A Moment In Time: Pushing Her Little Shopping Cart

She was pushing her shopping cart
slowly down President Street,
towards Smith.

She reminded me that I always wanted to replace mine,
which broke one day,
laden to the top with groceries
halfway to my house.

F.R.O.G.G. Honored By Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats

Friends And Residents Of Greater Gowanus a.k.a. FROGG, are being honored at the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats. Below is the information.

CBID'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY AWARDS DINNER

The progressive political dinner of all progressive political dinners!

Sunday, March 22nd

5 pm - Cocktails; 6 pm - Awards Dinner

The Montauk Club

Corner of 8th Avenue & Lincoln Place, Park Slope, Brooklyn

For more information, call Marty Bernstein at 718-788-8698 immediately or send an email to dinner@CBIDEMS.ORG

or click here: 2009 Annual Dinner Documents

To purchase tickets or ads via regular mail, send your full name, your address, your phone number and your email address (along with any relevant text) to

CBID's 40th Annual Dinner, c/o Marty Bernstein,

476 10th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Don't Think About Parking In This Driveway, Not Even For A Minute!

One Girl Cookies at 68 Dean Street

Driveway diagonally across the street

Just a warning, dear reader. Don't even think about pulling into this driveway if you are shopping at One Girl Cookies on Dean Street. Not even for a minute. Got that?


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L.I.C.H. To Host Educational Workshop Series On Diabetes

Photo Credit :Marc L. Photograph On Flickr.

Long Island College Hospital

Diabetes Alert – FREE Community Education Workshop Series

Diabetes is on the rise in the US, largely due to lifestyle choices. Long Island College Hospital (LICH) of Brooklyn, in conjunction with the Dodge YMCA at Atlantic Ave., is hosting a community education workshop series about diabetes. The sessions include use of medication, foot care, new technology, counting carbs, glucose monitoring, type “A” diabetes vs. type “B” and more. Registration is required, but the sessions are free to the community.

This free Community Education Workshop series is presented by Maura O’Malley ANP, BC-ADM, CDE a Diabetes Nurse Practitioner/Certified Diabetes Educator. This workshop will provide information about managing your or a loved ones Diabetes. Sign up for one session or all four, the choice is yours.

Week 1: 3/19/09: Overview of Diabetes, Type 1 vs Type 2; Use of Medication and Insulin; Low Blood Glucose; Home Blood Glucose Monitoring.

Week 2: 3/26/09: Diabetes & Nutrition: Eat Well and Know Your Carbohydrate Counts: What are Carbohydrates and Why Are They Important; Label Reading to Count Carbs (This sessions will include a Carbohydrate Gram Counting Booklet).

Week 3: 4/2/09: Foot Care; Exercise; Sick Day Rules; Coping Skills; Standards of Care for Risk Reduction.

Week 4: 4/9/09: Open to Topics as Directed by the Group; May Include Review of topics; new technology; Insulin Pumps, Continuous Blood Glucose Management.

WHEN:
Thursdays: March 19th, March 26th, April 2nd & April 9th

TIME: 6:30pm –8 pm,
community members may participate in any or all the workshops

WHERE:
Dodge YMCA
225 Atlantic Ave. (between Court St. and Boerum Place)

Pre-registration is required. To register, or for more information, please contact Sara Reyes – Dodge YMCA Membership Services@ 212-912-2421 or email SReyes@ymcanyc.org

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Picture Of The Day: Street Corner Tableau

Something struck me as very funny
about this Court Street tableau.

"No Standing Anytime,"
a pile of garbage
a parking meter
a newspaper dispenser
and...
a green balloon.

Need An Apartment? Look Up At This Brownstone Window

You see, dear Reader, it doesn't take much to open a real estate office. All you need is a sign, some index cards and a brownstone window. Oh, and maybe a phone.
Take Mr. Frank Valvo, Licenced Real Estate Broker, on Clinton Street, at the corner of Schermerhorn. He may not have a snazzy storefront, but he seems to have quite a few listings taped to this parlor floor window at 149 Clinton Street.
So next time you walk by, look up and check it out. He may just have the perfect pad for you.


