Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6 
  December 2013, Vol 4, issue 10            
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Welcome to The Sixth Sense - the monthly email newsletter of Brooklyn Community Board 6, serving the neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens/South Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Columbia Street Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope and Red Hook.  

 

 

The winter solstice is nearly upon us. My favorite time of year. The tipping point, which marks the transition from shorter days to longer days. The longest night of the year. Nature has completed another cycle. And this time of year people choose to celebrate in all sorts of ways. Including not celebrating. That's a choice too.

We are so fortunate to live and work in a district with such a rich diversity of people and ideas. Where some old-fashioned notion of neighborhood still resonates strongly, even as we consider the bright and promising future of our communities. Where there's room enough for old-timers, newcomers, and folks who are somewhere in-between. After all, really, aren't we all somewhere in-between?


Our neighborhood civic and merchant groups continue to thrive as newcomers join old-timers to become part of the engine that drives local community engagement. Just look at all of the opportunities to get together as a community to celebrate together - whether it's at our annual Brooklyn CB6 Holiday Party (please come, or consider making a year-end donation to our non-profit organization), or any of the many other warm and wonderful local events listed below.
 

One of my favorite holiday traditions is to attend the annual Paul Winter Consort's Winter Solstice Concert to enjoy hauntingly beautiful world music, heightened by a majestic setting, complete with a warm sense of renewed faith in spirituality and humanity. I'm so grateful for another chance to howl at the moon together. Arooo!

 

So happy everything, merry you-know-what and welcome back, Mr. Sun.  See you on the other side!
 
  
Get involved. Stay active. It's our community!

 

  
Enjoy our newsletter and please let us know what you would like to see in future editions.
     
P.S. If you like what you see here, please use the "Forward email to a friend" link at the bottom of the page to pass this email along to a friend or two.  There are over 104,000 residents and thousands of businesses in our district.  We'd love it if they would all sign up! Click here for links to archived newsletters.
Boro Taxis are Here, Looking for Stands 
The City's Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) rolled out the new Boro Taxi program this past summer. You may have noticed the apple green cabs cruising our streets. Thousands of these Street Hail Livery cabs have been licensed to serve areas of New York not commonly served by the yellow medallion taxis.
  
Boro Taxi drivers can now pick up passengers from Northern Manhattan and the other four boroughs. All boro taxis are consistent in color, have a debit/credit card reader, meter, roof light and a camera or a partition. The rate is the same as the yellow cabs. And they even have GPS devices so lost property can be more easily found.
  
TLC is now looking for suggestions for taxi stands and they've enlisted our friends at OpenPlans to create a crowdsourcing tool to solicit ideas from the public. Got an idea for a stand? Pass your idea along to the TLC directly.
  Things To Do Around the District  
   

Crafted at the Canal 2012. Photo by reclaimedhome
  

Tuesday, December 3, 6pm-8pm, Atlantic Avenue Tree Lighting at Belarusian Church, 401 Atlantic Avenue (at Bond Street) officiated by Councilman Stephen Levin. In the Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation's (AALDC) efforts to provide cultural enrichment to the local community, this event is free and open to the public.

  

Tuesday, December 3, 6:30pm-8:30 pm, Park Slope Neighbors, Park Slope Civic Council, and Park Slope Parents are hosting a Neighborhood Forum on Street Safety in Park Slope. The meeting will focus on how we can improve street safety from enforcement to engineering to education. Department of Transportation and the 78th Precinct will be attending.  Location: Park Slope United Methodist Church, 410 6th Avenue at 8th Street. 

  

Wednesday-Sunday, December 4-8 & 11-15, 8:00 pm 

A Christmas Carol live radio play, produced by

Smith Street Stage

  

Friday, December 6, 6pm, Join the Court Street Merchants Association and the Friends of Carroll Park  for the Carroll Park Treelighting.  Come to the Court Street end of the Valentino Ballfield to gather for the annual holiday tree lighting.  Party at the park house to follow!

 

Friday, December 6, 5-9pm & Saturday, December 7, 10am-5pm. Crafted at the Canal - Reuse Themed Holiday Market!  BIG!NYC Gowanus. Free to attend! Location:Build It Green!NYC Gowanus, 69 9th Street.

 

Saturday, December 7, 10am-4pm, Lower East Side Ecology Center's e-waste Recycling Event sponsored by PS321 & PS321 PTA. Drop-off out your electronic waste to PS321, 7th Avenue between 1st/2nd Streets. 

