Cobble Hill Association

Welcome Improvements to Atlantic Avenue

2012-01-27T15:55:00.004-05:00

Last week, the Department of Transportation unveiled plans for improvements to Atlantic Avenue's intersection with the BQE entrance ramp adjacent to Palmetto Playground. For years, residents and civic leaders have been asking for changes to the intersection, even before sections of Brooklyn Bridge Park were built. Now that parts of the park have opened and draw visitors to Pier 6 everyday, these improvements cannot be installed soon enough.

The dangerous right turn on red will be eliminated, and new pedestrian refuge islands will be poured to shorten crosswalk distances. Additionally, the geometry for vehicles turning left onto the BQE ramp will be better delineated with a new concrete median preventing cars from turning to wide, or two at a time on the expressway.

Combined with the redesign at Columbia and Atlantic unveiled over the summer, we're glad to see safety enhancements made a priority for our community.

For more details on the plans, check out coverage at Streetsblog, the BK paper, and the Daily News.

Columbia Waterfont Park - Update

2012-01-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

Last week, The Regional Planning Association along with The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative unveiled new renderings for a planned Columbia Waterfront Park. It could easily link to the existing protected bike path along Columbia Street while also offering unique views of the borough's industrial waterfront with an impressive Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.
Rich Calder's report in the NY Post offers full details on the potential 2 acre park, which would be a great step forward that ensures avoiding the Bloomberg administration's previous plan to revive the area with out of scale luxury condos and conference centers.

For the full report, see the following link.http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/craning_for_view_in_klyn_YBDrOUE3KxFT8FZbytnPiM#ixzz1kGSEckcr

EPA updates on Gowanus Canal feasibility Study

2012-01-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

Iconic Image from local artist Tonky. www.tonkydesigns.com/index.html

While PS58's auditorium is already hosting tonight's meeting regarding the Public Place remediation along the Gowanus, it now seems the local elementary school will be host to another important meeting on Tuesday night @ 7pm.

With a massive cleanup long overdue, the Environmental Protection Agency thankfully released its Feasibility Study (FS) for the Gowanus Canal at the end of 2011. It intends to "develop and evaluate remedial alternatives for Gowanus Canal sediments thatwill reduce or eliminate unacceptable risks to human health and the environment fromexposure to contaminated sediment and surface water in the canal."

Local blog Pardon Me for Asking has been covering all the details thoroughly, with links to the full 550 page document here. For anyone interested in learning more about the clean up, please attend the EPA's public information meeting on the FS on Tuesday, January 24th at 7 PM in the auditorium of Public School 58, 330 Smith Street.

Public Place meeting, 1/23 @ 6:30p

2012-01-21T15:56:00.002-05:00

This Monday, January 23rd, will be an important meeting for Cobble Hill residents and all neighborhoods within earshot of the Gowanus Canal as the clean up of the toxic 'Public Place' gets underway. Please see details below and follow the link to a fully detailed report.

The Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation is hosting a public information meeting to alert area residents of the impending health risks once National Grid begins clean up of the Public Place site (due to commence in February). And employing inadequate monitoring of potentially harmful vapors when coal tar is exposed to the atmosphere. A detailed report is available at this link http://bit.ly/AE33xJ

Day/Time: Monday, January 23, 2012 @ 6:30 P.M.
Location: The Carroll School, P.S. 58 - 330 Smith Street (entrance on Carroll St)

If you have any questions, call Bill Appel 718.858.0557 or e-mail to bill@gowanus.org

Israeli FIlm Festival in Cobble Hill

2012-01-19T11:09:00.002-05:00

Brooklyn's Israeli Film Festival is coming back to Cobble Hill at the end of the month, with three days of screenings at the Kane Street Synagogue. The series will showcase three films (The Debt, Restoration, and Dolphin Boy) and we encourage everyone to pay a visit to this gem in our neighborhood.

The Israel Film Festival at the Kane Street Synagogue [236 Kane St. between Clinton and Court streets in Cobble Hill, (718) 875-1550]. Jan. 26; Jan. 28-29, 8 pm. Tickets, $12 per film, $30 for three.

More info on each film is available at the links below.
http://kanestreet.org/iff/
http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2012/3/24_israelfilmfest_2012_01_20_bk.html

Presentation on New Strong Place Developments

2012-01-15T11:56:00.001-05:00

We previously noted the new developments slated for 2-4 Strong Place, on the corner of Kane Street. This week, the architect and developer of those three new row houses have graciously and generously offered to present the proposed plans to neighbors and interested community members. If you are interested in seeing the plans for these new buildings, you are cordially invited to attend a meeting this coming Tuesday evening.

Tuesday, January 17th
7:00 PM
at the Cobble Hill Community Meeting Room
250 Baltic Street

(enter though black door at street level closest to Clinton)

All are welcome to attend this community meeting. Please feel free to share this invitation with any interested friends and neighbors.

Columbia Waterfront Park Meeting 1/18

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

While Cobble Hill's borders technically end at Hicks street, Columbia Street is just one block farther and very much a big part of what makes the neighborhood so great. So, please join our friends from the

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and Regional Plan Association, for a meeting on January 18th to make Columbia Street even greater with the planning for Columbia Waterfront Park -- a new public open space on Columbia Street between Kane and Degraw Streets.

From the BGI press release...

When the Van Brunt Street reconstruction and the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel construction are complete, the 80-ft deep area on the west side of Columbia Street is planned to become an open space element of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. At last year's visioning meeting, ideas were collected from the Columbia Waterfront residents and businesses about what sort of improvements and facilities would be most beneficial to the community.

At the report-back meeting on January 18th, we will share preliminary renderings for the park design and gather community feedback.

What: Columbia Waterfront Park Report-Back Meeting
When: Wednesday, January 18th, 2012, 6:30-8:30 PM
Where: The Union Street Star Theater, 101 Union Street

RSVP to info@brooklyngreenway.org with Columbia Waterfront Park in the subject line.

Mulchfest: Update

2012-01-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend saw another successful Mulchfest in our neighborhood. Over 500 Christmas trees were collected and chipped in Cobble Hill Park with the help of the Cobble Hill Tree Fund and NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.

While trees are an important part of holiday decorations, please remember to always dispose of them properly. NYC Sanitation will collect trees left on the sidewalk with regular trash collection, but bringing them to mulchfest sites allows them to be made into wood chips that nourish trees and plants on streets and gardens citywide.

Diane Ravitch, Noted Education Historian, to Speak at P.S. 29

2012-01-09T12:18:00.002-05:00

Our local elementary school, P.S.29, will begin a speaker series on education... kicking off tomorrow with noted historian Diane Ravitch, author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education and many other books and articles and Research Professor of Education at New York University. Admission is free, and all are welcome; childcare will be provided for P.S. 29 parents.

Diane Ravitch: Tuesday, January 10, 6:30 p.m.- 8. p.m.

The education series continues in the year with the following speakers.
Peg Tyre: March 7 (author of The Good School: How Smart Parents Get Their Kids the Education They Deserve)
Paul Tough: September 2012 (author of Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America)

For more info contact Lesley Alderman (Lesley61@gmail.com) or Rebecca Johnson (Beckersny@yahoo.com).

Our BQE, eternally in need of repair

2012-01-05T20:58:00.002-05:00

This morning the NY Times published a great article detailing our area's widespread disgust with the eternally wretched conditions of our nearby highway, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Those in Cobble Hill vicinity may already know that the NY State Department of Transportation recently nixed key studies it had begin on the roadway's condition, despite years of community involvement and the blatantly obvious need for countless repairs.

CHA President Roy Sloane previously offered these words to in response.

We were told by the state that the BQE was in danger of collapsing in the 80s... It’s also pathetic that they put all these years and effort in, spent money on all sorts of designs and are now dropping it.

Check out the full article at this link below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/nyregion/on-the-bqe-road-work-ahead-forever.html

Reminder: Tree Chipping this Weekend

2012-01-03T12:16:00.001-05:00

Trees are already piling up at the entrance to Cobble Hill Park, but remember... the Tree Chipping/Mulchfest is not until this weekend!

DATE: Saturday, January 7 and Sunday, January 8, 2012
LOCATION: Cobble Hill Park: Clinton and Verandah Place
TIME: 9:30 am – 1:30 pm

For full details, check out this link....
http://cobblehillassociation.blogspot.com/2011/12/cobble-hill-mulchfest-2012.html

New Year's Music @ Christ Church

2011-12-30T16:36:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Father Ron Lau for this tip about a great event at Christ Church.

The Cobble Hill Consort, made-up of the Christ Church Choir and the Canoni Chorale, both under the direction of Donald Barnum, will sing Evensong at Christ Church, Cobble Hill at 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon on New Year’s Day, Sunday, 1st January 2012. Unlike recent evensongs, which highlighted polyphonic settings of the canticles and anthems, this service will feature simple plainsong settings.

Following Evensong, all are invited to the Christ Church Rectory for the Rector’s Annual New Year’s Day Open House and New Year’s Masque!

What is a masque??? The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in 16th and early 17th century Europe. A masque involved music and dancing, singing and acting. Professional actors and musicians were hired for the speaking and singing parts. Of all the arts of the Renaissance, the masque is the artistic form most alien to audiences today. The most outstanding humanists, poets and artists of the day, in the full intensity of their creative powers, devoted themselves to producing masques; and until the Puritans closed the English theatres in 1642, the masque was the highest artform in England. But because of its ephemeral nature, not a lot of documentation related to masques remains, and much of what is said about the production and enjoyment of masques is still part speculation.

While we cannot promise dancing, we will have music and singing, and some acting to accompany a fully-laden holiday board -- an evening of music, merriment, and mummery -- and food and drink!

For more information, please call 718 875 3144.

Cobble Hill Mulchfest 2012

2011-12-28T10:20:00.001-05:00

This just in from our friends at the Cobble Hill Tree Fund...

DATE: Saturday, January 7 and Sunday, January 8, 2012
LOCATION: Cobble Hill Park: Clinton and Verandah Place
TIME: 9:30 am – 1:30 pm

Bring your holiday tree to Cobble Hill Park, at Clinton Street and Verandah Place, and other locations city-wide, to be recycled into mulch that will nourish plantings across the city!

Join us and New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the New York City Department of Sanitation, and GreenNYC to recycle your Christmas trees into wood chips.
These wood chips are used to nourish trees and plants on streets and gardens citywide. Or, take home your very own bag of mulch to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree.

Last year, close to 17,000 Christmas trees citywide were recycled. Please help us top this number! This year, MulchFest will take place on January 7 and 8, 2012. Parks will host over 35 chipping sites and 35 additional drop-off locations: over 70 sites in all! And this year, you can bring your tree to a drop-off site from January 2 through January 8. It’s easier than ever to chip in!

Please remember to remove all lights and ornaments before bringing the tree to a MulchFest site. Biodegradable bags will be provided if you wish to take some free mulch home.

Wreaths, garlands, and artificial trees cannot be accepted and remember that tress will NOT be accepted after the scheduled times.

Sponsored by:
Cobble Hill Tree Fund, Cobble Hill Association, Friends of Cobble Hill Park, and Boy Scout Troops 213 & 815

Cobble Hill Additions

2011-12-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

Although nearly every lot in Cobble Hill is developed, the neighborhood does have a few empty spaces. However, new plans have arisen to potentially fill in a corner parking lot at Strong Place and Kane Street with appropriately scaled and historically contextual residential development.

