BAY CURRENTS EXCLUSIVE

While much of the boardwalk is changing, some things apparently will stay the same – like re-occurring damage.

Along several newly-renovated areas of the boardwalk, with concrete planks taking the place of wood, there already are screws popping up and planks coming loose, causing all too familiar hazards. While the Parks Department says this is only happening to a small percentage boards, others speculate that the entire redevelopment plan may be flawed.

The legendary boardwalk of Brighton Beach and Coney Island will be no more

At least that will be the case if the city Parks Department goes ahead with its plans – which Community Board 13 chairwoman Marion Cleaver confirmed are definitely slated to begin -- to replace all of the Brighton boardwalk and most of the Coney Island boardwalk with, to the shock of many residents and boardwalk visitors, concrete.

The project will create “a secondary concrete jungle,” said Michael Greco, 48, an electrician, construction designer, and inventor (who holds one patent with several more in the works).

In exclusive interviews with Bay Currents, Greco described the plan as a “boardwalk blunder” that will “not only take away from the legacy of an American icon, but also has several flaws in design.”

For one thing, textured concrete, “although appealing to the eye,” is too rough and hazardous for bicycles, baby carriages, or jogging, he said.

The anticipation is overpowering as the subway pulls into the terminal at Stillwell. As you come out of the station, the sights, sounds and scents of Coney Island take you to another world; a world of excitement, a world of adventure, a world that overwhelms the senses…all at a price that virtually everyone can afford. This was Coney Island’s legendary past; the Coney Island that became an international brand name. This is the Coney Island that will be no more.

The announcement that the city has purchased seven acres from Joseph Sitt’s Thor Equities, leaving him most of both sides of Stillwell Avenue south of Surf Avenue, compounds the disaster for Coney Island. The mayor and the developer have been haggling over their plans for several years now, ever since Mayor Bloomberg announced his rezoning plan, opening the door for major developers to dive in like vultures to eat up the remains. Their visions aren’t very far apart though and both signal the end of the iconic amusement area. The mayor wants to create a Times Square South with expensive year round entertainment while Sitt leans more toward hotels or condominiums and shopping malls…if he doesn’t simply flip it to another developer, which he is known to do. Both would keep a small token outdoor amusement area simply to maintain brand recognition.

Can you imagine paying $30 for a week’s supply of quality meals for four?

“Put me in a time machine and I’ll go back to 1950,” you’ll probably say.

Actually, all you have to do is go to 2114 Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island. For several days each month, the Lighthouse Mission holds a food co-op, representing the south Brooklyn branch of Project Angel Food, an organization founded by Marianne Williamson to provide good food at affordable prices. The Coney Island branch has been open since January.

If you have an image of librarians as dour old ladies with out-of-fashion glasses, get ready for your preconception to be shattered.

Just catch a gig by “Lost in the Stacks,” a group of performers who are Brooklyn Public Library librarians by day but hip musicians by night.

“It was destiny,” said Eileen Kassab, vocalist and guitarist. “We all fell into place and stayed into place.”

“Libraries attract artists,” said Sharon Tidwell, who plays the flute and percussion. “The hours are conducive since we are not open late -- it’s an easy transition from being a librarian.”

“Lost In The Stacks” – with a performance coming up Aug. 4 near KeySpan Park in Coney Island -- started in 2004 with seven members and eventually expanded into its current nine. In addition to Kassab and Tidwell, there are Jack McCleland, guitar, keyboards; Clyde Kerlew, vocals, guitar, and other instruments; James Shanahan, bass guitar, guitar, banjo, and vocals; Stephen Stickney, 6- and 12-string guitar; Richie Araldi, drums, percussion, vocals; Matt Cole, alto and bari sax, percussion; and Harold Stern, trombone and percussion.