The Sixth Sense, v7, i08

Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6

October 2016, Vol 7, issue 08

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.

"Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting."
~Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Chances are if you're reading this newsletter you probably don't have to be reminded that you must be registered to vote in the upcoming General Election on Tuesday, November 8th. Just in case, if you do need to register, the deadline is October 14th which is coming up fast.

Every election is important. Sadly, not everybody that is eligible to vote is registered, and not all registered voters take the time to do so. This year among other local races we will be voting to elect the next (45th) President of the United States, our nation's highest elected office. This great experiment in democracy we call America works best when everyone participates. It is our right and responsibility as citizens. Countless soliders, statesmen and civilians died to ensure that we would have that right and that it would be preserved for future generations. We honor their memories when we exercise the rights, liberties and freedoms we enjoy because of their sacrifices.

Your vote always makes a difference. Please encourage your family, friends and neighbors to register, then to go out and vote!

To find out more about how to register, or to double-check your registration status or the location of your local polling site, click here or use the following link:

http://vote.nyc.ny.us/html/voters/voters.shtml

Stay active and engaged. 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!

Brooklyn CB6 Holiday Party

Save the date for the annual Friends of Brooklyn CB6 Holiday Party Fundraiser: Monday, December 20th, 6:30pm. This year we're being hosted by the warm and lovely Loki at 341 2nd Street (off 5th Avenue) Brooklyn, NY 11215.

Wouldn't miss this event for the world? Purchase your $40 ticket here. Includes a delicious meal, open bar (beer & wine) and unlimited cheer.

Thanks to our generous sponsor NYU Tandon School of Engineering. We're still seeking sponsors to make this an over-the-top awesome event. Please contact District Manager Craig Hammerman to sponsor: [email protected]

Check it out! Red Hook Check-in

Red Hook Check-in is a community-based service focused on disaster preparedness. Our goal is to create a check-in support system for Red Hook seniors, medically fragile residents, and people with disabilities in times of crisis. We seek to bridge the gap between residents who may be isolated and need extra assistance in an emergency and advanced medical care/support; we also want to build preparedness and local health knowledge in everyday, non-crisis times.

We are pleased to announce that Councilman Carlos Menchaca has allocated $30,000 in funding toward our initiative for this fiscal year. We were also recently featured on DNA info- here's a link to the piece, by Nikhita Venugopal:

https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160920/red-hook/red-hook-projects-seeks-volunteers-check-on-neighbors-ahead-of-crisis

Please visit our Facebook page for announcements about future workshops and ways you can get involved:

https://www.facebook.com/RedHookCheckin

Red Hook Check-in Workshop photo by Nathan DeHart

Gowanus Open Studios 10/14-16

Now more than ever it's important to celebrate the vibrant Gowanus Arts Community; one of the many groups of people that make our district so unique. Express your appreciation by visiting the studios of your creative neighbors to simply have a look, enjoy conversation over a glass of cheap wine, or buy some art. Hundreds of artist studios, maker spaces, galleries & our mini museums will be open from 12-6pm on Oct 15 & 16. Evening events and parties are scheduled Friday through Sunday.

This is the 20th anniversary of GOS (formerly AGAST) so it's sure to be a blast.

Browse Studios Virtually:
Visit artist profiles right now to choose which studios to visit in real life.

Special Events and Parties:
Visit the Arts Gowanus website and join their newsletter to find out more about events and parties happening during GOS 2016.

Click here for the Facebook event page.

A smattering of the lovely art you can see during GOS.

Art by: (top to bottom) Ellen Chuse, Kamilla Talbot, Keneth Wong, John Whitlock, Joanne McFarland & Spencer Merolla.

Participatory Budgeting FY '18

Participatory Budgeting is a grassroots, democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. All three Council Districts which overlap with the Brooklyn CB6 district have been early advocates for this exciting innovation in democracy. They have all allocated over $1.5 million dollars in discretionary funds to projects that are originated by the community, developed by the community, and then voted on by the community.

PB is seeking volunteer Budget Delegates and Facilitators.

Delegates meet regularly in the fall and early winter to narrow down the list of project ideas, research the community's needs, and work with city agencies and staff to develop concrete proposals for the ballot. Facilitators guide the Delegates in this process, helping them focus on equity and meet key deadlines.

