The
Red Hook StarªRevue
OCTOBER 2015
SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Alexandros Washburn, Red Hook’s resiliency expert
FREE
ALSO INSIDE
by Halley Bondy
W
hen Sandy’s historic surge hit Red Hook three years ago, Alexandros Washburn stayed put in his Van Brunt Street row house. He didn’t stay because of blind pride or a delusion of safety. Rather, he stayed to learn. As he watched the storm leak through his roof and flood his ground floor with three feet of filthy water, he took note of the structural dynamics of his building and the street outside. At the time, Washburn was the city’s chief urban designer under Mayor Bloomberg and had been studying “what if?” catastrophe scenarios for years. He currently works as an industry professor and Director of the Center for Coastal Resilience and Urban Xcellence (CRUX) at Stevens Institute of Technology. Of all people, he knew just how dangerous it was to stick around. “If I wanted to understand the storm, there was no substitute for being there,” he said in an interview. “There is so much research on storm surges, but to be able to experience it, feel it, see it - that was beyond valuable for me not just from a science perspective, but from an emotional and social one.” Ultimately, Sandy would teach Washburn about far more than sturdy windows and roof integrity. His education that day would inspire his countless lectures and projects, an acclaimed book about resilient urban design, flood monitoring technology, and plans for Red Hook that Washburn considers critical to its structural and cultural survival in the long term.
window rather than indoors at the bar. That way, we could face the street and chat into the open air. “The street needs to be embraced,” said the congenial Washburn over a Jacques & Doris cocktail. “Look how we’re sitting now. We’re part of the street. This is part of our domain. You have to encourage this. This type of set-up keeps the street safe.” FEMA rules indicate that the only way to flood-proof a vulnerable residence and mitigate skyrocketing flood insurance premiums is to fill in the basement, abandon the first floor, elevate the home, or some mix of these pricey
“He found that a homeowner’s only viable option is to create a storage space or a parking garage on the first floor. This, however, would destroy the coveted street culture of Red Hook.” options. Washburn studied the mandates carefully. He found that a homeowner’s only viable option is to create a storage space or a parking garage on the first floor. This, however, would destroy the coveted street culture of Red Hook, Washburn says.
Moreover, he would learn that the storm response in New York is confusing, misguided, and broken - this coming from a man who spent much of his career in City Hall.
“If we were all to follow what they wanted us to do, this neighborhood would be a parking lot,” Washburn said. “It would be horrible. Yes it would be flood-proof, but we have to define resilience at an appropriate scale, and the appropriate scale here is a community.”
When we met at Fort Defiance for our interview, Washburn was eager to sit at the restaurant’s outdoor service
Because he refused to go along with FEMA’s model, Washburn’s home remains in a somewhat limbo state.
Red Hook Star-Revue
He hasn’t fully repaired his first floor since Sandy engulfed it. There are bare joists and walls. From the street, his Victorian storefront ground floor appears boarded up. Before Sandy, he had a tenant living there, but now it is unlivable. He and his wife and children now live in the stunning upper floors, which were designed by Washburn. The sun-drenched, highceilinged home was actually once featured in the New York Times real estate section. As he watched his neighbors rebuild out of necessity and lend themselves to the mercy of insurance companies, Washburn remained one of the few holdouts.
Interview with Wyckoff Gardens resident Beverly Corbin about the city’s infill plan - page six
“I have many sympathizers, but I don’t think I’m the norm here,” he said. At one point Washburn even drew up an innovative, if not downright nutty flood-proofing plan: he could attach cables to his ceiling beams, which would crank up his floor panel -- along with his computers, furniture, and more -- out of a storm’s clutches. He has the architectural chops to make it happen, but the zoning laws won’t allow it. Furthermore, navigating the insurance plans and zoning laws has been a veritable nightmare on nearly every level.
Red Hook shows up en masse at Borough Hall to give EDC some ferry suggestions - page eleven
“I go around in circles trying to understand the city, state and federal regulations that should tell me how I can rebuild. They all conflict,” he wrote in his 2013 book, The Nature of Urban Design: A New York Perspective on Resilience. “I am amazed at the number of people I have to deal with.” Washburn is no stranger to Red Hook planning controversy. The first time he set foot in the neighborhood in 2002, he was fighting against one of Red Hook’s most polarizing contenders: IKEA. He proposed a public fishing village of sorts as an alternative to the big box furniture store. He didn’t (c0ntinued on page 5)
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Carlo Vogel and Ben Schneider interview themselves, pages 12-13
October 2015, Page 1
FREE Neighborhood Services Frank McCrea from the NYC Department of Aging is at the Miccio Center every Monday from 10 - 2 pm. He will help you solve any problem you may have dealing with any NYC agency, such as child welfare, support groups, benefits, etc. Free CPR Training Class at the Red Hook Public Library Help Save A Life, Learn CPR. Join us Tuesday July 14th at 6:30pm for a Free non certifying CPR Training hosted by the FDNY. Learn compression CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator. Includes hands on participation and giveaways! Sandy Recovery Worforce1. Services for NYCHA residents include career counseling, resume editing, interview advice, job recruitment events with Build It Back contractors, Vouchers for pre-apprenticeship, construction skills and other job training programs. 1906 Mermaid Ave, 2nd Fl; Brooklyn, 11224 Tel: (646) 927-6093 Hours: 9am to 5pm. Lots more information at http://www.nyc.gov/html/sbs/wf1/html/sandy_ recovery/home.shtml. Karen Blondel who lives in the Red Hook Houses is always available for additional guidance. Her number is 718 809-2070 Free use of computers at the Justice Center. Not everyone has access to a desktop computer, and yet many job and educational opportunities require one. So the Justice Center offers its computers to the community for free, every Wednesday from 10 am - 1 pm, room 101. The Justice Center is on Visitation Place between Richards and Van Brunt. For more information call Sabrina Carter 718 923-8261 Brooklyn Workforce Innovations - Certificate courses in TV/Film production, woodworking and cabinet making, cable installation as well as driving lessons are available. For information stop by 621 Degraw Street (near 4th Avenue) or call 718 2372017. www.bwiny.org OpportunityNYCHA - the REES program administers the “Section 3” program. This is a HUD mandate that requires employment and other economic opportunities coming from the Federal Government to be directed towards public housing residents. NYC has a similar program requiring that 15% of the labor amount of NYCHA contracts greater than $500,000 to go NYCHA residents. Eligibility requirements, according to Karen Blondell, are that you must either be 1 - on the lease, 2 - economically disadvantaged (receiving SNAP benefits), or 3 -live withing 10 blocks of a NYCHA development. To register call the REES
Hotline at (718) 289-8100. Examples of opportunities include web development, home health aide training, NYPD tutorial, NRTA Construction Training. REES conducts information sessions at the Brooklyn office every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30am. Address: 787 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238. Red Hook Cares (Counseling and Restorative Services). Including advocacy, case management and referrals for victims of crime. Accompaniment to partner agencies and criminal justice appointments. Located at the Community Justice Center, 88 Visitation Place. To make a referrall call Laura Volz, 347 4049910 or email lvolz@nycourts.gov Stronger Together services are free and prioritize Red Hook and other local NYCHA development residents. Their services include Adult Education, Job Readiness, Community Services, which include benefits counseling, legal advice, financial coaching and tax preparations. The services are free because the Red Hook Initiative, Fifth Avenue Committee, SBIDC and Brooklyn Workforce Innovations have been paid by the NY City Council to provide these services. So take advantage of them! For information call 718 8586782 or go the the Red Hook Initiative at 767 Hicks Street (at W 9th). The Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills provides training and employment in the unionized construction industry. CSKILLS has placed more than 1600 New Yorkers into union apprentice programs over the past 15 years. To be considered you must be 18 years or older, be a legal citizen, HS or GED, 9th grade reading and math scores and available to attend training 5 days a week 7 hours a day. Their website is www.constructionskills. org. It looks like the best way to navigate that website is to check under apprenticeship training and choose a union program, and also to go to useful links, where you can find a whole host of other opportunities, including Helmets to Hardhats - a workforce program for veterans. The Child Place for Children with Special Needs holds a Read and Play afternoon in the Red Hook library every Monday at 1 - 2:00 pm. Kids 5 and under. Parent or guardians must accompany children, who will be able to meet, make friends and play! Red Hook Library, 7 Wolcott Street If you have a listing that you feel appropriate for this page, email george@redhookstar.com. There is no charge, as this is a free service as well!
Happenings, etc. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
really Affordable Art Show, judged by Carolyn Ramo, Executive Director, Artadia. Show opens the 3rd, continues every weekend through the 25th. BWAC, 481 Van Brunt, 1 - 6 pm
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 Dance on the Greenway festival, 4th Annual! at the IKEA Erie Basin Park. Showtimes are at 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6
76th Precinct Community Council meeting. This is a monthly meeting where anyone can come and meet the precinct commander and listen to crime statistics. 76th Precinct, 199 Union Street, 7 pm.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10
Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition and The Red Hook Film Festival present Hurricane2, a program about surviving natural disaster. Two films: Pepper and the Salt Sea and Stood for the Storm will be shown. BWAC Gallery, 499 Van Brunt Street, 3 pm
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11
Second Sundays at Pioneer Works. A monthly series of open studios, live music, and site-specific intervention. The series showcases artists in residence along with musical performances and DJs, curated by Olivier Conan. 159 Pioneer Street, 4 - 10 pm
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
Red Hook West Tenant Meeting. Tenants get to find out about issues important to the community, as well as learning of new services available to NYCHA residents. A member of PSA 1 is usually present as well. Stay to the end for a hot meal. 428 Columbia Street, 1C. 6:30 pm
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16
And When the Night Turned Black, film by Risha Gorig. Screened at Jalopy Theater, 315 Columbia Street 8 pm
RELIGIOUS SERVICES
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17
Christian
Larry Kirwan, of Black 47 and Celtic Crush will bring his songs and stories to Rocky Sullivans, 34 Van Dyke Street, 9 pm
River Of God Christian Center
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21
110 Wolcott Street, 646-226-6135, Secretary, Sister Roslyn Chatman. Sunday - Family Worship 11:00 - 1:00 pm Scripture, read in English and Spanish Wednesday - At The Gate 12:00 noon, Prayer 7:00 - 7:30 pm, Bible Studies 7:00 - 8:00 pm, Thursday Prayer 7:30 - 8:30pm, Friday Youth ABLAZED Ministries 6:00 - 7:30pm, Senior Pastor, Donald Gray
Visitation Church
98 Richards St, (718) 624-1572. Office open Mon-Thursday 9 am - 3 pm. Saturday mass 5 pm; Spanish mass at 7 pm. Sunday 10 am English, 12:30 pm Spanish. Community Prayer Tuesday and Thursday, 8 pm. Youth Group Meetings on Friday, 4:30 - 6 pm. Baptisms are held every other month. Please call to arranged for baptisms, communions and weddings.
