A report (DNAinfo) came out on Wednesday that said the ferry is dead. The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has control over the ferry. They’ve been saying all along that keeping the ferry was to be based on ridership. Well, this secretive outfit wouldn’t provide an actual number as to how many riders the ferry needed to attract for it to be funded. That allowed them to keep moving the goalposts. A fellow named Kyle Kimball, if you’re wondering, is the president of this self-proclaimed “city economic engine.”
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We must pause regular programming to thank the columnists we’ve got onboard. They write with energy and passion. And they attract readers that might not normally be interested in the topics they cover. The Rockaway Times has personality thanks to them. So a Standing O to them! Pete Mahon has to get a special shout out because he not only writes, he delivers – as in delivers the paper to homes and stores in Broad Channel. His mother must be proud!
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Well, that didn’t take long. Rob Astorino, challenging Governor Cuomo for the top job in the State, has already beaten Cuomo in the number of times he’s been to Rockaway. Astorino came Tuesday after being here just a couple of weeks ago. Cuomo showed a few days after Sandy, promised he’d be back, and well, that hasn’t happened.
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So City Councilman Eric Ulrich gave away some rain barrels last week. The Rockaway Times put in a tiny little mention of the giveaway minus one important fact – the date they were being given away. Robbie Schwach, who works for Eric, sent us a note: “We’ve had more people call our office in the last 24 hours to reserve a rain barrel as a result of the mention of their availability in The Rockaway Times, as we’ve had for or against any issue (Build it Back, the Rockaway Ferry, the proposed Homeless Shelter) or event in the last two weeks, combined!”
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Weekend At Bernie’s, a cult classic from the 1980s, is a dark comedy about a couple of guys dragging their dead boss – as if he’s still alive – to parties in the Hamptons. To mark the movie’s 25th anniversary, there will be a Weekend At Bernie’s celebration at Playland Motel this Saturday.
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Please be advised. The Community Board may vote against Land Use proposals but the vote is merely advisory. The proposal to add buildings and commercial spaces at Beach 105 through Beach 108 is not dead because the Community Board voted it down.
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Tim Otto leads a jazz band that plays regularly at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club. And why stop there?! Tim is putting together the first ever (at least we think it’s the first ever) Rockaway Beach Jazz Festival. Details will be forthcoming but Saturday, September 6th is the target date. Sounds like an idea that could grow.
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Someone passed out on the beach at 137th Street last weekend and we’re told it took 22 minutes for an ambulance to arrive from St John’s. The young woman is fine but the message is clear: Rockaway needs another hospital.
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The need for a hospital was also underscored with the news that a head-on collision occurred on the Rockaway side of the Marine Park/Gil Hodges Bridge on Tuesday. Seems a driver came out of Riis Park and headed the wrong way towards the bridge. The injured were taken to Coney Island Hospital.
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If you’ve got iTunes you can do a search for “RockawayTimes” and you’ll come across our new podcast! A podcast is like a radio show. Rick Horan was our first guest and he came on-air to rip the DOT, their speed cameras, and other failings. Ahead, we’ve penciled in community board member and photographer Ozzie and John Cori and Eddy Pastore will produce a show soon. And maybe you’ll come in and be a guest or play host for RockawayTimes radio!
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