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Reminder: Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation Meeting Monday at Noon (12/5)

Homer Fink — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:11:21 +0000

No word yet on whether the 7 hotel/housing schemes proposed for Brooklyn Bridge Park with be on the BBPC’s meeting Monday (12/5) afternoon but it would be totally bananas if it wasn’t on the agenda.

The meeting is open to the public and while they may or may not be taking questions, if you’re a fan/not a fan of those proposals or other issues regarding the park it’s a good idea to show up.

The meeting will be held at “approximately” 12:00 PM, at the Corporation’s offices at 334 Furman Street (at Joralemon Street).

Read more about the hotel/housing proposals here.

Here’s the “anticipated” agenda in PDF form. (Thanks Matt Parker for the link)

Hotel/Housing Design Proposals Revealed for Brooklyn Bridge Park

Matthew Parker — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:22:13 +0000

Last night at Borough Hall, Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC) representatives publicly revealed seven responses to the previously announced Request for Proposals (RFP) for a developer to build and operate a hotel and market priced residential housing on two reserved development parcels in Brooklyn Bridge Park near Pier 1. Representatives presented slide visuals to the general public, the BBP Citizens Advisory Council, and Community Board 2 Parks Committee members. Following the presentation there was a question and comments period.

The BBPDC slide presentation provides renderings of each developer’s proposal. Click to view the presentation (PDF/40mg).

The selection process now enters a month-long public comment period. What do you think about the proposals? Applause, criticism, favorite designs? The public is welcome to submit comments. And of course let’s also hear what everyone thinks through BHB comments below.

The Brooklyn Paper also has an article about last night’s meeting and development presentation.

Nobody Cry When Jaws Die, Everybody Cry When Indoor Soccer Field Dies at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Homer Fink — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:01:18 +0000

The Brooklyn Paper reports on the death of the Brooklyn Bridge Park planned indoor soccer field bubble thingy. For some reason all we can think of is John Belushi as Dino De Laurentis declaring that “no one cries when Jaws die…”:

Brooklyn Paper: Brooklyn Bridge Park won’t get its much-touted indoor soccer field because the city failed to attract developers for it — prompting locals to slam the city for deliberately bursting the recreational bubble.

On Thursday, park officials quietly announced that they received no offers to develop the site — and wouldn’t continue seeking offers to construct and operate a seasonal facility on Pier 5, despite assurances from local pols that the winter-proof field would be up and running by the end of 2012.

“This was designed to fail,” said Roy Sloane, president of the Cobble Hill Association. “[Under city rules], developers would have to put in a lot of money, have it open only four months a year, and charge very reasonable prices. Did that sound like something the city was serious about?”

East River Flowing into Brooklyn Bridge Park

Homer Fink — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:21:41 +0000

Hurricane #Irene’s “wrath” has caused the East River to overflow onto Piers 4 and 5 of Brooklyn Bridge Park as this BHB reader photo from “Owen” shows. Residents of One Brooklyn Bridge Park, between Piers 5 and 6, were asked to evacuate as it falls in one of the city’s most flood prone areas, Zone A.

Meanwhile Tumblr user Jonathan Segura notes that flooding has begun at the park entrance in DUMBO. Well, it’s more like a photo op for some:

Photo: Jonathan Segura via Tumblr

[via DUMBONYC]

Brooklyn Bridge Park to Close at Noon on Saturday

Homer Fink — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:58:17 +0000

This just in from Brooklyn Bridge Park:

Brooklyn Bridge Park will close at 12:00pm on Saturday, August 27.

The park is within Zone A evacuation area and will be closed for public safety from 12:00pm on Saturday, August 27, until further notice.

All programs and events scheduled during this time are cancelled.

For more information, please call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov.

Brooklyn Heights in the Path of Hurricane Irene

Chris — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:02:32 +0000

It’s still three days away, and the path it follows changes continually, but the current (Thursday afternoon) “center” track of Hurricane Irene is now projected to pass through Brooklyn and Manhattan, and the eye could potentially go right over the Brooklyn Heights Area. The current expectation is that the Hurricane (it may be a less-powerful tropical storm by the time it gets here) will arrive sometime on Sunday, but the initial impact of wind and rain could hit the neighborhood earlier. The NYC Office of Emergency Management has announced that it will decide shortly whether to call for evacuations of low-lying areas prone to flooding, including One Brooklyn Bridge Park, Fulton Ferry, DUMBO and Vinegar Hill (the orange, yellow and green bands on the map show potential flood areas based on an increasingly strong storm impact; NYC Technical College and Brooklyn Tech HS have been identified as potential evacuation sites).

Residents in the path of a hurricane or tropical storm should be prepared to either evacuate or shelter in place at home or in designated shelters, with adequate food, water, batteries for flashlights and radios, and other necessary supplies. Information on preparing for a hurricane is available at OEM’s website. Information on the status of the hurricane will also be posted on the Brooklyn CB2 CERT Team website.

Check to FEMA Flood Zone Map to see if how at risk your block is here.

NYS Senator Daniel Squadron offers Hurricane Irene related links here.

Coming Soon: Hotel And Housing Proposals for Brooklyn Bridge Park

Qfwfq — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:14:10 +0000

While attention has been focused on the St. Ann’s Tobacco Warehouse saga, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation announced at a meeting yesterday that they will be issuing by the end of August a “Request For Proposal” for the hotel and residential housing buildings across from Pier 1. According to the Brooklyn Eagle:

Two buildings — the larger, northern one with hotel rooms, a restaurant, housing units and parking; the smaller, southern one with housing units and parking — will be built in a currently fallow area between the bike/walking path and Furman Street. The first, “Building A,” will be 100 feet high, and the second, “Building B,” will be 55 feet high.