 

Saturday, December 7, 2pm, The The Municipal Art Society of New York presents the walking tour: Churches of Cobble Hill: The Here, The Now, The Long Gone The Forgotten. In this part of what was once known as "the City of Churches," some houses of worship remain functioning while others remain only in form. Join tour guide Mary Ann DiNapoli to learn about the churches that are or once were in this picturesque landmarked district. $20. Buy tickets here.

Saturday December 7, 12-6pm. The 2013 Brooklyn Holiday Book Fair at The Old Stone House. Rare, vintage and out-of-print books, maps, prints and ephemera from independent booksellers from all over Brooklyn. Jump-start your holiday shopping and be surprised by books you didn't even know you wanted. Reading at 3:30pm. Admission is free. Drinks and refreshments will be available. Location: 336 Third Street between 4th and 5th Avenues.

Sunday, December 8, 11am-4pm, Eat Pie and Shop Cobble Hill's PS 29  fifth annual "Eat Pie and Shop" will include a Holiday Gift Fair, Pie Social and celebrity-judged baking contest with proceeds benefiting the local school's PTA funded arts and enrichment programs.  PS 29, 425 Henry Street.

 

Tuesday December 10, 5:30pm Brooklyn Borough Hall Christmas Tree Lighting. Holiday refreshments and musical performances. Location: Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street.

Monday December 9th, 2013 6:30-8:30 pmBridging Gowanus First in a series of public meetings to develop a neighborhood framework for the infrastructure and land use plan needed for a safe, vibrant and sustainable Gowanus. Your input is needed. Location: PS 372-The Children's School at 512 Carroll Street.

Tuesday, December 10, 7-8:30pm. Park Slope Women's Shelter 17th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. All of our friends and neighbors are welcome to join CAMBA for cookies, hot cocoa, music and spectacular lights. Call 718.369.7226 for additional information and to RSVP.Location: 1402 8th Ave (between 14th/15th Streets).

Wednesday, December 11, 6:30-9pm   Gowanus Canal Conservancy's Urban Ecology Lecture: Mannahatta 2409: Crowd-Sourcing Designs for a Sustainable and Resilient City. Dr. Eric Sanderson is a Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society. Location: Gowanus Studio Space, 166 7th Street, between 2nd/3rd Avenues. *There is a $5 suggested donation

Friday, December 13, 6pm-7:30pm The Carroll Gardens Association and the Columbia Waterfront District Merchants Association presents the 7th Annual Columbia Waterfront District Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Human Compass Garden on the corner of Columbia and Sackett Street. Toy Drive: Accepting toy donations until Thursday, December 12. Please drop-off your new, unwrapped toys at: Carroll Gardens Association, Inc. 201 Columbia Street (between Sackett and Degraw Streets) Monday-Friday 9-5 and, House of Pizza and Calzone 132 Union Street (between Hicks and Columbia Street),Saturday-Sunday. 

Saturday, December 14, 7pm Jingle Bell Jamboree. Appearing in the 2013 Jamboree: The Brooklyn Community Chorus, MS 51 Show Choir, Mark Morris Student Dance Group, Purelements: An evolution in Dance Jr. Company.
Location:Congregation Beth Elohim, 8th Ave and Garfield Place. 

Sunday, December 22, 11am-3pm ¡Composting Gowanus! December Windrow Build with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. We will incorporate our monthly 10,000 lbs of food-scraps from GrowNYC into our December compost windrow. Join us for some good old compost fun! We will be using pitchforks to "turn" a compost windrow. Times are subject to change, contact: volunteer@gowanuscanalconservancy.org. Please dress appropriately with closed-toed shoes, work clothes, and sunscreen. These events are open to volunteers of all ages. Those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Location: Salt Lot, 2 Second Ave, Brooklyn (between 5th St and the Gowanus Canal)

 

 

 

Tuesday, December 17th, 6:00pm to 9:00pm

The Red Rose Restaurant

315 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Tickets: sliding scale: $40-100+, based on your ability to give.

 

Ticket price entitles you to a delicious meal, dessert, beer, wine, unlimited laughs and cheer.

 

Tickets may be purchased in advance by sending a check made out to: Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, 250 Baltic Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201-6401.

 

All are invited!  Everyone is welcome!

 

Co-sponsors of the party include (list in formation):




"Core of the Apple" Awards 

 

(pictured left-to-right, Brookyn CB6 District Manager Craig Hammerman, Chair Daniel Kummer, former DSNY Super James Proscia, Deputy Inspector Jeffrey Schiff, and Assistant District Manager Leroy Branch.) 

