Open Thread Wednesday 4/17/13

By on April 17, 2013 7:21 am in Brooklyn Heights

Welcome to Open Thread Wednesday for April 17, 2013. What’s on your mind? Comment away! (Photo: @grrlgenius via Twitter)

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  • GHB

    I think the bike shares are a good idea, but are that many necessary at each designated location?

  • Lois

    Glad to see the Promenade Partners back at work with the new Promenade Gardener, Matthew Morrow.

  • Lori

    Can anybody recommend a good “handyman” to help with a few projects around the house? I have used Cale for carpentry projects, and am satisfied with him, but I now need a “handyman” for some smaller projects. Thanks.

  • petersteinberg

    GHB, the stations are modular so bike docks can be added or removed easily.

    Since this is being run privately, not by government, and because they’ll have real-time 24/7 data about bike availability I expect they’ll be relatively diligent about reallocating any unneeded docks/bikes.

    As far as how many are needed its hard to say but keep in mind that the few hundred bike docks are to serve the tens of thousands of Heights residents.

  • GHB

    Peter, thanks for the response. When I got home last night and saw them lined up outside the Clark Street station, I immediately though “overkill!”

  • Joe A

    My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families in Boston.

  • petersteinberg

    Also keep in mind, these stations need to accommodate “peak” usage. 20 docks doesn’t mean 20 bikes all the time. It might mean 12 bikes most the time but 20 on weekday evenings as people drop bikes off after their commute home from Gowanus or Red Hook.

  • martinlbrooklyn

    It was five years ago, that’s five years, that the ongoing demolition by the city building dept. of the falling down house on the corner of Monroe Place and Clark St. was stopped cold by the Heights Association. Okay, the ugly, rat-infested, steel-reinforced relic of a once fine old building was preserved. But to what end? The two top floors are gone. It is the leading eyesore of the neighborhood and of the block. Apparently, it has changed hands a couple of times. It seems frozen in time and one wonders, since the BHA took the direct responsibility for stopping its demolition, it should proceed to take the responsibility, after cursing the block with its awful presence, of getting it going or having it taken down. Direct, concerted neighborhood action is clearly called for.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    Correct, in other words, the stations not only have to accommodate bikes available to rent but need to have space for returns as well.

  • MBkHts

    just a thought with all the bikes that will be rolling around the city shortly via the program…wonder if there was ever a discussion to provide helmets for all these riders…

  • Andrew Porter

    Excellent article about 52 Clark Street here:

    http://tinyurl.com/cequwzb

  • MonroeOrange

    and every winter, no one cleans the ice in front of it, its like an ice skating rink

  • Jorale-man

    I wonder if the BH Blog could do more to raise awareness of some of these blighted houses and brownstones. Obviously people like the crazy psychiatrist with the place on Columbia Heights don’t care what the public thinks, but a little (balanced) shaming could help in certain cases. The irony of the place on Monroe & Clark is it’s the entry point to one of the Heights’ best-kept streets otherwise.

  • Joe A
  • ColumbiaHeightster

    Can someone please recommend a cleaning person?

  • Choon1107

    Couldn’t agree mor! I live on the block and not only does it completely take away from the charm of the street, but like a reader said above, it is SO dangerous in the wintertime. Something must be done!

  • Timothy Hurley

    I lost a watch (black leather band, gold colored face) somewhere between Pierrepont Park and Court/Kane. I know, it’s gone, but you know.

  • Hicks St Guy

    oooh, did your dog slip & fall>

  • MonroeOrange

    no but i’ve had to help up many elderly people…how do you feel know about your comment?

    PS. just for that comment, my dog and i will be on hicks st peeing all night! i better start drinking water now!

  • MonroeOrange

    We lost so much parking on clark st, bc of these bikes…probably at least 7 spots…and if anyone, thinks all that empty space makes the block looks nicer, you are kidding yourself….the corner by the liquor store looks horrible now.

  • Wiley E.

    It is strange that things like this happen. Sometimes the owners act in irresponsible ways out of spite. It seems that the owners should be fined, or the property confiscated by the City, if it becomes a nuisance. Health hazards should be corrected, and not allowed to fester. The properties should be auctioned off, and then fixed within a reasonable time by the new owner, or sold off again.

  • Joe A

    The average parking space is 20′. So you are saying the bike station on Clark Street is more than 140′ long?

  • MonroeOrange

    Joe A….it is not just the docking station…the spots before and after are now ‘no standing’ zones…something that certainly wasn’t mentioned when they planned this….take a look for yourself

  • chicagokath314

    Good samaritan alert! On Thurs evening (intermittent showers) on Columbia Heights, a driver was honking annoyingly and aggressively. Neither I nor the other gentleman on the sidewalk responded. The the driver rolled down his window and yelled to the gentleman: “Hey! Ya left ya car window open!” The gentleman called “Thank you!” and ran back to his car to close it.

  • hicks st guy

    but the street looks better with parked cars there????

  • Joe A

    They do have these things called adult diapers Monroe, perhaps you should look into them.

  • MonroeOrange

    yes…as weird as that sounds…look at the corner by the liqour store, it looks crapier without the cars..not that the corner is the nicest to begin, with, but the empty space now makes it look worse.

  • MarkInTheHeights

    agree! they should have put the station on the extra wide sidewalk next to Gristedes on the Clark st side.

  • suzanne goss

    I recommend Scott Reid, have worked with him for over 20 years — 3472779637