The plan will contain 300 parking spaces, 170 to 225 hotel rooms, 150 to 180 housing units and 300 parking spaces. Among the criteria to be used in choosing designs are street trees, signage, sustainability and how the plan fits in with the surrounding area.

The BBPC cited the “economic recovery” as a reason to build — hotel occupancy increased from 81 percent in 2009 to 85 percent in 2010, and the average rate per room went up as well.

During the “Q&A” phase of the meeting, though, Judi Francis of the BBP Defense Fund expressed her opinion that the BBPC’s economic evaluation of the housing situation was unrealistic. “Fifty percent of the units at 360 Furman Street are still unsold”.

Also during the meeting, the BBPC board approved the licensing agreement with Jane’s Carousel. The Brooklyn Eagle described the approval as being “amid enthusiasm”, which leads me to put this question to you, our reading audience: Am I the only one who thinks Jane’s Carousel is gaudy and ugly as sin?

Floating Pool Scheme for Brooklyn Bridge Park Gaining Traction

Homer Fink — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:17:59 +0000

A proposal to build a permanent floating pool is gaining traction as its designers attempt to raise funds, via Kickstarter, to test filtration methods needed to build the project. Watch their pitch video after the jump.

Brooklyn Eagle: Dong-Ping Wong from the firm Family New York, and Archie Lee Coates IV and Jeffrey Franklin of PlayLab thought of the idea during last year’s blazing hot summer. They collaborated with engineering firm Arup New York to design the pool, which they call “+Pool.” ….

This is not as easy as it sounds because different cleanliness standards exist — one for natural swimming areas like beaches, and a stricter standard for public swimming pools. +Pool falls into a new, never-before regulated area because it is basically a floating “giant strainer” dropped into the river, Wong said. Water filtration membranes are built into the walls of the pool to filter contaminated river water into clean, swimmable pool water.

As part of the testing phase, the team has launched a Kickstarter (a popular fundraising site) web page to raise the money needed to build and test a model of the filtration method. +Pool’s designers are asking the public to pledge $25,000 by Friday, July 15. By last Thursday, roughly 80 backers had kicked in $7,000. Just one day later, more than $10,000 had been raised, donated by 185 backers.

“We’re excited at the reception this idea has gotten from the public, engineers and organizations. It’s very rare — the pool has generated its own interest from the ground up,” Wong said.

Upcoming Events at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Claude Scales — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:28:53 +0000

More stargazing; crafts; a show featuring puppets, banners and music; and lots of fitness classes and activities are planned for this summer at Brooklyn Bridge Park. All of these events and classes are free. Details after the jump.

Stargazing: Members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York will be setting up their telescopes along the Pier 1 promenade this Thursday evening, June 16, from 8:30 to 10:30, and at the same time on the two successive Thursdays, June 23 and 30. Your correspondent attended an AAA viewing session on Pier 1 last summer, and saw some impressive sights. The AAA will also have viewing events on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, near the foot of Montague Street, on the first Wednesday of each month (July 6, August 3, September 7, and October 5), from dusk to 10:00 p.m., for the next four months. All dates and times for AAA events are weather permitting.

Crafts: Also this Thursday, June 16, from 4;00 to 8:00 p.m. on Pier 1 (you may stick around for stargazing if you wish) DUMBO based on-line craft marketing giant Etsy and the Church of Craft are sponsoring an open air (in case of rain, the event will be held at Etsy Labs, 55 Washington Street #712, in DUMBO) craft event.

Craft experts will be available to help with any projects you choose to bring. There will also be two crafts available for everyone: making a mystery bracelet and/or a mini-weaving!

Bring along any project and snacks suitable for the outdoors, and we’ll craft in the late afternoon sun to the tune of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge, and passing clouds.

Puppets, etc.: This coming Sunday, June 19, from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m, Pier 1 will be the venue for a free opening performance of Banners & Cranks: a cantastoria festival

Pre-cinematic technology takes over HERE for a week of contemporary cantastoria, cooked up by puppeteers, artists and craftspeople from across the country. A millennium-old art form is rejuvenated and re-imagined, as performers animate paintings and banners alongside texts, puppets, jokes, songs and stories.

Each unique program features several original shorts on a given theme, and the festival kicks off with a FREE opening celebration, presented by Great Small Works at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, featuring cantastoria and cranky performances by 15 different theater artists and live music by The Greatest Smallest Band. Bring a picnic and the whole family. In case of rain shows will take place in the Tobacco Warehouse Tent on Water Street.

Fitness: The following classes are scheduled:

Pilates with the Fitness Guru
Tuesdays, June 7-September 13, 7:00pm
Sunset Pilates: Intermediate
Thursdays, June 16-August 11, 7:00pm
Belly Dance with Dodge YMCA
Fridays, July 1-July 29, 7:00pm
Zumba© with Dodge YMCA
Sundays, July 10-August 28, 4:00pm
Gentle Stretch with Dodge YMCA
Mondays, July 11-August 29, 10:00am
Hip Hop Dance Aerobics with Dodge YMCA
Fridays, August 5-August 26, 7:00pm

Classes take place on Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, except Sunset Pilates on Pier 6. Limited mats are available for Pilates with the Fitness Guru and Gentle Stretch classes. Sunset Pilates students should bring a mat and a Dynaband.

