In years past there has always been three crossing guards for PS 277 at Allen, Bijou and Channel Avenues.
Since the beginning of this school year there has been some confusion with crossing guards not showing up and leaving Bijou and/or Channel with no one.
It took numerous calls from parents to the 61 Precinct and to PS 277 to get immediate action. Today, the 61 Precinct arrived and was a bit confused when they did not see a flashing yellow light on Channel. They had thought the yellow flashing light at Channel Avenue was already installed therefore not needing a Crossing guard at channel – which is incorrect.
Area Quickly Fills with Parents at Multiple Exits
If you know the remaining crossing guards, you know there is the good one and the crazy/bad one. The Precinct arrived and an officer briefly spoke with both Crossing Guards. Moving the good one to Channel Avenue and leaving the bad one at Bijou.
Why is this crossing guard crazy/bad? Well this is the one that many thought was just an older lady that just liked to wear the vest on sunny days with her “old lady cart”.
Crossing Guard - Stuck in the Middle
After the brief precinct visit, the bad one did not cross the dozens of children and parents at Bijou Avenue. Not only did she not cross anyone she has a major noticeable walking disability – enough where it is not-at-all appropriate to be a crossing guard.She instead crossed them multiple times AGAINST the light and because she cannot walk, she got caught in the median of the Avenue multiple times.
In the end – the bad ones mistakes may be the result of the days confusion. Her former post of Allen Avenue was very small and that may have worked with her disability but now on a full length Avenue – this is creating more of a problem.
Where was the Good One? Trying her HARDEST to slow down north bound traffic on Gerritsen Avenue with nothing but her hand.
We have been informed that the 61 is eliminating the crossing guard post at Allen Avenue leaving only the remaining two at Bijou and Channel.
PS 277 has been having trouble with “no show” crossing guards and speeding all week.
There are a lot of angry parents and they have been taking to Facebook to organizing & making well placed phone calls. Facebook is FILLED with angry parents.
Day 4 of school and still No light ,no crossing guard ,cars zooming all around us and making u turns in the crosswalk. This school year is really making me mad.. Please don’t let your kids cross Channel and Gerritsen alone.
Initially, the 61st and PS 277 was unaware that there were no crossing guards at the start of the year, now that they are aware. A marked police car and a crossing guard have been deployed on Gerritsen Avenue.
The whole issue with speeding is nothing new.However, without a crossing guard this has compounded the situation into something bigger forcing parents NOT to cross at Channel Avenue but Bijou.
News 12 says that Gerritsen Beach is angry that we have not received the JUST announced traffic signal yet at Channel Avenue.
If News 12 wasn’t too busy stealing SheepsheadBites and GerritsenBeach.net stories maybe they would of reported the story correctly. They incorrectly reported that DOT should of had the traffic signal installed already on Channel Avenue.
In no way, shape, or form was a date given for the installation. Only that we have been approved.
Check out the report anyway. The best part is that they had a radar gun clocking people at 40 MPH and above in a school zone with a limit of 15.
Dr. Johns Playground (PS 277 Playground) has been gushing water onto Gerritsen Avenue all summer.
If you watch the video above – you can see that if the park’s sprinklers are on the water then the Gerritsen Avenue entrance to the playground is flooded. Somehow the main drain next to the sprinklers never reaches a sewer but has to be clogged somewhere. Since water will always find a place to go, it is rapidly flowing the OUT of a drain on the Gerritsen Avenue sidewalk flooding it.
Yesterday was the PS 277 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony and we would like to offer our congratulations to each of the new graduates, and send them forward with our best wishes. You make us proud!
Summer is about to begin but if you look at Dr. Johns Playground at PS 277 you already know it’s here. The sprinklers have been turned on during the day for your children to enjoy.
The Parks Department would like to remind you that it is important to “Play it Safe” when visiting playgrounds.
Please follow the below safety tips when enjoying one of the 1,000 playgrounds across the city.
Supervise: An adult presence is needed to facilitate play and watch for potential hazards to ensure children’s safety. Adult supervision can greatly reduce the risk of entanglement and entrapment hazards. String on clothing or ropes used for play can cause accidental strangulation if caught on equipment.
