Exposed asbestos at 340 Court St?
Josh Guttman | April 22, 2008
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Got this email forwarded to me today from someone in the neighborhood. If his suspicions are well founded, this is more than a little concerning.
Sphere: Related ContentHi all,
The “little boy” somewhere within me secretly loves watching the demolition taking place at the 340 court st site… I like watching the machinery, the plasma torches, etc, etc… It’s fun!
However, today I saw something less fun. They’re taking apart the smaller of the two ill-fated buildings at the moment, and they exposed these hot-water pipes which are encased in with what appears to be asbestos insulation. They then started trying to break the pipes by swinging the backhoe-like arm of the excavator laterally, but this ended up breaking off chunks of the asbestos, along with the tell-tale spindly white fibers which are no doubt flying around our neighborhood at the moment (not to mention their own working environment).
I’m no expert on this stuff, but it seemed troubling so my roommate took a picture of the pipes with the asbestos insulation that remains (it used to go all the way up and down the pipes).
Sigh…
- Ben
Clarett Group to Present 340 Court Street
Josh Guttman | March 30, 2008
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Developer to Unveil Plans at Behest of Union-Sackett Block Association and Other Community Groups
What: The Clarett Group will unveil its long-awaited plans for 340 Court Street, the site of the former ILA Hospital, at a public meeting.
When: Thursday, April 3, 2008 7:00 P.M.
Where: PS 58 located on Carroll Street, between Smith and Court. Take the F train to the Carroll Street stop.
Context: The project at 340 Court Street arises as development issues in Carroll Gardens are causing increasing concern in the community, a resolution for a 50-foot height limit in the neighborhood has been proposed by Councilmember Bill di Blasio, and there is growing consensus on the need for downzoning. This meeting presents an opportunity for the community to have its voice heard and for the Clarett Group to signal whether it is willing to work with local communities on contextual and responsible development.
A large turnout is expected for this open meeting, which will be hosted by the Union-Sackett Block Association, with support from local elected officials and community groups, including the Coalition for Responsible Development and the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association. After the Clarett Group and its architect present the current plans for 340 Court Street, the community will have the opportunity to react and respond.
Sphere: Related ContentDangerous cell tower installed on Henry @ President?
Josh Guttman | March 21, 2008
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Got this note last week from a concerned neighbor….does anybody know anything about this?
Sphere: Related ContentHi, I encountered a dangerous situation today at 553 Henry street. It looks as though they installed some new cell phone antennas on the roof. But here is where it gets good; not only did they do that, they also went ahead and put a huge antenna directly on the facade of the building on the 4th story. Now this is pretty scary being we have many small children walking by the building everyday. Not only will this become an issue with a good storm but looking at it makes me nervous.
Bergen Carroll needs writers!!
Josh Guttman | February 7, 2008
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You might have noticed the recent slow-down in articles on Bergen Carroll. It’s because nearly all our writers parlayed the exposure they received from Bergen Carroll and were lured away by bigger NYC publishers. If you live in Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Red Hook or Boerum Hill, have a pulse on what’s happening in the ‘hood and like to put pen to paper (or words to website), please get in touch about joining the sexiest local blog in New York City. We’re at josh [at] bergencarroll [dot] com.
Sphere: Related ContentAsbestos removal at LICH development site
Josh Guttman | January 17, 2008
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I received this note from a concerned neighbor this morning:
Sphere: Related ContentThis morning there is picketing of the company that is doing the asbestos removal @ the LICH site for substandard work by union people who do this work. They have a rat outside for non-union work and are giving out fliers. I have called in to 311 with reference # 1814440. This complaint has been forwarded to DEP with high priority as of this morning. Please pass on this information if anyone wishes to call in as well. (We need a phone/email tree for information to pass efficiently). The above reference # can be used when you call. Additionally, we are told that Clarrett is in financial trouble as Ft. Greene units not selling. As we have been off to bad start with them, it will probably continue with cost cutting methods.
–
Tom Gray
District Director
City Council Member Bill de Blasio
(718) 854-9791
(718) 854-1146 Fax
Would you like to see another post office in 11218?
