STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST NEWS AT BROOKLYNPAPER.COM Yo u r World — Yo u r News BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2018 Serving Brownstone Brooklyn, Sunset Park, Williamsburg & Greenpoint 18 pages • Vol. 41, No. 49 • December 7–13, 2018 TUNNEL VISION Giant tube along canal could replace proposed tanks By Julianne Cuba Brooklyn Paper Cleaning the City officials may scrap a long in-the-works plan to bury two mas- sive sewage tanks beneath Gow- Gowanus anus Canal–adjacent land — some of which officials recently seized “What we have essentially pro- via eminent domain — and in- posed is a tunnel that basically stead construct a giant tunnel to starts at [the land] that we recently collect storm-water runoff in the acquired — then we’d bore to- cisterns’ place, according to Feds wards the other site,” said Depart- with the Environmental Protec- ment of Environmental Protec- tion Agency. tion official Kevin Clarke. “The “Recently we’ve had the city Department of Environmental Protection storage volume would be more The city is now considering building a giant, underground approach us to advance a con- than the combined storage of the tunnel along the Gowanus Canal instead of installing two cept of replacing a tank with an two tanks.” alternate structure, a tunnel or massive water storage tanks at two separate sites, includ- The city proposed swapping series of tunnels,” agency em- ing below the headhouse, seen here, that officials must tanks for tunnel to try and shave ployee Pete Lopez told members build as part of the channel’s cleanse. some costs off the project, as well of the Gowanus Community Ad- as to reduce the amount of con- visory Group at a Nov. 27 meet- And in May, officials from the below the dirt, which would run struction involved and to build in- ing. “That’s newly on our desk city’s Department of Environmen- along the path of the fetid wa- frastructure that can store more — we are trying to understand tal Protection unveiled designs for terway from beneath the head- water, according to Clarke. the pros and cons of that.” the headhouse — which will go up house to the proposed site of the “To be perfectly honest, it came The plan to install the eight- on the Butler Street land where the smaller tank. down to cost,” he said. “As that and four-million-gallon water- ancient Gowanus Station build- The tube would function simi- cost continued to increase, the tun- New York Road Runners storage tanks is part of the Super- ing currently stands — and an ad- larly to the tanks, collecting storm- nel looked more attractive. That fund site’s federally led cleanup , jacent open-air public space on water and liquid-waste from local was a lot of our motivation, po- and the city first announced it the Nevins Street plot, along with pipes that would otherwise flood tentially pivoting to the tunnel Ear the bells back in 2013 . plans to bury the smaller tank on the canal during heavy rains, af- could add some benefits to scal- Earlier this year, Council in city-owned land near Second Av- ter the filthy wet stuff is filtered ability, additional [sewage and This long-eared elf joined thousands of gaily attired runners who dashed through Pros- April signed off on the use of em- enue and the Fourth Street Turn- through the headhouse. But the water] capture, potentially less pect Park for a holiday fun run on Dec. 2, which drew racers with bells strapped to their inent domain to seize neighboring ing Basin. tunnel could hold roughly 16-mil- footprint.” sneakers and spectators in wacky Christmas costumes to cheer them on. The Jingle Butler and Nevins street lots along But now, the environmental lion gallons of water — four mil- The original plan, including Bell Jog 5k, staged by athletes with the New York Road Runners, raised a whopping the waterway as the site for the agency wants to ditch its cis- lion more than the tanks can ac- the land acquisition, construc- $300,000 in donations, money that will go towards financing the group’s youth program, larger tank and a filtration facility tern scheme, and instead build commodate, according to a city tion of the headhouse, creation which offers free programming to some 125,000 city kids a year. called a headhouse above it. one long tunnel 125 to 150 feet engineer. See GOWANUS on page 8 Breaking down a wall Cobble Hillers approve redesign outside LICH-site tower By Julianne Cuba “It’s sympathetic to the historic builder withdrew its plans, which Racioppo. Brooklyn Paper district, and addresses many of the city’s Landmarks Preservation The panel will again cast a vote, The developer that locals bashed the community concerns that were Commission must sign off on since which is purely advisory, at its for proposing to build a brick wall raised