INSIDE: PAGES AND PAGES OF COUPONS TO SAVE YOU CASH! Yo u r Neighborhood — Yo u r News® BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2013 Serving Brownstone Brooklyn and Williamsburg AWP/14 pages • Vol. 36, No. 25 • June 21–27, 2013 • FREE ON THE BLOCK Law school puts six Heights dorms up for sale By Jaime Lutz Brooklyn Law President Joan Wex- The Brooklyn Paper ler confirmed the school’s plan to sell Brooklyn Law School is selling six of the six locations, which include 89 its student housing buildings in Brook- Hicks St. between Orange and Pine- lyn Heights. apple streets, 18 Sidney Pl. at Livingston Realtor Massey Knakal announced Street, 144 Willow St. between Pierre- yesterday that the 114-year-old institu- pont and Clark streets, 100 Pierrepont tion has put the residences, which, com- St between Henry and Clinton streets bined, could be valued at more than $41 27 and 38 Monroe Pl. between Pier- million, on the market — and is pitch- repont and Clark streets. ing them as a landlord’s dream. Wexler, who will soon leave the “The opportunity to own 110 units, president’s office to become dean and of which 90 percent are vacant, in Photo by Stefano Giovannini president emeritus, refused to say why Brooklyn’s most desirable neighbor- The Brooklyn Law School main the school is selling off so many res- hood, does not come around often,” building on Joralemson Street. idences. said Stephen Palmese, the agent han- The school is selling six of its dor- “Thank you so much, and I really dling the sale. mitory buildings. See LAW on page 11 Photo by Elizabeth Graham Kayakers, rowers, canoers, and even a daring stand-up paddle boarder took to the toxic Gowanus Canal on June 15 for the Gowanus Challenge. Bike patrol Back in the paddle shuts down Gowanus boat race brings brave to toxic canal Health trouble cancels By Natalie Musumeci face masks, in preparation of paddling women’s safety program The Brooklyn Paper ON THE SAFE SIDE... through the foul-smelling waterway, Floating dead rats and decompos- which is loaded with hazardous heavy ing human feces couldn’t stop fear- POOLS ARE OPENING! metals, raw sewage, cancer-causing By Danielle Furfaro “I’m so sorry to all the The Brooklyn Paper women who depend on our less boaters from racing along the fetid SEE PAGE 11 chemicals, and, famously, gonorrhea Gowanus Canal. bacteria. The Brooklyn Bike Patrol, service,” Ruiz posted on More than 50 kayakers, canoers, But none of that scared the racers. an all-volunteer escort ser- the patrol’s Facebook page rowers, and even one stand-up pad- cal purgatory . “I was hoping not to fall in,” said Red vice that walks women home on Friday morning. dle boarder took to the toxic inlet on And many of the racers were in on Hook daredevil Chru Brar, the risk-tak- File photo by Stefano Giovannini after dark, shut down its ser- Ruiz initially thought he Saturday for the much-hyped Gow- the joke. ing paddleboarder who was dressed in Jay Ruiz has had to shut down the Brooklyn Bike vices after founder Jay Ruiz had heartburn, but finally anus Challenge , a non-motorized-wa- A few boaters donned full hazmat protective gear from head to toe. Patrol service, which accompanies women home suffered two heart attacks went to the hospital after tercraft race along Brooklyn’s nauti- suits, goggles, gloves, and even paper See GOWANUS on page 11 from train stations across the borough. earlier in the week. See BIKE on page 12 McCarren Park to get tennis bubble By Danielle Furfaro the Bronx, said it was his life- who, along with his partners, is $1,495, depending on which hours proved two years ago but it took The Brooklyn Paper long dream to create a year-round laying out $160,000 to build the are covered in the pass. Seniors Trivedi and his partners until now A private vendor will build an tennis venue where he could teach heated bubble. will get an hourly rate of $15 and 10 to get all necessary paperwork all-weather bubble over the McCa- the sport to kids. The bubble will cover McCa- percent off season-pass rates. in order. rren Park tennis courts this fall, al- “There are a lot of tennis-lov- rren’s six full-sized and two half- The city will initially take a The McCarren Tennis Associ- lowing aficionados to play through ing people around here and they sized courts from October until five percent cut on admission, ation raised $70,000 to repair the File photo by Stefano Giovannini the winter months. should be able to play year-round, the end of April. Hourly rates will which will go up to 