Welcome to The Sixth Sense - the monthly newsletter of Brooklyn Community Board 6, serving the neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens/South Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Columbia Street Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope and Red Hook.
What could be more important than our children? Is there any greater role or responsibility than to take care of them, protect them, guide them and help them become the best they can be, including good citizens?
Last year, for the first time, the Brooklyn CB6 Youth/Human Services & Education Committee held a Youth Summit event which was designed to provide support for our youth. Support in the traditional areas of education and employment, but also in life skills and empowerment. The turnout was fantastic. It is clear the hunger for such supports is out there. So, this year, the committee is planning to reprise their role and based on their previous experience are shaping up a 2016 youth event that will surely surpass last year's debut. We'll have more to say about it in our April newsletter so stay tuned.
District Manager Craig Hammerman reading "Corduroy" at the Park Slope branch library on National Read Aloud day.
Meanwhile, March 2nd was
National Read Aloud
day across America and in libraries, schools and other local institutions volunteers spent time reading to children. Taking time out from the busy-ness of our days to invest some in our children is the kind of act that ultimately pays dividends. Children absorb everything. They are wonderfully unfiltered in their thoughts and ideas. They are pure, impressionable and, most importantly, vulnerable to all of our influences. So, be mindful of the impact you have on them. Because the little human before you now will become the next President, or teacher, or artist, or CEO, or even civic volunteer, and the imprints they take from us will ultimately be reflected in the society they build.
There are plenty of wonderful opportunities to be involved in the world of children every day. Our schools, libraries, faith-based institutions and non-profit organizations offer so many ways we, as adults, can make a difference in their lives. And for those so inclined, sadly, there is no shortage of children available for adoption or foster care or mentoring, etc. Children who struggle each day to get their basic needs met.
Be kind to the children who cross your path. Show them the world is full of kindness. Teach them that their voice is important and that they can make a difference. If everyone committed to doing this for one child a day, the world would be a better place in no time at all. Then, and only then will the fears we face as a society--fear of scarcity, of scorn, of derision, of expression, etc. etc. etc.--be replaced by hope.
Stay involved. Speak your truth. Be inspired. It's our community!
Enjoy our newsletter, and please let us know what you would like to see in future editions.
P.S. If you like what you see here, please use the "Forward email" link at the bottom of the page to pass this email along to a friend or two. There are over 104,000 residents and thousands of businesses in our district. We'd love it if they would all sign up!
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Meet The New Boss
 A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Sayar Lonial moved to Park Slope in 1998. He's lived in the district for 16 of those years, the last 10 of which in Carroll Gardens with his wife, Stephanie, and dog, Puck. During his time in NY, Sayar has had the good fortune of working on some of the most exciting and important projects in our city, starting with conducting affordable-housing work at the Pratt Center while in grad school, followed by becoming a member of the planning team for Brooklyn Bridge Park and serving as the director of planning at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation--the agency tasked with rebuilding Lower Manhattan after the horrific 9/11 attacks. The tie that binds each of those projects is active, community-engaged planning, in which members of the public weighed in on what they wanted, needed and found most beneficial to the communities in which they lived, worked or played.
While working at New York University, Sayar helped oversee the merger between NYU and Polytechnic University and bring engineering back to NYU as a discipline after a 40-year hiatus. He remained at Poly, which was recently renamed the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and currently serves as the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications.
Sayar has supported the development of affordable housing, the democratization of transportation and the creation of infrastructure that supports all residents of a community. His past employment made him a regular attendee at Community Board meetings throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, but it wasn't until
2012 that he was appointed to BrooklynCB6. As a board member, he has served on the Environmental Protection and Permits & Licenses Committee, using his past experience as a bartender and Health and Environmental policy coordinator to shape decisions the committee made on new businesses and on issues of concern, such as the Gowanus Canal. Soon thereafter, he was asked to serve as Co-Chair of the Board's Transportation Committee. Sayar joined the Executive Committee in 2014, while serving as First Vice Chair.
Sayar is an avid soccer player and hopes to win a league title at Brooklyn Bridge Park one of these days with his team, Gowanus Athletic.
Under his stewardship, Brooklyn CB6 will take on many issues that affect the community and will be a proactive voice for helping create a more livable, sustainable environment for residents and businesses alike. Balancing its growing transportation, education and open-space needs with the needs of its historic districts he intends for the district to serve as an example to all of Brooklyn and beyond.