Join a committee that most interests you - like Parks, Transportation, Public Safety, Education & Technology, Youth, Public Housing, and Arts & Culture! Sign up here.

Practical Fuel Savings:

Tips by Thomas Diana

I look around and see all of gimmicks for saving on your winter heating bill, setback thermostats, WiFi thermostats, solar power and I notice we overlook one of the most important elements in the equation; the trusty old appliances in the basement. A standard replacement heating system has an efficiency in the low 80%'s, the more expensive/high efficiency units are in the range of 90%. However, the higher initial expense of these super-efficient units and the need to modify the chimney/exhaust system can be a financial drawback.

What your average homeowner may not understand it that their trusty 60-70 year old cast iron beast in the basement could be about 40% efficient. You are burning twice the fuel you could be. Homeowners may be confused with the combustion efficiency of the oil gun with the overall efficiency of the system. So you have an oil "gun" burning at 95% efficiency in a heating system that is only transferring half of that heat into steam or hot water.

Depending on the age of your system and the fuel you presently use, the payback of a new unit could be only 3 to 5 years, a 20 to 30% return on your investment. Your oil delivery company is not going to tell you to replace the inefficient oil burning unit or tell you to convert to gas. Their business is to sell oil.

First, just look at the boiler. Does it have cast iron doors on the body? Is it covered in insulating cement? Does it simply look like something from your (grand-)father's generation? Then it is time to change it, fast. If it is more of a square sheet metal box, look for a motorized flue damper, it is right on top in the exhaust pipe, you will see a small motor mechanism and wires coming out. This has been standard equipment for over 30 years. If it is not there, look for a manufacture date. Boilers only have a useful life of about 25 to 35 years; time to change it, you are not saving anything. Just try to negotiate a price with an overworked plumber when your boiler breaks in February and your family is complaining they are cold!

Also look at the manufacture date for your hot water heater. The warranty is generally 6 to 10 years, (rarely 12). As the unit ages it collects sediment on the bottom and becomes less efficient and the potential for leaks increases with age. I would generally not let a hot water heater stay in service more than about 12-13 years. Save yourself the headache of a flooded basement and an angry family taking cold showers.

And don't forget to take out your window Air Conditioner units. The Urban Green Council estimated that every AC unit is the equivalent of a 6-inch hole in the window. All the taping and stuffing is never as good as a simple closed window.

Close up drafts everywhere. A draft in the basement is making the basement cold which makes the first floor cold. Fix the storm door, which keeps the main door warmer. Weather strip the attic door, if you have an attached garage, seal the drafts, it will make the house warmer. Frost King makes a strong clear tape with a light adhesive so you can seal drafts. Become curious when you feel a draft, find the source, it is often a very simple caulking project. If you use expanding foam it works great except people under-estimate how much it eventually expands and sticks to everything. So do a little, then come back in a few hours, do a little more. Maintain the space on the doors and windows by inserting a plastic knife between the frame and the door, so the foam does not bow the frame to the door.

Things to do in the District

Thursday, October 6, 2016, 7:30pm

Friends of Carroll Park Monthly Meeting. We're always in need of reliable volunteers for everything from gardening, painting, and repairs to event planning and general assistance. If you'd like to get involved in any fashion, we'd love to have you on board! Join us at our monthly meeting to learn more.

Saturday, October 8 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Kings County Fiber Festival at the Old Stone House. Spend the day with natural fiber artists, crocheters, dyers, felters, knitters, quilters, spinners and weavers in the fifth annual fiber fair. The full day event will include a marketplace for independent fiber artists from the tri-state area, demonstrations, an art exhibit and more!