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Kensingtonpostoffice/
Brooklyn writers donate anthology proceeds to fight Ratner’s Atlantic Yards
Josh Guttman | January 8, 2008
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Media Bistro broke the story today that the contributors to the anthology Brooklyn Was Mine (Brooklyn-based writers Jennifer Egan, Lara Vapnyar, Jonathan Lethem, Darcey Steinke, and Darin Strauss) plus fifteen others decided to donate all the book’s proceeds to the non-profit organization, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn. Full disclosure: four of the writers are on the DDDB advisory board. This is a great gesture towards Brooklyn and one which I personally support. Opposition to Forest City Ratner’s proposed $4 billion Atlantic Yards development remains as strong as ever and even seems to be growing in recent months. These writers characterized the Atlantic Yards project as "overwhelmingly dense, grossly out-of-scale with its surrounding neighborhood," and disruptive to longstanding communities. The development is currently held up in court. Incidentally, DDDB published The Unity Plan for Vanderbilt Yards yesterday as an alternative to Atlantic Yards. The rendering looks nice and certainly, much more in scale with the surrounding area. What do you think about Atlantic Yards?
Local residents oppose new development at 110 Amity
Josh Guttman | January 2, 2008
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Neighbors are rallying together against the latest proposed development project threatening the sanctity of the area. As you may recall, there has also been recent opposition to the Clarrett Group’s redevelopment of the Longshoreman’s Club on Court. This time, it’s a proposed development at the corner of Amity and Henry, in and around the former LAMM Institute. Below are a few plans for the proposed development, which doesn’t look overwhelmingly egregious at first glance. From the organizers, “The local community is vehemently opposed to this development that changes the block structure around to create a gated community shoe-horned into the block only to maximize profit. They call it a ‘mews’.”
I’m told that the plans will be submitted and discussed at the following meetings, which all neighborhood residents are encouraged to attend:
- Cobble Hill Association: January 2 @ 7:30pm - Long Island College Hospital, Conf Room B (entrance on Hicks)
- Community Board 6: January 3 @ 6pm - 250 Baltic Street, Cobble Hill Community Room
- Landmarks Preservation Commission: January 8 - One Centre Street, 9th Fl Conf Room, Manhattan (for time call 212-669-7923 after Jan 4)
June and Steven Negrycz are spearheading the effort with their neighbors on the block. They can be reached at CHCommittee [at] gmail [dot] com.
20/23 Units sold at 52 Dean St Development
Josh Guttman | December 11, 2007
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I stopped in the sales office at 52 Dean Street over the weekend. Apparently, 20 of 23 units in the complex have already been sold…just another data point that real estate in Cobble Hill remains on a bit of an island and hasn’t been seriously affected by market softening elsewhere. Still available in the hastily constructed, boxy apartment complex are two 2-bedroom units in the $900,000-ish range as well as the “Townhouse” of the complex, a 3-story, 3-bedroom unit with private entrance and outdoor terraces on two levels. I toured this unit and while it’s definitely a very nice home, I’m not sure it’s worth anywhere near the $2.7 million asking price. For that price, you could buy yourself a choice brownstone on a charming block and have a real backyard instead of a newly constructed asphalt terrace. It’s a sweet unit with plush spaciousness, but at that price, it’s a bit too cookie-cutter for us. I’m curious to see who buys it though and at what price.
More info on the Union-Clinton Block Meeting + Change of Time
Josh Guttman | December 7, 2007
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Reminder — Please join your neighbors for our 1st Union-Clinton Block Meeting, and hopefully the start of an official Block Association.
When: Sat. 12/8 @11:30AM-1:00PM (perhaps not the full 90 minutes)
Where: Clinton Street branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, downstairs meeting room
PLEASE PASS ALONG THE WORD TO OTHER NEIGHBORS NOT ON MY LIST….and please RSVP if you plan to attend so we can get a sense of who will be there.
Discussion topics so far include:
1. Sharing knowledge/facts of development plans for the Court-Union-Sackett corners
2. Discussing prospective role for a block association in influencing the scale, aesthetics and safety monitoring of the development site
3. Defining objectives and structure for a block association (anyone know how to do this officially???)
This being our first meeting, nothing is set in stone - so please email any suggested agenda topics to add to the list. All ideas are welcome!
Looking forward to getting all of us together for a lively discussion and constructive planning.
Donna Schneiderman
donna.schneiderman [at] verizon [dot] net
Sphere: Related ContentHear ye Hear ye - Announcing the formation of Union St Block Association
Josh Guttman | December 7, 2007
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"I’m writing to let you know that we are forming a Union Street Block Association. We have reserved a room at The Public Library on Union Street on Saturday, December 8th from 11:00am to 12:30pm. We are also trying to get a representative of our Community Board to attend. I hope you can make it." Please save the date and spread the word!
From what I hear on the inside, hot topics for discussion are rumored to include:
- ILA building development (International Longshoreman’s Association)
- New lamp posts
- Block parties
- Parking policies and ticketing