New Brown Memorial Baptist Church
609 Clinton Street, 718 624 4780 Pastor A.R Jamal. Sunday School at 9:30 am. Sunday Worship at 11:00 am. Bible Study -Wednesday at 7:30pm. Communion every first Sunday
St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish
467 Court Street. (718) 625-2270 Rectory Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 am-11:30 am, 1 pm-4 pm, Friday 9 am- 12 noon. Masses: Saturday 5:30 pm, Sunday 10 am, Monday- Thursday 9:30 am. Religious Education grades 1,2, 3 -Register now for this September! Please visit our website for more information and to view our weekly bulletin www.stmarystarbrooklyn.com
This month’s Red Hook Civic Association meeting will be held one week early in October. Come listen and discuss important neighborhood events and situations. Patrick Daly School, PS 15, 7 pm Red Hook East Tenants Meeting. Learn important information for residents of Red Hook East. 167 Bush Street, 1B 6:30 pm
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
Added Value Farms invites you to the 12th annual Red Hook Harvest Festival! * Farm-fresh food * Music * Pumpkins * Goats * and more! At the Red Hook Community Farm, 580 Columbia Street 11 am - 4 pm
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29
Ya’all ready? Start thinking of your costume, pull your chicken wire and cardboard together and grab your team to build your float! The Barnacle Parade is happening again on Thursday October 29th at 4 pm. Block party to follow!
Saint Paul and Saint Agnes Parish
Community Telephone Numbers:
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary - Saint Stephen Roman Catholic Church
Red Hook Councilman Carlos Menchaca.................. 718 439-9012 Red Hook Assemblyman Felix Ortiz...........................718-492-6334 Red Hook State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery.....718-643-6140 Gowanus Councilman Brad Lander............................ 718 499-1090 Park Slope Councilman Steve Levin........................... 718 875-5200 CB6 District Manager Craig Hammerman ............... 718 643-3027
Church Office 234 Congress Street (718) 624-3425 Hours: M - F 830am-12 St. Agnes Church Office 433 Sackett Street, 718-625-1717 Hours: M-F 1pm-430pm Email: stpaulstagnes@gmail. com St. Agnes: Saturday 5pm Vigil Mass Sunday 9 am (English), 11:30am (Spanish) St. Paul’s: Saturday 5pm Vigil Mass Sunday 8 am & 9:30am (English); 11am (Spanish) Monday & Tuesday 8:30am (St. Paul’s) Wednesday & Thursday 8:30am (St. Agnes) Saturday 8am (St. Paul’s) 125 Summit Street at Hicks Street info@sacredhearts-ststephen.com Saturday Vigil Mass 5:30pm Sunday Masses: 10am & 11:45am (Italian/English) Weekdays Masses: Tuesday Through Saturday 8:30am Confessions: Saturdays 4:45pm and by appointment. Baptisms: Every Third Sunday At 1pm. Please call the rectory one month before to make arrangements.
St. Paul’s Carroll Street
199 Carroll Street Parish Office: 718-625-4126 Sunday Mass at 10 am Weekday Morning Prayer - Mon.-Thurs. at 7:30 am Weekday masses as announced Holy Days as announced \ Church open for prayer Tues. 6-8pm & Sat. 2-4pm http://stpaulscarrollst.weebly.com/
Jewish
Kane Street Synagogue
236 Kane Street, 718 875-1550 http://kanestreet.org/ Friday night services, 6:00 PM Shabbat services, 9:15 AM Sunday Services 9:00 AM
Congregation B’nai Avraham/Chabad of Brooklyn Heights
117 Remsen St., 718 596 4840 x18 www.bnaiavraham.com, www.heightschabad.com Morning Services: Sunday: 8:45am Monday - Friday: 7:45am Holidays (during the week): 8:45am Saturday: 9:45am Evening Services: Sunday: Shabbat candle lighting time Monday - Thursday: 9:00pm Friday: Winter: 5 minutes before Shabbat candle lighting time Summer: 7:30pm Saturday: Shabbat candle lighting time
If your religious institution isn’t listed here, let us know by emailing info@redhookstar.com Thanks! Page 2 Red Hook Star-Revue
76th Police Precinct, 191 Union Street Main phone ..................................................................718-834-3211 Community Affairs...................................................... 718 834-3207 Traffic Safety................................................................ 718 834-3226 Eileen Dugan Senior Center, 380 Court Street........ 718 596-1956 Miccio Community Center, 110 East 9th Street...... 718 243-1528 Red Hook East Dev. Office, 62 Mill St......................... 718 852-6771 Red Hook West Dev. Office, 55 Dwight St................. 718 522-3880 Brownstone Republicans...info@brownstonerepublicanclub.com NYCHA Satellite Police Precinct, 80 Dwight Street Main Phone................................................................ (718) 265-7300 Community Affairs.................................................... (718) 265-7313 Domestic Violence.................................................... (718) 265-7310
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October 2015
Pathmark Update by George Fiala
S
rest of their markets up for a sealed bid auction, taking place October 1 and 2. In total there are 128 stores to be auctioned.
It turns out that the sale of the stores was handled in tiers. The top performing stores were put in a first tier, and they went quickly. Gowanus Pathmark was not put in the first tier. Instead, A & P decided to put up all the
Pathmark workers are unionized, and they are hoping that whoever takes over the location will also be a union shop. Pathmark workers are hoping that an operator such as Shop Rite submits a winning bid. The workers received a warn notice last month, letting them know that the last day of work for A & P would be November 16th. Since that is right before the busy holiday season, they believe that was set up so a new supermarket would take over by then.
hoppers at the Gowanus Pathmark were distressed a few months ago when word of the bankruptcy of parent company A & P was announced. At the time of the announcement, it was reported that some of the Brooklyn stores had been sold to chains such as Stop and Shop. However, there was no information given about our local store, located next to Lowes right by Hamilton Avenue and the Gowanus Canal.
Red Hook blight?
Editors Note: Rebuilding NY is a nonprofit organization based in Washington DC, that maintains their NYC office on the former site of the Max Pollack insurance agency, who left after Sandy. The following was taken from their website. While we think it’s great that they have chosen to do this work in our area, it’s also interesting to see their description of the neighborhood. On Thursday, October 15th, Rebuilding Together NYC will partner with the Red Hook Community Justice Center, Carroll Gardens Association, and William Morris Endeavor on a large-scale community revitalization project to improve a section of our shared neighborhood in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The Red Hook section of Brooklyn is a physically isolated community, surrounded on three sides by water, and cut-off from the rest of Brooklyn by an elevated expressway. While the neighborhood has seen substantial economic development over the past decade, its high concentration of lowincome housing developments translates into pockets of economically depressed areas. The poverty rate in
The
Red Hook is 33%, far higher than the citywide rate of 19%. Most recently, in August five young people between the ages of 19-22 were shot while sitting outside one of the Red Hook Gardens homes where they resided. Crime, quality of life, and community cohesion in Red Hook are impacted by the disrepair of the built environment. To this end, the community is joining together to improve one of the neighborhood’s blighted areas. The revitalization project will largely take place in the alleyway that extends from Richards Street, between Pioneer Street and Visitation Place. The partnering agencies and volunteers from our sponsor William Morris Endeavor will install solar powered lights along the alley, clear the dumping and debris, paint over graffiti, facilitate gardening and public art projects with residents to beautify the space, and ultimately bring residents from the Visitation Street and Pioneer Street sides of the alley together to build community. Together, we can make a difference.
Red Hook StarªRevue
481 Van Brunt Street, 8A, Brooklyn, NY 11231 FOR EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING OR EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES, email: info@redhookstar.com, or call 718 624-5568 The Star-Revue is published by
Kimberly G. Price & George Fiala Halley Bondy, Nathan Weiser, Mary Ann Pietanza, Marc Jackson and Connor Gaudet, contributors
Red Hook Star-Revue
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October 2015, Page 3
RELIGIOUS NEWS BY LAURA ENG laura.eng59@aol.com.
DAY, N U S : TO DATE NEW R 4TH DUE BE OCTO EATHER! W
Local parishioners attend various Papal events
W
ith the city abuzz with excitement over Pope Francis’ long anticipated visit to NYC on September 24 -25, a number of locals were fortunate enough to participate in the various planned events. Upon his arrival at JFK Airport, the Pope was greeted by a group of Catholic school children. SHSS parishioner, 5 year old Maria Teresa Heyer, while lifted in her father’s arms had a kiss planted atop her head by the Holy Father. Kimberly G. Price, Senior Editor of the StarRevue, and I were thrilled to watch as the Pope disembarked the plane at JFK, met with dignitaries and waved to us as he boarded a helicopter to transport him to Manhattan. On Thursday evening, Sr. Susana from Visitation Parish attended the prayer service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, along with a visiting Sr. Máire from Ireland who was doubly excited to be in the Pope’s presence and to be at St. Patrick’s.
The pope at JFK (Price photo)
Monsignor Guy Massie, Pastor of SHSS, attended the Interfaith Prayer Service at the 9/11 Memorial Museum on Friday the 25th. He was most impressed by the Holy Father’s “sign of peace” with all the representatives of other faiths who were present. Later that day, St. Mary Star of the Sea parishioner, Liz Balsamo and her young grandson, Daniel were among the throngs who lined Central Park waiting for a glimpse of the Pope while he traveled from East Harlem to Madison Square Garden on Friday afternoon; they were not disappointed. The Pope’s first visit to the city culminated with a Mass attended by 20,000 at Madison Square Garden (MSG) on Friday evening. Doris Palenque and Andrea Raimondi, also parishioners of St. Mary’s, attended the Mass. They had no idea, while waiting on line, why police moved a barricade aside and they, along with approximately 12 other people, were diverted to an closer entry spot on the line. Because of that, they were able to enter the Garden relatively early and garnered seats in the 16th row!
