314 St. Johns - lock cut

The lock on the abandoned "construction site" on the corner of st. johns and underhill is missing, and there was a quite a ruckus inside the gate there last night, my next door neighbor informed me. Called 311 this am, who transferred me to 911. Police were nonplussed...

Ideas on how to get it locked up, short of me going to pintchik's and doing it myself? Thought I might call Tish James's office in the am but not sure where that gets me. I do know that all of the building permits expired this month...

Call Dept of Buildings.

This site has long had squatters. I'd call the building owners ( thier number is posted). ...and call the police whenever I saw someone in there.

One could also secure this site with 2x4s, some screws and a cordless drill. ....just sayin.

But try DOB first

You could call the BEST Squad - Buildings Enforcement Safety Team - 212 669 7043 or [email hidden]

What sort of ruckus? The guy who owns that building site also owns the building with the bodega on the SW corner of Sterling and Underhill. He seems to specialize in ruckus - both by running a scrap metal collection service out of his basement and by screaming at people (often simultaneously).

the gate now has a chain on it again.

yes, this site has a long history.

For years the first floor was a closed laundrymat: home to a seemingly (?) homeless guy and his two giant dogs.

Meanwhile, on the second floor, Skibow (the old guy, bookseller who used to sell on Eastern Parkway) was a regular resident. Then he got the boot and it briefly hosted the PH Chabad location (now located near Cornelius on Vandy).

.....it is zoned commercial, so I predict we will eventually get food or a bar in that location. Even if we have another real estate boom, I can't imagine that it will ever be a 8 story skinny apartment building as was planned.

If the two giant dogs are pitbulls, then its likely that seemingly homeless guy and building owner are one in the same.

yes, I agree.

...and I believe this the same individual who often lets his dogs run around the fenced in part of the GAP berm.

...there seems to be a rotating cast of 2 - 4 dogs.

At one point, there was a doberman type beast, who would throw itself against the laundrymat door. (obviously this was sometime ago, back then the laundry mat had a door....)

Now, he is accompanied by two smaller dogs, that are reportedly somewhat social with other dogs and people.

Anyone know what happened to Skibow? ....evidence of his presence seems to be only in the once unset concrete sidewalks, where he would etched "skibow" despite being at least 60 years old.

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/30/21/30_21skibo.html