I am reprinting this article from today's Daily New's because it is so nice to get an honest account about what is going on over the battle between the community & the EPA versus Bloomberg and assorted developers which include suburban home giants and Williamsburg condo blighters,
The Toll Brothers.
Bloomberg nor anyone else in the city cared about the Gowanus until developers started snooping around dreaming about building condos like the glass/steel ones on the Bowery in Manhattan. Except these were going to be built on a toxic brownfield on the shores of an aquatic brownfield without a thought to health and environmental risks. I guess waterfront prooperty is waterfront property! For almost 2 years there has been a battle between the developers and environmental activists/historic preservationists concerning a rezoning that would allow over 2,000 new residents into this fragile area which lacks infrastructure (schools?!)and would bring significant traffic into a neighborhood with narrow streets.
Anyway! Surprise surprise, even though 80% of the comments were PRO Superfund on the governments website and there WAS a deadline, Bloomberg is acting like that the city is already the ones who are cleaning it, the pumping station is only PART of the puzzle.....I just don't get it. Condos are empty, constructions projects are abandoned- doesn't it make SENSE to let the EPA come in and clean the canal with money that does not come from us?
Anyway a long lead in to an article, honestly reported.
"Advocates of Superfund cleanup of Gowanus Canal denied entry at city launch of $150M cleanup"BY Erin Durkin
Gowanus Canal advocates charge they were shut out of Mayor Bloomberg's kickoff of a canal cleanup because they support designating the polluted waterway a Superfund site.
The group of eight was barred by police from entering the Friday event, at which Bloomberg launched a $150 million project to improve water quality.
Some members of the group had hoped to attend as members of the Department of Environmental Protection's Flushing Tunnel Rehabilitation Stakeholders Committee, formed in 2002 to work with the city on plans to rehab the canal's flushing tunnel.
"It was really a private party," said committee member Marlene Donnelly. "They wouldn't let us through the gates. They actually told us we weren't allowed to stand on the sidewalk there because this was a private event."
Bloomberg has lobbied vigorously to stop the federal Environmental Protection Agency from making the canal a Superfund site, saying the city can do its own cleanup faster and without driving away potential development.
"I had my Superfund sign with me. I'm not going to deny that," said Linda Mariano, another committee member, noting that local activists who oppose a Superfund designation and representatives of developer Toll Brothers were let in. "It was an extremely sad scenario there on Friday."
Bloomberg spokesman Marc LaVorgna said the event was "for invited guests and the media .... They [those denied entry] were permitted to be just outside the event on the street and make their voices heard."
The city project includes fixing the canal's flushing tunnel, upgrading a pumping station so less sewage will be dumped into the canal, and dredging part of the waterway.
Read the actual article
here.
Beethoven looks slightly less intimidating with this amazing backdrop. The leaves are peaking! Get thee to thy park now!
Ludger Balan founder of the Urban Divers accepting one of two nice checks, this one from Waste Management! The other was a very nice sum from Assemblymember William Colton.
Senator Velmanette Montgomery, one of the few politicians to come out publicly to be for the EPA cleaning the Gowanus Canal (ie: she is PRO Superfund!) was there. 
Is that an IRON LUNG?! Do correct me if I am wrong...FIB has more photos but the computer is dying, if it's not the camera, it's the computer, oy.... a (low tech operation here, anyone have an old laptop to donate? I have no shame!)
A painting of the Gowanus I found on the street a few years back!
F.I.B's eyewitness news team showed up this afternoon for Bloomberg's celebration of the start of work on the Gowanus Flushing tunnel finally starting (of course it took the threat of halting development to proceed) and said that no one who really lived in the community was allowed to watch or participate in it! The usual suspects were there for this private celebration. You know, Toll Brothers,our former lame-o Councilman Bill DiBlasio, Buddy Scotto and his crew, Borough President Marty Markowitz, assorted politicians and the people who love them and of course the press. 
Miss Cherry Delite and Scott Baker perform at the opening night party.
Once again Les sans Cullotes performed in front of the Last Exit bar...
I was particularly enamored with the keyboard player's mime t-shirt and tuxedo jacket with zebra striped yoke and fringe!
And speaking of fashion - FOUND ON ATLANTIC AVENUE! The Reverend Billy Talen's shoes! Bloomberg would never pound the pavement in such fab shoes as the Reverend Billy Talen does as he preaches his word of a dream for a city for the regular folks.
If you don't know, the Reverend Billy is running for Mayor, go to his website here to find out more. 
You know how F.I.B was begging you all to comment on the EPA's website that the Gowanus Canal should be Superfunded from April to July? And before that letting you all know that the Gowanus is not the place for the Toll Brothers as well as others to plant their condos as it is an AQUATIC BROWNFIELD? Remember how happy the community was when the EPA stepped in? The show of support of the community resulted in 80% of the comments to be FOR the Superfund! BUT apparently that means nothing because even though the comment period is OFFICIALLY OVER, the EPA in Washington is taking time to take meetings with Mayor Bloomberg and NOT the community (we've been trying to meet with them) and last I heard is stalling it's decision until December. Originally they said the reason for the delay is that they have to read each and every comment. Apparently it was the highest number of comments the EPA had received for ANY project. You would think that would say something about what should be done! But NO! It's the same old same old, "money talks ..",the City wants to clean the canal after years of ignoring it (um where is this money going to come from? Us and a WRDA grant they will have to apply for every year) now that it may slow their plans down to build, build, build...so people, once I again I ask you to take five minutes to cut and paste the letter (composed by C.O.R.D) below and send it to our Senators Charles Schumer and Gillibrand. We need to clog their mailboxes to let them know that the community needs to be heard,just as we were the majority on that comment site. I am so TIRED of the developers getting their way despite the lack of infrastructure,we barely have subway service and if you have been reading the news lately, the city needs to build more SCHOOLS not CONDOS! It made my day to see that L Magazine voted the Toll Brothers in this week's issue as one of the "villains" responsible for destroying New York...Von Sprecklesen no matter how hip you choose to portray yourself you still ain't! 
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