Outgoing Chair Gary Reilly handing the gavel to
new Chair Sayar Lonial at February's Board Meeting
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Open Nominations for Youth Awards 
Do you know any exceptional young people doing extraordinary things in our community? We want to hear from you! Each year Brooklyn CB6 honors youth who have made a substantial contribution toward improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods through direct action or by serving as a positive role model for others.
We also recognize outstanding adults who work with youth on a voluntary basis, acting as a positive role model and keeping our youth engaged in constructive activities. Eligible adult candidates can be nominated for the Brooklyn CB6 Robert Acito Award for Youth Involvement, named after our former District Manager who served from 1980-1993.
Applications are available for our
Youth Acknowledgement Award and
Robert Acito Award for Youth Involvement. They can be picked up from the district office during regular business hours, or downloaded from the CB6 website. The Youth Acknowledgement and Robert Acito Awards will be presented at the beginning of the May general meeting.
Nominations must be postmarked by April 1, 2016.
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Jeff Irvine, Sustainable CUNY's NYC Solar Ombudsman needs sunglasses
We are thrilled to announce we are the recipients of a NYSERDA grant to continue our Solarize campaign.
We've teamed up with two sun-savvy organizations to run the campaign. We'll be working with Sustainable CUNY, who's working on a getting a
community shared solar array in our district (solar for renters and those who can't use their own roofs for solar) and
Solar One's Here Comes Solar, who will sign up clusters of households and businesses to install solar using economies of scale.
Expect more updates and sun-puns from us this spring & summer!
If you're curious about last year's efforts; to date 24 contracts have been signed representing 132kW via our campaign. We've blasted through our goal of 100kW and we're still seeing contracts signed.
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Things to do in the District
Saturday March 5, 9am-7pm
The Iron Maidens Raw Open takes place at CrossFit South Brooklyn, on Degraw Street. CrossFit South Brooklyn's all-female powerlifting competition returns for the second year. 60 lifters will test their one rep maxes in the Back Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift. Prizes will be awarded to the top three Totals in each weight class. This is an exceptional day showcasing a community of strong women from the NYC-metro and tri-state area, ranging in age from 25-70.
Sunday, March 6, 2-6pm
Join Interference volunteers and local Wikipedians in a campaign to improve coverage of women and the arts on Wikipedia. Participants will work directly with archival materials in the Interference collection and explore intersections between art, feminism, and activism. This
edit-a-thon is one of dozens of Art+Feminism events happening in an asynchronous, worldwide effort to address a Wikipedia gender gap. No experience editing Wikipedia is required but please bring a laptop! Check out our Wikipedia Meetup page for more information. Refreshments will be provided. Childcare is available but requires RSVP by March 2nd, Contact us at [email protected].
Monday, March 7, 7-9pm
Shout it to the Rooftops: A Hamilton Sing Along (lyrics provided). Free - Donations Encouraged. Refreshments for Sale
To Benefit The International Rescue Committee and the Old Stone House & Washington Park.
Sunday, March 13, 4-10pm
Second Sundays at Pioneer Works is a monthly series of open studios, live music, and site-specific interventions presented by Pioneer Works the second Sunday of every month. The series showcases artists in residence along with musical performances and DJs, curated by Olivier Conan.
Thursday March 17, 6-8pm
The Carroll Gardens Association presents an IRS Small Business Workshop. This FREE workshop will benefit existing small business owners, individualsgetting started in business and those interested in going into business. It focuses on the fundamentals of federal taxes for small business owners. This Small Business Tax Workshop provides an opportunity to get answers to a wide range of tax questions on launching and growing a new business venture.To RSVP contact Ben Fuller-Googins: [email protected]
Sunday, March 20, 1pm
The Annual Brooklyn Saint Patrick's Day Parade! Parade Route: From 15th Street & Prospect Park West > Down 15th Street to 7th Avenue > Along 7th Avenue > To Garfield Place > Up Garfield Place To Prospect Park West > Along Prospect Park West To 15th Street.
