Of Rats & Raccoons

I’ve learned over the years that when it comes to the New York Mets, expect the unexpected. Last week was one of those weeks that kind of had it all.
It started on Tuesday, when the Mets fired hitting coach Chili Davis after scoring a bunch of runs on Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia.
The timing was strange. After all, we are only 20-plus games into a 162-game season. But when you hear about a fake hitting coach named “Donnie Stevenson” (actually Pete Alonso alias), and you combine that with a slow start for a bunch of key Mets, sometimes a minor change at hitting coach happens in an organization.
It wasn’t fair to Davis. But whether it was his old-school hitting mentality that didn’t sit well with the Mets front office or a new owner itching for a change and some big wins, it was quite a way to start the week.
Little did I know the drama for the New York Mets was just beginning.
Friday night’s come-from-behind win against the Arizona Diamondbacks was overshadowed entirely by an argument that “may or may not have happened” in the hallway leading to the Mets locker room.
Clearly at the end of the 7th inning, something was off between Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil.
It was obvious watching numerous Mets players run into the dugout at the end of the half-inning that something was going down between the middle-infield duo.
After the game, the explanation from Francisco Lindor was very bizarre. He said the brouhaha was the result of a rat or raccoon scurrying around.
It was comical to listen to Lindor and, to a lesser extent, McNeil try to spread the fairy tale.
It doesn’t take a baseball genius to figure out there was clearly a disagreement between McNeil and Lindor. But guess what? That’s okay.
Here’s a dirty little secret: not every teammate loves one another. At times there are fights and disagreements.
Sometimes two guys blowing off a little bit of steam ends up being the best thing for the team. I’d rather hear about two guys putting it behind them and not about rats or raccoons, but hey, that’s me.
I didn’t love the way Lindor handled the situation on Friday night, but the reality of the weekend is that the argument seemed to bring out the best in the two scuffling teammates.
Lindor hit a game-tying home run on Friday night and McNeil homered on Saturday night, propelling the Mets to victories against the Diamondbacks.
The release of pressure by putting it all behind them is maybe the spark to get them both playing better and more relaxed this season.
The Mets will need Lindor and McNeil to deliver big if this team hopes to win a division title.
You could say the same about Jacob deGrom, who we learned on Sunday will have to spend some time on the Injured List.
It’s only the first month of the season, but we’ve had a little bit of everything from the Mets standpoint.
Fired coaches, phantom coaches, injuries, rats and raccoons, but also a winning record.
Strange times, winning times. Go figure.

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Lander attack on speaker may have backfired

Councilman Brad Lander’s bid for city comptroller is looking increasingly more like a long shot.
His chances took a big hit when City Council Speaker Corey Johnson decided to exit the mayor’s race and instead run for comptroller. But is was Lander decision to attack Johnson for “stalling” and “playing politics” on several pieces of legislation that may have sunk his campaign.
Lander didn’t just mention this criticism to a reporter or even bring it up in a press conference, he decided to launch an entire website dedicated to Johnson’s “shortcomings” as speaker.
“What’s the Story,” Corey?” lists nearly 20 pieces of legislation Lander claims Johnson failed to advance to the detriment of the residents of a city looking to recover from a pandemic.
A lot of those pieces of legislation were sponsored by Lander’s colleagues, who he apparently didn’t check with before he put all of this information out on the Internet for the whole world to Google.
Many of them actually endorsed Lander for the position before Johnson announced he would enter the race, but now many of them, miffed that he included their legislation on his website, are pulling their support.
Council members Margaret Chin and Debi Rose are two of his fellow council members who said Lander’s repeated attacks on the speaker and the work of the City Council caused them to reconsider their endorsements.
They specifically pointed to what they called Lander’s misrepresentation of the progress being made to support paid sick leave for gig workers, citing that the council had already passed two paid leave bills.

“As City Council members, we all know that getting legislation passed requires a lot of time and effort,” they wrote in a joint statement. “Getting support from other council members and the chairs of the committees is important to getting any bill passed. To insinuate that the speaker is currently holding back the bill is not true.
“We recognize that Brad has the right to run his campaign as he sees fit,” they added. “However, we disagree with his campaign’s continuing to misrepresent the work of the council and its speaker. Therefore, we are withdrawing our support for his campaign for Comptroller.”

Councilman Francisco Moya of Queens also criticized Lander for his characterization of the work of the City Council and Johnson after one of the bills he is sponsoring was also listed on the website. He tweeted that he would like to be left out of “this hit job.”