Bhangra Dance Party Video from Brooklyn Bridge Park

Homer Fink — Fri, 27 May 2011 12:55:37 +0000

Red Baraat and DJ Rekha performed last night in the final event in the Dance Brooklyn series sponsored by BRIC Arts Media and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. Karl Junkersfeld was there, cam in hand, and it looked like a great time. Sure the sound may have bothered some folks along Columbia Heights, we just hoped they called this 5-0 instead of the local po-po. Video after the jump.

Another Volunteer Opportunity: Count Traffic, Advance the Greenway

Claude Scales — Wed, 11 May 2011 04:51:34 +0000

Brooklyn Bridge Park is asking for volunteers to do one hour shifts this Thursday, May 12 and Saturday, May 14, counting bikers, runners and pedestrians using the path that links Pier 1 to Pier 6, which will eventually be part of a much longer path connecting the waterfront from Greenpoint to Sunset Park, the “Greenway.” Volunteers will be stationed at either Pier 1 or Pier 6 for shifts lasting from 8:00-9:00 a.m., 12:00-1:00 p.m., and 6:00-7:00 p.m. You need not volunteer for both days. If you are interested, please contact Leigh at ltrucks@bbpnyc.org or (718) 222-9935 for details.

Park Footbridge Will Cost $4.9 Million

Homer Fink — Fri, 06 May 2011 02:49:53 +0000

Designer Ted Zoli’s wooden bridge connecting Squibb Park to Brooklyn Bridge Park will cost $4.9 million to construct:

Brooklyn Paper: The new plans come after a bumpy battle for funding. In 2009, Mayor Bloomberg trimmed $8 million from Brooklyn Bridge Park’s construction budget, killing the footbridge.

But the following year, the City Council and Borough President Markowitz allocated enough money for the footbridge, which is scheduled to open next summer.

Regina Myer, president of Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, is happy they did.

“It is a spectacular new park amenity,” she said.

Is the Eagle Hell-Bent on Trashing the BHA over Tobacco Warehouse?

Homer Fink — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:50:29 +0000

The Brooklyn Heights Association’s involvement in a lawsuit over the re-designation of the Tobacco Warehouse, seems to have the folks at the Brooklyn Eagle in a tizzy. Dare we say that they’re taking sides?

Yes we will.

Earlier this week it amped up prominent resident Bo Rodgers’ letter to the Heights Press opposing the lawsuit to Sermon on the Mount status. Sounding like Johnny Mathis meets Robert Moses, Rodgers opines that the plan for St. Ann’s Warehouse to take over the TW is a “wonderful, wonderful use of that space.”

Meanwhile, Columnist Denis Holt attacks the essence of the lawsuit:

The BHA and others should note that the process for determining a new use for the warehouse — a cultural and community center — was very much a public process. And it should be remembered that there are even more public reviews before a lease can be granted to St. Ann’s Warehouse sometime this summer.

While Eagle columnist Henrik Krogius uses an otherwise thought-provoking and informative piece on preservation vs. innovation to sideswipe the BHA’s TW lawsuit:

The current furor over the lawsuits to block planned re-use of the Tobacco Warehouse, growing out of more than two decades of often-frustrated efforts by the BHA to control what happens in DUMBO, reflects the ill will the BHA can provoke in trying to push its influence beyond the Heights borders. However, the main focus of this commentary is on the approach taken toward development within the Heights itself.

After the landmarking of 1965 set in, the BHA was initially open to contemporary design solutions for what might yet be built within the district’s essentially built-up acreage, notably in its encouragement to Jehovah’s Witnesses to employ a modern architect for a new library and dormitory on the southeast corner of Columbia Heights and Pineapple Street. That striking example, by Ulrich Franzen, has not been matched in design interest by much else, other than the three “in-fill” houses of 1965-65 by Joseph and Mary Merz on Willow Place. The relatively few opportunities for new buildings within the Historic District in the past two decades have resulted at best in bland compromises between older forms and the possibilities offered by glass and steel. At worst we have gotten silly echoes of the 19th-century “carriage house” style.

Are the opponents of the Tobacco Warehouse scheme making their point clearly? Is their narrative of a shell-game being played with public land ringing true?

Are the proponents of the plan allowing themselves to get caught up in the “end justifying the means” while ignoring what some think is a shady deal?

Much Ado About Something – 3 BHA Members Quit Over Tobacco Warehouse Suit

Homer Fink — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 04:24:52 +0000

The Brookly Eagle reports that 3 prominent members of the Brooklyn Heights Association have resigned in a dispute over the organization’s lawsuit to prevent the takeover and conversion of the Tobacco Warehouse by arts group St. Ann’s Warehouse.

The trio of dissenters – former president David Offensend and former governors Hank Gutman and Joanne Witty. All three are currently on the board of directors of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation.

Brooklyn Eagle: Jane McGroarty, president of the Brooklyn Heights Association, said in a statement, “The BHA regrets the resignation of its former board members, who represented Brooklyn Heights for many years during the planning process for Brooklyn Bridge Park. We also wish to be very clear that we do not believe that the members of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation board knew of the state’s [alleged] misrepresentations.” The statement stressed the BHA’s opposition to “the removal from the public domain of a beautiful place in Brooklyn Bridge Park.” It added, “There is no glossing over that fact.”

