Winning bids are raising questions

While our community continues to keep LICH a fully functioning hospital that properly meets the needs of our neighborhood, SUNY has put in writing the "the scheduled closure of the hospital on May 22.” Fortunately, a long battle with the support of civic groups and local electeds resulted in a new evaluation of proposals to redevelop the hospital and property and a winning bid was selected just weeks ago. Unfortunately, it now looks like that evaluation was entirely arbitrary. 

Read Dan Goldberg's investigation of the topic at the link below from Capital New York.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2014/04/8544330/odd-math-behind-lich-bidding-process

Cobble Hill Plant Sale - Saturday May 3rd

Spring is in the air, buds are on the trees, and the Cobble Hill Tree Fund is holding its annual plant sale next Saturday at Cobble Hill Park. Stock up for the season, teach your kids to identify plants, and support a great cause in the community. See details on the flyer below or contact chtf@cobblehilltreefund.org for more info.

Become a Leader of the Cobble Hill Association

Since its inception over fifty years ago, the Cobble Hill Association has been a strong , effective community organization that works with local residents and elected officials to ensure the highest quality of life in Cobble Hill. From creating and maintaining our coveted Cobble Hill park to preserving the historic character of our brownstone buildings and fighting for needed health care services, the Cobble Hill Association unites the neighborhood and now welcomes your fresh ideas with an open call for nominations to form its new Executive Board of officers for the 2014 - 2016 term.

The Cobble Hill Association's Nominating Committee invites all interested residents to join an open meeting on Monday, April 28th at 8:00 pm in the Cobble Hill Community Room at 250 Baltic Street, just off Court Street. 

Come with questions and ideas, so that the committee can discuss your potential for filling one of the seven positions on the executive board.

President -- leads meetings and represents the CHA in an official capacity at civic meetings, hearings, etc.
First VP -- serves as chief of staff for President
Second VP -- heads up events and social activities
Treasurer -- controls the CHA's finances
Recording Secretary -- keeps meeting minutes
Corresponding Secretary -- responsible for the general correspondence and the meeting notices of the organization
Membership Secretary -- encourages new members, & maintain database of existing membership

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about becoming a leader of the Cobble Hill Association's executive board, please send them to: CobbleHillAssociation@gmail.com

Demystifying Landmarks, Tuesday 4/29

A friend at the Brooklyn Historical Society just shared news of this upcoming event. One week from today, you can attend "Demystifying Landmarks: A Panel Discussion at Brooklyn Historical Society." It's a topic that comes up often in our own Cobble Hill historic district so why not brush up on the ins and outs of the zoning designation that characterizes so much of Brownstone Brooklyn.

Tue, Apr 29, 6:30pm
$5/Free for BHS Members
Reserve tickets>>
You own a brownstone or live in a landmarked district, but what happens when you want to make a repair or change? Learn about what the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission does, what your neighborhood association can do, the research resources Brooklyn Historical Society can provide, and your neighbors’ experiences. Panelists include Tom van den Bout, architect and former Brooklyn Heights Association President, William Neeley, Jr., Deputy Director of Preservation at NYC Landmarks, Elizabeth Call, Head of Reference and User Services at BHS, as well Prospect Heights homeowner Leslie Feder and a local building manager. This panel will give attendees practical tips on how to navigate a construction or renovation project through the Landmarks approval process.

Senator Squadron 6th Annual Community Convention - 4/27

Each year, local State Senator Dan Squadron hosts a community convention seeking input from his constituents on nearly evEry category under the sun. This year he'll have sections devoted to arts and culture, zoning & neighborhood preservation, civil rights / economic & social justice, parks, transportation, campaign finance, public & affordable housing, economic development, education, disaster relief, hospitals and healthcare, and more. In addition, the Sixth Annual 26th Senate District Community Convention featuring keynote speaker Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Come out and make your voice heard on all of the legislative and community priorities that shape our district and our state.

Sixth Annual 26th Senate District Community Convention
Sunday, April 27, 2014

2:00PM to 5:00PM

Seward Park Educational Campus
350 Grand Street (between Ludlow and Essex Streets)
New York, NY 10002

RSVP at the link below.

http://www.nysenate.gov/webform/rsvp-senator-squadrons-sixth-annual-community-convention-sunday-april-27th

Vote this weekend - Participatory Budgeting

Our area's City Councilman, Brad Lander, sent out the below reminder that this is a big weekend to help decide which of many great ideas should get funding prioritization from his office.

This is the big weekend for Participatory Budgeting, and we want you to take part by voting on how $1 million of City funds will be spent in this neighborhood. Voting is Saturday and Sunday.

Vote Dates Saturday, April 6, 10 AM - 7 PM Carroll Gardens Library 396 Clinton St (at Union St) PS 230 Lower School425 McDonald Ave (between Church Ave & Albemarle Rd) Old Stone House 336 3rd St (Washington Park) Sunday, April 7, 10 AM - 5 PM Beth Jacob Day Care  1363 46th St (at 14th Ave) Kings Bay Y at Windsor Terrace 1224 Prospect Ave (at Vanderbilt St) Park Slope Armory YMCA 361 15th Street (between 7th and 8th Ave) Carroll Park House Carroll St and Smith St

Can we count on you? Pledge to vote as part of participatory budgeting.

Any district resident can vote, ages 16 and up.