Such a project in the Cobble Hill Historic Distrioct must first get approval by the Community Board, Landmarks Preservation Committee, and the Department of Buildings, but in this preliminary stage both Curbed and Brownstoner have entries about the potential construction, including renderings and floor plans.

Below is a street view of what it will be replacing.

NOTE: This entry was updated to point out no approvals by the CB, LPC, or DOB have yet been given.

Welcome Sadie's Kitchen

2011-12-11T14:41:00.002-05:00

243 Degraw.

It's been Copper. It's been Whim. Ciello Café. It's been Chicory. It's been Ultimate Burgers and Dogs. And now, it's Sadie's Kitchen. This little spot on the edge of Cobble Hill has had an unfortunate amount of turnover the past few years, leading some to speculate the location is simply cursed. Now, owners Peter Sibilia and Damien Vizueteare hoping to give their retro style Mac & Cheese restaurant staying power beyond its recent history.
The Cobble Hill Association wishes them luck and is glad to see another new business start up in the neighborhood. Though we're used to getting write ups of our shops in the local papers and blogs, the curious past of this location has gotten enough attention that both the NY Times and Wall Street Journal even wrote about it. Read up on that media coverage, then treat yourself to trying out Sadie's firsthand.

And if anyone knows what happened to the old fashioned Coca Cola signage, let us know.

B61 Press Conference

2011-12-02T16:07:00.004-05:00

Hat tip to a post by our neighbors at the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association for posting the below info about our neighborhood's steady, but slow, B61 Bus line.

"Next Bus Please" - Brad Lander Releases Report on Study of B61 Bus

Council Member Brad Lander invites you to attend a press conference next Monday to present their recently completed report about the B61 bus. The report, titled “Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus” summarizes data collected by community volunteers & presents suggestions for improving service.

Time: 9:00am

Date: 5 December, 2011

Location: 4th Avenue/9th Street Bus Stop, Brooklyn

Decaying Highway, will NOT be fixed - UPDATE

2011-12-01T01:32:00.001-05:00

UPDATE: Cobble Hill Association President also spoke with 1010WINS & the Brooklyn Daily Eagle regarding the BQE project being shelved. A link to his comments there are linked at the bottom of this post.

Yesterday afternoon, we got word from the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) that they are terminating the environmental study for the proposed rehabilitation of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. It is a desperately needed project of which the Cobble Hill Association and many other local groups have been participating for months. Though NYSDOT blames harsh economic times for ending the study, safety is paramount and many portions of the highway are simply unsafe.

CHA President Roy Sloane offered these words to the NY post in response.

We were told by the state that the BQE was in danger of collapsing in the 80s," said Sloane. "It’s also pathetic that they put all these years and effort in, spent money on all sorts of designs and are now dropping it.

For more details on how this project abruptly stopped, check out the links to a New York Post, 1010 WINS-CBS News, and Brooklyn Eagle report.

Eat Pie & Shop - A Benefit for PS29

2011-11-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

Our wonderful local elementary school is throwing another amazing fundraiser to help support all the great program it has for our neighborhood children. And this time... it's not just in the charitable category, it's also DELICIOUS!

On December 4 from 11am to 4pm, PS 29 in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, will host the their annual “Eat Pie and Shop” Holiday Gift Fair and Pie Social, to benefit the school. Featuring local bakers as well as shops like Shake Shack, soon coming to Downtown BK, and Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain in Carrol Gardens... it's sure to be an appetizing event.

Full details are available on the event website... http://www.eatpieandshop.org/

St. Nicholas Holiday Fair 12-3-11

2011-11-29T13:58:00.002-05:00

Rat Information Portal

2011-11-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Though most of our local streets are rather well cleaned, some have observed an uptick in Rat sightings. This isn't just a matter of keeping our neighborhood attractive, it's also a serious health concern. Fortunately, just this week the city's Department of Information Technology has made it easy to access the Department of Health's "Rat Information Portal."

The Rat Information Portal (RIP) is a web-based mapping application where users can view rat inspection data. Findings from the Health Department’s inspections are searchable by address, or by borough, block and lot (BBL). You can use the map tools to find information about properties on the map. Visit the Rat Information Portal at gis.nyc.gov/doh/rip to view rat inspection data.

Be sure to track the issue on your block and always call 311 if you come across a problem in Cobble Hill concerning rats, rodents, or any other creatures that do not belong.

Electronics Recycling Update

2011-11-10T03:09:00.000-05:00

Just a few weeks ago, the Cobble Hill Association helped plan yet another electronics recycling event at PS29 with the Lower East Side Ecology Center. With the dedication of amazing volunteers from the school's PTA, the scope of the collection went far beyond computers and cell phones - it included paper shredding, textiles recycling, and even had composting demos from the NYC Compost Project in Brooklyn. All in all, a complete success and we are now report the final tallies.... 212 families came to drop off 4.5 tons of electronics!

Look to the spring for another e-waste event....Tentative date is already set for April 22nd 2012.... Earth Day!

Cobble Hill Halloween

2011-11-01T13:47:00.002-04:00

We hope everyone enjoyed the massive Halloween parade through Cobble Hill Park this year, but are curious if you also remembered to check out the neighborhood's other spooky celebration... the annual
'Impalements' installation done by local artist Jane Greengold.

Image courtesy of the artist Jane Greengold

It's a dizzying celebration of pumpkins that showcases 100 individually carved creations on the corner of Kane and Strong Place. Though its been going strong for many years already, this time around the NYTimes even got in on the action!

For articles and images of the fantastic work, please check the links below.
http://www.janegreengold.com/projects/public-art/impalements
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/jane-the-impaler-and-a-ghastly-halloween-tradition/?ref=nyregion
http://carrollgardens.patch.com/articles/pumpkin-heads-will-remain-until-christmas

Remembering one of our own

2011-10-25T12:29:00.001-04:00

Just over two months ago, Cobble Hill resident and Cobble Hill CSA founder Jeffrey Axelrod was killed while riding his bicycle through the Lower East Side. Though it happens with alarming regularity, our streets MUST NOT remain speedways that give cars priority over people's safety. These types of 'accidents' are largely preventable by better engineering of our roads, education of our drivers/cyclists, and most importantly better enforcement by our NYPD to take vehicular crimes more seriously.

Though nothing will bring Jeffrey back, the generous collective at the NYC Street Memorial Project have installed a ghost bike recently to make sure his death will not be in vain.
http://www.boweryboogie.com/2011/10/jeffrey-axelrod-ghost-bike-now-at-chrystie-and-delancey/
http://carrollgardens.patch.com/articles/boerum-hill-resident-remembered-with-ghostbike-memorial

Cobble Hill Halloween Parade

2011-10-25T11:36:00.000-04:00

Calling all ghouls, ghosts and goblins!
The Cobble Hill Halloween Parade will be Monday October 31st

TIME/ DATE: Monday, October 31st, 4:00 pm
PLACE: Cobble Hill Park
MUSIC: Jah Pan Steel Drum Band

All are welcome to attend this ever growing neighborhood event. However, it cannot be pulled off with some elbow grease to set up so we would like a crew of volunteers to help set up at 9AM and then another group of volunteers to help clean up at 8:30PM on the day of the parade.

If you would like to volunteer to help, please let us know by responding to CHA president roysloane[at]earthlink.net

Recycling Day at PS29 - Sunday 10/23

2011-10-18T09:20:00.006-04:00

In our continuing efforts to green the neighborhood, the Cobble Hill Association and amazing folks at PS29 are yet again holding an electronics recycling event with the Lower East Side Ecology Center. What's more, it'll include plenty of other recycling opportunities too throughout the day!

• 10a.. to 4pm...Old computers and electronics will be collected by Lower East Side Ecology Center, in conjunction with Cobble Hill Association. See www.lesecologycenter.org to review the list of accepted items at bottom.
• Composting Workshop led by The NYC Compost Project in Brooklyn. Backyard composters will also be for sale.
• Computer hard drive shredding provided by eRecycleNY, PS 29 parent owned EPA compliant electronics recycling company serving the NYC area.
• Clothing rummage sale, proceeds go to PS 29 PTA. Wearable Collections will be picking up remaining clothes, as well as stained & ripped clothing, textiles & stuffed animals.
• Confidential Documents shredded on-site (& then recycled) for a small fee. by Time Shred Services

How to Research Your Home Workshop

2011-10-07T03:06:00.004-04:00

You Are Invited to the COBBLE HILL ASSOCIATION Spring, 2011 General Meeting
How to Research The History of Your Own Home
with Francis Morrone

image taken by Giles Ashford during the Municipal Art Society's
Jane Jacobs Forum 2010

Join us for a discussion with Francis Morrone about how to research the history of a house or other building in Brooklyn. Morrone will discuss some of the nuts and bolts of basic building research, as well as the myriad avenues opened up in recent years by the internet. The web has changed the whole game. For the serious researcher it has not replaced the necessity of consulting physical archives, but it has made stay-at-home research rewarding as never before.

Learn the secrets of the trade from a professional historian.

Time: 7:30 P.M.
Date: Monday, October 17, 2011
Place: Long Island College Hospital, Conference Room A
Enter at main entrance 339 Hicks (at Atlantic)

All members of the public are invited. No admission charge.

Amazon filming @ Ted & Honey

2011-09-25T18:50:00.000-04:00

Cobble Hill is already a coveted spot for families and businesses, now once again it's the desired locale for another film shoot. Word just came in from CB6 that Eyeball NYC will be in production this week on a commercial for Amazon.

"We will be filming at Ted & Honey Cafe and on Verandah Place from approximately 7:00am to 3:00pm on Tuesday September 27th. For the purposes of staging scenes and parking production vehicles, street parking will be held in advance on oth sides of Clinton from Kane to Verandah Place... We appreciate the opportunity to shoot in Cobble Hill and will do our best to hold only the space necessary, and operate in as clean and quiet a manner as possible. We look forward to working in Brooklyn (aka home); thank you very much for helping to keep the production industry strong in New York City."

Another addition to Brownstone Brooklyn

2011-09-22T11:24:00.001-04:00

Wanted to share the good news that the Cobble Hill Blog and NY Post have already sent out...

The NYC City Council finally approved a 50 foot cap on new development in Boerum Hill, the great neighborhood immediately adjacent to Cobble Hill. The rezoning area is bordered by Atlantic Avenue to the north, Court Street to the west, Fourth Avenue to the east and sections of Warren and Wyckoff streets south. We are happy to see Boerum Hill now under the same landmark guidelines as our own Cobble Hill which will ensure future developments maintain the character we've all come to love.

NY Post: Councilman Steve Levin, who represents the historic, landmarked Boerum Hill neighborhood said many of the its homes were build more than 150 years ago and the rezoning “is going to make sure that … historic character is preserved in perpetuity.”
“Everyone saw that there was a great need for this rezoning,” he said.

BQE Emergency Repairs

2011-08-31T11:03:00.000-04:00

CHA President Roy Sloane sent along this emergency notice...

Part of the eastbound lane of the BQE (adjacent to Grace Court and therefore under the Promenade) caved in earlier this morning. It is 'just' the asphalt itself, not the supporting steel structure.

Presently, DOT are plating the area and putting up jersey barriers to keep cars off the affected lane. BQE is currently down from 3 to 2 lanes (leading to extensive delays). Repairs will be done on Wed 31st, from 10pm to 6am Thursday. There will be a full shut down of the Atlantic Avenue ramps to the BQE.

