One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, or so the adage goes. It started with a late-afternoon post to Buy Nothing Brooklyn Heights/Dumbo/Vinegar Hill. St. Ann’s School had just dumped hundreds of books in the trash. “Curb Alert: Close to 40 Clinton by the parking garage at 3:50pm Tuesday…Hundreds of books. So many good ones.” The post fomented outrage and garnered 66 comments at last count.

As Brooklyn Heights residents began to return from work several stopped to forage through upwards of eight or more clear plastic bags filled to the brim with classic literature and textbooks. Titles included Dickins’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” Walter M. Miller Jr’s “A Canticle for Leibowitz,” Merrill’s “The Pushcart War” and many, many other authors including Camus, Dahl, Cather among others.

A stamp from the St. Ann School’s library.

And Buy Nothing was abuzz as members brainstormed how to save as many books as possible before the evening’s forecasted thunderstorms. “So many books dumped, lots of us trying to put them under covering or somewhere to bring tomorrow to BBB.” BBB would be Brooklyn Book Bodega a non-profit that promotes education equity and access to reading by collecting unwanted books and distributing them to underserved schools and neighborhoods. They have drop-off locations across Brooklyn including the latest addition (or “edition” as it were) to the neighborhood, Books are Magic.

A Buy Nothing member worked diligently to collect as many books as possible as before forecasted thunderstorms arrived.

The blog asked a member of the St. Ann’s maintenance staff if they were aware of any donation attempts. He replied he thought the school had tried but didn’t know the extent of their efforts. Brooklyn Heights resident, Alexandra shared her disgust, “I had to do a double take…I saw piles, and piles, and piles of books, books that children need, that adults need…This could have been donated..they could have held a sale for charity…there are so many other things that could have been done instead of just throwing the books on the street.”

Members of the local Buy Nothing Facebook group collect the hundreds of books put on the curb by St. Ann’s School.

Long-standing research proves poverty is the single-largest contributing factor to the “achievement gap.” The blog would argue it should be called an “equity gap.” Case in point. The draconian cuts to the NYC DOE budget garnered huge public outcry and were recently reversed by an injunction. In contrast, St. Ann’s tuition starts at $51,000 a year for Kindergarten. A Tale of Two Cities indeed.

One of the many titles tossed to the curb by St. Ann’s School.

This is a developing story. The Blog will attempt to follow up with St. Ann’s Administration for their side and will also visit Buy Nothing for the fate of the literature. In the meantime, tell us your thoughts!

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the post are that of the reporter and do not reflect the opinions of the blog as a whole. The author is the parent of a special needs child and a vocal advocate for education equity.

Mohammad Muktadir’s sexual harassment suit against the owners of Bevacco took a strange twist recently reports the NY Daily News. According to the paper, Federal Judge Frederic Block who is “notorious for shooting from the lip” told a colleague that he was currently working on a “stupid little trial.” That comment was heard by one of the juror’s and the judge admitted to making the “faux pas.”

NYDN: Muktadir claimed he was sexually harassed by a male chef and called a “smelly Bangladeshi bum” by co-workers when he was employed there in 2011. He also complained that the “family meal” prepared for employees contained sliced ham and pancetta, which he couldn’t eat because he’s Muslim, and the chef refused to accommodate his religious diet.
Juror No. 2 was brought into the courtroom, confirmed he had overheard Block and was excused. He had not mentioned the comment to the other jurors.

The remaining jurors took 15 minutes to deliberate and threw out the case without giving Muktadir a penny.

Photo: Evan Bindelglass

BHB pal “Mr. Lee” sent us this photo of a new parking sign along Willow Street. Informative, sure. Spelled correctly? Not so much.

Wonder if people “R” paying attention to the mistake. Ahem.

This post has been updated since publication to reflect the actual location of sign.

After the snowstorm on January 4, we noted that the sidewalk in front of the construction site at 27 Cranberry Street had not been shoveled. After last weekend’s snow fall a BHB tipster notes it still hasn’t been cleared:

While happy I’m no longer getting clothes lined by low branches [at 25 Cranberry], I do wonder who, if anyone, is responsible for clearing that sidewalk which is treacherous.

