GerritsenBeach.net

This is what is left of the Foursome Diner.  It will soon become a Walgreens.

[Flickr / Banana Boardslide (Nov. 2007)]

Here is an article covering the formation of the new Manhattan Beach group. Im glad they aren’t called the Manhattan Beach Civic Group and are called the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association, makes things less confusing.

Détente is dead in Manhattan Beach.

A disgruntled faction of Manhattan Beach Community Group (MBCG) members announced this week that they have decided to break away from the 67-year-old organization and form a new civic of their own.

The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association (MBNA), as the new organization is being called, is scheduled to hold its first meeting at P.S. 195 on April 7 at 8 p.m.

More Here - Bay News

[Mill Basin Bridge/ Flickr]

With a cost of over $500 million dollars, the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) will begin reconstruction of seven bridges and their approaches to the parkway over the next coming years.

• Bay Ridge Avenue
• Fresh Creek
• Gerritsen Inlet
• Mill Basin
• Nostrand Avenue
• Paerdegat Basin
• Rockaway Parkway

The new Mill Basin and Paerdegat Basin bridges will be built along side the existing bridges, while the other ones will be built piece by piece with construction lane closures. The Gerritsen Inlet and Mill Basin bridges will start in 2010.

The Mill Basin Drawbridge will no longer be a drawbridge, rather a fixed bridge with a clearance of 60 feet a huge change from the existing 35 feet.

Tamaqua St Patricks Day

Although the formation of the Manhattan Beach Civic Group was not discussed during the Manhattan Beach Community Group’s meeting, it was allude to by the President Ira Zalcman, of the community group by saying: “We are the main game in town, we are strong, we will do well. ”

I spoke with Ira Zalcman briefly about the formation of this new group, and he makes it very clear that the new civic group is for development and zoning changes while his group is for maintaining the beauty and character of Manhattan Beach. While Ira expects that this second rival group might agree and disagree with his group on some various community issues, he ultimately believes that whatever happens, that its for the betterment of the community as a whole.

Ira also clarified the recent news on the community’s group on not accepting renters. That was done after the lawsuit, to put everyone on a level playing field with votes, and to make sure another lawsuit would not happen.

It seems now that the goals of both groups are going to be concentrating on increasing membership. The 40 year old Manhattan Beach Community Group certainly has a head start, with 400 Households (about 800-1000 members).

The Manhattan Beach Civic Groups first public meeting will be April 7th @ P.S. 195 in the auditorium.

Until April…

Manhattan Beach now has two community groups. The new group is called the Manhattan Beach Civic Group, which will be headed by the Vice Chairman of Community Board 15, Dr. Alan Ditchek. The existing group is the Manhattan Beach Community Group, which is headed by Ira Zalcman.

When we last heard from Manhattan Beach, the Manhattan Beach Community Group stopped accepting renters and only counted a single house as one member. Before that, this group voted out Dr. Ron Biondo, the former president of the Manhattan Beach Community Group. Following his loss Dr. Biondo sued to challenge the election, which may or may not have been dropped.

Since the election there has been rumblings of starting a new group, but never anything official until now.  The Manhattan Beach Civic group has sent out mailers and there are flyers circulating announcing their first official meeting for April 7th in the P.S. 195 auditorium.

Communities that have more than one group usually work together but these groups will obviously not be working together on all issues. They will most likely have completely conflicting agendas. The Civic Group will be focusing on starting new developments and changing zoning to allow larger homes and developments. The existing Community Group has always been focused on maintaining the existing zoning and keeping development in check.

The Manhattan Beach Civic Group having an “open membership,” allowing anyone to join, could be bad for the Manhattan Beach Community Group, which might find that their rival group has more members sooner than later.

The Manhattan Beach Community Group will be having a meeting Wednesday March 19th at Kingsborough, if you’re from Manhattan Beach or want to check it out, come down.

No matter how you spent your st. patricks day I hope everyone was safe and had a good time. I spent my day at the Tamaqua, where there was good food, Irish step dancing from Maureen OReiley O’Malley and a live band (Alive N Kickin’)

There really isn’t a story but I took alot of pictures.

Check out the Photo Gallery

[Car Fire/Flickr]

Saturday night, after putting out a car fire near the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, firefighters found two bodies in the trunk. The ME’s office says they were victims of “homicidal violence, including blunt-force trauma of the head,” before being burned.

The owner of the now-burnt Porsche SUV and one of the victims was father of two Siaka Kone, the Daily News reports. Kone, a businessman from the Ivory Coast who lived in Harlem, owned a livery cab service and beauty supply store.

Kone’s brother Braheem said his pregnant sister-in-law became worried when he didn’t arrive home. Also, Kone had left the house on Friday with another friend, whose car remains parked outside of Kone’s house. The News also says Kone was shot twice in the head. His brother said, “I am shocked. I just hope that they find the person who did it.”

According to the NY Times, the site “has been used as a dumping ground for the bodies of organized-crime murder victims.”