Sunday, March 20, 11am-3pm
Gowanus Canal Conservancy Clean & Green - ArtLab Build, Canal Garden Stewardship, Bioswale Stewardship, Tree Stewardship & Compost Windrow Build. Description: Join the Conservancy at our Spring kickoff event! Volunteers will be stewarding gardens near the Canal, building a new compost pile, and re-mulching the Salt Lot. Location: Salt Lot, 2 Second Avenue (between 5th St and the Gowanus Canal),The Salt Lot is located at the dead-end of 2nd Avenue, to the left within the DSNY gates.
Thursday, March 24, 2-3pm
The Parkinson's Wellness and Exercise Dance Class will take place on in the Hospital's Wesley House, Room 6A-6B, located at 501 Sixth Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn.
To view NYM's calendar online, please visit here.
Friday, March 25, 8pm
The Morbid Anatomy Museum presents, Psychedelic and Death: A Brief Introduction, with Dr. Neal Goldsmith Ph.D. The concept-and at times the actuality-of death always attends the psychedelic experience. This lecture will provide a brief overview of the many ways in which death influences the psychedelic experience. It will also offer a recontextualization of that relationship, providing a broader conceptual umbrella for the various ways in which death infuses and informs the psychedelic mindset, in ways which better resonate with the modern worldview. Admission: $8
Tuesday, March 29, 7-8:30pm
The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Annual meeting is generously hosted by the Fifth Avenue Committee, 621 Degraw St. The meeting is open to the public to discuss and plan our seasonal programs on the Canal, LIC, Red Hook and Staten Island. Please join us and bring ideas!
Wednesday, March 30, 7-9pm
The Carroll Gardens Association presents: Legal Clinic for Non Profits and Small Businesses. Location:201 Columbia Street. RSVP with [email protected]
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Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Inc.
was established in 2003 to support the work of Brooklyn Community Board 6 in improving the quality of life in the district. Friends seeks to provide planning, advocacy, research and administrative resources to supplement the limited capacities and budget of the Community Board, thus enabling it to properly carry out its City Charter mandated tasks of evaluating the needs of the district and advocating on behalf of its communities.
Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Federal EIN 04-3780020).
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General Board Meeting
photo by Bryan Bruchman
6:30pm, March 10
All posted meetings are open to the public; however, participation may be limited.
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Who's Who at #BKcb6
●
Sayar Lonial,
Chairperson
● vacant,
First Vice Chairperson
●
Pauline Blake,
Second Vice Chairperson
● Jerry Armer,
Treasurer
● Ariel Krasnow,
Secretary
● Jerry Armer,
Finance/Personnel & Law
● Richard Bashner,
Waterfront/Community Development
● Paige Bellenbaum,
Human Services
● Peter Fleming,
Land Use; Elections
● Glenn Kelly,
Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs
● Ariel Krasnow,
Housing
●
Sayar Lonial,
Executive
● Robert Levine,
Landmarks
● Rick Luftglass,
Budget; Economic Development
● Eric McClure,
Transportation, Co-Chair
● Thomas Miskel,
Transportation, Co-Chair
● Mike Racioppo,
Permits & Licenses
● Mark C. Shames,
Environmental Protection
● Matthew Silverman,
Public Safety
● Suzanne Turet,
Education
● Robert Underwood,
Youth Services
District Manager
Assistant District Manager
Special Projects Manager
● Craig Hammerman,
Editor-in-Chief
● Sarah N. Phillips,
Managing Editor
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QUICK CLICKS
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden wants to understand the impacts of the Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest and how to make it better. If your block has ever participated in the contest, please consider completing
BBG's 10-minute survey
. Questions? Call (718) 623-7209 or email
CitiBike, which is due to expand the NYC Bike Share program here in the district this year (a year ahead of it's originally scheduled 2017 rollout date!), is hiring. Jobs are currently available as drivers, customer service agents and group sales representatives. Seasonal work is also available. Click here for more information.
The Department of Parks & Recreation is looking to hire lifeguards for their 2016 swim season!
Parks' beaches open each Memorial Day weekend and are open through Sunday, September 13. Pools are open from late June through Labor Day. Lifeguards work 48 hours each week and first-year lifeguards will earn a minimum of $13.57 an hour, for a weekly salary of over $650.00.
Think you're whistle worthy? Find out how to join.
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NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
FROM THE CB6 AREA
Available at Fairway, Pathmark, Met Foods & other fine local institutions
www.redhookstar.com
George Fiala
Kimberly Price
Publishers
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