Makes you want to be a better person
Considering that Doris, often assisted by AnDoris Palenque and Andrea Rai- drea, tends the altar at St. Mary’s, it was fitting that they were seated so close to the altar at the mondi in front of MSG altar Papal Mass. Doris commented that being in the Holy Father’s presence, “you just think about his ways and want to change your ways, to be a better person.” The highlight for Andrea was when Cardinal Dolan gave what she termed as “the most perfect speech,” telling the Holy Father that at every single Mass said in NYC, Catholics pray for him and “here you are.” The entire arena erupted. For Doris, it was, also after the Cardinal’s address, when a solitary man who had chanted intermittently during the Mass led the Garden in a rousing chant of “Que Viva El Papa” (may the Pope live). Andrea went on to say that “the most human moment” was when Pope Francis asked everyone to pray for him which brought all in the Garden to tears. The feeling of peace and beauty is one both Doris and Andrea said they will keep for their entire lifetimes. Teresa Delgado family of SHSS her children, Michael and Antoinetta, also attended the Mass at MSG, as well as Anthony and Colleen Troiano along with their daughters, Lauren and Jacqueline. Michael Delgado, a SHSS sacristan, remarked that there is a big difference in seeing the Pope in person compared to watching him on TV. In person, he has a “very commanding presence.” He also said that “it was a blessing to share the experience with his sister and mother,” who is a particularly faithful woman who attends Mass daily at SHSS. Anthony Troiano said it was “absolutely amazing” to see the Pope, but most especially moving for him to watch the faces of his children as the Mass took (continued on page 15)
Page 4 Red Hook Star-Revue
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October 2015
Resiliency expert Washburn experienced Sandy first-hand (continued from page 1) win that fight (“IKEA is a bird in the hand,” he was told by City Hall), but he did fall in love with the neighborhood and moved there permanently in 2007. “I’m Greek on my mom’s side, so I take it as a given that everyone lives on the sea,” he said. “My first visit to Red Hook was the first time I’d felt that sensibility in New York. I’d lived in lower Manhattan for a long time near the water, but it wasn’t the same.” Washburn also serves as urban strategies director for the architecture firm NBBJ, which designed the Red Hook Innovation District project: a massive 12-acre multi-use complex slated for development on the waterfront by Italian company Est4te Four. In this case, the new buildings will be basement-less, and will sit three feet higher than their original levels. We can’t stop at the odd elevation and recovery measure, however. City Hall is aware that it needs build a more resilient, comprehensively protected neighborhood in the face of climate change. Otherwise, Red Hook risks social, financial, structural destruction every time a flood hits. A superstorm like Sandy may not be imminent, but the sea levels are rising each year. By the 2050s, some areas in New York should expect daily or weekly flooding. “We are in the age of rising seas, and there has been no improvement at all yet,” Washburn said. In 2013, the Bloomberg administra-
Turmoil at the Gowanus CAG by George Fiala
The Gowanus Canal has been under an EPA Superfund cleanup process for the past four years. It began with a plan that underwent a community process, and the final Record Of Decision, issued on September 30, 2013, detailed a plan that involves dredging and capping of the bottom of the canal. The goal of this process is to ensure a clean canal, suitable for recreational activities as well as safe fishing. It is expected that this will contribute to a rejuvenation of the Gowanus area, with tremendous economic benefits.
problems, but they’re also working on Red Hook.”
Meanwhile, Washburn has been championing a protective perimeter around Red Hook, one that is far from shores and doesn’t impede views. Within these walls and polders, he envisions developing clean recreational water bodies over time. He recommends that buildings take notes from the 19th Century warehouses in Red Hook, which stand strong in the face of surges, and yet, they’re beautiful.
In the end, he argues, change boils down to the residents.
For the short term, Washburn started talks with the chemical juggernaut BASF in the hopes of developing sensor fabric technology. This fabric could act as a temporary perimeter and would buy Red Hook a few hours of surge protection while also monitoring the storm’s performance. Washburn at Brooklyn Borough Hall after testifying at the recent ferry hearings. He cycles to most of his destinations. (photo by George Fiala)
tion unveiled the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR) plan, a series of post-Sandy recommendations for flood-prone areas. In Red Hook, the recommendations include raised bulkheads along three miles of the waterfront, drainage improvements, and high-deductible insurance options from FEMA. The city is accepting proposals for construction and hopes to break ground in 2017. Red Hook was promised $200
tion would not re-occur, otherwise it would essentially be a waste of money. In addition to toxins left in the canal from years of industrial waste, there is a huge quantity of human waste, caused by sewer overflows. For years, and still today, large rainstorms cause the sewers to become overloaded, and so raw sewage is pumped into the canal. The solution, which NYC must pay for, is to build and maintain huge containers to pump the sewage into for the duration of the storm. The idea is that when the weather returns to normal, the sewage is put back into the system, and is then able to be sent as normal to the sewage treatment plant.
Retention tanks
An important part of the process is prevention of re-contamination. The cost of the cleanup is borne not by the Federal Government. The design and execution of the remedy is paid for by who are called the “responsible parties” - those entities who are determined to have caused the pollution in the first place. The two largest responsible parties are National Grid (the successor company to Brooklyn Union Gas), and New York City.
There is controversy about the placement of one of the tanks. The EPA has identified the Thomas Greene park, also called Double D, as it sits between Degraw and Douglass Streets between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, as a logical place to locate the tanks. A big reason for this thinking is that it has been determined that the ground under the swimming pool located in the park has the same contaminants as the canal, and would have to be dug up anyway, to ensure a safe park. In essence, the EPA’s thinking is to kill two birds with one stone.
In their public comments, National Grid emphasized the importance to them of ensuring the recontamina-
It turns out that the city would prefer to use eminent domain to evict a number of businesses on a block that
Red Hook Star-Revue
million for the flood protection system.
“I think the Red Hook community has been very patient, which is a good thing,” he said. “But I think Red Hook has to be insistent. Because we can protect Red Hook and keep it beautiful. We can do it in a way that’s cost effective for the government but also improves our quality of life right here. We need to build a trust between the people who fear flooding, and the people whose job it is to propose a solution.”
He’s also busy researching. Washburn’s coastal resilience program at Stevens Institute of Technology, CRUX, is getting scientific minds around the world invested in flooding problems that affect their cities. He even developed a technology through NBBJ - that allows laymen to see a storm surge’s effect on their community in real time. Through it all, he keeps Red Hook in mind. “Red Hook is not alone. There are a billion people around the world within one meter above sea level,” he said. “I’ve got students in Singapore who think they’re working on Singapore
Washburn’s book was sitting in his window on Van Brunt Street earlier this year.
sits between the canal and the pool. At this point, the EPA and the city are in negotiations about this. In the meantime, local residents including a group called “Friends of Thomas Greene Park,” as well as the Fifth Avenue Committee, are advocating for residents who fear a permanent loss of the swimming pool. These groups both have representatives on the Gowanus CAG, a group filled with community groups and concerned citizens responsible for communication between the community and the EPA, as well as the EPA and the community. These two organizations went to congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and requested a meeting at EPA headquarters in Manhattan to let everyone know about their concerns. A meeting was held last month that included all the local elected officials, Community Board 6, and some residents of the nearby public housing that would be affected by any loss of park.
Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director of the Fifth Avenue Committee, at the recent CAG meeting. (photo by Fiala)
CAG members and not others. Email exchanges went back and forth, and so just about the entire regular September meeting resembled a group therapy session with everyone expressing their views on the whole process, in some cases going back through the whole history of the CAG.
The meeting went well, issues and concerns were aired, and the EPA assured everyone that any plan that would involve the closing of the pool would also include a temporary pool nearby, at locations they knew existed.
Natalie Loney, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, who attends every CAG meeting, told the CAG that as actual work begins on the canal that everyone will be able to see, the CAG’s role will become even more important. She said that more than ever, the CAG will need to be unified and strong.
However, word got out about this meeting to other CAG members, who felt it improper to invite only some
Facilitator Douglas Sarno recommended that a future meeting should focus on the matter of trust.
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October 2015, Page 5
Wyckoff Gardens resident Beverly Corbin speaks about NYCHA’s NextGen experiment
O
n September 9th, with the mayor standing beside her, NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye announced that Wyckoff Gardens, a public housing project in Boerum Hill, had been chosen for their infill experiment called NextGen NYCHA.
they don’t have an RFP, they don’t have a contractor - they really don’t know anything, and they are waiting to hear how the residents felt about it. (RHSR) Well, right now there is a situation in Cobble Hill where a developer was given the right to build on the former Long Island College Hospital grounds. They told Cobble Hill that they were going to build towers, take it or leave it. Some people think that this plan was all set in stone way before the battle to save the hospital, and now it’s just playing out according to some pre-determined deal. So how can NYCHA have these big ideas without having any idea about how they will go about doing it.
A private company would build on what is now open space available to the housing residents, creating a six hundred unit apartment tower on NYCHA property. Half the (BC) That’s the big question. That’s what everybody apartments would be rented at market rate, with the other half “affordable.” NYCHA will “We can make or break an receive money by leasing the land, some of which will go into NYCHA’s capital budget. election, but we don’t vote. What follows is a conversation with tenant activist Beverly Corbin, a resident of Wyckoff Gardens. She is a Resident Watch Supervisor, a member of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group, and a member of Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE).
This is ridiculous. Residents need to step up their game.” wants to know. But they are not going to say that they are not going to tell us that.