Temperatures are expected to shoot above freezing this weekend, so the treacherous cocktail of ice and snow on the sidewalk at that location shouldn’t be a bother for much longer.

Brick Underground features a story dissing our neighborhood and penned by “a real-life NYC landlord whose pseudonym is Craig Roche”. The headline: — Brooklyn Heights to Harlem: Escape from multi-million dollar mansions and unfriendly neighbors.

Friends, this one is as they say a real pip:

Brick Underground: But after a few years, the spell wore off. The 40-minute commute to Midtown was long, the restaurants on Montague street often mediocre, and leaving the neighborhood by car often meant losing a half hour to traffic and another twenty minutes to walk to the closest affordable garage.

In addition, lugging overpriced groceries several blocks and up multiple flights of stairs was uncomfortable, there was no place to put an A/C unit, and jogging through the neighborhood meant dodging thousand-dollar strollers, professional dog walkers, and the thick throngs of tourists on the Brooklyn Bridge, all while inhaling exhaust from the BQE.

Also, people were simply not friendly; I spoke around one word per year to my upstairs neighbor.

Oh it gets better, as we learn from “Roche” how wonderful life is up in Harlem:

Whole Foods should open soon too, making the area safe for UWS organic foodie refugee parents, and the quick walk to the 2/3 train on 135th and Sixth makes my trip to Midtown far faster than before–it takes about 20 minutes to get from Harlem to Times Square.

The neighborhood is far more diverse than Brooklyn Heights, both racially and economically; we’ve got financiers living on the same block as Section 8 recipients. People are far friendlier. I see plenty of “aspiring actresses” walking around at night.

And what sort of landlord is “Roche”? Here’s a passage from a piece he did on why he won’t use Craigslist or brokers to rent apartments in his building:

I’m not looking to have Section 8 tenants in my building, because I simply don’t have the time or energy to deal with a government bureaucracy that might or might not pay me, and to sit at home waiting for the apartment to be inspected. By carefully selecting who sees my ads (more on that below), I can filter out nearly all of the applicants who might be Section 8 tenants. Not so of a broker, especially since the common marketing strategy for brokers is to stick the apartment on Craigslist.

So, whaddya think?

A week after BHB played the shame game with Bentley’s at 144 Montague Street for posting the same sign misspelling for three years running, it appears staff decided it was worth investing in a new sign—and better use of those pesky letters of the alphabet.

Obviously, the women’s shoe store is excited, too: They added an extra exclamation mark to the sign… Thanks, guys (and you’re welcome)! No more “Liquadition.”

Mercy, almighty. Bentley’s at 144 Montague Street has posted this same sign misspelling for years—in fact, previously pointed out with sweet empathy by BHB.

Has no one ever happened to mention to the shoe retailer that “Liquidation” is spelled with the “I” and “A” in somewhat different order? All youse pepes have gotta do is cut out a couple big letters, slap ’em over the current sign and all would be right with the world. Oh, sigh…

At a community council meeting Tuesday night, Capt. Maximo Tolentino, commanding officer of the 84th Precinct, pleaded with residents of Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill to keep their front doors locked. He noted that of 141 burglaries in the precinct in 2012, 48 occurred when residents were daft enough to leave front doors and windows unlocked. This is reminiscent of a rash of burglaries here in 2011. An instance leading to our humble publisher inventing a word.

“The bottom line is, close your doors before you leave,” Tolentino says. “We’ve gotten so comfortable with the fact that only 2.8 crimes happen per day [within the precinct] that we let our guard down when we get home. Even if you’re home, you can’t assume it’s OK to leave your front door open.”

Tolentino advised residents to be more aware of their surroundings and to report burglaries by calling 911: “We are doing everything we can on our end, but we need everyone to do their part as well.”

