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 […]
Month: September 2014
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 […]
Controversial plan for Valentino Pier Comfort Station, by George Fiala
UPDATED – see the end of this story. Valentino Pier park has become the latest flash point in Red Hook’s transformation from a sleepy backwater community into a destination spot. First, fences sprouted up suddenly, taking park regulars, including attendees of the Red Hook Flicks, by surprise. It turned out that the Parks Department decided to implement some repairs/improvements […]
Valentino Pier repaving to go on as planned, by George Fiala
As reported recently, Red Hook residents were surprised one day when fencing went up around Valentino Pier. Call were placed to Councilman Menchaca’s office, and he quickly arranged for a community meeting at the Red Hook Library. Kevin Jeffreys, head of the Brooklyn division of the Parks Department made a presentation that explained the reason for the fencing, and he […]
Op Ed: It’s time to join the Climate Justice Movemen, t by Corbin Laedlein
On September 23rd, heads of state are convening in New York City for a United Nations Climate Summit, where they will be expected to make pledges to curb climate change. The UN Secretary General’s goal is to “build political momentum” ahead of the 2015 Climate Change Conference in Paris, France, where member nations will meet to negotiate the first ever […]
100th Birthday Celebration for a Great Smith Street Lady, by John Verrangia, Jr
Sophia “Fay” Liuzzi Verrangia was born on September 17, 1914 in Patterson, NJ which then was just a little town. She came to Smith Street as a young “country girl” bride in 1939 when she married John Verrangia, Sr. who was working as a clerk at a shoe store located at 218 Smith Street. When the owner wanted to retire […]
Electeds finally reach out to PA regarding Pier 9 concerts
We just received a copy of a letter signed by Brad Lander, Joan Millman, Jerry Nadler and Carlos Menchaca regarding the new idea that the Port Authority has. They are renting out parts of the Containerport for disco shows and rock concerts. This is because they are under the gun for subsidizing the Red Hook Containerport LLC, (RHCT), and the […]