Open Thread Wednesday

By on January 10, 2018 7:01 am in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • CassieVonMontague

    Brownstoner has a post on the area bounded by Flatbush to the West, Nassau St to the North, Gold St to the East, and Tillary to the South. It has some wonderful 19th century homes that I hope can be saved.

    https://www.brownstoner.com/development/brooklyn-architecture-bridge-plaza-167-concord-street-duffield-street-development/

  • Banet

    A question about kindergarten that maybe someone (SongbirdNYC?) can answer…

    My child was born late in 2013. Therefore it’s time to apply to kindergarten. But…

    — This child is happy in their preschool.

    — We intend to leave this child at their preschool for one more year (pre-K).

    — This child has an older sibling at a private school.

    — We’d like this child to go to the same private school.

    So with that info in hand, logically we’d skip the public school application that’s due this Friday and hope the child gets into the private school. But of course nothing is guaranteed — the child may not get in for some unforeseen reason. So here’s my question:

    Does applying to PS 8 and then declining the spot help you in any way if you then apply again at 1st grade?

    Normally I’d just apply but if we got in and then declined the spot we’d be taking the spot away from one of the children who will inevitably end up on the unmoving wait list. :-/

    (And to make it more complicated, I’m pretty sure it DOES help you get into 1st grade if you get waitlisted at Kindergarten and if last year was any guide, there’s a roughly 10% chance of getting waitlisted this year.)

    Anyone know the answer?

  • mac

    It really is annoying and dangerous how the sidewalks in front of the buildings sold by the JWs have not been cleared after the snowstorms. Wouldn’t the new owners be responsible for this?

  • Banet

    Yes. Report them to 311. You can even do it from the excellent 311 app. It’ll only take 30 seconds. Much faster than calling in.

  • BklynT

    I’d recommend not applying and being a good neighbor to those not able to afford two children in private school. The universe will thank you ;)

  • Banet

    That’s my strong inclination as well. I don’t want to put out one of my neighbors. But I’d like to make an informed decision as getting into private school is far from a done deal. :-/

  • Slyone

    Applying and declining doesn’t help. I hear mixed things about being on the waitlist and whether your spot on that list travels with you to first grade, but it’s been a non-issue so far at PS8 as there have always been enough spots for zoned kids in 1st grade. There’s a first time for everything, though. But if you’re a sib at a local private, I really haven’t heard about sibs not getting accepted over the last almost 10 years at least (from the local private preschools at least).

  • Andrew Porter

    I already reported the sidewalks in front of 119 Columbia Heights, at the corner of Pineapple, to the BHA. Not only are they covered with snow, but under that are the fallen leaves from weeks ago, still untouched.

    Remember that when the properties had just been purchased, the new owners were very quick to put up illegal bright red plastic parking signs, which were eventually removed.

    I hope this isn’t a harbinger of things to come.

  • Andrew Porter

    Wednesday brings another Old BH Postcard. Continuing to mine the Hotel St. George theme, here’s “The New Bermuda Terrace,” at the top of hotel. Then air conditioning (and TV!) changed everything:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9da2800050850860614bc877eee251f8f9b30c8da00f71e2581faa97f98fdefc.jpg

  • mac

    Thanks and done. reported both 97 columbia heights and 107 columbia heights. Really are dangerous…

  • Jorale-man

    I’ve used the 311 service to report cracked sidewalks in the area too (looking at you 37 and 39 Sydney Place). One did get some form of response in the form of a fix about 6 months later.

  • SongBirdNYC

    Applying, receiving a placement at your zoned school and then declining does not help you get a spot in first grade. If you are waitlisted and ultimately offered a spot and then you decline it does not help you get into first grade. The only students who receive priority (on paper) for first grade are those students who remained on the wait list. Whatever their assigned number on the waitlist was is used to ascertain priority. Anyone else is first come, first served. That said, there seems to be spaces for those who have wanted to enroll their kids in first grade. But It is very hard to know year to year what the application numbers will be, how many spots the DOE will choose to offer (they always over-offer) and how many accept a placement. Last year we had a wait list of 25 kids and a few were offered a spot, but 22 remained on the wait list once school started.

  • Cranberry Beret

    You know what’s a sh*thole? The streets of Brooklyn Heights. Certain dog owners thought the recent blizzard gave them a free pass not to scoop. Now, the snow has melted but the poop remains. Everywhere.

  • Joey

    It’s more than just dog waste. There seems to be all sorts of garbage everywhere. Outside 150 Joralemon (at Clinton Street) there is garbage not in a bag but in the garbage bag pile and sanitation just leaves it. That’s just an example, but yes the streets and sidewalks are filthy.

  • Andrew Porter

    But today’s rain should do a lot to flush this stuff off the streets.

  • Reggie

    Of course the sanitation department just leaves it. Randos who pile loose trash on top of bagged garbage are idiots.

  • Dog Kebob

    The dog people are selfish jerks as I have said before. The legions of idiots that defend them are exposed. I hope they get bit by vicious dogs and step in dog crap.

  • redlola

    i wish i could like this 100x

  • Brooklyn Heights dog owner

    Most dog owners are NOT selfish or jerks. It only takes a select few to completely mess up a street/sidewalk for the rest of us. Think about it: The average dog defecates 2 times a day. The defecation can last weeks on a street/sidewalk. There are hundreds of dogs in Brooklyn Heights.
    If even 10% of dog owners didn’t clean up after their dogs, you wouldn’t be able to walk down the sidewalk without stepping in it.
    Believe me, I understand your frustration. I am disgusted on an everyday basis by the small percentage of selfish dog owners who refuse to clean up. I am the first person to call someone out if I see them failing to clean up.
    But don’t loop us all together. 98% of dog owners in Brooklyn Heights are kind and caring people who clean after their dogs and care about the community.

