On July 13, 2021, three representatives of the Block Association met at the site with Alloy and senior members of the construction firm in charge of the excavation phase. Here are the highlights:

(1) The time has finally arrived. The construction is beginning. There is no getting around it - It will be noisy, there will be vibrations, and the street will be congested. The foundation stage will take 18 months and the entire building phase (including the foundation) for the school and the East tower will take three years.

(2) The people working at the site understand that we live here and they are committed to being good neighbors.

(3) There are vibration monitors installed in three homes on the 500 block and they wirelessly and constantly transmit to Alloy. Many of the 500 block homes have "crack monitors" adhered to their outer walls. Also, every two weeks a surveyor comes and looks at the 500 block houses and/or surrounding buildings and gauges whether those structures are off nominal.

(4) The contractor says it will make sure that the men and women employed at the site are good neighbors. They will direct them not to loiter on our doorsteps and leave cigarette butts or garbage behind.

(5) Occasionally traffic will be blocked as large trucks come in and out of the site. We should anticipate the already challenging traffic situation getting worse.

(6) There is a 24-hour guard on the property. The guard station is on the westerly end of state street where the historic building ends and the construction site begins. You can see the little guard house and the entrance to the site in the above picture in the lower left-hand corner. Keep in mind the guard is NOT there to provide enhanced security for State Street residents. But somehow it is nice to know there is someone is right there at all times.

(7) Some days and nights the construction team will work early mornings or after hours, especially when its time to pour the concrete. During these times, we must anticipate more congestion and more noise. Alloy will alert us before this phase begins.

(8) The key here is communication. If you are experiencing an issue, please let Michelle I. know and she will call Alloy immediately. You are, of course, welcome to contact Alloy directly. But inasmuch as the Block Assoc. has a very open line of communication with Alloy, it might be better to go through the Block channel. But, again, that's up to you. We will continue to have bi-monthly Alloy-Block meetings.

When our meeting with the contractors was over, a few of us lingered on the sidewalk chatting. One of the construction managers at the meeting came back over to the two of us and said something to the effect of, "Hey look I am always here and if you need anything let me know." And he expressed words to indicate that he really does appreciate that we live here and he wants to be a good neighbor. That was an unrequired and nice extra gesture.

Let us just all hope for the best and take it one day at a time.

Street Sweeper Matrix

The Street Sweeper Matrix Project is rolling now. Just email Michelle when you see the street sweeper machine and give a quick report of whether it is or is not successfully sweeping. Early returns are showing that our street only gets swept 29% of the time the machine comes by. This is because people do not move their cars. Thank you to Block members for being on top of this and sending such detailed reports and taking pictures.

The purpose of the project is to get a lot of real data on this problem and bring it to our new Council Member, Lincoln Restler, when he takes office in January. It's one thing to complain. It's another to have data that our elected officials can use to fight for us to have better services.

What to Do if a Person in Distress is on Your Stoop

We have had increasing incidents of people in distress loitering on the stoops and in front of buildings where they do not reside. Some of these people appear to be in physical distress (are they asleep or are they unconscious?), some seem angry and irrational and interact badly with the residents of such buildings. This is tough stuff.

Here is some guidance on how to deal with these situations compassionately. New York City 311 has set up a portal for these situations "Homeless Assistance" https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01037. Once on that page click “Request assistance for a homeless person”. This takes you through a pretty quick four-step process where you provide information. The Department of Homeless Services will send a mobile outreach response team within ONE (1) hour to encourage the person to accept services. We have heard anecdotal reports from our members that the team does arrive within an hour.

In Community,

Michelle Itkowitz

President

400-500 State Street Brooklyn Block Association, Inc.

https://400500statest.clubexpress.com

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