Expanded Ferry Service to Fulton Landing and Pier 6 to Start in June

Claude Scales — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:52:16 +0000

Starting this June, there will be year-round, every day ferry service connecting Fulton Landing, at the foot of Old Fulton Street, and other points in Brooklyn and Queens, with downtown and midtown Manhattan. During the summer this service will be extended to Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6, near the foot of Atlantic Avenue.

New York Times: For all their dominance on Staten Island, ferries have long struggled to muscle their way into the city’s mass transit mainstream. Experiments in Queens and Brooklyn have been held back by infrequent service, outsize operating costs and low ridership.
…
Under the plan, to be announced on Wednesday, ferries will travel along a seven-stop route that stretches from Long Island City, Queens, to the Fulton Ferry landing by the Brooklyn Bridge, and includes Manhattan terminals at Pier 11 in the financial district and East 34th Street. During peak hours, boats will arrive at each stop every 20 minutes and travel in both directions.

According to the Times article, the city has committed to subsidize the service for a minimum of three years. The fare between Fulton Ferry or Pier 6 and downtown Manhattan will be $3.00; to or from midtown it will be $5.50. See the linked Times article for a map of the service.

BBP Advisory Council Meeting Rescheduled

Chris — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:37:50 +0000

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Advisory Council will hold its second meeting next Tuesday (1/11) at 6:00pm at St. Francis College (Callahan Center – 1st floor). The Council is made of up representatives of Elected Officials and Community Organizations, and advises the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp.

While an agenda has not been made available, a likely topic of discussion will be the recommendations of the BBPDC’s Committee on Alternatives to Housing, which include evaluation of new potential revenues from the sale of buildings presently owned and used by Watchtower, more concessions, including food and fine dining, fee-based recreational facilities and paid parking.

The meeting is open to the public.

Update: This post has been updated to reflect that the meeting has been rescheduled for one week from this evening, Tuesday, January 11, same time, same place.

Hipsters, Not Terrorists: Camera Equipped Toy Plane Launched from Brooklyn Bridge Park

Homer Fink — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:15:00 +0000

Publius points us to a video of a group calling themselves “Team Black Sheep” launching a remote controlled airplane equipped with a video camera from Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1.

The resulting footage (after the jump) is a great bird’s eye view of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. But when the tiny plane buzzes the Statue of Liberty this wonderful “Millennial Generation” feel good stunt becomes a sober reminder that even a simple toy can be used as a weapon of terror.

Seems like someone did alert Homeland Security during filming as the clip ends with “PoPo rolling up on” the filmmakers. The first responder’s response? Watch the video and see.

(via Gawker.tv)
Makezine.com tells you how to make one of these planes.

New Season of Top Chef Filmed Here

Homer Fink — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:13:50 +0000

The “All-Star” season 8 of Bravo’s Top Chef, premiering tonight, features the ritzy penthouse at One Brooklyn Bridge Park:

Real Deal: The eighth season of reality TV show “Top Chef” — premiering tomorrow on Bravo — will feature 18 contestants living at One Brooklyn Bridge Park’s 438-unit “Sky House” condominium located within the 85-acre park. The chefs lived in a 4,638-square-foot, four-bedroom waterfront triplex penthouse which features views of Manhattan and Brooklyn, including the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. The condo, priced at $7.25 million, is the second most expensive apartment on the market in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Restaurant Announced

Homer Fink — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:56:28 +0000

The NY Post reports today on a new restaurant planned for Brooklyn Bridge Park. In other park related news, tonight a public hearing will be held regarding alternatives to housing in the park. :

NY Post: City officials overseeing the Brooklyn Bridge Park project began soliciting bids from developers today interested in running a full-service restaurant that serves booze on Pier 6, at the edge of Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights.

The restaurant, which is expected to open in Fall 2011, will include a 2,000-square-foot indoor section, an adjacent outdoor terrace and a rooftop seating area that overlooks Manhattan.

One Brooklyn Bridge Park Makes List of City’s Top Sellers

Homer Fink — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:51:18 +0000

Crain’s reports today that over the last nine months condo sales at One Brooklyn Bridge Park rank as the second highest in New York City. That’s partly due to price reductions the report says:

Crain’s: Similarly, massive condo conversion One Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn Heights—a former Jehovah’s Witness warehouse—also went through a price correction. There, the cuts varied from just a few percent to as much as a 30% discount, depending on the location of the apartment in the 438-unit building. Prices for the apartments, which range from humble studios to three-bed, three-bath penthouses, range from $425,000 to $7 million. The opening of two portions of the Brooklyn Bridge Park, which is basically the building’s backyard, also helped lift sales, noted Rachel Poggi, director of sales for One Brooklyn Bridge Park.

“The park is a huge plus for the building,” said Ms. Poggi, adding that One Brooklyn Bridge just recently reached 55% sold or in contract.

Recap of Brooklyn Bridge Park Advisory Council Meeting

Chris — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 21:59:39 +0000

Last night, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Advisory Council held their initial meeting at St. Francis College. The Council was set up to advise the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation as the remaining sections of the park are built, as well as to offer input on the continually thorny issues of park funding and potential condo development within the park boundaries.

Between Council members (representatives of local elected officials, neighborhood associations and community groups), BBPDC staff and members of the public, about 50 people were in attendance.

Much of the meeting was on organizational matters for the Council. Members will serve two year terms; meetings will held bi-monthly, and with more advance notice than the 24 hours notice given for this meeting. Draft bylaws are being circulated for review.

