrative arcthat reflects the development of the Duke’sself-confidence, a development that runs par-allel to his evolving love for Isabella.

The success of this “Measure for Mea-sure,” and it’s a major one at that, is howthe Duke’s final proposal of marriage to thesometime nun — which had formerly con-signed the text to problem play status — nolonger comes out of nowhere. Instead, hisproposal (which goes unanswered) comesacross as the natural expression of a manwho has finally gotten in touch with hisfeelings. You only wish that the actionswhich have inspired him were as richly con-ceived.

As Mariana says, “They say the best menare molded out of faults/And, for the most,become much more the better/For being alittle bad.” The same could be said ofShakespeare revivals.

Globe Theatre’s ‘Measure forMeasure’ is light on lusty ladies,generous with the comic vigor

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre of Lon-don’s production of “Measure for Mea-sure” runs Monday through Saturday at7:30 pm and Wednesday and Sunday at 2pm through Jan. 1 at St. Ann’s Warehouse(38 Water St. between Main and Frontstreets in DUMBO). Tickets are $60. Fortickets, call (718) 254-8779. For more infor-mation, visit www.artsatstanns.org.

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December 31, 2005 AWP 7

By Tina Barryfor The Brooklyn Papers

Sal Buglione wanted a pizza placethat would make his father, An-thony, proud. His dream was to

drive his dad to the eatery, point to the“Anthony’s” sign, and say, “This isfor you.”

His father died three years beforeBuglione could make the dream a reali-ty, but the place radiates family life: Saland his brother Frank greet guests andhis clan gathers in the dining room onSunday evenings to enjoy his mother,Lina’s, magnificent ragu.

Open since November, Anthony’s isdoing a few things right. On a recentSunday evening after 8 pm, every tablewas full and a group waited patiently atthe door. They come for the warmth ofthe Buglione family members, whowelcome every customer with genuinedelight. The patrons visit for the light,vibrantly sauced southern Italian dishescomprised of the freshest ingredients.(Frank makes the mozzarella.) And theyline up for the brick-oven pizza.

And, oh what pies. The man shovel-ing out some of the best pizza in ParkSlope is “pizzaio-lo” Bart Agozzinowho earned hispie-baking chopsat the Trianon inNaples. Agozzi-no’s father, Alfre-do, built Antho-ny’s gas-firedbrick oven.

The combina-tion of the pie-man and thatoven make for an ethereal pizza. It’s nottoo big — about 10 inches — and soldwhole; this isn’t a slice joint. The crustis gently sprinkled with Parmesan be-fore it’s baked, which adds a delectablehint of salt to the dough. It emergesfrom the oven crisp, slightly chewy yetdelicate, with smoky char-spots alongits bottom.

Any old sauce and cheese would behelped enormously by such an idealbase, but Anthony’s sauce tastes vividlyof ripe tomatoes. Just enough milky,creamy mozzarella is applied so it does-n’t weigh down the works. Each pie isstrewn with slivers of fresh basil. It’s

delectable rightdown to the bub-bly, brittle collar ofcrust.

If you crave awhite pie, Antho-ny’s is the placeto indulge thatyen. A bit offreshly made ri-cotta cheese topsthe mozzarellafor a simple look-

ing, yet richly flavored, treat.A table of regulars who come on

Sunday for Lina’s ragu, each planted akiss on her cheek when she visitedtheir table. After tasting it, I could un-derstand their affection. Ragu is a tra-ditional Italian sauce made on Sundaysand usually served as a late afternoonfamily meal. There’s a variety of dif-

ferent meats that cook slowly in thetomato sauce (Lina’s recipe includesmeatballs, pork ribs and “braciola”)until they absorb the sweetness of thetomatoes and the meat becomes fall-off-the-bone tender. The “braciola”(beef rolled around a savory filling) isrich and garlicky; the spare ribs moist;but the meatballs are too bread-y.

The sauce is poured over perfectly“al dente” ziti.

Instead of a waiter standing overyour dish and grating fresh Parmesan,a waitress plunks down a shaker. It’sall part of Anthony’s “not fancy, justgreat food” ambience.

That casual, keep-it-simple attitudeapplies to the restaurant’s decor aswell. Buglione (a co-owner of theNick’s pizza chainlet in Queens) andhis partners in this venture — brotherFrank Buglione, Joe Bosco and LouiePagano — did a gut renovation on theformer Paradou space, including theoutdoor garden area. Inside, theybricked the walls, lined the room withwooden tables, placed a small bar inthe front and installed the brick ovenin the rear. Frosted white chandeliers

add a soft glow to the room; a hugeglass wall that faces Seventh Avenueadds drama. As far as decorationgoes, there isn’t much, but it hardlymatters; with an ambience as cheerfulas Anthony’s, accessories are irrele-vant.

If you stick to the pizza and un-complicated dishes like the ragu;light, not too cheesy eggplant Parme-san; and terrific, tender, garlickybaked clams, you’ll be happy.

However I would skip the slightlyovercooked scallops, paired with amix of slivered carrots, asparagus andonions. Compared to the rest of themeal, they were just okay.

One dish that packed a wallop offlavor was the chicken with eggplant.Pieces of breast meat were flattenedslightly and layered with an eggplantscallop. Before crowning the meat,the vegetable is baked with a thin lay-er of Parmesan and topped with a

spoonful of winey, caramelizedonions that add sweetness.

Anthony’s serves two house-madedesserts that, like the rest of the menu,are terrific examples of classics doneright. Cannoli can be a boring, leadendessert with a soggy shell and toosweet, ricotta cheese filling. Here, theshell is so thin, it’s nearly transparentand crackling crisp. Its filling iscreamy, lightly sweetened and studdedwith ground pistachio nuts. Tiramisu isanother perennial that has been onmenus far too long. Again, at Antho-ny’s, it’s surprisingly good: the airylayers of cake soaked with espressoand mascarpone cheese are rich andpudding-like without being heavy.

By January, there will be a “cheapbut good,” list of international wines,Buglione says.

Anthony may not have seen hissons’ dream come true, but he’d beproud of the place that bears his name.

Let them eat pie: (At right) Anthony’s owner Sal Buglione serves awhite pie and margherita pizza. (Above) The restaurant’s interior fea-tures exposed brick walls and a brick oven.

WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COMTHE BROOKLYN PAPERS

Anthony’s (426A Seventh Ave. be-tween 14th and 15th streets in ParkSlope) accepts American Express, Dis-cover, MasterCard and Visa. Entrees:$9-$16. The restaurant serves lunchand dinner daily. Sunday brunch willbegin on New Year’s Day and will beserved from 11 am to 3 pm. For infor-mation, call (718) 369-8315.

DINING

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New Year’sCelebration 2006Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005 8:30pm to 2:00am

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Hors d’Oeurves served upon arrival

AntipastoInsalata d’Astice Mediterraneo

Lobster Salad with Tomatoes & Onions

Primi PiattiTortelli Di Magro Salsa di Pomodoro e Basilico

Homemade pasta filled with Veal, Spinach & Parmesan Cheeselight tomato sauce & basil

Secondi PiattiCombinazione Mignonette & Scampi

Sautéed filet tenderloin al Barolo with mushroom sauce & Broiled Prawns

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Celebrate a spectacular New Year’s Eve in a majestic Victorianballroom. Ring in the New Year with live music, delicious foodand amazing entertainment in one of the most beautifullocations in all of New York.

Sat., Dec. 31, 2005 9:00 pm - 3:30 amFeaturing:- Stowianie Dance Band with Andre Jewska- Professional D.J. Music Between Sets- Prospect Follies Dance Troupe- A Spectacular Light Show

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In Williamsburg, a performance-space-cum-eatery is as common as aChinese restaurant in Chinatown. ButMy Moon is more than brick wallsand cement floors. Opened in May byBener Bilgin, the vast 246-seat spacefunctions as a gallery with works bylocal artists changing every sixweeks; a performance space with adifferent act each night, includingWednesday’s belly dancing with alive band; and a restaurant with aneclectic Turkish-Mediterranean menu.

It took over a year for Bilgin’s teamto gut a factory boiler room and trans-form it into the high-ceilinged, multi-windowed space with unusual boothseating: the former plant’s water tanksare now banquettes (pictured).

Doors in the back of the restaurantopen to a spacious courtyard linedwith wooden tables romanticallyframed with bright curtains in Chris-to-like “Gates” saffron.

You can build a meal with smallplates of chef Fernando Echeverri’shot and cold offerings such as the redSpanish peppers filled with rice,sausage, and manchego cheese in agreen sauce or tuna tartar topped withbeets and toasted almonds.

For hungrier appetites, there areentrees like the braised lamb served ina clay casserole with Swiss chard,figs, roasted shallots and vegetables.

As befits an art/performance/res-taurant space, the specialty cocktailsoutnumber the wines, three to one.

My Moon (184 North 10th St. be-tween Bedford and Driggs avenues)accepts American Express, MasterCardand Visa. Entrees: $13-$18. The restau-rant serves dinner daily. Brunch is avail-able on weekends from 11 am to 4pm. For reservations, call (718) 599-7007. For a list of upcoming perfor-mances, visit www.mymoonnyc.com.

— Tina Barry

Moon overManhattan

Keep it simpleAnthony’s no-fuss decor and service putsfocus on top shelf pizza, ragu & more

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SAT, DEC 31

New Year’s EveMENORAH LIGHTING: Celebration

of Hanukkah with a public meno-rah lighting. Live band, hot latkesand gifts for children. 6 pm. GrandArmy Plaza. (347) 885-6675. Free.

FIREWORKS: 24th annual display inProspect Park. Best locations forviewing the fireworks include any-where in Grand Army Plaza,inside the park on the WestDrive, and along Prospect ParkWest and nearby side streets.Just before midnight. Also, DejaBlu (10-piece big band) plays at11 pm. www.prospectpark.org.(718) 965-8999. Free.

BARGEMUSIC: New Year’s Eve con-cert featuring an all-Bach pro-gram. $125. 7:30 pm. FultonFerry Landing, Old Fulton Streetat the East River. (718) 624-2083.

HANUKKAH EVENT: Menorah is litin front of the state SupremeCourt building. 6 pm. Music andhot latkes. Free menorahs andcandles will be distributed. Courtand Montague streets. (718) 596-4840. Free.

PARTY: St. Finbar Center hosts aparty with a hot buffet. $37.50,$18 for children 12 and younger.8 pm. Bath Avenue at Bay 20thStreet. (718) 236-3312.

PARTY: Hanukkah party hosted byCongregation B’nai Jacob.Dancing, food, live entertainmentfor children and Jewish music fromaround the world. $5. 8 pm to 10pm. 401 Ninth St. AdditionalHanukkah party at 11 pm at 70Prospect Park West. Also, publiclighting of an ice menorah. Livemusic, hot latkes and warm drinks.11:45 pm. Prospect Park West andThird Street. (347) 885-6675. Free.

FUN RUN: Slope Sports andBrooklyn’s Road Runners Clubhost a healthy way to ring in thenew year. Start and finish line atthe Grand Army Plaza entranceof Prospect Park. Post-race partyat Burrito Bar and Kitchen. $20entry fee. 11:15 pm. Walkers wel-come. www.slopesports.com.(718) 230-4686.

XPO LODGE: Winter monthly host-ed by The Expo at Gallerie.Music and dance. Call. 63 PearlSt. (718) 797-2557.

