High Tide
Well, winter is certainly upon us. Stay warm!
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This past weekend was not only a long one but also a wet one! Rain soaked Rockaway for several days and then just as the sun was starting to come, once again, the peninsula was inundated with heavy flooding. In some areas, the water was waist high. Cars were seen half submerged and low-lying homes and businesses were flooded. High tide was around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, and thankfully by afternoon, much, if not all, of the water had gone down in most areas. It may have only been for a few hours but by that time, the damage had been done.
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After 701 days, the city’s longest snowless streak on record came to an end. Late Monday, on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the snow began to fall and continued throughout the night. On Tuesday morning, we awoke to the first real blanketing since February of 2022. And the snow might not be done yet. Tomorrow we can expect a bit more to go along with some seriously cold temperatures! 700 days might be too long, but three days is also too short…
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What’s going on with the Riis Bathhouse? Is a summer 2024 opening for the first phase of plans to turn the historic building into a hotel, restaurant, bar and more still on track? After several readers reached out to us to let us know construction has come to a halt for several months, and some even saying financiers pulled out of the project, we reached out to the National Park Service and some of the partners from Brooklyn Bazaar to ask what’s up. According to Daphne Yun, public affairs officer for NPS, “The project is moving forward. Construction has ceased during the winter months.” Meanwhile, one of the principal investors in the Riis Park bathhouse overhaul tells us that construction is on hold and they’re now aiming for a 2025 opening. Time will tell.
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According to Scott Ruscillo, this past Tuesday, there was an afternoon power brownout in Rockaway that led to Ruscillo Computer Repair receiving over 20 calls from local homes and businesses. Their IT equipment was either damaged or required configuration settings to be restored. Breezy Lumber was one of 10 local businesses that went down with no internet and was unable to conduct any business. Ruscillo Computer Repair had them back up within two hours.
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Councilwoman Joann Ariola has been asking the city to consider a curfew for the migrants being housed throughout the five boroughs, including those currently at Floyd Bennett Field. Earlier this week, the Adams administration announced plans to impose curfews on four migrant respite centers. It is unclear whether the curfews will be extended to all migrant shelters, including Floyd Bennett Field, but the city has indicated it may be a possibility in the future. Councilwoman Ariola has argued that a 10 p.m. curfew is in place for the city’s homeless shelters and therefore there is no reason they should not be applied to the migrant facilities as well.
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Don’t you want to be paid for going to the beach? If you want one of the best summer jobs out there, time is ticking. Our city needs more lifeguards. The last days to register for lifeguard qualifying tests are right around the corner. Visit the NYC Parks Department website ( https://www.nycgovparks.org/reg/life-guard-test ) to check out the qualifications and register for a test near you. But do it quickly as test dates are now limited and ending shortly.
