Bowling at Fort Hamilton Army Base
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November 2, 2018Steve Saperstein Didn’t Attend Meeting for Renters in Bay Ridge
It’s strange that a candidate who is running for office wouldn’t show up for the renters in a district where rent is out of control. Oh yeah, Steve doesn’t live here, so he doesn’t care.
Dr. Frontus attended, as did Andrew Gounardes and Adam Baumel. All signed the pledge!
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November 2, 2018Warriors of Wrestling at St. Finbars – 11/10
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November 1, 2018NYC Marathon in Bay Ridge 11/5/18
The NYC Marathon will be held on November 4th. It will be coming through Bay Ridge on Fourth Avenue from around 10 am to around 4:00 pm.
They close the entire Verrazano Bridge around 7:00 am and open it around 3:00 pm when all the runners have crossed it. The Upper Bridge gets closed the night before around 11 pm, so they can start preparing.
The runners come over the bridge, exit at Dahlgren and then go west on 92 Street and make a right on 4th Avenue. While other runners stays on the BQE and exits at 7th Avenue and 79th Street, they go up to Bay Ridge Parkway and then west until they reach 4th Avenue and join the other runners.
What streets and highways are closed? See list here.
You can travel around the marathon if you used the Belt Parkway. Shore Road is a good choice to use. It’s a good idea to plan to be in the neighborhood and enjoy the marathon!
Update: Exit 2 on the Belt Parkway was closed on marathon day – people were upset. Exit 1 was open.
Here’s the starting time of each wave.
What time are the runners in Bay Ridge?
The elite runners begin coming in the neighborhood around 9:30 am. Some runners have start times of 10:30 am so 11:00 am is still a good time to go to 4th Avenue to see the marathon.
When do they re-open the bridge?
They re-open the bridge around 3:00. Traffic is regular after they open it – we had to go to Staten Island after the marathon two years ago.
Where’s the best place to stand in Bay Ridge?
– Anywhere on 4th Avenue. There are bands playing music throughout the area.
– A lot of people like to give out water so they stand outside the Saint Anselm parking lot where there is a water station. The Social Zoo will be playing music in front of Saint Anselm on 83rd Street and 4th Avenue from 9:30 AM – 12:30 AM. See here
– Some people like to watch the marathon at the corner of 75th Street & 4th Avenue because there is a group of runners coming down Bay Ridge Parkway and they converge with the group already running north on 4th Avenue, so you get to see everyone!
Track Your Marathon Runner
Get the TCS New York City Marathon App to see live tracking stats
Make or Print Out a Sign to Welcome the Runners
Councilman Brannan made this sign that you can print out.
The best signs can be seen on 4th Avenue down in Sunset Park – near the Irish Haven – 58th and 4th Avenue.
Irish Haven on 4th Avenue and 58th Street is always lively.
Setups in Bay Ridge
10/31 – Blue street horses were delivered in Bay Ridge
11/2 – Parking signs are were put up and confused Bay Ridge residents because the NYPD wrote 1000 hours instead of 10:00 am and 11/3. Councilman Brannan confirmed the time.
Last year’s sign was better and residents had more time to move their cars too:
For next year: There were no detour signs in the neighborhood telling residents how to travel.
The NYC Marathon brings a lot of money to NYC.
When is the NYC Marathon?
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November 1, 2018Affordable Housing in Bay Ridge/Sunset Park – The Towers
June 2024 Update: The lottery has opened again. (Info here)
Many people are interested in living an apartment in the The Towers because they have heard it is inexpensive.
Co-ops in the Towers are far below the market value at $13,500 (for a studio) – $36,300 (for a three bedroom) PLUS a monthly fee of $400 for the studio to $1,000 for the three bedroom (covers maintenance, utilities and security).
The Bay Ridge Towers (also formerly known by: Bay Ridge Air Rights, Inc.) are part of the New York State Mitchell-Lama buildings program which are co-ops which are low cost and geared at middle income people. You must fall in the income limits seen here. The name Mitchell-Lama came from the two politicians who made the bill to create this type of housing in NYC. Purchasing a co-op makes you a shareholder in the building.
These apartments are done by application and then a lottery to get on a waiting lists. Yes, they are that coveted so there is a waiting lists which lasts for years (5-6+ years or until it reaches the end of the list). You can find information about these types apartments through both he NYC’s HPD website (HPD=Housing Preservation and Development) or NYS’s Mitchell-Lama Program (which is the program that the Towers fall in) and in major newspapers, like the Daily News, the Chief or even local newspapers like the Brooklyn Paper. People have said that they expect 5000 applications and will put 500 on the waiting list for The Towers.