New York magazine adds that this isn’t the first time Brooklyn Heights residents have been reminded that bad things happen “even in posh, idyllic neighborhoods.” From March 2011: “Brooklyn Heights, the brownstone and red-brick bastion of families new and old, has seen a crime spree of sorts: four burglaries in the past five days. But none of the burglaries came from a forced entry, a broken window. Instead, the burglars simply let themselves in through windows, or doors that residents, perhaps overly confident, had left open.”

DNAInfo.com quotes Howard Kolins, president of the Boerum Hill Association: “Certainly with crime down citywide, many people are less wary. Yes, check your door locks and take the ear buds out and look to see where you’re going. Don’t become a crime victim because you encouraged a crime of opportunity.”

The 84th Precinct covers Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill and Vinegar Hill.

For those anticipating New York City’s Bike Share Program, which included locations in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Bridge Park and nearby Downtown Brooklyn, you might as well hang up your helmets.

The 600 city bike share stations, which were scheduled to be in place by the end of July, have been stalled until late summer, according to NYC Mayor Bloomberg, because of a computer software glitch. In typical flippant fashion, Bloomie told the New York Times City Room blog, “It’s fascinating. The people who did not want bicycle lanes at all are now screaming, ‘Well, where are they? Where are they? I want them quickly.'”

It’s unclear when the software issues will be resolved; the program’s website assures a start date sometime before the end of the summer. The bike share kiosks’ glitch appears to have to do with touchscreen monitors that allow riders to pay with credit or debit cards.

The program is sponsored by the city Department of Transportation with Alta Bicycle Share. DOT released a draft map of the first locations last month. The solar-powered, wireless docking stations will be located on sidewalks, curbside road space and plazas, and accommodate between 15 and 60 bikes each.

While Brooklyn Bridge Park continues to scrounge together funding to continue buildout of the slow-as-molasses 85-acre waterfront project, Manhattan’s High Line Park has received a $5 million windfall from the city. This, despite the fact that the West Side tourist destination has raked in $85 million in private sector donations, in addition to a lucrative concessions deal and millions of dollars from adjoining building air rights.

DNAInfo.com reports that city park advocates are questioning why High Line was bestowed such a generous gift, which the city targeted to help build the third portion of the park, at a total cost of $90 million. Critics, for one, point to Brooklyn Bridge Park, which the city’s 2013 capital expenditures budget has slated for just $5.5 million, to develop the Pier 4 Beach and Habitat Island and a pedestrian entrance on its north side.

“Unlike the High Line—which pulls in massive cash from fundraising and private donations—Brooklyn Bridge Park relies almost entirely on the city for capital costs,” DNAInfo says. “Its fundraising organization, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, puts most of its funds toward programming at the park.” The story points to only two BBP capital projects donations: Jane’s Carousel and the controversial $40 million from New York City Fieldhouse Chairman Joshua Rechnitz to build a rec facility near Pier 5.

BBP’s 85 acres compares to the High Line’s 6.73. New York’s total 2013 appropriation is $105 million for 142 park projects. A spokeswoman for the City Council declined to respond to DNAInfo’s requests for comment.

They’re not giving up. At the beginning of April, State Senator Daniel Squadron and City Council Member Steve Levin led a rally to return the annual Macy’s 4th of July fireworks to the East River. Since 2009, the historic annual display has been based along the Hudson, stealing views from residents of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan’s East Side, instead aiming them toward New Jersey.

Now Squadron, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and BP Marty Markowitz have launched an online petition “urging Macy’s not to leave Brooklyn and Queens in the dark. Bring the fireworks back to the East River so everyone can enjoy the show.”

At a press conference Thursday, the pols declared that they are again trying to convince Macy’s to bring the fireworks home, where they were based for 32 years before moving four years ago. As BHB previously reported, Macy’s has maintained that the move was temporary to celebrate Henry Hudson’s voyage up the river. But this “temporary” is beginning to smell a lot more like “long term.”