SUN, JAN 1

New Year’s DayBIRDING: Ring in the new year. Ex-

plore the Lullwater and Peninsula

8 AWP December 31, 2005WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COMTHE BROOKLYN PAPERS

Where to Compiledby SusanRosenthal

THIS WEEK AT

THE BACK ROOM BEGINS

New Year’s Eve Menu$65

GLASS OF CHAMPAGNEand an oyster with

white truffle mignonette

FIRST COURSE

Duck RillettesCarpaccio of Diver Scallop

Asparagus MilanesePuree of Butternut Squash Soup

Frisee Salad

INTERMEZZO

Green Apple Sorbet

MAIN COURSE

Spicy Cumin Crusted Yellowfin TunaSlow Roasted Salmon

Tournedo of BeefHousemade Farfalle

CHEESE INTERMEZZO

Stilton with port wine poached pears

DESSERT

Crème Brulée • Key Lime PieHot Chocolate Cake

Croissant Bread Pudding

Restaurant • Bar • Jazz • PerformanceBreakfast • Lunch • Dinner

Weekend Brunch • Parties • ChampagneEscargots • Tuna Confit • Flights of Wine

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Judy Joice of The Lion’sHead and Robin Hirschof Cornelia Street Cafe

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NewYear’sEve 2006

For Reservations: (718) 625-9352 • www.waterstreetrestaurant.com66 Water Street / DUMBO Brooklyn (just over the Brooklyn Bridge)

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Watch LIVE from Times Square onour two 8 foot Jumbo-Tron Screens

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BANDAt the UnderWater Lounge10:00pm til 5:00am (music cover: $25)

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The Backroom(Inside Freddy’s Bar) 485 Dean St. atSixth Avenue in Prospect Heights, (718)622-7035, www.freddysbackroom.com.Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve BASH! The FreakyFancy New Year’s Eve Rock Ball with FunnyVideo, 8 pm, Hoots and Hellmouth, 9 pm,Tom Thumb and the Latter Day Saints, 10pm, MotorMouth (The Spunk Lads newband), 11:15 pm, FREE; Jan. 1: Pub Quiz, 9pm, FREE; Jan. 2: Comedy night, 9 pm,FREE; Jan. 5: Old time jam, 9:30 pm, FREE;Jan. 6: Andy Schneider, 9:30 pm, KevinMichael, 10:30 pm, Dirt Road 14, 11:30 pm,FREE.

BAM Cafe30 Lafayette Ave. at Ashland Place in FortGreene, (718) 636-4100, www.bam.org.Jan. 6: LOTET, 9 pm, $10 food/drink mini-mum.

Barbes376 Ninth St. at Sixth Avenue in ParkSlope, (718) 965-9177, www.barbesbrooklyn.com.Tuesdays: Slavic Soul Party, 9 pm, $8; Wed-nesdays: Night of the Ravished Limbs, 9pm, $8; Sundays: Stephane Wrembel’s HotClub of New York, 9 pm, $8 suggesteddonation; Dec. 31: The Fourth Annual NewYear’s Eve Balkan Bash with the ZagnutCircus Orkestar, 10 pm, $10; Jan. 1: TheBlue Vipers, 10 pm, FREE; Jan. 2: The Vel-meers, 9:30 pm, FREE; Jan. 3: Jenny Schein-man, 7 pm, FREE; Jan. 4: Transit, 8 pm, $8,Ralph Alessi/Tim Berne/Shane Endsley, 10pm, $8; Jan. 5: Orrin Star & the Sultans ofString, 8 pm, $10, Rachelle Garniez, 10 pm,FREE; Jan. 6: Oscar Noriega, Chris Speed &Anthony Burr Clarinet Trio, 7 pm, FREE,Forro for All & Nation Beat, alternating setsfrom 8 pm to midnight, $10.

Bembe81 S. Sixth St. at Berry Street in Williams-burg, (718) 387-5389, www.bembe.us.

Saturdays: Rhum, live DJs alongside liveLatin percussion flavors, 9 pm, FREE;Sundays: No Selectors with live DJs, 9 pm,FREE; Mondays: Cold Hands with DJDiGilog and special guest vocalists, 9 pm,FREE; Tuesdays: Natural Selections withDJ Jon Bless (JB) and guests, 9 pm, FREE;Wednesdays: Convalescence with DJStefan Andemicael, 9 pm, FREE; Thurs-days: Toque with DJ Nat and live percus-sion sets, 9 pm, FREE; Fridays: World BeatFlavors, 9 pm, FREE; Dec. 31: New Year’scelebration with DJ Mok E, DJ Joy Ride, DJStefan Andemicael, and live percussionsets, 7 pm, $20.

Black Betty366 Metropolitan Ave. at HavemeyerStreet in Williamsburg, (718) 599-0243,www.blackbetty.net.Saturdays: DJ Lil’ Shalimar, 11 pm, FREE;Sundays: Brazilian Beat with DJ SeanMarquand and DJ Greg Caz, 10 pm, FREE;Mondays: Rev. Vince Anderson and hisLove Choir, 10:30 pm, FREE; Tuesdays: HotRocks, 10 pm, FREE; Wednesdays: YahSupreme & Brohemian, 9:30 pm, FREE; Fri-days: The Greenhouse with DJ MonkOne,11 pm, FREE; Dec. 31: Rev. Vince Ander-son and The Greenhouse, 10 pm, $10.

The BrooklynLyceum227 Fourth Ave. at President Street inPark Slope, (718) 398-7301,www.gowanus.com.Dec. 31: New Year’s Ball, “Body Temple,”features DJs Fabian Alsultany and DerekBeres, $35 in advance, $45 at the door(includes body artists, sensual foods andelixirs).

Cafe Steinhof422 Seventh Ave. at 14th Street in ParkSlope, (718) 369-7776, www.cafesteinhof.com.Jan. 4: The Jon Menges Duo, 10:30 pm,FREE.

Cattyshack249 Fourth Ave. at Carroll Street in ParkSlope, (718) 230-5740, www.cattyshackbklyn.com.Saturdays: (Main floor) DJs Daryl Raymond& BK Brewster, 10 pm, $TBD; Tuesdays:(Downstairs) Trivia Night with Sancho, 7pm, FREE, (Upstairs) After work party withrotating DJs, 5 pm, $5, FREE after mid-night; Wednesdays: (Downstairs) “I’mOkay, You’re Okay - Kara-Okay,” 9 pm,FREE to watch, $5 all you can sing, (Up-stairs) “Oink!” with DJ Floyd for dirty boyshosted by PJ, 9 pm, $3; Thursdays:(Upstairs) Schoolhouse with DJ ’Lina &Daryl Raymond, 9 pm, $TBD; Fridays:(Main floor) All-request after-work partywith DJ Lugnut, Cirrah with DJ MarkJames, and rotating go-go with Maine &Sarah and Cinnamon & Keisha, 10 pm, $5;Dec. 31: 11th Annual Fur Ball with live DJsand go-go stars, Time TBD, $10 inadvance, $8 before 10 pm, $20 after 10pm; Jan. 1: Mad Hatter Tea Dance withsuperstar DJ Bill Coleman, 4 pm, FREE,New Year’s Day Party with DJ Ken Terryand DJ Calvin Smith, midnight, $5 before 1am, $10 after 1 am.

ChocolateMonkey329 Flatbush Ave. at Seventh Avenue inPark Slope, (718) 789-7896.Saturdays: Express aka open mic poetrytalent showcase, 10 pm, $7, Sexy LoungeAfter-Party with DJ Ozkar Fuller spinninghouse, classics and rare grooves, 12:30am, FREE; Sundays: “Alternative LifeStyles,” featuring GMHC Center HolidayParty, 8 pm, FREE; Tuesdays: Femme EliteEntertainment music by DJs Candy andInez hosted by Lisa Love, 6 pm, FREE ($5after 9 pm); Wednesdays: Comedy Show-case hosted by Ray DeJon, 7 pm, $10;Thursdays: A Taste of the Undergroundfeaturing DJ Ras & DJ Cloud 9, 6 pm,FREE; Fridays: After Work Karaoke hostedby Lisa Smiles, 6 pm, FREE, Live music andDJ, 11 pm, $5; Dec. 31: Party with buffet,9 pm, $15.

Club Exit147 Greenpoint Ave. at ManhattanAvenue in Greenpoint, (718) 349-6969,www.club-exit.com.Saturdays: DJ Dance Party, 10 pm, $15(ladies FREE until midnight); Fridays: DJDance Party, 10 pm, FREE; Dec. 31: NewYear’s Eve Party with 5 DJs and food andchampagne at midnight, 9 pm, $40 beforemidnight, $50 after midnight.

Europa NightClub98 Meserole Ave. at Manhattan Avenuein Greenpoint, (718) 383-5723,www.europaclub.com.Saturdays: VIP Dance Party, 10 pm, FREE

before 10:30 pm, $15 after 10:30 pm; Sun-days: Art Nights, 7:30 pm, $10; Fridays:Sexy Progressive/Dance party, 10 pm, FREEbefore 10:30 pm, $15 after 10:30 pm; Dec.31: New Year’s Eve Party with DJ Daro, coldand hot buffet, champagne at midnight,contests and surprises, 9 pm, $45 inadvance, $55 day of the show.

Five Spot459 Myrtle Ave. at Washington Avenuein Clinton Hill, (718) 852-0202,www.fivespotsoulfood.com. Saturdays: DJ Aki, 6 pm, FREE, “Back toBrooklyn” with The Beat Miners, midnight,$5; Mondays: Open turntables hosted byElijah, 8 pm, FREE; Tuesdays: DJ HandspinDinero, 6 pm, FREE, DJ Tommy Talkz, 8 pm,FREE, “Hot Damn Tuesdaze” (comedynight) with Dave Lester, 10 pm, FREE; Wed-nesdays: DJ Copa, 6 pm, FREE, SoulF’Real, an R&B open mic for Soul Singers, 9pm, FREE; Thursdays: Large Professorpresents “Timbuktu,” 10 pm, FREE; Dec.31: New Year’s Eve Bash with DJ Evil Dee,Time TBD, $TBD.

Frank’s Lounge660 Fulton St. at South Elliott Place inFort Greene, (718) 625-9339,www.frankscocktaillounge.com.Saturdays: Sinful Saturdays with DJsTyrone and Infinite, 9 pm, $5; Tuesdays:Tuesday Night Live featuring KoKo H Live,9 pm, 2-drink minimum; Wednesdays:Karaoke with Davey B, 9 pm, FREE;Fridays: (Downstairs) Ffun Dance Partywith DJs Tyrone, Julian and Infinite, 8 pm,$5; Dec. 31: “A New Year’s EveCelebration” with live performance by TheRoughstars, and music by Eric “E-Man”Clarke, Lono Brazil, and Tyrone & Infinite, 9pm, $25 (includes a complimentary cham-pagne toast at midnight).

Galapagos70 N. Sixth St. at Wythe Avenue inWilliamsburg, (718) 782-5188, www.galapagosartspace.com.Sundays: Sid and Buddy Karaoke, 10 pm,FREE; Fridays: VJ/DJ Friday Nights, 10pm, FREE; Dec. 31: New Year’s EveCelebration including “Faster PussycatDrink Drink!” with The World Famous Bob,burlesque, and more, 8 pm, $25, The LateNight Amp-Up, 1 am, $10; Jan. 2: SMUT, 8pm, Amateur Burlesque, 10 pm, FREE;Jan. 3: (Backroom) Variety Shac, 8 pm,Brooklyn Comedy Company, 10 pm, FREE,(Front room) Hungry March Band, 10 pm,$TBD; Jan. 5: Creative Collective, 8 pm,$7; Jan. 6: The Handsome Public Rogue-Pop Video Meltdown, 10 pm, $10; Jan. 7:“Open Wide,” The First Annual GalapagosStaff Show Off Festival, 7 pm, FREE.

