Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 03-10-26

https://social.emucafe.org/naferrell/pook-emu-bee-links-for-03-10-26/

https://social.emucafe.org/naferrell/bpl-renovations-in-gerritsen-beach-and-carroll-gardens-12-15-25/

I read an article about the completion of the renovation of the Brooklyn Public Library in Gerritsen Beach. Although I am a life-long resident of Brooklyn (NYC) and can point out Gerritsen Beach on a map, I have never stepped foot in the neighborhood, which has its own volunteer fire department owing to its relative isolation and narrow streets.

While I had not been previously aware that Gerritsen Beach has a public library, I wrote about the renovations of the Brooklyn Public Library branch in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, back in January 2024. According to my reporting (i.e., photographing the relevant signage outside the library), the renovations were projected to be complete within 18-24 months of July 23, 2023. We blew through the outer-limit of that projection nearly five months ago. I have noted on my walks that the Library is still closed, but I did not look into the reasoning. Fortunately, a syndicated copy of the report about the Gerritsen Beach library on Brownstoner included an update about the Carroll Gardens library in the related posts (plus-one for related post links). According to the May 27, 2025 report in Brownstoner:

Additional funding allocated by state Senator Andrew Gounardes last fall ensured all the required work would be done at once, and officials said the library would be finished in summer 2025. But crews from the city’s Department of Design and Construction recently determined that the building would need additional structural enforcements to support the weight of new high-energy HVAC units.

My original report noted that one goal of the renovation was to install a new HVAC system in the library. The new HVAC system proved to be more burdensome than originally expected. The report continues:

Now, according to BPL, DDC plans to wrap up in November 2025, at which point BPL will take over for some additional sprucing up — pushing the reopening date to summer 2026.

As I noted, I can confirm that the permanent Carroll Gardens Library (there is a temporary library in neighboring Cobble Hill) has not yet re-opened. We will see if the new summer 2026 estimate turns out to be accurate.

#brooklyn #carrollGardens #library #nljAddenda

https://social.emucafe.org/naferrell/bike-lanes-and-damico-11-17-25/

I recently wrote about ordering Copper Moon’s “White Christmas Blend” coffee beans. In my first article (I noted the arrival of the beans in a second article and can now confirm it is good), I noted that I usually buy my coffee beans at D’Amico in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn (which has its own White Christmas blend). Earlier today, I read a November 11 NY1 report titled Division grows in Carroll Gardens over new Court Street bike lane. As the headline suggests, the report is on a {very stupid for reasons noted in the report, signed person who has seen it first-hand) bike lane running along a largely commercial stretch of Court Street in Boerum Hill and Carroll Gardens. The article includes a quote from Joan D’Amico, the owner of D’Amico, complaining that regular customers have nowhere to part and business has been down 10% to 20% since New York City’s bike lobby rode roughshod over another neighborhood (I may have added the last part).

#bikeLanes #bikes #brooklyn #carrollGardens #coffee #damico

NYC Italian restaurant Ferdinando’s Focacceria closes after 121 years

The sauce has dried up at this iconic red-sauce spot. Ferdinando’s Focacceria in Carroll Gardens abruptly closed its doo…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #ItalianRegionalCuisine #brooklyn #carrollgardens #Italia #Italian #ItalianFood #italiano #italy #Metro #NewYorkCityLife #redhook #regionalcuisine #Restaurants #usnews
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2186892/nyc-italian-restaurant-ferdinandos-focacceria-closes-after-121-years/

Photographs of the Valentine’s Day bear necessities seen in two Brooklyn neighborhoods.

https://thenewleafjournal.com/inflatable-valentines-bears-in-brooklyn/