Meanwhile, poor Hoboken, N.J., put a warning on its community webbie warning of potential gridlock as “tens of thousands” are expected to flood the locale. Apparently, the community doesn’t have the moxie of Brooklyn, eh?

NYC Mayor Bloomberg, meanwhile, was unusually demure when asked about the location of fireworks: “It’s up to Macy’s. They’re paying for it. You know, I’d love to see it move back and forth… but in the end, it’s their call.”

If you’re in favor of bringing one of the greatest free shows of the summer back to Brooklyn please sign that petition here.

(Photo: Squadron & de Blasio/Gothamist)

Despite repeated calls to 311 since the beginning of March, a mangled street sign at the high-profile corner of Montague Street & Montague Terrace in Brooklyn Heights remains a disreputable eyesore.

Whether a keen example of psychokinesis (think spoon bending) or a careless truck turning the corner, this signage, which marks one of the Promenade’s grand entrances, merits repair. If anyone else cares to rally, I’d be thrilled for a 311 blitz from Heights’ residents. My attempts have obviously amounted to nothing. Power of the people!

(Photo: Chuck Taylor)

Once again, Macy’s has decided that its annual 4th of July Fireworks spectacular will entertain viewers along the Hudson River facing New Jersey, rather than the West River toward the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

A public rally Monday from elected Kings County officials and neighborhood leaders from Brooklyn’s waterfront communities gathered a collective voice to show disdain over the NYC-based department store’s ongoing snub. In 2009, Macy’s relocated its Independence Day tradition to the Hudson to commemorate Henry Hudson’s exploration of the waterway 400 years ago—and has kept it there ever since.

State Sen. Daniel Squadron (D–Brooklyn Heights), declared, “The New York City firework show should be city-wide. Right now, New Jersey gets to enjoy the fireworks while Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx are left out of the party. That is simply unacceptable.”

As The Brooklyn Paper reports, “Brooklynites can’t fathom why a borough with a booming waterfront that could boast perfect views of rockets red glare from Red Hook to Greenpoint—not to mention acres of new parkland ideal for fireworks-gazing at Brooklyn Bridge Park—keeps seeing its July 4 dreams go up in smoke.”

Doreen Gallow, executive director of the DUMBO Neighborhood Alliance, added, “It is long overdue that the Fourth of July fireworks return home to the Brooklyn Bridge, an iconic setting that typifies the spirit of July 4 and represents the unity of NYC.”

Macy’s response is the same as last year: It says the current location isn’t set in stone. “Exclusively limiting the show to any particular area would greatly hinder the creative freedom that has made it the nation’s best and largest Independence Day display,” said spokesman Orlando Veras. “Macy’s Fireworks will continue to take place in and around all of New York City’s waterways, and will not be a permanent fixture in any one location.”

Boom… hiss…

Despite the fact that it’s based in neighboring DUMBO, bi-weekly arts & culture freebie The L Magazine apparently doesn’t think much of Brooklyn Heights. The pub ran a feature on “The 50 Best Blocks in Brooklyn,” including the likes of Best Secret Block, Best People Watching, Best Block for Brownstones, Reddest & Bluest Blocks, Best Blocks for Pretending It’s the 1970s & the 19th Century, and Most Literary Block.

While there’s a decidedly hipster demeanor to the piece, it’s surprising that with inclusion of most every nabe imaginable—from Fort Greene, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge to East New York, Cobble Hill and Park Slope—Brooklyn Heights merits not a single accolade in L’s top 45 tally. A second list to cap the top 50 offers the 5 Best Blocks To Live On, which does offer the Heights a shout-out. The block the L Word showcases is Cranberry Street, between Willow and Columbia Heights.

The descriptor: “At the conclusion of the Battle of Brooklyn, as British troops encircled the Continental Army’s encampments on the Heights, Washington and his men beat a daring retreat across the East River back to Manhattan, marking the last time anyone willingly vacated real estate in this neighborhood.”

Hmmm, if that’s the best they got, perhaps Brooklyn Heights was spared, not overlooked.

