Open Thread Wednesday

By on September 23, 2015 7:18 am in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • michael krass

    why are there so few benches in our neighborhood? it seems inhospitable and uncharacteristic.

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    Wall Street Journal article about PS8 and PS 307:

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/rezoning-plan-for-two-brooklyn-schools-riles-up-parents-1442968919

    The statistics that jump out are the results on the 2015 spring test. For grades 3-8: P.S. 8 had 64% of their students pass English language arts and 63% pass math. P.S. 307 scores, on the other hand, were 12% Engliish and 20% math. When representatives of the school system were questioned directly about P.S.307 scores they unequivocally stated that PS307 was a high performing school. Personally, I do not get the disconnect. Hopefully SongBirdNYC can explain. By the way, SongBirdNYC, you are doing an excellent job covering this important issue.

  • DIBS

    When you are blocked from reading a WSJ/NY Times and many other articles, most of the time if you google the article you get a link to it where you are able to read the entire article

  • Teresa

    Karl, it’s a copyright violation to cut and paste an article in full from another source, so I’ve removed it.

  • ShinyNewHandle
  • Karl Junkersfeld

    I did not know. Sorry.

  • R.O.Shipman

    Is it really surprising that a school zoned exclusively to NYC projects would have low test scores? I’ll say it again, it’s embarrassing that the PS8 and PS307 school zones could exist as they did for so long. A greater commitment to racial and socioeconomic integration of schools would benefit ALL school aged children.

    I should also add that the poor test results at PS307 does not mean that good things aren’t happening at the school. Quality of teaching an school leadership only goes so far in the face of other factors to improve test results.

  • AmyS

    Amen.

  • Greg
  • DCS

    This would be the perfect time to plan a new elementary school in the base of one of the condo towers planned for pier 6. Parents should speak up. This should of happened at the site of Pierhouse or the hotel but it is too late. We could have created another Stuyvesant high school in the park instead of condos. Where was everyone when they sold the old police station on Poplar St to condo developers? This would have a been a great location for PS8 to expand to.

  • Christopher Frank

    They’ve already proposed a small Pre-K in one of those buildings, but it will only be a couple classrooms.
    Besides the fact that the lower levels of these buildings will flood the next big hurricane, the floor plates just aren’t big enough to build the large schools that District 13 will need by 2020.
    According to the DOE, District 13 will need at least 3,000 seats by 2020 and the city will only building 1,000 middle school seats (@ Dock St & Atlantic Yards).
    The ULURP for DUMBO Heights failed to include a school, we should focus on the ULURP for the remaining Watchtower properties, behind the Pierhouse & their parking lot @ Jay St (when they are sold to a developer), to require 75-100k sqft for a new school.

  • SongBirdNYC

    I encourage everyone who has questions, concerns and comments regarding the draft re-zoning proposal to please send your feedback via the CEC’s webform. Your input will be sent directly to the CEC, DOE Office of District Planning and Superintendent Barbara Freeman simultaneously. http://cec13.org/hot-topics/rezoning/rezoning-comments/

  • NeighboorHood

    Anyone witness this crime Saturday night?
    Putting this out in case anyone saw/can identify this creep.
    While parking on Henry St. directly across from Pineapple (right in front of the alley between Gristedes and the deli), at 9:15pm Sat. a man crossing Henry from Pineapple corner let his small white dog run off leash across the path of my car. Thank God I saw I little blur of white out of the corner of my eye and hit the brake. I rolled down the window when he got to my side and said he should take better care of his dog, I could have hit it. He kinda threatened back that I better take care of myself. Saw him shortly after loitering around my car, then found my tire knifed with an inch wide blade. Would take this in stride but for the fact that this impotent dude is so comfortable with a knife on our streets, which is more concerning than my little old murdered tire (RIP my Goodyear friend, you will be missed).
    White guy, in his 30’s maybe, average build, light color hair, dark t-shirt and white/light small dog. (That should narrow the suspects down right? Ha). Definately was a neighborhood guy, but not so much a good neighbor.

  • HereToStay

    Does anyone else think the board at 101 Clark should replace the trees they ripped out in front of Gristedes on Henry with some planers or something? It’s just two giant holes filled in with rocks and dirt.

  • South Brooklyn Boys

    Does anyone know how many of the 50 wait-listed PS8 kids that were to go to PS307 ended up going?

  • mlcraryville

    The court took seven weeks just to say nothing. Judge Knippel has shown where his loyalty lies ….not to the public and the public interest but to the financially powerful, irresponsible forces that overcame reasonable limits on that building’s height in order top out their cash profit. These forces marshaled the Mayor’s office, the State and the money interests to, so far, overwhelm those who would preserve the historic view of the Brooklyn Bridge. Let’s push ahead and pray that the Appeals Court can see through the lies and malarkey that have so far dominated this issue. PS…it wouldn’t hurt if Boro President Adams, missing in action, weighed in on the side of history and his constituents.

  • cat

    I recently heard that Summer Space has been cancelled and the Dog Show moved out of Brooklyn Heights because certain purveyors on Montague Street (like Lassen and Hennigs) have complained about the loss of business. In the first place, merchants on Montague Street (with a few exceptions) never took advantage of Summer Space. A few tables were set up here and there, but no one offered any specials – or free samples – that would entice one to go in and buy something. Secondly, Summer Space seemed more for the children of the neighborhood than for the adults. And, thirdly, who did not love and have fun at the Dog Show? A little crowded, perhaps, but never dangerously so, and watching the little kids faces light up was priceless. It cannot be the same, small, community oriented fun event in Cadman Plaza. It just can’t. The opening of the Bossart will make future Dog Shows on Montague Street impractical. Couldn’t we just have had one last good time before the Bossart opens and changes the Heights forever? Dropping in on local restaurants? Forget it.

  • Heights person

    I believe the wait list cleared.

  • A Neighbor

    There is a Talk of the Town piece in the Sept 28 New Yorker about Sewall Hodges, the fellow who paints mailboxes, call boxes, etc in the neighborhood.

  • RJG

    New bakery at the corner of State and Court

    http://www.stolleus.com/#home

  • HereToStay

    Keeps the bums away. Have you seen who hangs out on the ones in from of the dorm at Henry? But in any event, we have a bunch of benches along the entire promenade… And Fruit Street sitting area — and Cadman Plaza Park…

  • HereToStay

    Looks good! I wonder if those pies are baked fresh or if they are frozen and just heated in microwave or defrosted… If the former, I’ll be there…
    Speaking of restaurants – anyone hear when Friend of a Farmer is opening on Mont?

  • Guest

    Anyone know what happened to the Alt school set to open this fall? It clearly isn’t open.

  • GHB

    They just cut down another honey locust tree at the corner of Columbia Hts. & Cranberry (right across thew street where they removed another about a year ago). Anyone know why seemingly healthy trees are being cut down so often?

  • Poplar

    It is being housed at Plymouth Church for the time being.

  • MonroeOrange

    i believe your gripe is with gristedes..i recall, it had something to do with their delivery truck hitting them…and they should be the one to replace them..but prefer no trees for easier delievery.

  • ShinyNewHandle
  • StudioBrooklyn

    I seem to remember some lady protesting at the dog show (specifically, she was against the BHA or the MSBA, I don’t recall) while it was going on…I wonder if she had cronies with more leverage…or whether she’s represented in this forum! Hmm…

  • StudioBrooklyn

    I’d venture a guess about pricey condominiums for squirrels. Eh? Eh?

  • HereToStay

    I called them. They said the co-op board had them ripped out (their property) because the roots were growing into their underground oil burner for the building.

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