Since this is not an investment property, it can not be inherited. In the event that a person dies, the apartment is sold to the next person on the list and the money is given to the deceased person’s estate. The only way someone can live there is if they are on the record and listed on the income affidavit. Ironically according to this article, Mitchell-Lama co-ops can be transferred as there are succession rights (see this article in the NYT)
When they accepted applications, people requested a lottery form by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope no smaller than 9-by-4 inches via United States Postal Service first-class mail by November 18th to: Election Services United, PO Box 7650, Garden City, NY, 11530.
Interested applicants submitted an application and then they are picked by lottery. If you make it this far, you have to pay $200. After available apartments are given, people remain on a wait list and the list is good for many years – until it is finished. If your income changes or you are no longer interested, you will lose the $200 deposit. If you get accepted to the waiting list, you will see your number on the waiting list here.
The apartment you get offered may need a new kitchen or bathroom if the former owner hasn’t updated it. Many people live there for decades. The Towers were built in 1970-1. You can see the original paperwork for The Towers here.
Stories – 30 (for 260 -65th Street – the building closer to the water – 410 apartments) 28 stories are in the tower closer to 4th Avenue. The view from the higher apartments allows you to see Manhattan, Staten Island and NJ. You can clearly see the Macys Fireworks from the top floor balconies. You can also see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island too.
Elevators – 2 elevators per side. You can also walk to the other side and use those elevators
Apartments Being Offered
Studio apartment: $13,500–$17,300 ( maximum household income $47,000 annual)
One Bedroom: $18,700–$22,700 for households making no more than $61,400 a year.
Two Bedroom: they are not accepting anyone for the two bedroom co-ops at this time.
Three Bedrooms: $34,400–$36,300 for families earning $96,600 or less.
Co-op monthly fee: $400 for the studio to $1,000 for the large three bedroom apartments, but utilities (gas, electric and water – even if you use a lot of electricity) are included (phone and cable are not).
Has: A community room
Request Application by November 18th. Send in by: December 23, 2017 – – the PO Box will be closed after this and applications won’t be accepted)
UPDATE: SINCE SOME PEOPLE DIDN’T GET THEIR APPLICATIONS UNTIL LATE, THE DATE WAS EXTENDED TO JANUARY 3, 2017 (the P.O. Box box #7146 at 600 Franklin Ave, Garden City has been re-opened)
They also posted this update:
DHCR – Division of Housing & Community Renewal 718-430-0880
Bay Ridge Towers office: 718-492-5300
How many co-ops are in the Towers? Between the two towers there are 811 apartments.
Are the Towers considered part of Bay Ridge? Update: The Towers became part of Bay Ridge during redistricting. Now Justin Brannan represents this address at the city level and Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblywoman Marcela Mitaynes represent it at the state level. You can see the elected NYC politicians for the Towers here (260 – 65th Street is the address of one tower). Redistricting changed the zoning of the Towers (see info here) For more information on Bay Ridge borders see here.
Is the application online? No.
Can I go to an office to pick it up? No. It’s weird that it isn’t posted online. The only way you could get an application is to send a self-addressed stamped envelope no smaller than 9-by-4 inches via United States Postal Service first-class mail by November 18th to: Election Services United, PO Box 7650, Garden City, NY, 11530.
I didn’t get an application – is it still possible to get one? No it’s not.
Some people have said that they sent in self addressed stamped envelopes and didn’t receive an application.
Some people said their envelope was returned. The reason for that may have been because the mailbox was closed on the due date of November 18th.
Is there parking at the Towers? Yes, there is an outdoor gated lot cost $60 a month (there’s a wait list for this too). You can see a fantastic picture of the parking and outside area here.
Are pets allowed? Pets are allowed. There is a $150 annual fee for a pet.
Studio apartments can not have a dishwasher.
Apartments can not have a washer or dryer, but the building does have them.
Is there a doorman? No, but there is security. Security people doesn’t take packages or ring you to tell you someone is there to see you.
Can I rent or sublease these apartments? No, they are co-ops which have to be occupied by the names on the income affidavit.
Is this whole process a scam or filled with corruption? I don’t think it is a scam because ordinary people who don’t know anyone have been chosen from the lottery. I think it’s just a poorly run office because who would put a deadline near the holiday like that? Also the process seems outdated – no one asks you to send a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) to get a form anymore. Everyone loads the applications to the web so anyone can get them. But maybe they are working on this old system because it limits the number of applications for the condos.
What can I do if I didn’t get an application? What can I do if I believe corruption is involved?
You can contact:
- Carolyn Spivack from the Bay Ridge Paper 718-260-2523 as she has written about it an might be interested in the drama of this story.
- Contact Shannon Watkins who works at Senator Savino’s office at 1-718-727-9406. Diane Savino represents the Towers – not Marty Golden.
- Contact the Public Advocate, Jumaane William – what do we have a Public Advocate for if you can’t ask her to advocate for you? [email protected]
What if I don’t get this? Is there any other affordable housing? Depending on your income, you may qualify for other types of affordabl housing – see here for more info.
