6 APRIL 28 – MAY 4, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP Bay Ridge icon, "beacon of light" Maureen Stramka memorialized with street co-naming BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK MMCGOLDRICKBROOKLYNREPORTER.COM She’s still “the one.” A beloved Bay Ridge icon’s legacy grew larger on Saturday, April 22 as local residents, elected oficials and more gathered at the corner of 78th Street and Third Avenue to mark its o cial co-naming to “Maureen Stramka Way.” Stramka, who was just 76 when she succumbed to cancer in May, 2014, le her mark by serving as a member of various organizations, including the Bay Ridge Community Council, the Bay Ridge Lions Club and Ragamu n Inc., all of which she once led as president. Stramka also served with Bay Ridge Ambulance Volunteer Organization (BRAVO), the 68th Precinct Community Council, the Fort Hamilton Citizens Action Committee and CB 10, among others. Councilmember Vincent Gentile – who brought the co-naming to the fl oor of the City Council and helped see it signed into law by the mayor – called Stramka a “beacon of light” in Bay Ridge. A proud mother of three (and eventual grandparent to three more), Stramka’s fi rst venture into community volunteerism took place in the early '90s when she began working for the now-shuttered Angel Guardian Home. “Her service to the community just snowballed from there,” said Gentile. “Leadership, like motherhood, came naturally to Maureen Stramka.” Gentile made note of Stramka’s participation in the task force that eventually helped save the Fort Hamilton Army Base from closure, and of the pride Stramka felt in serving as one of the Bay Ridge Saint Patrick’s Day Parade’s earliest deputy marshals. “But, the longtime Bay Ridge civic leader was just as familiar in Bay Ridge for her sharp wit and her love for a good martini,” Gentile joked. “In fact, fun-loving Maureen successfully annoyed just about every bartender in Bay Ridge by insisting on using her own martini glass that she carried with her everywhere. That’s a true story.” State Senator Marty Golden, another close friend of Stramka's, shared similar sentiments. “You name it, Maureen was involved in it here in Bay Ridge," he said. "I fi nd myself to be so lucky to have known her as a friend and community leader for so many years. They do not make them like Maureen Stramka anymore, and that is why I was honored to join with her family and my colleagues in government, especially Councilmember Gentile, in remembering Maureen. I know that this street renaming will inspire many people going forward as it hangs above Third Avenue.” The initial application for the street co-naming was brought to the community board late last year by Stramka’s longtime friend Irene Hanvey, who then spoke on its behalf at CB 10’s January meeting where it was given the BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Arthur de Gaeta Family and friends of Maureen Stramka. board’s unanimous support. “This is such a great tribute and most fi tting to honor the life of Maureen for her work and dedication to Bay Ridge,” she said. At the group’s April full board meeting, event attendee and aide to Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis Nick Chamberas remarked on how the weather at the co-naming held up until the very end noting, however, that had it rained, “Maureen would’ve turned a torrential downpour into a pool party.” Attendees were encouraged to look out for each other, help the less fortunate, champion the accomplishments of children and, perhaps most importantly, to enjoy a good martini every now and then. “Just like she would’ve wanted us to do,” said Gentile. BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/ le photo Maureen Stramka. Schedule announced for new ferry route BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK MMCGOLDRICKBROOKLYNREPORTER.COM The South Brooklyn route of the NYC Ferry, which starts at Bay Ridge's 69th Street Veterans Memorial Pier, will set sail at 6:30 a.m. come its June 1 start date, according to city o cials. Weekday service on the route — which will make stops at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, Red Hook, Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6 near Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 in DUMBO and Wall Street’s Pier 11 — will start at 6:30 a.m. in Bay Ridge, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). From there, it will pick up passengers in Sunset Park at 6:45 a.m., followed by a stop in Red Hook at 6:52 a.m., another at Pier 6/Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Bridge Park at 7:02 a.m., and one more at DUMBO's Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park at 7:10 a.m. before fi nally arriving at Wall Street's Pier 11 at 7:13 a.m. Total trip time, according to schedule, will be just under 50 minutes. NYCEDC added that the ferry will depart every 30 minutes through the morning rush (through to 9:30 a.m.), and again from 4:15 p.m. till last ride, and every 45 minutes during all other hours of operation, with one fi nal trip from Bay Ridge pushing o at 9:15 p.m. on weekdays. Weekend service will run similarly, with the fi rst ride of the day at 6:30 p.m., and the last at 9:30 p.m. Furthermore, come weekends, the route will also make mid-day loops from its Red Hook landing to Governors Island when people are permitted to access the island. The added stop was announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday, April 17 during the christening of the fi rst boat (named "The Lunch Box" by winning Bay Ridge second graders). The irst ferry will depart on weekends for Governors Island from Brooklyn Bridge Park at 10:27 a.m., and from Red Hook at 10:35 a.m., according to NYCEDC. The last ferry will depart Governors Island for Red Hook at 6:48 p.m. and for Brooklyn Bridge Park at 6:56 p.m. It will also make loops via the East River route, which expands on the current East River Ferry system. According to reports, the NYC Ferry will dock at Pier 102 on the eastern side of Governors Island’s Historic District, without interrupting Governors Island's regular ferries from Lower Manhattan. For more information, visit www. ferry.nyc and for up-to-date coverage on the ferry, visit www.brooklynreporter. com.
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