Around Brooklyn: Canoeing down Gowanus gains new fans

July 29, 2020 Editorial Staff

The property enclosed by the corrugated fence at right is 265 Front St. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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Canoeing down Gowanus gains new fans

The Gowanus Canal is so polluted, it’s now a Superfund site. That doesn’t faze the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, which has been canoeing the canal since 1999 as part of its intiative to clean the waterway. Since it is one of the few outfits offering canoeing cruises during the coronavirus pandemic, these excursions have found a newfound popularity. “We give [participants] life jackets, give them minimal instruction and set them adrift,” Dredgers co-founder Owen Foote told the New York Post.

Treyger releases school opening proposal

City Councilmember Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island-Bensonhurst-Bath Beach-Gravesend) recently released his school reopening proposal after consulting with educators, students and parents. Among the main facets of the plan are starting school later in the fall, strict adherence to the CDC guidelines, and advocating for financial resources. “The upcoming school year will present many difficult challenges for our students. Reopening the city’s schools cannot occur without having proper safeguards in place to protect our teachers, 1.1 million students, and their families,” he said.

Man beaten, stabbed in Williamsburg

A 52-year-old man was beaten and stabbed in Williamsburg on July 24. Police said he was standing outside Hana Food at 536 Metropolitan Ave. when he was approached by four young men whom he did not know. The suspects punched and kicked him, stabbed him in the back, then ran west on Metropolitan Avenue. The victim was taken to NYU Langone Hospital, where he was treated and released. Video shows the attackers to be wearing black baseball hats and black T-shirts, according to amNewYork.

Construction finished at Williamsburg development

Construction has been completed at One South First, a 45-story mixed-use building that is part of the Domino Sugar Factory development on the Williamsburg waterfront. The project, which is notable for its white geometric curtain wall, was designed by COOKFOX and developed by Two Trees. It contains 330 rentals, 66 affordable apartment, 150,000 square feet of office space on 18 floors, and 13,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The building features a private screening theater, a fitness center, bicycle storage, rooftop cabanas and more, according to New York YIMBY.

Bushwick condo going for $999K

A two-bedroom condo in The Knick, a condo conversion at 318 Knickerbocker Ave. of a group of early 20th century buildings on the avenue near Hart Street, is going for $999,000. The building is part of a stretch of similar buildings that feature round-arched windows on the upper floors from 312 to 322 Knickerbocker Ave. The unit, on the fourth floor, is set up with a living room and kitchen at one end, and bedrooms and two full baths at the other. A low bank of custom cabinets provides storage, and glass doors open onto a private terrace, according to Brownstoner.

Brooklyn producer heads virtual theater group

“It’s wild to think that we are still, maybe at minimum, eight months from theater really coming back,” Brooklyn-based producer-director Jeremy Wein recently tweeted. However, Wein is doing something about it. Soon after the March 12 lockdown, he founded Play-Per-View, a virtual theater initiative that “broadcasts” live-streamed events to audiences throughout the world. “When everything started shutting down, I knew in my bones it wasn’t going to be a short-term thing,” he told Brownstoner. The performances raise funds for the Actor’s Fund, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, nonprofit theater companies and more.

NYC bars hit with dozens of violations

New York City bars during the weekend were given dozens of social distancing violations for showing a “blatant disregard” for the rules, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. An enforcement drive by State Liquor Authority agents resulted in 105 violations. “This weekend in every county in Downstate NY investigators found blatant disregard for the law in bars & restaurants,” Cuomo tweeted, according to the New York Post. He added that many people are standing outside bars and drinking, which is illegal.

W’burg memorial pays tribute to slain Black people

A new memorial on the Williamsburg waterfront honors almost 200 Black people who have been killed by police or have died fighting racial injustice. The tribute, at 50 Kent Ave., is titled “Say Their Names” and features 187 portraits. “There’s definitely a handful of names that have gotten national attention, but there are so many more lives that were taken through violence and police brutality, so many lives that went under the radar,” Joyce Kam told the Brooklyn Paper.

Pizzeria co-owner subject of abuse allegations

Bushwick pizzeria Archie’s Bar and Pizza at 128 Central Ave. has closed after online sexual misconduct complaints about one of its owners. The original Archie’s, as well as its other location in Williamsburg, closed abruptly on Thursday. A former colleague of Archie’s co-owner Diego Macias said on Instagram that the two of them had a relationship including sexual violence that started when she was 19 and he was 31, according to BK Reader. Macias did not respond to questions, and it is unclear whether any charges have been filed with the NYPD.

Petition alleges racism at W’burg school

El-Melek Moore alleges that her son, who has learning disabilities, has been mistreated at P.S. 132 in Williamsburg. “I didn’t have anybody grabbing him there. I didn’t have anybody pulling him out. I didn’t have anybody yelling in his face. I didn’t have him coming home without a coat,” she said, describing the difference between her son’s experiences at P.S. 132 and at his former school in Park Slope. Moore and several other parents have started a petition calling on the school administration to “dismantle institutionalized racism.” However, other parents feel that charges of bias and racism don’t jibe with their own experiences. “Our experience with P.S. 132 has been tremendous,” parent Ryan Zagata told Greenpointers.

Work progresses on W’burg building

Work is nearing completion on 302 Broadway, a six-story mixed-use building in South Williamsburg. The reinforced concrete structure, which was designed by design firm Paul and developed by Kazi Billah, includes 24 residential units, a 12-car garage, 5,790 square feet of medical offices and 5,790 square feet of ground-floor space. The site is bound by Broadway, Marcy Avenue and South 9th Street, overlooks the BQE and is near the J, M and Z trains’ Marcy Avenue subway station, according to New York YIMBY.

Person hit by L train at Halsey St.

A person was hit by a train at the Halsey Street station on Monday morning, the MTA said. The incident happened just before 10 a.m. and led to a partial suspension on the L train. The line was shut down while emergency teams responded to the station, but the L resumed making regular stops shortly after 10:30 a.m., according to Patch.

Gounardes wants to make outdoor dining permanent

State Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst-Bath Beach-Gravesend) and Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus (D-Coney Island-Bath Beach-Bay Ridge-Gravesend) have called upon the city to make outdoor dining permanent in the warm-weather months. “To ensure our beloved local restaurants can stay afloat and with no clear end in sight for this pandemic, the city should commit to making the Open Restaurant Program permanent,” said Gounardes.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.