During this time, Furman will be made two-way to accommodate traffic, and there will be traffic agents on site to direct traffic. DOT says the repairs will hopefully only take a couple of days, but this is not a guarantee until they know the full extent of what they are dealing with.

Good to know DOT is on top of this emergency work, and will make necessary road changes that include a a temporary TWO-WAY Furman Street. However, one has to wonder, why isn't it ALWAYS two-way? Current vehicle speeds are dangerously high, and keeping this temporary conversion could make a safer road to walk across, bike along, and drive on.

"Cobble Hill was a prime church hotspot"

2011-08-22T11:26:00.000-04:00

While we're proud to have had historian Francis Morrone lead walking tours through the neighborhood, we are also glad to know other history buffs are exploring the richness of Cobble Hill too.

Mary Ann DiNapoli recently led a tour with the Municipal Arts Society entitled “Churches of Cobble Hill: The Here, the Now, the Long Gone & the Forgotten." It not only revealed details of churches standing tall today, but also those which have been converted into other uses (like the Met Foods on Henry Street, or the apartments on Hicks & Warren).

For a full report, read Tania Karas's write up in the Patch.
http://carrollgardens.patch.com/articles/on-a-cobble-hill-church-tour-history-and-real-estate

Cobble Hill Cyclist Killed

2011-08-19T11:33:00.000-04:00

We are very sad to read reports that Jeffrey Axelrod, a Cobble Hill resident and founder of the Cobble Hill CSA, was killed last night while cycling in the Lower East Side near the Delancey and Chrystie Street intersections. There is undeniably a surge in ridership the past few years throughout NYC and though opinions vary on to how best accommodate all modes of transportation, the universal truth is that all forms must offer SAFE travels. Our condolences go out to Jeffrey's family and friends, and we hope the Department of Transportation takes this tragedy to heart and continues improving safety for all street users to avoid incidents like this in the future.

For more reports....
http://carrollgardens.patch.com/articles/cobble-hill-towers-resident-killed-in-les-bike-accident
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/08/jeffrey_axelrod.php
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/08/18/2011-08-18_man_crushed_underneath_cement_truck_after_losing_control_of_bicycle_on_lower_eas.html

BK Bridge Park Decision

2011-08-02T11:32:00.008-04:00

The city announced plans which may potentially eliminate the need for new housing on Pier 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park, yet would still drop housing in Brooklyn Heights. The Cobble Hill Association has long fought for an inclusive, community oriented park without private housing, not piecemeal plans which pits neighborhood against neighborhood.

Our friends at Cobble Hill Blog covered some of the story, as did the NY Times. However, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund released a very strong press release in response, with Cobble Hill Association President offering these words -

“We deeply regret this inevitable result of the Mayor and the Brooklyn Heights Association's preferred ‘housing only’ alternative to financing the park,” said Cobble Hill Association President Roy Sloane. “It is especially sad given how hard community activists and former Borough President Howard Golden fought to secure this Con Ed brownfield for a park to serve the residents of DUMBO, Vinegar Hill and the Farragut Houses. Seeing park land given up to development especially when so many viable funding mechanisms were identified in the recent "Committee for Alternative to Housing " conducted by Bay Area Consultants, is especially disturbing.”

Click for full BK Bridge Park Defense Fund press release.

Local Spotlight: Dorothy Siegel

2011-07-24T15:07:00.000-04:00

Our very own local activist Dorothy Siegel was recently featured with a full article in the Patch.com.

Siegel is a political activist... a preservationist and a community builder: as a concerned resident she has fought time and time again to help maintain the character of Cobble Hill and to build parks....

Siegel's big issue today is Brooklyn Bridge Park. She has been working for many years, with a host of other locals including Roy Sloane, President of the Cobble Hill Association, to fight against the city's plan to build private housing within the footprint of the park.
"We've been fighting for a real Brooklyn Bridge Park for years," she said. "We mounted a battle, and it looks now like the city is blinking."

To check out the full interview, check out the link below.
http://carrollgardens.patch.com/articles/headliners-longtime-resident-and-cobble-hill-activist-dorothy-siegel

TONIGHT! Free Music!

2011-07-21T01:20:00.002-04:00

Tonight, Thursday 7/21, at 7pm kicks off the Cobble Hill Association's "Music in the Park" concert series and leading the way is Suzanne Sherman Prop who'll be playing family friendly folk music in our beautiful park. Free for all... so come on out and enjoy.

Thursday, July 21 – Suzanne Sherman Propp (Family Friendly Folk)

Thursday, July 28 – The Clermont Strings (Classical Favorites)
Thursday, August 4 – The Crustaceans (Acapella w Colgate13 Alumni)

Thursday, August 11 – Nate Schweber (Singer/Songwriter)

All concerts begin at 7PM at Cobble Hill Park

Thanks to the series organizer Bryan Johnson, and to our sponsors SUNY Downstate at Long Island College Hospital and Ridgewood Savings Bank.

BK Bridge Park Board of Director's Meeting

2011-07-11T14:21:00.002-04:00

Reprinted from our blogging friends at the Cobble Hill blog...

The board of directors of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation will meet on Monday, July 18, starting at approximately 1:30 p.m., at the Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Heights branch, 280 Cadman Plaza West (at Tillary Street). The public is invited.
There is no agenda yet available for the meeting; we will publish it as soon as it is finalized. It may include action on the recommendations of the board’s Committee on Alternatives to Housing.

As noted in the Cobble Hill Association's postings last year (BK Bridge Pk Statement), we remained firmly opposed to new housing within the park and believe there are numerous non-privatizing ways to instead fund park maintenance. We envision a world class park with the recreational opportunities our borough wants and deserves, not a landscaped backyard for luxury condos.

Cobble Hill Summer Concert Series

2011-07-08T18:34:00.002-04:00

Line-up just announced!

The 2011 "Music in the Park" concert series in Cobble Hill Park, organized by Bryan Johnson, is a wonderful neighborhood tradition of FREE family-friendly music under the stars.

Thursday, July 21 – Suzanne Sherman Propp (Family Friendly Folk)

Thursday, July 28 – The Clermont Strings (Classical Favorites)
Thursday, August 4 – The Crustaceans (Acapella w Colgate13 Alumni)

Thursday, August 11 – Nate Schweber (Singer/Songwriter)

All concerts begin at 7PM at Cobble Hill Park

Rain Date for all concerts is the following Friday when possible.

This year's concert series has been made possible by the generous sponsorship of SUNY Downstate at Long Island College Hospital and Ridgewood Savings Bank.

Cobble Hill Park History

2011-07-05T11:36:00.001-04:00

Peter Justice of the neighborhood blog The Patch, has a wonderfully detailed history of our beautiful Cobble Hill Park, maintained by the Cobble Hill Association tireless park leader Barbara Krongel.
Read it in full, right here:
http://carrollgardens.patch.com/articles/the-origin-of-cobble-hill-park

Cobble Hill Park Credit: Georgia Kral

Hospital Saved and Renamed

2011-06-01T16:33:00.000-04:00

Everyone in the Cobble Hill community knows how tirelessly our local advocates have been fighting to keep nearby Long Island College Hospital from shutting its doors. After many months of negotiations, and the immense help of elected officials, the unprecedented merger of LICH and Suny Downstate is complete. Cobble Hill Association president Roy Sloane first announced it at the recent Spring General Meeting, and yesterday it became official as the new sign went up introducing the new University Hospital of Brooklyn at Long Island College Hospital.

For more detailed accounts of the merger, check out some of the local press coverage linked below. The CHA also wished to once again express our deepest gratitude to the late Murray Adams, a lion of an advocate, without whom this hospital saving merger would have never been possible.

Brooklyn Eagle Article
Brooklyn Paper Article
Carroll Gardens Patch Article

E-waste Report

2011-05-25T18:49:00.002-04:00

Just a few weeks ago, our local elementary school PS29 graciously played host to our Cobble Hill Association electronics recycling event, run by the wonderfully green Lower East Side Ecology Center. The day also included recycling of textiles and plastic, making an all out day of eco-consciousness. While we don't have exact figures on those goods yet, we did get the figures for the electronics materials.

Total tonnage collected: 13,093 pounds, or 6.5 tons of materials
Number of participating households: 257

Those numbers on their own are really quite impressive; More than 6 tons of 'junk' that will avoid going into landfills, and instead get broken down safely and securely. But what's even more interesting is that less tonnage was collected (in 2010 we collected 18,846 pounds or 9.4 tons) because older model electronics are gone and 1st generation smaller, lighter, flat screens are now making their way to the recycling bin. In spite of the smaller haul... even MORE people participated this year (in 2010 only 231 households came out).

The CHA is glad to have had yet another success, and hope that if you didn't get a chance to participate this time, you'll save those electronics for another e-waste event sometime this fall.

Welcome to the Cobble Hill Association 'Garden Club'

2011-05-23T03:31:00.003-04:00

While we all enjoy our local green gem, Cobble Hill Park, we've also been noticing some beautifully blooming tree pits and window boxes in the neighborhood. The attention to detail on the Brooklyn Bridge homage pictured below is great, but loads more tree pits deserve some attention.

Starting next week, we'll showcase some of the best tree pits & window boxes in Cobble Hill, posting a new picture every week from Memorial Day through Labor Day. At the end of the summer, we'll post all the images at once for an online vote; whichever windowbox and tree pit earn the most votes will each win a $100 gift certificate to a local gardening shop.

Got a suggestion for us to post or think your own gardening skills ought to get some praise? Drop us a line at cha.garden.club@gmail.com with some pics and details of who's making the beautiful gardens bloom!

tree pit in front of 'Ted & Honey'

BQE - Past, Present, Future

2011-05-19T17:36:00.001-04:00

The BQE is one of the nation's most heavily trafficked roads, carrying vast amounts of people and products. It's importance is undisputed but it's placement is problematic. For decades it's divided Cobble Hill from the adjacent Columbia Waterfront community and only recent have local civic groups gained traction in the fight to reconnect the neighborhoods. Come join this Monday night's Cobble Hill Association Spring General Meeting and hearing updates of the BQE as a past present, a current problem, and ways to fix it all in the future.

COBBLE HILL ASSOCIATION - Spring, 2011 General Meeting

The BQE

Past

A fascinating look at the construction of the BQE “ditch”

that runs through our communities by historian Francis Morrone

Present

Update on plans to reconstruct Triple Cantilevered Roadway

and Future

How to “Fix the Ditch” – a presentation of the NYCEDC/

Starr Whitehouse “BQE Enhancement Study”

Time/ Date: Monday, May 23, 2011 @ 7:30 P.M.

Place: Long Island College Hospital

Conference Room A, Enter at main entrance 339 Hicks (at Atlantic)

Comptroller Town Hall

2011-05-17T01:20:00.002-04:00

Tuesday night, NYC's Comptroller will be visiting Cobble Hill for a town hall session open to the public. As the city's Chief Financial Officer, he's responsible for ensuring our city agencies run efficiently without wasting taxpayer dollars. Think things are running smoothly? I bet not... why not take this chance to ask him some questions! Full details below.

Please come out and join CBID, IND, LID, New Kings Democrats, Prospect Heights Democrats for Reform, and the 57th AD Democratic Organization for a Townhall meeting with NYC Comptroller, John Liu.

The Comptroller will speak, but the majority of the meeting will be made up of questions from the audience. So bring your questions for the Comptroller!