10 percent decrepit courts in 2011. Now, the Players in McCarren Park are finally getting a tennis bub- Chintan Trivedi, a tennis and the kids should have more to do run from $35 to $57.50, while sea- in future years. bubble will mean that the courts ble like the one at the Prospect Park Parade Grounds. coach and real estate agent from during the summer,” said Trivedi, son passes will run from $910 to The bubble was originally ap- See TENNIS on page 12 LICH advocates: Open the books! By Jaime Lutz stitution appear completely un- old Cobble Hill hospital operat- is actually doing — and if the tion of LICH will be a fair one,” The Brooklyn Paper salvageable, a move that would ing say the only way they can be situation is as dire as the state wrote the community watchdogs It’s the really hard sell. once again open up the land it sure the State University of New is making it out to be. at the Brooklyn Heights Associ- The state could be scaring off sits on for sale, hospital advo- York, which owns it, is doing right “Without open books, potential ation in a message on their web- potential buyers of Long Island cates fear. by the community is to open the suitors cannot evaluate LICH’s site. “SUNY Downstate’s actions College Hospital by cooking the Residents and politicians books so everyone can see once economic viability — and there have revived fears that its real books to make the medical in- who want to keep the 155-year- and for all how bad the hospital is no assurance that the disposi- See LICH on page 11 Nethermead mud pit Boosters: Prospect Park festivals taking a toll By Natalie Musumeci the green space last month . loved meadow, still riddled with The Brooklyn Paper Tropfest , a burgeoning interna- muddied ruts from GoogaMoo- Some Prospect Park–lovers tional film festival that started 21 ga’s massive two-day party that years ago in Australia, will make drew more than 40,000 revelers are outraged that a massive out- Photo by Steve Schnibbe door short film festival, billed its Brooklyn debut on June 22 on on May 17–18, is in no condi- as the world’s biggest, is com- the park’s Nethermead field. The tion to host yet another extrava- ing to a popular meadow in Pros- event, which is free and open to ganza, which they say will only pect Park next weekend, espe- the public, is expected to draw do more harm. Game time! Photo by Elizabeth Graham cially after the controversial Great more than 10,000 film lovers to “Tropfest is, of course, going to Outfielder Eris Peguero connects for a base hit in Mon- Prospect Park advocate Ed Bahlman says the Nevermead Googa–Mooga music and food the borough’s backyard. Park just worsen the already significant day’s opening game against the hated Staten Island is in no condition to host a film festival next week. extravaganza, they say, wrecked watchdogs claim that the much- See PARK on page 11 Yankees on the Rock. Read more on page 2. BROOKLYN NETS MAKING NEWS IN THE OFFSEASON Kidd’s the coach Is she a ’Nette? Nets take a risk with popular star Reporter auditions for dance slot By Joseph Staszewski NBA, helped revitalize the Nets organi- By Jaime Lutz made a beeline for the Barclays Cen- The Brooklyn Paper zation in New Jersey from 2001 to 2007 The Brooklyn Paper ter with my tutu in tow. Jason Kidd believes he is ready to be and reached two NBA Finals. The Nets Most journalists want to someday The prerequisites were simple: a head coach in the National Basket- hope he can do the same thing again write the great American novel, but eight years of technical dance train- ball Association and so do the Brook- with no prior coaching experience after few have the ambition to dance in ing (check, I did my time at the Mon- lyn Nets. retiring from playing following a stint front of a roaring crowd at the Bar- roe Dance Academy in Connecticut The future NBA Hall of Fame point with the crosstown rival Knicks this clays Center. between the ages of 4 and 18), an out- guard was introduced as the 18th head- past season. The 40-year-old Kidd un- Well, one does. fit that showed my midriff and legs Photo by Stefano Giovannini man of his former team at a press con- derstands the challenge and is optimis- So when I learned that the Brooklyn (check, although it is difficult to find Jason Kidd, right, was introduced ference at the Barclays Center on Thurs- tic about what the Nets can accomplish Photo by Stefano Giovannini Nets were holding open auditions for an outfit that shows your navel when as the head coach of the Brooklyn day afternoon.