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.
I
t's November. Our time to leave our mark on the community before we hibernate for winter. We're busy trying to get as much outdoor work done as we can before the weather turns against us. We're harvesting. We're gathering up leaves. We're replanting. We're nesting, purging and settling in for the season. How will you leave your mark?
November is also the month dedicated to raising awareness about men's health issues. It's been renamed Movember, a portmanteau of "moustache" and "November." Across the globe men and women are busy raising funds while men let their facial hair grow. Prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health, physical inactivity, heart disease--these are some of the biggest health issues faced by men. Want to help? There's plenty to do.
And as a way of supporting our good civic health don't forget that Tuesday, November 3rd is Election Day. Polls are open from 6am to 9pm. Even though there may not be many exciting races this year, exercising your right to vote is a great way to maintain a healthy democracy. Please, take the time to vote. Democracy works best when we all participate.
Not sure where to vote? Want to know what's on the ballot before you get there? Use this great online poll locator tool.
Stay involved. Be healthy. 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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Monday December 14, 6:30-9:00pm
218 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
$35 advance
$40 at the door
Our Holiday Party is a warm winter gathering of board members, family, friends and neighbors. A holiday fun(d)raiser supporting the work of the Brooklyn Community Board 6.
Price includes delicious dinner and open bar.
Tickets may be purchased in advance by sending a check made out to: "Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Inc.", 250 Baltic Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201-6401, or by clicking below.
Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, so feel free to add a little extra. We appreciate all donations.
Thanks to our sponsor:
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The sun has set on the Solarize BrooklynCB6 campaign. By all accounts and measures, it was an incredible success!
The Solarize team attended 8 community events and hosted 9 workshops throughout the district that were attended by over 325 attendees. A total of 357 people requested site assessments at 400 buildings. More than 700 kilowatts worth of proposals have gone out, with even more still being drafted.
Due to the higher than anticipated response, our good friends at Sustainable CUNY and the program installers are still performing site visits and generating proposals. We'll let you know how many contracts are signed in a future newsletter.
We could not have reached such a wide audience without the help of our community. A warm, sunny thank-you to all those who co-sponsored, promoted or hosted an event including:
Park Slope Neighbors
Park Slope Civic Council
South Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association
Cobble Hill Association
Gowanus Alliance
Red Hook Initiative
Carroll Gardens Association, Inc.
Old First Reformed Church
St Paul's Episcopal Church
Architectural Grille
Whole Foods Market
And a special "Thank You!" to all of our elected officials who were kind enough to promote the program to their constituents.
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Sitting Down with NYCHA Leadership
New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chair Shola Olatoye, her Chief-of-Staff David Pristin and NYCHA Board Member, Red Hook Houses resident and former CB6 member Beatrice Byrd visited the district office on October 23rd to talk about public housing issues affecting the district.
Since launching in May 2015, NYCHA has been rolling out targeted strategies from NextGeneration (NextGen) NYCHA--the Authority's 10-year plan, with the goal of improving resident quality of life and preserving public housing for this and future generations. With increased transparency, infrastructure improvements, and stake-holder engagement, NYCHA is taking meaningful steps to change the way it does business to become a more modern, effective and efficient landlord.
Discussions of possible development at Wyckoff Gardens Houses, resiliency and sustainability measures for Gowanus and Red Hook Houses (both suffered devastating impacts from Hurricane Sandy), and general public housing policies were discussed as NYCHA pledged a closer working relationship with the Community Board and its public housing communities.
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Things to do in the District
Tuesday, November 3, 7:00-9:00pm
Court Tree Collective presents Cinema Séance # 3, a curated film screening by Mark Street. This is a FREE event. Eight 16mm films, total run time is 1 hour with a drink break in between. This time Mark brings us Autumnal Abstractions a perfect exploration into the avant garde. Sit back, have a drink and enjoy the show. Popcorn included! Location: 371 Court Street, 2nd floor.
Thursday, November 5, 11:00am-2:30pm
New York Methodist Hospital will host its Third Annual Fred L. Mazzilli Lung Cancer Screening Awareness Day. It will feature free blood pressure and spirometry screenings, giveaways, celebrity appearances and an educational lecture. Light refreshments will be served. Location: NYM's Carrington Pavilion Atrium, located at 506 Sixth Street. Call (718) 780-5367 to register (required).
Saturday, November 7, 7:00am-2:00pm
Pumpkin Smash at the Red Hook Farm. You smash 'em - and the NYC Compost Project hosted by Brooklyn Botanic Garden will turn them into compost for City parks and green spaces. Bring pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns and gourds to Pumpkin Smash 2015. Join us for refreshments, raffles and more! Rain or shine. Location: Red Hook Community Farm, Columbia and Bay Streets.