Tuesday, May 17th, @ 7:30-9:00
Kane Street Synagogue @ 236 Kane Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231-4402, (718) 875-1550

Cobble Hill gets new (old) Bell!

2011-05-13T14:10:00.003-04:00

Hat Tip to the fantastic blog Lost City for pointing out that our very own Strong Place Church got a brand new archival addition during its conversion to residences - a 158 year-old bell!
Check out their post here for full details.

Green Gowanus Exhibit

2011-05-11T00:59:00.001-04:00

Just found this upcoming weekend event in our inbox. We've supported the fight to Superfund, now let's stay invested in as we re-envision the canal's cleaner, greener future.

Our friends at Pardon Me For Asking, posted this invite with all the info.

Green Weekend Grows!

2011-04-28T23:20:00.002-04:00


Silver Linden on Warren & Court Credit: Molly Culver

With the annual plant sale part of a super green weekend on the horizon, the The Cobble Hill Tree Fund got a great write up courtesy of Molly Culver at the Patch. Check it out right here.

And, another green update: the PS29 Recycling Event will now also have special paper shredding services on hand too!

Same deal as last year: $10 for a large bag or large box of shredding. The school receives $5 and Time Shred Services receives $5.

Green Saturday, gets EVEN GREENER!

2011-04-27T20:20:00.002-04:00

We've already told you about the jam packed line up this Saturday in Cobble Hill, with Electronics Recycling, a Plant Sale, AND a Bike Fest....

But There's even MORE sustainability in the schoolyard at PS29, as they've turned it into a full on mega green event!

PS 29 Recycling Day: Saturday, April 30th

Electronics Collection by the Lower East Side Ecology Center: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Textiles Collection by Wearable Collections: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Plastic Containers with Lids Collection by the Park Slope Food Co-op Recycling Squad & CHIPS Soup Kitchen: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Volunteers still needed! Email ps29pc@gmail.com if you have an hour to help.

Be sure to check out ALL the action in the neighborhood this Saturday. Want to see how successful we've been at events like these before? Watch here and here)

Green Saturday in Cobble Hill

2011-04-26T02:53:00.004-04:00

This Saturday, April 30th, there LOTS OF GREEN going on in Cobble Hill!
Electronics Recycling, Plant Sale, & the Brooklyn Bike Fest!

From 10am to 4pm, PS 29 & the Cobble Hill Association are hosting the Lower East Side Ecology's Electronics Recycling Event. We've spared tons (literally) of e-waste from landfills at these events in the past (see here and here) and hope to have the same success this time around. Grab those old computers, cameras, cell phone and properly dispose of them with us.

Then, walk over to Cobble Hill Park for the Cobble Hill Tree Fund's Annual Plant Sale, from 10:30AM to 3PM. Annuals, tomatoes, geraniums, hanging baskets, and a variety of perennials will all be available. There'll also be plant/tree identification activities for children in the park.

Still want more green in your day? Saturday, from 10 am - 4 pm, at Brooklyn Bridge Park will be the first-ever Five Boro Bike Fest.

This free, family-friendly event is open to the public and features live entertainment, classes, bike repair, and an expo with demos and giveaways. The Bike Fest is part of a fun-filled weekend that kicks off Bike Month.

Activities at Bike Fest
*10:30 Wear a helmet *10:30 Fix-a-flat *11:00 Use your gears *11:30 How to buy a bicycle *11:30 Chain maintenance *12:00 Adjust your bike for a comfortable ride *12:30 Stretching for cyclists *12:30 Fix-a-flat *1:00 Fuel up--gels, bars, beans, oh my! *1:30 How to buy a bicycle *1:30 Commute by bicycle *2:30 Use your gears *2:30 Fix-a-flat *3:00 Chain maintenance *3:30 Adjust your bike for a comfortable ride

We Demand it Again; No Housing in BK Bridge Park.

2011-04-26T02:36:00.001-04:00

Last Wednesday at LICH, the Community Board 6 and Community Board 2's motions against housing inside Brooklyn Bridge Park were upheld by the Mayor-appointed Community Advisory Committee.

This is particularly significant because the park's pro-housing operators had tried unsuccessfully to claim that the citizenry of Brooklyn - those individuals they had hand picked to be on the Committee in the first place - agreed that housing was the only solution for park payments. It is obvious once again that the people of Brooklyn know that more housing is not needed inside Brooklyn Bridge Park and that there are many ways to pay for park maintenance without private housing. They have demanded that the Jehovah Witness properties adjacent to the park be mined for tax revenue; that the city explore a Real Estate Investment fee (used to secure and protect open space in East Hampton) and that all concessions, including the River Cafe inside the park, pay-in; that the combination of off site and on site parking, events and movie shoots will also go a long way to pay for the park without housing.

Please read the Community's motions for yourself.

Motion passed at April 20, 2011 CAC meeting at LICH:

Maker: Dorothy Siegel, BBPDF
Seconder: Richard Bashner, CB 6

The CAC endorses the positions taken by CB6 and CB2 that encourage the BAE to aggressively study potential revenue generating ideas and expense reduction options, including fundraising/sponsorship opportunities and options involving the Watchtower properties. In addition to the revenue sources mentioned in the CB2 and CB6 resolutions, the CAC urges BAE to consider other potential revenue sources including, but not limited to: a real estate transfer fee; enhanced revenues from parking (specifically, the police garage); alternative approaches to the PID; and potential revenues from the yacht marina. The CAC further urges BAE to provide a point by point analysis of the revenue generators covered in the 1997 Praedium Group study.

CB2 & CB6 urge more exploration

2011-04-16T12:22:00.000-04:00

The fight against building unnecessary housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park continues and now both Community Boards 2 & 6 have passed resolutions urging more exploration. A weak study was done by the Committee on Alternatives to Housing, but failed to include the potential sale of Watchtower Properties as revenue generators. The Brooklyn Eagle has more details below.
Debate on Park ‘Alternatives To Housing’ Is Still Alive

The Lion's Legacy

2011-04-14T12:04:00.001-04:00

Photo By Judy Whitman

While several local articles went around last week announcing the unfortunate passing on one of Cobble Hill's most important civic leaders, Murray 'the Lion' Adams, just yesterday the Brooklyn Eagle published a more in depth review of Murray's many accolades.

Adams was an indefatigable community activist, and all who knew him assumed he would spend many more years advocating for the neighborhood... He was one of the founders of the [Cobble Hill Association] organization and served as president in the 1960s. Asked if he would classify himself as an urban pioneer, he insisted that pioneer was “too strong a word.”

To read the article in full, please click on Trudy Whitman's The Achievements of Murray Adams

final chances to OPPOSE housing in our parks

2011-04-07T01:20:00.001-04:00

CB 6 sent along this message the other day. Please use it as another chance to stand up for a true Brooklyn Bridge park... that is one without private housing. It should feel like a lawn for all of Brooklyn to enjoy, not just a backyard for wealthy hugh rise condo owners. As our Cobble Hill Association president Roy Sloane eloquently put it last week "I will never support housing in this park until there are high-rises in Prospect Park, Central Park and every other major park in this city."

- - - -
Representatives for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation have agreed to brief us on the Draft Report findings for the "Study of Alternatives to Housing For the Funding of Brooklyn Bridge Park Operations" prepared by Bay Area Economics for the Committee for Alternatives to Housing.

The meeting will be hosted by the Brooklyn CB6 Executive Committee at 6:30pm on Monday, April 11th, at Long Island College Hospital, 339 Hicks Street (at Atlantic Avenue), Brooklyn.

The report itself can be viewed by clicking here, or at the following link:
http://www.brooklynbridgeparknyc.org/about-us/project-approvals-presentations

Written comments on the report are due by April 25th and may be submitted directly to:
bbptestimony@bae1.com

Safer routes to Brooklyn Bridge Park/Pier 6

2011-04-07T01:15:00.000-04:00

Councilman Brad Lander is renewing his efforts to make the Department of Transportation address the immense dangers in accessing our waterfront park at Pier 6 with a new online petition. It just takes a few seconds to sign, and will go a long way to keeping the issue on DOT's radar so that hopefully it can be addressed BEFORE the warm weather ushers in new visitors to harm's way as they head to the park.

As we saw last year after the new park opened, the current routes along Atlantic Avenue and Columbia Streets, past the entrances to the BQE, are just too dangerous. With spring upon us, we need some adjustments (e.g. a new traffic light at Congress and Columbia) soon.

Please sign Brad Lander's petition calling on the NYC Department of Transportation to make routes to Pier 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park safer for pedestrians, and pass it along, if so inspired.

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2777/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3735

In Remembrance

2011-04-02T20:09:00.005-04:00

The Cobble Hill Association suffered a tremendous loss this week, with the loss of one its greatest leaders. CHA President Roy Sloane shared the following message.
- - - - - - - -

With great sadness, we wish to mark the passing of C. Murray Adams. Murray passed away peacefully yesterday at his beloved Long Island College Hospital, following complications of a brief illness. He was the past president of the Cobble Hill Association and a member of our board, but, most importantly, a wonderful person, husband & father.

There are few individuals who have had the dedication and made the contributions to Cobble Hill that Murray has over the years. He played an integral part in shaping the neighborhood from one threatened by urban renewal and Atlantic Avenue becoming a state highway to one of Brooklyn's premier family neighborhoods. He did this through his intelligence, his charm and his tireless dedication to improving our institutions and our local political representation.

Murray was one of the founders of the Cobble Hill Association in the late 1950's and served as one of its first presidents. Our longest serving leader, he was president again from 2004 through 2008 and was still serving on our board at the time of his passing. Murray was also a member of the boards of Long Island College Hospital and the Cobble Hill Health Center and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund. He served as a legal adviser for the lawsuit to prohibit housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park. In just the past two years, his vision, leadership, and skill as a citizen lobbyist helped make the SUNY Downstate/ LICH merger possible-- saving LICH and creating a powerful new health care resource in our borough.

A Memorial Service for Murray Adams will be held on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 3 PM at the Friends Meetinghouse, 110 Schermerhorn St., Brooklyn (corner of Boerum Place). Contributions in Murray’s memory may be made to the Long Island College Hospital and the Imani House Adult Literacy Program.

Cobble Hill Street Resurfacing

2011-03-26T02:21:00.014-04:00

Next week several streets in our neighborhood will get some much needed resurfacing from the Department of Transportation.

1) Butler Street (between Court St and Gregory Pl aka Quisenbury Dr)
2) Gregory Place aka Quisenbury Drive (between Butler and Baltic Streets)
3) Degraw Street (between Hicks Street and 5th Ave)

The 1st stage of street resurfacing, a process called milling, involves the stripping away of the top several inches of asphalt. The removed asphalt is captured and returned to the Hamilton Avenue Asphalt Yard where it is recycled into a new asphalt product and reapplied to the streets. The City saves money and resources both in terms of decreasing its reliance on virgin product for fresh roadway application, and preserving precious landfill space by avoiding the disposal of the old product. The work can be loud at times, and it creates a temporary scarified, rough driving surface containing raised manhole covers and other protruding appurtenances.

The second stage of work, which usually lags behind the first stage by a couple-few weeks, involves a different work crew responsible for the laying of the new roadway surface. The final stage of work involves the reapplication of missing striping from crosswalks, lane markings, etc. In all, the total process can take a couple-few months to complete.

No one enjoys living through the process of resurfacing streets and weather or other unforeseen circumstances can slow down the process for everyone. Your patience and understanding during this time is truly appreciated.