Grand ProspectHall263 Prospect Ave. at Fifth Avenue inPark Slope, (718) 788-0400, www.grandprospecthall.com.Dec. 31: Dance troupe and light show,international buffet, noisemakers, hats,party favors, 9 pm, $175.

Hank’s Saloon46 Third Ave. at Atlantic Avenue inBoerum Hill, (718) 625-8003, www.hankssaloon.com.Wednesdays: Mobscenity, 10 pm, FREE;Jan. 1: Shotgun Shack, 9:30 pm, FREE; Jan.5: Paul Edelman and the Janling Sparrows,Delicious, 10 pm, FREE; Jan. 6: RadioGhost Town, Mike Mok, 10 pm, FREE; Jan.7: The Randy Bandits, 10 pm, FREE.

The Hook18 Commerce St. at Columbia Street inRed Hook, (718) 797-3007, www.thehookmusic.com.Dec. 31: Matinee Punk Show with LeftoverCrack, Planned Collapse, Team Spider, MadConductor, 3 pm, $10.

Jazz 966966 Fulton St. at Cambridge Place inClinton Hill, (718) 639-6910.Dec. 31: A New Year’s Eve Jazz, Latin &Classic Soul Party & Jam featuring Pucho &His 8-Piece Latin Soul Brothers Band plusPedro & Laurette Carol, 9 pm, $50 inadvance, $60 day of the show (includesdinner, dessert, champagne toast, partyfavors and soft drinks).

The Jazz Spot179 Marcus Garvey Blvd. at KosciuszkoStreet in Bedford-Stuyvesant, (718) 453-7825, www.thejazz.8m.com.Mondays: Jam session, 8 pm, $5; Dec. 31:Celebrate New Year’s Eve with The DrakeColley Quintet, 9 pm, $60 (includes appe-tizer, dinner, dessert, champagne toast, andwine).

JolieRestaurant320 Atlantic Ave. at Hoyt Street inBoerum Hill, (718) 488-0777, www.jolierestaurant.com.Dec. 31: DJ Denmark spins at 10 pm, 7 pmdinner reservations, $59 (five-course prixfixe dinner), after 7 pm reservations, $69five-course prix fixe dinner.

Laila Lounge113 N. Seventh St. at Wythe Avenue inWilliamsburg, (718) 486-6791,www.lailalounge.com.Sundays: Concrescence Sessions featuringa rotating cast of musicians and visualists, 9pm, FREE; Mondays: Karaoke Madnesswith the Corn-Fed Sisters, 9 pm, FREE;Tuesdays: Fruity Loops (Gay Night), 10 pm,FREE; Wednesdays: Jezebel Music Show-case with an open mic, 7:30 pm, live music,8:30 pm, FREE; Dec. 31: A New Year’s EveParty with a live set by Grits, DJ Fat Tony,and more, 9 pm, $TBD (includes cham-pagne toast at midnight); Jan. 6: Ohm, 11pm, FREE.

Les Babouches7803 Third Ave. at 78th Street in BayRidge, (718) 833-1700.Saturdays and Fridays: Belly dancerShahrazad, 8 pm, FREE; Thursdays: Bellydancer Marta, 8 pm, FREE; Dec. 31: $55prix fixe dinner with 2-hour open bar, seat-ing begins at 8 pm.

Liberty HeightsTap Room34 Van Dyke St. at Dwight Street in RedHook, (718) 246-8050, www.libertyheightstaproom.com.Thursdays: Open mic, 8:30 pm, FREE; Dec.31: “Kids and Family New Year’s Eve Bash”with Cool & Unusual Punishment, ChrisCori, 8 pm, $15 children, $25 adults(includes buffet, open bar, champagnetoast at midnight).

The Lucky Cat245 Grand St. at Roebling Street inWilliamsburg, (718) 782-0437,www.theluckycat.com.Mondays: Joe McGinty’s Piano Parlor andkeyboard karaoke, 11 pm, FREE; Tuesdays:Jezebel Music Open Mic Night hosted byClaire Bowman, 7 pm, FREE; Wednesdays:Hex! with DJ Jeremy, 10 pm, FREE; Dec. 31:Bizarre New Year’s Eve party with NewProfessionals, The Divide, live DJs, go-godancers, and more, Time TBD, $TBD; Jan.4: Sten Hostfalt, 9 pm, FREE; Jan. 5:“Brooklyn Rocks!” with Gonna Get Got, 8pm, Shanananananananakneezkneez, 9 pm,Crashbox, 10 pm, Kickstart, 11 pm, $8; Jan.6: Primordial Ooze with Dante, 9 pm, FREE.

The LuLuLounge(Under TacuTacu) 134 N. Sixth St. atBedford Avenue in Williamsburg, (718)218-7889, www.ricerepublic.com.Saturdays, Thursdays and Fridays:Karaoke, 8 pm, FREE.

Magnetic Field 97 Atlantic Ave. at Henry Street inBrooklyn Heights, (718) 834-0069,www.magneticbrooklyn.com.Mondays: Rock ‘n’ Roll DJ Exchange, 9 pm,FREE; Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve for the Restof Us!!, 9 pm, FREE (includes champagne atmidnight); Jan. 4: Dick Swizzles Live ActionTrivia, 9 pm, FREE; Jan. 6: Miss Alex White,SSM, 7:30 pm, $8.

Nalani’s Cafeand Lounge565 Vanderbilt Ave. at Pacific Street inProspect Heights, (347) 645-0507,www.nalanicafe.com.Saturdays: Krush Groove, 9 pm, FREE;Sundays: Jazz nights hosted by JasmeKelly, 7 pm, FREE; Thursdays: Soulful

Thursdays hosted by Red, 9 pm, FREE;Fridays: Karaoke, 9 pm, FREE.

NationalRestaurant273 Brighton Beach Ave. at BrightonSecond Street in Brighton Beach, (718)646-1225, www.come2national.com.Saturdays: Live Russian music and danceshow, 9 pm, FREE (with $65 prix fixe din-ner); Fridays: Live Russian music and danceshow, 9 pm, FREE (with $50 prix fixe din-ner); Sundays: Live Russian music anddance show, 7 pm, FREE (with $50 prix fixedinner); Dec. 31: Show, live music and ban-quet, 9 pm, $150.

Night and DayRestaurant230 Fifth Ave. at President Street in ParkSlope, (718) 399-2161, www.nightanddayrestaurant.com.Tuesdays: Live jazz jam hosted by the DanMcCarthy Trio, 9 pm, FREE; Dec. 31: Livejazz, $65 prix fixe menu and champagnetoast, call for reservations; Jan. 2: ArtistSalon, 6 pm, Angela Bingham, 9 pm, FREE;Jan. 3: Songwriter’s Showcase hosted byKevin Ray, 7 pm, Live jazz jam, 9 pm, FREE;Jan. 4: Saint Anne’s Review hosted by BethBosworth, 7 pm, Solar, 9 pm, FREE; Jan. 5:Tuey Connell, 9 pm, FREE; Jan. 6: ArturoO’Farrill Trio, 9 pm, FREE.

Night of theCookers767 Fulton St. at South Portland Avenuein Fort Greene, (718) 797-1197.Saturdays: Live jazz, 10 pm, FREE; Sundays:Live music, noon, FREE; Thursdays: Live jazz,8 pm, FREE; Fridays: Live jazz, 10 pm, FREE;Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve party, 9 pm, $30(includes buffet and champagne toast).

Northsix66 N. Sixth St. at Wythe Avenue inWilliamsburg, (718) 599-5103,www.northsix.com.Dec. 31: They Might be Giants, 11 pm, $20(SOLD OUT); Jan. 2: (Downstairs) NewElectric, Sparrows, Swarm and Sing!, Planar,8 pm, $8; Jan. 6: The Radicts, AwkwardThought, Disassociate, Step2Far, Pledge ofResistance, 8 pm, $10.

Peggy O’Neill’s(Two locations)

8123 Fifth Ave. at 81st Street in BayRidge, (718) 748-1400, www.peggyoneillsbr.com.Saturdays: DJ Rob and live music, 10 pm,FREE; Mondays: Karaoke with Rod, 9 pm,FREE; Tuesdays: Beer Pong, 9 pm, FREE;Wednesdays: Trivia Night, 9 pm, FREE;Thursdays: Karaoke with DJ Rob, 9 pm,FREE; Fridays: DJ Richie, 10 pm, FREE;Dec. 31: Peggy O’Neill’s New Year’s EveParty, 10 pm, FREE.

1904 Surf Ave. at Keyspan Park inConey Island, (718) 449-3200, www.peggyoneillsci.com.Saturdays: DJ Joey, 11 pm, FREE.

Pete’s CandyStore709 Lorimer St. at Richardson Street inWilliamsburg, (718) 302-3770,www.petescandystore.com.Sundays: Open mic, 5 pm-8 pm, FREE;Dec. 31: Milton’s New Year’s Band, 10 pm,FREE; Jan. 1: Tam-Lin, 9:30 pm, Yoav Erez,10:30 pm, FREE; Jan. 2: Van Hanos, 8 pm,Hotel Brotherhood, 9 pm, Liz Moore, 10pm, The Big Huge, 11 pm, FREE; Jan. 3:Furious Billy, 9 pm, Brownbird Rudy Relic,10 pm, I’ll be John Brown, 11 pm, FREE;Jan. 4: Quizz-Off, 7:30 pm, BasementBand, 10 pm, FREE; Jan. 5: AdrienneNightengale, 10 pm, The Batterie, 11 pm,FREE; Jan. 6: Lianne Smith, 9 pm, WelcomeWagon and Friends, 10 pm, FREE.

Puppet’s JazzBar294 Fifth Ave. at Second Street in ParkSlope, (718) 499-2627, www.puppetsjazz.com.Dec. 31: Jaime Aff and All-Star Friends, 9pm, $TBD.

Rbar451 Meeker Ave. at Graham Avenue inGreenpoint, (718) 486-6116.Mondays: Guest bartender nights, 9 pm,FREE; Tuesdays: Mikey’s Big Gay PajamaParty, 11 pm, FREE; Wednesdays: Karaoke,9 pm, FREE; Thursdays: Comedy night, 8pm, FREE.

Ripple Bar769 Washington Ave. at Sterling Place inCrown Heights, (917) 657-3468,

www.ripplebar.com.Saturdays and Fridays: Live DJ party, 10:30pm, FREE; Mondays: Comedy night, 9 pm,FREE; Wednesdays: Live jazz session, 9pm, FREE; Thursdays: DJ Victorious, 10:30pm, FREE.

Sista’s Place456 Nostrand Ave. at Jefferson Avenuein Bedford-Stuyvesant, (718) 398-1766,www.sistasplace.org.Dec. 31: Craig Harris and group, 9 pm,10:30 pm, $20 per set.

Solomon’sPorch307 Stuyvesant Ave. at Halsey Street inBedford-Stuyvesant, (718) 919-8001.Sundays: Open mic, 6 pm, FREE.

Southpaw125 Fifth Ave. at St. John’s Place in ParkSlope, (718) 230-0236,www.spsounds.com.Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve with The Rub, 9pm, $25 (includes CDs for everyone, cham-pagne at midnight, and drink specials); Jan.4: Bell Hollow, Nemo, The Kites, 8 pm, $8;Jan. 5: Comedy Night featuring PatO’Shea, Brian Kiley, Rena Zager, hosted byJeff Mac, Time TBD, $TBD.

Stain766 Grand St. at Humboldt Street inWilliamsburg, (718) 387-7840,www.stainbar.com.Mondays: Paint Stain, 5 pm, FREE; Wed-nesdays: JAMstain, an informal open michosted by singer-songwriters, 9 pm, FREE;Thursdays: Benecio and the Del Toros, 10pm, FREE; Dec. 31: End of ProhibitionParty, circa 1933 featuring swinging jazzgreats, prizes, ball dropping, New YorkState sparkling wine toasts, and more, 8pm, FREE.

