The hulking red trailers that have become a permanent fixture in Bay Ridge’s Lief Ericson park much to the displeasure of local residents — having served as both reminder of rampant school over crowding and never ending project overruns at the High School for Telecommunications — may finally be slated for removal, after almost a decade.
The trailers remained part of Lief Ericson after a string of larger and more complicated improvements at the High School for Telecommunications (all of which riddled with overruns) made it necessary to have some kind of provisional classrooms for students while a large classroom annex was built for the high school.

The annex came under intense scrutiny from the Senator Street Historic District and a number of neighborhood preservationists, including Victoria Hofmo, who demanded the addition be built within the context and character of the surrounding block – which consists of beautiful brownstones.

High School Telecommunications Assistant Principal Patricia Rogers tells the Brooklyn Paper: “We are conducting extensive work at the [school] and need the trailers for construction purposes Once the work is completed at the school, we are going to remove the trailers and rehabilitate the park. We have funding for removing trailers and will do so when the work at the school is completed.”

Jim O’Dea, former president of the 67th Street Block Association, begs to differ. According to O’Dea, High School of Telecommunications has been saying the same thing for the past 10 years, and is apparently ready to take them to court.

High School of Telecommunications, which, in and of itself, as a structure is of some architectural beauty – the general population of attendees is often considered by those in northern Bay Ridge as something of an eyesore.

The Phantom over at Bay Ridge Blog describes the institution (formerly Bay Ridge High School) as ‘unfriendly,’ and a drain on the surrounding 67th street neighborhood’s parking and curb appeal.

“Students from the school sat on the stoops nearby, and didn’t like it too much when they were asked to move. It’s not as bad as it was some years ago, but you still see loitering “students” cutting class. smoking reefer, on 68th Street, Senator, all the nearby blocks.”

(photo courtesy of the Phantom)