Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6
June 2014, Vol 5, issue 6    
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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.  

 

Unofficially, summer's here.

Schools are winding down, vacations are on the horizon, and many of our interests migrate outdoors with the changing weather. Before long we'll be in the "dog days" wondering how long until the fall.

Meanwhile it is a good time visit our local parks and waterfront and rediscover the great outdoors. Please be smart about it. Now's the time to load up on the sun screen, maybe add a brimmed cap to your collection, and treat yourself to a new water bottle too. A little sun is good to boost those Vitamin D levels but be careful not to overdo it.

In an urban environment it is easy to overlook our connection to the natural world. Aside from the recreational benefits that accompany the change of seasons, the sun can also help us save money and live smarter. To that end, we've just partnered with the City's Economic Development Corporation and City University of New York to embark on a Solarize Brooklyn CB6 campaign.

In the coming weeks we'll be enlisting the assistance of our civic and merchant organizations to help develop and evaluate a request for proposals to select solar energy installers to work in our district. We will be assisting with the outreach to our property owners to market the service and help enroll them for installations.

Through our involvement in this campaign we have the potential to accomplish some important gains for our district. First, we want our property owners to be able to take advantage of their group purchasing power for cleaner, solar energy which can be as good for the pocketbook as it is for the environment. Second, to demonstrate our support for this rapidly growing market across New York State and attract the solar industry here as an economic development opportunity. Third, to develop more familiarity with the application of the technology, help raise awareness and educate ourselves more on viable cleaner and greener options for energy generation. Additionally, to use this growing awareness to push for the more rapid deployment of redundant solar systems as a resiliency measure, especially in Red Hook and Gowanus.

Want to learn more about solar? Some helpful links:
Solarize New York campaign
CUNY's Solar Map (estimate your property's solar potential)
EDC's Breaking Solar Barriers in NYC
Filing for a Permit for Solar Installations
NYC �CoolRoofs


With solar on the horizon, the sky's the limit.

Stay active and remember to hydrate often. 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 to a friend" 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!
Join A Brooklyn CB6 Committee

Now is the time of year that Brooklyn CB6 invites the public to apply to join one of our standing committees for our upcoming annual session. Individuals who wish to serve on a committee can download the application form, or request a form from our district office, and return it to us by June 23rd.

Appointments are for a one-year term beginning September 1st. Notification letters are sent out in August.

 Committees that are open for public membership include:
* Economic/Waterfront/Community Development & Housing 
* Environmental Protection/Permits & Licenses
* Landmarks/Land Use
* Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs 
* Transportation/Public Safety
* Youth/Human Services/Education

Please do not apply to join a committee if you anticipate any possible scheduling conflicts. And if you're not sure if you're ready to make the commitment, all of our committee meetings are open to the public anyway, so feel free to starting attending meetings at your convenience.

To learn more about what our committees do, and find out when they meet (they all meet on regular fixed nights), please visit the Committees section of our website.

Things to do in the District 

Dance Theatre Etcetera

Thursday, June 5th, 6:00-8:00pm Dance Theatre Etcetera presents 3 days of celebration at Red Hook Fest. Free community BBQ and dance party at the PS 15 playground, 71 Sullivan Street in Red Hook.

June 6, 7 & 8, various times. Falconworks presents Romeo & Juliet at 202 Coffey Street, Red Hook. This classic is re-imagined within the context of gentrifying Red Hook. Visit website for more information.

Friday, June 6th, 5:00-7:00pm, Join us at The Jalopy Theatre 315 Columbia Street for a performance by DTE's In Transition Youth Hip Hop Theatre Company and special guests. Seating is limited so come early!
Red Hook Fest.

Saturday, June 7th, 12:00-7:00pm
, Come down to Valentino Park and Pier at Coffey and Ferris Street for a day of main stage performances, cultural activities, free kayak rides, food vendors and more.
Red Hook Fest.

Saturday, June 7th, 11:00am-1:00pm. The South Brooklyn Children's Garden is holding their annual Worm Festival. Celebrate worms & composting, check out the community garden, arts & crafts, butterfly education, live musicat Sackett and Columbia Streets. Free and open to all

Sunday, June 8th, 5:00pm, SECOND SUNDAYS, a monthly series of open studios, live music, and site-specific interventions presented by Pioneer Works every second Sunday of every month. Opens art & science studios start at 5PM, live music curated by Olivier Conan starts at 7PM.
 
Tuesday, June 10th, 6:30-9:00pm. Join the Gowanus Canal Conservancy for an evening of fine wines selected by our friends at Gowanus Wine Merchants. Conservancy staff will give a tour of the composting and nursery facilities prior to the tasting at 6PM. At FIND Home Furnishings, 43 9th Street, (driveway to parking next to 9th Street Bridge). Tickets are $150.

