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Around Brooklyn: St. John’s baseball coach tapped to head Cyclones

February 5, 2020 Editorial Staff
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St. John’s baseball coach tapped to head Cyclones

St. John’s University Baseball Manager Ed Blankmeyer has been appointed the new manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones minor-league team, according to Brooklyn Reporter. “This is a dream come true for me,” said Blankmeyer, who had managed St. John’s since 1996 and who was named Big East Coach of the Year eight times. Blankmeyer said that besides developing young players’ skills, he’s looking to establish a “baseball culture” that would allow them to reach the next minor-league level on the way to the majors. He also seeks to ignite each player’s “passion for the game.” Blankmeyer reports to the Mets’ spring training complex in Port St. Lucie next week for orientation.

There’s nothing prosaic about this real estate deal

Colliers International Group has completed two leases in Brooklyn for Prose, a hair-care manufacturer, according to connect.media, a commercial real estate website. The first lease is for 28,000 square feet at 850 Third Ave. in Sunset Park. The second lease, for a headquarters space, is for nearly 12,000 square feet at the former Domino Sugar site in Williamsburg. “While consolidating office and manufacturing operations was an option for a company like Prose, it didn’t ultimately provide solutions that satisfied the company’s need for growth, flexibility and recruitment,” said Marcus Rayner of Colliers. “Ultimately, dividing Prose’s operations in Brooklyn provided a better operating solution.”

Business owners complain about pipeline construction

Some local business owners in northern Brooklyn are saying that the construction of a new National Grid pipeline from Brownsville to Newtown Creek is destroying their businesses, according to Bklyner. Maria Hernandez of Victorino Cleaners at 107 Moore St. told Bklyner that many of her customers from other parts of Brooklyn cannot find parking due to street closings. Leicy, manager of La Finca grocery store at 101 Moore St., said the store has lost more than $5,000 a week, also because of street closings. She says she only learned about the closings from a flyer. Juan, an employee at La Cocina restaurant at 100 Moore St., said profits have decreased roughly $1,500 since construction began.

Driver charged in relation to fatal Borough Park crash

A driver accused of fatally striking an elderly man last month has been charged with two moving violations, according to the Daily News. Avraham Ederi, 22, was charge with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care in the Jan. 14 Borough Park accident. Police said Ederi, who was driving a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, turned left from 53rd Street onto 13th Avenue and struck James Bright, 81. Bright, who had the green light, suffered serious head injuries and died at Maimonides Medical Center a week later, the News said.

The heat is on, says Cymbrowitz

Assemblymember Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Sheepshead Bay-Manhattan Beach-Brighton Beach) and the HeartShare Neighborhood Heating Fund announced recently that eligible residents who are enrolled in the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) can receive up to $200 in the form of a grant applied directly to their heating bill. The Neighborhood Heating Fund is run by HeartShare Human Services of New York. The program runs until funds are depleted, so constituents are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. “It is a particularly difficult time for low-income residents who must struggle to cover their basic needs,” said Cymbrowitz.

Sheepshead Bay residents slam plan for hotel

Some Sheepshead Bay residents are decrying plans for a seven-story hotel on a residential street, fearing that it will turn into a homeless shelter, according to the Brooklyn Paper. “They are worried about their property values, worried about the city housing the homeless in the hotel, and it taking away limited curbside parking spaces on the road,” said Community Board 15 Chair Theresa Scavo. Developers filed a permit on Dec. 2 with plans for a seven-story hotel building with three parking spaces, the Brooklyn Paper said. Former Board 15 Chair Maurice Kolodin added, “People don’t just come to New York City and want to stay at a hotel in Sheepshead Bay.”

Wandering Barman puts down roots in Williamsburg

The Wandering Barman Cocktail Laboratory and Tasting Room, a pub featuring bottled cocktails from Brooklyn-based Wandering Barman, has opened at 315 Meserole St., according to New York Eater. The three owners of Wandering Barman, Julian Mohamed, Roxane Mollicchi and Darren Grenia, previously owned the Bushwick cocktail bar Yours Sincerely. “People said you can’t put cocktails on tap and make them good,” Mohamed told New York Eater, “but we’re shifting perspectives on batched cocktails.” Among the drinks they serve are a date-infused old fashioned; a spicy daiquiri; and a margarita infused with makrut lime leaves. 

Art Song Society plans concert at BHS

The Brooklyn Art Song Society is set to present a concert featuring the music of Bela Bartok, Zoltan Kodaly and Leos Janacek on Feb. 7 at the Brooklyn Historical Society, according to Opera Wire. The concert will feature sopranos Lucy Fitz Gibbon and Caitlin Mead alongside mezzo-sopranos Kate Maroney and Allison Gish, as well as tenor Dominic Armstrong. Music Director Michael Brofman will perform at the piano. The program will include Bartok’s “Village Scenes” as well as Kodaly’s “Four Songs” and Janacek’s “Diary of One Who Disappeared.”

Visit black-owned restaurants for Black History Month

Bklyner advises its readers to “Celebrate Black History Month in Brooklyn Through Food” by visiting one of the borough’s many black-owned restaurants. Among the restaurants the article mentions are Peaches HotHouse at 415 Tompkins Ave., which serves soul food; Bunna Café at 1084 Flushing Ave., a vegetarian Ethiopian restaurant; Sol Sips at 203 Wilson Ave. in Bushwick, a vegan café that operates on a sliding-scale pay system; Glady’s at 788 Franklin Ave., known for its jerk dishes and rum cocktails; and Islandpops at 680 Nostrand Ave., which serves popsicles and ice cream in flavors like soursop, sorrel rum and passion fruit.

Windsor Terrace students redesign own playground

Windsor Terrace elementary school children broke ground on a student-led playground improvement project last Thursday, according to the Brooklyn Paper. Councilmember Brad Lander, who represents the area, funded the project through his participatory budgeting process. The project will even out the schoolyard surface’s cracks and bumps. It also includes playground equipment, basketball hoops, soccer goals, and a synthetic turf field. “The first grader-led redesign of P.S. 130’s schoolyard is one of the most inclusive and inspiring community design processes I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of them,” Lander told the Brooklyn Paper.

Six-story apt. house planned in East Flatbush

Permits have been filed for a six-story residential building at 61 E. 53rd St. in East Flatbush, according to New York YIMBY. The site, between Remsen Avenue and Winthrop Street, is near the 3 train’s Saratoga Avenue station and is currently occupied by a one-story church building and a large driveway. The building would have 20 residences, most likely rentals. Jeffrey Zagelbaum is listed as the owner on the applications, and Oleg Ruditser of Engineering Professional SVCS is listed as the architect of record, New York YIMBY reported.

Manhole explosion hits Brighton Beach

A manhole explosion hit Brighton Beach on Tuesday morning, knocking out residential power lines and forcing firefighters to evacuate nearby houses, according to the Brooklyn Paper. A faulty Con Edison cable prompted the explosion on Brighton Eighth Street near Ocean View Avenue just before 10:45 a.m., Fire Department officials said. Area residents on the crime-reporting Citizen app claimed the burst was ear-shattering. Firefighters rushed to the scene and had evacuated residents in three nearby houses when they realized that the burst had caused carbon monoxide levels to spike. The utility turned off power to seven nearby houses while investigating the cause of the explosion.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer

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