Rockaway vandalism won't ruin summer celebrations
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After being vandalized, the concessions at Rockaway Beach are ready to open for an eventful summer. Eagle file photo by Katie Finkowski
By Ryan Schwach
Weeks before the start of the summer, the vendors of the Beach 97th Street boardwalk concessions in the Rockaways walked into a wrecked interior that had been ransacked by unknown assailants.
Brain Keane, general manager of the concessions on Beach 97th Street, said the stand’s operators are looking to push through the currents and serve what is anticipated to be a busy summer season after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered businesses.
“It sucked that it happened,” Keane told the Eagle. “Had some roadblocks to get through but we’ll be open for Memorial Day weekend.”
The vandalism, which was discovered in late April, included destroyed offices, rotting fish in air vents and solid concrete with sand poured into drains, adding up to around $10,000 in damages, according to reporting by Grubstreet.
Keane and other staff members of the concessions declined to comment on anything related to the damage or vandalism itself.
“We’re not getting bogged down with that, we’re moving forward,” Keane said. “We’re expecting a slow return to normalcy. We’re hopeful that sometime over the summer we’ll be closer to pre-COVID times.”
Although there is an investigation underway, there are currently no leads, according to the NYPD.
Earlier this year, the ownership of the Rockaway Beach concessions was transferred from Rockaway Beach Club LLC, a coalition of local restaurateurs, to Rockaway Beach Bazaar LLC, which also own the concessions at the nearby Jacob Riis Park as well as concessions in Brooklyn.
Owners Aaron Broudo and Belvy Klein did not respond to requests for comment.
The Rockaway Beach boardwalk concessions, which were part of the peninsula's reconstruction efforts after Hurricane Sandy, have become a popular food and drink spot for locals and visitors alike, but the transfer of ownership in January led to controversy over the selection of Broudo and Klein over RBC.
A group called SAVE ROCKAWAY formed soon after the bidding began with the goal of pressuring local officials and the Parks Department to decline the bid from the Rockaway Beach Bazaar, and instead renew the contract with the previous local owners.
“These businesses are beloved, with a great track record. They have attracted more businesses and people to invest in and enjoy spending time in Rockaway,” the group wrote in an email for supporters to send officials.
The group argued the building owners had been in place for a decade and survived both Hurricane Sandy and COVID-19, and took specific issue with the new group run by Broudo and Klein.
“We have heard they are infamously profit-first, community-second. Tales of their unfair operations travel widely in Brooklyn where they tried and failed to operate, their reputation is fraught with stories of employee mistreatment, environmental disregard, and mismanaged finances,” SAVE ROCKAWAY wrote in their template email to officials.
Ultimately, the Parks Department awarded the contract to Broudo and Klein, who will pay the City between $300,000 and $453,777 each year for the next 15 years, according to the contract details.
Undeterred by setbacks, the current operators are excited to begin the summer after beaches opened this weekend. This year's vendors include the return of a number of boardwalk veterans who operated during the partially-opened summer of 2020, as well as some newcomers slinging a host of fares, from pizza to lobster.
“I’m excited to have the locals back,” said Mike Lennon, a worker at the concessions who was helping to set up for the opening.