Following opening comments by Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez and Assemblywoman Joan Millman (Councilman Steven Levin and Senator Daniel Squadron arrived and spoke later in the meeting), a briefing was provided on construction status by Regina Myer, head of the BBPDC:
- Restrooms at the Pier 6 uplands have opened
- The first section of the Pier 6, including landscaping and volleyball courts will open in the Spring.
- Work is continuing on Pier 5, including underwater repairs of the pilings; landscaping will begin next year, to open in 2012.
- Reconstruction of Empire-Fulton Ferry Park should be done by next summer, including installation of the merry-go-round
- Uplands of piers 3 and 5 should open in the winter 2012-spring 2013 period.

In other park news:

Staff is developing park rules (17- page draft document online)
- park hours 6 am – 1 am
- No skateboarding
- No biking on walking paths
- No dogs on lawn (dog run on pier 6)
- No fishing (a designated fishing area will be built later)

(This led to question about access for political rallies/gatherings and the rights of vendors. BBP is following City park guidelines and court rulings.)

RFP responses for use of the Tobacco Warehouse were due Oct 13 and are being reviewed.

An RFP has been issues for operation of the full restaurant on Pier 6, set to open next summer.

BBPDC has established a Committee on Alternatives to Housing. A Consultant has been secured to assist with review of options to provide alternative funding for park needs. The review process will start shortly, and public hearings will be held in December. A draft report is due in 120 days.

Discussion was held on potential uses of temporary vacant spaces (for example the former warehouse site). BBPDC say they do not have available funding to make use of these spaces.

Concerns were raised about the impact of using chipseal and gravel on the pathways on access to the park for the disables. A request was made to consider switching to alternative materials.

An issue discussed at some length was what the role of the CAC will be, and whether the BBPDC will give its recommendations due consideration. Judi Francis, a CAC member and a leading figure in past opposition to the park funding strategies expressed concern that the recommendations of previous advisory boards had largely been ignored by decision makers. The meeting chair said the plan was for the CAC to brief the BBPDC Board at each of its meetings.

In line with the discussion on the Council role, a motion was introduced and passed to ask the Board to make the responses to the Tobacco Warehouse RFP public. A motion was also passed to add Sandy Balboza, head of the Atlantic Ave betterment association to the CAC

The meeting ended at 8:15 PM. The next meeting is scheduled for January 4, 2010.

Ouchy Pier 1 Gravel and High Heels Don’t Mix

Homer Fink — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 05:32:33 +0000

Photo by Mrs. Fink

Mrs. Fink shot this picture Saturday afternoon at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 showing that the new gravel walkway is not a big hit with these wedding party members in high heels. She observes, ” Doesn’t bode well when your feet hurt before the wedding even starts.”

Sustainability at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Heather Quinlan — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 20:58:29 +0000

Go on a tour with Regina Myer, President of the Brooklyn Bridge Park, as she points out the park’s many sustainable elements.

Sustainability at Brooklyn Bridge Park from Heather Quinlan on Vimeo.

Committee to Consider Alternatives to Housing in Park Wednesday

Claude Scales — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 21:36:54 +0000

The Cobble Hill Association alerts us to a meeting to be held at City Hall (Manhattan) in the Blue Room, starting at approximately 11:00 a.m. this Wednesday, September 22, at which the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation’s Committee on Alternatives to Housing will consider possible sources of funding for the Park other than the construction of private housing on the Park’s land. According to CHA’s Dave “Paco” Abraham:

This meeting is yet another opportunity for the public to come out and speak out on their desire for a park, a true park… one that does not include private housing within it. The CHA prefers year round recreational facilities such as a pool, ice rink and indoor field house which could offset costs the City cannot [sic] burden.

If you cannot attend the meeting, you may submit comments by e-mail to brooklynbridgepark@bbpnyc.org or by phone to 718-222-9939.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Goes Patio

Homer Fink — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 01:48:41 +0000

BHB Photo Club pic by Josh Derr

BHB Photo Club contributor Josh Derr shot this photo yesterday of patio furniture at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1.

Brooklyn Heights People: Assemblywoman Joan Millman

Julie Kanfer — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:15:02 +0000

Assemblywoman Joan Millman

Joan Millman has been a teacher, a librarian, a district leader, and for the last 13 years, an assemblywoman. Though the educational jobs preceded the political ones, she sees little difference in the skills required for success in both.

“I think without even being aware of it, teachers do a lot of things that are really helpful in political life,” she said recently over coffee at the Park Plaza Restaurant.

Traits like honesty are key, Millman insisted. “You don’t lie to kids, because they know right away,” she said. Also important: the ability to prioritize, and to look people in the eye when speaking to them (which, for the record, Millman did for the duration of our chat).

The pension she derives from her teaching career has led Doug Biviano, who is challenging Millman in the Democratic primary on September 14, to accuse her of double-dipping, which she adamantly denies. “I worked in the school system for more than 27 years, and I received a pension,” she said. “And I paid into that pension. I paid taxes on that pension. I earned it.”

Though she retired in 1996 with no other job, Millman had the option to rescind the pension when she was elected to the Assembly in 1997, but chose not to. “It’s a common practice,” she said. “It’s not like you can never work again, and it shouldn’t be that way.”

Since she came to office in a special election following the death of Eileen Dugan, Millman has helped put women and minority-owned businesses on an even playing field, and worked hard to ensure LICH stays right where it is. She’s also effected change for some of the most overlooked members of society.

In 2005, the Assembly passed Billy’s Law, named for a severely disabled child who was abused and neglected at the treatment facility where he lived in New Jersey. Millman was inspired to introduce the legislation after Billy’s father visited her and described the awful conditions in which his son was living.

