Columbia Street Post Office Reincarnated

Photo by _tar0_
http://flic.kr/p/8LmEKP

Good news and bad news about our little post office at 257 Columbia Street. Despite public outcry and a petition with thousands of signatures, our little contracted postal center with the USPS was forced to close after 17 years of operation by Rita Faraone. However, Rita has reopened as a private postal center called Columbia Waterfront Postal Center. The opening hours will be extended, and you can mail out packages via USPS, pick up mail, and purchase stamps. The USPS will still visit on a daily basis.  In the future Rita plans to offer money orders, bill payment and function as a copy center. 

Since this is now a private postal center, "these services will come with a small processing fee" said Rita said in a letter posted at the new Center. "We hope that you will continue to support us."

Columbia Waterfront Postal Center will be open Monday - Friday 10:00am-4:00pm and Saturday 12:00noon-4:00pm. 

Help Keep Portside NY Open

Portside needs a new home confirmed by 4/30 or they will close and their historic ship, the tanker MARY A. WHALEN would likely be scrapped.

To help, sign their petition to Mayor Bloomberg here and forward the petition link! (link is http://chn.ge/PortSideSOS). 


Portside is a young non-profit organization that run programs to educate the community about waterfront history and promote waterways. Check out their site for more ways you can help!

Urban Meadow Planning Meeting

The Urban Meadow community garden is holding its first planning and membership meeting of the year. Renew memberships or join, get information about the season, help plan events and activities.


The Urban Meadow, on the corner of President and Van Brunt, hosts lots of fun events like jazz concerts, yoga classes, and Easter egg hunts. It's the backyard you always wish you had.

Event: Planning/Membership Meeting for the Urban Meadow Community Garden
Host: Urban Meadow coordinators
Time: Sunday, March 25, 2012 4:00PM
Location: back room of the House of Pizza and Calzone, 132 Union Street.

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative Grand Opening

You are invited to Brooklyn Greenway Initiative's "grand opening" open house. Event sponsors include: Brooklyn Brewery; Waterfront Wines & Spirits; Nine Cakes and Fairway.

Event: Brooklyn Greenway Initiative Open House
Host: Brian McCormick, Meg Fellerath, Milton Puryear
Time: Thursday, March 22, 2012 05:00PM
Location: New Greenway Office
Address: 153 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231

RSVP to Brian at bmccormick@brooklyngreenway.org. 

Hooray for bike racks!

You may have wondered, as I did, how all the new bike racks appeared overnight in our neighborhood last month. This interview with Brad Kerr, a member of our Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association (CoWNA), sheds some light:

http://seeclickfix.blogspot.com/2011/06/bike-friendly-fix-in-brooklyn.html

Brad and ten neighbors began a year ago by documenting our need for bike parking with an app called SeeClickFix, but he credits Dave Abraham from Transportation Alternatives for getting the bike racks installed.

His advice for anyone looking to make improvements to the neighborhood is to seek out "others who have experience with your issue." Thank you to Brad, Dave Abraham, and all our neighbors who worked on this project. Neighborlujah!

Columbia St. Tree Brigade strikes again! Saturday, 4/30

Come help beautify the community and protect local trees by participating in the "Columbia Street Tree Brigade" this Saturday, 4/30/11 starting at 10am. We will be focusing our efforts this time around on Columbia St. between Union and Hamilton (last year's events covered Atlantic to Union).

Mulch and tools are being generously provided by the Partnership for Parks. Donations of used newspaper and cardboard are more than welcome - as this can be used for extra weed protection!

All ages are welcome - last year the kids loved it!

Saturday, 4/30/11
10 AM - until supplies run out
Meet at Woodhull and Columbia

The Columbia St. Tree Brigade is a project of the COWNA environment committee.

Community workshop for Red Hook residents by the Brooklyn Greenway

Red Hook Residents, We Need Your Input!
Tuesday, April 26th / 6:30PM / Red Hook Recreation Center

If you live and/or work in Red Hook, we need your input at an upcoming community workshop for the Columbia Street Connector Project:

Columbia Connector Workshop
Tuesday, April 26th
6:30PM-8:30PM
Red Hook Recreation Center
155 Bay Street

RSVP to 718.522.0193 or info@brooklyngreenway.org with Columbia Connector in the subject line. We'll send background information to prepare you for the April 26th workshop.

