E-waste recycling on Sunday

This weekend, on Sunday April 19th, local elementary school P.S. 29 will host its annual Spring Rummage & Recycling Event. It is now illegal, and punishable by a hefty fine, to toss your electronics in the curbside trash. So be sure to dispose of them properly at this pre-Earth Week event. For loads more detail on the specific items you can drop off as well as the vintage clothes you can pick up, click here.

If you can't make it to the event but still have electronics to discard, bring them to Borough Hall next week when Borough President Eric Adams hosts a week long collection in honor of Earth Day in which to shred, swap, recycle and more.  Full details on the flyer below. 

Reminder: Cobble Hill Plant Sale May 2nd

Reminder as the date gets closer...

Court-Smith Cleanup April 18th

A new Court Street/ Smith Street Business Improvement District has been in the works but even before it becomes official, it hopes to flex it's clean up muscles. Tom Williams of the BID's Steering Committee just passed along this flyer and the following details.

We’re holding a neighborhood cleanup event next Saturday, 4/18, from 11am to 4pm. Local residents, businesses, and property owned are going to be partnering with Atlantic Maintenance to sweep, scrape, and wash away the trash, dirt, and grime of this past winter. There will also be people on hand to talk about the proposed Court Smith BID, what we hope it would accomplish, and how people can make it a reality. Our BID isn’t enacted yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get a taste of some of the benefits it would bring. We’d love to have members of the community join us (families are welcome!) as we band together to scrub away winter. Free t-shirts will be provided to all volunteers. If people are interested in volunteering, they should email us at courtsmithbidsc@gmail.com.

Reminder: Vote for a safer Hicks Street

Make sure you've got next week's voting times and dates on your calendar as Participatory Budgeting is right around the bend. This is your chance to decide how $1.5 million will be spent in the 39th District Council and a great way to ensure a long planned, much-needed safety improvement on Hicks Street comes to fruition.

It would continue upon past efforts in which we worked with the Councilman and Department of Transportation to install painted curb extensions on Hicks as part of a traffic calming treatment. Those changes have increased safety but are not yet permanent. We hope to see that paint turn to concrete and need your vote to make it happen.

Four Safer Intersections on Hicks Street
$300,000
Augment an existing project to make painted curb extensions permanent with concrete, at four high-crash intersections: Kane, Sackett, Union, and Summit Streets. Improve pedestrian & traffic safety.
Location: Hicks St b/w Kane & Summit Sts (Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens)

Expo and Vote Kick-Off
Tuesday, April 14, 6:30 – 8:30 pm339 8th Street, Brooklyn, NY
Those in attendance will be able to cast their ballot at the event.

Local Voting Location

Tuesday, April 14th – Thursday, April 16

8 am – 7 pm
@ Brad Lander's District Office
456 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor, between 9th and 10th Sts

Saturday April 18
10 am – 6 pm
Carroll Gardens Library, 396 Clinton St at Union St

Sunday April 19
10 am – 6 pm
Carroll Park House, Smith St between President and Carroll Sts

Even if you are not a registered voter you can vote in the PB elections. You need either an ID, a utility bill, or some other documentation stating your address.

Councilman Brad Lander & members of the CHA stand in a painted curb extension on Hicks Street

April meeting at the 76th precinct

Each month, NYPD precincts invite the community to come to a general meeting for recent updates and take any resident's concerns. Our own 76th precinct meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm at the precinct on Union Street between Clinton and Henry. If you have any pressing issues or just want to learn more about policing in the neighborhood, come out and meet Captain Natalie A Maldonado.

Reminder: Senator Squadron's Community Convention April 12th

Albany's budget is done and so our local State Senator can once again direct his focus on community issues in a big way. Daniel Squadron's seventh annual Community Convention invites all constituents to give direct feedback on an assortment of topics. Though it is held in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn viewpoints are of course welcomed and encouraged.

Please RSVP via this webform or call Squadron's office at 212-298-5565.

The event is on Sunday, April 12 from 2:00-5:00pm at the Lower East Side Preparatory High School at 145 Stanton Street (btwn Norfolk & Suffolk)

Cobble Hill Tree Fund's Annual Plant Sale - May 2nd

Spring is in full bloom and so it's time for the Cobble Hill Tree Fund's annual plant sale. Save the date for the event at Cobble Hill Park. And while you're thinking of plants to improve your own garden, why not consider a donation to help improve our neighborhood's green space?

Vote for a Safer Hicks Street during Participatory Budgeting

The Participatory Budgeting process gives New Yorkers the power to decide how to spend tax dollars in our neighborhoods. Over the past three years, thousands of have given ideas, researched needs, developed proposals, and come out to vote. This year 24 different Council Members have opted in to the program. Local Councilman Brad Lander was an early supporter of this process and already funded 22 projects throughout the 39th Council district. This year, he is increasing his commitment from $1 million dollars to $1.5 million dollars. 

The Cobble Hill Association hopes some of that money comes to our area to fund a much needed street safety improvement to Hicks Streets. It would continue upon past efforts in which we worked with the Councilman and Department of Transportation to install painted curb extensions on Hicks as part of a traffic calming treatment. Those changes have increased safety but are not yet permanent. We hope to see that paint turn to concrete and need your vote to make it happen. 

Please see the project summary and voting calendar below. With your help, Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens can give Hicks Street the safety treatment it needs.