Sadly there are NY’ers exploiting this type of housing in 2005. And the management had to be changed. The issue was also mentioned in this 2007 report.
If you are on the waiting list, you can check the waiting list here: see your number on the waiting list here.
You can see other affordable apartments through this state program here. You can see more about the city’s program here. Spring 2016 problems with the program.
December 29th UPDATE: Brooklyn PAPER
January – Yup this is a hot mess right here.
January 2017 Update- The names for the lottery have been drawn. You can see the numbers have been added to the waitlist here.
February 2017 – The money for deposit has not been returned to those not on the list yet.
March 17, 2017 Update – many of the people who applied received a letter stating that their check was cashed and they are now on the waiting list. Waiting list numbers given as well.
September 2017 – Why is there not more affordable housing and what is being done now? See: here
If your envelope was not selected to put you on the waitlist, you received your envelope and this letter stating your envelope was not selected and your cashier’s check has been returned – (you have to deposit the check into your bank account)
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November 1, 2018Mysterious Bay Ridge Ping Sound
PING PING PING
Update: sound origin found – it’s in the water near the Verrazano Bridge
There is a mysterious ping sound in Bay Ridge. It’s the sound of metal on metal.
After I hear it for awhile and it gets annoying, I open the window and in true Brooklyn style, I yell out “Yo Quit It.” The pinging immediately stops so I always thought it must be one of my neighbors.
But people hear it all over Bay Ridge. Councilman Justin Brannan wrote about it this morning.
The people who are down near Shoe Road or in the 80’s hear a faint sound, so again I think it is up by me – near 3rd Avenue.
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November 1, 2018Why I Won’t Vote Under the Working Families Line Anymore…
The Working Families Party used to be a great party.
Over the years, I have seen some minor things I didn’t like, but in this election, I saw something major.
The Working Families Party gave their line to Ethan Lustig. That was not the pick for the neighborhood. We voted for Mathylde Frontus.
In the general election, Lustig is on the Working Family Party Line and he is an opponent again towards our candidate. The Working Families Party endorsed Dr. Frontus, but they didn’t move Ethan to another line (like they did with Cynthia Nixon).
I won’t ever vote for anyone on the Working Families Party line because they interfered in our election.
Update: Thankfully Dr. Frontus won.
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November 1, 2018Strange 68th Precinct Tweet
Today, November 1st, the 68th Precinct tweeted about a bracelet that was taken on September 7th. Why did they wait so long?
It just seems like such a low value item to be concerned about almost 2 months later……a $65.00 Pandora bracelet with 8 charms which are around $30 each in value.
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November 1, 2018Tech, Robotics and Engineering Programs for Children in Bay Ridge or Around Brooklyn
UPDATE March2019 : Urban STEAM Lab opened Bay Ridge
1) Local Libraries have Lego and Tech Programs
- Bay Ridge Library has Lego Play on Wednesdays. The program has been running since 2013. They also have a Play Station 4. 7223 Ridge Blvd 718-748-5709.
- The Fort Hamilton Library on the corner of 95th Street and 4th Avenue has a Little Bits Workshop that you can register children 6-12 years old (see here to register) They also have a Lego Program for children ages 6-12 on Wednesdays (see here)
- The Dyker Library located at 8202 – 13th Avenue has Build with Lego Duplo blocks for little kids under five years old from on Wednesdays from 11 am – 1pm. They also have Teen Tech Time with WiiU with games like Super Smash Brothers or Mario Cart 8 on Wednesday afternoon – (see here)
- The New Utrecht Library at 1743 – 86th Street has a program for children 6-10 years old every Tueday afternoon from 4 – 5 pm. They have done straw rockets, survival challenges, paper airplane gold and design a skyscraper
- The Sunset Park Library has the Build with Lego and Duplo program at 3:00 pm on Tuesdays. 5108-4th Avenue
- Brighton Beach Library also has a Build with Lego Program. For other amazing Library workshops click here
- In October, there is coding at libraries in other boroughs (not Brooklyn) for children 7-14 years old. See here You can also narrow down the boroughs and see the events chronologically here (there’s even a “Build a Robotic” hand there.
2) Engineering for Kids Summer Program – (used to be a DGK school in Bay Ridge). They are now in Downtown Brooklyn. They have an an afterschool program and Summer program for children 4-7 year olds, as well as a program for 8-14 year olds.
3) Kingsborough College always has tech classes in their College for Kids Program. These classes are available on Saturday throughout the year, as well as during the Summer. The College for Kids currently has 3D Design, Mindcraft, Craft Design and Game Creator classes for children ages 5-13. Usually there is a robotics class as well, but it is not on this years offerings. See here for more info.