 

At its November 13 general meeting Brooklyn CB6 Chairperson Daniel Kummer presented former Sanitation BK6 District Superintendent James Proscia and former 76th Precinct Commanding Officer Deputy Inspector Jeffrey Schiff with the Brooklyn CB6 "Core of the Apple" award for service above and beyond the ordinary in their respective capacities as local service chiefs. In addition to their professionalism, commitment and innovation, both were also instrumental in assisting during and after Hurricane Sandy, over a year ago.

 

On behalf of a grateful community, we salute you!

Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Inc. (Federal EIN 04-3780020) was established in 2003 to support the work of Brooklyn Community Board 6 in improving the quality of life in the district.  Friends seeks to provide planning, advocacy, research and administrative resources to supplement the limited capacities and budget of the Community Board, thus enabling it to properly carry out its City Charter mandated tasks of evaluating the needs of the district and advocating on behalf of its communities.
 
Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Donations are welcome and are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
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In This Issue
* Boro Taxis are Here
* Things To Do
* Annual Holiday Party
* "Core of the Apple" Awards
* For the next meeting
* Good & Welfare
* Quick Clicks
Next General Board Meeting
photo by Bryan Bruchman
6:30pm, December 11th
Brooklyn Borough Hall, Court Room
 
209 Joralemon Street(Court/Montague Streets)   
Brooklyn, NY 11201
  
(Board members are encouraged to supply corrections to minutes.)

All posted Community Board meetings (general, committee, informational, etc.) are open to the public; however, participation may be limited.

Contact the district office for further clarification.
Quick Links
 

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Who's Who at Brooklyn CB6
CB6 2013 Officers:
● Daniel M. Kummer,
Chairperson
● Thomas Miskel,
First Vice Chairperson
● Lou Sones,
Second Vice Chairperson
● Gary Reilly,
Treasurer
● Elizabeth Shipley,
Secretary

CB6 Committee Chairs:
● Richard Bashner,
Waterfront/Community Development
● Paige Bellenbaum,
Human Services, Co-Chair 
● James Bernard,
Youth Services 
● Norman Cox,
Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs, Co-Chair
● Peter Fleming,
Land Use; Elections 
● Glenn Kelly,
Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs, Co-Chair
● Mark Kolman,
Education, Co-Chair
● Ariel Krasnow,
Housing
● Daniel M. Kummer,
Executive
● Robert Levine,
Landmarks 
● Sayar Lonial,
Transportation, Co-Chair  
● Rick Luftglass,
Budget; Economic Development 
● Thomas Miskel,
Transportation, Co-Chair
● Gary Reilly,
Finance/Personnel & Law; Permits & Licenses
● Mark C. Shames,
Environmental Protection 
● Matthew Silverman,
Public Safety
● Benjamin Solotaire, 
Human Services, Co-Chair
● Suzanne Turet,
Education, Co-Chair 

District Office Staff:
● Craig Hammerman,
District Manager
● LeRoy P. Branch, Jr.
Assistant District Manager 
● Liza Santiago-Sierra,
Community Associate 
● Sarah N. Phillips,
Special Projects Coordinator
● Helena Miskel,
Office Volunteer
● Mia Brezin, 
Planning Fellow
 
Newsletter Production:    

● Craig Hammerman,

Editor
Sarah N. Phillips,
Contributor
GOOD AND WELFARE  
Congratulations to Added Value's Ian Marvy who was honored by The Rockefeller Foundation on November 14 as this year's recipient of their very prestigious Jane Jacobs Medal awarded for New Ideas and Activism. Way to go, Ian!

Congratulations to the Red Hook Boaters for receiving the "Golden Trowel Award" from Partnershp for Parks at a November 16 ceremony for their superb park activism.
 
Congratulations to our own Public Safety Committee Chair Matthew Silverman and wife Rachel who gave birth to Adam Jay Silverman on November 24, just in time for the holidays!
 
We wish a full and speedy recovery to our Planning Fellow Mia Brezin who was severely injured when she was struck on her bicycle by a gypsy cab van several weeks ago. All healing energies welcome.
QUICK CLICKS

Have an innovative idea to conserve or recycle water? Enter the Citizens Committee #ConserveH2O contest and you or your group could win $5,000 to implement your idea. Enter by December 31st.

 

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation has posted information on their website for remedial sites that was not previously available. Want to research a site history? Now you can.

 

Did you know we maintain a Facebook page and send out tweets too? For those in-between announcements, when it just can't wait for our next issue...

 

Like us on Facebook at BrooklynCB6

Follow us on Twitter @BrookynCB6