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State Senator Squadron's Testimony On The Gowanus Rezoning

Dear Reader, I thought you may be interested to read the testimony of our Sate Senator Daniel Squadron before the Department of City Planning regarding the Draft Scope of Work for the Environmental Impact Study for the proposed Gowanus area rezoning.

State Senator Squadron's Testimony

This rezoning is only one piece of the puzzle. Consideration of this area along the Gowanus Canal should be part of a more comprehensive process that includes the vulnerable neighborhood of Carroll Gardens and goes as far as the Columbia Waterfront. This area -- from the canal to the waterfront -- is historically, architecturally and culturally connected. While I feel that expediency in the rezoning of each is positive, it is critical to understand the entire context; this process should include it all.

Additionally, I want to ensure that this rezoning is conducted responsibly. I support the creation and maintenance of mixed-use zoning along the Gowanus. The Gowanus has the potential to build on its manufacturing history with integrated and contextual residential, commercial and light manufacturing.

But it must be done right; I have a number of concerns.

The first of these is environmental. The Gowanus Canal and the land in the surrounding area are heavily polluted and we are long overdue for a thorough cleanup. We cannot move forward with development in this neighborhood without addressing the environmental realities of both the water and the land, and without plotting a clear path to cleaning the canal and the surrounding area. This includes addressing infrastructure problems such as the combined sewage overflows, which will only increase with new construction and habitation. As we continue to discuss how this community will develop, we cannot ignore these issues and we cannot delay our response.

The canal itself is the jewel of this area and will become even more of a resource when it is clean and properly maintained. Neighbors and community leaders have been fighting for a clean waterway for decades, and it is crucial that we work toward open and public access to the water for members of the local community. We must plan now for open space along the canal and within future developments. To that end, I applaud City Planning for the addition of a Waterway Access Plan to the draft scope. We cannot underestimate the importance of carving out clear and concrete open space requirements early on in this process. As we all know, it is easier to preserve open space we currently have than to reclaim it after development has gone up.

I am also encouraged by City Planning’s inclusion of affordable housing incentives. I am deeply committed to creating and preserving affordable housing in New York City, and the Gowanus corridor provides an opportunity to realize much-needed affordable and middle-class housing here in our community. One concern I have is that increased residential development in the neighborhood will further strain the capacity of local schools. With this proposed rezoning, the Department of City Planning estimates that over 3,200 residential units may be constructed by 2018. As we study the impacts of the proposed rezoning, I urge the Department of City Planning to consider carefully the impact on local school seats and the capacity of the schools, based on accurate assessments of the actual catchment areas of nearby schools.

Finally, as we move forward in this long process, I stand by my strong commitment to transparency and community input. The voices of those who already live and work along the Gowanus must be heard and their input considered. As a Carroll Gardens resident, I know how active and involved the community has been. As we work together, as agencies, elected officials and community leaders, we must remember the community's role in shaping the future of this neighborhood. Residents and community organizations have a wealth of knowledge and can give vital input about proposed plans for the neighborhood--I listen to them, and I hope you will too.

I look to City Planning as a partner in moving forward with an open, transparent process that includes ample dialogue with the local community -- and includes rezoning of surrounding areas as part of the same process or at the same time.

New Building At 311 Warren Street Didn't Look So Bad, Until.....

Once Upon A Time at 311 Warren Street / 180 Smith Street

311 Warren today

Where once there was a sweet little garden with a lovely dogwood tree, there is now a new buildings.

I had high hopes for the new construction at 311 Warren Street, I really did. The brick clad building didn't seem too out of scale with the rest of Smith Street and I loved the number of windows facing Warren. With a cornice, it could have looked downright contextual.

And then it happened! More steal and cinder blocks were added for additional floors, which makes the building tower over its 'neighbors.'
Too bad. Without the extra height, it wouldn't have been half bad.

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A Moment In Time: Crossing Clinton

Terribly fashionable
In little pink cowboy boots
and with a big red bow in her hair,
she scooted by me.
Her father was keeping an anxious eye on her,
till she had safely crossed the street.