Tea Lounge837 Union St. at Seventh Avenue in ParkSlope, (718) 789-2762, www.tealounge-ny.com.Jan. 5: Frank Locrasto & Tommy CraneDuo, 9 pm, 10:30 pm, FREE; Jan. 6: DanBrantigan Quartet, 9 pm, 10:30 pm, FREE.

Tommy’sTavern1041 Manhattan Ave. at Freeman Streetin Greenpoint, (718) 383-9699.Jan. 6: La Otracina, Like, Padna, Fight theBull, 8 pm, $TBD.

Trash Bar256 Grand St. at Driggs Avenue inWilliamsburg, (718) 599-1000,www.thetrashbar.com.Dec. 31: Trash presents “New Year’s F***in’Eve!!!” with The Genders, 9 pm, The Choke,10 pm, The Everyothers, 11 pm, The SexSlaves, 12:05 am, $8 (includes champagnetoast); Jan. 4: Quitter, 9 pm, Splitsense, 10pm, $6; Jan. 5: The Corduroys, 8 pm,Department of Buildings, 9 pm, TheDistraction, 10 pm, Fuzebox, 11 pm, PontiusPilate Sales Pitch, midnight, $6; Jan. 6: GiftGiver, 8 pm, Federale, 9 pm, Grand Mal, 10pm, The Shorebirds, 11 pm, $7.

Two BootsBrooklyn514 Second St. at Seventh Avenue inPark Slope, (718) 499-3253, www.two-bootsbrooklyn.com.Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve Dance Party withThe Hot-Button All-Stars “classic rockin’R&B,” 10 pm, FREE (includes champagnetoast), reservations recommended; Jan. 6:The Voodoobillies, 10 pm, FREE.

200 Fifth 200 Fifth Ave. at Sackett Street in ParkSlope, (718) 638-2925.Saturdays: DJ Blazer spinning reggae andhip-hop, 10 pm, ladies $5, men $10;Fridays: Friday Night Salsa with a live salsaband and DJs Blazer One and Big Will spin-ning salsa, reggae, hip-hop, 10 pm, ladies$5, men $10.

Vox Pop1022 Cortelyou Road at Stratford Roadin Flatbush, (718) 940-2084, www.vox-popnet.net.Dec. 31: Ever-Reviled Records and Vox PopNew Year’s Eve Party with Holley Anderson,Cuomo, Rebecca Pronsky, Darren Deicide,Paul DeCoster, Sander Hicks, 8 pm, $TBD(donation suggested).

Zebulon258 Wythe Ave. at Metropolitan Avenuein Williamsburg, (718) 218-6934,www.zebuloncafeconcert.com.Dec. 31: Bonga, 10 pm, FREE.

BROOKLYN

Nightlife

TALK TO US…To list your events in Brooklyn Nightlife, please give us as much notice as possi-ble. Include name of venue, address with cross street, phone number for the pub-lic to call, Web site address, dates, times and admission or ticket prices. Send list-ings and color photos of performers via e-mail to [email protected] via fax at (718) 834-9278. Listings are free and printed on a space availablebasis. We regret we cannot take listings over the phone.

Compiled by Chiara V. Cowan

DJ Denmark spins at Jolie on New Year’s Eve.

OTHERFIRST SATURDAY: Brooklyn

Museum hosts its monthly “FirstSaturday.” Tonight’s programincludes a performance by theBrooklyn Ballet of traditional andcontemporary ballet at 6 pm;band Musette Explosion performsaccordion music and Americanjazz from 6 pm to 7:30 pm; artsand crafts from 6:30 pm to 8:30pm; tour of exhibit “Manu-factured Landscapes: The Photo-graphs of Edward Burtynsky” at 7pm; The Brooklyn Philharmonicpresents “Amadeus Live!” at 8:30pm; dance party from 9 pm to 11pm with waltz music by the ViennaFestival Orchestra. Event runsfrom 5 pm to 11 pm. 200 EasternParkway. (718) 638-5000. Free.

JEWISH HISTORY: Union Templeoffers a weekly course on BasicJudaism. Today: “Synagogue,Prayer, Talmudic Judaism, TheMiddle Ages.” 9 am to 10:15am. Light breakfast offered. 17Eastern Parkway. (718) 638-7600.Free.

GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY:Author Barnet Schecter readsand signs his book: “The Devil’sOwn Work: The Civil War DraftRiots and the Fight to Recon-struct America.” 1 pm. FifthAvenue and 25th Street. (718)788-7850. Free.

KNIT ONE, PERL TWO: CreativeArts Studio hosts a “Pic-knit.”Knit and nosh while working onyour own creation. $20. 2 pm to5 pm. 310 Atlantic Ave. (718)797-5600.

MICRO MUSEUM: Composer AndyCohen plays interactive musicalsculpture. $10 per adult pair, $5per senior/ student pair. 2 pmand 4 pm. Also, Open Wallreception. 5 pm to 7 pm. 123Smith St. (718) 797-3116.

SUN, JAN 8

PERFORMANCEBARGEMUSIC: Classical music con-

cert includes works by Mozart,Kodaly and Brahms. $35, $25students. 4 pm. Fulton FerryLanding, Old Fulton Street at theEast River. (718) 624-2083.

HEIGHTS PLAYERS: “Ah, Wilder-ness!” 2 pm. See Sat., Jan. 7.

CHILDRENPUPPETWORKS: “Puss in Boots.”

12:30 pm and 2:30 pm. See Sat.,Jan. 7.

OTHERADOPTION: Singles who are con-

sidering adopting are invited tolearn about the process. $15.Noon to 1:30 pm. CongregationBeth Elohim, 274 Garfield Place.(212) 558-9949.

GALLERY TALK: Brooklyn Museumhosts a talk by curator EdwardBleiberg on the museum’s collec-tion of mosaics. $8, $4 studentsand seniors, free for children age12 and younger. 2 pm. 200Eastern Parkway. (718) 638-5000.

SUNDAY AT SUNNY’S: Reading byseveral authors. $3. 3 pm. 253Conover St. (718) 625-8211.

SHORTS: Brooklyn Lyceum pres-ents “An Evening of the World’sBest Short Films.” $10. 7 pm to9 pm. 227 Fourth Ave.www.brooklynlyceum.com. (718)857-4816.

Nature Trails and learn about thebehavior of the park’s winteringducks. 8 am to 10 am. AudubonCenter, Prospect Park. (718) 287-3400. Free.

ST. ANN’S WAREHOUSE: presentsShakespeare’s Globe Theater ofLondon in “Measure forMeasure.” All male cast, periodmusic and Elizabethan costumes.$60. 2 pm and 7 pm. 38 WaterSt. (718) 254-8779.

SHORTS: Brooklyn Lyceum presents“An Evening of the World’s BestShort Films.” $10. 7 pm to 9 pm.225 Fourth Ave. www.brooklyn-lyceum.com. (718) 857-4816.

HANUKKAH EVENT: A toweringmenorah is lit in front of the stateSupreme Court building. 5 pm.Court and Montague streets.Music and hot latkes. Free men-orahs and candles will be distrib-uted. (718) 596-4840. Free.

MENORAH LIGHTING: 6 pm. GrandArmy Plaza. See Sat., Dec. 31.

MON, JAN 2

ICE SKATING: Prospect Park’s Woll-man Rink is open. $5 admission,$3 children and seniors. $5 skaterental. 8:30 am to 2 pm. Enterpark at junction of Ocean Avenueand Lincoln Road. (718) 965-8999.

TUES, JAN 3

PARENTAL ANGER: Families Firsthosts a five-session workshop on“The Many Faces of Anger.” Atherapist explores parental angerand its impact on children. Learnhow to recognize the triggers. $125,$100 members. 7 pm to 8:30 pm.250 Baltic St. (718) 237-1862.

WEDS, JAN 4

TEACHERS’ WORKSHOP: Course ison the topic of “Developing theELA Standards Through theCreation of a Class Newspaper.”3:30 pm to 6 pm. Register online atwww.nyaspdp.org. (718) 259-1645.

MEETING: Sheepshead Bay/ KingsHighway group of Democracy inAmerica meets. 7 pm. JamesMadison High School. (718) 252-4270.

THURS, JAN 5

EXHIBIT: Gallery 440 hosts a recep-tion for “Bursting Out,” a soloexhibit by Richard Eagan. 6 pm

to 9 pm. 440 Sixth Ave. (718)499-3844. Free.

MEETING: hosted by Park SlopeCivic Council. 7 pm. NY Metho-dist Hospital, Executive DiningRoom. 506 Sixth Ave. (718) 832-8227.

BARGEMUSIC: Classical music con-cert of works by Mozart, Bach,Debussy, Sagala and Balakirev.$35, $25 students. 7:30 pm.Fulton Ferry Landing, Old FultonStreet at the East River. (718)624-2083.

FRI, JAN 6

RECEPTION: Kentler InternationalDrawing Space presents“Drawings by Ernst Benkert.” 6pm to 9 pm. 353 Van Brunt St.(718) 875-2098. Free.

BARGEMUSIC: Classical music con-cert of works by Mozart, Bach,Debussy, Sagala and Balakirev.$35, $25 students. 7:30 pm. Ful-ton Ferry Landing, Old FultonStreet at the East River. (718)624-2083.

FIRST WEEKEND: hosted by Broo-klyn Arts Exchange. 8 pm. SeeSat., Jan. 7.

HEIGHTS PLAYERS: “Ah, Wilder-ness!” 8 pm. See Sat., Jan. 7.

SAT, JAN 7

OUTDOORS AND TOURSTREE RECYCLING: Bring your holi-

day tree to Prospect Park andturn it into mulch. Remove alldecorations and enter park atany entrance. Bring container totake mulch home. 10 am to 2pm. (718) 287-3400. Free.

WOOD CHIP GIVEAWAY: BrooklynBotanic Garden and Green-Wood Cemetery host a Christ-mas tree recycling event. Bringyour tree and take-away mulch.11 am to 3 pm. Fifth Avenue and25th Street. Call 311. Free.

PERFORMANCEBARGEMUSIC: Classical music con-

cert featuring a program ofMozart, Kodaly and Brahms. $35,$25 students. 7:30 pm. FultonFerry Landing, Old Fulton Streetat the East River. (718) 624-2083.

FIRST WEEKEND: Brooklyn ArtsExchange presents its new per-formance and discussion series.Choreographers Alicia Diaz andMarion Ramirez present “MarAdentro.” More. $15, $10 mem-bers, $8 low-income. 8 pm. 421

LIST YOUR EVENT…To list your event in Where to GO, please give us two weeks noticeor more. Send your listing by mail: GO Brooklyn, The Brooklyn Papers,55 Washington St., Suite 624, Brooklyn, NY 11201; or by fax: (718)834-9278. Listings are free and printed on a space available basis. Weregret we cannot take listings over the phone.

In the ‘Wild’: The Heights Players present “Ah, Wilder-ness!,” Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2pm, from Jan. 6 through 22.

Fifth Ave. (718) 832-0018.HAITIAN MUSIC: La Troupe Makan-

dal presents “Carnival Dawn,” itsclosing performance of “RisingSun: A Vodou Drama of Deathand Rebirth.” $15, $10 studentsand seniors, $5 children ages 12and younger. 8 pm. SouthOxford Space, 138 South OxfordSt. (718) 953-6638.