One nitwit driver, six fire engines… A motorist behind the wheel of a Dodge SUV apparently decided the 4 p.m. hour Tuesday would be an ideal occasion to drive over a median strip along Cadman Plaza West at the intersection of Pierrepont Street, snarling traffic just in time for the evening rush.

The female driver, who was by herself in the silver Dodge Journey, was making a left turn from Piereppont and drove clear over a triangular concrete median on Cadman Plaza West, which dismantled the majority of her front bumper and left the SUV lodged across the median. At least a half dozen fire engines responded, as the driver remained inside the car, unscathed, albeit perhaps in need of remedial driver training.

When BHB questioned a Fire Department crew member about what had gone down at the scene, adding, “Are you kidding me?” the officer’s response was, “You’re seeing the same thing we are,” accompanied by a dedicated smirk. That would be about the same time the word “nitwit” appeared in your reporter’s mind’s eye… recognizing that utilizing such language on the Brooklyn Heights Blog might be deemed editorializing… albeit the god’s honest truth, yes?

BHB tipster “Sara” sent us this photo of what appears to be “evidence” of two souls who were “called home” during today’s Rapture. As for the rest of us, we’re still here.

It’s one thing that anyone who lives in Brooklyn – home to some of the country’s best pizza – would order “corporate fun” pizza like Papa John’s. Sure, it’s okay for folks from Wisconsin but for New York natives “forget about it” as we believe is the vernacular.

So it’s particularly insulting when our wonderful neighborhood is inundated with fliers for said corporate pizza. Heck, in the commercials “Papa John” is just referred to as “the founder”. WTF? Is he in witness protection? One thing is for sure, Andrew Porter and David from Middagh will totally be collecting and trashing these tiny pieces of propaganda/garbage ASAP.

Caveat: the language in Ms. Slut’s post is, in Homer’s words, “very Penthouse Forum.”

Word on the street (in this case, Montague Terrace) is that one of the four Dawn Redwood trees in Brooklyn Heights was “removed” from the backyard of 2 Montague Terrace. BHB tipster Andrew Porter tell us it was cut down at the order of the co-op board, but we’re still investigating this claim. BHA Executive Director Judy Stanton has received inquiries from concerned Heights residents, and has “no idea” what led to the tree’s eradication. She’s on the case as well, but assured us that the Metasequoia Glyptostroboides, as Dawn Redwoods are officially known, in the front garden of 151 Willow Street is here to stay. Two others purportedly hold court on Pierrepont Street: one in the Monroe Place garden of the First Unitarian Church, the other in the Columbia Heights garden at 1 Pierrepont Street.

Is it possible, as this 2004 Brooklyn Daily Eagle article hints, that the tree came down because it obscured otherwise stellar views of the Manhattan skyline? What happened to the spirit of conservation, particularly in Brooklyn Heights, where that feeling was once so infectious it brought Robert Moses to his knees? I can see the Willow Street Dawn Redwood from the window of my apartment, and its towering, lush presence is a quiet sign that maybe the country isn’t so far away after all. That, and the chickens that crow each morning, are subtle reminders that nature and city life need not be mutually exclusive.

What do you think about the downed tree? Should the public have had a say before the Dawn Redwood was chopped? Is this a sign of things to come?

New sign on Atlantic Ave./BQE on-ramp

In a moment of heat inspired insanity, yesterday I went out for a roll around the neighborhood and decided to go down to Pier 6.  It was my mission to check out whether any improvement had been made in the pedestrian crosswalk situation since it had been reported on BHB that DOT was aware of the problem and working on a solution. 

As I got to Atlantic Avenue, near the on-ramp, a taxi was barreling down – blasting his horn.  In the midst of this confusion, a man was running across the street/on-ramp carrying a small child.  This is almost exactly the scenario that causes my concern. 

While there is clearly a new sign, not one driver followed the new instructions and all operated their vehicles with the old sign in mind.  In the 15-20 minutes that I sat there making my surveillance, easily 50 tickets could have been issued.