Lander argues the council members are distancing themselves from his critique of Johnson because they fear retribution from the speaker, who controls discretionary funding.
However, with the new budget process already in the works and Johnson term-limited out of office at the end of the year, it’s not clear how much Johnson could actually retaliate against council members who support Lander even if he was inclined to do so.
Even if Johnson loses the comptroller’s race, he presumably has further political ambitions, so alienating potential future political allies by withholding discretionary funds from their districts when he won’t be able to reap the benefits of that carrot-and-stick approach in the future because he will no longer be the speaker of the City Council doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Lander’s colleagues are more than likely calling him out because they aren’t running for comptroller, and therefore have no reason to get embroiled in a heated campaign for an office they won’t hold.

Marilyn Ramdeen, Regional Clinical Director

National Nurses Week from May 6-12 celebrates the contributions and sacrifices of nurses across the globe. One of those is Marilyn Ramdeen, who is regional clinical director for AdvantageCare Physicians (ACPNY) in Queens.
There are more than 70 ACPNY nurses in Queens in ten ACPNY locations, with new centers opening soon in Jackson Heights and Flushing.
Ramdeen was born in Guyana but raised in New York, and comes from a long line of healthcare professionals. She has worked in healthcare for 18 years, and started her career as a medical assistant before transitioning to nursing. Ramdeen initially had plans to become a pediatrician.
“I come from a family of nurses and healthcare professionals,” she said. “My sister who was already a nurse suggested that I try nursing to see if I like it before I go to med school, and I did then stuck with it.”
Ramdeen joined the Queens Long Island Medical Group in 2006, and stayed on when the practice transitioned to become an ACPNY location.
“Nurses are an unstoppable force,” she said. “We are the heroes of our healthcare system, and I think the past year has shown that even more. It takes a very special person to say that they want to be a nurse and mean it.”
As vaccinations for COVID-19 began, Ramdeen’s team of nurses made a seamless transition to the new duties.
“Two of my offices in Queens are hub sites and four others are testing sites,” she said. “They just jumped right in and it was a pleasure for them to be serving the community, giving everyone hope that there is some sense of normalcy coming around the corner.”
Even though Ramdeen holds a managerial position, she still works on the floor helping patients.
“When it’s vaccination time, I have to jump in and help my nurses out,” she said. “You’re always a nurse regardless of what position you hold, so you can always get down and dirty. That’s when you’re respected the most with your teams.”

More needs to be done for restaurants

If you need any further proof of the toll the pandemic has taken on the restaurant industry, not just in New York City but across the nation, you need look no further than the response to the Biden administration’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), which launched on May 3.
The federal government funneled $28.6 billion into the fund to help struggling businesses in the restaurant industry recover from pandemic-related losses. Grants are capped at $10 million per business and $5 million per location.
During the first week, the Small Business Administration (SBA) approved 16,000 applicants. Over $2 billion in the first wave of funding started showing up in business bank account earlier this week. That’s an amazingly fast response.
All of those businesses are either owned by women, veterans and individuals who are socially and economically disadvantaged. That’s because when the fund was created, a 21-day priority period was created to process applications from those business owners.
After the 21-day period, any restaurant owner is eligible for a grant.
That was a noble aim, as those types of businesses are usually already surviving on slim profit margins, and are affected most by severe economic downturns.
The problem is there may not by any money left in the fund after the three weeks is up. Here’s an excerpt from an SBA press release this week announcing the approval of the 16,000 applications:

“Following the 21-day priority period, established by law in the American Rescue Plan Act, all eligible applications will be funded in the order in which they have been received,” it read. “While the SBA will continue accepting applications from any eligible establishment until funds are exhausted, the number of applications received so far could exhaust the funds authorized to fund the RRF.”

That means if you haven’t already applied for a grant, you are probably out of luck. And even if you have already applied for a grant, if you didn’t do it right away, the money could be gone by the time your number is called, especially if you don’t fall into one of the priority groups.
The RRF was a great first step, but it’s clear now it can only be a first step. While $28.6 billion is a lot of money, more is going to have to be done to help the restaurant industry recover from a year of disruptions and capacity limits.

