2 MAY 11 - MAY 17, 2018 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
PRESERVATION KUDOS
Two Brooklyn landmarks – the Child's
Building and Ford Amphitheater in Coney
Island and Public Bath No. 7 in Park Slope –
were among the winners of this year’s New
York Landmarks Conservancy Lucy G. Moses
Preservation Awards.
The ceremony, held on Tuesday, May 8 at St.
Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan, recognized
individuals, organizations and building
owners for their extraordinary contributions
to the city. The Lucy G. Moses Preservation
Awards are the conservancy’s highest honors
for excellence in preservation.
HELP FOR STALKING
VICTIMS
In collaboration with the Mayor’s Office to
Combat Domestic Violence (OCDV), a successful
program that has increased the response
to stalking incidents in both Staten Island and
Queens is being launched in Brooklyn.
The Coordinated Approach to Stalking program
(CAPS), Brooklyn District Attorney Eric
Gonzalez explained, is a initiative between
the district attorney’s office, OCDV and the
NYPD to increase the identification and reporting
of intimate partner stalking cases,
enhance stalking arrests and prosecutions,
and connect victims to services.
After its respective launches, the CAPS program
led to a 177 percent increase in stalking
arrests in Queens and a 233 percent increase
in Staten Island.
CHARGES IN PARK SLOPE
PEDESTRIAN DEATHS
A Staten Island woman was slapped with
a 10-count indictment which includes manslaughter
on Thursday, May 3 for allegedly
mowing down pedestrians in a Park Slope
crosswalk last month, killing two children.
According to the investigation, 44-year-old
Dorothy Bruns, who suffered a seizure at the
time of the collision, was instructed not to
drive after being hospitalized less than two
months earlier after crashing her car into a
parked vehicle.
On March 5, at about 12:40 p.m., Bruns
was behind the wheel of a Volvo sedan,
driving westbound on Ninth Street, when
she stopped at Fifth Avenue. Then, the investigation
says, while the light was still red,
she pressed the accelerator, striking a group
of pedestrians.
Abigail Blumenstein, 4, and Joshua Lew, 1,
died from the impact while their mothers and
another pedestrian also suffered injuries.
Bruns faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted
of the top charge.
-- Meaghan McGoldrick
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Jaime DeJesus
A group of councilmembers is demanding expansion of NYC Ferry expansion to
areas like Coney, Canarsie following the mayor's announcement that $300 million
had been earmarked for service improvements.
Southern Brooklyn
pols demand NYC Ferry
expansion to their hoods
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Don't forget about us.
Following Mayor Bill
de Blasio's announcement
in Bay Ridge on Thursday,
May 3 that the city's Executive
Budget will include $300 million
in new capital funding over the
next several years for NYC Ferry
to pay for new 350-passenger
capacity ferries, improvements
to piers and docks, and a second
homeport where ferries will be
maintained and repaired, six
councilmembers are now imploring
that the service be expanded
to other areas, such as Coney
Island and Canarsie.
“As Mayor de Blasio announces
yet another significant
investment into the NYC Ferry
program, we join countless
residents in outer borough
communities across the city in
continuing to be baffled by the
fact that the administration has
yet to implement ferry service
in parts of the city that feature
the lengthiest commutes and
the most limited transit options,"
asserted a joint statement by
Councilmembers Mark Treyger,
Joseph Borelli, Mark Gjonaj, Alan
Maisel and Deborah Rose, and
Council Minority Leader Steven
Matteo. "We are long beyond the
point of needing to see fast and
equitable expansion of the ferry
program so that more of our
city’s residents can benefit from
this program, not just those who
are fortunate enough to live in
certain zip codes."
Treyger has long advocated for
the program to be expanded in
his district. Last August, Treyger
and de Blasio hosted a town hall
meeting in Coney Island where
the topic was addressed.
At the time, de Blasio contended
that, once the final ferry in the
first round was launched, the city
would assess the response. “If the
service is strong, and so far it has
been very strong,” he said, “then
we will start the process of looking
at Coney Island in addition to
other parts of Staten Island and
Queens.”
The councilmembers pointed
out that, in fact, the response to
ferry service has significantly exceeded
expectations, with an estimated
nine million passengers
projected to use it by 2023, twice
what had been expected.
“This latest investment is simply
further proof that there is a
real demand for ferry service
across the city. As New Yorkers
continue to deal with delayed,
overcrowded, and poorly maintained
subway and bus service,
and face increasingly congested
traffic, ferry ridership is surging,"
the councilmembers added.
"Yet City Hall persists in leaving
southern Brooklyn communities
like Coney Island and Canarsie
and communities in the Bronx
and Staten Island out of the ferry
picture. New Yorkers from these
communities, where bus or subway
access is limited, if available
at all, often endure commutes to
school or work that are well over
an hour long."
Treyger and the other councilmembers
promised they would
continue to fight for expansion
of the service to the areas they
represent.
"The Council is joining New
Yorkers across the city in speaking
up about the need for more
transit access. It’s time for City
Hall to listen," they said.