There are 13 items on the ballot – read and watch videos about all of them here – covering many of the needs of our neighborhoods. You can vote on improvements for district schools, upgrades to our parks and projects to green our environment and make it easier and safer to get around the district.

We just wrapped up early voting at my office. It’s been very exciting to watch people stream in, sit down with their ballots, and consider carefully what they want to vote for.

Participatory budgeting truly is a community driven process and we are about to complete the third year. From the start, your neighbors have taken ownership of participatory budgeting, coming to brainstorming meetings, joining participatory budgeting committees, and helping spread the word about the vote. They did so much more than our office ever could have—and it is satisfying to know that the winning projects truly reflect the community's needs and interests.

Now it is your turn to get involved. Participating is important, but it's also easy and fun.

Hope to see you at the vote.

Brad

Reminder: Tuesday, 3/25 - Presentation of LICH Proposals

The Cobble Hill Association is still reviewing the responses to SUNY's RFP, but encourages everyone to read the recent articles published in the papers, and linked to below.
Brooklyn Eagle
DNA Info
Crain's NY Business
Additionally, we invite everyone to join us Tuesday night to hear about the proposals on the table in more detail. Full details are in the flyer posted below.

Public Forum on LICH Proposals, Tuesday 3/25 @ 6pm

With eyes on Vision Zero, Traffic Enforcement Rises in the 76th

It's now been over a month since Mayor DeBlasio unveiled his 63 point plan called Vision Zero, a comprehensive multi-agency approached aimed at reducing traffic fatalities to zero within ten years. Immediate action has already begun with City Council hearings and community wide forums on the topic taking place, as well as ramped up police enforcement targeting the most deadly traffic violations.

With dangerous corridors like Atlantic Avenue in our neighborhood, the Cobble Hill Association is well aware that its residents frequently have pedestrian safety issues in mind. We are glad to see a renewed focus on safety by many agencies under Vision Zero and want to thank our own officers in the 76th precinct who have increased enforcement by 186%.  As mapped by WNYC, in February of 2013, they distributed a combined 22 tickets for speeding, failure to yield to pedestrians and failure to stop at traffic signal. This year that total went up to 63 tickets.

http://www.wnyc.org/story/traffic-tickets-across-city/

Many are delighted by this sea change in enforcement and hope it will continue each month. Others raise the concern that it is still not nearly as widespread as it ought to be, with observable violations far outweighing the number of tickets issued. In fact, some precincts have even given out fewer tickets than they did in the same month of 2013.

The 76th precinct holds it's monthly community council meeting the first Tuesday of each month at the precinct at 7:30 P.M. We encourage our community to visit the officers and Captain Justin Lenz to hear more about how the Vision Zero platform will be adopted by our local precinct.

SUNY/LICH Community Health Forum Presentation

Last weekend, neighborhood groups including the Boerum Hill Association, Brooklyn Heights Association, Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, Cobble Hill Association, Riverside Tenants Association and the Wyckoff Gardens Association coalesced for a SUNY/LICH Community Health Forum Presentation. Together, the below information was distributed.

SUNY LICH presentation March 3rd 2014

A sad goodbye to a longtime resident

The Cobble Hill Association has learned that just a few short weeks ago, it's oldest resident passed away. Rebecca Mutchnik lived for an impressive 106 years and leaves behind loved ones whom include her daughter Laurie Maurer, also a well respected and community oriented Cobble Hill resident. Our thoughts go out to the family for their loss with gratitude for the century of livelihood Rebecca helped bring to the neighborhood.

LICH settlement: Electeds' Statements today, CHA statement tomorrow

Big updates on the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) settlement have been floating around news desks today. Below are statement excerpts from elected officials. The official Cobble Hill Association will come tomorrow, Friday, February 21st.

Our most steadfast supporters, local electeds Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and City Councilmembers Brad Lander, Steve Levin, and Carlos Menchaca jointly released the following statement:

We've long urged SUNY and the State to agree to a new, more open RFP process for LICH, to make sure our community and all of Brooklyn have the best possible healthcare outcome.  And, finally, SUNY has come to agreement with the community and healthcare providers on a process that achieves this basic goal, while offering added transparency and community input. Now, it's critical that the process moves forward in good faith and in a timely way, with meaningful community participation from the many neighborhoods that LICH serves. We will continue to work with SUNY, the community, and our colleagues to ensure that LICH continues to provide care, and play the role that Brooklyn needs.

An excerpt of Mayor Bill DeBlasio's statement is as follows. 

For months, we were told the free-fall closure of Long Island College Hospital was inevitable. We fought back. We went to court to keep the padlocks off the doors. We fought shoulder to shoulder with this community and used all the tools of city government to press for a better outcome. And now, we have a resolution that finally puts people's health first.

His full statement is available here. 

An excerpt of Governor Cuomo's follows below.

Today’s agreement is a victory for all parties involved and paves the way for putting a long-term, sustainable health care facility in place for the residents of Brooklyn,” Governor Cuomo said. “We are in the midst of a health care transformation here in New York State, and the reality is that yesterday’s costly, inefficient models of delivering service are no longer viable options for tomorrow. Under the terms of today’s agreement, SUNY is reopening the solicitation process to find a new operator for LICH that will guide the facility as it modernizes and continues its important mission of serving New Yorkers.

His full statement is available here. 

Tomorrow, we will post the official Cobble Hill Association response to the close of litigation and the start of improved health care for our community.