No coverage

Dear Editor,
I found it disgraceful that the funeral for fallen police officer Anastasios Tsakos on May 4 was not carried live on any network station.
I called all the metropolitan networks, and the only channel that would even discuss this blatant disrespect was a woman from Channel 5, who agreed with me, but said those decisions are made above her. I thanked her for at least listening to me.
Channel 11 actually hung up on me twice when I asked why the service wasn’t being televised. Channel 4 and 7 advised it was on their website, but were unable to answer how the large segment of their audience without the ability to access the web could watch.
Channel 7 also told me they don’t usually televise funerals, but again were unable to provide an answer when I told them the George Floyd memorial and funeral were carried live by them.
I guess to them he was just another cop, but he wasn’t just that to his family, friends, fellow NYPD officers and the countless citizens he assisted during his career.
It’s time for the media to be held accountable for their lack of regard and concern for the brave men and women of law enforcement, who are the first ones they call when they need help. May God continue to bless and look after the members of all law enforcement departments.
Sincerely,
Ray Schick
Maspeth

Station neglect

Dear Editor,
There are ongoing problems at the Bayside Long Island Rail Road Station that impact several thousand dally riders.
I give the LIRR credit for installation of new concrete ties and ballast that will insure a safer and more comfortable ride. They have also recently completed repairs to sections of the westbound platform edge, but there is still other significant outstanding maintenance and repair work to be done.
The original wooden support beams for various sections of the canopy have deteriorated, and pigeons have moved into the rotting bottom section of the westbound canopy stairs roof.
Other portions of the canopy roof are also in need of repair. Pigeons droppings can be seen at the bottom of the westbound stairs and second set of stairs for the eastbound platform.
The metal structure supporting the overpass connecting the east and westbound platforms is accumulating rust. There is also a hole in one of the eastbound steel staircases.
Pigeons have also found a second home in the hole on the roof over the ticket office facing the platform.
Why has the LIRR waited so long to allow these issues to grow even worse?
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Great Neck

Accountability

Dear Editor,
It is very important we not let Governor Andrew Cuomo and state Health Commissioner  Howard Zucker off the hook for sending COVID patients discharged from hospitals  back into nursing homes. They had two other options: send patients to the hospital ship or the Javits Center.
To this day, they are adamant they did nothing wrong. Their negligence, arrogance, and lack of compassion caused the deaths of nearly 15,000 people.
They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Sincerely,
John Amato
Fresh Meadows

Columbus dismissal

Dear Editor,
The Department of Education has eliminated Columbus Day as a school holiday. Instead, October 11th, will be known as Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day.
I find this act by DOE most troubling.
I’m grand knight of St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus Council #5911 in Douglaston, and support the fact that Christopher Columbus, with his faults like the rest of humanity, opened up a new world with unlimited possibilities.
Our organization was founded in 1882 by Father Michael McGivney to help immigrants. I believe Christopher Columbus should be remembered for the good things he accomplished and not the negative.
Sincerely,
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Bellerose

104th Precinct Police Blotter (4/26/2021-5/2/2021)

Monday, Apr. 26
Nothing To Report

Tuesday, Apr. 27
Cornelio Regalado was arrested at 1855 Madison Street for criminal contempt by Officer Coronado.
Jose Santos was arrested at Green Avenue and Seneca Avenue for third-degree assault by Detective Moon.
Oscar Herredias was arrested at Forest Avenue and Myrtle Avenue for aggravated unlicensed operator by Detective Wright.
Michael C. Fox was arrested at 60-19 54th Street for aggravated harassment by Officer Petito.

Wednesday, Apr. 28
Benjamin Rosario was arrested at 765 Seneca Avenue for criminal mischief by Detective Wright.

Thursday, Apr. 29
Brookes M. Blalock was arrested at 60-02 69th Avenue for criminal mischief by Detective Wright.
Gerardo Reyes-Villanueva was arrested at 61-88 Dry Harbor Road for driving while intoxicated by Officer Hughes.
Angela Bandelt was arrested at 60-66 69th Avenue for second-degree assault by Officer Bonilla.

Friday Apr. 30
Nothing To Report

Saturday, May 1
Nelson Sissalema was arrested at 1641 Norman Street for strangulation by Officer Gomez.
Ana Chango-Lasluisa was arrested at 1641 Norman Street for second-degree assault by Officer Gomez.
Alexander Davidson was arrested at Schaefer Street and Wyckoff Avenue for false personation by Officer Gonzalez.
Jacqueline D. Powell was arrested at 8000 Cooper Avenue for grand larceny by Officer Daddario.
Victor Gonzalez was arrested at 79-63 Myrtle Avenue for criminal mischief by Officer Johnson.

Sunday, May 2
Christopher R. Goller was arrested at Borden Avenue and Perry Avenue for aggravated unlicensed operator by Officer Rosalez.
Leeanna Patto was arrested at 59-40 55th Road for criminal mischief by Officer Fitzalbert.
Peter Sarter was arrested at 79-40 68th Road for criminal mischief by Detective Gerardi.
Juan Cancel was arrested at Fairview Avenue and Madison Street for criminal mischief by Officer Bonilla.

