Rally to Save the B71

The MTA service cuts are just days away, and we'll be losing one of our vital lifelines connecting Cobble Hill to Prospect Park - the B71. Our good friends by the Columbia Waterfront are organzing a rally to keep support high and momentum strong for avoiding mass transit disaster.

Landmarks Meeting for Cobble Hill

Community Board 6's Landmarks/Land Use Committee will be meeting to discuss 2 items in our borders this week. Please attend and make sure our neighborhood keeps its character.

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2010.   6:00 PM @ PS 32, 317 HOYT STREET

Agenda
- Presentation and discussion of a Certificate of Appropriateness application submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for alterations to lower portion of front areaway, infill on rear elevation third floor, realignment of windows at rear elevation, and dormer addition to attic at 227 Clinton Street (between Amity/Congress Streets), Cobble Hill Historic District.

- Presentation and discussion of a Certificate of Appropriateness application submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for the creation of a storefront at 194 Atlantic Avenue (between Court/Clinton Streets), Cobble Hill Historic District.

SUIT UP TO SAVE DOUBLE "D" POOL

Put on your bathing suit (bikinis, yes! Speedos, not so much) and join Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz (who will be donning his swimming trunks) and Councilmember Stephen Levin at a demonstration protesting the city's decision to close of one Brooklyn's most popular outdoor swimming pools!

Please bring inflatable kiddie pools, goggles, and inner tubes, beach balls and handmade, colorful ("SAVE OUR POOL") signs to show the media and elected officials your support for the Douglass-Degraw pool, which serves thousands of local residents and inner city kids.

WHEN: Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 10:00 AM
WHERE: Thomas Greene Park in front of the Pool (Douglass Street between Nevins Street and 3rd Avenue)

WHO: All your neighbors including US Representative Yvette Clarke, Assembly Member Joan Millman, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, City Councilmember Stephen Levin, Boerum Hill Association, Friends of Douglass/Greene Park, Wyckoff Gardens Tenants' Association, Gowanus Houses Tenants' Association, Brooklyn Boulders, Homage

Skateshop, PS 38, PS 261, Math and Science Middle School

Help Keep D & D Pool Afloat

The Cobble Hill Association got recent word that the NYC Parks Department plans to shorten the outdoor pool season by two weeks citywide as well as pull the plug entirely on four pools with low attendance in order to save the city $1.4 million dollars. One of them unfortunately is our closest option, the Douglas - Degraw Pool. Though the Red Hook pool is wonderful and will remain open, the D & D pool is a much more realistic walking destination from Cobble Hill, especially with young children.

There is now a petition up which you can add your signature in just seconds, without any need for submitting donations.

"DON'T CLOSE THE DOUGLASS/DEGRAW POOL IN BROOKLYN"
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopclosureofddpool/

UPDATE!!! Councilman Levin has come out in support of keeping the pool open. Read about it here...
http://brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/25/dtg_gb_levinonpool_2010_06_18_bk.html

LICH Community Health Day - this Saturday

Cobble Hill History Walking Tour, Sunday June 20th

Just announced!
Cobble Hill History Walking Tour, Sunday June 20th * 2PM TO 4PM

Join Francis Morrone, director of the CHA Cobble Hill History Project, on a walking tour of Cobble Hill history and architecture, ranging from Jennie Jerome to the impact of the BQE to Cobble Hill's unparalleled collection of ornamental ironwork--and much, much more. The roughly two-hour walk begins at Court and Congress streets in front of St. Paul's Church. The tour will also be a chance to learn more about the History Project and opportunities to volunteer and share information.

$10 FOR CHA MEMBERS AND $20 FOR NON-MEMBERS
TOUR LIMITED TO 40 PARTICIPANTS
PLEASE RSVP: COBBLEHILLHISTORYPROJECT@YAHOO.COM

Cobble Hill Association Happy Hour, Wednesday 6.2.10

Tomorrow's the first Wednesday of the month, so of course that means CHA drink deals at Watty & Meg, corner of Kane and Court Street.  See event flyer for full details.

Blood Drives & Recycling Drives

Though these are just outside Cobble Hill, they're great important events we encourage residents to participate in.

Electronics Recycling
Our neighbors to the north, the Brooklyn Heights Association, are running a weekend long e-waste collection, June 5th from 10-4 and June 6th from 12-2. If you missed our recent CHA electronics recycling event, bring your old electronics to them instead. Full details are available on the BHA calendar here.