Saturday, November 7, 9:00am
2015 CHiPS 5K Run & Walk. Come join us in Prospect Park to raise awareness and support for CHiPS. Participants will receive a souvenir shirt and an award will go to the top male and female runners.
Saturday, November 7, 7:00-11:00pm
Hot Glass Cold Beer! Support the glass studio Brooklyn Glass by purchasing a $20 ticket, receiving a hand-made drinking glass that includes bottomless beverages. Location: 142 13th Street.
Tuesday, November 10, 6:30-9:00pm
Gowanus Canal Conservancy Annual Meeting. Join us for one of our favorite events of the year - the Annual Meeting! We'll be presenting the amazing range of projects our staff and volunteers have completed over the past year, and toasting with members, volunteers, friends, and anyone interested in learning more about the GCC. We'll also be celebrating our new home. In September we moved to the former Proteus Gowanus space. Location: 543 Union Street.
Wednesday, November 11, 11:00am
Veterans Day Observance Ceremony, sponsored by the Court Street Merchants Association. Location: Carroll Park, Court-President Streets.
Monday November 16, 7:00pm
CHIPS Movie Night. To mark National Hunger and Homelessness Week, we'll be hosting a screening of Storied Streets, a film about homelessness in the US. The movie will be followed by a Q&A with Professor Alex Vitale, an expert on the criminalization of homelessness. Tickets $15, all proceeds benefit CHiPS. Location: Brooklyn Colony, 274 4th Avenue.
Tuesday, November 17, 6:30pm
Tuesday, November 17, 6:30pm
2015 Benefit Bash. Join Fifth Avenue Committee and Neighbors Helping Neighbors for a festive night of drinks, hors d'oeures & light dinner. Location: Union Hall, 702 Union Street.
Saturday, November 21, 7:30pm
Lecture: Scientific Controversies #6. A One-Way Ticket to Mars. NASA or private agencies like Space-X could undoubtedly rise to the technological challenge and send an astronaut to Mars. But could we bring them back? Pioneer Works Scientist-in-Residence Janna Levin invites former astronaut and Columbia Professor Mike Massimino and theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss to consider the brazen implications of a one-way ticket to Mars.
Thursday November 26, 9:00am
Prospect Park Track Club's
Turkey Trot 5-miler. One of the biggest Brooklyn Running Events of the Year! This 5 mile spectacular is the perfect way to kick off your holiday season! This even is SOLD OUT to runners,
but the more fans the merrier!
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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, November 10th*
P.S. 58 Auditorium
(enter Carroll Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(*NOTE: Meeting switched to Tuesday night due to holiday conflict.)
All posted meetings are open to the public; however, participation may be limited.
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Who's Who at #BKcb6
●
Gary G. Reilly,
Chairperson
●
Sayar Lonial,
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
● Gary G. Reilly,
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
● Rob 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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GOOD & WELFARE
As announced at our October general meeting, former Human Services Co-Chair
Benjamin Solotaire
has tended his resignation, given his new position as the Participatory Budgeting Coordinator for Council Member Steve Levin.
Also, long-time Board Member
Elly Spicer
has resigned after taking a teaching assignment at the Cornell/CUNY/Murphy Institute.
We will miss Ben and Elly's thoughtful and passionate voices, and thank them for their many years of selfless service.
Congratulations to Board Member Rob Underwood who was appointed by Chair Gary Reilly to head the Youth Services Committee. By virtue of the appointment, Rob also joins the CB6 Executive Committee.
And congratulations also to
Rob Underwood for completing the NYC Marathon on November 1st with an unofficial time of 6:15:47, his 10th New York City Marathon.
Go PPTC!
Congratulations to former CB6 Board Member Joseph Porcelli on the occasion of his marriage to Brianne Castaneda on October 17th. We wish them many years of health and happiness!
Joe & Brianne, the happy couple
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QUICK CLICKS
Thanks to increased funding from the Mayor and the City Council, every Brooklyn Public Library branch is now open at least six days per week starting October 19th. They also added extra morning and evening hours throughout the borough to make our libraries even more accessible to all patrons. Download a list of the expanded hours, or call (718) 230-2100.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) works with selected not-for-profit organizations to create neighborhood plazas throughout the City to transform underused streets into vibrant, social public spaces. The NYC Plaza Program is a key part of the City's effort to ensure that all New Yorkers live within a 10-minute walk of quality open space. There is an upcoming information session in Brooklyn on November 9th at 5pm. Interested organizations may apply by November 19th.
Also, each year DOT partners with community groups to present Weekend Walks -- multi-block neighborhood events on commercial streets temporarily closed to vehicles and open to walking and other activities. If you are interested in organizing a 2016 Weekend Walk event, download the Request for Expression of Interest form and submit the completed form by November 20th.
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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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