Ways to get involved:

1. join our steering committee!

The steering committee will work to organize and design these initiatives. Our first steering committee meeting will take place on February 18^th at 11:00 am where we will discuss our outreach plan and commit to a work schedule.Please reply to this email to join this committee.

2. Attend a work days!
Our tentative tree guard building days are scheduled for March 18, April 15, and May 20. They will lead up to a mural painting/celebration day on June 24 (rain date July 8).

Please let us know if you have any questions or if you would like to get involved! Feel free to pass this message on to anyone you thing may be interested.

Sincerely,

Oksana Mironova & Lyna Saad

newkirk.collaborative@gmail.com

CALENDAR – February 2012

February 2012 Meeting Agenda

Compost for Brooklyn‘s Winter Hours

THURSDAYS: 3:00 – 5:00 PM

SUNDAYS: 1:00 – 3:00 PM

The Community Garden is located at Newkirk Avenue and East 8th Street.

Compost for Brooklyn (C4B) is a community composting project based in Kensington, Brooklyn. We are committed to ecological restoration, composting, and education in our local neighborhood and beyond.

Compost for Brooklyn, founded in March 2010, has transformed a vacant lot into a community composting project and thriving refuge for native plants and community members.

Every week, neighbors come to the garden to relax, get their hands dirty, and drop off their veggie scraps, coffee grinds, and other organic waste. In the summer of 2011 alone, the garden received over 8,600 pounds of food scraps from individuals, local schools and businesses–diverting it from garbage trucks and landfills. Finished compost is used to amend depleted soils and cultivate healthy ecosystems.

Compost for Brooklyn is a volunteer-run organization. Contact C4B  at compostforbrooklyn@gmail.com if you’re interested in volunteering to host open hours. For more information about the educational programs offered along with other community events and activities, visit the website at compostforbrooklyn.org

On Saturday, January 28, the 77th Precinct is hosting the program at the Bedford Central Presbyterian Church, located at 1200 Dean Street at Nostrand. The cash-for-guns program will exchange $200 bank card for operable handguns and $20 bank card for operable rifles and shotguns.

For more information, call the 70th Precinct Community Affairs Office at 718-851-5557

BigAppleRx is a money-saving Rx discount card program designed for New Yorkers and visitors to NYC. Card users can look forward to:

Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church
890 Flatbush Avenue
(at Church Ave.) Brooklyn, NY 11226

Community Tax Aid, Inc. (CTA) is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization which has been preparing tax returns FREE for low-income taxpayers since 1969. To see if you qualify, click here. CTA is dedicated to providing all services (state, city, and federal personal income tax forms) with the special needs of and benefits for low income taxpayers in mind. CTA will prepare tax returns for 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

For more information, visit www.communitytaxaidnyc.org

Safety Tips
- Carbon Monoxide detectors must be replaced every six years. (The entire unit must be replaced, not just the batteries.) If you live in an apartment, your landlord must provide new detectors every six years.
- Never use an extension cord with an electric space heater and keep space heaters at least 3 feet from bedding, furniture, curtains, etc. Never leave a space heater untended or running while you are out of the house.
- Never use a kitchen oven or gas range to heat your home or apartment. This could lead to the accumulation of carbon monoxide which can cause severe illness or even death.
- Make sure your smoke alarm batteries are in good working order and never disconnect a smoke alarm’s wiring.
- For more helpful, life-saving information, visit the FDNY’s Winter Safety website.

Visit www.nyc.gov/nyfd for additional important fire safety information.

Community Board 14 wishes everyone
a very Happy New Year!

Best wishes in 2012,

Chairman Alvin Berk, the members of Board 14, District Manager Shawn Campbell, and CB14 staff members Irina Lerman and Anya Hoyer.

CALENDAR – January 2012

January 2012 Meeting Agenda

CALENDAR 2011- December Shop Brooklyn

December 2011 Agenda

• Visit our Directions page for information on public transportation serving the Park and driving information.

• Find designated picnic and barbecue areas at the Park, and read rules for picnicking and barbecuing.

• Find barbecue areas in other New York City parks.

• Visit primospot.com* to find the location of parking garages and other parking options near the Park (after the new web page opens, it may be necessary to refresh the page to see a complete list of local parking garages ).

• Find a safe bike route to and from Prospect Park via the Ride the City interactive map tool.

What’s the first step?  Apply for a mobile food vending license. All the information you need is also on our website at www.nyc.gov/greencarts. If you have questions, email Peggy Leggat, the Green Carts Outreach Coordinator- mleggat@health.nyc.gov.

The NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene will be attending the Board’s upcoming Human Services Committee meeting on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 7 PM to discuss this topic in further detail.

After working with CB14 and the Church Avenue Business Improvement District, DOT designed the plan to address the local community’s concerns about chronic traffic congestion on Church Avenue.