HEIGHTS PLAYERS: presentsEugene O’Neill’s “Ah, Wilder-ness!” $13, $10 seniors, studentsand children. 8 pm. 26 WillowPlace. (718) 237-2752.

BROOKLYN LYCEUM: presents anight of improvisation with BigBlack Car, Arsenal and ImprovCentric Unit. $10. 9:45 pm. 227Fourth Ave. (718) 857-4816.

CHILDRENPUPPETWORKS: presents a mari-

onette performance of “Puss inBoots.” $8, $7 children. Recom-mended for ages 4 and older.12:30 pm and 2:30 pm. 338 SixthAve. at Fourth Street. (718) 965-3391.

ARTY FACTS: Brooklyn Museuminvites kids, ages four and older,to look at art and have an artsand crafts session. $8 adults, $4seniors, free for children underage 12. 11 am and 2 pm. 200Eastern Parkway. (718) 638-5000.

PUPPET SHOW: Talking HandsTheater presents Rudyard Kip-ling’s “How the Elephant Got ItsTrunk.” $7, $5 children. Appro-priate for ages 2 to 7. MonsterGallery, 234 Fourth Ave. Call fortime. (914) 318-4280.

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To the editor:Your recent editorial about As-

semblymember Roger Green (“Novotes for a thief,” Dec. 17) omittedone relevant part of Green’s trou-bling record.

You noted that after his convic-tion on larceny charges, Green wasre-elected, a re-election that “speaksmore to the power of incumbencyand the lack of talent on the scan-dal-tarred Democratic bench.”

As a local activist, I say the De-mocratic bench does have its ownall-stars. In fact, I supported chal-lenger Hakeem Jeffries, a talentedattorney untouched by scandal. Hisstrong challenges to Green in 2000and 2002 illustrate the weakness ofthe 25-year incumbent’s supportwithin the community.

More important, Green abusedthe “power of incumbency” in a re-pellent way that undermined basicdemocracy: in 2002, he gerryman-dered his own district lines so thatJeffries’s home would be just oneblock outside the 57th AD — es-sentially barring Jeffries from run-

ning after the Assemblyman’s con-viction in 2004.

This cynical backroom maneuversays far more about Green’s funda-mental corruption than does his ac-tual conviction.Danae Oratowski, Prospect Heights

Nets train fearsTo the editor

The headline, “MTA strands fans;No new trains after Nets games”(Dec. 17), may be a false alarm —or a justifiable call to arms. Wewon’t know unless the MTA makesits transit demand model openlyavailable to assess the impact of At-lantic Yards along with the other 30million square feet of developmentalready approved for the DowntownBrooklyn area.

Preliminary modeling shows thechokepoint is not on trains headingtowards Manhattan in the morningrush (as crowded as they are). Thegreater strain is on westbound trainscoming into Downtown Brooklyn,which currently handle 15 percent

more passengers than trains enter-ing Manhattan. Inbound riders fromBrooklyn will double as Downtowndestinations increase over the next20 years.

It is the MTA board that choseForest City Ratner’s lower bid todevelop Atlantic Yards with morethan twice the density and resultingtraffic and transit burden. The samepolitical forces behind that dealmust now make sure the MTA par-ticipates fully in the EnvironmentalImpact Statement and demonstrateshow it will provide sufficient serv-ice to ensure that Atlantic Yardsdoesn’t undermine the growth of allDowntown Brooklyn and erode ourquality of life.Carolyn S. Konheim, Cobble HillThe writer is on the board of directors ofCommunity Consulting Services, a local

transportation analysis firm

Penny foolishTo the editor:

Your recent editorial correctlyhighlighted the MTA’s readiness to

squander the value of its real estatefor less than optimal yields (“Noangels in strike, Dec. 24). In addi-tion, the “holiday gift” to transitusers in the form of subway and busfare bonuses is an extremely poorstrategy, particularly when a unioncontract must be renegotiated. Onewonders about the common sensethat should prevail.

Former parks commissionerHenry Stern has pointed out in hisNew York Civic e-newsletter thatthe transit personnel working un-derground are not exploited and re-munerated for a pittance like SouthAfrican mine workers are. Thereare millions of people who wouldlick the fingers of both hands if theywere offered the salaries, benefitsand job security of TWU localmembers.

It would be interesting to knowhow many of those who have sup-ported the union’s demands willcontinue to do so when the nextfare increase goes into effect.

Ursula Hahn, Brooklyn Heights

Gersh a ‘moron’?To the editor:

Your reporter, Gersh Kuntzman,is a damn fool. His column (“RealNew Yorkers love the strike,” Dec.24) showed a complete disregardfor working people in this city, whowere forced to walk for miles in thecold.

I’ve lived in New York mywhole life and I did not love thestrike. I hated it. Gersh Kuntzmanmust be some kind of damn moron.Delores LeGrand, address withheld

Editor’s note: Readers should not inferthat The Brooklyn Papers shares theopinion of Ms. LeGrand simply becausethis letter was printed. Then again, wecould have easily not printed it.

What’s Vin think?To the editor:

Ever since Democratic PartyChairman Howlin’ Howard Deanfirmly reinserted his busy foot intothat ever-lethal mouth of his by say-

ing the war in Iraq is not winnable,I’ve waited to see exactly howmany members of his own partywould actually have the guts to tossaside partisan politics and denouncehis bile.

Fortunately, many have. For thehead of a national party to makesuch patently false assertions —particularly when so many of ourfellow Americans are serving inharm’s way precisely to defend hisright to be an ass — is unaccept-able.

That is why I am wonderingwhere Brooklyn City CouncilmanVincent Gentile has been on thismatter.

The silence coming from his of-fice is deafening. Surely, Mr. Gen-tile has an opinion on the chairmanof his own party, who said that “theidea that we’re going to win thiswar is … just plain wrong.”

Fort Hamilton, the only activemilitary installation in New YorkCity, and the VA Hospital, are bothin Mr. Gentile’s district.

There are many serviceman and

women who deserve some sort ofresponse from Mr. Gentile regard-ing his party chairman’s outlandishremarks.

They deserve to hear Mr. Gentileadmonish, in no uncertain terms,Howard Dean and his defeatist rhet-oric.

Yet Mr. Gentile chooses to send aprofoundly negative message to ourmilitary personal, both active andretired, by saying nothing.

Indeed, military families — andindeed all families — in Mr. Gen-tile’s district have every right toknow whether he condemns Dean’sdemonstrably anti-military fodder.Does Mr. Gentile not realize howmany Brooklynites are right nowserving in the armed forces?

What say you, Mr. Gentile?Brooklyn is waiting.

Andrew Roman, Gerritsen BeachEditor’s note: The writer is secretary ofthe Brooklyn Young Republican club. TheBrooklyn Papers offered Gentile a chanceto respond, but the Councilmember de-clined.

You’re right: Roger Green is REALLY corrupt

New Year’s wishesWe don’t make resolutions

because they’re cliche, they’redidactic, and, let’s face it,they’re too difficult to actuallyaccomplish anyway.

Instead, we’d like to offerthese New Year wishes for allour readers in hopes of a ful-filling 2006:

Here’s hoping your F-traindoesn’t go express withoutexplanation or your R-traindoesn’t run in two segmentswhen you’re just trying to gethome to Bay Ridge after mid-night.

use to parents of pre-school-aged children.

Here’s hoping the Cycloneswin it all this season — andthat the Mets don’t trade awayall the best players for agingsluggers of dubious worth.

Here’s hoping that Dom-enico DeMarco of DiFaraPizzeria in Midwood keepschurning out his ethereal pies— one at a time — fordecades to come.

And finally, here’s hopingyou — and all of our readers— have a great year.

Here’s hoping disgracedformer Assemblyman Clar-ence Norman gets slappedwith the maximum sentencefor violating election laws sothat no other pols thinkthey’re above the law.

Here’s hoping Brooklyndevelopers start hiring betterarchitects so the newlyupzoned Fourth Avenue does-n’t become 40 blocks of“Fedders Houses.”

Here’s hoping you aren’tstuck at the turnstiles behindan 80-year-old granny who’s

getting her bag searched by acop because her numbercame up at random.

Here’s hoping we don’t geta really big snowstorm thiswinter (here’s hoping weactually do!).

Here’s hoping the mayorsleeps a few more nights inBrooklyn this year, even ifthere’s no transit strike.

Here’s hoping the Brook-lyn Public Library can ex-pand its hours so that branch-es can be open every morn-ing, when they are of most

TO THE EDITOR

OUR OPINION ALL DRAWN OUT

Cris

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Doorman steals from bldg

The Brooklyn Papers

Opponents of Bruce Ratner’s arena-residential-com-mercial mega-development at the Atlantic Yards were

crying “foul” this week after the master builder movedforward with preliminary demolition work on six buildingswithin the project’s footprint.

Ratner gave the New York Times an exclusive walking tourof the buildings earlier this month, and his spokesmen told the Paper

of Wreck-ord that the buildings were in imminent danger of collapseand, therefore, must be demolished.

Not so fast, cried City Councilmember Letitia James (D-ProspectHeights), who demanded that Ratner let her bring in an outside expert.

James contends that Ratner is legally allowed to tear down the buildings only ifthey are an immediate threat to public safety.

“We want to know what they are trying to hide by not letting us in,” said James (left).

She’s now asking the city Department ofBuildings to refuse to issue still-needed demo-lition permits. But the point may be moot:Ratner’s spokesman said the engineer’s reporthas already been provided to “the relevantagencies,” who have been convinced that thebuildings are, indeed, falling apart.

And the spokesman, Joe DePlasco, saidJames and other lawmakers “were invited totour the structures with the licensed engineer whowrote the reports, but they said no.”

DePlasco also pointed out that if the buildingswere to collapse and injure someone,everyone would again be screaming forthe head of Bruce Ratner (right).

— Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Papers

The corporation thatruns the Brooklyn NavyYard has a new president.And here’s why youshould care:

The new leader, Park Slop-er Andrew Kimball, told TheBrooklyn Papers that the Yardis about to embark on a con-struction boom to expand op-erations at the once-storiedship-building center.

Currently, more than 4,500people call the Brooklyn NavyYard their office — but withvacant land on the Yard’s east-ern side ready to be exploitedand with dilapidated buildingson the Yard’s western sideready to be torn down, Kim-ball’s mandate is to bring in asmany employees as will fit inthe 300-acre complex.

“We’re bursting at theseams,” Kimball said. “Wehave no room to grow rightnow.”

Kimball said his goal wouldbe to add one million squarefeet of industrial and manufac-turing space to the existing 3.6million square feet.

In addition to new con-struction, Kimball will over-see the demolition of the his-toric Admiral’s Row houses,which will be torn down tomake room for a supermarketon the Yard’s western side.

Such a store could open by

late next year, said Kimball,who earned the top job afterworking closely with DeputyMayor Dan Doctoroff on thecity’s failed 2012 Olympicbid. Before that, Kimballworked for the New YorkPublic Library, where hehelped raise $200 million torenovate 30 branches.

He also worked for theNew York State EconomicDevelopment Corporation un-der Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Mayor Bloomberg, whonominated Kimball to headthe non-profit corporation,hailed his choice, who willearn $162,000 a year in thepost (sorry, but the salary is amatter of public record).

“With his extensive experi-

ence in the government andnon-profit sectors, AndrewKimball is the perfect fit tolead the Brooklyn Navy Yardforward,” Hizzoner said in astatement.

“Andrew understands theimportance of the industrialsector to the economic healthof the city, and I am confidentthat he will build on the suc-cesses the Navy Yard hasachieved over the past fouryears [and] create hundreds ofnew jobs and open up morecommercial and industrialspace.”

