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New York Shitty Day Ender: Brownfield Farms?
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
On Labor Day I posted an item entitled (appropriately enough) Happy Labor Day From New York Shitty. Among the scenic points of interest I pointed out to my fellow Greenpointers was Bushwick Inlet…
and this dead rat. This was several weeks ago. Not only is the dead rat box still there, but more garbage has accumulated and the weeds have overgrown the sidewalk to a point where pedestrians are taking their chances on the bike lane nowadays.
The owner of this property, Motiva, also has holdings on Paidge Avenue. For some inexplicable reason those facilities there are better maintained.
Perhaps my buddy, fellow Greenpointer and New York Shitty contributor, Rowan, offers an explanation: they’re trying to go green on brownfield.
They’re starting a farm. Rowan writes (in regards to the above photograph):
Yes. A lone corn plant.
I couldn’t believe it. Is this really corn?
Hell if I know. Can anyone out there verify if discarded Marlboro containers and dead rats make good compost in a brownfield? Is this a halfhearted attempt to restore some much needed greenery to The Garden Spot of the Universe? A foray into alternative fuel? Or simply a public nuisance?
Miss Heather
Comments
7 Comments on New York Shitty Day Ender: Brownfield Farms?
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kale on
Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 9:16 am
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rowan on
Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 10:54 am
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ms nomer on
Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 10:58 am
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missheather on
Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 11:56 am
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rowan on
Mon, 28th Sep 2009 1:16 pm
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missheather on
Mon, 28th Sep 2009 3:26 pm
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rowan on
Fri, 2nd Oct 2009 5:07 pm
Shore is, city-slicker. Someone must have thrown their unpopped popcorn away like a chicken wing.
No offense taken at the city-slicker comment. But actually I grew up in the country. And we had corn in the garden. What is unusual is that this plant was able to pollinate itself without the benefit of being part of a row. I’m inclined to agree that it was a stray kernel of something and impressed that it was hardy enough to grow in what is surely not the best of soil.
To be fair (which I kind of hate but am pledged to since I am a Libra) Motiva DID give that sidewalk a seriousass trim earlier this summer. So they’re entirely capable of maintaining that sidewalk property — which should make us madder actually. They need to get on a schedule already.
I look at this way. How a person (or in this case, business) maintains their property is an indication of how they regard their neighbors and the community as a whole. Conversely, people respond to the kemptness (or unkemptness) of the environment around them. Motiva has let this property become overgrown with weeds. Then people (be it consciously or not) began using this lot as a garbage can. Motiva did not pick up said garbage so even more people throw trash on this site. It is a self-perpetuating cycle.
Speaking as someone who likes to stroll the waterfront and take photographs (as a number of people here do) this really pisses me off. We have the right as a citizens to have clean, unobstructed sidewalks available for our use. Our community deserves better than this.
Saturday evening, around 6:30pm, I decided to check the corn plant. It’s broken in two. Photos to come, but I’m a bit sad that someone destroyed it. Also the Marlboro packet was still there.
I noticed that today. Even more frightening is the corn appears to have been taken. Presumably someone ate it. YIKES!
someone’s going to have very toxic corn poops.
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