The new parking regulations, set to begin on January 18, 2011, designate 40 metered spaces for weekday truck deliveries from 7 a.m. – noon, freeing up the one-hour metered parking spaces in the afternoons for other motorists. Metered parking for passenger vehicles will continue to be available all day at 90 meters on Church Avenue and on side streets. By consolidating freight deliveries to morning hours, the initiative optimizes the use of curb space by encouraging deliveries to be made earlier in the day, reduces double parking and curb idling and supports the city’s economy by making it easier for business patrons to park. For businesses that need later deliveries, truck loading and unloading will be available until 3 p.m. on weekdays on Church Avenue between East 18^th and 19^th streets.

Read more about the changes that will take effect starting January 18, 2011.

View the presentations here:

• Brooklyn College Performing Arts Center
• Junction Streetscape Design

Ditmas Park’s leafy environs, ornate Victorian homes and designation as a historic district already make the area a draw for nest seekers. Now, the emergence of a string of new restaurants along the neighborhood’s main drag, Cortelyou Road, is spicing up the neighborhood and solidifying its status as a foodie destination.

In the past year alone, half a dozen new eateries have opened up within a seven-block radius on Cortelyou Road, between East 17th Street and Coney Island Avenue. The three most recent to open within steps of each other are: Café Madeline, Catskill Bagel Co. and Qathra Café.

Qathra, which opened its doors in September, has had a brisk reception since opening day.

“Never before has a café I helped launch picked up business this fast,” said manager Collin Crockett, who has experience with opening more than a dozen coffee shops around the country in recent years. “We had an opening party Sept. 14 and the next day it was packed.”

Steps away from Qathra is the newly opened Catskill Bagel, whose owner, James Geritano, also owns Bagels by the Park in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Mr. Geritano points to the changing demographics in the neighborhood as one of the reasons for the success of new ventures along the strip.

“I see quite a few people that are in Ditmas Park who were my old customers at Bagels by the Park,” said Mr. Geritano. “We saw the neighborhood changing—the same trend I saw in Carroll Gardens years ago with younger professionals, artists and writers moving into the neighborhood.”

Ditmas Park, as defined by Brooklyn Community Board 14, is bounded by Dorchester Road to the north, Ocean Avenue to the east, Newkirk Avenue to the south and East 16th Street to the west. Ditmas Park West includes the area to Coney Island Avenue.

Large Victorian houses situated on tree-lined streets, along with a handful of co-ops and condominium developments in the area, have been attracting home buyers and renters for years. Given its proximity to Manhattan—the Q train commute to downtown Manhattan is just 30 minutes—the area was an easy sell but lacked the flavors of today’s Cortelyou until a few years ago.

Sit-down restaurants with patios, trendy bars and cafés are now steadily replacing dollar stores, vacant lots and bodegas. The new establishments are catering to an evolving demographic.

“A lot of my customers from Prospect Heights and Park Slope who are young but now have growing families were moving to this neighborhood,” said Alexander Hall, owner of recently opened Café Madeline, who was directed to Ditmas Park by customers at his other eatery, Milk Bar, in Prospect Heights. “They knew we were looking to expand and recommended we check out Ditmas Park.”

The recent economic woes have not only helped to bring in home buyers and renters looking for deals, but have enabled entrepreneurs to lock in commercial leases at favorable prices in the neighborhood, ushering in a culinary renaissance for Ditmas Park.

“New businesses are taking over former dilapidated spaces and adding value to the fabric of the neighborhood in a way that another 99-cent store or beauty salon can not,” said Jeff Surowka, a real-estate agent with Abacus Properties, who has helped broker the leases for several new establishments on Cortelyou.

The combination of market conditions and the neighborhood’s relatively undiscovered status are, in part, inspiring mini culinary empires along the strip.

A trio of young restaurateurs—Ben Heemskerk, Mimi Kitani and Avi Shuker—who met while working at the Farm on Adderley a few years ago, have launched three outposts on the same block since 2009.

Mr. Heemskerk and Mr. Shuker head the Castello Plan, a wine and tapas bar that opened earlier this year, while Mr. Shuker and Ms. Kitani co-own two other eateries on the strip: the popular Mimi’s Hummus at 1209 Cortelyou Rd. and Market, a food shop next door that opened around the same time as Castello Plan.

“Three new ventures in two years is not bad,” said Mr. Heemskerk. “We signed the lease in March 2009 for Castello Plan at the height of the recession when the owners didn’t have the confidence we had, because we were involved with the neighborhood and knew its potential.”

The owners of the Farm on Adderley, one of the first restaurants on Cortelyou to attract a destination-dining crowd, have also expanded their turf on the stretch by opening Sycamore, a combo bar and flower shop. Locals credit the Farm, along with the Picket Fence and now-closed Vox Pop Café, with opening up the neighborhood to later developments.

Some locals express concerns about the pace of the area’s gentrification, but others are content to welcome the recent additions.

“A lot of these new places are run by independent, creative types who are very much part of this community,” said Mary Shanahan, 46 years old, who bought a house in the area nearly a decade ago. “I’d rather not have to drive around Park Slope for an hour looking for parking just to have a few drinks and a decent meal.”