Tuesday, June 10th, 7:00-9:00pm,
Comptroller Scott Stringer, with all of our area's elected officials, is hosting a Sandy Oversight Hearing at PS 15, 71 Sullivan Street. Share your concerns and questions regarding recovery and relief. RSVP to (212) 669-4466 or meetings@comptroller.nyc.gov. 

Thursday, June 12th,
8:00pm, Possession and Prophets: Illustrated lecture with Ava Forte Vitali of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, at Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424A 3rd Avenue (corner 7th Street). Tickets $8.

Saturday, June 14th, all day. Brooklyn Pride. Street Festival: 5th Avenue, 3rd-9th Streets, 11am-5pm. Kid's Space at the Old Stone House, 11am-5pm. Twilight Parade: Douglass to 9th Streets, 7pm.

Sunday, June 15th, 11am The Gowanus Dredgers 
Canoe Club and the Red Hook Boaters presents the 2014 Gowanus Challenge. Pre-race event begins at 9:30 am, starter pistol at 11:00am at the 2nd Street dock. Post race banquet & awards ceremony at 1:30pm.

Sunday, June 15th, 12:00-6:00pm Park Slope's annual Seventh Heaven Street Fair. From Flatbush Avenue to 18th Street. Food-Crafts-Rides-Antiques-Art.

Sunday, June 15th, 11:00am-5:00pm As a participant in the Seventh Heaven Street Fair, New York Methodist Hospital will sponsor free blood pressure, podiatry and dental screenings with health information and giveaways.in front of the hospital on 7th Avenue between 6th-7th Streets. Call (718) 780-5367 for more information.

Saturday, June 21st, 11:00am 'til late. The 5th Avenue BID presents Make Music New York. There's so much live music going on on Saturday 21st June along Park Slope's 5th Avenue, outside your favorite bars, stores and restaurants. Check link for schedule.
  
Sunday, June 22nd, 9:00am-3:00pm the 2nd Annual Imani House Walk-to-Live Walkathon. Walk-to-Live brings together families, individuals and volunteers to walk around Prospect Park to end Childhood Obesity by increasing knowledge of healthy eating habits and encouraging physical activities. Adults $10, kids $5. Location: Prospect Park.

Tuesdays, July 8- August 26, sunset. Red Hook Flicks. Free movies on the water and under the watch of Lady Liberty. Red Hook Films are shown at the  Valentino Pier, on the waterfront. 
Youth Acknowledgement Awards
Photo by Gary Reilly

Congratulations to The Cookie Kids of P.S. 58, the winner's of the Brooklyn CB6 2014 Youth Acknowledgement Awards.

"Helping the world one cookie at a time," is the tagline of The Cookie Kids which began as a concept conceived in the schoolyard of by a group of intrepid activist students from P.S. 58 who wanted to do something supportive in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy which particularly impacted neighbors in the nearby community of Red Hook.

The group began organizing bake sales and donated their proceeds to other organizations like the Red Hook Initiative and P.S. 15 - The Patrick Daly School. Seeing firsthand the positive impact of their work motivated them further. The Cookie Kids continued to bake, having pop-up sales scattered throughout the district, the proceeds of which have been donated to groups like City Harvest, the Red Cross, Autism Speaks, Wigs for Kids, Wolf Conservancy, Cookie Kids for Cancer, St. Jude's and water supplies for villages in Africa.

Brooklyn CB6 was pleased to be joined by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams in honoring The Cookies Kids at its Youth Acknowledgement Awards ceremony at Borough Hall on May 14, 2014.

Pictured above are The Cookie Kids (not in order): Blossom Bettles, Carter Boldrick, Leonard Bonn, Lucie Canzoniero, Eli Cohen, Georgia Fumusa, Giovanni Galvano, Tom Gansa, Lucy Isaacs, Isabella Lavelle, Lucina Ozcan, Isabella Perillo, Lucia Perish, Oliver Reynolds, Linnea Stenborg, Salome Stokes, Ella Tierney, and Liam Walsh. Back row (left-to-right): CB6 District Manager Craig Hammerman, Chairperson Daniel Kummer, Human Services Co-Chair Paige Bellenbaum, and Assistant District Manager Leroy Branch.

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).

Donations are welcome and are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
In This Issue
Join A CB6 Committee
Things to Do
Join A CB6 Committee
For the next meeting
Good & Welfare
Quick Clicks
Next General Board Meeting
photo by Bryan Bruchman
6:30pm, June 11th
School for International Studies
284 Baltic Street, Auditorium
(between Court/Smith Streets)
Brooklyn, NY 11201

(Board members are encouraged to supply corrections to minutes.)

All posted meetings (general, committee, informational, etc.) are open to the public; however, participation may be limited.