Brooklyn projects honored with Lucys

Building 127 at the Navy Yard, 560 Second Street, and Endale Arch in Prospect Park were among the Brooklyn projects recognized at the 2021 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards virtual ceremony.
The Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards are the New York Landmarks Conservancy highest honors for excellence in preservation.
“It’s wonderful to see this year’s winners of the Lucys, knowing that this great work was conducted during these most challenging times,” said conservancy president Peg Breen. “The projects demonstrate that preservation has provided jobs and helped the city throughout these difficult months.”

560 Second Street
Restoration of 560 Second Street represents the commitment of a longtime owner to her Park Slope neighborhood.
In 1967, she and her young family purchased the house. They had been priced out of Brooklyn Heights when they attended a Brownstone Advice Bureau open house.
They heard about the house from a local contractor, architect and representative of the Fifth Avenue Savings Bank, one of the few willing to finance purchases in this community.
The house was constructed in 1891 in the Romanesque Revival style, with orange Roman brick and robust brownstone decoration, but the façade had been painted white to resemble limestone, hiding intricate details.
It was divided into seven apartments. Over the next five decades, the couple raised their family, reclaimed some of the apartments, and became part of an enthusiastic if untrained movement of Brownstoners.
They retained and restored stained-glass windows, folding shutters, beautiful fireplaces and decorative plaster ceilings.
In 2018, the owner finally began to tackle the facade. LPE Engineering oversaw the project. The initial scope of work called for repairs and a new white acrylic coating. After work began, contractors discovered that the paint could be removed without damaging the masonry.
As the layers of coating were taken off, the façade’s rich color and decorative elements emerged. The scope changed to remove the coating entirely and restore the masonry.
The project also included a new roof, repointing and rebuilding the rear wall and foundation, new copper gutters and cornice at the rear, a new roof hatch and two new skylights.

Building 127
Building 127 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard joins other buildings at the historic complex that have been adapted for light industrial use, restoring the historic architecture and sustaining the complex’s industrial heritage.
The three-story industrial neoclassical-style brick structure was built in 1903 as a small boat construction and repair facility. By the time the most recent tenant left in 2017, Building 127 was in disrepair and much of its historic character lost.
The rehabilitation was spearheaded by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, the not-for-profit that develops and manages the properties on behalf of the City. S9 Architecture and Engineering was the project architect, while Higgins Quasebarth & Partners served as preservation consultants.
At the exterior, brick, granite and ornamental steel lintels were repaired and restored. Concrete block infill was removed from window and door openings and they were restored to their historic sizes.
Historic wood windows were repaired and restored, and new wood doors and multi-light wood windows matching the historic were installed. New decorative multi-light roundel windows matching the historic were installed at the pediments. A fire stair was removed, revealing the historic rhythm of the north facade.
Partitions, enclosures, and mezzanines that obscured the interior were removed. The historic exposed structural systems were retained to reinstate an expansive, light-filled historic configuration.
Original interior elements, such as gantry cranes and associated rails, and riveted columns, girders, and trusses, were kept in place.

Endale Arch
Endale Arch in Prospect Park has undergone an enchanting renovation and proved to be a highlight of 2020, sparking joy and thousands of social media posts.
The Arch, completed in 1868, was the first permanent structure in Olmsted, Vaux & Co.’s Prospect Park. Within the passage, city sounds are muffled and ahead lies a framed view of pastoral Long Meadow.
It exemplifies Olmsted’s philosophy of blending architecture with landscape, in form, material, and purposeful views.
The project’s first phase was landscape restoration. Stone retaining walls were reset to secure the hillsides, and new plantings stabilized the slopes.
Next, drainage was overhauled to prevent flooding. The path through the arch was regraded and repaved using hex-block pavers.
Work inside the arch began with historic research and physical investigation. Prior to restoration, original woodwork had vanished under layers of dirt and thick green paint.
Cleaning revealed a pattern of alternating Eastern white pine and black walnut, not seen for decades. New wood paneling and trim, matching the historic planks, now lines the vault.
Original wood at the south cross vault was cleaned and sanded, revealing intricate details of the trefoil. The design team opted to leave the granite block wall of the north cross vault exposed to highlight the original craftsmanship.
At the entrances, the colors of the yellow Berea sandstone and New Jersey brownstone were brought out by low-pressure power washing and gentle sanding. Finally, LED lighting was integrated into the wood trim along the length of the arch ceiling.

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