In the distance I could see a police car and I headed in that direction.  I reported to the police officer that there was a new sign and what was going on.  Other than, “I will let the guys know” I did not get much of a response.  So, in addition to the dangerous condition we got to pay for a sign that is completely ignored and not enforced.

By all estimation, Tuesday afternoon June 15, was one of those uniquely beautiful days which should be spent outside, walking/rolling around Brooklyn Heights. Since I had not been down to Pier 1 Park recently, that was my destination after conducting some errands. However, you cannot fully appreciate my rage when I discovered that it is practically impossible for a person in a wheelchair to now get into Pier 1, without making a very dangerous trip along Furman Street in heavy traffic. This is completely unacceptable.

In my new capacity as a member of Community Board 2, I am reluctant to promote the opinion that people with disabilities are always complaining. I would like to think that as a concerned resident of Brooklyn Heights, I should not have to “ghetto-ize” myself into the de facto leader of the disability community, only being begrudgingly listened to in matters concerning accessibility. But for the time being, I’m going to embrace my new position as “disabled complainer” and make some observations.

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and The Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation have dramatically failed in preparing an adequate plan for getting people to/from the park. At both Pier 1 & Pier 6 there is a serious accident waiting to happen. Having people cross a busy on-ramp to a major highway or walk in the street while construction is occurring, is simply a bad idea. A number of my friends have been injured (corner of Clinton & Montague) or killed by being hit by automobiles. Consequently, I pay very careful attention to pedestrian safety considerations. Is it too much to ask that foreseeable problems related to pedestrian safety be addressed by the Conservancy and Development Corporation?

In terms of the features within Brooklyn Bridge Park, it does not appear that much thought was given to ensuring that all people could enjoy Brooklyn Bridge Park. In the Design profession, there is a concept called “Universal Design” which strives to create products, buildings and public spaces which are usable by everyone. The team that has been working on this facility seems to be unfamiliar with this concept. Additionally, this idea of Universal Design is important, because as the population ages, there are more people with varying disabilities every day.

Although there are a few features that are obviously accessible, (accessible port-a-san and some parking spaces), accessibility is not all that important. For instance, the crushed rock surface material at Pier 6 is a problem for many people with a variety of mobility impairments and, might even be illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Likewise, from my limited investigation, I did not see any playground equipment that kids with disabilities might use. Another simple example of the failure to incorporate principles of Universal Design is with the telescopes found at Pier 1 which are inaccessible.

In the 1989 film “Field of Dreams”, Kevin Costner made his cliché statement “If you build it, they will come”. Logically, the opposite of that statement is that if something is not constructed, people will not come. If accessibility is not more visibly included in the Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklynites with disabilities will not come and not have the same opportunity to enjoy this world-class public space, which has been under consideration for more than two decades. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation needs to do a much better job of proactively creating a public space that all people can use and enjoy.

BHB photo by C. Scales

We earlier reported how obstinate state officials appeared to have delayed the opening of the Pier 1 portion of Brooklyn Bridge Park in a battle over who could claim credit for it. Now, it appears, the heavy hand of Albany may be delaying work on the Empire-Fulton Ferry section of the Park, between the foot of Main Street and the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO.

New York Daily News: Bureaucratic squabbling is holding up construction at a shuttered DUMBO waterfront park, the Daily News has learned.

Empire Fulton Ferry Park closed down at the beginning of the year for a $3.5 million reconstruction project, but no work has been done since then.

A standoff between state and city officials is to blame for the delay, sources said.

According to the Daily News article, the heavy in this story appears to be State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who has refused to allow the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation to proceed with construction work because of a technicality involving contract wording.

Brooklyn Bridge Park officials placed tents over steel domes in Pier 1’s playground because they become red hot in midday sun.  The NY Daily News ran a story today saying children were crying out in pain after touching the shiny objects.

Raw video from WPIX-TV after the jump.
 