The objective of the Columbia Street Connector Project is to improve the pedestrian experience between the Red Hook Houses, Columbia Street Esplanade, Red Hook Park and the route of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. This stretch of Columbia Street has low traffic and wide sidewalks. The land uses in the northern three blocks are mostly industrial and commercial and the pedestrian experience could be improved significantly with vegetation and plantings. The esplanade itself could also become a more attractive destination with some trees and landscaping.

Because this is an important junction with the greenway, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and Regional Plan Association seek the Red Hook community’s ideas on what improvements would be desirable to make this an attractive route and destination for Red Hook residents. We will work with you to get the plan implemented.

Planning for the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway is made possible by the New York State Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund sponsored by the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President.
Additional funding for this public workshop provided by Partnerships for Parks.

Last chance for Urban Meadow CSA registration!

There are still spaces left in the Urban Meadow Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA), but the deadline for registering is April 16th! If you have been thinking about it, or if this is your first time reading about it, now is the time to act!

Email urbanmeadowcsa { at } gmail.com to get signed up. Also check out the Urban Meadow CSA blog for details about membership, FAQs, links, pictures, and much more!

The season runs for 22 weeks from June to October. The price for the season is $450, and includes a weekly selection of vegetables from Ant Hill Farm.

Eat healthy, support local farmers, and reduce your impact on the environment!

Meet the Brooklyn Bridge Park Board of Directors

On Tuesday, February 22, at 1:00pm, there will be a meeting open to the public with Brooklyn Bridge Park Board of Directors.

Cadman Plaza Public Library, 1st floor
280 Cadman Plaza West (at Tillary Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Rally for Shore Power - TOMORROW AT NOON!!

There will be a rally tomorrow in support of shore power (aka cold ironing) at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal tomorrow. Please come out and show that our community cares about pollution and local air quality!

Details about the rally and the issue can be found in the email from Councilmember Lander and Senator Squadron below. Additional details on the topic can be found at A View From the Hook

Photo from South Brooklyn Post via A View From the Hook

Dear Neighbors,

Please join us Monday at noon for a press conference and rally in support of bringing "shore power" to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

Along with the community we have been pushing for shore power for a long time — now we are holding this "Stop Choking Brooklyn" rally because we can't wait any longer!

Switching to shore power — so that ships can hook up to the electric grid instead of idling their engines in port — would stop tons of unnecessary and life-threatening pollution, which is equal to thousands of cars idling.

The Port Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency have obtained $15 million in funding to build the necessary infrastructure. However, for shore power to become a reality, the Economic Development Corporation, which operates the cruise terminal, Carnival Cruise Lines which uses the terminal, and New York Power Authority, which delivers electricity to the terminal, need to come to a final agreement about the price of electricity.

Join us on Monday to rally for an agreement now, so the work needed to bring shore power to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal can begin and idling cruise ships stop choking Brooklyn!

---

We're going to be holding the event on Monday. Here are the specifics:

• What: Tour of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
• When: Monday, January 3rd, noon
• Where: corner of Van Brunt Street and Pioneer Street

There will be free surgical masks for everyone to wear in order to highlight just how much pollution is caused by the ships currently.

I hope you'll join us on Monday as we rally in support of a cause that will make our community an even better place to live.

Thank you,

Councilmember Lander and Senator Squadron

A Taste of Red Hook - 10/6/10

The fourth annual A Taste of Red Hook is on 10/6/10 ! Come join the Red Hook Initiative and enjoy some of the best food and drink in Brooklyn, while supporting a great cause. Featuring these great establishments:

5 Burro Cafe

Bait and Tackle Bar

Baked

Birdie & Sage Foods

Blue Marble Ice Cream

Brooklyn Brewery

Brooklyn Ice House
Country Boys
Dry Dock

Fort Defiance

Frankies 457

The Good Fork

Home/Made Wine Bar

IKEA
Kevin's

Margaret Palca Bakes
Mark's Pizza

Mazzat

Nine Cakes
Nunu Chocolates
Red Hook Lobster Pound

Red Hook Winery

Rice

Sixpoint Craft Ales
Solber
Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Steve's Key Lime Pie

Tom Cat Bakery

Verity Wine Partners

The event is being produced by Roquette Catering and is sponsored by Phoenix Beverages.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

6pm - 9pm

Kidd Yellin Gallery, Red Hook, Brooklyn

133 Imlay Street

Tickets: $100 online; $125 at the door.

To purchase tickets, send check to Red Hook Initiative, 767 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 or click here.

All proceeds go to support the work of the Red Hook Initiative.