  • Banet

    SongBird, thank you for the detailed answer. I knew I could count on you.

    I decided NOT to apply for my child. We hope we get in as a sibling and if we don’t, we’ll very likely get into 1st grade at PS 8.

    Interesting to hear that a few kids got in off the wait list. That was new information for me. Though if the year started with 25, and a few got in, I expect it was more than just 3 kids who got in. The way I figure this is because a number of families moved to the zone during the waiting list period and were added to the list. So if it started at 25, and ended at 22, likely more than just 3 got in. Or do you know for a fact it was only 3?

  • Dog Kebob

    I disagree totally. If they could get away with it during daylight hours they would. No one wants to pick up a pile of steaming dog doo. It happens at night when no one is around. Also when did it become ok to have dog crap in the middle of the sidewalk or in front of someones house even if the owner picks it up ? The residue stays behind and gets tracked into our homes. In the 80s when I lived in Carrol Gardens it never ever happened. The owner would have that steamy pile thrown right in their face. Btw its mostly the sheepish guys that do it. Cant say Ive seen a woman walk away from a pile.

  • Brixtony

    Ridiculous response. Think logically please. The crap in the street is generally left by the same few dog walkers. Likewise, the garbage, leaves, un-shoveled snow is left by the same homeowners repeatedly. I don’t mind cleaning up after my dog (and sometimes others’ dogs), because it keeps the streets clean and is the right thing to do. These whiny, nasty comments make you look as foolish as a certain other expert on feces currently in the news.

  • StudioBrooklyn

    My kid was waitlisted at PS8 but if I recall correctly we took him off the waitlist when we confirmed his enrollment elsewhere. I wonder whether the numbers reflect similar actions from others or whether kids got bumped into kindergarten.

  • Dog Tikka

    What is ridiculous about not wanting a dog taking a dump right in front of my stairs. Get a grip on reality and since you slyly and sheepily raised it. Yes there are s@@thole countries on earth. Why dont you pack up and move to one of those countrys. Im sure the fine inhabitants of those places would enjoy you to the fullest. You speak loud but carry a small stick. Go ahead. Move to a $$ithole and tske your dirty mutt with u.

  • Brixtony

    Thank you for your response that clearly reveals what kind of a person you are. I am, in fact, an immigrant and I’ve reported your offensive comments.

    But, I will once more try to explain, using the simple 4th grade concepts and vocabulary of your idol (or is it “idle”?).
    There are hundreds of dogs in the Heights. If each poops twice a day and it was all left there what would the streets look like? 100x 2 = 200 individual piles per diem. Now, what would be the total in a week? Of course there are more than 100 dogs in the neighborhood. Since the streets are not literally covered with crap, it’s obvious that the vast majority of dog walkers actually do clean up.

    I’m sure your stoop is pristine, but many homeowners do not shovel and clean in front of their buildings. Want the addresses?

    No one wants to step in poop or garbage. If a dog owner hasn’t cleaned up- usually an older person or someone who’s dressed for work and doesn’t want to exert themselves, then shame on them. I hope they all get tickets.

    As for you, have a nice day.

  • Brooklyn Heights Dog Owner

    I am SHOCKED that you are a Trump supporter…just shocked. Closed minded? Check. Rude? Check. Use of off-topic Faux news arguments to try to reframe the argument? Check. And, fitting the pattern, I can only assume you are also an internet tough guy, but a coward on the street unless you’re packing a gun… Nevertheless, it’s good to have you in the neighborhood. It’s much easier to teach our children how NOT to act when we have a readily available example.

  • Slyone

    At the prospective family tour last week, I thought they said 2 kids joined K from the waitlist, I think 1 right before school started and another after school started — after a family with a kid in K this year moved (a child had just joined in January). But they may have asked some families on the list who didn’t want to move their child right before school started and/or mid-year, so they may have gotten deeper than #2 into the waitlist. I don’t know how many wound up on the list — as you said, some joined later in the summer.

  • Skid Marky Mark

    You dont know what a Trump supporter is. Keep going on your fake narrative of prejudice against those you fear dont share your warped views of american values. Leave nyc gor s few days. We are all around you twirp. The post was about selfish and lazy dog owners. You hijacked it so now you own it. Have all the dog :::p to yourself. Enjoy it.

  • Brooklyn Heights Dog Owner

    You know, a year ago I would have read your response and thought to myself “Hmmmmmm, maybe “Skid” is right. Maybe I’m in a bubble, Trump isn’t prejudiced and his voters aren’t prejudiced or stupid, either.” But I can say now with certainty that Trump is prejudiced and the people who still support Trump ARE prejudiced (and mostly stupid) as well. Good day.

  • Dog Tandoori

    Do you not think that President Obama and his wife did not ever carry prejudice against certain people? AKA White devils. Barry and Michy were just smart enough and clever enough to hide it better in front of the media. Trump cant and won’t hide well. They are both products of the same racist hypocrisy. And I doubt Trump is any more of a racist than the Obamas. Much less so in fact. The Clintons raised money for Haiti and other fine failed countries, then they syphoned it off or stole it, used it for personal gains and the ///:holes got almost nothing. Ask the average Haitian if Clinton helped them ? Now go back to your fake bubble news and keep swearing at Trump. He likes it.

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