At its peak during WorldWar II, 70,000 workers walk-ed through the Navy Yard’sgates every day. Now, thereare 225 businesses, employing4,500 people.

Sweet ’n’ Low is madethere. So are pre-fabricatedhouses.

But the Yard’s location willbe its greatest selling point forfuture growth. Situated be-tween DUMBO and the Will-iamsburg/Greenpoint water-front, the Yard is in a goodposition to house small manu-facturers — furniture makers,print shops and the like —that will soon be pushed outof those neighborhoods byresidential development, Kim-ball said.

“There is such demand,” hesaid. “And it will only grow.”

— Kuntzman

B’klyn Navy Yardhas a new captain

Andrew Kimball


Menorah one-upsmanship strikes B’klynO NLYIN BROOKLYN could the borough’s “larg-

est public menorah” actually be three feet short-er than another menorah a few miles away.

And only in Brooklyn could the taller menorah bill itself as

rah,” which has stood for adecade or so in front of thestate Supreme Court buildingnear Borough Hall. It’s oper-ated by Rabbi Aaron Raskinof Congregation B’nai Avra-ham of Brookyn Heights.

Oh, and to make mattersmore interesting, Raskin’smenorah is named after Ja-cob J. Hecht, a prominentrabbi whose son is ShimonHecht! Raskin is Jacob J.Hecht’s grandson, makinghim Shimon Hecht’s nephew.(Paging Dr. Freud!)

This is the most-heated un-cle/nephew competition sinceTitus and Claudius (if youtrade the togas for tefillin).

“We’re the official meno-rah,” said Raskin’s associate,Rabbi Simcha Weinstein.“We’re the menorah that Mar-ty Markowitz uses in officialphotos. Perhaps ‘official’ isn’tthe right word, but we’remore official than they are.”

For his part, Hecht merelymumbled that his menorah

Amendment.And only in Brooklyn

would the Borough Presidentsplit his time between thetwo menorahs, just so no onegets offended.

Yes, folks, Brooklyn’s an-nual “Menorah War” hasheated up again, pitting aJewish congregation in ParkSlope against its rival inBrooklyn Heights — allamid the backdrop of aHanukkah celebration thatcommemorates an ancientmiracle.

The only miracle will be ifeveryone is still on speakingterms after the holiday.

In this corner, topping outat 22 feet, is “Brooklyn’slargest public menorah,” in-stalled for 20 years in GrandArmy Plaza by Rabbi Shi-mon Hecht of Chabad ofPark Slope and ProspectHeights.

In the far corner, stretch-ing the tape at 25 feet, is“Brooklyn’s official meno-


KuntzmanANGLE

“Brooklyn’sofficial meno-rah” — eventhough thereis no “official”religious any-thing, thanksto the First

has been here longer. The battle bursts into the

open when you actually at-tend the two menorah-light-ing ceremonies, as thislatke-loving columnist didTuesday.

The Brooklyn Heightsmenorah is lighted first —and what a scene! Jewishmen danced the hora. Chil-dren passed out potato pan-cakes.

And in an effort to attracta younger crowd, Raskin(once famously photograp-hed atop a Harley-Davidsonchopper, even though hedoes not ride) even held thefirst-ever latke-eating con-test, featuring athletes fromthe International Federationof Competitive Eating.

And for star power,Raskin can’t be beat. OnTuesday, he not only hadBorough President Marko-witz, but the Consul Generalof Turkey, who became thefirst Muslim leader to light aBrooklyn menorah.

Raskin even gave a niftysermon that used the Hanuk-kah lights as a metaphor forMankind’s obligation to lightup the world.

I’m not much of a reli-gious man — the only time Ipray is when I’ve got moneyriding on something — butit was quite a show.

I rushed over to GrandArmy Plaza, where I found a

smaller menorah and asmaller crowd. Rabbi Hechtwas there, and so was CityCouncilmember Tish James.So much for star power.

A Con-Ed worker whoassists both groups gave mean independent assessment.

“The menorah Downtownis bigger, but this is a muchbetter scene,” he said.

“You should see it whenSchumer is here. The peoplego wild.”

The senator’s magnetismnotwithstanding, I found thathard to believe.

I call Markowitz for somewisdom of Solomon, but theBeep claimed to be neutral inthe Battle of the BrooklynMenorahs.

But then, Markowitz rush-ed off to a ceremony at yetanother menorah, this one atthe southwestern corner ofProspect Park in WindsorTerrace.

It was installed by RabbiShmuel Butman, who’s alsoresponsible for the menorahon Fifth Avenue and CentralPark South in Manhattan —the one that bills itself as the“world’s largest.”

“You gotta get down here!”Markowitz said. “This thingis 31-feet tall. Rabbi Butmanaffirms that it’s the secondlargest menorah in theworld. Happy Hanukkah.”

Oy, vey, here we goagain.

Rabbi Shimon Hecht

Park Slope/Prospect Heights

22 feet

20

“Brooklyn’s largest public menorah”

Tish James

150

Kids get a free Hanukkah toy

Fair: Genuine potato taste, but a bit cold

“I haven’t seen this many double-parked minivans since the ProspectPark soccer league championship.”

Rabbi Aaron Raskin

Brooklyn Heights

25 feet

10

“Brooklyn’s official menorah”

Marty Markowitz and Turkey’s consul general

200

Latke-eating contest featuring top athletes from the InternationalFederation of Competitive eating;

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The Brooklyn Papers

How do you say “veto” in Korean?It’s a fair question, given that Mayor Bloomberg is poised to

crumple up the City Council’s so-called “Education EquityAct,” which would require schools to translate virtually alldocuments into the nine languages most-widely spoken by lo-cal parents.

The bill, which passed last week by a barely veto-proof 35-11 vote, was pushed by Councilmember David Yassky (D-Brooklyn Heights).

“Translation services for parents are essential in New YorkCity,” Yassky said. “How can a parent be involved in their [sic]child’s education when they [sic] can’t understand what theteacher is sending home?”

According to Yassky, 43 percent of public schools students(which amounts to half-a-million kids) speak a language athome other than English.

The bill was noticeably vague on how much money it wouldtake to translate all documents into more than a half-dozen lan-guages — a point seized upon by the Department of Educa-tion.

A DOE spokeswoman estimated that it would cost “tens ofmillions of dollars” to translate every document going fromevery school to every non-English-speaking parent.

The spokeswoman, Kelly Devers, said the DOE will spend$10.2 million to make sure a principal can get a translator onthe line at any time.

And, Devers added, the Yassky bill is beside the point be-cause the City Council does not have jurisdiction over educa-tion matters; the state government does.

It’s not the first time the mayor and Yassky have tangled.Bloomberg last month vetoed a Yassky measure that deniedlandmark status to a Williamsburg warehouse. In that case, theCouncil overrode the mayor.

Stay tuned. — Kuntzman

2 heads ’a’ buttin’What’dyou say?

Getting it right…In our transit strike coverage last week, we misattributed a

comment by a spokeswoman for Borough President Mar-kowitz. The spokeswoman had explained that dozens ofBrooklynites accepted the Beep’s offer of a free cup of coffeeand use of the Borough Hall restroom during the strike.

The spokeswoman’s comments were limited to the coffeeconsumption, but due to an editing error, our article impliedthat she was also talking about the constituents’ use of toiletpaper. The Brooklyn Papers regrets the implication that theBorough President’s office is chintzy with bathroom tissue.

Associated Press

Brooklyn-born Michael Vale, best known for por-traying sleepy-eyed Fred the Baker in Dunkin’ Donutscommercials, has died at age 83.

Vale died last week of complications from diabetes, son-inlaw Rick Reil said.

Ads featuring Fred, who uttered the trademark line, “Time tomake the doughnuts,” ran for 15 years until Vale retired in 1997.

Dunkin’Donuts said in a statement that Vale’s character “be-came a beloved American icon that permeated our culture andtouched millions with his sense of humor and humble nature.”

Vale was born in Brooklyn and studied acting at the Dramat-ic Workshop in New York City with classmates Tony Curtis,Ben Gazzara and Rod Steiger.

A veteran of the Broadway stage, film and television, Valeappeared in more than 1,300 TV commercials. His movie rolesincluded a jewelry salesman in “Marathon Man.” He also ap-peared in “Guerrilla Girl,” a 1953 movie starring Helmut Dan-tine, and “A Hatful of Rain” (1957).

‘Donut Man’ dead

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The Brooklyn Papers

Police suspect the 53-year-old midnight door-man of a luxury buildingon State Street used acard-key to steal $1,500before dawn on Dec. 17.

The 30-year-old victimleft her spare card with se-curity guards at her build-ing, near Court Street, at 4pm on Dec. 16, police said.Her sister planned to visitwhile she was out of town.

But when the victim’s sis-ter arrived at 1 pm the nextday, she discovered the doorof the apartment ajar. Whenthe victim returned on Dec.19, she discovered $1,500missing from her bedroomdresser, police said.

The security supervisortold her that the key was stillat the desk when he clockedout at midnight on Dec. 17.

Building records showsomeone used the codedcard-key to get into her

apartment three times on themorning of Dec. 17: at 1:39am, 1:54 am and 7 am, po-lice said.

A video camera in thelobby captured the guard onthe graveyard shift leavinghis post at the desk —against the building’s rules— and taking the elevatorupstairs.

Police want to questionthe doorman, but he has dis-appeared, cops said.

— Lilo H. Stainton

12 AWP December 31, 2005THE BROOKLYN PAPERS • WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM • TO ADVERTISE CALL (718) 834-9350

Q: I have stu-dent loansfrom college,and I can’tafford to paythem back. Isthere a way

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However, contained withinthe above Section is themechanism to discharge astudent loan debt. Thedebtor may file a Complaintagainst the student loan hold-er, such as a bank, Sallie Mae,or even the US Department

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The United States Court ofAppeals for the SecondCircuit (which covers NewYork State) held, in Brunner v.New York State HigherEducation Services Corp.,831 F2d 395 (1987), that inorder to discharge a studentloan for undue hardship rea-sons, the debtor must show:(a) that he cannot maintain a“minimal” standard of livingfor himself and his depend-ents if forced to repay theloan; (b) circumstances existwhich indicate that this stateof affairs will likely continuefor a significant portion of theloan repayment period; and(c) that he has made a goodfaith effort to repay the loan.The Brunner elements havebeen adopted for case analy-sis in many Bankruptcy Courtsthroughout the country.

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For Sale / BrooklynOLD MILL BASIN - COOP: $179,000. 2 BedroomCoop in newly renovated Kings Village, spacious, largeliving room, eat in kitchen, doorman & security, greatview of NYC, high floor, laundry room. EAST FLAT-BUSH - COOP: $159,000. 2 Bedroom Coop, great con-dition, parquet floors, dining area, quiet building, secu-rity, laundry room, close to all. BEDFORDSTUYVESANT - HOUSE FOR SALE: $599,000. Twofamily Brownstone, 2 over 3 owner duplex, needs tlc,priced for a quick sale, call for appointment. EASTFLATBUSH: $79,000. Large L shape studio coop inquiet building, includes laundry room. WESTBURY, NY:Large one family fully detached, 6BR, 4.5 baths, excel-lent condition, eat in kitchen, in ground pool and muchmore! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ron HarrisLicensed Real Estate Broker

Outreach... The Real Estate Company of Choice!

www.outreachrealestate.com718-531-3995 W29-04

OUTREACHREAL ESTATE, INC.

ORE

HOUSESFor Sale / Brooklyn

Dyker HeightsPrime location! Detached, two-familyVictorian. 40x100 lot. Call Vinny orStephan at Brownstone Real Estate for details. www.Brownstonelisting.com

(718) 855-4111ER29-03

MortgagesSEBY INC. MORTGAGES

• Purchases • Refinances • ForeclosuresBad or Good Credit. 100% financing on 1-2fam homes. FHA VA & conventional loans.

