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Yes, in some nutty media-hungry stunt, you can now attend adult pre-school in the South Slope.  More on Gothamist ...

A report on last month's meeting with MTA officials: updates on work at the Fourth Avenue subway station (Park Slope Civic Council)

Highlights include:

* General construction hopefully completed by mid-March (now!)

* Store space to be ready for occupancy by 2016

* R train stairway work completed by end of April

* No plans for elevator access or increased lighting for interior or under bridge

* Requested exterior way-finding (what we like to call signs) the responsibility of the DOT, not MTA

* No MTA budget/plans for station art - temporary installations funded by other sources to be                considered

* On tenancies for the six store spaces:
   "With respect to award of spaces, MTA said that by law they would go to the highest bidder. (There was not a discussion about other contract requirements). MTA expects that square foot rental costs will reflect current commercial rates. There was no comment on whether or not there has been interest expressed about the spaces." 

* No date as yet for countdown clocks at the station
*  Incorrect PA announcements (including information given for the wrong station! ) & incorrect station clock times duly noted


Personally, I think that the highest priority issues are fixing the PA & clocks, and the store tenancies, which I fear will just be along the lines of Dunkin' D.  Lighting seems adequate, as do exterior signs.  Art would be a nice addition, but I expect temporary installations will find their way there.  A bigger issue, beyond station renovation, is how development along Fourth is impacting train ridership, and making the train cars more and more crowded.  Does the city have any solution for bursting-at-the-seams trains & classrooms?

City announces plans for changes to Fourth Avenue, including bike lanes & sidewalk expansions
(Brooklyn Paper)
Questions:
How will this affect existing small businesses - auto shops, grocery stores, restaurants, offices etc. -  & schools in terms of curbside parking, delivery, access for business?
If traffic is reduced on Fourth, where will it be dispersed to?  Will this mean more truck traffic on smaller avenues & side streets?
Should we prioritize some major routes as efficient conduits in a heavily congested city, rather than reduce their traffic flow?
Which residents & business owners do the proposedchanges serve best?

I spoke to several residents close to Fourth over the weekend, and all were concerned about the potential impact of redesign on traffic & services.