Play your Age: Pre-schoolers, Children 5 – 12, and Teens should utilize age-appropriate equipment.
Protect Children From the Sun: A day in the sun can take its toll. Parents and caregivers should carefully monitor active recreation during the hottest part of the day, generally 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The following tips will protect children from overexposure.
Avoid Skin Contact with Hot Surfaces: Metal and rubber play surfaces can become very hot on sunny days and can cause burns on bare skin. If the equipment feels too hot to the touch, it’s probably not safe or fun to play on.
Always Wear Shoes: Children should always wear the appropriate shoes to prevent burns from contact with hot surfaces and other injuries. Shoes should be worn at all times, even in spray shower areas.
Use Sunscreen: Sunburn is painful and unhealthy. Use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher and reapply frequently.
Drink Water: Your body needs plenty of water to prevent dehydration on hot summer days. Children can become dehydrated more quickly than adults.
Protect your Eyes: Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Wear Appropriate Clothing: Wear light loose flitting clothing to keep cool and a hat to keep you shaded.
Spend time in the Shade: Keep infants and small children in the shade when possible.
Seriously, for those of Gerritsen Beach still at work or who don’t have children to pick up your lucky. We’ve covered the arrival/dissmall mess before here and here and honestly we have been letting everyone off easy.
In the past posts, it was the 61st precinct bowing to pressure to enforce the double parking. Recently every now and then a traffic agent, who looks lost, comes in and writes tickets. They mostly come in before dismissal and write tickets on Gerritsen Avenue for people parked in bus stops and if they see an expired registration/inspection. I have no problem with that, that is their job. However, they still have to obey all traffic laws just like anyone else, they can’t make U-turns, double park, etc.
As I was driving out yesterday I had the pleasure privilege of driving behind a traffic agent through dismissal. The parents cars were literality double parked on both sides of Gerritsen Avenue from Channel to Brenmans, it was a particularity bad day, maybe it was the snow coupled with a friday – who knows. The above agent would stop and go, not for the safety of children, but just to be scary. This agent was TRIPLE PARKING completely blocking north and south traffic. I guess they are allergic to getting out of their cars and walking to warn or issue tickets.
The parents cars were bad, this do-nothing agent, made matters worse. Forcing people into a panic driving through RED FLASHING stop lights on school buses and pulling out without looking.
GerritsenBeach.net will be getting back out there to highlight the problem again and maybe offer a solution. What ever happened to the parking lot? (ZING)
Since the resurfacing is complete, the DOT has been busy outlining what will be the lines that will be going down Gerritsen Avenue. We here at Gerritsenbeach.net can’t wait for the driving free for all to end!
One minor problem and its something to take note of now, it appears as though they got rid of the two foot solid white line in front of PS 277. Oh Noes!
A 100 by 120 yard field (about 2.5 acres) behind PS 277 and next to the soccer field has been cleared and leveled with literally tons of wood chips. The wood chips have been coming in almost weekly via a local Brooklyn contractor (dragonetti) who has been dumping the wood chips and various other debris there for the last few years.
At first it was assumed that this was a parks department project because of the markings and logos on heavy machinery (caterpillars, bobcats, etc..) and trucks. However, this is not a parks department project. When asked, the parks department currently has no projects being constructed in Gerritsen Beach and has no knowledge of this project.
According to the parks department wood debris and wood chips generated from hired tree contractors are considered commercial waste and therefore cannot be used on park land.
Rumors are going around that it may become a parking lot for PS 277, a ball field, etc… Who knows? More rumors include an agreement for dumping in exchange for use of heavy equipment.
“to help solve problems on the parkland. This area was covered with garbage and weeds before GB Cares started the project. The school had concerns with people hiding in the weeds, the softball teams could not find foul balls, the soil conditions were not very good, and this overgrown garbage filled area was changed by GB Cares.
We removed 10 (20) yard dumpsters of garbage, planted 1,000’s of daffodils, tulips and over a dozen trees in this area. GB Cares requested the wood chips as they turn into mulch (Dirt) it is used around the park. The GBPOA community gardens, bus stop gardens, GBLL area have all benifited from the mulch from the area. The insured contractor has helped St. James, Kiddie Beach, GB Little League, GBPOA gardens, Olga’s Bus stops gardens, NYC Parks, and GB Cares with Free tree removal and landscaping services for years.