A Report From Yesterday Afternoon's Gowanus Rezoning Public Scoping

Three Gowanus artists testifying

Buddy Scotto giving his usual Gowanus history lesson

I was able to attend the Gowanus Rezoning Public Scoping session yesterday afternoon at Brooklyn Borough Hall, and though I frankly did not want to sit through yet another hearing, I felt strongly that it was important to attend.
And I am glad I did.

A group of Gowanus artists spoke passionately about the need to protect studio spaces, reminding the Department of Planning that they have made the area their home for a very long time. (See the video below)

Architect John Hatheway urged DoP to limit the height of new development along the banks of the canal at 8 stories. The newly approved 12 story Toll Brothers' development should not be used as a benchmark according to Hatheway.

Amy Anderson, representing the New York Industrial Retention Network, made a convincing case for preserving the existing manufacturing community and existing jobs.
Below is an excerpt from her testimony.

The Gowanus area is a flourishing manufacturing community with potential to host additional companies seeking to do business in New York City. Small manufacturing businesses play a significant role in the health of the city's economy and are a pathway to sustainability. The manufacturing sector in particular provides employment to City residents with little to no formal education, offering a competitive wage and skill development opportunities. Existing manufacturing businesses in the Gowanus rezoning area already employ over 1,500 people with opportunity to grow.

There is little to no demand for housing in Sub Area A of the proposed plan and other land along Fourth Avenue, Atlantic Yards and elsewhere has yet to be built out. Recently, constructed co-ops and condos are sitting vacant. Further rezoning east of the Gowanus Canal may result in what is sometimes referred to as "planners blight" as it will encourage land speculation, increasing the costs of doing businesses and threatening the very livelihoods of thousands of residents.

There is however, tremendous need for industrial space as exhibited by the low vacancy rates throughout the city. The Mayor has repeatedly said that the City must diversify its economy and create green collar jobs. New York City remains a desirable city for seasoned and new niche businesses alike. It's close proximity to customer bases, transportation modes, and skilled workforce continues to retain and attract manufacturing companies. The investment the City will be making in retrofitting and weatherizing buildings, renewable energy, and in greening virtually every aspect of our City's systems creates the opportunity for business growth. Yet DCP has rezoned more than 20 million sq. ft. of industrial space over the past 5 years. Where does City Planning believe the new green businesses should go?

Gowanus Artists Testifying On Area Rezoning from Katia Kelly on Vimeo.

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Smith Street Expands Its Menu With Free Salsa Lessons

How about some Salsa with your ceviche? Salsa dancing, that is. Every Thursday, Coco Loco at 139 Smith Street, is offering free lessons. I guess in a recession, restaurants have to expand their repertoire to attract more customers.

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Help Make Carroll Park's 2009 Kids Concert Series A Reality

Simmi Degnemark

Dear Readers,

You remember how much fun was had by all last summer in Carroll Park during the Children's Concert series? Once a week, bands like Audra Rox, Lloyd Miller, Randy Kaplan, Uncle Rocks and Bari Koral Family Band came out to entertain the smallest Carroll Gardeners. And boy, did they have fun dancing to the music.

Carroll Gardener and mom Simmi Degnemark, and the The Committee To Improve Carroll Park would like to continue this wonderful event for all the children in the neighborhood. Simmi, one of the C.I.C.P. volunteer's, has selected the bands for a brand new season of music. There is just a very small glitch. In order to make this fun event a reality, the group needs sponsors who can help pay for the bands.
Sponsorship from local stores or businesses would be greatly appreciated as would contributions from individuals.

Won't you help make Carroll Park the coolest, most happening place this summer?
The little ones in the neighborhood will be ever so thankful.
If you would like to help, please contact friendsofcarrollpark@yahoo.com
Your contribution will be greatly appreciated.




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A Moment In Time: 3:20 Pm On Court Street

At 3:20 Pm
on Court Street
at the corner of Pacific,
they were chatting about
this and that,
happy that school was out.

