revised LICH petition

If you have not signed the petition to save LICH, please do so. In its revised form, it reflects the community's consensus that the hospital must be saved by any means necessary. There have been two plans widely talked about: one devised by the doctors' group and one that would involve a new partnership with another health care entity. The Cobble Hill Association would be happy to see either plan take effect. Our main concern is to keep the hospital open and fully functioning. Brooklyn deserves the best health care in the city. If you feel the same way, there are three steps you can take:

1. Add your name to the petition.

2. Send your own letter to Governor Paterson.

3. Contact your elected officials and keep them focussed on the issue.

Thanks for standing up for Brooklyn.

new shows at the Irondale

Brooklyn's Irondale Ensemble Project has announced its fall lineup. Joe McCarthy, Cobble Hill neighbour and Irondale's development director, writes in to say:

Last weekend we opened the new Irondale Center in Fort Greene, three blocks up Lafayette Avenue from BAM. 450 people stopped by at our open house, and 200 stayed for dinner followed by five entertainment sketches. The "house warming" was sponsored by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and Brooklyn Brewery, and 22 restaurants and other merchants provided vast quantities of very tasty food and treats.

Now, beginning next Friday, October 24 (previews 10/22 & 23), we will be reviving our "somewhat dark" version of J.M. Barrie's novel, Peter Pan. D.J.R. Bruckner described it in the New York Times in November 2001 as, "a bit unnerving but also very good fun." This not the original play, nor remotely like its animated Disnification. It is a child's story told for adults with strong psychological undercurrents. It will run through November 8, Wednesday through Saturday, with a Saturday matinee.

more on the BQE reconstruction

Peter King of the state Department of Transportation appeared before Community Board 6's transportation committee last night, October 16, and discussed the steps in the long process that will lead to the rehabilitation and possibly the complete reconstruction of the triple-cantilever structure of the BQE. That is the portion that runs from Sand Street to Atlantic Avenue and supports two roadways and the Brooklyn Promenade on three different levels. Its length is 0.4 miles and it serves 160,000 vehicles per day.

Of primary interest to the CHA is its possible impacts on the future Brooklyn Bridge Park. We were pleased to learn that DOT and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation are now actively communicating about their future needs and plans. At this point, there is still a range of construction alternatives that DOT will consider. Much of King's presentation was devoted to describing the public process, (scoping, environmental impact statement, etc.) that will occur.

During the Q & A, he noted what he called 'opportunities for interference' between the park and the roadwork. If the DOT winds up entirely replacing the triple-cantilever with a new triple-cantilever or an entirely new covered roadway, two options that will be considered, how will the materials be delivered other than by barge and through the park? King said he did not know. Stay tuned.

e-recycling day: November 1

Thanks to the efforts of Dave 'Paco' Abraham, the Cobble Hill Association will host its first electronics recycling day with the Lower East Side Ecology Center, P.S. 29, and Councilmember Bill de Blasio. Here are the details:

What: Electronics recycling
When: Saturday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Schoolyard at P.S. 29, 425 Henry Street, entrance on Baltic between Henry and Clinton

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

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

I'm sure that many of you, like me, have been holding on to a lot of junk and waiting for an opportunity to dispose of it properly. Now is the time to clean out all your old electronics responsibly.

Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Reconstruction of the BQE

Concerns have been raised by CHA members and others about the effects of the coming reconstruction of the BQE and the Promenade and what effect that work will have on the future Brooklyn Bridge Park. In a worst-case scenario, the park could be built and then colonized as a staging area for the rebuilding of the triple-cantilever structure that supports the two lanes of the highway and the Promenade above it. Remember: the BQE is an interstate highway and New York State, which is responsible for it, can supersede local decisions and priorities.

If you are as concerned about these issues as we are, then you should come out for a very important public forum with representatives of the New York State Department of Transportation and their consultants. Here are the details:

What: CB6 Transportation Committee Meeting with DOT officials regarding the BQE
When: Thursday, October 16 at 6.30 p.m.
Where: LICH conference rooms

Halloween parade: volunteers needed

Halloween is just two and a half weeks away. Volunteers are still needed to help Melissa Glass, our Minister of Halloween, decorate Cobble Hill Park on October 31 starting at 11 a.m. and also to help clean up the park later. Please e-mail us if you are able to help out.

Parade: 4 p.m.
Setup: 11 a.m.
Cleanup: 8 p.m.

We would also like to try something new with this year's parade: percussion. Please bring drums and other percussive instruments, if you have them.

LICH rally Tuesday

We hope everyone in the community will turn out on Tuesday for a LICH rally and press conference led by Borough President Marty Markowitz, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, and the doctors' group. Here are the details.

What: Rally to save LICH
When: Tuesday, October 14 at 1 p.m.
Where: outside LICH on Hicks Street between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street

From Borough Hall's press release:

On Tuesday, October 14, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and Special Assistant to the Borough President Yvonne Graham will join other elected officials, community leaders and members of the medical community at a press conference and rally outside Long Island College Hospital (LICH). The borough president will call for immediate action in saving essential services at the hospital.

last week's LICH forum

In lieu of a CHA report on last week's public forum on Long Island College Hospital (LICH), here is a link to a very thorough report by Homer Fink at Brooklyn Heights Blog.

Twilight Becomes Night: neighborhood documentary

We are pleased to share the following announcement.

Kane Street Synagogue and 2 Spot Digital invite you to a screening of

Twilight Becomes Night

A 36-minute documentary by Virginie-Alvine Perrette, followed by a Q & A session with the filmmaker.

November 6, 2008 from 7.00 to 8.30 p.m.
At the Kane Street Synagogue, 236 Kane Street

From the press kit:

Each time a neighborhood shop closes its doors for good, something vital is lost forever. Twilight Becomes Night examines the pivotal role of neighborhood stores in our individual lives, our communities, and in our society as a whole. Using the streets and shops of New York City as a backdrop, the film moves beyond nostalgic regret to reveal a high-stakes transformation and its potential to affect us all.

Twilight Becomes Night is an intimate and emotional portrait of the struggle of small businesses today. It also explores the issues that are threatening neighborhood stores—the large chains, high rents, and public policy, among others. And yet, in the end, it reminds us of the power of individual commitment and community activism in preserving local business. You can save your neighborhood store. Twilight Becomes Night warns: Don’t wait until it’s too late.

public LICH forum

Are you concerned about the news coming out of LICH? Now is your chance to be heard. Community Board 6 has organized a public forum with the CEO of LICH and the CEO of Continuum Health Partners, the company that owns LICH.

What: discussion with Stanley Brezenoff, President & CEO of Continuum Health Partners, and Dominick Stanzione, Interim CEO of Long Island College Hospital.
When: Monday, September 22 at 6.30 p.m. at LICH.
Where: LICH ground floor, conference rooms A & B, 339 Hicks Street.

Please come out and show the community's support.

new street cleaning regulations

More traffic news: the New York Times reports that new parking rules will go into effect in Cobble Hill on September 15. Many three-hour, alternate-side prohibitions have been reduced to ninety minutes. Click here for the story.

new bicycle lanes

The Department of Transportation is planning to add new bicycle lanes in Cobble Hill. The purpose of the additional lanes is to enhance the existing grid and to improve connections for bicyclists to the waterfront. The plans were presented to the public last month at the CB6 Transportation Committee meeting by Christopher Hrones, Downtown Brooklyn Transportation Coordinator.