Comment Of The Day: The Toll Brothers' PR Firm

Reader comment left on the post "Pardon Me For Asking, But Did You Get This Slick Piece Of Misinformation From Anonymous Anti-Superfund Group In The Mail?":

To 4:54 - Quick Googling - Toll Brothers has hired the Geto/Demilly PR firm to campaign against the possible Superfund designation of the Gowanus Canal. The firm specializes in representing real estate interests. In 2007, they ranked 9 in NYC's top ten lobbyists, right before Yoswein you mention being instrumental for IKEA.
Info about them on: http://www.cityhallnews.com/news/127/ARTICLE/1218/2007-07-16.html
"Geto is a lobbyist who works with leading real estate development firms like Bruce Ratner's Forest City Ratner...He's also a .. frequent political advisor. He's worked on campaigns for George McGovern, Robert Abrams, and Howard Dean."
"Prior to becoming a lobbyist. Michele DeMilly was press secretary for the Empire State Development Corporation. She feels that her experience there largely shaped the firm’s client list, which includes some of the city’s largest developers."

The Empire State Development Corp: this name should ring a bell for those who followed Atlantic Yards. Empire State was instrumental in setting up the controversial sweet deals for Ratner. From Wikepedia: "Empire State Development Corporation is a public authority of the state of New York in the United States that has financed and operated several ambitious state projects by issuing tax exempt bonds. It has the power of eminent domain, is exempt from many of the restrictions that apply to regular government agencies and can issue bonds without formal Legislature or voter approval."

So all this sounds like Toll is paying for some pretty powerful backing and company!

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Picture Of The Day: Seeing Double

A pair of beautiful planters
was standing against an old brick façade
on Clinton Street,
making me think
that I was seeing double.

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What Would Happen To The Polluted Gowanus Canal In Case Of A Hurricane?

From the Office Of Emergency Management

From City Hurricane Preparedness Web Site:

In Case Of Hurricane, Cross The Gowanus Canal To Get To Nearest Evacuation Center









Waves striking a seawall, 1938

(NWS Historic Collection)

So, yesterday was the beginning of the 2009 hurricane season. Which got me thinking...

Hurricanes are rare in New York City, but they do occur. Over the last decade, storms have become stronger, more unpredictable and more frequent. If a Category 3 hurricane were to hit the metropolitan area, it would be a disaster. There is no way to evacuate all inhabitants.

Scientists Cynthia Rosenzweig and Vivien Gornitz, part of a team at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and New York's Columbia University determined that "rising sea levels combined with the storm surge of a category three hurricane would leave much of a 2050s New York underwater and the city's entire metropolitan transportation system shut down."



Obviously, New York City is taking this seriously. A while back, the Office of Emergency Management sent out a brochure to every household in the city, indicating flood zones, evacuation routes and detailing steps to take in the event of a hurricane.



Why am I bringing this up? Well, after looking at the city flood map, I am more than uneasy about what would happen to the heavily polluted Gowanus Canal in case of a hurricane.

Because flooding, which already occurs regularly in the area, may be the least of our problems.

You see, the toxic sludge at the bottom of the Gowanus would be churned around in the waters of the canal and would be dumped on land. Which, well, would be an incredibly dangerous situation. Even without storm, "there is a constant flux of movement between the water and the sediment" Walter Mugden of the EPA mentioned at a meeting last week. So imagine that same body of water during a category three hurricane.

As a dear friend always says, that would be "like Love Canal and Hurricane Katrina all in one."

Yikes!



Though we cannot significantly reduce the dangers associated with natural disasters, we can support the EPA's listing of the Gowanus Canal as a Superfund site. As part of their clean-up, the EPA would dredge the toxic sludge from the bottom of the canal, which would control the damage which would result from a hurricane.

That, however, is not something that Mayor Bloomberg and our own Councilmember Bill de Blasio are willing to support. No, they were fully willing to have developers build condos in a flood zone, on the banks of a poisoned body of water.

Those against the Superfund complain that the designation could affect house prices in the area. I would venture to say that having toxic sludge on our streets and in our houses after a hurricane would make any building uninhabitable and unsalable for much longer.





So lets hope that the 2009 hurricane season passes without unleashing a major storm over our area, because otherwise, we will all have toxic sludge in our houses.





Oh, and just one last thing:

Why would the hurricane evacuation route indicated by the Office of Emergency Management take someone from Carroll Gardens over the Gowanus Canal to an Evacuation Center on 4th Avenue?

That is exactly what their web site indicated when I played around with different addresses. (I used number 357 Carroll Street as an example.)

That doesn't make a whole lot of sense now does it?