If you experience any problems, or have additional questions, call either CB6 or 311.

Testify AGAINST Housing in BK Bridge Park

2011-03-20T00:06:00.001-04:00

The Cobble Hill Association strongly urges its members to testify on March 31st and speak out against housing in Brooklyn Bridge park. Though developers try to convince the community that five additional buildings are the only solution to finance the park, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund and many other sensible community advocates know this s not true. Bigger revenue opportunities include selling the Jehovah Witness properties immediately adjacent to the park, as well as creating an Atlantic Ferry Landing concept that would serve as an entertainment and recreational draw on Pier 6. Or perhaps most sensibly, eliminating the duplicative entity AND conservancy with mind-bogglingly inflated budgets and simply fold it into a properly funded NYC parks department scheme?

Please take just 1 hour to attend the hearing on Thursday, March 31st at 5:30 PM and TESTIFY

that we don't want nor do we need more private housing inside this park.

Congress Street Bike Lane

2011-03-19T23:37:00.000-04:00

While last week's roundtable discussion with Councilman Brad Lander was an opportunity to bring practically any issue to light, many residents chose to focus their voices on rumors surrounding a new Congress street bike lane possibly coming to the neighborhood. While the NY Post fueled, or possibly started, a fire with misinformation... more accurate details came out of the Q & A. As the Brooklyn Eagle notes...

The city Department of Transportation insists that it’s only “a conceptual design made by a sub-consultant on a study [commissioned by the Economic Development Corp.] related to the BQE enhancement” and that “previous press reports were inaccurate in suggesting that DOT officials told community members that the project was moving ahead."... Roy Sloane, current president of the Cobble Hill Association, said, “I was asked by the DOT to take the plan to key people on Congress Street to see what they thought of it, and not one person approved of it. I know there are numerous reports that it’s moving forward despite community opposition, but I spoke to DOT and they said it’s not true.”

The Cobble Hill Association recognizes many residents remain concerned, but appreciates that DOT sought local insight, even during concept phase. We have complete faith that if a detailed plan should come to fruition, once again DOT will seek resident's input to make the best possible solution in designing a safer east-west connection for pedestrians and cyclists moving in and through Cobble Hill.

Councilman Lander Community Roundtable 3/16

2011-03-07T23:23:00.001-05:00

Local Counilman Brad Lander joins the Cobble Hill Association for another roundtable discussion next Wednesday, March 16th. This is the 2nd year the CHA has hosted these open interactions allowing our residents to pose questions directly to area representatives.

Whether your issue is big like avoiding housing in Brookyn Bridge Park, keeping the Prospect Park West bike path, maintaining Long Island College Hospital... or something small and localized to your block or your building, this is a great opportunity to have the Councilman's assistance.

Wednesday, March 16th
7:30p - 9p, Community Roundtable with Brad Lander @ 326 Clinton - Christ Church (corner of Kane and Clinton)

Squadron's 3rd annual Community Convention

2011-02-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

Please mark your calendars to attend our State Senator Daniel Squadron's upcoming Third Annual, 25th Senate District Community Convention.

Sunday, March 13th
2:00-5:00 PM.
St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street in Downtown Brooklyn
RSVP to Rosemarie Diaz in my office at 212-298-5565 or rdiaz@nysenate.gov

Last year, more than 400 community members attended and offered valuable feedback on topics as far-ranging as school overcrowding, park planning and nightlife and many more... with everyone getting a chance to voice opinions in small discussion groups. It's a great way to let your representative know your concerns and help guide his work in Albany.

For a complete list of this year's topics & more info, please visit http://www.nysenate.gov/community-convention.

Gowanus Canal Remedial Investigation Report

2011-02-21T15:54:00.000-05:00

The Cobble Hill Association blog has been too busy for posts the past month.

Regretfully we were unable to write up our deep concern at Gov. Cuomo's potential closing of Long Island College Hospital, as well as our deep appreciation to the local electeds who helped keep its doors open. Thankfully, the local papers have plenty to bring you up to speed on our behalf.
* http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/6127
* http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=21&id=41361

But now that we are back to blogging, we do want to alert you of another important matter on the horizon.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
at P.S. 32, 317 Hoyt Street, Brooklyn

The EPA offers a public information meeting on the Gowanus Canal Remedial Investigation Report, to discuss the findings of the investigation, conducted by the EPA, to determine the nature and extent of contamination in the canal.

The RI is also available online at:

www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/gowanus/ri_docs.html

For more information about the meeting or other site related issues you can contact Natalie Loney at loney.natalie@epa.gov or (212)637 3639.

Feb 2 - Columbia Street Open Space Visioning

2011-02-01T02:54:00.000-05:00

Image Credit: Christina Twomey

While much of the neighborhood's attention has been to the developing Brooklyn Bridge Park (and its unfortunate housing dropped into the park), there's another public space worth discussing;

Join the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, Regional Plan Association, and your neighbors in a visioning for a new public open space on Columbia Street between Kane and Degraw Streets.

When the Van Brunt Street reconstruction and the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel construction are complete, the 80-ft deep area on the west side of Columbia Street is planned to become an open space element of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. It is one of three open space nodes that we are either designing or commencing the community visioning process.

On February 2nd, background research that has been compiled will be shared with the Columbia Waterfront community.

What: Columbia Waterfront Park Visioning Meeting
When: Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011, 6:30-8:30 PM
Where: The Union Street Star Theater, 101 Union Street
Please RSVP to info@brooklyngreenway.org with Columbia Waterfront Park in the subject line.
To see all the current research, download the briefing book here... http://bit.ly/gTD5po

Comptroller Town Hall

2011-01-26T00:29:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, January 26th, NYC's Comptroller will be visiting Brooklyn for a town hall session regarding audits. Many find the thought of an personal audit frightening, but the Comptroller is not out to check your records, he's there to check the city's. The Comptroller is the city's chief financial officer and during the town hall will discuss ways citizens can make suggestions for needed audits of city agencies and departments.

For more info, check the flyer below or read the press release on Comptroller Liu's website.
http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2011_releases/PR11-01-008.shtm

Jan 26th, 6-8 pm
The Brooklyn Public Library
Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture
10 Grand Army Plaza at Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11225

Electronics Recycling Event

2011-01-16T11:49:00.000-05:00

We've had some great e-waste events in Cobble Hill, but today is one just a few blocks farther in Prospect Park. Sunday, January 16, 2011, 10am to 4pm, Prospect Park entrance at PPW & 3rd Street.

BK Bridge Park CAC meeting

2011-01-09T19:25:00.004-05:00

Tuesday, January 11th @ 6pm is the 2nd meeting of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Advisory Council.

Why is such a meeting important?....because this CAC is made of local politicians and community reps working in conjunction with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp. The Brooklyn Bridge Development Corp itself will be deciding a crucial issue for our neighborhood - will there be additional housing in our local park?

The Cobble Hill Association stands firmly by the opinion... NO! We want NO additional housing built in the Park and urge the committee to consider any of the many other revenue raising ideas such as potential revenues from the sale of the Watchtower buildings, more concessions, including food and fine dining, and fee-based recreational facilities. A park with housing is simply someone's nice backyard. We want to see a park that is the equal and open backyard for ALL of Brooklyn.

Bk Bridge Park CAC Meeting
1-11-11 @ 6pm
St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights
The meeting is open to the public.

Please attend and voice opinions if allowed.

Cobble Hill's anniversary

2011-01-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

Postings will be less frequent during this holiday weekend, so instead fulfill your intrigue for neighborhood info with a throwback to the Brooklyn Eagle's December 30th article recapping Cobble Hill's 42 anniversary as a historic district... what's kept its layout and look so desirable for all these years.

Illustration courtesy of Brooklyn Historical Society

On Dec. 30, 1969, one of Brooklyn’s most desirable residential neighborhoods was designated an historical district. It is a community of modest row houses, handsome churches and some historically important model tenements developed primarily during the mid-19th century. It retains the character of that period to a surprising degree....

"Stop Choking Brooklyn" Rally

2010-12-31T13:30:00.000-05:00

As soon as the new year starts, so do the efforts to get our waterfront ports leans and green. Read below for details about a rally for "Shore Power" led by our local Councilman Brad Lander and State Senator Daniel Squadron. In spite of a gimmicky 'surgical mask' idea to highlight the current pollution, the matter is serious and could go a long way to making Cobble Hill and it's neighboring communities much cleaner.

Photo by Joshua Kristal, http://bit.ly/g9E3Or

Switching to shore power — so that ships can hook up to the electric grid instead of idling their engines in port — would stop tons of unnecessary and life-threatening pollution, which is equal to thousands of cars idling.
The Port Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency have obtained $15 million in funding to build the necessary infrastructure. However, for shore power to become a reality, the Economic Development Corporation, which operates the cruise terminal, Carnival Cruise Lines which uses the terminal, and New York Power Authority, which delivers electricity to the terminal, need to come to a final agreement about the price of electricity.
Join us on Monday to rally for an agreement now, so the work needed to bring shore power to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal can begin and idling cruise ships stop choking Brooklyn!

What: Tour of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
When: Monday, January 3rd, noon
Where: corner of Van Brunt Street and Pioneer Street

Councilmember Lander and Senator Squadron
For more info, check out a comprehensive post on the topic at A View From the Hook as well as this article from the South Brooklyn Post.

Cobble Hill Congresswoman shines

2010-12-30T23:23:00.004-05:00

Amidst the rush of the holidays, we never got to post this little gem....
I caught a tweet from @SailorX, a Capitol Hill producer for NBC News, who said Fox News was reporting Cobble Hill's own congressional rep Nydia Velaquez was the very last member to come in and vote on the 9-11 first responders' health care bill. Why wasn't our rep one of the very first to come and vote for such a critical NYC issue? Was she simply taking her time for no reason? Absolutely not...

"Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) was the last member to come in and vote....just before they closed it around 5:38 pm. She was wearing sweat pants and New Balance track shoes, no coat and crying. I asked her why it was so important for her to come back.

"I was torn between two important things that I care about," Velazquez said fighting back tears. "My mother and the 9-11 responders."

Velazquez says her 90-year-old mother is in San Juan and suffering from bleeding ulcers. Velazquez said her plane landed at 5:20 pm and she came directly to the Capitol to vote. She will return to Puerto Rico tomorrow morning." (Read more: http://gretawire.blogs.foxnews.com/i-want-you-to-see-this-rep-nydia-velazquez/#ixzz19evE3XJn)

If you'd like to reach out and thank the Congresswoman directly, visit her website for contact info.
http://www.house.gov/velazquez/contact/index.html

Mulchfest 2011 at Cobble Hill Park

2010-12-30T22:55:00.002-05:00

Christmas is over but you can still put your tree to good use. Recycle it!
The citywide Mulchfest is just around the corner...

HOLIDAY TREE RECYCLING
@ Cobble Hill Park (Clinton Street at Verandah Place)
Saturday, January 8
Sunday, January 9

9:30 am – 1:30 pm

Wreaths and garlands cannot be accepted. Please remove lights and decorations. No artificial trees!

Mulch bags will be available for those wishing to take mulch for their gardens or tree pits.

Sponsored by: Cobble Hill Tree Fund, Cobble Hill Association, Friends of Cobble Hill Park, and Boy Scout Troops 213 & 815

Three Quick Links

2010-12-18T13:30:00.003-05:00

Reminder... tomorrow is Cobble Hill Caroling at Christ Church.