Beginning December 3rd, 2010, the New York City Department of Sanitation will require all City residents to fully encase within a sealed plastic bag all mattresses or box springs being discarded for Sanitation collection.  This new rule will help prevent an increase in bed bug activity, with bed bugs being found in homes and apartments.  Bed bugs are generally nocturnal and tend to live in bedding, such as mattresses and box springs, hiding in their crevices until they are ready to feed.

Under the new rule, failure to place a mattress or box spring out in a proper bag can result in a $100 fine. The Department will delay enforcing the new set-out rule for 30 days, followed by full enforcement beginning January 3rd, 2011.

Plastic bags to contain the bedding are available at department stores, home improvement centers, at other home supply businesses, and online, at a modest cost.  Bedding stores also provide removal options with purchases.

View Larger Map

PS 193
2515 Avenue L
Brooklyn, NY 11210

The community-designed playground helps achieve Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC Open Space goal of bringing all New Yorkers within a 10-minute walk of a park. 164 of these playgrounds have opened to date out of 257 that will open by 2013.

Please help keep the new playground safe by respecting its rules and hours. The schoolyard is open to the public from the end of the school day until dusk on weekdays and from 8 a.m. until dusk during the weekends, holidays, and summer.  The PS 193 custodial staff will be in charge of maintaining the new space. Please encourage your children and neighbors to help us keep the playground clean by picking up litter and by reviewing the rules with them. If you see any inappropriate behavior inside the playground, we ask that you call your local police precinct or 311. Violators of the rules are subject to summons and or arrest by the NYPD.

This playground is a fantastic addition to our community for learning and play. Let’s work together to keep it clean and safe for all to enjoy for many years to come.

Granite Construction has informed CB14 about the following street closure and work in conjunction with the Brighton Line Rehabilitation Project:

Please be advised that Elm Avenue between East 15 Street and Avenue M will be closed to vehicular traffic for crane operation at Elm Avenue between the hours of 7:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Saturdays, and  9:00 am to 6:00 pm Sundays from September 9th to November 9th.

Community Board 14 is honored and proud to announce that Vanderveer Place between Flatbush Avenue and East 23rd Street has been chosen as the Greenest Block in Brooklyn!

The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and the Brooklyn Community Foundation, along with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, presented the Vanderveer Block Association President Olivia Avery with the award earlier this morning.

“It’s a little piece of heaven in the concrete jungle,” said Yvonne Murray, Vice President of the Block Association, beaming with pride at her verdant oasis.

Dear Valued Customer:

Please be advised that National Grid will be working on your block to install a new gas main/service in the next week or two.  We would like to inform you about the nature of our work in case you have any questions.  We are working on Farragut Rd between Flatbush Ave and E 23rd Street.

National Grid’s scheduled gas main installation and gas service replacements are necessary to accommodate the increased demand of gas in the area.  We are up-sizing the pipe diameter to boost pressures in the region and add to the reliability of service to our customers.  The main installation may be followed with service work to your building.  This timeframe between the two operations may take several weeks.  The anticipated duration of all of our work will be approximately ninety (90) business days.

Street Paving

Street paving will be repaved to insure a smooth surface. Paving is done in two steps:

Base paving – This first step restores the paving to two inches below street level and will remain so for 21 working days or up to a month.

Topping – In this final step, high-grade asphalt is applied so that the restored areas are even with the surrounding roadway.

Concrete Restoration

Sidewalks that are affected by our work will be filled with a temporary asphalt pavement.

Concrete openings should be restored within 21 days, with the exception of work done during mid-winter. Some delays in final restoration may occur because concrete can not be poured in inclement or cold weather.

Please note that National Grid may require access to your gas meter and service valve to perform the necessary work.  If the gas meter and valve is not accessible (i.e. behind sheetrock or obstructed) then you will need to provide clear access so that National Grid or its contractors (Hallen Construction) can complete the work safely.  Neither National Grid nor its contractors will be involved in the clearing or rebuilding of any obstructions. You will be notified by either National Grid or Hallen Construction when access to your home is required.

We apologize for any inconvenience to you and your family. If you have any questions please call our contractor Hallen Construction at (718) 533-9400, Monday through Friday 7a.m – 3 p.m., or our Community Investments Department, Renee McClure at (718) 403-2663.

Reminder:

As always, in the event of an emergency, call our emergency number at (718) 643-4050 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

National Grid

Community Board 14 now using SeeClickFix, a tool which will make it easy for anyone to report issues and problems to us and make it easier for us and other city agencies to respond, and act. Complaints can be submitted quickly and easily on our website, directly on SeeClickFix or even from your mobile phone. Once you or anyone else reports a problem the entire world can see what it is, where it is and keep track of its resolution. A quick look at the map and you can see all the problems in your area, see if your issue is already being dealt with and offer your own input on other problems. We wish to make resolving problems easier, make the process more transparent and empower our residents to improve the community.