October 9 @ 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Court Tree Collective: How to make Khachapuri cooking class! Court Tree Collective and Salt & Pomegranates presents how to make Khachapuri cooking class. From the Republic of Georgia with chef Marina Berger. Location: Court Tree Collective, 371 Court Street

Saturday, October 15, 11am-3pm
Permaculture Skill Share Festival at the Old Stone House
10am Marking Contour: stormwater mitigation
10:30am Bouquets from Nature walk with Kim Fenwick
11am Posture Workshop with Eric Levinson
11am Making smudge sticks with sage walk with Ini Udosen
11:30am Mushroom workshop with Dina Ciccarone
12 noon Herb walk with Anandi Premlall
12:30pm Making and Using Natural Paints with Textile Arts Center
12:30pm Tree & Shrub Health with Aaron Smith
1:30pm Seed Craft with Renee Peperone
2pm Tincture making demonstration with Elizabeth Scholl
2:30pm Forage walk with John Paul Learn
3pm Garden walk with Jon Crow
3:30pm Herb walk with Sheryll Durrant
Close of Festival 4pm

Saturday, October 15, All day
Clean & Green - Gowanus Open Studios Plant Sale, Garden Stewardship
Location: GCC Nursery, 431 Carroll St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Description: Stop by during Gowanus Open Studios to help propagate plants, take care of local gardens, and even purchase plants to take home.

October 14-16, 12-6pm + evening activities
Gowanus Open Studios. Artist studios, maker spaces & galleries will be open from noon-6pm both weekend days. Evening events are scheduled Friday through Sunday. Visit studios, go for a stroll, chit-chat with neighbors, buy art, party at participating venues.

Wednesday, October 19th, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
The Park Slope Civic Council very much hopes you'll join us at our "Food for Thought" fundraiser. There will be outstanding food from local restaurants, drinks, music, mingling and lively conversation, all to support a worthy cause. Each year, the Civic Council awards an education scholarship to an outstanding high school senior graduating from each of the Secondary Schools at John Jay High School who exhibit exceptional commitment to community service. Our goal is to establish an endowment for the scholarships from the surplus funds raised by the event. Location: at the beautiful Prospect Park Picnic House.

Sunday, October 23, 11am-3pm
Clean & Green - Park Slope Civic Council/FoFA Civic Sweep Tree Stewardship. Location: Greenspace on Fourth, 207 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217 Description: As part of the Park Slope Civic Sweep, we will be partnering with Greenspace on Fourth to steward trees and gardens on 4th Avenue.

Sunday October 23, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Lower East Side Ecology Center E-Waste Recycling Event: Cobble Hill. Bring your unwanted electronics to our e-waste collection event. We accept working and non-working: Computers, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, cables,TVs (all sizes),VCR & DVD players,Phones, audio/visual equipment,Video games, Cell phones.
Location: P.S. 29 (Baltic Street between Henry & Clinton)

Friday, October 28th, 7pm
Phantom of the Opera (1925) on 16mm film!! with live music by Underworld Oscillator Corporation. Location: Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424 Third Avenue. $12 When by the off chance the opera house you've just purchased has been built above ancient dungeons, catacombs, and underground torture chambers you ought not be surprised at the gruesome goings-on that may ensue. We are pleased to present the original 1925 version of Phantom of the Opera in all of its rich, chiaroscuro splendor on 16mm film! Do not mistake this for the mawkish offspring of stage and screen, for the original story of the beauteous damsel and the ghastly fiend is a macabre delight of the gruesome, horror-house atmosphere firmly rooted in the Grand Guignol.

Saturday, October 29, 11am-4pm
Red Hook Harvest Festival at Added Value Farms. Join us for food, music, games, contests, animals, and fall fun on the farm! We look forward to celebrating community, youth empowerment, and a bountiful harvest with you, especially as we together mark the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy.

October 31, 6:30 p.m.
Park Slope Halloween Parade Kicks off from 14th Street and 7th Avenue. If you're marching, join us for line up on 14th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. The parade will conclude at the Old Stone House & Washington Park in JJ Byrne Playground with a community gathering and dancing with the parade bands.A decades-old tradition, it has grown into a major event, and is organized by the Park Slope Civic Council. Here are details: Every year the parade is held on Halloween and starts at 6:30 p.m. rain or shin. Parade ends: At the Old Stone House & Washington Park in JJ Byrne Playground with a community gathering and dancing with the parade bands, ending at 9 pm.

October 31, 12pm
Friends of Cobble Hill Park Annual Cobble Hill Children's Halloween Parade. Parade begins In front of Cobble Hill Park (Clinton Street entrance). Please bring your own noise makers! All members of the public are invited.

Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Inc. supports 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.