We met as Beverly was performing her watch duties in a small office in the lobby of 130 (RHSR) Whenever I ask NYCHA about maintenance problems in their properties, I am told that the probThird Avenue. Star-Revue (RHSR) - How did this all begin, as far as the tenants are concerned. Beverly Corbin (BC) We didn’t know about it. We found out about it by accident. NYCHA had a meeting with Community Voices Heard (CVH) and they were talking about it in the NYCHA Next Generation. They were supposed to have been here months ago, but they never came and did their meeting, their outreach. So somebody from CVH went to a meeting where NYCHA was talking about this thing at Wyckoff and Holmes houses. They called our director and asked whether we knew anything about NYCHA doing robocalling, talking to people about NYCHA NexGeneration, and she said no. So she called me and asked me did I get a robocall. I didn’t, and I thought it was funny that I didn’t get one. (RHSR) Did the robocalls go out before the announcement or after? (BC) After. (RHSR) Do you think Charlene Nimmons (Tenant Association President) knew about this beforehand? (BC) According to what I hear, no. Nobody knew about it except for this little enclosed meeting that they had, and they had talked to Steve Levin about it just that same day. They weren’t going to have any meetings about it or talking to the public until October 5th, but Steve said that de Blasio called him and told him about it.
lem stems from a steady erosion of federal subsidies.
(BC)Yes, that’s the argument. Funding has dropped over the years. But, the city has not put in any more money, nor has the state. And you see the fast one that Governor Cuomo pulled. When he released money to NYCHA that the feds provided, he said that he would match it. But after he matched it, he said he doesn’t want it to go to repairs for roofs, he doesn’t want it to go for windows - all important structural repairs. He wants it to go to new stoves and refrigerators. But if your roof is caving in on top of you - what do you need a new stove and refrigerator for? (RHSR) I was told that Cuomo did that to help the local politicians look good to NYCHA residents. What do you think can be done to get the correct repairs? (BC) Residents that live in NYC Housing have to start showing their power. Do you know how many votes there are in Red Hook? Do you know how many in Wyckoff. They have to start showing their electorial power. We can make or break an election, but we don’t vote. This is ridiculous. Residents need to step up their game. I have met with Carlos Menchaca regarding Participatory Budgeting and that is a good step. Let’s just not put this on everybody else - residents need to step up their game. They need to start showing their power and their strengths. City Council and public housing meetings should be standing room only.
(BC) Steve told me.
That’s one of the strong things about FUREE. Whose better to describe what’s going on in their neighborhood but people that live it.
(RHSR) Did he say what he thought about it?
(RHSR) How many members does FUREE have?
(BC) Steve is a very good City Councilman. He is really engaged with the people of Wyckoff and Gowanus. He said that whatever we wanted, that’s where he would lie.
(BC)Give or take, about 300.
(RHSR) How do you know that?
(RHSR) I called NYCHA and asked whether there is an RFP to look at. I was told that once there is community engagement, then the RFP’s would go out. (BC)That’s what they told us as well. They told us
(RHSR) From just here? (BC)In the NYC area. We also do work in these three developments, also Farragut and Ingersoll in the Fort Greene area, plus some from the general public. The conversation drifted to talk about the tenant associations, and how outsiders often go to the ten-
Community activist Beverly Corbin.
ants associations and their presidents to get what they believe is the support of public housing residents, when in fact many resident associations have low memberships. Charlene Nimmons is the TA head for Wyckoff Gardens, and she was a big supporter of Forest City Ratner, who built the Barclay Center. This brought the conversation back around. (BC) I knew that when they built that Barclay Center, they were coming for us next. Right here where we are sitting at. (RHSR) Back to NexGeneration - they say there is no RFP or any specific plan. (BC) First it was going to be in the parking lots - the two back parking lots. Then they changed it, now it will be on Third Avenue and Nevins Street. (RHSR) I guess in addition to not telling you, they haven’t told the Superfund people, who think that these areas are likely areas for a temporary swimming pool if they have to dig up Thomas Greene Park. (BC) That’s another thing, by the way. If they put new buildings here, that going to cause more problems with the drainage and the runoff. There’s a problem already with Warren Street with runoff. There’s two apartments now that flood out all the time with waste and sewage. It’s going to be a mess. Then you have to wonder whether the schools in the area are prepared. That’s going to be another problem, with all these new tenants. There are supposed to be 300 affordable and 300 market rate apartments. Are the schools going to be able to handle these families? The next thing is, when they start digging this ground up what are they going to dig up? What are we, as residents here, going to be breathing? How many rodent nests are they going to disturb, like when they built that building on Bergen Street. It’s going to affect health - the mental health, the physical health, and the emotional health of the residents of Wyckoff Gardens, and the residents of the surrounding area. People that live in the area now can’t afford to stay here. I’m talking about those that don’t live in public housing - they can’t afford to stay here. Everybody’s greedy now for all that money they think they’re going to make. The people that move here, most of them don’t stay. (continued on next page)
Page 6 Red Hook Star-Revue
www.star-revue.com
October 2015
(continued from previous page)
NYCHA residents. Beverly said that the agreement is that no matter whether the apartments are rented or not, the developer still will have to turn over money to NYCHA. (BC) The concept is good. Because they are saying that they are going to rent these apartments or whatever, and a percentage of it will come back just to Wyckoff Gardens. So that’s good in concept. But if you build a building that nobody moves in? And then there are all those other concerns. Where are the kids going to play?
Existing open space at Wyckoff Gardens.
(RHSR) What do you mean? People in public housing? (BC)No, private housing. They move in the first of the month, by the end of the month they’re gone. (RHSR) Because it’s too expensive? (BC)Too expensive, yes. The turnover is very high over here. And a lot of these buildings are not filled. (RHSR) You mean the ones on Fourth Avenue? (BC) Fourth Avenue, and also the one on Bergen Street... (RHSR) How do you know that? (BC)Because you can look at the windows. There’s nobody in there. (RHSR) Yet they keep building more buildings. (BC) That’s my question to NYCHA. If people aren’t moving in to those buildings, what makes your building so special that people will want to move into it, at market rate. It’s too expensive. Even with two parent’s working, an average person does not make the money to live here. We then joked around imagining a scenario where the market rate apartments can’t be sold, and so they would have to become luxury apartments for
Red Hook Star-Revue
(RHSR) What do you think NYCHA means when they speak of resident engagement. (BC) They want to pretend that they are going to allow us to take part in this decision - that the residents are going to be in charge of it. Let’s see how that works out. Knowing NYCHA though, they are going to do what they want to do - they are going to make it seem as though the residents engage - that’s how I feel. If they really follow resident engagement, I hope that they sit down and listen to the residents. NYCHA residents will have to come out in force, and they will have to be vocal - to really stand up for what they want. (RHSR) So when is the first meeting? (BC) October 5th is going to be the first public meeting with NYCHA. It will be at the Wyckoff Gardens Community Center (272 Wyckoff Street, 6-8 pm). (RHSR) What’s the general feeling of residents about the plan? (BC) A lot of people are against it. They don’t feel comfortable with it. We weren’t let it on it early enough. They just made a bunch of robo-calls, many of them didn’t work or were in the wrong language - that wasn’t enough to lay the groundwork for this project. And then when they held those meetings in the hallways, they should have had answers to our questions. People thought it was a real meeting and
www.star-revue.com
NYCHA will be meeting with Wyckoff Garden tenants on October 5th, to hear what they think about NextGen.
took time off from work and whatever to go to the meetings. And their questions weren’t answered. They just came out to tell people to tell people about a meeting they were going to have. That left a bad taste. (RHSR) Has Steve Levin been here? (BC) Yes, he’s been here twice. So has Senator Montgomery. They have both been very supportive. (RHSR) What do you think about the plan? (BC) I myself am on the fence. There could be something good, or it could be something bad.
October 2015, Page 7
EDC still accepting proposals for Atlantic Basin by George Fiala
I
the residential conversion of the New York Dock Co. building at 160 Imlay Street; the restoration and adaptive re-use of 202 Coffey Street into a mixed use performance, food service and manufacture/showcase venue; and the creation of an Innovation Campus whose real estate EST4TE FOUR already owns and is beginning to develop, complete with public esplanades and accessible open space.
n the middle of all the commotion about EDC’s plan to forego Atlantic Basin for a planned commuter ferry in favor of Valentino Pier or the Beard Street Warehouse pier (see story page 11), we were alerted by Est4te Four that they submitted a proposal for the Atlantic Basin earlier this year. Entitled “REHOP - Red Hook Piers,” the plans were prepared by RAFT Architects and submitted to EDC in February 2105.
With the addition of Piers 11 and 12 and a re-branding of a significant New York City Waterfront, ReHoP will provide a rich mix of uses – commercial, hospitality, residential, parking, retail, manufacturing, educational and public open space – that we know as New Yorkers are critical to the long-term viability of a neighborhood.
According to Est4te Four spokesman Massimileo Senise, “the presentation was made based on the guidelines received by EDC that they want to see the uses of education, maritime and light manufacturing as prominent.” As readers may know, the Durst Organization and Tom Fox has been submitting plans for the use of Atlantic Basin for at least ten years, most recently last January. It’s possible that in addition to these two proposals, other developers have submitted proposals as well.
The incorporation of advanced strategies that protect Red Hook from surge; the doubling of the neighborhood’s accessible open space; and realizing a stretch of the Brooklyn Greenway, ReHoP will continue to lead New York in green design, the promotion of livable cities, and natural disaster management.
Both the Est4te Four proposal and that of the Durst Organization accommodate ferry terminals.
Two views of Est4te Four’s plans for the Atlantic Basin. (courtesy Est4te Four)
In short, the City and ReHoP share development strategies for Red Hook. EST4TEFOUR is committed to being a partner with the public sector through catalyzing new neighborhood investments that respect, celebrate and channel the area’s rich past while delivering a 21st Century set of uses that supports New York City’s future viability.
The Est4te summary of their plan follows: EST4TE FOUR is committed to the creation of richly textured, livable communities. It invests – always – in long-term viability. We are currently engaged in several projects in the Red Hook neighborhood, including
Pumpkin Smash!
Bring Pumpkins, Jack-o-Lanterns and Gourds for a Smashing Good Time! You smash them – and the NYC Compost Project will turn them into compost for City parks and green spaces. JOIN US FOR REFRESHMENTS, RAFFLES AND MORE! Saturday, November 7, 10:00am–12:00pm – Rain or Shine!