Prior to Billy’s Law, out-of-state facilities attended by New York State children were not carefully inspected. Now, teams from the Office of Mental Retardation an Developmental Disabilities, the Education Department, and the Office of Children and Family Services regularly evaluate programs that serve children from New York.

Some teams have already discovered substandard conditions at facilities around the country. “As a result of that, we brought 1,000 kids back,” Millman said. “Each of those kids had run the taxpayers $200,000 a year in their care.”

In her view, passing legislation like Billy’s Law has been difficult since Governor David A. Paterson came to office in 2008. “We have a governor who didn’t want to be governor,” she said without hesitation.

Millman is looking forward to returning to Albany and working with “a guy who wants the job,” speaking, of course, about Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. “He’s surrounded himself with some pretty top quality people,” she said. “So my thought and hope is that he will continue that trend.”

Here at home, Millman is most concerned about maintaining good transportation options, decent housing, and quality schools in her district, which spans Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Columbia Waterfront, DUMBO, Fulton Ferry Landing, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Vinegar Hill.

Tobacco Warehouse

Also important: green space, something she thinks the entire borough lacks. Which is why Millman, and what seems like the entirety of Brooklyn Heights, is so focused on the rollout of Brooklyn Bridge Park.

“You always feel pressure to do the right thing,” Millman said about the park, where she’d like to see more restaurants open up and maybe even an ice skating rink. As for the Tobacco Warehouse and Empire Stores projects within the park, Millman thinks one of the historic spaces should house a performance venue, but she stressed the importance of doing the RFP (request for proposal) for Tobacco Warehouse and Empire Stores simultaneously. The Bloomberg administration wants Tobacco Warehouse to be decided first.

If Tobacco Warehouse goes to a not-for-profit, she believes a potential revenue-producing stream will be lost. “Maybe a not-for-profit could lease space, or be housed at Empire Stores,” she suggested.

Developer David Walentas, who has built up much of the area around the park, will likely bid on the project, and Millman said he often feels entitled to area projects. “But a lot of people feel entitled,” she stipulated. As for whether Walentas will get what he wants, she said, “I think it seems to be wired that way.”

Though Millman hopes she’ll be reelected and return to Albany, she admitted the state legislature is broken, to a certain degree. “The Times said the other day that any incumbent should be defeated,” she said. “You’re putting me in the same bracket as Pedro Espada? I’m not a crook.”

She feels good about the upcoming primary, but takes every election seriously. Biviano’s lack of public service prior to his run for City Council last year troubles Millman, who has always been interested in politics.

“I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to be interested in it,” she said. Some of her early successes as district leader, including lobbying for the B51 bus line and bringing the TKTS booth back to Brooklyn, have inspired her to keep working.

“It’s very empowering,” said Millman. “You keep pushing the envelope, and I’ve been doing that all along.

Guest Blog: Hope Reichbach, Candidate for District Leader 52nd AD

brooklynheightsblog — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:36:46 +0000

After months of campaigning and with Election Day fast approaching, I would like to take the opportunity to thank so many of you for opening your doors and sharing your time with me throughout my grassroots campaign for Female District Leader. I’ve run a positive door-to-door campaign. Over the last several weeks, Jo Anne Simon’s rhetoric has grown increasingly negative. Unfortunately, instead of engaging with the community on the issues that are important to all of us, my opponent Jo Anne Simon, has relied solely on vicious attacks against me and my family

I’m running for District Leader based on my record and accomplishments, not by slinging mud at my opponent’s character and family.
On this blog, Ms. Simon asked “What is a District Leader?”A very important question, but one that a six year incumbent like Ms. Simon should have answered for her constituency long ago. A District Leader should be a known entity. She should be an accessible leader. As Communications Director to Councilmember Stephen Levin, I work hard every day to ensure that constituents know how to access government resources to help solve their everyday problems.

As a lifelong resident of Boerum Hill, I have never known our District Leader to be accessible to members of the community. Instead she has been disengaged all these years, The District leader has never informed me of a community event, an opportunity to participate, or even of an upcoming election. In many areas of Brooklyn, the District Leader is an important community leader. Unfortunately this is not the case in the 52nd Assembly District.

Over the past five months, it has been a privilege to knock on over 3,000 doors and amazingly, few know who their District Leader is or what they do. This is a depressing reality in the 52nd Assembly District. It is time for a change. It is time for the District Leader to work hard, be available, and encourage involvement in local elections and local politics.

Ms. Simon, a self proclaimed progressive, boasts that no one has run against her club in over forty years. As an actual progressive in the Democratic Party, I’m appalled by her sense of entitlement to holding elected office in this district. I believe democracy thrives on competition, choice, and elections. Ms. Simon is upset that voters have a choice this year. We have a choice between her club and a change.

Unfortunately, Ms. Simon has continually showed that she has no interest in hearing the voice of voters in this district. A District Leader has enormous influence in the location of polling sites in her district. However, voters all over the 52nd Assembly District are disenfranchised by inconvenient polling locations. In most New York City Housing Authority developments, the residents vote in the community center of the development. The residents of Gowanus Houses, a development with over 20 buildings, vote almost half a mile away while a sadly underused community center (due to budget cuts, some of which I have successfully fought against) lays dormant on election day. Why hasn’t the District Leader demanded that Gowanus residents be able to vote in a convenient location? Maybe it is because those residents don’t traditionally support the District Leader, or maybe it is because the residents of Gowanus don’t have the economic means to have a strong voice given the current elected officials in our community. Whatever the reason, it is inexcusable.