For more information, contact 718-858-6782

Upcoming Cora Dance events for October and November

Cora Dance has some very interesting and exciting programming planned for the next couple of months! Go check them out to celebrate local talent while also supporting a great cause (Cora offers pay-what-you-can dance classes to the community).

Here are the details and descriptions of upcoming events, according to their most recent email blast:

Cora Dance has two exciting events for the month of October-
First, an informal performance in Coffey Park!
Tuesday-Wednesday
October 5-6, (Raindate, Thursday October 7)
Cora Dance presents Prey

The center of the green space in Coffey Park
50 Dwight St
Red Hook, Brooklyn
FREE

Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance presents informal performances of excerpts from the company's latest work-in-progress “Prey” in Coffey Park. Cora is building this eerie and elegant piece to travel over a mile through the diverse landscape of Red Hook at twilight into nighttime, meandering from the urban forest that is Coffey Park to the streets, playgrounds, shop windows and waterfront areas of the neighborhood... lit by the audience. For these informal showings, the company will present two sections, discuss the process and take audience members on a guided tour of the intended list of sites where the work will fully premiere in October 2011.

Prey is being developed through the support of a generous gift from Robert and Mary Beth Aberlin; through the 2008 Artist-in-Residence program of BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange; through the artist residency program of Vermont Performance Lab, with assistance from Marlboro College; and through the support of the 92nd Street Y.


Next, a fun fundraising afternoon for families! • Saturday, October 30, 2-4pm
Storytelling and Facepainting Bake Sale
The Cora Studio
201 Richards Street, Buzzer #5, Studio 205,
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Suggested Donation $10 per family or Pay-What-You-Can.

Join Cora for this fundraising afternoon at the Cora Studio, complete with
facepainting and storytelling with reknowned artist Robin Bady. Bake sale
and proceeds from door go to fund the Pay-What-You Can dance programs
offered by Cora School for Dance to the Red Hook Community.


AND- Stay tuned for next month's "A Little Something From Cora" , a showcase on November 13 which highlights the choreographic work of the dancers of Shannon Hummel/ Cora Dance and teachers of Cora School for Dance. Set in the cabaret stage of Rocky Sullivan's, an Irish bar complete with darts, pool tables, and Guinness on tap, this eclectic night of mini works highlights the diversity of styles and expressive range of the collaborators of Cora Dance. Rocky Sullivan's is located at 34 Van Dyke Street (at Dwight Street) in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Show begins at 8pm. There is a $10 donation or Pay-What-You-Can.

Former B71 rider(s) needed for "People's Hearing"

The Straphangers Campaign is looking for a former B71 rider to speak at a "People's Hearing" on Tuesday, July 13th at 5 pm.
This event will take place at Cooper Union in Manhattan before the MTA's public hearing on Station Booth Closures. If you are interested in participating, please contact Cate Contino at ccontino { at } nypirg.org or by calling 212.349.6460.

BQE Enhancement - Community Design Workshop - July 20th

BQE Enhancement - Community Design Workshop
Tuesday, July 20th, 6:30-8:30
Location: Long Island College Hospital

For more information about this project click here. For a presentation from the previous workshop in May of 2010 on this subject, click here

"Save the B71" rally recap

Here are some pictures from today's rally to save the B71 bus. The event started by a group of Columbia Waterfront and Carroll Gardens residents boarding the bus at the Columbia and Henry Street stops and riding it over to the rally on Smith. The riders were greeted by a small crowd that had already started to gather just before 5.

After 5 o clock hit, the crowd grew even larger, eventually growing to include elected officials and many of their staff members who showed up to help support the cause. Brad Lander, Letitia James, staff from Joan Millman's office, staff from Daniel Squadron's office, representatives from Marty Markowitz's office, members of COWNA, members of the Cobble Hill Association, and members of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, were all present, among others.

Some of the most exciting moments of the rally included when B71 buses drove by with everyone cheering and when Brad Lander invited children to step in front of the crowd and talk about what they use the B71 for. School and the dentist seemed to be some popular destinations, as opposed to the more expected destinations such as Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Children's Museum, or the the Botanic Garden.

Also worth noting from what was said by many is how this bus connects neighborhoods that aren't otherwise connected and serves as the easiest way for disabled and elderly citizens to travel.

While the MTA says this bus and many others are a done deal, we gathered to say NO and will continue to look to our elected officials for more support and action.

Check out some more pictures and comments at the Urban Meadow blog

Also check out this "Save the B71" video that a local student made:

Phoenix Beverages is still at it!