Monday... is a public meeting on housing at BK Bridge Park. The public is invited, though no testimony will be taken.

And unfortunately, from here on out it seems one of Cobble Hill's most unique treasures will be closed off - the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel. The Cobble Hill Association enjoys the Tunnel's history and looks forward to a day when it is re-opened.

Cobble Hill Caroling

2010-12-16T08:08:00.000-05:00

It's holiday time again... and no matter what you're celebrating this year, our local church welcomes you to join in spreading some cheer for the

ANNUAL COBBLE HILL COMMUNITY CAROL SING!

Sunday - December 19th @ 4:00 p.m.
Meet at Christ Church, corner of Kane and Clinton.

PS 29 Holiday Toy Drive

2010-12-12T19:00:00.000-05:00

PS 29 is hosting a community-wide toy drive to make sure all children receive an age-appropriate gift during this holiday season. The Cobble Hill community can make a tax deductible donation by dropping a new, unwrapped gift for a school-aged child (grades K through 12th) in the PS 29 lobby.

This toy drive will be benefit two local community centers; the Warren Street Center for Children and Families (a community center in the Cobble Hill/Gowanus neighborhood serving 150 low-income and immigrant children and their families) as well as The Red Hook Community Service Center (providing an array of services to children and adults living in the Red Hook neighborhood, including training, counseling and job placement).

Donations can be left in the main office of PS29, 425 Henry Street, by December 20.

Posted by Dave 'Paco' Abraham at 12/13/2010 10:01:00 AM

Atlantic Ave Tunnel's Screening Derailed

2010-12-12T16:21:00.012-05:00

Yesterday's planned film event in the Cobble Hill treasure known as the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel was unexpectedly shut down. Brooklyn Historic Railway Association head Bob Diamond was working with Rooftop Films, who recently announced this statement (via Gothamist)

"We received a phone call from Battalion Chief Martorana of the New York Fire Department telling us that they were insisting that we cancel this weekend's events in the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel. The Brooklyn Historic Railway Association has been running tours in the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel for years....Unfortunately, the FDNY has informed us that at this time they do not feel that it is not safe for any number of people to have access to the tunnel."

In addition to this special Rooftop films event, the tunnel offered monthly tours and was soon to be filmed in depth for national TV when its founder, Bob Diamond, said just last week "National Geographic TV is going to start shooting the one hour Atlantic Avenue Tunnel documentary this weekend! It's expected to air in November, 2011." Not sure how FDNY's new opinions affect all of those decisions but the CHA will offer any updates it can.

UPDATE!!! Just got word from Bob Diamond that there may not actually a Fire Chief Martorana at FDNY. Did someone impersonate a city official? Gothamist explores the question a bit here... http://gothamist.com/2010/12/11/diamond_speaks_out_about_tunnel_clo.php
Image via http://www.undercity.org/photos/AtlanticAve/index.htm

Support your school = EAT SOME PIE!!

2010-12-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

Eat Pie and Shop at PS29’s Annual Holiday Fair/Pie Social

****Pie! Shopping! Movies! Crafts!****

Brooklyn, NY – On December 5 from 11am to 5pm, PS 29 in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, will host the second annual “Eat Pie and Shop” Holiday Gift Fair and Pie Social, to benefit the school. Proceeds from this family-friendly Holiday event will support the school’s PTA.

The Pie Social is sure to be a delicious and entertaining afternoon event with local bakers – both amateurs and professionals – supplying a wide array of pies. For a $5 tasting ticket the public can sample a piece of pie of their choosing. Be assured this event is not only for those with a sweet tooth, the pies will cover all categories including fruit, creamy, savory and nut, so shoppers can come to shop, eat lunch and get dessert!

The pie competition will be an afternoon highlight. Bakers are invited to bring pies to be judged by parents and a panel of celebrity judges. The panel will include Gail Simmons, Food & Wine and “Top Chef,” Dannielle Kyrillos, “Top Chef: Just Desserts,” François Payard, co-owner of François Payard Bakery, François Chocolate Bar and Payard, Jeff Lederman, owner of Bocca Lupo, Strong Place and Nectar, and Brooklyn’s own Borough President, Marty Markowitz. The winner will receive a gift package from Food & Wine, a Payard Gift Box and Silver Pie Server donated by Fork & Pencil and bragging rights for the year! Judging will take place at 1pm.

The Gift Fair will highlight local artisans, craftspeople and merchants, and promises to provide a huge variety of handmade, local and sustainable gift-giving choices, from jewelry, to clothing from Half Pint Citizens to hand made and classic toys from Fork & Pencil. More than twenty different vendors will be displaying and selling their wares.

And while you shop, Rooftop Films will show a selection of independent short films for kids continually throughout the day. Tickets to the movies are $2. In addition, children can make free holiday crafts – perhaps an ornament, sachet or a frame as a present for Mom and Dad. To quench their thirst, kids and adults can both enjoy delicious and refreshing egg creams from Brooklyn Farmacy. There will also be plenty of Stumptown coffee on hand!

Eat Pie and Shop will have a donation bin for Toys for Tots hand collected by our US Marines! Consider purchasing toys for donation from Fork & Pencil (net proceeds go to PS29). Donation guidelines: Unwrapped, new and no stuffed animals or military toys. Visit toysfortotsnyc.org. Big Apple Circus will also be on hand with giveaways and a FREE raffle of a family four-pack of tickets to this season's all-new show, Dance On!

Melanie Raneri Woods, Principal of PS 29, said, “We are thrilled to host the second annual Eat Pie and Shop event. The event was such an amazing success last year and I am positive this year’s will be even bigger. It’s refreshing in the midst of all the holiday craze to have an event where children and adults can spend some time together and at the same time support the fabulous efforts of our school community.”

Eat Pie and Shop will be held on Sunday, December 5, from 11am to 5pm, at PS 29, 425 Henry Street, between Baltic and Kane Street. For more information on the event, including a list of all vendors and information on how to enter a pie, please visit www.eatpieandshop.org.

Cobble Hill Speaks out AGAINST Housing

2010-12-02T01:42:00.003-05:00

This NY1 news report gave less than a minute to a project the neighborhood's been working on for over 20 years. Despite the brevity, they've got the point. Cobble Hill Association is firmly AGAINST plans to include housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
http://brooklyn.ny1.com/content/top_stories/129844/brooklyn-bridge-park-condo-plan-draws-fire

For more background see the CHA blog's previous post here, or check out coverage from our A Walk in the Park, or our friends at Pardon me for Asking in their post with video of several speeches "Public Park Or Private Enclave? Last Night's Public Hearing On Alternatives To Housing In Brooklyn Bridge Park"

Gowanus Toy Drive

2010-12-02T01:09:00.002-05:00

Word just came in that our neighbors at the Gowanus Neighborhood Association, in partnership with Councilmember Stephen Levin, are launching their 1ST ANNUAL TOY DRIVE.

Gowanus is an economically strained community and most of the children in the development are from low income/ at-risk households and unfortunately may not get any presents this year. In today's economy everyone's finances are limited, but we're asking all who can, donate or contribute at least one gift to an underprivileged child, boys & girls aged 1-12 years old. All gifts should be safe, unopened, & dropped at the councilman's district office at 410 Atlantic Ave at Bond St, M-F, 10a-5p. For more info contact Betty Lester at bejay919@yahoo.com or 718-243-1252.

- - - And while we're sharing news from Cobble Hill's neighboring communities, check out the Brooklyn Eagle's update on our friends in Boerum Hill in their pursuit for landmark status to their district. The CHA fully supports their efforts to preserve a historic feel and keep development limited to the appropriate pedestrian scaled 50 foot limit we all enjoy.
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=31&id=39767

Park YES! Housing NO!

2010-11-29T02:28:00.002-05:00

For over 25 years, the Cobble Hill Association has worked to secure a park along the waterfront. We are pleased that residents are finally able to access the waterfront at Brooklyn Bridge Park, but our job as a community is not over.

The city is still planning to build 5 more luxury condo & hotel towers inside the park’s borders, with two buildings at 20 and 30 stories high planned for Pier 6 at Atlantic Avenue. And despite what some may think, these luxury high-rise towers are not needed to fund the park’s maintenance. There are many solutions to “pay” for park maintenance. When condos came into the park all year round recreation came out. Landscaping replaced the two pools, the indoor recreation center and ice rink that the community had worked so hard for decades to get. Landscaping sells condos while baseball fields do not.

We now have a unique opportunity to regain the recreational facilities our children need at the same time tell the city planners that we do not want more housing inside the park’s borders. Residents are asked to come to two public comment meetings on Tuesday, November 30th at 6 PM at Long Island College Hospital and again on Thursday, December 9th at 6 PM at St. Francis College on Montague Street.

These public meetings are critical to demonstrating yet again the importance of our parks, the real value they provide to the livability of the city, and to the actual dollars they “put back” into city coffers. The rise in DUMBO values since their part of the park opened is evidence enough of a park’s tax value. A recent proposal offered by community members – to negotiate a deal with the Jehovah Witnesses to develop their soon-to-be-abandoned buildings close to the park, for the benefit of park financing – is gaining traction. Other park funding models, including Senator Squadron’s park increment recapture proposal (named the PIRC plan) also offer relief from the draconian condos inside park borders plan.

But you need only come out and say no to housing, and yes to recreation! Please make sure that your voice is heard at the two public hearings:

Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 6pm – 8pm
Long Island College Hospital, 339 Hicks Street
Avram Conference Center, 1st floor

Thursday, December 9, 2010, 6pm – 8pm
St. Francis College*, 180 Remsen Street
Founders Hall Auditorium, 1st floor

Submit Fix the Ditch ideas by December 1st

2010-11-22T12:00:00.001-05:00

Last week, consultants presented some great ideas in the final meeting for the 'Fix the Ditch' project to reconnect the neighborhoods divided by the BQE trench at Hicks street. The final report will be ready sometime in January, but public comments need to be submitted now. If you weren't in person for the workshop, you can still weigh in using the online survey.

Follow this link to NYCEDC's website to review the final presentation and take the opinion survey. It will only be available until December 1st, 2010.

For your reference, read the recent press covering the project's most recent ideas.

Designers Propose Changes To BQE In Brooklyn

Plans to fix "the ditch" along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway

The Brooklyn Paper: Three sum! City likes BQE fix plans, but balks at price

Have Your Say On the Future of the BQE Monday Evening « A/N Blog

Here Are Three Ways to Make the BQE Less Horrible : Fun With Urban Planning : Curbed NY

City looks to fix BQE 'ditch'

Rooftop Films go underground in Cobble Hill

2010-11-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

Cobble Hill is rich with history and Bob Diamond regularly showcases one of the neighborhood's gems - the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel. Though his tours tell the amazing tale of its century old past and its odd rediscovery... this time the Tunnel will be home to very different scene cause NYC's beloved Rooftop Film series is going underground, using the tunnel as a venue this Demeber 11th. More info below, excerpted from the Rooftop Films website...

Rooftop Films is best known for showing underground films outdoors, but in December we will be taking some of those films back where they belong: UNDERGROUND, into the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel in Cobble Hill. On December 11th and 12th, Rooftop will take two programs of short films from the dark underbelly of the independent film world and screen them deep inside the oldest subway on earth. Prior to the screenings, urban spelunker Bob Diamond will be conducting a tour of the tunnel, and his recounting of the history of this historic treasure is not to be missed. So buy your tickets now and we'll see you on the other side of the street.