Call (718) 371-5921email: [email protected]

Registered Mortgage Broker - NYS Banking Dept.Loans Arranged through Third Party Provider

W29-5

ER29-18

W29-06

Help WantedFT/PT Pharmacy

Tech neededWe will train. Flex hours. Bi-lin-gual preferred. Park Slopearea.

(718) 493-4199AE29-01

Help Wanted PT

P/T Weekend ShiftWatchman

for Brooklyn Marina(718) 372-5700

AE29-02

��

SM

UFN

Join The Paper TeamCurrent openings in all departments

DISTRIBUTION

InspectorVerify newspaper distribution in The Brooklyn Papers neighborhoods.6-to-8 hours spread between Friday and Saturday. Requires good car,clean driving record, full insurance and abilty to communicate in Eng-lish. Good compensation.

SALES

Outside SalesAs an outside sales rep, you’ll work in Brooklyn’s prime neighborhoods,selling ad space and helping your community’s merchants thrive.Candidates should be great communicators, enthusiastic, self motivat-ed, and enjoy working outdoors. Competitive compensation packageincludes salary, commission and target bonuses. Our newspapers aremarket leaders, and our sales reps have realized high earnings.

Tele-SalesAs an inside sales rep, you’ll be selling ads by phone to business own-ers, health care and legal professionals and home improvement con-tractors. Candidates should have excellent phone manner, enthusiasm,self motivation and enjoy learning and working with a team. Salary,commission, target bonuses. Full time or part-time. Full-time benefitsinclude health, dental and vacation. Our classified section is hot andour reps have achieved high earnings. We’re the only New York news-paper with a full-color home improvement classified section.

EDITORIAL

Arts & Entertainment InternsThe Brooklyn Papers’ GO Brooklyn section is interviewing candidatesfor WINTER BREAK internships. Additonal internship openings willbe available in the Spring and Summer. Responsibilities includefactchecking, researching story ideas and writing stories. Candidatesmust be enrolled in a college program (undergraduate or graduate).

News ReportersFull-time staff or per-assignment freelance. Candidates must knowand love Brooklyn and be anxious to cover everything from breakingnews to features to lifestyle trends. Ideal candidates are goodlisteners, ask great questions, and write quickly, clearly and withoutfussiness.

WEB

Web Genius......to help develop, produce and maintain our new Web sites. We’relooking for someone with an intimate knowledge of Web site pro-duction from the ground up who’s happiest working in a Mac envi-ronment. Candidates should be completely Web-savvy with a knackfor solving problems when the going gets tough.

Email resume, cover letterand links to:[email protected]

Email cover letter, resumeand clips to:[email protected]

Email a cover letter, resumeand writing samples to:[email protected]

I want to hear you on the phone!Call Celia and leave a message about yourself(718) 834-9350 ext 204 [email protected]

Call (718) 834-9350 ext 105or email a note [email protected]

December 31, 2005 AWP 13THE BROOKLYN PAPERS • WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM • TO ADVERTISE CALL (718) 834-9350

Stairs

Broken or MissingBaluster/Spindles

Weak or Broken Steps(Treads, Stringers or Risers)

Call: 718-893-4006

FLOORSANDING

ALSOAVAILABLE

Cee DeePROFESSIONALCONTRACTORS

W29-23

Tree Service

JC TREE SERVICETree Removal ¥ Pruning

Stump Grinding ¥ ToppingsFree Load of Wood Chips

No Job Too Big or Too SmallSenior Discount ¥ Free Estimates

Licensed & Insured718-896-2158 ¥ 917-721-5356

Ask for Juan W51

Construction

J28-43

Contractors

Roofing • Bathrooms • KitchensCarpentry • All Renovations • Brickwork

Dormers • Extensions • WindowsWaterproofing

Free Estimates, Licensed & Insured

718-276-8558BH50/29-03

R29-12

Decks

X/29-16

Electricians

Licensed & Insured/ Residential-CommercialRenovations, alterations, outdoor light-ing, track lighting, violations removed,AC lines. Adequate wiring, fixturesinstalled. Hi-hat specialists, customlighting. 24hr emergency service.

Call Nick (718) 331-3210First time customers get 25% off with

this advertisement. Free estimates.B29-41

Licensed Electricians

No Job Too SmallFamily Owned & Operated for over 35 years

(718) 966-4801B29-11

A4/29-46

JOHN E. LONERGANLicensed Electrician

(718) 875-6100(212) 475-6100

W46

ExterminatorsTERMITE, RODENT & INSECT

CONTROL SPECIALISTSResidential • Commercial

“Safest Methods Used”

USA EXTERMINATORS718-832-0900

$10 OFF ANY SERVICE

With This AdW29-22

Floor Maintenance

X29-13

BILL’S FLOORSWOOD FLOOR SPECIALIST

RefinishingResurfacing • Installations718-238-9064347-446-9907

30 Years ExperienceFREE ESTIMATES

A Service CompanyYou Can Depend On

Licensed & Insured

ALECTRA INC.Have an electrical problem?No job too big, no job too small!

Call me. Anthony IllianoLicensed electrician

718-522-3893

COMMERCIAL& RESIDENTIAL

ELECTRICALCONTRACTORSC&C

PT InstallationsElectrical Contractor

DECKSbyBart

ROOF • GARDEN • TERRACE

Free EstimatesCall Bart:

15+ years experienceWe build year round

Plan Ahead(718) 284-8053

800-YES-4-DECKDesign Assist./Archit. Enginr.

www.decksbybart.com

EAGLECONTRACTORS

GeneralRenovations

Interior & ExteriorRoofing • Waterproofing

Painting • PlasteringCarpentry • SheetrockTile • Stucco • Pointing

Scaffold • Brick &Cement Work

License # 904813 • InsuredFREE ESTIMATES718-686-1100

Chris MullinsGeneral Contracting

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

INTERIOR RENOVATIONS

COMMERCIALRESIDENTIAL

CUSTOM RENOVATION

SPECIALIST

LICENSED & BONDED

#0836623FULLY INSURED

LEVEL ONECONSTRUCTION CORP1 (917) 847-8307

Floor MaintenanceE & S Professional

Wood CareFloor Sanding • Paint Stripping &Refinishing • Doorways • MoldingWainscotting • Window Frames

Emerald(347) 451-7982 (718) 345-5130

16 YEARS EXP. B29-12

D & KFLOOR SERVICE, INC.

Parquet and wood floors sanded,required, installed & refinished.Large selection of lamette flooring.Fully Guaranteed. 7 Days Service.

718-720-2555BH29-34

Gardening

W42

W29-13

Handyman

CALL NEDPlastering • Roofing • Sheetrock

Ceramic Tile • CarpentryCement Work • Painting

Wallpaper • FREE ESTIMATES

718-871-1504W29-05

HandymanAll kinds of home repairs. No job’stoo small. Eves & weekends O.K. CallMr. Handyman. FREE ESTIMATES.

(917) 951-6639B29-02

FOR YOUR ELECTIRCALINSTALLATION & REPAIR

Interior & exterior painting, extraphone jacks, a/c, ceiling fans, ther-mostat problems, doorbells,minorboiler repair, light plumbing.Free estimates. Call Ken. (917)892-1025. B48

Home ImprovementS & D

HOME IMPROVEMENTSheetrock, Taping, Int/Ext Paintingw/paper, wood floors, decks, fin base-ments, tile work, doors, windows, cus-tom made kitchens cabinets, vanity &more. No Job too small. Clean work.Lic & Insured #11H7276.

718-998-1110BH29-02

HeatingE & S Heating

and Air Conditioning• Heat & Ventilation• Boiler Repair & Service• Air Conditioning, Sale & Service• Installation of Central Systems

Professional Quality at half the cost.24 HOUR SERVICE

FREE ESTIMATES ON NEW INSTALLATION

Call Eric or Steve (718) 491-3200B50

Jim A/C & Heating24/7 Service

* Plumbing, Heating & A/C Repair75+ parts + FreonHeating or A/C Tune up

70+ parts includes:* Clean check oil flush* Flush boiler clean & vacuum* Adjust controls for efficiency* All work guaranteed

Jim (718) 661-1853 B50

Garden ServiceAnnuals - Perennials, HerbsFall Maintenance - Cleanup

Brownstone Terraces, Yards, Co-ops

718-753-9741

Prepare your Gardenfor Next Season!

Heating

ALL TECHPlumbing & Heating Inc.It’s Fall – time for money saving

Boiler Replacements!

Free Thermostat (ask for details) •Complete Plumbing and HeatingService • Gas leaks • Water FiltrationSystems • Controls Installed • PumpService

Emergency Service / 24 HoursLicensed & Insured #MPL 11978

718-356-3400 B49

JOSEPH PRESTIAHeating & Mechanical

General ContractingGas Boilers • Water Heaters

Bathrooms Completely RemodeledAlterations & Repairs

(718) 382-76481 (917) 796-0063

HIC LIC#802801 L47

Interior Design

B29/10

Locksmith

W26-UFN

Movers (Licensed)

R06/28-47

A-1 JAYS WAYMOVING

Family owned and operated for 3generations. For lowest rates andbest quality moving. Experiencedand Reliable2149 E. 72nd St. DOT#32149

718-763-1435AE29-13

Dave’s D.J. Moving& Storage Available

Written Binding Estimates Available.Commercial and residential. Wecarry building insurance. All furniturepadded Free. Courteous, reliableservice. Weekends avail., packingsupplies, van service. Serving Bklynfor over 10 years.

(718) 843-4417Lic. and Ins. DOT #32241

83 Davenport Ct.Howard Beach, NY 11414

W36-45

We do last minute jobs!Expert packers

Packing materials • Fully insuredPrompt • Cordial

TOP HAT MOVERS86 Prospect Park West, Bklyn, NY 11215

718-965-0214 • 718-622-0377212-722-3390

DOT # T-12302 Visa/MCAMEX

MOVERS

MasterCard®�

®�

AMERICAN EXPRESS ®�

Painting

ProfessionalPainting

By DankoQuality work, dependable service.

Restore old surfaces. Interior/

Exterior. Complete apartment &

home painting. 32 years in business.

Brooklyn Heights. Call Danko.

(973) 723-5179 B49

W41

Plastering

AbsolutePlastering Inc.

Ornamental, run cornice mould,and tinted plaster. Skim coating& domes and vaulted ceilings.

(718) 322-3436(917) 412-5593

Ask for FitzCustom Design & Restorations

B29-40

QualityPlastering/Painting

For all your plastering& painting needs.

Interior/Exterior. Free EstimatesCall Conrad

(917) 723-1052AE29-09

Plumbing

W29-28

Renovations

RENOVATIONSBathrooms, Kitchens,Basements & Attics

Complete Renovations& Extentions

Days (646) 824-6998Eves (718) 493-3140

B46

RoofingSTANDARD CONSTRUCTION & ROOFING CORP.Residential & Commercial • Fully Insured, Free Estimates

All Types Siding & RoofingRubberized Roofing - 12 Year GuaranteeHot & Cold Roofing • Skylights • Copper

Gutters • Shingles • Stucco & Concrete WorkLeaders • Repairs • Maintenance Programs

Serving all 5 Boros

(718) 761-7986 ask for Bruno24 Hour Service. Cell (646) 824-1378

B29-02

R18-TFN

BENSON HOME IMPROVEMENT AND ROOFING13 Year Guarantee

Residential & Commercial • Fully Insured, Free EstimatesAll Types Siding & Roofing

Rubberized RoofingHot & Cold Roofing • Skylights • Copper

Gutters • Shingles • Stucco & Concrete WorkLeaders • Repairs • Maintenance Programs

Serving all 5 Boros

(718) 382-4449 ask for Eric24 Hour Service. Cell (917) 535-3506

W29-21

Do It The SAFE “Cool” Way

CRYSTAL ROOFINGCall For Details and a FREE Estimate

1-718-238-9433Mention this ad for $200 off

any complete roofing jobof a 1,000 sq.ft. or more

Shingle Roofs Also InstalledNYC DCA # 1133009

ATTENTIONHOMEOWNERS!

