Free Sail on the Clipper City

Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association has five tickets for a free sail on the Clipper City tall ship. They are available to community residents on a first-come first-served basis. The tickets were made available by PortSide NewYork, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), and Manhattan By Sail Inc.

Please come to 78 Union Street tomorrow, 4/21, after 1:00pm to pick them up. There is a limit of two per person.

Speak Out About Water Rate Hikes

The New York State Department of Environmental Protection is holding public forums next month on a proposed 12.9 percent water rate hike. According to New York 1, the proposal would increase the average water bill by $8 a month. If you want to speak out about the proposal, here's info about the Brooklyn forum:

Thursday, May 13

Doors open at 6 p.m., public hearing at 7 p.m.

Public School 105

211 72nd St., Brooklyn

Tree Giveaway

Free trees made available to individuals, families and community groups. Sponsored by Green Fort Greene and Clinton Hill and the FAB Alliance Tree Giveaway in partnership with Million Trees NYC and New York Restoration Project and through the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies and David Rockefeller.

More information: Tree Giveaway Info
and: Tree Giveaway Poster

Saturday April 17 and Sunday April 18 10:00a - 3:00p
Putnam Triangle (Putnam Ave and Fulton Street) Brooklyn, NY

Public Services News Roundup

Today starts a little experiment.

Every Thursday from now on, I'll post a week's worth of links to public services-related articles from local media. And I'll ask all you neighbors and readers to chip in. What'd I miss? What'd the papers miss? What's your opinion?

CoWNA's Public Services Committee is concerned with education, public safety, sanitation, transportation and utilities -- that's what these articles are concerned with, too.

Here's this week's news:

EDUCATION

NY Times: Bill Would Allow Layoffs of Teachers With Seniority

Brooklyn Daily Eagle: New Schools, Changes Planned in Brooklyn for This September

PUBLIC SAFETY

NY Post: 911 upgrade off hook

NY Post: City’s crime spike worse

Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Subterranean Police Presence Protects Subways from Terror

Brooklyn Paper: More burglary at Trader Joe’s

City Limits: Where the Murders Are

SANITATION

NY Times: New Laws Would Expand City’s Recycling Program

TRANSPORTATION

NY Daily News: Marty Markowitz lays into DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan for being bicycling 'zealot'

am New York: G train taking a hit before service cuts roll out

NY Times: To Save Millions, M.T.A. Simply Asked Vendors for a Break

NY Daily News: Port Authority payroll jumps $15,000,000 in a year, says Empire Center for New York State Policy

WPIX: Cash Strapped MTA Spending $30,000 on Newspapers

Brooklyn Paper: Cops to bikers: Don’t make us clean up after you

Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Brooklyn Welcomes Bike-Friendly Policy

CoWNA Public Services Committee Meeting 4/13

CoWNA's Public Services Committee is meeting again. On the agenda:

• Reviewing progress on fixing local traffic problems
• Brainstorming next steps for saving public transportation
• Whatever else you want to tackle

Want to join us?

When: Tuesday, April 13, 7:00-8:00 p.m.

Where: Postgraduate Center for Mental Health, 177 Columbia St. (just north of Degraw)

Sunday: 25th Senate District Community Convention

State Senator Daniel Squadron is hosting his district's second annual community convention this weekend.

What is it? An opportunity for Columbia Street Waterfront folks and other residents of the 25th State Senate District to get together and hash out an agenda for our community and our representatives in Albany. From health care to housing, I'm sure folks will be talking about it all.

When: Sunday, April 11, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

Where: Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street (at Greenwhich)

Info: Rosemarie Diaz, 212-298-5565 or rdiaz@senate.state.ny.us

Saturday: Columbia Street Tree Brigade Kickoff

CoWNA and the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative are launching the Columbia Street Tree Brigade this weekend -- and we want you to join us. Expect a whole lot of aerating, mulching and watering up and down Columbia St. this Saturday. Questions? Email cbarker1{a}gmail.com