INSIDE: GET THE RIGHT RESULTS WITH OUR CLASSIFIEDS SECTION Yo u r Neighborhood — Yo u r News® BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2015 Serving Brownstone Brooklyn, Williamsburg & Greenpoint AWP/14 pages • Vol. 38, No. 30 • July 24–30, 2015 • FREE LIBRARY IS A WEDGE ISSUE Activists fume after board approves plan to stick triangular high-rise on B’Heights branch By Noah Hurowitz tra cash to fix several other tative sale with Hudson The Brooklyn Paper languishing local outlets, last fall , but the plan re- It was one for the books. and board members vot- mains subject to several A Brooklyn Heights panel okayed ing “yea” urged their col- approvals. Borough Pres- the controversial plan to knock down leagues to have faith that ident Adams will have his the neighborhood’s library and a high- the borough’s book-lend- say next, and then the city rise with a new library at its base dur- ing service knows what is will have to agree to re- ing a heated meeting last Wednesday best for its users. zone the land to allow for night that frequently descended into “This will improve their the size of the tower. disorder. ability to provide library The library and de- Members of Community Board 2 services within our com- WHAT DOES veloper ultimately do voted 25–14 with four abstentions to munity,” said board mem- not need the commu- ber John Dew, who voted nity board’s approval for approve real-estate firm Hudson Com- THE BEEP in favor of the sale. “This is their scheme — the pan- panies’ bid to buy the library’s Brooklyn something that the public THINK? els are largely toothless Heights branch for $52 million and erect library system in Brooklyn INTERVIEW outfits comprising volun- a 36-story tower of luxury housing with has asked us to approve. PAGE 6 teers with limited power a new branch at the bottom in its place, For me that is very im- — but the board submits despite loud interjections from anti-sale portant.” recommendations to the activists who accused the board of ca- But a vocal group of local activists city that the planning department may pitulating to corporate interests. has opposed the plan to sell the branch take under consideration. “These people are a bunch of pigs,” every step of the way , arguing that the The panel tacked on several recom- said Patricia Rhatigan, a Park Slope resi- library should not be pawning off its mendations to its approval — it wants dent who repeatedly attempted to shout- property to private interests. the developer to come up with a floor- down board members during the meet- Members of the group Citizens plan for the new library that includes ing. “All the money is just going straight Defending Libraries packed into the as much “usable space” as the current into the pockets of developers.” Founders Hall in St. Francis College for building, and the library to set aside The Brooklyn Public Library claims Wednesday’s meeting, derailing discus- $2 million for future repairs and other its existing outlet at 280 Cadman Plaza sions and booing when board members construction at the branch. West is in rough shape and is in need of spoke in favor of the sale. The debate be- It is also demanding that Hudson $9 million in repairs that it cannot afford. came so fiery at times that board chair honor its pledge to build below-mar- Hudson plans to tear down the ageing Shirley McRae paused several times to ket-rate housing as part of the project, two-story art deco library and build a threaten activists with expulsion. which the developer says it will do — new branch of the bibliotheca on the bot- “You are not going to commandeer albeit in two of its other developments in tom floor of a wedge-shaped skyscraper this meeting,” McRae said at one point. Clinton Hill, rather than in the Heights containing 139 units of housing. “If you don’t allow the board to con- tower itself. Proponents of the sale say the brand- ArchitectsMarvel tinue without the catcalling and the dis- Borough President Adams will host new branch would better serve the com- A majority of Community Board 2 members approved a plan to build this wedge-shaped 36-story tower respect, you will be removed.” a public hearing on the plan at Borough munity while the system could use the ex- where the two-story Brooklyn Heights Library currently stands. Library honchos already inked a ten- Hall on Aug. 18. Beach bums snub Coney Pro volleyball serves up in Brooklyn Bridge Park instead By Noah Hurowitz Professionals — the self-described the nation’s top bikini-clad ath- park instead of the People’s Play- The Brooklyn Paper “premier U.S. pro beach volleyball letes scooped and served next to