Affordable Rentals in Our Neighborhood

Applications are now being accepted for the Columbia Hicks Apartments, the 94-unit building now being built on the east side of Hicks between Baltic and Warren.

These are so-called affordable rentals, so income restrictions apply. Interestingly, current residents of Brooklyn Community Board 6 will receive preference for 50 percent of the units. Preference will also be given to persons with hearing, mobility and visual impairments and municipal employees.

You can get an application, and learn more about the requirements, here. Applications must be postmarked by June 25, so act fast!

Van Brunt Reconstruction Starts May 10th

Craig Hammerman, the district manager of of Community Board 6, lit a fire under the Department of Design and Construction regarding the long-delayed reconstruction of Van Brunt Street -- and it worked! DDC wrote to Mr. Hammerman:

As you are aware, during construction we encountered some unanticipated subsurface conditions on Van Brunt Street that necessitated a complete redesign of the sewers and water mains. This resulted in additional work costing more than $2 million that was not in the project budget. The funding was finally made available late last year and work will resume in early May of this year.

[...]

Currently, all preliminary designs for the additional work have been approved, and the contractor, Trocom Construction Corporation, is engaged in securing permits, seeking out soil-disposal facilities, and making submittals which are essential prerequisites for resumption of work. The contractor plans to start work on May 10, 2010. The remaining work is expected to have a duration of six months. [Emphasis mine.]

Thanks, Mr. Hammerman!

What's the Future of Our Neighborhood? Pratt Students Have Answers

As you may know, urban planning and historic preservation students from the Pratt Institute have been studying the Columbia Waterfront District under the direction of Pratt profs and Carroll Gardeners Vicki Weiner and John Shapiro. They researched local history, interviewed residents and businessowners and examined things from this angle and that. The goal? A comprehensive plan for our neighborhood's future.

Now the school year over and work is done. Come see the students present their plan! Everyone is welcome. Here's the info:

When: Thursday, May 6, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Long Island College Hospital, Conference Room A

Your Weekly Public Services News Roundup

EDUCATION

Times Union: New York education interest groups sue over delay in state aid

NY Times: State Teachers’ Union Urges More Oversight of Charters

NY Post: School tests to bring the flunk

NY Times: Last Teacher in, First Out? City Has Another Idea

Gotham Gazette: A Harlem School Bets on Technology

NY Times: For School Company, Issues of Money and Control

NY Post: Teachers’ lobby has its $way

NY Post: Charter ultimatum: Pol seeks quota on special-needs kids

NY Post: Outrage as school bigs boo$t bosses

NY Times: In Shake Up, Principals May Get More Say Over What Is Taught

Wall Street Journal: Teacher Absences Plague Schools

NY Daily News: Even After Education Department revamps ratings, only four city principals net failing grades

NY Times: City Pushes Shift for Special Education

NY Post: Tisch charter power play

Wall Street Journal: Schools Stockpile Taxpayers’ Cash

PUBLIC SAFETY

Brooklyn Eagle: Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Bomb Subway

NY Daily News: Pols, NYPD clash over airing real-time info smashups

TRANSPORTATION

NY Times: More than 200,000 a Day Are Now Cycling

NY Times: Study Questions Number of Cyclists in New York

NY Post: New $hortfall fear for MTA

Brooklyn Eagle: Brooklyn Growth Shows in Subway Ridership Figures

NY1: MTA Board Approved Capital Construction Plan

City Limits: White House: Congrestion Pricing On The Table

NY Times: M.T.A. Plans More Rounds off Layoffs by July 4

NY Times: Train Stopped Safely by ‘Dead-Man Features’

NY Post: MTA approves $1B deal to develop Hudson Yards

Jane's Walk Comes to Columbia Waterfront

On 5/1/10, there will be a walking tour of the Columbia St. Waterfront as part of the nationwide Jane's Walk series in honor of Jane Jacobs. The walk will discuss neighborhood history as well as current issues being faced. Participation is free of charge.

Date: May 1, 2010
Time: 4-5:30 p.m.
Who: Wylie Goodman
Where: Meet at the corner of Columbia and Summit Street in front of the Summit Street Garden
What: How Our Neighborhood Has Changed: An Eclectic History of the Columbia Waterfront with Stories from Its Past and Present

Info: Jane's Walk

Your Thursday Public Services News Roundup

EDUCATION

NY Times: Teachers Set Deal With City on Discipline Process

NY Times: Small Vendors Left Out of Schools’ Book Purchasing

NY Post: Harlem showdown: Parents fume as pol takes on charters

NY Times: School Districts Warn of Deeper Teacher Cuts

NY Times: Regents Plan New Route to Master’s in Teaching

NY Daily News: Nepotism, conflict of interest find a home at charter schools

NY Post: Academies’ troubling ‘wait’ gain

Brooklyn Eagle: Parents, Workers Protest Day Care Center Closings

PUBLIC SAFETY

NY Daily News: Bloomberg’s gun control group airs ad with Columbine footage urging background checks for gun sales

NY Times: Leading Poisoning Proves a Stubborn Nemesis

Brooklyn Eagle: Report from 76^th Precinct

Brooklyn Paper: Area Kids is robbed

TRANSPORTATION

Gotham Gazette: Spending Freeze Deals Another Blow to Ailing Roads and Bridges

NY Post: Rail chief quits over gov’s "lies"

Tribeca Trib: Brooklyn Bridge Rehab Will Soon Begin

Fox 5 News: NYC Prepares to Cope with Bus Service Changes

Gotham Gazette: How ‘Transit-Oriented Development’ Will Put More New Yorkers in Cars

NY Post: Feds probe rail-project $$ bungle

Brooklyn Eagle: Goodbye B75, B77; Hello Longer B57, B61

UTILITIES

NY 1: State Lawmakers Slam Proposed Water Rate Hike

BQE Enhancement Project Workshop Scheduled

The long awaited workshop has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 4. This will be the first of three workshops for the project. We encourage everyone to attend and meet the designers and tell them your observations, concerns and ideas for the BQE trench.


6:30 - 8:30pm at Long Island College Hospital 339 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, NY in the Avram Conference room.

Please RSVP to bqe@nycedc.com Hope to see you there!