Manhattan Beach Community Group

MBCG Next Meeting is May 29th, 8 PM

Ira Zalcman — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:29:54 +0000

Sorry for any inconvenience but our next meeting will be May 29, 8 PM at PS 195 and not tonight as originally scheduled.

Thank you.

Sag Harbor Calls for Development Hurricane Sandy Moratorium

Ira Zalcman — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:08:46 +0000

Flooded Neighbors Call for Development Moratorium in Low Lying Portions of Sag Harbor

Posted on 08 May 2013 Sag Harbor Express

By Kathryn G. Menu

When D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus returned home to Sag Harbor after Hurricane Sandy, they discovered the heating system in their historic home had been completely destroyed as had their navy blue Mercedes Benz — its computer fried as a result of the tidal surge of salt water.

They were by no means alone.

Flooding overwhelmed their Sag Harbor neighborhood, including Spring, Garden and Howard streets, during the late October storm. Without power, village pumps meant to counteract flooding failed and with no where to go the tidal surge resulted in water levels as high as three feet in some homes.

In April, the Sag Harbor Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) granted a variance that will ultimately allow William Egan to expand his Garden Street home. FEMA and county regulations require the house and grade on the property be elevated — something neighbors have argued will exacerbate drainage problems in the neighborhood.

After reaching out to the village board and the harbor committee — presenting documentation from environmental activist Larry Penny and engineer Louis Schwartz that this construction will negatively impact neighboring homes and drainage — on May 1 the neighbors sent a letter to the village board calling for a moratorium on all development in low lying and flood zone areas.

The neighbors ask for the moratorium until the village board completes a comprehensive review of drainage in low-lying areas.

The letter also asks the village board review the current wetlands map for its accuracy. In Penny’s report, he identifies a portion in the rear of the Egan property as a wetland area likely separated from other wetlands through development.

And it is development that originally resulted in drainage being stymied in the neighborhood, noted Hegedus and Pennebaker in an interview this week. With the creation of West Water Street in the 1960s, the neighborhood was no longer able to naturally drain through its wetlands system.

“We are just worried about making it worse,” said Hegedus.

“We are just one of many neighborhoods that are facing these issues,” she added, noting global warming and rising tides will make flooding in coastal communities — and the storms that cause tidal surges — more prevalent.

“I think we have to start thinking about drainage in new ways,” she said.

For now, the neighbors will continue to fight for any relief they can get, including the introduction of generators to power the pump systems in the event of a power outage like the one that occurred during Hurricane Sandy.

“It’s the dark shadow of future storms we are thinking about,” said Pennebaker.

Thank you to Ed Jaworski for this article.

Passing of Our Dear Friend Ira Bilus

Ira Zalcman — Sun, 05 May 2013 16:01:57 +0000

We sadly inform you that Ira Bilus, beloved husband of Director Pauline Bilus, passed away on Friday, May 3rd. The funeral was held on May 5th and the family will be sitting Shiva in their home located at 4089 Ocean Avenue.

Ira Bilus was a pillar of the Manhattan Beach Jewish Center and the Holocaust Memorial Park. He was a devout man that will not only be missed by his family but also the entire Manhattan Beach community.

This writer will miss our weekly talks very much.

Our hearts full of condolences go out to Pauline and her family.

Special Permits MORATORIUM Request Denied by CB 15

Ira Zalcman — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:29:03 +0000

In spite of the concerns expressed in our letter, Community Board 15 saw fit to deny our pleas for the health, welfare and safety of the people who live in our community.
Regardless of this action by the Community Board, we will continue to seek answers from elected officials and others as to how to best protect our community going forward.

Below is the letter we submitted to Community Board 15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo.

April 22, 2013

THERESA SCAVO, CHAIR, COMMUNITY BOARD 15

RE: All BSA SPECIAL PERMIT REQUESTS

DEAR CHAIRPERSON SCAVO:

The disaster of Super Storm Sandy has created questions in the Manhattan Beach Community that require specific action from the Community Board.