ground. This is a real spike in the league” — debuted a tournament a dog run and a condominium For those who still want to see face! called the Brooklyn Open at the complex. some hot sand-meets-spandex ac- Professional beach volleyball People’s Playground to great fan- Zigun said he was outraged at tion on real Brooklyn dunes this made its long-awaited return to fare in 2006. But the sand-sport the snub and suggested the story summer — or to get in on it your- Brooklyn last Thursday, but Coney syndicate ditched the contest in deserved front-page treatment. But self — the parks department is 2010 , blaming the slow economy ultimately, he said, it is really pro- Islanders are livid that the league hosting an amateur beach volley- and a lack of sponsors. fessional volleyball’s loss. ball tournament and some learn- refused to revive its tournament on The league finally returned to “Coney Island is so awesome the actual beach in their ’hood, opt- to-play classes in Coney Island New York last week with a new that if they don’t come we won’t on Aug. 8 and 9. ing instead for the artificial courts tourney dubbed the New York really miss them,” said Zigun, who New York City Parks Beach in Brooklyn Bridge Park. City Open, which included heats is widely recognized as Coney Volleyball Tournament at Coney “I think they’re being foolish,” in Brooklyn and on the distant is- Island’s unofficial mayor. “But Island beach (near the Board- said Dick Zigun, founder of Side- land of Manhattan. But instead of they should still play down here walk and W. 10th Street in Co- shows by the Seashore. “If you’re returning to the sun-kissed shores anyway.” ney Island, www.eventbrite. a New Yorker you should under- of Sodom by the Sea for the Kings The Association of Volleyball com/e/nyc-parks-beach-volley- stand that you should play volley- County leg on July 16, it held the Professionals declined to com- ball-tournament-2015-registra- Photo by Jason Speakman ball at Coney Island.” contest at the man-made courts at ment on why it chose to host its tion-17660406752). Aug. 8–9 The nation’s best bikini-clad athletes beach faced off in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Association of Volleyball Pier 6 in Brooklyn Heights, where tournament in a privately run from 8 am to 5 pm. Free. Wake up and smell the ... rotting food Greenpointers complain new compost program is off to a stinky start By Danielle Furfaro to go away,” said Greenpointer other reasons, we have to do this,” The Brooklyn Paper Madia Bassino. said Perlmutter. “Anything new The city’s composting program Sanitation officials said they in New York City is always go- stinks, say Greenpoint residents are not surprised about the com- ing to be a bit of a science ex- who have been plagued by gross plaints of noxious odors and periment.” smells and occasional maggots creepy crawlies in the nabe, as Compost experts recommend in the month since the scrappy many locals still don’t know freezing compost on a daily ba- pickup service arrived in the which scraps they can and can’t sis and then putting it in the out- neighborhood . dispose of or how to throw them door bin right before pickup to Locals say food-recycling away, and the weather has been prevent it from cooking in the rookies are leaving rotting meat hot enough to bake the brown summer heat. They also advise and dairy products to putrefy in bins’ contents. making sure the bin’s latch is their bins all week, creating an “Keep in mind that the organ- firmly closed. olfactory assault on entire neigh- ics collection program is a pilot The city has been running the borhood blocks. and managing organic waste as nascent composting program in “My neighbor dumped a bunch a recyclable involves a learning Windsor Terrace since 2013 , and of moldy food in there on a hot curve in any new area where it Greenwood Heights, Sunset Park, day and there were a bunch of is introduced,” said city sanita- Park Slope, Gowanus, and Bay green flies within a day,” said tion department spokeswoman Ridge since 2014 . Greenpoint resident Eric Perlmut- Kathy Dawkins. Residents in those locales say ter. “It only takes one person in Most compost programs do Greenpointers just need to be pa- a building to do it wrong for the not allow meat and dairy, since tient while their neighbors get whole thing to collapse.” they reek and take longer to break the hang of it. Denizens’ discontent started down, but New York’s initiative “I do not think it is difficult festering soon after the city began accepts super-stinky items like stuff, and the ability to turn things its weekly food-scrap pickups in eggs, milk, and fish.