You can find some of Westerleigh Park's history here.  Staten Island Advance reported that the park is getting some new additions and a face lift. 

Some of the improvements are:

  • Drains and 'rain gardens' to prevent any storm water damage 
  • Repaved walkways and new paved stones at the entrances

The Parks Department is investing million dollars for these improvements; Borough President James Molinaro, Debi Rose and James Oddo are funding this project.

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As some remember, street names on the island have been named after the Iroquois and Dutch settlements. Neighborhoods were named after predominant people.

Tompkinsville was founded in 1815 by Daniel D. Tompkins, the Governor of New York State at the time, after the Battle of Long Island. He established another ferry service to Manhattan in 1817, this became a part of the Richmond Turnpike Company. The turnpike allowed travelers to ride coach from the ferry across the Island and continue to New Jersey on another ferry. The turnpike, was originally located on Arietta Street in Tompkinsville; after World War I, it is now renamed Victory Boulevard. The Turnpike was purchased in 1838 by Cornelius Vanderbilt; the ferry was made part of NYC ferry operations in…

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Black Friday start kicked the holiday shopping season; but this year, sales started earlier and is interrupting family time on Thanksgiving. Stores in the Staten Island Mall open at midnight, but numerous department and wholesale stores are opening when families are cutting the turkey.

Mary Sullivan* is a sales associate at a women's clothing store in the Staten Island Mall. Sullivan weighed in on the holiday starting early, deals, and the ultimate consumer struggle: the decision to shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

"I have noticed how early the holiday season started this year," said Sullivan.  "Right after Halloween. It used to be after Thanksgiving."

"Least-Crowded Black Friday Ever"

Crowds seems to be a constant concern on Black…

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Not only do fall weekends leave you with a little more indoor time, which means it’s time to get ready for colder weather. So put some extra love into your home by creating a cozy hideaway that your family can retreat to once it becomes too chilly, or rent it out to a potential buyer.

Whether your lowest level needs a facelift or is completely unfinished, now is the perfect time to make a game plan and get started on remodeling your basement.

Step 1 – Obtain A Permit

Before you can just slap up insulation and drywall, you need to make sure your basement is even fit to dwell in. Check with your city to ensure there aren’t any permits you need to obtain and that the space is up to code. If you don’t do it right, then this update could haunt you…

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Ralph Wegener (left) is the oldest relative of the Wegener family. This is during the renaming of the park with City Councilman Vincent Ignizio (right)(credit: silive)

Wegener is also known as Genesee Park. It is taken from the Iroquois phrase: "Zon-esche-o" which translates to "beautiful valley." The park is located in a residential area right next to Korean War Veterans Parkway. The City did not have rights to the park until 1961; it was purchased among the land purchase for the Richmond Parkway, which is now known as the Korean War Veterans Parkway.

At the time of its purchase, residents would use Wegener as an unofficial playground. In 1998, Commissioner Stern named the land Genesee Park. Although the park was a playground at one point, it is…

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Date Time Place Event Description Contact & Fee  Info

 

Fri, Nov. 22-24, 2013

  

  

 

College of Staten Island, 2800 Victory Ave.

 

8th Annual Holiday Gift Drive

 The Women's Center is asking for donations for Safe Horizon of Staten Island.

Please donate new toys for children    (1-6 years old). and gifts for mothers 

718.982.2553.

 

Fri, Nov. 22-23, 2013

 

   11:00 a.m. -

4:00 p.m.

 

Tottenville Historical Society, 229 Main Street

 

"War Letters" Exhibit 

 This examines the history of America's 20th and 21st century wars through letters written by local soldiers serving on the front lines.

 

Free Admission

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Wolfes Pond Park is one of Staten Island's largest natural and manmade park that includes a beach, preservation and recreation area located in Tottenville. The park is named after one of the first Staten Island families, the Wolfes.

In 1857 the New York State purchased Wolfe as a quarantine station for immigrants. However, fisherman and oysterman suspected the waters were contaminated and decided to burn down all stations in protest.

Wolfes Pond became a popular recreational site in the late 1920s when the City bought the land. A new dam was built to "protect the freshwater pond from the infusion of salt water from the bay." However the dam broke twice in the past twenty years and the saltwater had killed some of the freshwater fish (nycogovparks).

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A recent study of US and UK home buyers, conducted by the London based Nationwide Building Society, found that more than 40% of people buying homes were confused by the jargon that lenders used to describe mortgages. Saying “more than 40%” seems like an understatement.

According to another study, only 31% of homebuyers understood what the term “LTV” meant, an acronym that stands for “loan to value” and describes the ration between the amount of the mortgage and the value of the home. Not only did the survey show that many mortgage borrowers were confused about what the terms meant, but they also were shy about asking for explanations of words that they didn’t understand. It's just like in school when the teacher asks if anyone has questions and no one…

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On Decemeber 31, 1747, Jacob de Hart petitioned for rights of a public ferry that will commute from Staten Island to Manhattan and to Bergen County, N.J.. However, in May the following year, John Beek and Jacob Corsen opposed de Hart's petition stated, from the Calender of Council Minutes 1668-1783, they "have for some years past, used to carry travellers from their lands to the City of New York and to the opposite shores of New Jersey."

Solomon Comes purchased De Hart's farm before his petition was reached, this meant the De Hart's  prior petition was revolked. On March 17, 1748, the Calender of Council Minutes recorded that Comes' petition was granted to have a public ferry that will run between Staten Island and New York. Comes' Ferry became the…

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When you have been researching your different options for a mortgage on your home, you might have heard of an “Interest Only Mortgage”. What exactly does this type of mortgage mean and how does it work?

Usually when you take out a loan, you must pay back the capital debt (the amount you borrowed) and the interest on that debt. An interest-only mortgage offers a cheaper option for purchasing a property, because you will only be making payments on the interest and not the capital. Compared to a repayment style mortgage where you are paying down the principle of the loan, an interest-only mortgage will have much lower monthly payments.

However, when you reach the end of the mortgage term with an interest-only mortgage, you will not have paid off any of…

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