This year, the residents of the 123rd electoral district in Brooklyn Heights were shocked to find that their polling site had been moved to DUMBO. This electoral district has a large population of senior citizens. Suddenly, these seniors were faced with the task of traveling over a mile, up and down hills, over and under construction, across intersections without crosswalks, to cast their vote. Where was Ms. Simon? Why was this polling site moved with no notification just days before the election? My running mate, Stephen Williamson, and I worked tirelessly to find a solution to this obvious disenfranchisement of hundreds of voters. After negotiating with the Board of Elections and local community centers, Congregation Mt. Sinai has offered to open up their sanctuary so the residents of the 123rd electoral district can access the polls. Mr. Williamson and I have not been elected, but we worked day and night to ensure that voters can vote. Where was our District Leader?

Ms. Simon claims only she can provide progressive leadership, but her “progressive” agenda can be difficult to follow. Ms. Simon has claimed to be a progressive, independent leader. However she had no problem endorsing a pro-life, anti-marriage equality candidate in the 39th Council District. At one point, she was against housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Apparently though, after discussion with the bosses in her democratic club, her position has changed.

Up until recently, she was pro-Atlantic Yards. Suddenly, when it seemed politically beneficial, she became a crusader against Atlantic Yards. Ms. Simon has a picture of herself holding a “traffic calming now” sign on her website. Several years ago, a prominent civic leader worked tirelessly to apply for a grant from the Department of Transportation for a traffic calming study. Ms. Simon, and her cronies, forced the Community Board to reject money the DOT had offered the community. You read that correctly. Ms. Simon advocated for the community to reject city funding for a study on this issue.

Ms. Simon has also changed her mind about my father. At the beginning of the summer, she told the Daily News that my father is an “excellent judge” (Daily News, May 5th 2010). Last week, as retribution for me daring to run against her, Ms. Simon and her cronies filed a confidential complaint against my father with the Judicial Ethics Board and then proceeded to leak the confidential complaint to the press. Ms. Simon claims she wants to take the politics out of the Kings County judiciary. Apparently this doesn’t apply when the daughter of an “excellent judge” gets in her way.

Ms. Simon continuously notes that she is the “reform” candidate. I have seen no reforms in the democratic process or the Democratic Party in the 52nd Assembly District under her watch. The judicial panel she heralds as her major contribution to reform was the brainchild of the man she obsessively attacks with half-truths and outright lies, Vito Lopez.

We need real reform in our district. We need District Leaders who want to be involved in a democratic process. We need Leaders who will be a resource to every community in the district. We need leaders that don’t just appear out of the woodwork a week before Election Day, year after year. We need independent leaders who will fight hard for our community. Leaders who will always support candidates that represent our interests, and will work hard to give everyone in our community a stronger voice. We don’t need personal attacks, lies, and dirty tricks. We need new leadership.

Please allow me to share with you a video I just made explaining why I am running for District Leader, the problems in our district, and what I have already done to work towards a better community.

Brooklyn Heights People: Doug Biviano

Julie Kanfer — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:36:22 +0000

Doug Biviano

Ask State Assembly Candidate Doug Biviano about himself, and the first thing he’ll say is he’s a P.S. 8 parent who was born and raised in Brooklyn. Then, almost as if to prove it, he’ll ask the waitress at Heights Café to bring him a Brooklyn Brewery beer.

A Cornell grad, civil engineer, husband, and father of three, Biviano, 41, made a brief sojourn out to Colorado before settling down ten years ago in Brooklyn Heights. Now the superintendent at 169 Columbia Heights, Biviano, whose preppy good looks seem well-suited for a career in politics, recalled fondly his campaign for city council last year.

“It was exhausting, it was exhilarating, it was intense,” he said between sips of beer and bites of pizza. “The highs were really high, the lows were super low. Every mistake you make is amplified.”

Though he lost that primary race to Stephen Levin, who went on to win the general election, Biviano made a name for himself in the neighborhood, and even secured an endorsement from Rep. Dennis Kucinich. He’s hoping to capitalize on that reputation by running again for office, this time on the statewide level as he challenges the popular Assemblywoman Joan Millman for the Democratic nomination.

“The fix is in—they’ve perfected a system,” Biviano said, voicing the common complaint that 98 percent of incumbents seeking reelection return to Albany each election cycle. Not only does this “system” protect the incumbents, but in Biv’s view, it also hurts the people.

As an example, he pointed to a recent debate between himself and Millman, where Millman, who ascended to the Assembly in a 1997 special election, defended a colleague who had failed to disclose additional income he makes as an attorney.

“She should be defending us,” Biviano observed.

Biviano with "Millman"

Another glaring flaw in his adversary: Millman, a former educator, is not only “double-dipping” he claims by receiving both her teacher’s pension and a salary for her position in the Legislature. He also believes she lied in the debate by claiming she could not defer the pension payments, when in fact she can.

“Instead of Joan Millman setting an example, setting the bar…she’s at the core of what’s wrong with Albany,” said Biviano.

He’s garnered some attention of late for releasing a video complaining about the lack of media attention given those challenging “the bums” in Albany, as Biviano likes to call them. In fact, he noted that the Brooklyn Heights Blog was the only outlet to approach him for an extended interview.

With negligence like that, Biviano argued, “How do they expect anybody to throw the bums out?”