RED HOOK COMMUNITY FARM 103 Otsego Street (across from Ikea) • Brooklyn, NY
The NYC Compost Project works to rebuild NYC’s soil, neighborhood by neighborhood. Find out more at nyc.gov/compostproject.
Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition and The Red Hook Film Festival Present
HURRICANE2 10 Years Since Katrina, 3 Years Since Sandy A program about surviving natural disaster
STOOD FOR THE STORM &
PEPPER AND THE SALT SEA Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015 @ 3PM
BWAC Gallery 499 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn, NY Page 8 Red Hook Star-Revue
www.star-revue.com
October 2015
Work promised soon on new Senior Center by George Fiala
NYCHA’s Coffey Street Senior Center was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, and deemed unfixable. Former Red Hook City Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez promised a new one and designated about $2 million for it. It has been promised for the PAL Miccio Center, formerly home of a Headstart Program. Last December, the seniors, who have been using the Miccio Center, 110 East 9th Street, as a temporary home, were shown plans for the new center, and it was promised to be ready Christmas. Up until now there has been no work taking place, and the seniors have been wondering about the delay. For the past few months, Councilmember Carlos Menchaca has been instrumental in regular meetings with NYCHA and the seniors to keep everyone abreast of the situation. NYCHA revealed that they have been having problems to find a contractor to do the work. The low bid on a recent RFP came in over $4 million. NYCHA’s Vice President for Disaster Recovery Michael Rosen came to the Miccio on September 24 with some good news. Using a combination of City Council
Michael Rosen speaking to the seniors at the Miccio Center. (Fiala photo)
and FEMA monies, NYCHA has been able to utilize an existing contractor to make the renovations for a bit of $3 million. Rosen said that work would probably start sometime in October, and take from six to eight months to complete. This means that seniors can expect to move from their temporary home sometime next summer. Questions raised at the meeting included handicap egress, utilization of the park behind the center, and parking. It was explained that the backyard and parking was not part of the plan, but Councilmember Menchaca said that these could be subjects of a Participatory Budgeting project.
Street Changes
Community Board 6 approved a couple of one way street changes at a recent Transportation Committee meeting. In order to facilitate present and future traffic flow, Commerce Street, from Imlay to Van Brunt, which is currently two-way, will become a one way street heading east. Verona Street, between Imlay and Van Brunt, which is currently oneway heading west, will become one-way heading east. The proposal was passed unanimously at the meeting, which took place at Visitation Church.
Added Value Farms invites you to the
12th annual
RED HOOK HARVEST FESTIVAL! Saturday, October 24 11am-4pm * Farm-fresh food * Music * Pumpkins * Goats * and more! At the
RED HOOK COMMUNITY FARM 580 Columbia Street
(Between Sigourney & Halleck Streets) For more info: www.added-value.org/harvestfest2015
Red Hook Star-Revue
www.star-revue.com
October 2015, Page 9
as promised. It is no accident that this is moving along in seeming coordination with the final determinations of cleanup and storm water retention tank placement at, or near, the former Fulton Manufactured Gas Plant. A great deal more will become clear with respect to the disposition of properties in that footprint when this process is completed.
Mark’s
Corner
BY MARK SHAMES
The importance of participation
O
nce again the City Council Members’ participatory budgeting season is has arrived, and once again I turn to a discussion of local community participation in government decisions. There are more council participants in participatory budgeting than ever before. Our members are beginning to amass volunteers and solicit suggestions for small capital projects to enhance our neighborhoods. While our community board has always done a first rate job of interacting with neighbors in identifying our needs, both great and small, it is the council that has money available to directly apply to projects. If the projects are right sized and feasible, the community gets to vote on those that we believe will best benefit us. We usually get useful upgrades to our schools, parks, safety and transportation. We not only get to play a real part in the process, better yet we get to determine its outcome. It is empowering. The politicians get to tap the energy of their constituents and marshal the community’s support. Everyone benefits. Even projects that aren’t funded in the current year get an airing and may get funding from an alternative source (i.e. the 7th Avenue station turnstile upgrades), or have an opportunity for approval the following year. Like chicken soup and a cold, it may not cure political apathy, but it can’t hurt. Contrast that process with the alternative that most often occurs on issues that impact our district, but are critical to the City as a whole. Here, we have a history of activists and politicians encouraging false hopes. They pretend that an exclusively locally driven and determined process like that for participatory budgeting will carry the day. False expectations ignite resentment. After the media fans the flames, we are all destined to be disappointed, and cynicism again reigns supreme. I see it all around me. I see it all the time. Instead of headlines that scream NO and are followed by those of seemingly endless, costly, and almost invariably fruitless court actions, when will we see positive headlines about projects that benefit the city and are mitigated in the neighborhood to include affordable housing, green elements, commercial protections and amenities? Not anytime soon I fear. This is a tough city, and we all feel put upon by significant changes. The privileged can marshal more resourc-
Page 10 Red Hook Star-Revue
es, and they are the most vocal in expressing their outrage. But everyone dreads additional burdens that the changes from development will bring. Grassroots opposition to projects often obstructs and delays, while inevitably increasing the cost of development without yielding satisfactory results. The sense of impotence and disillusionment is magnified on all sides. Local views of acceptable change frequently conflict with projects planned with the benefit of the city as a whole. This is true whether the discussion is in Chinatown, Cobble Hill, or Brooklyn Heights. A local NYCHA project will soon become the subject of an organized and vocal opposition. Fears of displacement may spread, causing resistance, the only means of gaining sufficient funding to rehabilitate deteriorating buildings. There is, however, an alternative. Brad Lander, Councilman for District 39 - and one of the initiators of the participatory budgeting process in the city - has stuck his neck out to offer such an alternative approach. When he chooses a different template to promote community input into major rezonings, it is obviously not an arbitrary choice.
Bridging Gowanus plan
As much as he might want to, Lander does not singularly control citywide policy. He has devoted a great deal of time, applied years of intellectual and practical knowledge and expended a great deal of political capital to develop a “Bridging Gowanus” process that will not be brushed aside as mere NIMBYism. Taking into account, if not totally satisfying, concerns of all of the various constituencies, he has taken great pains to be inclusive. There are some who feel constrained by such a process and deem it inauthentic. The constraints exist outside the process, and by recognizing those constraints it is far more authentic and productive than a community wide gripe session. Our neighborhoods are changing. They are becoming less affordable every day. Doing nothing about it doesn’t work. We cannot get the housing we need or required infusions of funds for infrastructure in the existing “no new taxes” environment if we blocking large-scale development. Lander’s office has compiled a great deal of data and reproduced all of the comments as a result of the Bridging Gowanus exercises. They are online,
In my article appearing in the August issue of the Star-Revue, I indicated that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - having ultimate juris-
LETTERS: Publicity helped!
On behalf of Cobble Hill Health Center and all our residents, thank you for publicizing our Adopt-a-Grandparent street carnival last Sunday. Over 300 Brooklyn neighbors attended and 100 people signed up for the Adopt-aGrandparent program. Meeting community members and watching the children enjoy the rides and other attractions brought the residents great joy. The families who attended taught their children an important lesson about giving back to some of our community’s most valuable members. Your publicity helped drive attendance and make our event a success. Thanks again - Andrea.
Scott Pfaffman fan
Great piece on an interesting neighborhood and one of its obviously very special residents. - Sally
BRIEFS: Bridge closing
The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) will partially the 9th Street Bridge over the Gowanus Canal during the week of October 5. Single lane closures will be implemented for “preventative maintenence,” according to a bulletin from DOT.
diction - was saying that the cleanup would center on the Douglas/Degraw pool; the storm water retention tank would be placed there. A recent EPA meeting, held with public officials and interested parties, confirms that conclusion. Happily for the neighborhood, it was also indicated that there is likely to be a replacement facility created during the deconstruction and reconstruction period. The time to engage in detailed discussions with the Department of City Planning is drawing near.
trip,” Lander said. “As Governor’s Island becomes a destination not just for summer weekends, but for school, commercial activity, little league practice, artist space and more, we’ve got to keep pushing for expanded service.” “Ferry service is a vital piece of our City’s transit infrastructure, and increasing access to the waterfront is one of our key priorities,” said EDC Chief of Staff, James Katz.
The Star-Revue Online While we love paper, there are also a number of ways that we communicate electronically: 1 - Our Email Blast List - sign up for it at www.redhookstar.com 2 - Our online calendar - keep current with local events as we hear about them - at www. redhookstar.com 3 - Our newspaper blog where you can read and share selected articles - at www.star-revue.com 4 - We also have two Facebook pages and a Twitter feed 5 - Send emails to info@redhookstar.com
The eastbound lane will be closed Monday, October 5 through Thursday, October 8 from 10 am-3 pm. Westbound closure will only be in effect on Tuesday, October 6. Fopr more information, contact Anne Koenig of DOT’s Office of Community Affairs at (212) 839-6307 or AKoenig@ dot.nyc.gov.