Contact the district office for further clarification.
Quick Links

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Who's Who at #BKcb6

CB6 2014 Officers:
● Daniel M. Kummer,
Chairperson
● Thomas Miskel,
First Vice Chairperson
● Lou Sones,
Second Vice Chairperson
● Gary Reilly,
Treasurer
● vacant,
Secretary

CB6 Committee Chairs:
● Richard Bashner,
Waterfront/Community Development
● Paige Bellenbaum,
Human Services, Co-Chair
● Peter Fleming,
Land Use; Elections
● Glenn Kelly,
Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs
● Mark Kolman,
Education, Co-Chair
● Ariel Krasnow,
Housing
● Daniel M. Kummer,
Executive
● Robert Levine,
Landmarks
● Sayar Lonial,
Transportation, Co-Chair
● Rick Luftglass,
Budget;Economic Development
● Thomas Miskel,
Transportation, Co-Chair
● Gary Reilly,
Finance/Personnel & Law; Permits & Licenses
● Mark C. Shames,
Environmental Protection
● Matthew Silverman,
Public Safety
● Benjamin Solotaire,
Human Services, Co-Chair
● Suzanne Turet,
Education, Co-Chair

District Office Staff:
● Craig Hammerman,
District Manager
● LeRoy P. Branch, Jr.
Assistant District Manager 
● Liza Santiago-Sierra,
Community Associate 
● Sarah N. Phillips,
Special Projects Coordinator
● Helena Miskel,
Office Volunteer
● Mia Brezin, 
Planning Fellow
 
Newsletter Production:    
● Craig Hammerman,
Editor-in-Chief
Sarah N. Phillips,
Managing Editor
GOOD & WELFARE 

Congratulations to our new Brooklyn CB6 members:
Jerry Armer, Pauline Blake, Jean Fritzner, Victoria Hagman, Eric McClure and Scott Mathews-Novelli.

We also thank outgoing Board Members Elizabeth Shipley and Yvonne Girela for their service to our community.

Speaking of service, a very special note of gratitude to outgoing Park Slope Civic Council President Michael Cairl for his inspired leadership and devoted service these past 3 years at the helm of the City's oldest (and one of the most active!) civic association.

Congratulations to Cunard Lines for the recent celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Queen Mary 2, the line's flagship that calls our Red Hook Cruise Terminal its homeport. She was in town on May 16th to celebrate with us. When she's in port she's hard to miss!

Concerned about PCB's in schools? The EPA had required the City and the School Construction Authority to evaluate their presence and develop a remedy for minimizing exposure. The Preferred Citywide Remedy is available for review and comment will be taken by mail, email or at an upcoming public meeting in our district 6:30-8:30pm on June 11th at PS 133, 610 Baltic Street (at 4th Avenue).

Congratulations to CB6 alum Derrick "D.C." Vito and Red Hook Initiative's Director of Programs Jade Elias on their recent graduation as part of the 25th class from Coro New York Leadership Center.

Condolences extended to the family of Nicholas Soto, a 14-year old boy who was fatally struck by a vehicle at Hicks and Lorraine Streets on June 2nd.

Condolences extended to the family of Danny Cruz, Jr., Red Hook resident, husband and father or 3, who passed away on May 21st after a delayed ambulance responds to calls for help.

One tube at the Hugh L. Carey (former Brooklyn Battery) Tunnel will be closed from 9:00pm Friday, June 6 through 5:00am Monday, June 9 as part of the project to replace the tunnel's original electrical switches and feeder cables. The remaining tube will have one lane heading into Manhattan and one lane into Brooklyn. Motorists are advised to expect delays and use an alternate route if possible.
QUICK CLICKS

City residents ages 10 through 16 who are attending school may be eligible to attend the 2014 Youth Police Academy, a six week program which runs 8:30am-2:00pm on weekdays, July 7-August 15, 2014. Applications will be taken between April 18-June 27.
 
The Fifth Avenue Committee has announced that applications are being accepted for 8 affordable housing rental units under construction in Park Slope and Sunset Park. Residents of Brooklyn CB's 2, 6 and 7 will receive preference for half of the units. Applications must be postmarked by June 10th.

The Fifth Avenue Committee has also just released a new brochure entitled, "Guidelines to Building Resiliency, 1-4 Family Homes."

Barclays Center is hiring Security positions. Residents of Brooklyn CB's 2, 3, 6 & 8, along with NYCHA residents, will be given preference. Apply online now through June 11th.

Dig this...the Department of Transportation has a new real-time online permit look-up tool so you can see who's doing work at any roadway excavation site in the City.

Beginning July 1, 2014 the household income to qualify for Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program will increase from $29,000 to $50,000. Updated information and forms will be available here on July 1, 2014.

From the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President: If you're interested in learning more about events in your neighborhood or support events at Borough Hall please complete our paperless form so our office can inform you.

The Borough President's Office is also looking to hire a new IT Manager, and has opportunities available for unpaid internships and volunteers
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