Over the past year, Red Hook has seen its share of controversial land-use proposals. Some of these notable controversies include: BASIS International School, a private primary school; Spacworks’ proposal to utilize half of the Red Hook Library for studio space; Urban House Recovery, an upscale detox facility; and a multitude of issues involving Valentino and Coffey Parks. Now, Red Hook […]
Author: gbrook@pipeline.com
Menchaca flexes his muscles on parks issue, by George Fiala
At a meeting organized by a recently formed Red Hook park advocacy group, freshman City Councilmember Carlos Menchaca sped the community toward a quick resolution of the Valentino Pier bathroom controversy. Menchaca first became known to Red Hookers two years ago, when he was sent to the community by his then-employer, Council Speaker Christine Quinn. His job was to convey […]
Our Beloved Valentino Park, by John McGettrick
Valentino Park & Pier, at the foot of Coffey Street in Red Hook is no doubt one of New York City’s smallest but also one of the most extraordinary assets. Its unobstructed vistas of the harbor – including the Statue of Liberty, the Verrazano Bridge, Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, the Manhattan skyline, State Island and New Jersey – are what […]
Red Hook loses Two day Music Fest, by George Fiala
In a decision fraught in a bit of mystery, the Escape Music Festival, which was to bring two days of entertainment to the Columbia Waterfront District, at Pier 9a, abruptly pulled out of Red Hook and moved across the channel to Governors Island. This came as somewhat of a surprise to people who attended a recent Community Board 6 meeting […]
Editorial: This is how our governor rolls
If anyone was wondering why our mayor, who used to lead rallies across the street from Long Island College Hospital to prevent its closing, has barely said boo about it since February, one need only to look north to the governor’s mansion. You could get a clue by paying attention to Andrew Cuomo’s actions during this past primary season, when […]
Columbia Street loses Escape Music Festival, by George Fiala
In a last minute action of the Port Authority (PA), the Escape Music Festival, which was to bring two days of music to the Columbia Waterfront District at the pier, had their PA permit to conduct the festival taken away. Over the weekend, the promoter, Merrit Quirk, was able to move the festival over to Governors Island, so it will […]
Valentino Update, by George Fiala
A Facebook group calling themselves “People for Red Hook Public Parks” held a meeting last night at 351 Van Brunt Street, hosted, but not attended, by Victoria Hagman. It was self-described as a community meeting but a reporter for the Star-Revue was not allowed to sit and report on the goings-on. When asked why not, the answer was that the […]
THE GOWANUS CANAL NOW, by Mark Shames
Everyone around these parts knows that the Gowanus Canal is a highly polluted waterway due to a legacy of industrial uses along its banks. Those toxin-generating uses are now gone. This has given us an opportunity to remediate the area and we have seized upon that opportunity. Progress has begun as “flushing tunnel,” which has the ability to draw water […]
One person can make a difference, by Karen Broughton and family
I had many reservations when the Red Hook Star Revue asked me to write this article; but I knew George did not personally know my mother and had only heard of her; so I thought I would write it. Here we go! If I told it all; it would be a book. So let me give you a snippet of […]
Education Beat: PS 15 is now a magnet school, by Kimberly Gail Price
In February of this year, PS 15 announced it had been granted “magnet” status beginning the fall semester of 2014. A school that is awarded a magnet status gains federal funding for a specified number of years to incorporate specific focus on curriculum. A specific theme is chosen by the school and that school is allowed to chose what the […]