Different ferry news
On September 27, the Councilman Brad Lander, NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the Trust for Governor’s Island announced half-hourly services for Pier 6 and Governor’s Island during peak season on “the attraction’s most visited days,” according to a press release. The additional ferry service will double the number of ferries between Brooklyn and Governor’s Island. The Trust for GI has secured funding for the second ferry, and the service will be offered via a $62,000 increase in the 2016 city budget. “In recent years more and more people, excited about the new opportunities happening on the island, have been lining up at Pier 6 to make the
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October 2015
Red Hook gathers at Borough Hall for ferry hearing by George Fiala
O
n August 20th, the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) appeared before Community Board 6 to unveil their plan for a Red Hook location in an expanded commuter ferry location, due to begin operations in 2017. The Red Hook community was surprised by their plan to locate the terminal either off of the Beard Street Warehouse Pier, on private property at the end of Van Brunt Street, or off of Valentino Pier Park. A resolution was passed encouraging EDC to consider placing the ferry stop at the Atlantic Basin, near the Cruise Terminal. In addition, it was strongly requested that EDC institute a stop at Governors Island, which they had said they were only considering. On September 29th, a Brooklyn scoping meeting was held at Brooklyn Borough Hall to solicit public comments from throughout Brooklyn. In addition to Red Hook, stops are planned for Bay Ridge, the Rockaways and Brooklyn Heights. A great majority of people who filled the community meeting room came from Red Hook, and just about everyone was there to tell EDC that their proposed stops was not what the community wanted. A court stenographer took down all the testimony, which will become part of the public record, and hopefully considered by the city. It was said that no answers to the comments would be provided during the evening, but would be considered as they prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, due next February. At that time they will consider additional comments and release their final plan next April. Anthony Drummond, from the Borough President’s office spoke first. He welcomed the prospect of improved transportation for the borough, especially at the subsidized rates, which would be held at $2.75 - same as buses and subways. He questioned why stops weren’t planned for Bush Terminal, Canarsie and Coney Island. Then he went straight to Red Hook. He made points that were repeated over and over again during the meeting. He called the Beard Street pier too secluded, too hard to get to, far away from the bulk of Red Hook’s population, especially those in public housing, and noted the wind and ice conditions that prevail all winter. “Valentino Pier is not a viable alternative either,” he said. David Estrada, Carlos Menchaca’s Chief of Staff spoke next. Speaking of Valentino Pier, he said that “too much foot traffic would overwhelm the park.” He called the end of Van Brunt a dead end, a cul de sac. “Weather conditions, including cleaning snow, plus access, make that choice problematic.” He urged EDC to reconsider using Atlantic Basin, it being a site “well suited for maritime traffic.” Dan Wiley, speaking for Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who was in Washington “trying to keep the gov-
Red Hook Star-Revue
ernment open,” as he said, echoed the remarks of the Borough President. He also wondered why the popular new Bush Terminal Park, at 43rd Street in Sunset Park, wasn’t considered. He mentioned his work with NY Rising, a group formed by the State of NY to consider community resiliency plans in the wake of Sandy. “One of the nine
“In whose fantasy land did you think that it would be OK to destroy Valentino Park.” final plans proposed by the NY Rising Committee was a ferry stop at Atlantic Basin, a protected piece of waterfront. Answering EDC’s position that Atlantic Basin was precluded because of security concerns regarding the Cruise Terminal, he stated that he had a letter from the Coast Guard disputing those claims. Karen Broughton, who represents Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz in the NY State Assembly, said that Ortiz would be submitting a written response to EDC in writing, but in the meantime EDC should really take into the consideration the inconveniences posed to NYCHA residents having to walk to the end of Van Brunt. She also wondered why the community wasn’t consulted before the EDC picked their two chosen locations. After the responses from the electeds, it was everyone else’s turn. Tim Gilman-Sevcik, a Red Hook homeowner who suffered extensive damage from Sandy, and a member of NY Rising, said that the community was unanimous in its displeasure of EDC’s ideas. He said that Atlantic Basin is one block from the bus and two blocks from public housing. He said that EDC’s locations featured ice floes, choppy water and extreme winds. He called Pioneer Street a logical central location for the long overdue improvement in transportation for the community. He wondered why no EIS was being done at the Basin. He said that it cost less, as the ferries could dock right by the land, eliminating the need for any gangway or floating barge. Lou Sones, longtime resident, CB6 member and community leader, was “baffled.” Atlantic Basin is the “perfect solution,” he said, citing ease of access, especially for the handicapped, the sheltered body of water and the available parking. He then went on to describe the exact opposite of the perfect solution, and called it the Beard Street pier. Parks advocate Ron Buchanan reminded everyone that a ferry stop in Valentino Pier would effectively kill the free kayaking program of the Red Hook Boaters. “Interference from wakes and chemicals would make it unsafe for kayaking,” he said. He wondered why the environmental impact statement did not include impacts on water use.
Ray Howell, who is now the Executive Director of Portside, announced that groups support for Atlantic Basin. He called it a very underutilized area and said that he “can’t believe that EDC would even consider the other two locations.” Adam Armstrong, who writes the blog “View from the Hook,” and was instrumental in the battle to have cruise ships use shore power rather than run diesel engines while in the cruise terminal, was disappointed in the whole process. He pointed out another location that should be considered - the foot of Wolcott Street, adjacent to the Cruise Terminal. “Why couldn’t EDC come to us first?” he asked. “It’s befuddling!” He reminded everyone that in a previous ferry study done in 2010, the end of Van Brunt was considered not viable for a ferry, which was the reason then for not adding Red Hook to the ferry system that currently operates in North Brooklyn. Cheryl Stewart, famous in Red Hook for her “Where is Osama,” countdown sign in front of her Coffey Street home, said that she loved the idea of a ferry. However “in whose fantasy land did you think that it would be OK to destroy Valentino Park,” she said addressing EDC’s second choice. Other speakers included Florence Neal, Wally Bazemore, Jim Tampakas, Michelle Tampakas, Guy Eddon, Robin Goeman and John McGettrick. McGettrick reminded everyone of the importance of a ferry connecting Red Hook with Governors Island. Governor’s Island is a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Basin, but is only connected by a ferry from Pier 11 in Manhattan. Local residents, including student’s attending the Harbor School, have to take a bus and a subway and then the Manhattan ferry to get to a place that is actually within swimming distance. Alexandros Washburn, a Van Brunt Street resident and professor at Stevens Institute, introduced the term “cross access.” This referred to the centralized location of the Atlantic Basin. “We would be doing the community a great public service” by adding another central meeting point for all the diverse populations of Red Hook. Catherine Despont came, representing PioneerWorks, located just down the street from Atlantic Terminal. She reminded everyone of all the programs they present, many of them attended by people from all over the city. She said that there is still an impression among many that Red Hook is just about impossible to get to. PioneerWorks has rented their own ferry occasionally to bring people from Manhattan, and people loved it, she said. I spoke afterwards to Inna Guzenfeld, an urban historian and professor who specializes in the waterfront. She had made the comment that this program should strive to maximize ridership, and doubted that the proposed loca-
www.star-revue.com
Scenes from the hearing. From top to bottom: Adam Armstrong standing before the EDC representatives; Mickey Chirieleison, VFW Commander; EDC representative explaining their ferry ideas; Karen Broughton representing Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz. (photos by Fiala)
tions would do that. I asked whether perhaps EDC has designed this program to fail. She told me probably not, but if it did fail for whatever reason, it wouldn’t be tried again for many years, if ever. EDC is taking written comments through October 8th. John McGettrick, in an email to the community writes:“in the next several days, please contact: Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Attn: Denise Pisani, Senior Project Manager, 253 Broadway, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10007 dpisani@ cityhall.nyc.gov.State forcefully why Atlantic Basin, at the end of Pioneer Street is by far the best site for the Red Hook ferry. It is easier and safer to get to. It unites the whole neighborhood, etc. Especially, include your own reasons.
October 2015, Page 11
B
Speaking Red Hook ing to have drinks in skull mugs with smoke coming out of them? Scorpion bowls with paper umbrellas stuck into pineapple? Pupu platters? The whole deal?
as a restaurant owner you have to deal with the consequences. But enough about me; let’s talk about my new play. What did you think when you read it?
BS: No. No. I said “Tiki-ish.” We won’t have smoking skull mugs and I think the pupu platter got nixed.
BS: I thought was very funny. Very, very dark. It definitely is not a slap-happy farce like the last one.
CV: Well if it isn’t a Tiki bar, then what is it?
CV: I’d like to hear your summary of the action.
They sat down at Barry O’Meara’s
BS: Kind of like the cocktail lounge at an old Chinese restaurant.
(who also appeared in UFA) Bait and
CV: That sounds like a Tiki bar to me.
Tackle Bar to discuss Schneider’s new
BS: Less bamboo. More red banquettes. The concept is still being refined. But we will have the classic rum drinks and serve Korean street food.
BS: Let’s see. Two old college couples get together after not seeing each other for a long while. They are all, or were, writers. Or something. Very liberal arts college types. Full of themselves. And it gets very messy.
en Schneider (owner, with his wife Sohui, of Good Fork) was the lead last year in Carlo Vogel’s production of
Up For Anything (UFA) by Marc Spitz.
restaurant and Vogel’s new production - both slated to open this fall. Ben Schneider: Hi Carlo. Carlo Vogel: Hi Ben! BS: So, you’re producing another play? CV: Yes. Another one by Marc Spitz. It’s called P.S. It’s Poison. I’m producing but also acting in this one this time. Arthur [Aulisi - the “English” architect in UFA] is directing. But you know all this because you were supposed to be in it. You even read it with us! Out loud. You were funny! Tease. BS: I really wanted to do it, but I’m opening a new restaurant. CV: I know. Everyone loved you in UFA and the role in the new one was really right for you. But you have to open your stupid restaurant. BS: And you couldn’t move your stupid play to accommodate me. CV: The theatre waits for no one. BS: Fine dining feeds the soul. CV: Ok. You got me there. I suppose we can lose you for one show so that we can have a new soul feeder. We got a great guy who lives in Park Slope to play the role. And now that we have the rapt attention of our audience - the new restaurant will be….
CV: Yeah, that’s Act I. BS: And then in Act II their old college professor shows up --
CV: I may never make it into the restaurant. I certainly won’t do Karaoke. I’m a terrible singer. But I hear the kids like it.
CV: Played by Geoff [Wiley - owner of Jalopy, with his wife Lynette].
BS: The kids do like it, and so do many adults… especially after a few rum drinks.
BS: -- with his new young girlfriend. They open this mysterious package that the professor has had shipped from some far off land and --
CV: True that. You grew up in Manhattan. Did you ever go to the Trader Vic’s when it was in the basement of the Plaza Hotel? Before it closed? Now that was a Tiki bar!
CV: That’s enough! Don’t want to give away too much.
BS: No, I never went there unfortunately. I’ve seen pictures. We’re certainly using it for some inspiration.
CV: Yup.