4) Kings Bay Y has a Summer STEM Program – Robotics and coding camp. Contact: 718-648-7703 extension: 223 or [email protected]
5) Modding Mindcraft and Kodu Video Gaming Lessons at Congregation Beth Elohim for students in second to sixth grade. Info info here
6)Brooklyn Robot Foundry – Robot Building for Kids. Summer Program as well. Classes just for girls. They have a lot of speakers throughout the year promoting diversity in STEM.
7) Girls WHO Code – Summer Program for 10th and 11th Grade Girls to Learn Coding (applications for the Summer program come out in January)
8) BTECH – for high school girls (8th graders entering high school included) July 17-21. See here
9)Zero Day Camp – Coding camp in Brooklyn
10) Bricks 4 Kidz in Park Slope – more here
11) Curious Jane – for girls who like to tinker. Workshops and Summer Program
12) Play Well Lego Robotics Program at the Old Stone House 336 3rd Street Brooklyn
13) BkBots at Lego Robotics Camp and Classes at 361 5th Avenue and 338 6th Avenue. Summer Lego Program for students in grades 2-8 and also a Coding Camp for grades 6-12 (Arduino). Started by a physics teacher.
14) Park Slope Lego Engineering Intensive for Middle Schoolers
15) Tech Camp for ages 6-9 at the Berkley Carroll School
16) SHIP – Summer Hacking Program for high school students – 4 weeks in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. They also have hacking sessions for teens throughout the year.
17) NY Kids Club has an Architects & Engineers class for children 3-5 years old – 5 months – once a week for around $600. This is a code to get $100 discount : Welcome100
18) Construction Kids Camp – Brooklyn Navy Yard – BLDG 92
20) Pixel Academy — 163 Pacific Street Brooklyn – Afterschool, camps, minicamps (you can request these) and birthday parties.
Manhattan Sites for Kid Techies
Dazzling Discoveries for Kids ages 6-12 – coding classes $40
Robofun – for children in grades K-6
Staten Island Tech Places for Kids
1) Staten Island Makerspace – has workshops for children throughout the year and in a cool Summer camp such as Levitation and Spy Camp.
2) Mindcraft Modders and Designers in Staten Island
3) Legos and Video Games in Staten Island
Westchester
Tech Events for Children
The Lego Store (locations in Manhattan, Staten Island Mall and NJ Mall) has a lot of events that you can register for online and then stop in the store and create. Here’s two of July’s offering. Click here to see the calendar.
If your child likes to tinker, Home Depot has a Build It Project every other month or so for free. You can check the site and register here Lowes stopped offering these types of workshops.
Makerfaire – every year at the end of September (in 2017 it’s on September 23rd and 24th) in Queens outside the Hall of Science. It’s an event for a child 8 or 9+, middle school tech lovers and up. They have areas for them to learn to weld and each year the kids learn to make a circuit and leave with a light up Makerfaire toy (it’s included in the price of the ticket). It’s a little expensive, but there are discount codes all over the web starting in August. This is for older kids because the park is filled with booths and exhibits (like 50 different 3D printer exhibits). There are some crazy bikes to ride and exhibits that allow children to participate as well. There are also some exhibits inside the Hall of Science as well.
Poly Prep WISE – Women in Science and Engineering offers a fantastic day with workshops for girls. Last year it was in November, but other years it was in the Spring. Free.
Play Fair on November 4th and 5th – it’s a toy fair by Toys R Us and Nickelodeon. The event is held at the Javits Convention Center, but there are a lot of Lego stations throughout the Javits Convention Center. It’s $20 a ticket or $73 for four tickets.
First Lego Robotics Competitions – Watch teams have their robots compete to do missions. This is fun for children to participate in, but boring and kind of hard for a child who can’t touch the legos and needs to be just a spectator.
Summer STEM Programs
1) NYC had some free some STEM classes that you can apply for (by lottery)
Other Science Programs in Bay Ridge
See other activities for children here
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October 31, 2018Nicole Malliotakis’ Illegal Signs
Yesterday, Nicole tweeted about her opponent having illegal signs up on a park. She used it as a way to jab at her opponent, Adam Baumel.
Nicole made an issue about the signs. See here
Yet, Nicole Malliotakis didn’t tell the whole truth of the sign situation, but Democratic District Leader, Ralph Perfetto wrote the truth online about everyone:
And Adam Baumel responded to Malliotakis:
October 2nd:
October 3rd:
October 4th: Nicole’s signs are also near Cannonball Park.
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October 31, 2018Operation Gratitude in Bay Ridge
In case you’re wondering what you can do with all of the “extra” Halloween candy you will have, Donna’s daughter is collecting and sending the Halloween candy to servicemen and women overseas. You can drop off the candy to Good Shepherd Church on 74th Street and 4th Avenue between 9 and 3 pm Monday to Friday.
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October 30, 2018Free Italian Bread – SuperFresh in Bay Ridge
This store recently opened. Coupon is from here
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