Though he’s quick to drop the names of local pols done wrong (Millman, Pedro Espada, Jr, Sheldon Silver), Biviano admires relative newcomer Daniel Squadron, the State Senator who fought off longtime incumbent Marty Connor in the 2008 Democratic primary.

“How do you effect change? I think he’s struggling with that,” Biv said of Squadron. “He could potentially become a target because I think he truly wants to reform Albany. I’d like to work with him.”

In Biviano’s opinion, the biggest problems facing the 52^nd Assembly District he hopes to represent are the economy; the MTA’s budget cuts; the development of Brooklyn Bridge Park; and the lack of middle school options in the region. He favors term limits for local politicians (“Eight to ten years seems reasonable,” he said), and is open to the idea of residential parking permits.

Biviano with Kucinich in 2009

On his website, Biviano lays out his plan to fix the MTA by refinancing its long-term debt and saving more than $700 million a year in interest. He also pledges to eliminate corruption in Albany by way of “active representation of the people,” and by forcing all elected New York State and New York City elected officials to fully disclose their income.

Admittedly apolitical prior to 9/11, Biviano was stirred to attention by what he realized was “a systematic failure of leadership we have in our governments.” He believes everybody needs a good dose of civics, and that getting involved in the political process can be empowering.

Having secured his spot on the primary ballot on September 14, Biviano promised he’d be a politician people could trust. “I am beholden to nobody,” he said. “I can go up there with complete independence.”

And this might be his last shot; Biviano has no plans to run for public office again. “Not if my wife has any say,” he added, leaving the door open, of course, as any good politician should.

Squeezing Out Sparks: Biviano Debates Millman

Homer Fink — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:12:46 +0000

News Corp’s Community Newspaper Group (the Brooklyn Paper, Courier-Life) hosted a debate last week between the two candidates squaring off for the Democratic nomination in the 52nd NYS Assembly District. Incumbent Joan Millman and challenger/ Brooklyn Heights resident Doug Biviano discussed many local issues, but one topic appears to be gaining traction (operative word: “appears”). The issue: Biviano’s accusation that Millman is “double dipping” from the public coffers – one paycheck for her service as a member of the NY Assembly and the other from her NYC teacher’s pension.

The Brooklyn Paper’s recap of the debate and video after the jump:

Assembly candidate Doug Biviano blasted away at incumbent Joan Millman in a debate last week, hammering her for taking her pension even as she works as a lawmaker, lambasting her for backing transit cuts, and for flip-flopping on housing inside Brooklyn Bridge Park — but the harshest word he had for Millman was that she’s “nice.”

By our count, Biviano taunted his rival with the seemingly innocuous adjective six times during the hour-long debate in Community Newspaper Group’s Downtown studio, where the candidates in the Sept. 14 primary battled in hopes of attracting voters in the Brownstone Brooklyn assembly district.

Being repeatedly slammed as “nice” certainly didn’t faze Millman, who said she was more upset that Biviano called her a bum on his website.

“I don’t think ‘nice’ is a pejorative word,” she said. “I don’t mind being called nice because I am a nice person. But I’m also an effective person.”

Biviano certainly didn’t agree, slamming Millman (D-Carroll Gardens) on the issues — and for collecting her pension from her prior job as a city teacher while working as our elected representative in Albany. Biviano called that “double dipping.”

“I’m on the street and I talk to the people and they’re worried about their pensions,” Biviano said. “These people aren’t making six figures and on top of … another government pension. It’s an abuse of the pension system.”

Millman makes $92,000 as an Assemblywoman. She was elected to office in 1997 after she retired from her 27 years as a teacher and began collecting her pension.

“I had already put in my paperwork,” she said. “You can’t rescind it.”

The NY Post published a story by Courier Life writer Tom Tracy with the lastest in this saga:

The truth is that Millman could have deferred then -— and could still defer now. All she had to do was file a “Retirement Allowance Suspension/Resumption Form” with the Teachers Retirement System.

What Millman (D-Carroll Gardens) is doing is perfectly legal, but that hasn’t stopped her assembly challenger, Doug Biviano, from railing on her for more than a week since our debate aired on our website.

“Collecting of two government paychecks shows that Assemblywoman Millman is not only out of touch with the community, but cares more about her interests than those of the people she represents,” Biviano said. “She should be protecting the pension system and our over-burdened tax-payers, not abusing them.”

In the debate, Biviano likened Millman’s pension to Assemblymembers Rhoda Jacobs (D–Midwood) and Harvey Weisenberg (D–Long Island), Albany colleagues who collect their state legislator pensions while still serving in the job of state legislator. The loophole that allows them to do that has since been closed.

Millman’s camp has taken a flogging from Biviano since the debate, but Nelson turned it right back on the challenger.

“Doug believes she shouldn’t be allowed to retire, collect her pension — a pension funded by her money that she’s already deferred while she was a teacher in the public school system, mind you — and have a second career,” he said. “He’s sending a terrible message to senior citizens by telling them that once they retire they should just move to Florida because they’re not needed or welcome here anymore.”

Cast Your Vote: Movies in the Park on September 2!

Caitlin Heikkila — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:14:32 +0000

Ever wish you could select the movies played at Brooklyn Bridge Park? Here’s your chance! The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy announced that the polls are open for the final evening of this season’s Syfy presents Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Movies with a View. On September 2nd, the pick will be determined by public vote.

Here are your options:

Dreamgirls

Some like It Hot

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

The Iron Giant

Click here to make your choice, but make it fast, the polls close September 1st! For more information on each film, including movie posters and film trailers, visit http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/go/events/movies-with-a-view.