And following the screening, we'll all head over to Last Exit Bar and Lounge at 136 Atlantic Avenue for complimentary drinks courtesy of Sailor Jerry.

For full line up of films, check out the original post at http://www.rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/70-trapped-in-the-tunnel

Community Discussion w/ State Senator Dan Squadron

2010-11-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

State Senator Dan Squadron recently announced a round of community discussions where any topic you'd like is on the table. Details are below for the Cobble Hill meeting next week, but start thinking now about the issues.... fighting housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park, making sure the redesign of the BQE doesn't plague our streets with traffic, and so much more!

Senator Squadron writes:
In April, more than 350 community members joined me for the Second Annual 25th Senate District Community Convention, where I received valuable input on issues as diverse as school overcrowding, nightlife concerns and pedestrian safety. In this community discussion, I will update folks about progress we have made on topics raised at the convention, as well as take new questions and comments about issues in Albany and in the neighborhood.

Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Columbia Waterfront
Sunday, November 21st Time: 4:00 - 6:00 PM Location: Long Island College Hospital Avram Conference Center, rooms F & G
339 Hicks Street (between Amity and Congress Streets)

Lennonyc: A Benefit for PS29

2010-11-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

PS 29 is one of our neighborhood's greatest strengths, so come on out and support the school with a great event - a special screening of LENNONYC.

The PS 29 PTA & Strong Place Cordially Invite You to LENNONYC
A Special PS 29 Benefit Evening

Tuesday November 16th @ 7 PM

A Private Preview of LENNONYC at Cobble Hill Cinemas
Featuring a Talkback with Film Director/Writer Michael Epstein
(an Academy Award-nominated PS 29 Dad)

Immediately Followed by a Reception at Strong Place
$30 ticket price includes the screening, talkback, beer or wine & hors d'oeuvres
Sponsored by Sixpoint Craft Ales
Click for tickets: TinyURL.com/29Lennon
Proceeds Benefit PS 29!

Final Meeting for BQE Enhancement project

2010-11-03T11:19:00.001-04:00

The third & final community workshop for the BQE Enhancement project has been scheduled!

When: Monday, November 15th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Long Island College Hospital (LICH), Conference Center, Rooms A &B, 339 Hicks Street, Brooklyn
What: The project team will present finalized alternatives and preliminary cost estimates, and discuss next steps for the project.

Please see EDC's website to view prior presentations for the project, including:
http://bit.ly/BQEEnhanceFinal

1)presentation and summary from the 5.4.10 meeting
2)presentation and summary from the 7.20.10meeting

We hope to see you on November 15th.

Cobble Hill Halloween Parade!

2010-10-31T17:49:00.018-04:00

It's Halloween and everyone is all dressed up. Check out a few pics of this afternoon's Cobble Hill Association sponsored parade below, and see the full set on the CHA's Flickr Page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/35037635@N03/sets/72157625157943327/

Did you snap some photos too? Upload them and add them to the set by adding the tag "Cobble Hill Halloween 2010" (use the full phrase in quotations so all they all stay together) so everyone can see all the amazing costumes. Big thanks to Melissa Glass for her tireless efforts decorating the park and leading the parade with CHA President Roy Sloane. Kudos also go to our elected officials Assemblywoman Millman, State Senator Squadron, and City Councilman Lander who all came in support, as well as Jerry Armer and the 76th precinct for keeping everything safe, and the Jah Pan Steel Drum Band for keeping the beat!

Also be sure to check out some of the great photos Judi Franci took on her photostream too http://www.flickr.com/photos/9050783@N04

Ghouls, Ghosts & Goblins

2010-10-28T10:15:00.002-04:00

The Cobble Hill Halloween Parade is this Sunday!

Time: 4:00PM
Date: Sunday, October 31st
Place: Cobble Hill Park
Music: Jah Pan Steel Drum Band

Every year this holiday children's parade grows and grows. Come join the celebration as we take over Cobble Hill Park, shut down Clinton street, and march through the neighborhood in amazing costumes. For a complete viewing of pics from last year's event, check out the CHA Flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35037635@N03/sets/72157622744191714/with/4079905860/

Special Screening - "Arranged"

2010-10-25T01:28:00.000-04:00

Late notice, but on Tuesday, October 26th at Kane Street Synagogue, there will be a special screening of the film "Arranged" followed by audience discussion.

This film has gotten a lot of publicity because of its fascinating story of how two young women -- one Orthodox Jewish and the other Muslim -- meet and become friends, as first-year teachers at a public school in Brooklyn, and see how much they have in common.

Light dinner will be served at 6:30 with the movie beginning at 7:00 pm. There is no charge for the event.

For more information, go to http://kanestreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/2010_Arranged-Final1.pdf.

Kane Street Synagogue is located at 236 Kane Street, between Court and Clinton Streets.
If you plan to attend, RSVP to Barbara Gringer at bzzg[at]aol.com by Sunday, Oct. 24th

Cobble Hill Halloween Parade

2010-10-21T12:46:00.002-04:00

photo by Franklin Stone

Noticed the Halloween Parade sign up in Cobble Hill Park? Well thanks to Trudy Whitman at the Brooklyn Eagle for beating me to the punch and already writing up the details for the Cobble Hill Association's annual Parade. She wrote:

It’s Cobble Hill’s biggest social event of the year, and it’s right around the corner. The Cobble Hill Park Halloween Parade sponsored by the Cobble Hill Association brings out hundreds of elaborately costumed pint-sized revelers, who first gather in the park to admire each other’s getups and then march through surrounding blocks, so neighbors can admire them too. The streets are made safe — closed off to traffic — and guarded by police officers from the 76th Precinct.

The parade takes place on Sunday, October 31, beginning at 4 p.m. and will be led by the merry Jah Pan Steel Band. The event’s success always depends on the work of volunteers, who are needed at noon to decorate the park and at 9 p.m. for clean-up. To volunteer, please drop an email to cha@cobblehillassociation.org.

Cobble Hill Park - Past and Present

2010-10-16T14:55:00.002-04:00

Friday's New York Times has great coverage of NYC's parks; not Central, or Prospect, or Battery Park.... none of those big ones, but rather all the small pocket sized parks that fill in nooks and crannies, breathe life into neighborhoods, and raise both property values and happiness. Our very own Cobble Hill Park gets a worthy mention of praise, with a tidbit of its history.

Cobble Hill Park, on Verandah Place in Brooklyn, a 0.585-acre site where a neighborhood petition drive in the 1960s defeated plans for an apartment building. Two-family town houses there have sold in recent years for $2.2 million or more.

For another nugget on the park, check out the David Ansel Weiss's trivia column which notes the site of Cobble Hill Park was "the site of Brooklyn’s Second Unitarian Church, often affectionately called — because of its shape — the Church of the Holy Turtle? Its first minister was Samuel Longfellow, brother of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow."

Regardless what came before, Cobble Hill Park is now beautiful and well cared for by resident Barbara Krongel and her devoted team of volunteers. Want to get your own hands dirty and keep the park pretty? Come join us every Tuesday morning at 7:45am, weather permitting. For more info email sublte116[at]gmail.com

Cobble Hill Book Swap

2010-10-14T02:56:00.003-04:00

The Cobble Hill Association is sponsoring a free Book Swap on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) Sitting Park located at Henry & Pacific Streets in Cobble Hill, from 11 AM until 3 PM.

The idea for the Book Swap is simple: bring a book & get a book. LICH staff members will also be on hand to meet the community, conduct free blood pressure screening, and offer asthma information at the park. Books will also be available for sale at $1 or less. All proceeds and remainder books will be donated to the Hospital by the Cobble Hill Association.

UPDATE: This event is now perfectly timed to also be a warm welcome to SUNY Downstate who will now acquire LICH from Continuum Health Partners. This new partnership is not just a great way fix LICH's financial troubles, it will breath new life and a new commitment to stay open and expand its programming for the Cobble Hill Community. The official announcement was made yesterday afternoon by Governor Paterson himself. More detailed info on the story can be found at the following links.
http://www.downstate.edu/news_releases/2010/news_release_full39.html
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/3456

Tuesday WATER, Thursday BLOGS, Saturday BOOKS!

2010-10-09T19:43:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday is the last chance for public input (in-person, at least) for the Vision 2020 Plan to make NYC's waterfront more tangible for all New Yorkers. A View from Brooklyn has a great write up on the draft proposal.

And on Thursday is the Cobble Hill Association's Fall General Meeting that host a panel of local bloggers to discuss how blogs have transformed neighborhood news. It will include Rich Calder of the NY Post, Tobey Grumet of Bococaland.com, John Loscalzo (aka Homer Fink) of Brooklynheightsblog.com, and Katia Kelly of Pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com

And on Saturday, October 16th, the CHA is sponsoring a free Book Swap at the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) Sitting Park located at Henry and Pacific Streets in Cobble Hill, from 11 AM until 3 PM.

The idea for the Book Swap is simple: bring a book and get a book. LICH staff members will also be on hand to meet the community and will conduct free blood pressure screening and an asthma information table at the park. Books will also be available for sale at $1 or less. All proceeds and remainder books will be donated to the Hospital by the Cobble Hill Association.

This low-key, neighborly event is the perfect time to meet neighbors and support our local hospital, too.

Happy 60th Birthday Promenade

2010-10-07T11:53:00.000-04:00

Next Thursday, October 14th, The Cobble Hill Association's Fall General Meeting will host a panel discussion on the role blogs have in shaping local news. Former CHA president and NYU professor Jeff Strabone will moderate several local Brooklyn Bloggers for a great discussion. In addition, We'll have brief updates on two neighboring projects, the massive reconstruction of the BQE Triple-Cantilevered Roadway as well as the 'Fix the Ditch' workshops which seeks to re-unite neighborhoods divided by the highway trench on Hicks street.

For more background on those projects check out the Brooklyn Eagle's fascinating article on just how the BQE and Ditch came about... and wish the Promenade a happy 60th birthday tomorrow.

FALL 2010 General Meeting

How Blogs Are Transforming Local News
A Panel Discussion with Local Bloggers
Moderated by Jeff Strabone

Time: 7:30 P.M.
Date: Thursday, October 14, 2010
Place: Long Island College Hospital, Conference Room A
Enter at main entrance 339 Hicks (at Atlantic)

NYC DOT Greenway Workshops, Round 2: Route Selection

2010-09-30T03:45:00.000-04:00

Cobble Hill is just steps away from the water's edge, and our Columbia Street neighbors at the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative have been leading the charge on creating a full 14 mile greenway in our borough.

And this Thursday, September 30th kicks off the second round of community planning workshops for the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, led by NYC Department of Transportation (DOT). At each workshop, DOT will present route options and gather feedback as to the community’s preferred alternative. Route options will reflect information gathered at DOT’s first round of community planning workshops, which were held in March/April 2010.

These planning workshops will continue to inform DOT’s master plan for constructing the greenway, so please mark your calendars and tell your neighbors. Four workshops will be held, one in each broad geographic area along the planned 14-mile route. Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and Regional Plan Association are co-sponsoring the workshops.
Please RSVP to brooklynwaterfrontgreenway@dot.nyc.gov. Make sure to specify which workshop(s) you plan to attend:

Downtown Brooklyn (CB2)
Thursday, September 30th, 6:30-8:30pm
Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street

Sunset Park (CB7)*
Thursday, October 7th, 6:30-8:30pm
St. Michael’s Church, 352 42nd Street
*UPROSE is also a co-sponsor of the Sunset Park workshop.