Sure January and February may have been slow news months and the only headlines we had going for us were weather related.  Nope, Jan/Feb didn’t yield a new Slappaccino Dad story or a rhubarb over parking.  Ah, but wonderful March has already  bestowed this wonderful sure-to-be-discussed-forever tidbit from the New York Times (an electronic newspaper now run by college interns) via Pardon Me For Asking upon us:

NYT Cityroom: This delicate dance can be a joy to watch, but it becomes infinitely more complicated when a wild card — in the form of a frisky-in-the-snow dog — is thrown into the mix. Such was the case at the Hillside Dog Park in Brooklyn Heights on Friday, according to one reader of Pardon Me For Asking, as sledders took to the slope inside of the run. The reader, and puppy owner,took umbrage at being chastised by parents for the puppy’s behavior:

… We brought our 5-month-old puppy to Hillside Dog Run in Brooklyn Heights, which was covered in snow. As usual dozens of parents show up with dozens of kids to sled down the hill inside the dog run. My very well behaved, if not excitable, puppy, got enthused by the action and at one point, playfully nipped at a kids arm. To which the obnoxious parent tells me that my dog should be trained to not bite children!!! And of course, explaining to this person that his child is SLEDDING IN A DOG RUN, so he should maybe expect that to happen some times, because dogs are trained while on leads, NOT WHILE RUNNING OFF-LEASH IN A DOG RUN WHERE YOU’RE LITTLE BRAT SHOULDN’T BE SLEDDING IN THE FIRST PLACE.

This advice was seconded by a Yelp reviewer of the dog park, Robin G., who gave the park five out of five stars (!) but also cautioned, “I would be slightly careful with a kid in the dog park, since there are wild rumpus moments where a kid could get knocked over by some enthusiastic mutt.”

BHB photo by C. Scales

Originally scheduled to open in December, then delayed to January, the Pier 1 portion of Brooklyn Bridge Park (see photo above), though evidently good to go, will not welcome the public until, according to the latest promise, sometime this spring.

The Brooklyn Paper: The long-awaited first permanent section of Brooklyn Bridge Park has been delayed — again! — and will now open “in the spring,” Borough President Markowitz revealed in his “State of the Borough” address on Wednesday night.

The waterfront development’s Pier 1 recreation area at the foot of Old Fulton Street — the fruit of decades of planning and controversy — was originally scheduled to open in late 2009, but was pushed back until January.

According to the report, no one has given an explanation for the delay.

Pierrepont Street

“They take care of us, so we take care of them.”That’s what Officer Reynoso, the very polite (and forthright) policeman from the 84^th Precinct told me last night, when I asked him why he was writing a ticket for the car on the left, but not for the one on the right.

He said no cop will write a parking ticket on a car with an MD plate, as “someday they may need to take care of us”.

“So you think that if you write them a ticket, they won’t save you if you get shot?”, I asked.

“You never know”, he said.

I said, “But aren’t you supposed to write them a ticket?”

He replied, “Look, I know some people such as yourself may not be happy with this. So you should contact someone like the Civilian Complaint Review Board.”

“I’d rather just see everyone treated equally. We both know he shouldn’t be parked here. I can’t convince you to write this guy a ticket?”

He said, “If I do, he’ll call the precinct, and I’ll get in trouble.”

“So this guy will raise a beef if you ticket him?”

“Yes”, and he again referred me to the CCRB.

So that probably explains this Mercedes-driving doc doesn’t even bother with a placard:

The good news is that since the publication of “Dashboard Divas” in the New Yorker, and my posting the pictures of the car with the bogus Amtrak surgeon placard, at least that car has not been parked for a single night on Pierrepont Street. To the owner: you’re not banished – just park like the rest of us.

“I am not the law, but I represent justice as far as my feeble powers go.” – Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Three Gables

Brooklyn Heights based blog Ink Lake is irked about parishioners of the First Presbyterian Church blocking the Henry Street bike lane every Sunday.  He claims that church brass told him that they have an “understanding” with the 84th Precinct:

Ink Lake: Every Sunday, the members of the First Presbyterian Church park their cars for several hours down the length of Henry, between Clark and Love Lane. You would think that would be a lot of revenue for the city, right?

