Readers: City missed the mark on Surf Ave.
Coney Island’s Surf Avenue
has reopened after an
eight-month construction project
which forced closure of the
densely traveled roadway, causing
painful traffi c delays across
the peninsula (“ ‘A bureaucratic
mess’: Surf Avenue reopens after
painful eight months in Coney Island”
by Aidan Graham, online
May 20).
The three-phase project, which
shuttered the avenue between W.
16th and W. 21st streets, was designed
to raise Surf Avenue by
three-and-a-half feet in an effort
to improve storm drainage
in the flood-prone neighborhood,
as well as support a massive
real estate development in
the area.
While locals celebrated the
reopening, the area’s councilman
chastised the government
offi cials tasked with overseeing
the project, who he said failed to
properly manage the construction
effort.
“This was a bureaucratic
mess,” said Mark Treyger (D–Coney
Island). “It called into question
the oversight, and accountability.
Who is in charge?”
Readers felt the city missed an
opportunity:
This is great, lovely new streets.
Now add beautification of the
neighborhood and the new developments
and Coney will have its revival.
Great decision on behalf of Mark
to expedite the development.
Alex from Coney
Now that Surf finally is open,
next week either Con Ed or National
Grid will be excavating Surf
again.
It ain’t over till it’s over.
Bill from Coney Island
I hope they put separated bike
lanes there so cyclists won’t have
to deal with self-entitled motorists.
Henry Ford from Bay Ridge
The city missed a big opportunity
for beautification here. Why
was the roadway rebuilt as it was?
Plenty of room for separated bike
paths and a raised / beautified median.
What a joke!
Jon from Coney Island
@Jon, because the local businesses
that will, either way, go out
of business in the next three to
eight years rallied against the proposal.
Not to worry though, increased
rent costs driven up by luxury developments
and newer storefronts
will beautify the neighborhood...
hard to stop gentrification when
younger families in Downtown
Brooklyn are already talking about
seaside living. Alex from Coney
Phony of the month
To the Editor,
This month’s phony is Council
Speaker Corey Johnson. He participated
in a demonstration condemning
anti-Semitism, which is
very good.
Before this, he denounced Councilman
Yeger for stating a true
fact about Palestine really never
existing. Not only was Mr. Yeger
denounced, he was automatically
removed from some committee.
Please review your history, Mr.
Johnson.
As far as the fur controversy
goes, Mr. Johnson and his advocates
have no right to tell us about
not buying fur.
If you don’t want fur, then you
don’t buy it, sir, but don’t force
your beliefs on others.
Rather than wasting time about
fur, I would like to see Mr. Johnson
devote some time to our failing
school system, address that seniors
and the disabled can’t use certain
subway stations as there are no
elevators there, and deal with the
homeless situation.
He is just hopelessly liberal and
the city continues to suffer for it.
Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
Doris’s legacy
To the Editor,
While I am truly sorry at the
passing of actress Doris Day, she
lived both a blessed and stressed
life, one that was not peaches and
cream, but one that had a great
deal of strife and tragedy.
She was truly an example of
COURIER L 30 IFE, MAY 31–JUNE 6, 2019 M BR B G
what every woman should be or aspire
to in their professional as well
as personal life.
After her acting career, she established
the Doris Day Animal
League and was instrumental in
discouraging furs and adopting
strays, which was very commendable.
She did, however, fall short in
not trying to stop animal experimentation
in laboratories or medical
schools, even though she had
a good personal relationship with
Ronald Reagan, who was to become
governor of California and the 40th
president of the United States.
I believe it would have been preferrable
to cutoff state and federal
aid for laboratories and medical
schools and to ask for volunteers or
prisoners for this type of program,
rather than use defenseless animals
to be tortured in the advancement
of medical science.
It is true a convict cannot undo
the damage he or she did to a victim
or a victim’s family, but can
pay off part of his or her debt to society
in this way.
Doris Day was a very good, kind,
caring and compassionate person.
May she rest in peace.
Elliott Abash
Brighton Beach
Save Affordable Care
To the Editor,
I am writing in support of the
Affordable Care Act (ACA) and
the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions
& Making Health Care More
Affordable Act of 2019.
In 2012, when I was 16 years
old, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s
Lymphoma, a type of cancer
that affects the immune system.
Even though I got very sick, what
I learned that year is that I am extremely
lucky.
I was lucky enough to have a
cancer with an extremely high cure
rate, to be on my father’s health insurance,
and to have a family that
could afford the cost of my treatment
(which was still expensive
even with insurance). I was able to
receive treatment and make a full
recovery only because I was so, so
lucky.
There are far too many holes
in the umbrella of our health care
system. The ACA helped fill some
holes, and the aforementioned 2019
bill would reinforce and repair
those protections further.
I am calling on NYC Representatives
Gregory Meeks, Grace Meng,
Nydia Velazquez, Yvette Clarke,
Jerry Nadler, Alexandria Ocasio-
Cortez, and Jose Serrano to join
their Democratic colleagues in
supporting the Protecting Pre-Existing
Conditions & Making Health
Care More Affordable Act of 2019,
because when a 16-year-old child in
this country gets sick with a curable
illness, she should have the
freedom to receive treatment, full
stop. Lydia Green
Park Slope
Not in the cards
To the Editor,
Mayor Bill de Blasio for President
belongs in the comics section.
Democrats Gov. Andrew Cuomo
and de Blasio have a lot in common
with the late Republicans Gov.
Nelson Rockefeller (1959–1974) and
Mayor John Lindsay (1966–1973),
along with Gov. George Pataki
(1995–2006) and Mayor Rudy Giuliani
(1994–2001). The same is true
for the late Democrat Gov. Mario
Cuomo (1983–1992) and Mayor Ed
Koch (1978–1988).
Nelson Rockefeller, George Pataki,
Mario Cuomo, and son Andrew
Cuomo deal with mayors who
want equal billing on the political
marque. Lindsay’s urban, Koch’s
Big Apple, Giuliani’s safety/quality
of life, and de Blasio’s progressive
agenda is dependent upon both
increased state and federal assistance.
De Blasio envisions himself as
the national spokesperson for progressive
mayors from all cities.
This conflicts with governors who
have to worry about all 62 counties
making up New York State. It also
creates problems for both Cuomo
and de Blasio, who harbor presidential
ambitions in 2020.
Cuomo — like his father Mario,
as well as Rockefeller and Pataki —
and de Blasio — like Lindsay and
Guiliani — will never come close
to winning any primaries, let alone
occupy the White House.
Better to spend your time packing
for your move back to your old
Park Slope home when your term
ends in December 2021.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
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