BQE Emergency Repairs

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"

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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'

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'