More Fios Finally Coming To Carroll Gardens?

Verizon crew working on utility box yesterday on President Street

Newly installed pole at Union Street and Smith Street

Fios utility box at Sackett at Court Street

It's been quite a bit frustrating as a Verizon customer, and especially as a blogger, that Fios service has been very limited in Carroll Gardens.  Since the company rolled out its broadband service in 2004, only a few blocks in the neighborhood have been able to enjoy faster internet.
Considering the fact that for almost 10 years,  Verizon has gotten tax breaks in return for bringing broad band to every customer and business, as well as schools and hospital in its service territories, it is actually a bit infuriating.
Just recently, Verizon crews have been installing more utility boxes and Fios service is expanding throughout the neighborhood, especially on the blocks west of Court Street.
I stopped by to speak to a Verizon crew that was installing new equipment on President Street at the corner of Court Street.  They confirmed that  more Fios is coming.  To those of us who are still waiting, they suggested connecting to neighbors together to call Verizon. Apparently, if several neighbors start calling the company, Verizon may make their block a priority.

I also asked the crew about a story that I had heard a few times before from local residents and also from other Verizon workers: that one block here in Carroll Gardens* got Fios years ago, because a Verizon executive lived on the block and this was part of his/her employment contract.

The workers yesterday all seemed to know about it and confirmed it was one of the blocks on Carroll Street, either between Smith and Hoyt or the block from Hoyt to Bond.

* The block in question is the one framed between Smith and Hoyt Street and Carroll and 2nd Street.

I would love to get a better idea of which blocks in the neighborhood have Fios and those who don't.  I would very much appreciate it you could let me know about yours by adding a comment below.  Thanks.

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Red Paint Splattered All Over Court Street Law Office

Sometime over the week-end, someone splattered quite a bit of paint on the storefront at 351 Court Street, located between Union Street and President Street. And not just any paint. It would appear that it is oil based paint, which will be very difficult to remove.
This is the office of Ira Levine and  Domenick Napoletano, two lawyers who have been at this location for many years now.
Any idea who did this and why?

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Picture Of The Day: Purple Croci

I spotted these purple beauties in one of the plantings on the Brooklyn Promenade today.

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Important Info Every Red Hook And Gowanus Building Owner Needs To Hear: What FEMA's New Flood Maps Mean For Building Owners In Zone A

Canal at Carroll Street during Sandy (photo credit: Margaret Maugenest)

FEMA Advisory Base Flood Elevations for Gowanus And Red Hook

After Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has updated its 1983 Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) of the New York area to reflect the full extend of the water's reach during the October 2012 storm. These new updated maps are called "Advisory Base Flood Elevations (ABFE)" and show the significant expansion of the flood plains. Many areas that were previously not in Advisory Zone A have now been included.

Just recently, FEMA has completed and added the ABFE section specifically pertaining to Gowanus and Red Hook. (You can access the section here)

New York's ABFEs are advisory now, but eventually, the information will be used to update the official FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. When the agency does include it in the next 1-2 years, insurance premiums in flood prone areas will go up significantly.

According to FEMA, if your property is in the redefined Zone A, it should be raised by 3 feet above the Base Flood elevation. Otherwise, your insurance premiums will go up. "Elevating" can be accomplished by rebuilding on stilts or, by sacrificing the cellar/basement of an existing home.
To make up for the space, New York City will relax zoning requirements and allow property owners to build additional space on their building.

State Senator Velmanette Montgomery would like to make her Red Hook, Gowanus, and Sunset Park constituents aware of all this new information and of all the new regulations. Her office just published a guide, part of which you can see below. You can also access it on her website here.
"As you can see, there is much to be considered in response to the ABFE maps" State Senator Montgomery writes.  " If my office can be of service please reach out to us!"

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A Glimpse Back In Time: 1951 Aerial View Of South Brooklyn

A very cool detail of a photo I found a while back of South Brooklyn in 1951

and here is entire photo, which includes Park Slope and Sunset Park.

I thought you might enjoy it.

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That New Gowanus Whole Foods Store Is Mighty Close To The Polluted Waters Of The Canal

Whole Foods construction as seen from Third Street at 4th Street Basin

Whole Foods site at Gowanus Canal's  4th Street Basin
(photos by Martin Bisi)

I find it ironic that representatives of  Mayor Bloomberg's Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR) are holding an informational meeting to address "how we will rebuild New York City to be more resilient in the wake of Hurricane Sandy", while construction on the new Gowanus Whole Foods store on the shore of the polluted canal, an EPA Superfund site,  is in full swing.

The photos above were taken by Martin Bisi, who has documented the construction almost daily since it started.  The images show how incredibly close the store will be to the water's edge at the 4th Street basin at Third Avenue.
Yes, the EPA has formulated a plan to clean up the toxic waterway, but it will take a few more years before the actual remedial work will start.  In the meantime, the water of the Gowanus is highly toxic.

The site on which Whole Foods is being building is former march land and prone to flooding. Yes, it has been raised with fill, but it certainly won't be enough to prevent flooding.
As a reminder of how much the water rose at that site during Hurricane Sandy, here is a photo taken by Martin Bisi during the actual storm.  It was entirely covered in water.

Whole F(l)oods site during Hurricane Sandy, October 2012

(photo credit: Martin Bisi)

Bisi also took the photos below of the Coignet building on the same site. The future organic market continues to   encroach on  this historic, landmarked structure.

(photo credit: Martin Bisi)

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Choral Chameleon's 'Wide Waters' Concert At St. Paul's This Weekend

St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Carroll Gardens will be hosting another great evening of music this week-end. Choral Chameleon, a chamber chorus lead by artistic director and founder Vince Peterson, will be performing the Tamar of The River Oratorio and choral water music of Palestrina, Conrad Susa and Simon &Garfunkel.

Here is more:

Choral Chameleon and New York Theatre Barn present a fully-staged oratorio suite derived from the new musical Tamar of the River written by 2011 Jonathan Larson Award winners Joshua H. Cohen and Marisa Michelson, and starring Jessica Grové in the title role of Tamar and the singers of Choral Chameleon as the River. This compelling work, an adult fable, follows young Tamar on her quest for peace in times of war, as she journeys to the River's source to hear the voice of God. The project will fuse the best of the choral and theatrical worlds to create a new hybrid form of immersive, explosive, visually spectacular, and emotional live storytelling. Co-Produced with NEW YORK THEATRE BARN
Choral Chameleon will then wade deep with the choral water music of Palestrina, Conrad Susa, Simon and Garfunkel and more. Listen to a preview of the concert selections here. And hear composer Conrad Susa talk about his early career and the two pieces included on this concert.
Get a sprinkle of the music & buy your ticket at www.ChoralChameleon.com

Choral Chameleon's Wide Waters Concert

Saturday, March 9th at 8pm

Sunday, March 10th at 7pm

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 199 Carroll St

$15 online in advance / $20 at the door

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