Considering the fact that no one knows what plans will be created by our governments, the Manhattan Beach Community Group respectfully requests that all Special Permits that come before your Board be deferred to a future time or be denied for the following reasons:

1. All Special Permit requests, by definition, take more land that could be used to absorb rain/storm water.

2. No one knows, at this time, what the impact will be if more land is taken in order to build a larger home.

3. Where is water to go, even during heavy rainfall?

4. In the event a request is made to build a basement where there was none, no one can say with any certainty that this will not change the water table and cause neighboring homes to find water in their basements.

5. No one can say with any certainty that having basements where none were previously built will not cause new basements to be flooded and require 24 hour pumping as we have witnessed in Manhattan Beach in the past.

6. Everything concerning the Manhattan Beach community relative to Super Storm Sandy is in a state of flux.

7. There have been no studies regarding the water table(s) under homes in the community.

8. No one has made any determination as to how to handle future storm surges.

9. No study has been forthcoming regarding the water levels in Sheepshead Bay and when it will overflow again since there is significant history of the Bay overflowing.

10. No one has been able to enforce the Yards Text Amendment recently passed by NYC . The non-enforcement of this law has exacerbated the issue of non-absorption of water.

11. No definitive plans for how to rebuild our homes devastated by Super Storm Sandy have been presented to the community.

12. The Army Corps of Engineers has not been forthcoming with plans they may have to protect our community.

Since there is uncertainty as to what or how or if our community should be rebuilt or protected in the future, we submit that “business as usual” should not be the case. Therefore, we believe the Board’s decisions as they relate to Special Permits should be postponed or denied.

MBCG Meeting April 17, 8PM, PS 195

Ira Zalcman — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:02:57 +0000

The MBCG will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 17, 8 PM at PS 195 in Manhattan Beach.

Scheduled speakers include an expert on Solar Energy. What are our options after Hurricane Sandy?

Also speaking will be a representative from the MTA to discuss our bus situation on Oriental Blvd and the bus turn around near KCC.

Elected officials and their representatives (and importantly you) will have an opportunity to address the needs of post Hurricane Sandy Manhattan Beach.

The weather will be warm. Please make an effort to attend. Attendance is a measure of our strength.

Congratulations to Judy Baron-Woman of the Month

Ira Zalcman — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:01:15 +0000

On March 28, 2013 our very own Judy Baron was honored by New York State Senator Marty Golden during Women’s History Month. Judy was recognized and celebrated for her life long dedication to serving her community.

Judy is not only an Officer and dedicated member of our Manhattan Beach Community Group but is also a Commissioner of the Interstate Environmental Commission representing New York State. She has been a past president of her children’s Parents Association, of PS 139, Vice President of the District Conference of the Association of President of Parent and Teacher Associations in Brooklyn, member of the Neighborhood Advisory Board for NYC and much more.

Currently in our Manhattan Beach Community she has organized and chaired several candidate nights including the historic Turner-Weprin Debate. She has fought for many difficult environmental and zoning issues. During and after Hurricane Sandy she worked tirelessly to get help for all of us.

Judy not only deserves this and many more honors she also deserves our heartfelt thanks for her dedication, time and caring.

Congratulations to our very special Woman.

El Greco for Sale-BIG Reports

Ira Zalcman — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:58:34 +0000

March 18, 2013

1821 Emmons Avenue - Asking $17,500,000

Nearly an Acre of Under-Developed Land on Sheepshead Bay

By Brian Hanson

We are proud to offer the opportunity to create a large scale, mixed use development on nearly an acre of under-developed land facing the water on Sheepshead Bay.

The property is situated on the busy intersection of well established retail corridors of Sheepshead Bay Road and Emmons Avenue providing high pedestrian and automobile traffic for wide variety of retail tenants. Nearby commercial tenants include Bally’s Fitness, Applebee’s, Marshall’s, Loehmann’s, Citibank, and Chase.

