Community Corner

Community Board 3 Meets

Public Hearings on snow plows, Fences, and Ray Kelly to visit Bed-Stuy

"I experienced the same thing you did during last week's snowstorm," said Assemblywoman Annette Robinson at the Community Board 3 meeting last night. "I couldn't leave my house; we were all challenged this past holiday, and I just want to thank you for your patience."

Community Board 3 held its monthly meeting last night at Restoration Plaza. Robinson was one of the first speakers to address the packed house of about 150 attendees, expressing apologies around a theme echoed by virtually every speaker: Last week's snowplow fiasco.

Other speakers and top-line issues included:

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*Henry L. Butler, community board 3 chairperson, announced that if your garbage has not been picked up by Wednesday or if your streets still remain unplowed, you may call 718-622-6601 to file a complaint

*Applications are being accepted for The Garvey, a new housing development, located at 1600 Fulton between Lewis and Marcus Garvey Avenues. All applicants will be entered into a lottery, which closes on February 14th.  The lottery will take place in March, and a decision will be made by the end of the second quarter of 2011. Fifty percent of those selected will be Bed-Stuy residents. Applications can be downloaded at www.thegarvey.com

Find out what's happening in Bed-Stuywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

* The Parks, Arts and Culture Committee opened a public hearing on naming the park triangle at Fulton Street and Troy Avenue "The Charles C. Pinn Triangle." Assemblywoman Robinson spoke in support, stating, "Charles stood up for our community, gave his time, talent and treasure to make a difference. Young people flocked to him. I support naming the park after him."

Several others also stood up and spoke in support of Charles's humanitarian work in the neighborhood.

*A representative from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz's office said that his office is still receiving complaints about last week's slow snow cleanup. The office has set up a complaint line, 718-802-3777.

Also, Markowitz's office announced a call for all Brooklynites married for 50+ years to join the borough president at a free Valentine's Day party on February 14th. The event will be held at El Caribe at 1:00 pm. To register, call 718-802-4488.

*Bernard Gassaway, principal for Boys and Girls High School, invited everyone to a attend BGHS's production of the play, "Fences."  "We say we want to support our youth, but often times, they work hard at these things, and then they don't see us," said Gassaway. "Please come out and support these students."

The play will be at Boys and Girls High School, 1700 Fulton Street. It runs this Thursday (dress rehearsal), Friday and Saturday at 6:00 pm, including a 2:00 pm matinee performance on Saturday and a 3:00 pm matinee performance on Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. For more information, you may call 718-467-1700, ext. 4060.

*A representative from Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries's office invited all to the assemblyman's fourth annual "State of the District Address," at Pratt Institute (Higgins Hall), 61 St. James Place, on Wednesday, January 26th, at 6:30 pm. To RSVP, call 718-596-0100 or email jeffriesh@assembly.state.ny.us

*Peter J. Bartoszek, deputy inspector of the 79th Police Precinct, invited the community out to its next precinct council hearing on January 26th, at the Brooklyn Job Corps building, 585 Dekalb Avenue, 2nd fl., 7:00 pm. Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly will be the special guest!

Also, Bartoszek announced that the precinct has made a lot of positive changes in the last 6 weeks and has witnessed a substantial decrease in the number of crimes. The inspector attributed the decrease to strategic re-appointments of police officers to problematic areas. In addition the precinct will receive 66 brand-new police officers – recently sworn in by Ray Kelly – on Wednesday.

"Going into the new year, I'm confident that you'll see a lot of positive changes happening within the precinct that will continue to make Bed-Stuy the great community it is," said Bartoszek.

*Construction has begun on a new housing development, The Acacia (formerly known as The Bradford), at the corner of Albany and Fulton Avenues. The project is financed by HPD and Goldman Sachs, and should be completed in two years. For more information, contact 718-622-6601.

*City Councilwoman Letitia James, chair of the Sanitation Committee and whose district represents CB2, made a special guest appearance to announce a special hearing, "with regards to the fact we lost this last storm," she said.

She said that the neighborhood representing CB3 was at a disadvantage after the blizzard because it does not have a sanitation garage. "This is the time for us to lobby for a garage," she added. The hearing will take place on January 10th, at 48 Chambers Street in Manhattan, 11:00 am.

*Jacqueline Bolling, chair of the Landmarks Committee, introduced  Tenzing Chadosang, grant director of Landmarks Preservation Commission, for an informational session on how homeowners in Bed-Stuy can become eligible for a free grant to restore the exterior of their properties. For more information, contact 212-669-7817. The grants are available only to homeowners in the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District and the Alice Agate Court Historic District.


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