Only One 'No' At Zoning And Franchises Sub-Committee Vote on Toll Brothers' Gowanus Project

Chair Tony Avella with colleagues

Councilwoman Melinda Katz
(texting during seession)

Councilwoman Baez and Councilman Seabrook
(more texting during session)

Toll V.P. David Von Spreckelsen with his team

As expected, the Toll Brothers' Gowanus Project was approved by a vote of 6 to 1 at the Zoning and Franchises Sub-Committee yesterday morning. The only 'no' vote came from Chairman Tony Avella, who stated that he was voting with the community members who had testified in front of him on Wednesday last week.

None of his colleagues had bothered to show up for that hearing, thereby missing the impassioned speeches by both Gowanus and Carroll Gardens residents, arguing that the site was too toxic and prone to flooding, the project too high and bulky and the affordable housing portion not guaranteed by the developer.
But none of this seemed to matter to any of the other Councilmembers. All they knew was that our Councilman Bill DeBlasio lent this project his "extreme support" as Councilwoman Katz reminded everyone. From the start, it felt as though the project was a done deal before the start of the U.L.U.R.P. process a year ago. After all, the Toll Brothers spent a sizable amount of money to lobby our elected officials.

Chair Tony Avella has won my gratitude and my admiration. He had asked the developer's representatives back a second time to clarify some issues regarding the environmental clean-up of the site. Avella also tried very hard to get a guarantee out of Toll Brothers' V.P. David Von Spreckelsen in regards to the affordable housing portion of the project. Unfortunately, he was not successful. But at least he tried to address the community's concerns, which is a lot more than can be said about Bill De Blasio.


Councilwoman Melinda Katz Explaining her 'yes' vote


Untitled from Katia Kelly on Vimeo.


Related reading:

Carroll Gardens And Gowanus Residents Showed Up To Testify, But Council Members Not There To Hear Them

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Gowanus Rezoning Public Scoping Meeting Today

Just as the U.L.U.R.P. process for the Toll Brothers' spot-rezoning along the Gowanus canal comes to a close, the general Gowanus Rezoning Public Scoping is starting.
Confused? Yes, so is everyone else.

Anyway, I hope you find the energy to attend. I know that it is tough to make time, but if we don't show up, we just give free rein to our politicians and to the developers.
Here is the link to the scoping document.

Below is the meeting information:

Gowanus Rezoning Public Scoping Meeting
March 10, 2009
Brooklyn Borough Hall
209 Joralemon Street
There are two sessions:
3:30 pm- 4:30pm
and
6:00pm-7:30pm

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Municipal Art Society Of New York Wonders If Gowanus Isn't A Better Place To Work Than To Live!

There is a great article posted on the Municipal Art Society Of New York's web page on the Gowanus Canal rezoning. I hope you take the time to read it.

Here is an excerpt from:

Businesses located within the Gowanus area support many jobs. The rezoning area alone employs 1,700 people in manufacturing and industrial businesses that make the Gowanus their home. The rezoning is taking place in the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Area, a district created by the City to “foster high-performing business districts by creating competitive advantages over locating in areas outside of New York City.” These businesses appreciate the relative isolation in which they operate in the Gowanus as well as the ready access they have to major transportation routes. The Gowanus Canal is also an integral part of this system, and continued barging on the Gowanus helps us reduce our carbon footprint by eliminating the equivalent of over two-hundred thousand truck trips from our streets and highways.

MAS’ concern is that the City’s plan provides incentives to build eight to twelve story buildings along the northern portion of the Canal. But, is this a good place to allow mid-to high-density residential development?

The area lies in a flood plain, and locals who walk or bike across the canal are often met by the putrid odors rising from the canal due to the lack of adequate storm-water and sewage infrastructure. If it rains, the situation becomes even more dismal as the area’s streets become flooded by water contaminated by raw sewage. The Gowanus Canal has also been the site of intensive industrial activity for over 150 years, and those businesses left behind petroleum and other environmental contaminants that pose serious health risks.

continue reading :Gowanus, A Great Place To Work, But To Live?

(The Municipal Art Society Of New York)

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Picture Of The Day: Church And Rectory

On the corner of President, near Court Street,
I stopped to capture the blue of the sky,
the bare branches of the birch,
the red brick wall of the church
and the ornateness of the old rectory.