CV: I was lucky and made it there a few years before it closed [in 1993]. I got very drunk and shoved a skull mug down my pants so I could steal it. BS: You didn’t? CV: I did and as we were leaving the waiter was sort of nodding at my crotch trying to get me to cough it up. But what could he say? “Please take the skull mug out of your pants sir.” BS: He could have called the cops. CV: I suppose. But he didn’t, and I still have the mug. BS: I’m certainly not letting you into my bar now. CV: Hey if you put that much rum in your drinks,
BS: Ok. But it goes down a rabbit hole, and not at all where I expected it to go.
BS: I think the Red Hook types will like it. CV: As do I. Speaking of Red Hook - Insa is not going to be in Red Hook. BS: No. We needed a big space and access to more suckers -- I mean patrons. So it is in Gowanus - 328 Douglass Street. CV: That area is blowing up. BS: Yeah. It’s cool though. Lots going on for sure. CV: Michael [Stokes] tells me that you have a couple of special dishes planned - the street food stuff. BS: Michael is our Chef d’Cuisine and Sohui is Executive Chef. CV: You know Michael did the food at my wedding?
BS: Korean barbeque. It will be called Insa.
BS: Yes I did.
CV: Mmm yum. I like KBBQ. Are you going to have all those tiny dishes of stuff that they bring out before the meal? BS: Yes.
CV: He’s a great chef. He is also partially responsible for the name of the theater group - he came up with the “Glass Bottom” part of the Red Hook Glass Bottom Dramatical Players name.
CV: What is all that stuff?
BS: Wow. A chef and a wordsmith?
BS: Kimchi and…uh…I have to ask my wife.
CV: And a blacksmith. So to speak. Or a construction guy. He’s helping build your restaurant. I mean literally build it.
CV: Yea, it’s a lot of crazy different stuff. I like it all though.
BS: That’s true, and I thank him. So Michael and Sohui put together a lot of great stuff, but the ones so far that have been hits are the Hotbar and the Sundae.
BS: And then there will be a Tiki-ish bar… CV: Wait! What? A Tiki bar? BS: And Karaoke rooms… CV: Hold the phone. Karaoke is fine, but what’s up with the Tiki bar?! Like bamboo? You’re go-
Page 12 Red Hook Star-Revue
CV: Huh? What is that? Sessert? Are you a Swenson’s too? Carlo Vogel of Glass Bottom Productions
www.star-revue.com
BS: Swenson’s?
October 2015
CV: Forget it. West Coast thing.
the new play.
BS: No. Hotbar is kind of like a corn dog, but fish. Fish on a stick.
CV: Marc wrote the character for me to play because I hadn’t been in a show in over ten years.
CV: Ok. I’d eat that.
BS: That would explain that then.
BS: And Sundae is blood sausage. Sliced up. Finger food.
CV: Yea. I’m not really acting in it. I’m just being me. But more annoying.
CV: That sounds like a tough sell. Good that you are calling it Sundae.
BS: That’s scary. How do people get tickets? CV: I still have to learn the right lines and say them correctly! Don’t bump into the furniture! That’s acting. We’ll have tickets for sale at Bait and Tackle and Jalopy. Also there will be a link at www.jalopy.biz that will direct to an online sales portal. But it will be cheaper to buy them at the two locations - the online thing charges a fee. We’re also going to have a meal at Jalopy Tavern and ticket deals for the off nights. Look for that at their website.
BS: It is really good. CV: I’m sure. I love that kind of thing. And then the regular BBQ menu? BS: You order a bunch of raw meat - beef, chicken, fish, whatever - and you get bowls of vegetables. Then there are these gas grills in the middle of each table -CV: Sounds like an insurance adjusters nightmare. BS: It’s fine. Anyway, you get sauces, and you cook the stuff up at your table. CV: So we pay you for the privilege of cooking our own food? BS: Well, no. Sort of. The waiter assists you. Basically does it for you. Unless you know what you are doing. It would be a shame to mess up all those great ingredients. CV: Alright, that’s fair. How did you come up with the name “Insa;” what does it mean? BS: We needed something that was Korean, but easy for Americans to pronounce. It translates to “greeting.” It’s just a noun. CV: Weird. But OK. BS: How do you come up with the names of your plays? CV: I don’t. Marc [Spitz] does. He used to rip them off from rock and roll lyrics, but now he actually invents them. BS: How long have you been working with Marc on his plays? CV: Marc and I went to college together - liberal artsy college type stuff - in the early 90s. He and I are sort of stuck in that decade and so are the characters he writes. We’ve done about half dozen plays. We are bringing back the good ones to do at Jalopy. We originally did P.S. It’s Poison a few years ago. It was disaster. The director quit, I got Lymes disease, Hurricane Andrew screwed our schedule, among other bad things. BS: When does the new and improved version open? CV: We open on November 6th, Friday, at the Jalopy Theatre. This time we’ll run over ten days ten shows in eight days. (What Carlo means: Ten days with two days off. Two 2 show days - a matinee and an evening. Ten performances total. BS: Oh, that’s better. Last time we did just the four shows, which sold out. Lots of people couldn’t get in. So we had to do it again.
BS: Jalopy Tavern has very good food. Ben Schneider of Good Fork in last year’s production.
CV: Yes. I hope this time we can get everyone in. Please, please tell everyone to come to an early show! Everyone always waits till the last show. It happens every time. And I can’t accommodate them. BS: I will tell all ten people I will see in the next few months while I am trying to get my restaurant open. CV: So Insa opens in a “few months?” BS: Yes. I wish I could say for sure, but while the place will be done soon, I just have no control over the New York City bureaucracy that is required to open. CV: It’s like doing theatre. BS: No it’s not. CV: It is. You throw all these unpredictable things at the “production” - whether it be a show or a restaurant - with a very clear goal. But you never know what is going to trip you up along the way. You never know if anyone is going to show up. You never know if you will make any money - or in the case of theatre, make enough money to break even. BS: Except I’m not “running” for ten shows. The restaurant has got to “run” for years.
BS: Sure. In the spring you are going to produce a play that I’ve been wanting to do for a while. CV: Yup. Which shall remain detail-less for the moment because the author [another Red Hook local restaurateur] has yet to deliver a script to me. I feel he might be a bit shy about this. BS: He is. But you are going to produce and it will be a huge local cast. An outdoor extravaganza. About boxing. CV: And then you will make your triumphant return to the Red Hook Glass Bottom Dramatical Players in the role of Francis Ford Coppola. A new one from Spitz. Never been performed. A fantasy retelling of the making of Apocalypse Now. BS: It needed some work. CV: We are working on it. BS: What’s it called again? CV: Not sure yet. Either Breathe Dead Hippo or Up The Nung. BS: Right. Good luck.
CV: I was just trying to turn the conversation back to my play so I could get more column inches. BS: You succeeded. CV: Did I? Oh. Look at that. Do you have a website? BS: We have splash page and a Twitter feed. And a Facebook page. www.insabrooklyn.com twitter.com/insabrooklyn www.facebook.com/insabrooklyn CV: Oh man. I hate all that stuff. BS: Your character says something like that in
Red Hook Star-Revue
CV: They do. Should we talk about the future? After you get your new hit restaurant off the ground?
www.star-revue.com
(photos by Carlo Vogel)
October 2015, Page 13
Participatory Budgeting 2015 has begun! by Nathan Weiser
T
his year’s Participatory Budgeting (PB) cycle began in September with three neighborhood meetings held by Councilmember Carlos Menchaca. PB allows the public to create their own neighborhood improvement projects and vote on them, with the winners being funded by the City Council. The process of getting ideas from the public to voting on them takes about ten months. When the cycle is concluded, constituents will have decided how to spend millions of dollars from the city budget in a constructive in a transparent, democratic way. A major side benefit is that PB gives opportunities for youth to become directly involved in the democratic process, learning important skills in the process. During these first three meetings, participatory budgeting is introduced, ideas are brainstormed and delegates are selected. In October, delegates learn about the budget process and form action committees. From October through January, these committees will meet to fashion project ideas into full proposals. These volunteer delegates are helped every step of the way by the experts from the council staff and from the PBNYC city agency. From February to March of 2016, delegates will present the proposals to the community at special fairs for feedback. In April, residents will go to various voting sites and choose their favorite projects. Anyone 16 and over is eligible to vote as long as they live in the district. All that has to be presented is proof of residence, or even better, a Municipal ID card. According to Julian Morales, Director of Organizing for Menchaca, participatory budgeting opens up government to hear from the district and it expands civic engagement. Previous PB project winners have brought local schools more computers, media centers, a garden for the library and air conditioning improvements at PS 15.
Introductions and projects
The September 17th meeting began with introductions from Menchaca and Morales, a brief video explaining PB, all followed by an ice breaker. Once the goals for the PB process were highlighted the audience broke into two groups for project brainstorming. Some of the ideas that came out of this initial session were: 1. Funding for RHI to build a new building on a vacant lot at 774 Hicks Street so as to expand their services. 2. New lockers and gym equipment for the Red Hook Rec Center. It was brought up that more people would use the Rec Center if it had better equipment. 3. New lighting, sports, and playground equipment at Flag Pole and
Page 14 Red Hook Star-Revue
Bush Clinton Park (T Park). 4. Improvements to lighting and implementing more traffic signs and stop signs in Red Hook for increased safety. Two intersections that need to be improved are Huntington and Columbia Verona and Dwight Streets. 5. It was suggested that more keys and intercoms should be installed and given out in NYCHA because it can be hard to get a new key. However, Morales added that $400 million is coming from FEMA to fix the lobby and cameras in the NYCHA buildings. 6. Fixing potholes on various streets in Red Hook including near the CTOWN on 57 Mill St. 7. There was a need expressed for more fresh vegetables in the area. The ones at CTOWN can be stale and there is not enough variety at the local farmers market in Red Hook. 8. The sports fields on Bay St. should be renovated so that more people use the fields, and there should be more water fountains close to those fields. There are only water fountains in Coffey Park and T Park. 9. The new Senior Center (when it finally opens) back yard should be renovated with more lighting and in addition to putting in more benches the existing ones should be fixed. Some benches that have been taken away due to damage have not been replaced. 10. Return of the Red Hook West Tenant Association office to the Columbia and W. 9th St. location where it used to be. The current location is too small and unsafe because of scaffolding outside.