The relief that was felt last week upon hearing that elected officials and Phoenix Beverages had come up with an interim solution has turned back into frustration and disappointment. Starting yesterday, June 21st, Phoenix Beverages trucks (aka Long Feng beer trucks) were supposed to stop using Columbia St. and instead use the BQE when traveling between Pier 11, where they unload empty bottles to be recycled, and Pier 7, where they load up on beer to be delivered the next day.

As of today, June 22nd, they have not lived up to their promise. Numerous trucks were reported as traveling up and down Columbia St. all day today. I saw a few myself, got emailed about some, and talked to others who also saw some. Yesterday I also saw a Twitter posting that asked why the trucks were still being spotted.

I would like to urge local residents and businesses to make more noise about this. COWNA has been in frequent contact with elected officials about this, and elected officials have been keeping the pressure on Phoenix and EDC, but apparently its not enough.

I would also like to thank Council Member Lander's office, State Senator Squadron's office, and all of our other elected officials for the close attention they have been paying to this matter. I'm confident that we can come up with a solution and get these trucks off of our local streets as originally promised.

For some recent background information on this topic, check out these articles and posts:

WOCS: Council Member Lander's Columbia Waterfront Update
Brooklyn Paper: City and beer company raise a glass on Columbia compromise
A View From the Hook: Phoenix Beverages and the NYCEDC are LIARS
Daily News: Beer distributor Phoenix Beverages infuriates Red Hook residents with noisy delivery route
Brooklyn Paper: Its a booze cruise on Columbia St. thanks to beer trucks
WOCS: Phoenix Beverages has arrived


Photo above taken today, June 22nd, at approximately 1:45pm. Submitted by anonymous source.

Video: How to Get Your NYC Bike Racks

Check out this great instructional video by Streetfilms about factors needed for an ideal bike rack location



....and now that you know that, come out and help COWNA find bike rack locations throughout the Columbia Waterfront this Saturday!

Help get more bike racks for our neighborhood this Saturday!

Saturday, 6/19/10
Corner of Union and Columbia
11 AM

This Saturday, join members of the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association (COWNA) and Transportation Alternatives as we survey the neighborhood for new bike rack locations. More bike racks will not only make bike parking easier for Columbia Waterfront residents, but will make it easier for visitors from outside of our neighborhood to bike over, park, and walk around enjoying local businesses, events, parks, and more.

The event will begin with a training by Daniel Latorre, the creator of a website called FixCity that helps to identify bike rack locations and submit requests directly to the DOT in batches. If you have a smartphone, please bring it along as we will be able to use them to upload requests to the FixCity site instantly. If you don't have a smartphone, don't worry, because we will have instructions and forms in paper format that can be taken home to upload via computer or passed off to smart phone carriers.

Once the training portion is over, we will break up into groups and scout potential bike rack locations throughout the neighborhood!

First day of the Urban Meadow CSA

Today was the first day of the new CSA program at the Urban Meadow! The farmers drove for about 2 and a half hours from Ant Hill Farm in Honesdale, PA to deliver 36 shares of extremely fresh produce, eggs, and cheese. The first delivery consisted of broccoli rabe, spinach and beet greens, turnips, asparagus, radishes, green garlic, salad mix, mixed cooking greens, and some eggs and cheese.

While the CSA is fully booked for now, feel free to get in contact with urbanmeadowcsa [ at ] gmail.com to get on a waitlist for next year or to find out other relevant information.

We are also happy to say that we may be offering leftover items for sale at the end of the delivery time in future weeks, with all proceeds going to sponsor member scholarships for low income families next season.

Check out more great photos at the new Urban Meadow site here


Thanks to the leadership of the Urban Meadow, the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association, Just Food, and most importantly the coordinators and members of the CSA and the farmers for making this happen!!!!! The season is off to a great start!

Repeat presentation of Pratt Institute class plan for Columbia Waterfront

This Friday at Freebird! For those of you that didn't make it to the previous presentation at LICH, I strongly encourage you to attend this repeat presentation. The students presented some very interesting ideas for our community that sparked engaging discussion afterward!

Event Description:
Students from Pratt Institute's Graduate Planning and Preservation Spring 2010 Studio course investigated general land use, economic conditions, and quality of life issues for the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood in Brooklyn. From intensive research, interviews with local community members and neighborhood stakeholders, the students developed a land use plan that addresses environmental, cultural, and economic improvements for the neighborhood in both the short and long term. To hear the final results and recommendations we invite you to attend a repeat performance of the final studio presentation at Freebird Books, 7pm, May 28th.