For a moment, I forgot I was in Carroll Gardens.

Back In The Days: New York Harbor In 1899

You have to admit, dear Reader, this is a cool photo taken in 1899 in New York Harbor. Sailboats in the foreground with the Brooklyn Bridge in the back...makes you want to be able to travel back in time, no?

C.G.N.A. March General Meeting Tonight

CARROLL GARDENS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

March General Meeting

Monday, March 9, 2009
7:30 PM - 9:00PM
342 Smith St.
(GYM at the Hannah Senesh Community Day School
(between 1st and 2nd Places)

Bon Appetit (Or Maybe Not) On Smith Street

Just one of these typical Brooklyn moments:
While diners enjoy their first alfresco meal of the year on Smith Street,
just feet away,
a dog takes care of his business.
Bon appetit.

Mercury, Lead And Arsenic, To Name Just A Few Contaminents At Toll Brothers Gowanus Site

The ULURP process for the Toll Brothers' Gowanus project is fast coming to an end. Today, the members of the City Council's Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee will vote on the project before it moved on to the Land Use Committee and then to the full City Council.
The Zoning and Franchises vote should have taken place last Wednesday, but only the chairperson, Tony Avella, was present for the public hearing, so the matter was tabled.
Without having listened to one testimony from the community, the sub-committee members will make a decision which will change our neighborhood forever. Most likely, they will defer to our local Councilman Bill DeBlasio, who has been a cheerleader for the project all along.
DeBlasio is confident that the heavily polluted site can and will be cleaned up to make it habitable for hundreds of new residents.

Below is a report prepared by the Environmental Liability Management Of New York, L.L.C. in 2005 on 363 Bond Street, the Toll Brothers site. It was sent to me by a reader who obviously shares the concerns of many Gowanus and Carroll Gardens residents.
Pretty scary stuff...wouldn't you agree?

Toll Brother’s, May 31, 2005, PHASE II INVESTIGATION REPORT 363 Bond Street,
Prepared by: Environmental Liability Management of New York, LLC.

"On April 15, April 20 and 21 and on April 28, 2005, ELM conducted the Phase II Investigation activities, which consisted of the advancement of ten (10) soil borings, five (5) of which were completed as ground water monitoring wells.

Evidence of petroleum contamination (odors, staining or elevated photoionization detector [PID] readings) was noted in all ten soil borings/ground water monitoring wells installed during this investigation. Soil was noted to be saturated with product in two boring locations: MW-5 and SB-1. Additionally, free product was encountered in two monitoring wells: MW-3 and MW-5; however, no free product was noted in the soil samples collected from MW-3.

Elevated concentrations of VOCs, above New York State Department of Environmental Conservation [NYS DEC] Technical and Administrative Guidance Memorandum 4046 [TAGM 4046] Recommended Soil Cleanup Objectives [RSCO5]) were noted in soil in five sampling locations: MW-3, MW-5, SB-1, SB-3 and SB-4. …….

SVOCs were detected in soil at concentrations atypical of urban fill material in 6 boring locations: MW-2, MW-5, SB-1, SB-3, SB-4 and SB-S. One or more soil samples collected from each of these boring locations contained concentrations of total SVOCs above 100,000 ppb. Samples from two of the locations, MW-S and SB-1, contained concentrations of total SVOCs above 500,000 ppb, which is the TAGM 4046 RSCO for total SVOCs.

Pesticides were detected in soil above TAGM 4046 RSCOs in two boring locations: MW-2 and MW-5. Pesticides were also detected in ground water above Class GA Standards in MW-5.

Metals were detected in soil above TAGM 4046 RSCOs in all 20 soil samples collected. …. Mercury was detected at concentrations one order of magnitude greater than the TAGM 4046 RSCO of 0.1 ppm in soil collected from five boring locations: MW-2, MW-4, MW-5, SB-1 and SB-5. ….Lead was detected in soil at concentrations exceeding the upper limit of the average background level in metropolitan areas in one or more samples … Arsenic and lead were detected at concentrations above their respective Class GA concentrations in ground water collected from monitoring well MW-5." |elm|

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