Red Hook (CB6)
Thursday, October 14th, 6:30-8:30pm
Red Hook Recreation Center, 155 Bay Street

Greenpoint/Williamsburg (CB1)
Thursday, October 21st, 6:30-8:30pm
Brooklyn Brewery, 79 N. 11th Street

Electronics Recycling - TWO locations on Saturday

2010-09-27T00:01:00.002-04:00

With the PS29 School yard under construction the Cobble Hill Association cannot run an electronics recycling as it has so successfully in the past (here and here). So, this year we are encouraging residents to bring any unwanted e-waste to either of TWO spots just outside the neighborhood, both collecting at the same times.

Saturday
October 02, 2010 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1, Furman Street between Old Fulton and Doughty St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Saturday
October 02, 2010 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
The New New York Green Street Festival, Bond Street between 3rd and 4th Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

Full details on what can and cannot be dropped off are available on the Lower East Side Ecology Center's website.

Plaza Design at the Barclays Center

2010-09-22T18:27:00.004-04:00

UPDATE: Streetsblog now has images and excellent commentary on the Plaza design here.

Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, with Council Members Letitia James, Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, Empire State Development Corporation, Brooklyn Community Boards 2, 6 and 8 present a

PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING for the Plaza Design at the Barclays Center
Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 6:00pm-8:00pm
Brooklyn Borough Hall 209 Joralemon Street (at Court Street)

Representatives will be present from Forest City Ratner Companies to brief interested residents on plans fo the public plaza in front of the arena. There will be a Q & A session.

Downloadable event flyer available at: http://bit.ly/AYPlazaDesignflyer

Atlantic Antic this weekend

2010-09-22T12:30:00.003-04:00

New York City has plenty of generic street fairs selling tube socks and boring snacks. Thankfully the Atlantic Antic isn't like that at all. It's a wonderful stretch of 600 local shops and vendors offering eclectic food, fun, and music for jam packed crowds on Atlantic Avenue from Hicks all the way to 4th avenue.

Check it out and enjoy the neighborhood on September 26th.
http://www.atlanticave.org/antic2010

Brooklyn Bridge Park: Alternatives to Housing Meeting

2010-09-19T22:02:00.001-04:00

This Wednesday, the Cobble Hill Association urges its residents to attend a public meeting of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation Committee on Alternatives to Housing.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at approximately 11:00 a.m.
City Hall, Blue RoomNew York, New York 10007
http://www.brooklynbridgeparknyc.org/about-us/public-meetings

As the CHA has argued before, we are staunch advocates of non-privatizing ways to fund park maintenance. When 1250 units of luxury condos in 6 buildings were proposed, all recreation came out of the plan, replaced by costly landscaping to help sell condos. And while the landscaping is still a costly burden of the park's current design, we have secured the commitment to look at alternate means to fund this park without more housing inside its borders. Senator Squadron and Assemblywoman Millman will also have veto power over future housing, if it again rears its head in 2011 or in 2013 (milestone dates for funding decisions).

This meeting is yet another opportunity for the public to come out and speak out on their desire for a park, a true park... one that does not include private housing within it. The CHA prefers year round recreational facilities such as a pool, ice rink and indoor field house which could offset costs the City cannot burden.

State Senator Squadron has been extremely helpful bringing our desires to the Governor and to the Mayor and brought in another strong supporter in Assemblywoman Millman. Councilmen Lander and Levin have also played a positive role and now we hope you, the Cobble Hill residents and neighbors of the Brooklyn Bridge park, now is another opportunity for you to speak out against housing in a public park.

If you cannot attend, we encourage you to call or email comments to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation:
Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation
tel: (718) 222-9939
brooklynbridgepark@bbpnyc.org

UPDATE: the Brooklyn Daily Eagle filed a report on the committee's decision to offer a Request For Proposals (RFP) for profit generating ideas that could potentially be pursued instead of housing. To read it in full... click here http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=31&id=38247

Invisible Dog, Visible Neighbor

2010-09-16T03:21:00.000-04:00

Evan Sung for The New York Times

Though Cobble Hill's borders technically run down the middle of Court Street, many agree that we share the area between Court and Smith with our Boerum Hill brethern. And that's good news because over the past two years the Invisble Dog gallery has been an incredible neighbor, bringing art and vitality to the once dormant strip of Bergen Street. I worked with manager Lucien Zayan to get support for the dramatic sidewalk improvements at the Bergen/Smith intersection (now home to the wonderful corn installation) and this past weekend fellow CHA officer Derek Denckla worked with the gallery for the launch of a week long line up of Farm City events. While the kick-off was this past Sunday, there are more items this weekend and next - and a wonderful write up in the NY Times painting a bigger picture of who and what the Invisible Dog gallery actually is. Read up!

Farm City Festival

2010-09-11T11:45:00.000-04:00

Just because we live in the city, doesn't mean we can't grow some of out own food. This weekend, Bergen Street will be completely transformed for a wonderful urban agriculture festival, co-curated by Cobble Hill community leader Derek Denckla, editor of thegreenest.net and founder of FarmCity.US.

Farm City: Where Are You Growing?
A Celebration of Urban Agriculture
Over three weekends, Farm City celebrates Urban Agriculture and explores the possibilities of a new agrarian future within the current urban reality. Components include: Farm City Fair, Farm City Film, Farm City Tour, and Farm City Forum, spotlighting the work of artists, farmers, activists, planners, architects, chefs, and foodies, all devoting themselves to feeding the city both culturally and agriculturally.

For all the festival info, check out it's full schedule:
http://www.fiaf.org/crossingtheline/2010/2010-09-ctl-farmcity-fair.shtml#series

*Farm City Films Sept 12 & 14 *Farm City Tour Sept 18 & 19 *Farm City Forum Sept 25

Street Cars from the Past in Brooklyn's Future?

2010-09-10T00:39:00.002-04:00

Brooklyn Historic Railway Association.

Just days after local papers and blogs spoke of Bob Diamond possibly leaving the borough and ending the not-to-be-missed Atlantic Avenue Tunnel Tours, the Department of Transportation finally announced they're beginning a "Study To Determine Feasibility Of Streetcars In Brooklyn." This is wonderful news for transit-starved Red Hook as well as all of its neighboring communities. Special thanks to Representative Nydia Velázquez and Brooklyn Street Car guru, Bob Diamond, for persistent years advocating for the innovative and sustainable form of transportation.

"Once again, we're looking back to the future with our transportation network," said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. "Once ubiquitous in New York City's streetscape, streetcars remain part of the transportation mix in cities from Toronto to Melbourne, and we need to consider all options to improve transit access in underserved neighborhoods like Red Hook."

The full DOT press release can be read here...
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pr2010/pr10_040.shtml

and check out a related posts about it at the WSJ here, Streetsblog here, 2nd Ave Sagas here, and the NYT here.

Atlantic Avenue Tunnel Tours back on Track

2010-09-07T01:27:00.000-04:00

Cobble Hill may be full of life above ground, but it's also got a rich history below. Bob Diamond of the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association has been offering tours of the Atlantic Avenue tunnel he discovered in 1980 and resurrecting the notions of a Brooklyn Street Car system. Just a week ago he said "Feds have $280 million earmarked for streetcars, City blows grant" and decided to throw in the towel after many years of personal labor that secured dollars but did not yet bring an active street car system to the surface.

Thankfully, local pleas have persuaded him to stick with the project and he's now combined everything on the new streetcar plan onto one convenient webpage, with detailed subsections hyperlinked here: http://brooklynrail.net/new_brooklyn_streetcar.html

The Cobble Hill Association is glad to have Bob Diamond's dedication both preserving the borough's history as well as planning for it's future. For more info, check out links from our friends at McBrooklyn, the tunnel's Wiki page, and of course, the detailed info on the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association website.

Happy Hour Wednesday & MORE!

2010-09-01T03:00:00.002-04:00

The dogs days of summer are giving us one last heat wave, so cool off with a drink at the next Cobble Hill Association Happy Hour, Wednesday September 1st at Watty & Meg. $3 beers, $5 glasses of wine from 6-9pm. Come with the friends you already know & strike up a conversation with the neighbors you meet for the first time!

Need some neighborhood news to fuel those conversations?
- CHA President Roy Sloane may have come up with an ideal solution to the BQE reconstruction that will eventually reduce excess traffic on our local streets! Read more.

- Notice the construction at the PS 29 School Yard? Big improvements are on the way, and pictures can be seen here.

- Got old computers and tv's to recycle, but missed the last CHA e-waste event? Not to fear... in just a few weeks there's be two more Electronics Recycling Events just a few blocks away, courtesy of our friends at the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Get all the details right here.

- Miss the old Cafe on Clinton by Cobble Hill Park? Well this Friday it's set to re-open as a brand new place called Breukelen. Read more.

- Had a dangerous ride on the new bike path between Pier 1 and Pier 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park? You're not the only one worried to use that path! Read about it here.

Planning for Livable Communities

2010-08-30T01:45:00.003-04:00

This important survey just came in from our friends at the Heights and Hills Community Council. Though they provide vital services for older adults, the changes they seek to make will benefit quality of life for everyone young and old in the area.

Heights and Hills Survey
Is your neighborhood “senior friendly”? If you live in Cobble Hill, there is a lot of interest in the answer. Heights and Hills, a long established agency supporting Brooklyn’s older adults, has received a planning grant from the NYS Office for the Aging to identify what resources exist and what is missing that seniors want that would allow them to remain in their homes as they get older. In the process of developing livable communities for seniors, all ages will benefit.

What is unique about this project is that it is senior-driven grassroots model and not top-down imposed. The members of the Steering Committee, recommended by civic organizations and the two community boards in the neighborhoods of interest, are seniors themselves who are involved in their communities and think constructively and globally. They are the active working group and they have designed a survey that is ready to be distributed. The goal is to have as many residents ages 55 and older fill it out.

If you want to take the survey online, go to <http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5XRYTDQ> or to receive a hard copy for yourself, your neighbors or your club, contact the project coordinator Anne Perzeszty at anneper[at]verizon.net. Heights and Hills, through this planning grant, will use the voice of seniors themselves to inform community leaders in the target neighborhoods about what is needed to meet the definition of a livable community.

Backpacks for Back-to-School

2010-08-19T01:38:00.001-04:00

Betty Lester of the Gowanus Neighborhood Association sent over word that some area students need help obtaining backpacks for the upcoming first day of school. One backpack can make a difference!

FRIENDS OF NICHOLAS HEYWARD JR/GOWANUS PLAYGROUND
We are a group of local residents and parents, whose desire is to provide a clean, safe, open play space for children in the community. Our mission is to bring awareness to the park itself and reinforce the need to get involved.

Many/Most of the children that use the playground daily are from low income, at-risk households. We have sponsored several events throughout the summer to provide these children with recreational activities, as there are no affordable summer programs in their community. Operation Backpack is our last event of the summer, and is scheduled for August 27th from 2pm-6pm.

We were anticipating a donation of backpacks from Volunteers of America (VOA). However as the date draws near, we are being informed that their donations are for homeless children only. So we are in need of donations and/or contributions from our friends and neighbors. In today's economy we realize that everyone's finances are limited, but these children won't have school supplies through no fault of their own.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US MAKE A KID SMILE ON THE 1st DAY OF SCHOOL!
Need more info? contact BETTY LESTER @beejay919@yahoo.com or 718-243-1252