Hurricanes are a rare occurrence in New York City, so it is understandable that most New York City residents have no idea how vulnerable our coastal city is to the storm surge flooding which follows these massive storms. One only has to look at the

Scary New York Moments

Some of the worst hurricane-related effects in New York's history:

1821: The only hurricane in modern times known to pass directly over parts of New York City pushed the tide up 13 feet in one hour and inundated wharves, causing the East River and the Hudson River to merge across lower Manhattan as far north as Canal Street. Deaths were limited since few lived there at the time.

1893: A category 1 hurricane destroyed Hog Island, a resort island off the Rockaways in southern Queens.

1960: Hurricane Donna created an 11-foot storm tide in the New York Harbor that caused extensive pier damage. Forced 300 families to evacuate Long Island.

1999: Floyd, weakened to a tropical storm, brought sustained 60 mph winds and dumped 10-15 inches of rain on upstate New Jersey and New York State.

2004: The remains of Hurricane Frances in September flooded city subways, stranding some passengers aboard trains that had to be stopped by flooded tracks.

SOURCE: New York City Office of Emergency Management, LiveScience reporting

(from:http://www.livescience.com/environment/050601_hurricane_1938.html)

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New Jersey Reader Sheds Some Light On EPA Superfund Listing

Reader App has left this incredibly insightful comment on the post "Pardon Me For Asking, But Did You Get This Slick P...":

I am from NJ, and I am going to tell you the truth about getting on the Superfund list. (we got a lot of sites on the list in NJ)

They are right when they say it will cost local residents money. But this is a good thing, and here is how & why....

After the clean up, property values will increase and it is likely that taxes will too, because that is just how it works. And who wouldn't really want that? Who wouldn't want the value of their home to double?

The alternative is that nothing gets cleaned up, things get worse, property values fall even more, residents get totally fed up with it and sell out to get out before their homes are totally worthless and their children grow up and give birth to a generation of genetic mutants. Then developers can pick up the properties dirt cheap.

Then after they acquire the land, they finally agree that it should be a Superfund site, they get on the list, the clean up takes place and they make a killing off the increase in property values.

Residents have nothing to fear with regards to lawsuits. The only ones that will get sued are the polluters that made the mess. If you didn't cause the problem, you have nothing to fear. If you did cause the problem you will be forced to take responsibility for your careless disregard for the environment. It is only right that you should. If you made the mess you should be made to pay for the clean up, at least in part. They don't go after home owners. They go after the big companies that made the mess, the ones that have been poisoning you, your children, and your community.

Additionally, things are picking up speed with the existing Superfund sites, with money pouring in from the federal government, to put people to work and clean them up faster. This is part of the current stimulus package.

New Jersey is getting over $100 million in stimulus money to clean up 8 Superfund sites.

You guys deserve to have some of that too. You deserve to live in a clean safe community. You deserve to not lose the value of your homes. You deserve the jobs the cleanup will create.

You deserve it, not the developers that seek to steal your homes out from under you for pennies of what the properties will eventually be worth.

Thank you, App,

It is great to get this confirmation and encouragement.


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XII. Brooklyn International Film Festival Starts June 5th

12^th BROOKLYN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

I missed it last year because I was out of town, but this time, I will try my hardest to catch some of the great films being shown at the 12th Brooklyn International Film Festival beginning on June 5th. They are being screened at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema, which makes it real easy. Hope, you will join me!

This is a description of the event:

Brooklyn, NY [May, 2009] - The Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF) is proud to announce the film line up for its 12th annual festival, themed OPEN SOURCE. The competitive event will run from June 5TH through June 14TH at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema.

BiFF will present over 120 film premieres that were selected over 2,786 submissions coming from 111 countries. The films will be combined in 81 film programs and each film will be shown twice. BiFF will operate two screening rooms side by side throughout the festival.

To take a look at the list of great movies included in the festival, show times and all other information, click Brooklyn International Film Festival

To watch trailers of the movies, click here

For location, click here

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A Moment In Time: Men In Hats

They walked down Court Street,
in their little hats,
as though they had stepped
out of another era.

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Carroll Park Flea Market 2009 A Great Success!

It was a picture-perfect day for a flea market in Carroll Park.

Neighbors from all over Carroll Gardens and surroundings came to browse,

and to check out the wares.

There were hats for him,

and for her to chose from.

There was a selection of stunning hand-made bags to buy,
(Susanella's 718 260-9419)

as well as a pair of Hummel dolls.

One could even chose more unusual items,
such as this stunning dog-motif bowl.

Some customers were looking for new wheels,

others were searching for new plush friends,

or new wall decorations.


A few four-legged friends watched
over their owners' merchandise,

others helped spread the "Superfund Gowanus Now" message.


In short,
everyone had lots and lots of fun
and got some great bargains.

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