Four Safer Intersections on Hicks Street
$300,000
Augment an existing project to make painted curb extensions permanent with concrete, at four high-crash intersections: Kane, Sackett, Union, and Summit Streets. Improve pedestrian & traffic safety.
Location: Hicks St b/w Kane & Summit Sts (Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens)

Expo and Vote Kick-Off
Tuesday, April 14, 6:30 – 8:30 pm339 8th Street, Brooklyn, NY
Those in attendance will be able to cast their ballot at the event.

Local Voting Location

Tuesday, April 14th – Thursday, April 16

8 am – 7 pm
@ Brad Lander's District Office
456 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor, between 9th and 10th Sts

Saturday April 18
10 am – 6 pm
Carroll Gardens Library, 396 Clinton St at Union St

Sunday April 19
10 am – 6 pm
Carroll Park House, Smith St between President and Carroll Sts

Even if you are not a registered voter you can vote in the PB elections. You need either an ID, a utility bill, or some other documentation stating your address.

Councilman Brad Lander & members of the CHA stand in a painted curb extension on Hicks Street

Avoid the April 1st fines for Electronics Recycling

New recycling laws went into effect in January of 2015 to ensure electronics were responsibly discarded. Starting April 1st however, the three month grace period is over and now a $100 penalty kicks in should you forget to recycle those old computers, TVs, phones etc ing your electronics. Check out the city's list of items which can no longer be disposed of with your regular trash and be sure to keep an eye out for E-Waste events citywide in which you can safely drop off your electronics and avoid the fines.

The next E-Waste event happening here in Cobble Hill will be April 19th at PS 29's schoolyard on Baltic street between Henry & Kane. Click here for further details.

Atlantic Avenue deserves access to Governor's Island

Governor's Island has become a unique attraction that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors with park space, art, food, and more. Wonderfully it sits just a few hundred yards award from Brooklyn. However accessing it is difficult. From Brooklyn, you can only get to Governors Island on weekends, and only in the summer.

Last week local Councilman Brad Lander sent out a petition hoping to fix that. It is of particular concern now because of Mayor de Blasio's recent announcement to expand NYC’s ferry service in his State of the City. It is a bold step forward in transportation options for the city however it did not include a Brooklyn-to-Governors-Island link...yet.

If you think Brooklyn deserves equal access to Governors Island, take a moment to sign Councilman Lander's petition.

50 years of Cobble Hill Park

Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.
   Albert Camus, The Rebel 

2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Cobble Hill Park. At slightly more than a half acre, it was the City’s first vest pocket installation, established as a passive use environment to complement the surrounding brownstone area. It is well used and well loved.

Every Tuesday morning, spring through fall, you will find volunteers working there to supplement the tremendous efforts of the NYC Parks Department. This attention makes for brighter flowers, healthier leaves, and a welcoming environment for young and old. And yet, there is still some much needed maintenance that the volunteers cannot tackle and the Parks Department cannot address as often as is desirable.

The Cobble Hill Association, in conjunction with the Parks Department has begun to address some of these issues. It commissioned both a detailed survey of the Park’s aging trees and a detailed scope of work to address their ongoing needs. The recommendations for pruning and bracing have been accomplished, with funding from the Association and supervision by the Parks Department. Additional plans call for soil amendment and mulching, again to be supervised by the Parks staff. This extra effort will assure the community of a safe and enjoyable environment for decades to come.

This important work is underwritten by the community as are the supplies needed for the plantings and volunteer efforts throughout the year. Last weekend marked the start of spring and so we now ask that you consider giving the best gift you can to support these efforts. The Cobble Hill Tree Fund and a few generous residents have already begun lending financial support to help pay for both the current improvements and guarantee the park remains a cherished center of our community in the years ahead. We hope you will now join the cause too.

Please donate either on the web or by mail with the instructions below. Together we can speak for the trees in our own backyard.

DONATE on the web
- Enter your contribution via our membership form in the "Fund for Cobble Hill Park" category.

DONATE by mail
- Send a check to the address below with "Fund for Cobble Hill Park" in the memo.
Cobble Hill Association
P.O. Box 376
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Redesigning the Brooklyn Heights Library

Cobble Hill does not have its own library but instead relies on neighboring branches in Carroll Gardens and Brooklyn Heights. While Carroll Gardens continue to have wonderful programming, the Brooklyn Heights branch will soon be closed, redesigned, and built anew (with private housing built above). 

See below for a message from that branch inviting all to participate in conversations about the library's redesign.

The design process for the new Brooklyn Heights Branch Library will launch on Monday, March 23, with a community workshop at the branch, located at 280 Cadman Plaza West. We hope you will join us at 6:30 pm to share your thoughts on the features and services that should be included in the new library. We also hope that you will take a moment to complete this survey.

Brooklyn Heights Library is no longer able to meet the needs of the community it serves. The facility is plagued by more than $9.2 million in unfunded repairs. Its HVAC system is broken, resulting in unplanned closures and unreliable service for patrons. The building is poorly designed, with much of its space unavailable for public use.

Brooklyn Public Library is working with the Hudson Companies and Marvel Architects to redevelop the Cadman Plaza West site with a mixed-use building anchored by a state-of-the-art, 21,500-square-foot library. The new branch will be one of the largest in Brooklyn, offering more public space than the existing neighborhood branch. The project will create 114 units of affordable housing in Community Board 2 and generate $52 million, $40 million of which will be invested in repairs at branches throughout the borough, including Walt Whitman, Washington Irving and Pacific.

At last Monday’s Community Advisory Committee meeting, we presented more detailsabout the project, including a draft timeline. The Brooklyn Heights project will be subject to the City’s environmental review and land use process (ULURP), which requires the review of the Community Board, Borough President, City Planning Commission and the New York City Council. Construction is expected to commence in 2016.