NY Blood Center BLOOD DRIVE
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Brooklyn Heights Synagogue,  3:45 PM - 8:15 PM
131 Remsen Street, 2nd Floor Classrooms

Monday, June 7, 2010
Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church
1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
64 Schermerhorn Street, Busmobile

Giving blood is simple and quick. If you've got a little more time, try giving platelets that can be done more frequently and help even more people. Plus, NY Blood Center is running a Mets ticket giveaway... details below.

Make 4 lifesaving platelet donations from May 1 - July 31, 2010, including 1 donation from May 29 to June 2 OR July 3 to July 7 and receive four tickets to see the Mets at Citi Field. Remember, all platelet donations also earn Advantage points. For more information, visit www.plateletadvantage.com

Help P.S.29 bring 'Imagination' to the Playground

PS 29 is one of the top elementary schools in NYC and can get even better with your help. They are competing to win an amazing program for the Baltic Street schoolyard called Imagination Playground, that would be both a benefit to the students and the entire Cobble Hill community.

Though there's a May 31st deadline, helping them reach the goal is simple. Just follow a few simple steps on the web and become a 'fan' of their idea, and you'll have helped them inch closer to winning the $20K outdoor play system.

Click HERE to become a fan.
And to find out more of what the playground envisions, check out this video.

LICH Playground Renovations

We are pleased to inform you that seasonal painting and cleaning of the LICH small playground will begin this coming Monday, May 24, 2010.

·  To ensure the safety of visitors and workers, the park will be closed to the public during that time.
·  The work is expected to last approximately 10 days.
·  The park will reopen on Friday, May 28th, in honor of the  Memorial Day weekend, and then close again on Tuesday, June 1st, for the project’s completion. 
·  Thank you for your patience during the renovation period!
·  Please share the information with your constituents, friends, and neighbors.
·  If you have any questions, you may always contact us at LICHParks@chpnet.org

For a bit more on the park's background, read this link.

Community Roundtable with Assemblywoman Millman - 5/20 @ 7:30

Please join us for a Community Roundtable Meeting with State Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman

Thursday, May 20th
7:30 pm
@ Christ Church 326 Clinton Street  (at the corner of Clinton and Kane Streets)

Hosted by the Cobble Hill Association, the community roundtable series is to provide an opportunity for you to meet directly with your elected officials. Millman comes from a distinguished career as an educator and has been our local Assemblywoman since 1997, authoring legislation to reform the Rockefeller Drug Laws, the Women's Health and Wellness Bill and the Safe Weapon Storage Act. She's also a continued advocate for Brooklyn Bridge Park, cleaning up the Gowanus Canal, and the fight to re-open Engine Company 204.

Assemblywoman Millman is Chair of the Assembly Committee on Election Law. She is a member of the Assembly Standing Committees on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions; Education; Labor; Transportation; and the Assembly Majority Steering Committee.

Small signs, Big Changes

Cobble Hill is privilege to some minor tweaks that could have big impacts on quality of life citywide. First, have you noticed the orange decals popping up on our streets? There's one on Henry Street and one on a Congress street manhole cover spotted recently. They're part of a pilot program that makes it much easier to know a problem has already been reported to 311 and is being remedied.

'When a customer calls 311 to report a condition for repair, a City inspector will visit the site and determine the necessary next steps.  For many issues, private companies, utilities or other City agencies may be required to respond which may influence the duration of repair.  City inspectors will affix a small, bright orange decal adjacent to the site.  For issues that are repaired immediately, no decal will be used.'

If it works well in our neighborhood, perhaps it will speed up the 311 system and simplify confusion.
More info is available on this downloadable flyer.

Another change to our streets is already proving successful at taming traffic: Neckdowns.

Also known as bulb outs, or sidewalk extensions, these subtle changes to the streetscape create a visual road narrowing that makes drivers slow down while making turns or passing through intersections (which is where the overwhelming majority of accidents happen).  Now some drivers may not enjoy a pinch point in the road preventing their speeding, but NYC is walking city where the majority does not own a car, yet traffic "accidents" are sky high. And those who do drive, are also pedestrians after they park, so they too will benefit from the shorter crosswalk and slower vehicle traffic.

While our neighbors in Boerum Hill received an enormous neckdown last year, which will soon house an art instalation and slew of bike racks, many corners in Cobble Hill have had similar facelifts. Over the past few months the safety enchancement was given to northwest corner of Hicks & Union, the southeast corner of Henry and Atlantic, and most recently both southern corners of Clinton and Atlantic. Hundres of pedestrians and cyclists cross that intersection every morning and now they will all move a little safer. Thank you Department of Transportation's new Street Design Manual!