The wood chip area would be clean, groomed and level right now. But, the Parks Department has requested GB Cares to stop work and resubmit a written request for approval of all the volunteer projects we do on the Parkland.
Update: April 25th 2009 Sent in Via Email:
Turns out GerritsenBeach.net was not the only one asking questions.
“Kid Power and The Planet Protectors” – is a highly interactive, 50-minutes musical show, designed to help children, in grades K-6, learn the value of environmental awareness and preservation. This energetic show is packed with puppets, characters, clever visuals, and lots of singing and dancing. Through sing-a-longs, question answering, dancing, and volunteering, children are encouraged to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed to make environmentally conscious choices.
The show addresses three elements of the environment: Earth, Air, and Water
A new sign popped up on the 277 grounds “NO IDLING CHILDREN BREATHING”. While I’m all for clean air for children to breathe, I’m more for saving money by avoiding fines. The city decided to cut the idling time from three minutes to 60 seconds in a school zone. They also gave the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Sanitation, along with the Police and Transportation Departments, to issue summonses, appearance tickets and violation notices for engine idling.
Watch out if your one of the parents who double park, you could get hit up with a few HEAVY taxes fines. This new law the fines range from $220 to $2,000 for repeat offenders.
Mrs. Fish warned the ENTIRE school by sending out a letter. GerritsenBeach.net warned you. Still… you didn’t care.
Now, three $115 double parking tickets were issued during dismissal at P.S. 277. Two inside the thick solid white line, and one in front of the P.S. 277 playground. They were only issuing tickets if you were double parked and no one was in the car.
Parking within the thick solid white line is only supposed to be a drop off and pick up zone. Example: 15 minutes tops without leaving your car double parked with no one inside.
Favorite line from a parents: “This is F#$!@$# nuts, what are we supposed to do?”
What do you get when you park a patrol car with flashing lights at the PS 277 entrance? A lot of freaked out parents! but obviously not all got the message.
Some parents heeded our earlier warning and avoided the area by parking further away from 277, or dropping off their kids within the solid white lines and not sticking around to chit-chat, pulling away.
There was a good number of parents still double parking, making U-turns, all in front of an officer. What happened to them you ask? Well nothing… turns out the officer is just going to sit in his idling patrol car. Maybe just having a presence is “enforcement”.
At the last Property Owners meeting it was said that a traffic/moving violation would have to be witness by an officer, what good is having an officer present, if he’s not going to walk around, or enforce anything once in a while?
The whole situation might be a work in progress but my favorite moment came when someone said “I would stay and chat with you but I’m afraid of getting a ticket.”
Update: Dismissal
Same thing, different time, more proof . This time a guy that got out of his car to curse me out for stopping for a school bus stop sign. People are amazing.
Someone blew by the bus, while an officer witnessed it. I love selective enforcement. Why even call it enforcement when its just a presence?
As you know double and triple parking is a serious problem in front of our school and across the street, in the bus stop at arrival and dismissal time. We have received
numerous complaints from many of you and from other members of the Gerritsen Beach community. I am once again asking your cooperation to solve this issue which affects the safety and well-being of our children.
When driving your child to school, please stop long enough to drop off your child and proceed so that other parents may do the same. When picking up your child, I urge you not to park illegally. Do not park in the city bus stop, in the school bus stops and/or double or triple park in front of the school. In addition to being illegal it also presents a serious safety hazard for our children.
After receiving many complaints from parents and members of the Gerritsen Beach community, Community Affairs Liaison, Police Officer Grant of the 61·t Precinct, has
informed me that beginning next week, traffic violations will be issued for the above mentioned infractions. I would not like to see any of you receiving a summons, but more importantly, I want to avoid any of our children becoming seriously injured.
If you park in or around PS 277 you need to know that starting Monday March 9th the 61st Precinct will be strictly enforcing parking and traffic laws during the morning arrival and afternoon dismissal.
Don’t double park! Don’t pass a bus with flashing reds! Don’t make any u-turns! I wouldn’t even stick around within the solid while line for too long.
Are you willing to risk high fines and/or moving violations?
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