Leaky Roof?Need A Flat Roof?Don’t Get Burned.

NEIGHBORHOODSewer & Drain Cleaning

PlumbingTUBS • SINKS • MAIN SEWER

TOILETS • YARD DRAINS24/7 • Emergency Service745-7727 or 848-5654

$ LOW, LOW, PRICES $

® ®®

Movers (Licensed)

L29-37

Trucking

BKNY TruckingLocal & Long DistanceAll your moving needs

Free EstimatesCourteous, Reliable Service

Call Howard: (718) 216-7850B51

Painting

W29-29

W35/38/42/29-24

MasterPlasterer/Painter

Old Walls SavedRepair, Install, Moldings, Skim Coats

Excellent References

718-834-0470R29-15

X29-12

rofessionalPaintingRestore old surfaces.

Benjamin Moore Paints used.Taping, plastering, wallpaper removal.

Free Estimates

Call 718-720-0565W32/29-26

Painting$100 per room2 coats + free minor plasteringFrom $100. Reliable & Clean.Quality Fences & Firescapes

Days: 1 (917) 371-7086Eves: 1 (718) 921-2932

B29-03

X43

John Haviaras

PAINTINGInterior/Exterior Painting

Taping • SheetrockComplete Apartment & HomeRenovations. Affordable PricesQuality Work • Free Estimates

718-921-6176

SUNSHINEPAINTING

CO.NYS Registered 1974

LIC# 0933304Int./Ext. • Comm./Resid.

MASTER @ PLASTERDRYWALL • SKIM COAT

sunshinepaintingny.comCall Anton

TOLL FREE 866-748-6990B.B.B. + Rating! Lowest Prices!

Fully Insured Free Estimates

OWNER OPERATED

“Top Quality Work, DependableService and a job that will last!”• Painting • Skim Coating • Plastering• Wallpaper Removal and Installation

• Specializing in Faux Finishingand Decorative Painting

• Stain & Varnishing

Call (718) 332-7041

Finishing TouchPAINTING

“athletic guys movingeverything on short notice”

DOT # T-12094 • Local/Long Distance

718-544-1973

Roofing

X29-08

ALLIANCE TRI-STATECONSTR & ROOFING

Roof Replcmts/Repairs,Wtrproofing, Gutters/Ldrs

& Gen’l ConstructionFast & Reliable Svce

INSURED • LIC#1195501

(718) 556-9700(347) 723-4336

B47

Rubbish Removal

B29-37

AAA PLUS SERVICES INC.– Spring Cleaning Special –Rubbish Removal, Demolition, Cleanouts,Homes, Apt, Basement, Churches, Offices,Store Fronts, Etc.

Call Now For Your FREE Estimates.

PUT A SMILE ON YOUR PLACE®

(646) 523-5535/(718) [email protected]

R29-13

X/29-17

DJ RubbishRemoval ServicesCOMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL• Basements • Brownstones• Yards, Construction Debris

• Constainer Service AvailableA COMPANY YOU CAN TRUST

(718) 493-2605 • (347) 739-0463Fully licensed & insured / All major credit cards

[email protected]

GREG’S EXPRESSRUBBISH REMOVAL

We Do All The Loading & Clean-UpOld Furniture & Appliances

Office, Home & Yard Clean-UpsConstruction & Renovation Debris

Single Items To Multiple Truckloads• On-Time Service • Up-Front Rates

• Clean, Shiny Trucks• Friendly, Uniformed Drivers

Commercial Stores Welcome!Demolition

6, 10, & 15 yard containersServing the Community

Member Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce

Prompt & Professional • 24hr - 7 days

(866) MR-RUBBISH6 7 - 7 8 2 2 4

CELL 917-416-8322Lic: BIC-1180 Fully Insured

10th year with The Brooklyn Papers

• Demolition Contracting• Rubbish Removal Of All Kinds• Scheduled Pickups• Container Service• Recycling & Special Handling• Fast, Professional Service

FREE EstimatesFully Licensed & Insured • The City of New York BIC#1226

917-533-8306

RelaxCall . . .

SchwambergerContracting

All Roofing, Rubber, Metal, Skylights.

Excellent References AvailableLicense #0831318

18th year with Brooklyn Papers

718-646-4540NO JOB TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL.

Rubbish Removal

Commercial/ ResidentialBasements • Brownstones • YardsConsturction Debris • Demolition“A Company You Can Trust”Free Est. • Lic. & Insured • Great Refs

Call (718) 871-0997B46

Tiling

Tiles for SaleWe have a full line of porcelainceramic, marble, granite, etc.for sale at competitive prices!

(718) 771-0258B29/6

Plumbing and Tile Work. Toilets,faucets and shower bodiesreplaced. Specializing in tile jobs– large and small.Free Estimates • Reasonable RatesJohn Costelloe (718) 768-7610

W29-35

Tree Service

Tree Removal and PruningLand clearing, stumps ground

Licensed & Insured 718-627-1014/516-546-5447

B29-11

Upholstery

Free Estimates

718-263-838330 yrs experience • Serving the 5 Boros

B29/17

Windows

B29/37

Woodworking

X29-03

PSST!!Recapture the original beauty ofyour fine architectural woodwork. Westrip-restore-refinish doors, mantels,columns, shutters, banisters withremovers and finishes. Careful consid-erate workmanship since 1959. Call thePark Slope Stripping Team@ 718 783-4112.

www.RefinishNY.com

Quality ReplacementWindows and RepairsRepair ALL TYPES of windows.

Screens and insulated glass.Save Energy!

Custom Window InstallationLicensed & Insured • Reasonable RatesCall Rene (718) 227-8787

Perfect TouchDecorators

• Livingroom Furniture• Kitchen and dining chairs• New foam cushions• Slipcovers• Window Treatments

and verticals• Table Pads

SunshineLand & Tree, Inc.

JohnCostelloe

Eagle RubbishRemoval

ArchitectsAWARD WINNING LICENSED

ARCHITECT &INTERIOR DESIGNER

• From Conception to CompletionResidential, Commercial, ManufacturingAlterations & New Buildings• Realistic Estimates & Time Schedules• Construction Management• Expediting Approvals & PermitsDepartment of Buildings & Landmarks• Zoning Analysis & Property PotentialTo buy or not buy

Martin della PaoleraARCHITECT

65 Saint Felix St. B’klyn NY 11217TEL (718) 596-2379

FAX (718) 596-2579EMAIL [email protected]

W29-20

Bathrooms & Kitchens

W29-28

BlindsTriple “S” Decor& Installation Inc.• Vertical Blinds • Wood Blinds

• Mini Blinds • Pleated Shades etc.Free estimates • We bring samples

(917) 324-1516Ask for Lester

SHOP AT HOMEBH35-52

Cabinets– Cabinet Fair –

12 years experience. Supported by local man-ufacturing facility in Brooklyn - resulting in fastlead times, reasonable price and excellentservice. Traditional, contemporary, andEuropean designs.241 37th St. (across Costco)

(718) 369-1402www.cabinetfair.com

M29-03

Chimney ServiceUnique Chimney &Fireplace Repairs

Fireplace installation, relining, blockage,removal smoke/draft/pipe replacements. Anyfinish, size, style, design or color. Resid. &comm. HIC#1192041. Insured.

(347) 218-2796(718) 774-3331 • (917) 287-2832

www.chimfireglow.comB29-11

Cleaning Svc AvailENLIGHTENEDCLEANING SERVICE, INC.

Complete CleaningMove Out/Move In Clean-UpOffice • Residential • General

“Let us maintain your hallways”718-573-4165

Bonded A9

cleaningworks!experienced, reliable cleaning personand organizer – extraordinaire wouldlike to clean your home and/or takeon organization projects.REASONABLE RATES/DEPENDABLE SERVICE

call leslie (718) 680-6887references available

W48

PlatinumCleaning Services

Exceptional service at a fair pricefor all your cleaning needs.Residential / Commercial. Pleasecall Marilyn or Letta.(646) 453-6345 or (718) 484-7489

Bonded & Insured • Licensed #515629Email: [email protected]

B29-02

Est. 1980

“Old Fashioned Irish Cleaning”Specializing in:

• All Phases of Domestic Service• Residential and CommercialGift Certificates Available

718-279-3334W36/40/29-30

Construction

W20/42

AE3/7/11/29-49

Timeless Constructionand Restoration, Inc.

Continuing two generations of finecraftsmanship in the downtownBrooklyn area.SPECIALIZING IN ALL PHASESOF INTERIOR RENOVATIONS

Complete Rehabs • KitchensBaths • Finished Basements

Painting • PlasteringAll Floors and TileFinish Carpentry

15th yr with The Brooklyn Papers

License #HIC1099974 and Insured

718-979-0913

KNOCKOUTRenovations

Lots of References!QR Magazine’s

“Top 500 Contractors”

COMPLETE RENOVATIONS,KITCHENS, BATHROOMS,

All Work GuaranteedLicensed by Consumer Affairs

Lic#: 1065708

(718) 745-0722www.knockoutrenovation.com

ONE DAYBATH SOLUTIONS

Expert bathtub and tilereglazing, restores like new!

ORLet us put a brand new tuband wall over your old.

Premier Baths, Inc.(866) 399-TUBS

(8827)

Movers (Licensed)

W29-01

Handyman

Heating

W29-11

NO HEAT... NO PROBLEMWe’ll Start Your Boiler

Ron: 917-578-8490 / Joseph: 718-382-7648

• Thermostats• Aquastats• Zone Valves

• Circulator Pumps• Pilot or Electronic

Ignition etc.

24 HourEmergency

ServiceBoilers & Water Heaters Sales & Installations

A6/29-48

HOMEIMPROVEMENT

OFFICIAL MOVING

& STORAGE, INC.ASK US HOW WE BEAT

MOST WRITTEN ESTIMATESJUST CALL US!

Thousands of satisfied customers. Open 24 hours, 7 Days a Week.Call us. Fully Licensed & Insured / Dot T34498 / ICC MC 508964

ONE OF THE LOWEST STORAGE RATES IN N.Y.C.

FINE ART AND ANTIQUE SPECIALISTSMANH. 212-557-2424 • BKLYN/QNS 718-275-6388

• FREE Tape And Packing Paper• FREE 12 Book Boxes Or Wardrobe

Boxes With Every Interstate Move• FREE Box Delivery And Estimates• FREE Rental Pads And Bubble Wrap• FREE Mileage

• NO CHARGE For Weekends• NO CHARGE For Holiday or Overtime• NO CHARGE For Stairs• NO CHARGE For Last Minutes Moves• NO CHARGE For Crating• NO CHARGE For Additional Stops• NO CHARGE For Pianos

“Every MOVE is a Master Piece ... And “U” Deserve the Best”

DISCOUNTS FORSENIORS CITIZENS & STUDENTS

WITH THIS AD

B29-37

Get Results!Advertise in Brooklyn’s

Only FULL COLORHome Improvement Section

Call (718) 834-9350

phone 718-834-9350 • • making … · 2019. 11. 13. · ©the brooklyn papers. established 1978....

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