The site’s location affords excellent visibility from the Belt Parkway, Sheepshead Bay Road and Emmons Avenue. The property is only few blocks away from the B and Q subway station and on the B3, B4, and B49 bus routes.

Please CLICK HERE to view the listing.

*Business is NOT included in sale.

EXCLUSIVE LISTINGS

102 - 122 West End Avenue / $14,500,000

Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, NY 11235

Building Type: Development/Conversion
Lot Size : 22,064 SF	Zoning : R6 / C1-2
RE Taxes : $46,463	Buildable Sq. Ft. : 53,571 - 105,907

We are proud to offer the opportunity to create a mixed use development in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach. The R6/C1-2 zoning allows a wide array of uses includin…

High School Acceptance Letters Out Today-What if?

Ira Zalcman — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 22:11:20 +0000

From Inside Schools

Help! I got rejected at my high school choices

by Clara Hemphill

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Friday, 15 March 2013 15:38

Acceptance letters for high school went out today, and 90 percent of students got one of their choices. But if you are one of the 7,225 8th graders who didn’t get matched to a high school (or if you’re unhappy with your match) it’s time to consider one of the 16 new schools opening in the fall of 2013—or one of the established schools that still has space.

You can meet representatives from these schools at the second-round high school fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 6^th and Aprll 7^th at the Martin Luther King Educational Campus at 65^th and Amsterdam in Manhattan.

Some of the schools will also have their own open houses. We’ve also compiled some recommendations for high schools that still have room.

You must submit a new application by April 12, and you’ll hear later in the spring where you’ve been assigned. (If you submit a new application, you forfeit the seat to which you were initially assigned.)

If you still are unhappy with your assignment after the second round, you may file an appeal. Don’t despair: there is some movement over the summer. An appeal won’t do you any good at the most popular schools (or at the specialized schools), but occasionally a few seats open up at other good schools. Persistence often pays off.

Hurricane Sandy delayed the admissions process this year, because people in the office of student enrollment spent most of November scrambling to find seats for thousands of students whose schools were flooded.

Some 75,690 8th graders applied to high school this year and 68,465 got one of their choices, according to the Department of Education. About 28,000 students took the Specialized High School Admissions Test and 5,229 were offered seats at the exam high schools. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts made offers to 984 students based on their auditions.

The DOE has published a new school high school directory, download it here [PDF].

FEMA Flood Elevation Plan

Ira Zalcman — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:44:06 +0000

If you live in Manhattan Beach you’re most likely in the ever expanding Food Zone A. FEMA has just published the flood elevaton plan and here are the directions to find out about your property.

1. Go to Region2coastal.com

2.Click top left on HURRICANE SANDY tab

3. A drop down menu appears and click on ADVISORY BASE FLOOD ELEVATIONS (ABFE) tool kit for property owners.

4. Enter your address in the slot provided and see below it the elevation of your property and the elevation you need to be at.

5. If your computer drowned in Hurricane Sandy or you have any computer issues call 1-800-427-4661 for help.

In the case of this writer. The property is 9-10 feet above elevation. That is the first floor. The basement doesn’t count. The elevation required is 11 feet. To build they recommend 3 feet above the elevation. This writer may be forced to acquire flood insurance at the cost of $9500 per year. Ouch!

MBCG Meeting March 13, 8PM, PS 195

Ira Zalcman — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:09:39 +0000

Our March meeting will be this Wednesday evening, 8PM at PS 195. The US Army Corps of Engineers will not be at this meeting. They stated, “We understand the public’s desire for information but we are still in an unusual state of uncertainty with the recent passed Sandy Relief Bill, the language and implications of which are still being interpreted, and now sequestration…”

Always wanted to use the word sequestration in a sentence. Feels good.

Public Officials and some unpublic ones, community news, new flood zone plan, DOB plans, KCC Yellow Unmellow Bus and more.

Please try to attend. Better than TV.