Wrong.

Apparently, they have some ‘understanding’ with the 84th Precinct, whereby if they put a sign in their window that they are attending church, they don’t get ticketed. Last year, I traded some e-mails with the interim pastor, to no avail, and in June I raised the issue at the community precinct meeting. The captain agreed that praying to God in a specific building on Sundays does not confer special parking privileges, and he would ‘talk to them’. Well, you can see the results.

Calls to 311 produce nothing either, and meanwhile, cyclists on this busy stretch of street are forced to share their lane with cars.

The video is from this past Sunday, when more than 20 cars blocked the lane. I shot it a few minutes after services had ended, so there were actually a couple of empty spots.

Update: Newman & Redford vs. the O’Neals & Madeline Kahn, and more. No sooner had I posted my apology above than the ever-helpful Nancy Webster, of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, supplied me with material for a post.

First, the ever-popular, and free, Movies With A View series suffered two rain cancellations during this soggy summer; however, only one rain date is scheduled: Thursday, September 3, with DJs starting at 6:00 P.M. and the movie commencing at sundown. BBPC needs to know which of the two rained-out flicks, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or Paper Moon, you would prefer to see on the rain date. You can vote by going to BBPC’s website. Update-update: Movies With A View provides inspiration for this week’s New Yorker cover (scroll down to see).

Other future Park evnts are listed after the jump:

International Coastal Cleanup Day, Saturday, September 19, 3-5 P.M.

During the 24th Annual International Coastal Cleanup Day, hosted in collaboration with the American Littoral Society, volunteers around the world join together to clean their countries’ shorelines.

Help us remove trash and debris from the rocks and beach of Brooklyn Bridge Park. We will tally and record all the trash we collect for inclusion in an international report, helping us to understand the impact of trash on our precious waterways.

Please e-mail rsvp@bbpc.net to let us know you’re coming!

National Estuaries Day, Saturday, September 26, 9:00-11:30 A.M.

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, with experts from the Coastal Marine Resource Center, will begin the day’s program with a special seining session from 9:00am to 10:00am. We will use a 30-foot seining net to catch fish and other remarkable species. Families and kids can take a good look at the fish before we release them back to their homes and keep a tally of our catch. We provide field guides, identification keys, and plenty of fun to go around. Previous catches have included flounder, striped bass, Atlantic tomcod, bay anchovy, green crabs, blue crabs, shrimp, comb jellies, silversides, pipefish, and even a seahorse.

The fun continues with a Rove the Cove adventure! Go on a guided tour of the Cove at Brooklyn Bridge Park from 10:30am to 11:30am, and investigate the health of the estuary with hands-on experiments. Rovers will get free t-shirts and copies of The Cove Guide to learn about and celebrate the Hudson River estuary.

All ages welcome, children must be accompanied by an adult. FREE, but space is limited. To reserve a space, please email rsvp@bbpc.net. Please include your contact info (email and phone number), the name(s) and age(s) of your child(ren), and your zip code.

It’s My Park! Day, Saturday, October 17, 1:30-3:30 P.M.

Participants will join volunteers working throughout the city in their local parks on It’s My Park! Day to enhance and beautify New York. Experts from the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and the Coastal Marine Resource Center will use a 30-foot seining net to catch, identify and discuss an amazing array of creatures that live in the East River before releasing them back to their homes. The group will then all work together to clear the shoreline of trash and debris.

All ages welcome, children must be accompanied by an adult. To reserve a space, please email rsvp@bbpc.net and include your contact info (email and phone number), the name(s) and age(s) of your child(ren), and your zip code. FREE!

All of these events take place in the section of Brooklyn Bridge Park located at the foot of Main Street in DUMBO, except for Movies With A View, which is on the lawn of the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park section, just to the south of the Main Street section (near the foot of Dock Street). For further information, see the BBPC website.