E-Recycling 4/25, Plant Sale 5/1

This Sunday, April 25th, the Cobble Hill Association, Lower East Side Ecology Center, and PS29 PTA will be hosting an electronics recycling event at the PS29 schoolyard on Baltic, between Henry & Clinton. Drop off those dead hard drives, broken computers, and clunky old TV's so they don't wind up in our landfills polluting the earth.

Then, with all that extra room space you've cleared out, stock up on plants at the Cobble Hill Tree Fund's Plant Sale. It will run from 10:30a to 3p at Cobble Hill Park, and proceeds help keep the neighborhood green and full of trees. We'll also be on hand selling Cobble Hill Association memberships, T-shirts, and old timey postcards of our quaint streets.

IMPORTANT MEETING ON BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK

Tomorrow, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21

Regina Myer, President of the BBP Development Corporation, will be coming to discuss the transfer of the park to the city and update the community on development plans and activities for Pier 6.

6:30 PM
LONG ISLAND COLLEGE HOSPITAL
339 HICKS STREET
(ATLANTIC & HICKS STREETS)
BROOKLYN,NEW YORK 11201

We encourage residents to attend this meeting and ask questions about this transfer, the continuing lack of community input on park elements and design (particularly the recreational facilities for which our association has long advocated), the extraordinary costs to build and maintain this park, and the continuing endorsement by the Mayor of private housing inside park borders.

The Happiest People Live in Cobble Hill

This month's issue of NY Magazine brings the mastery of statistician Nate Silver (whose fivethirtyeight.com accurately predicted 49 states' result in the last election) to rank NYC's most livable neighborhoods. Factoring in issues like transit, housing, schools, entertainment, etc, etc... our very own Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill ranked 4th in the city.

Congrats to everyone who helps make Cobble Hill the strong neighborhood that is it... and congrats to our surrounding spots that also took high honors (Park Slope #1, Brooklyn Heights #6, Carrol Gardens #7, Red Hook #33).

In tandem with the issue's rankings release, the magazine also investigated other items in the quality of life realm. Using a less scientific approach that included surveying 9 neighborhoods and 4,000 surveys completed online... Cobble Hill again came out on top in NYC.

* 96% of people in Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill say they're happy 
* Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill has the highest concentration of married couples
* Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill has the highest concentration of dog owners (20%)

First Steps to 'Fix the Ditch'

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, more often an accident prone parking lot than a moving highway, is finally getting some attention.

A massive rehab of the triple cantilever under Brooklyn Heights is moving into the last stage of its scoping phase and attention can now come to the 'Fix the Ditch' project, an effort to bring connectivity to the trench that cuts off Cobble Hill & Carrol Gardens off from the Columbia Waterfront district.

The BQE Enhancement Study, led by Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners, PLLC has officially begun.

The project seeks to find creative solutions to mitigate the noise and pollution created by the BQE from Atlantic to Hamilton Avenues, and to help reconnect communities on both sides. Solutions may include beautification projects such as green planted buffers, overhanging walkways or pedestrian crossing bridges. The overall goal is to create a plan that is innovative and sustainable, but most importantly, practical to implement. The final report will serve as the marketing tool to obtain construction funding.

Three public meetings will be held over next year, beginning with this one..
Where: Tuesday, May 4th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
When: Long Island College Hospital (LICH), Avram Conference Center
339 Hick Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Conference Rooms C & D
RSVP: Please RSVP to BQE@nycedc.com

Gowanus Grind

Join the Friends of Douglass/Greene Park for the 2nd annual Gowanus Grind on April 17 from NOON to 5pm - skate contest and clinic, live music and food, tai/chi, plus games and activities for kids. Thomas Greene Park is located on Third Avenue between Douglass and Degraw. (Rain date - April 18th).

See the link in the Brooklyn Paper: http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/15/33_15_md_gowanus_grind.html

For more information about Friends of Douglass Greene Park, check our website: www.friendsofdouglassgreenepark.org

Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety Issues & Updates

The growing number of people riding bicycles instead of driving cars is a good thing. But safety is the priority, so cyclists and drivers alike must BOTH follow the rules. A college student was hit by a bicycle as she crossed Court Street near Baltic Street on March 16. An ambulance took her to Lutheran Medical Center where she was treated for a concussion. The cyclist had been a hit and run until a Good Samaritan called 911 and a large crowd including 2 police cars appeared on the scene and change his mind. The very next day, Police Commissioner Kelly stopped his van en route to St. Patrick’s Cathedral to aid a pedestrian with a head wound also caused by a bicyclist.

If you ride a bicycle, please make sure to respect all traffic rules. Obey traffic lights. Do not ride on the sidewalk. And do not drive the wrong way on a one way street. For more in depth rules, check out Biking Rules.

Pedestrians and motorists must also be alert. People often walk into the path of a bicycle and motorists frequently open their car doors right into oncoming bicycles. A cyclist was killed in the Bronx when someone swung open a car door without looking the same week as the pedestrian accidents described above.

In other local cycling news, CB6 has set up a short, online survey that will help us continue to plan and advocate for safer, easier and more pleasant bicycling within and through our district. Results will be reported back to the CB6 Transportation committee, and in a future newsletter issue. Won't you please take 5 minutes to share your opinions with us? PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!
(link to survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NWMRYR6)

And finally, after many years of tireless advocacy our neighbors at the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative have gotten the full attention of NYC's Department of Transportation, now a full partner in planning the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, a planned 14-mile multi-use path, stretching from Newtown Creek to Owl's Head Park. The project will increase access to the waterfront, improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, and connect the numerous public open spaces along the waterfront. Come help plan the greenway at the upcoming workshop April 13th, 6:30p - 8:30p at the Red Hook Recreation Center, 155 Bay Street, Brooklyn.
(more info at: http://www.brooklyncb6.org/announcements/#12)

Joanne Nicholas contributed to this post. 

Electronics Recycling Event - April 25th, 10a-4p

On April 25th, just a few days after the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, The Cobble Hill Association and PS29 PTA are hosting an electronics-recycling event with the Lower East Side Ecology Center.

Last time we collected nearly 10,000 pounds of materials from almost 200 residents. When unwanted electronics are simply thrown in the trash, dangerous wastes and metals seep into our soil and waterways. This event makes it simple to safely dispose of electronics – simply drop them off.

What: Electronics recycling
When: Sunday, April 25th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Schoolyard at P.S. 29, 425 Henry Street, entrance on Baltic between Henry and Clinton

All of the following will be accepted in either working or non-working condition:

-Computers and monitors
-Printers, scanners, fax machines, copiers
-Network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.)
-Peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, etc.)
-PC components (hard drives, cd-roms, circuit boards, power supplies, etc.)
-Television sets, VHS and DVD players
-Radios and stereos
-Phones of all sorts, answering machines, pagers
-PDAs and games
-Batteries

Please Note: We CANNOT accept :
- home appliances (microwaves, refrigerators, etc),
- Media (floppy disks, cd's, VHS tapes)
- or any materials from businesses. This event is for NYC residents.

Gowanus Canal Update

Cityroom section of NY Times provides an update on the Gowanus Canal, courtesy of Characters of Gowanus.  Well worth watching.


Cleaning the Canal from Characters of Gowanus on Vimeo.