in the last meeting,” said the tower sits within the protected Dec. 12 board meeting, which the blocking off one of the swanky Thomas McMahon. Cobble Hill Historic District. public is welcome to attend and towers in its seven-structure com- Last month, pols and commit- And roughly one month later, make comments. plex going up on Cobble Hill’s tee members slammed the devel- Romines returned to the com- The 15-story Henry Street tower old Long Island College Hospi- oper after its architect Douglas mittee with a new scheme that — dubbed 5 River Park — is the tal campus now wants to put a Romines unveiled renderings for proposes erecting an evergreen first new-construction high-rise steel fence around the property, the nine-foot-high, brick barrier hedge between two steel fences — to go up as part of River Park, according to a rep. along roughly 50 feet of Amity a roughly three-foot one in front, which Fortis is building under ex- Swapping brick for steel will Street sidewalk between Henry and and a six foot one in back — along isting zoning law after abandon- go a long way to soothe those resi- Clinton streets, which would have a smaller stretch of Amity Street ing an attempt to upzone the site dents who told builder Fortis Prop- prevented onlookers from peek- outside its property. to make way for an even larger erty Group to go back to the draw- ing into the private swimming- The committee unanimously development with below-market- ing board with its wall they called pool and garden of the 15-story approved the amended proposal, rate units in 2016. exclusive, according to a spokes- condo tower on Henry Street be- but that vote was merely a recom- CB6 meeting at the Cobble man representing the real-estate tween Pacific and Amity Streets mendation because the board did Hill Health Center (380 Henry St. firm at a Nov. 29 meeting of Com- that is part of Fortis’s so-called not have enough members pres- between Congress and Warren Architecture Romines munity Board 6’s Land Use and River Park complex. ent to make a motion, according streets in Cobble Hill) Dec. 12 at Developer Fortis Property Group now wants to build a six-foot steel fence along Amity Landmarks Committee. Following the backlash, the to CB6 District Manager Mike 6:30 pm. Street outside its swanky tower. Shirley squared Guthrie honored in Coney Commemorating a folk legend’s roots in our borough Two city leaders promise separate By Julianne McShane the home. During his years in the neigh- statues of a Brooklyn trailblazer Brooklyn Paper borhood, Guthrie wrote “Mermaid’s Av- This lane is his lane! enue,” a poem celebrating the street’s By Colin Mixson Robert Cornegy Jr., not to be outdone, A Coney Island street will likely bear diversity, as well as children’s songs in- Brooklyn Paper later that day announced he would un- the name of folk legend and former Co- spired by his close relationship with his kids — including “Riding In My Car,” Shirley, you’re kidding! veil a scale model of another Chish- ney Islander Woody Guthrie, after lo- “Why, Oh Why,” and “Howji Do” — Officials last week fell over them- olm statue at the Brooklyn Children’s cal civic gurus unanimously voted to Denson said. selves to honor the trail-blazing Brook- Museum on Dec. 3. The actual like- co-name Mermaid Avenue between lyn pol, former Rep. Shirley Chish- ness will be installed at nearby Brower W. 35th and W. 36th streets as Woodie Guthrie also developed his appreci- olm, on her birthday, with two city Park next year, as part of Cornegy’s Guthrie Way. ation for Jewish faith and culture while leaders announcing as many monu- own initiative to honor storied people The new moniker for the block, which living in Coney, writing tunes includ- ments to the nation’s first black con- of color hailing from the 36th Coun- is just steps from the icon’s former Co- ing “Hanuka Dance” and “Happy Joy- cil District, which also includes parts Associated Press / James Palmer ney home, will honor the neighborhood’s ous Hanuka.” gresswoman on the same day. Shirley Chisholm. The city’s First Lady, Chirlane Mc- of Bedford-Stuyvesant. impact on Guthrie’s life and work, ac- Guthrie left for California in the early Cray, got a head start on Nov. 30 — And in announcing his own statue, cording to Councilman Mark Treyger 1950s, but returned to New York City what would have been Chisholm’s 94th the councilman took the opportunity the entire wealth of this country’s history (D–Coney Island), who pushed for the before dying in Queens in 1967, at the birthday — announcing that a $1-mil- to talk smack about Mayor DeBlasio’s — the good, bad, and indifferent.” co-naming with Assemblyman Steven age of 55, and his ashes were spread off lion likeness of the late legislator, who policy of removing city monuments to Of course, Gov.