Ideas that come out of the discussion groups are posted to a whiteboard at the September 17 Participatory Budgeting meeting held by Carlos Menchaca. (photo by Weiser)
in the winter months is not safe and causes health hazards. Slave, who was born and raised in Red Hook, thinks more people would use the Rec Center if it had better exercise equipment. The facility includes a pool that is cracked, and has not been renovated in 20 years. The final primary project that Slave’s
group deemed as being most critical: fixing the Red Hook Senior Center on Wolcott Street, especially the backyard space. “We want the seniors to have extra space to sit down and play cards and have fun besides inside the building,” Slave said. “Sometimes they might want to go outside and enjoy some sun.”
11. Renovation of park house at Coffey Park. Earl Johnson, who was brainstorming on one side of the room after the group had been divided, added three other ideas. “The kitchen at the Miccio Center is not really in that good condition, so if we could get the kitchen fixed up that would really be an improvement to the program,” Johnson said. He continued “another idea are LED signs outside the Miccio or elsewhere in Red Hook. I proposed it for the Miccio to try to attract attention here. You kind of walk by and there is no indication that this is even a community center.” Johnson’s group also suggested that Harold Ickes Park should have a skate park. “It is under used, and people who live in the community don’t even know that the park is there,” Johnson said. Kayana Slave, who summarized the first groups ideas into their top three most important, thought that fixing the Rec Center should be the first priority. “That is something I use a lot,” Slave said. “I will keep bringing it up.” She added that the damaged exercise equipment that is primarily used
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October 2015
Laura Eng’s Religious News (continued from page 4)
place. Both the Troiano girls as well as Antoinetta Delgado are altar servers at SHSS. Visitation Parish’s Father Claudio Antecini and Father Eamon Murray were also at the MSG Mass. They were able to concelebrate with other priests in attendance, and Sr. Laura and Sr. Frauke. Sr. Laura commented afterward that “serving the Lord in Brooklyn is sometimes so hard with all the rushing around of the city and you may wish to escape.” But after hearing the Holy Father, she realized that she is in the place she was meant to be and his message to her was “let’s go on.” Sr. Laura also noted a marked increase in Mass attendance last week by people who expressly stated that
Michael Delgado, a SHSS sacristan, remarked that there is a big difference in seeing the Pope in person compared to watching him on TV. they were there because they had been watching the Pope on TV. And at Mass on Sunday, September 27, Father Claudio preached the words of Pope Francis, elaborating on the Pope’s message that God is in the city by saying, “God is in Red Hook!” While the events may have been different, the reactions were mostly the same. People were visibly moved by their experiences of seeing the Holy Father. They all spoke of tears, goose bumps, goodwill, and feelings of love, peace and joy regarding their time in the presence of Pope Francis.
HAPPENINGS/ ANNOUNCEMENTS
St. Mary Star of Sea officially opened their beautifully renovated Parish Center on Sunday, September 20 with a blessing from newly ordained Bishop James Massa and ribbon-cutting by faithful parishioner of over 85 years, Mr. John (Bob) Burke.
ration of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, St. Paul and St. Agnes R.C. Parish and Sacred Heart-St. Stephen Parish, with support from Scotto Funeral Home.
the American Songbook, with piano accompaniment by Giacomo Oliva. Admission is $20 for adults (children under 12 are free) and includes a postperformance reception. Season passes for $75 are available before October 15. For more information and a full list of upcoming concerts, call (718) 625-1717.
St. Paul R.C. Church
Court and Congress Streets Card Party on Saturday, October 3rd from 7-11 pm in the lower church hall. Admission is $15; tickets may be purchased at the rectory office. Visitation’s Father Claudio flanked by the Troiado and the Delgado
Congregation Mount Sinai 250 Cadman Plaza West
Sukkot - Celebrate with a Shabbat Service and dinner on Friday, October 2 at 6:30 pm. For information, call (718) 875-9124 or email info@congregationmountsinai.org Shemini Atzeret - Sunday, October 4 at 6:30 pm Services with Brooklyn Heights Synagogue: Monday, October 5 at 8 am, 11:30 am and 1:30 pm - Yizkor. Simchat Torah - Join CMS and the Hebrew school for pizza, dancing with the Torahs, and reading from the Torah on Monday, October 5 at 6 pm. Anti-Semitism by Jean-Paul Sarte - Book discussion with Dr. Monty Weinstein, on Wednesday, October 14 at 7:30 pm. Suggested donation $5; RSVP by Monday, October 12. Isha L’Isha Women’s Group with Rabbi Sara Zacharia on Monday, October 19 at 7:30 pm - A monthly gathering of women to study Jewish tradition and text, to connect with the voices of women from our past and find personal meaning and relevance for today.
St. Paul Episcopal Church 199 Carroll Street
Sunday School will resume on October 4 at 9:45 am at the rectory at St. Andrew’s House. All children, ages 5 and up, are welcome. For more information, please contact Jean Del Colliano at jdelcolliano@yahoo.com Cerddorian Vocal Ensemble will present Fitful Flame: Music of Love and War, directed by James John, on Friday, November 13 at 8 pm. Advance tickets are $20 ($25 at the door and $15 for students). For information, visit www.cerddorian.org.
Visitation BVM Church 98 Richards Street
The Philip Course, a spiritual weekend retreat for those looking for a new fresh experience of faith in Jesus Christ, October 2-4. For information, call Sr. Laura at 718-6241572. Friday October 2 from 7 pm-9:30 pm
Maria Teresa Heyer
Saturday October 3 from 9 am-5 pm Sunday October 4 from 9 am-5 pm The Ecumenical Congress, a spiritual weekend retreat with Benjamin Berger and Fr. Giuseppe DeNardi from Israel, October 30-November 1. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. For information, call Sr. Frauke at 917-515-4225. Jazz Concert on Sunday, November 8 at 4 pm, featuring Alicia Rau, jazz trumpeter and her group from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Suggested admission of $20 (or pay what you can.)
Jenny belin’s Art
Interfaith Scripture Study - Wednesday, October 21, 7-8:30 pm at Plymouth Church, 57 Orange Street; Wednesday, November 4 , 7-8:30 pm at Dawood Mosque, 143 State Street; Wednesday, November 18, 7-8:30 pm at Congregation Mount Sinai. Free of charge.
Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen The 67th Annual Feast of Madonna Church Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows) took place on Sunday, September 13 with a neighborhood procession, fireworks and Mass at Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen Church.
Summit & Hicks Streets
If you are planning a party, including a graduation, wedding, baptism, or Sweet 16 celebration, please consider using the completely restored Mary’s Hall at Visitation Parish. The cost is a donation for the upkeep of the church. Call Sr. Frauke at (917) 515-4225 for more information.
St. Agnes Church
UPCOMING EVENTS
Blessing of God’s Creatures in Honor of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi - Sunday, October 4 at 2 pm, at the Central Monument in Carroll Park. All are invited to bring any and all pets to be blessed. The event is a collabo-
Red Hook Star-Revue
Book Club - Next meeting to discuss The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins on Monday, October 19 at 7 pm at Le Petit Cafe, 505 Court Street. Hoyt & DeGraw Streets French Mass each Sunday at 11 am “Mass Mob” will descend on Sunday, October 18 at the 9:15 am Mass. “All are welcome to come and join us in lifting our voices and spirits unto the Lord.” Sounds on Sackett - A concert series of jazz, pop, and classical performances kicks off its season on Sunday, October 18 at 4 pm with a performance by Karen Merchant, soprano, who will sing selections from
Our friend Jenny, who exhibits locally at the Brooklyn Collective, 212 Columbia Street, sends us this and tells us “The Gold painting is a portrait of Joan Collins from the 1960s.” Joan’s younger sister, the writer Jackie Collins, recently succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 77. Jenny Belin’s website is www.jennybelin.com
www.star-revue.com
October 2015, Page 15
Dance Theatre Etcetera’s Dance Ambassador program empowers
streets of Red Hook This year, Bowers received a grant from Dance USA to initiate the first Dance Ambassador program in New York City. This is an international program that affords youths between 11 and 25 a chance to learn about the dance world, and serve to involve audiences and performers in ways that enhance the creative process. In some ways, being a Dance Ambassador is similar to a public relations professional, as a goal is to promote events by going into the community. The grant provides for a stipend, and Martha has chosen two Red Hook youths to be the first of her Ambassadors.
DTE’s Dance Ambassador Tyteana Griem with the flyer she helped create. (Fiala photo)
Dance Theatre Etcetera (DTE) is Red Hook pre-eminent dance company. Established in 1992 by Martha Bowers, it has empowered more than one generation of aspiring artists from the entire Red Hook community. Every June they put together a Red Hook Fest weekend, which includes community dinners and a day of art at Valentino Pier Park. Some years they even have a parade through the
We spoke to Ambassador Tyteana Griem, who lives at 817 Hicks Street. She is 21 and a student at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. She has always had an interest in music, and has been active in the Red Hook Initiative (RHI) for the past eight years, and is an alumna of their Digital Boot Camp, where she helped make a short film about DeFontes. She says that having RHI in her life while she attended PS 27 and John Jay helped keep her grounded - giving her a chance to pursue her artistic instincts.
At a recent Women’s Career Day held at RHI, she introduced herself to Martha, who was in the audience. One thing led to another, and she became DTE’s first Dance Ambassador.
Photo Ops
Tyteana also enjoys photography, and a photo she took at last summers Night Out Against Crime in Coffey Park was chosen by Martha to illustrate the upcoming Dance on the Greenway. Dance on the Greenway festival on Sunday, October 4th, 2015 at the IKEA Erie Basin Park. Showtimes are at 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. It is a free festival of site-specific dances features veteran choreographer Paloma McGregor/ Angela’s Pulse, as well as emerging choreographers Audrey Elaine Hailes, Juson Williams, and Red Hook dance superstar Solomon Goodwin/MVP. In between performances at 2:30pm, we will be hosting a DJ dance party with the artists. This year we have support from Dance USA’s Engaging Dance Audiences, putting our local festival on the national stage as we offer interactive, community-based programming. Tatiema’s opportunity to take part in rehearsals, and her work in bringing dance to her neighbors gives her a special opportunity that parallels her RHI experience, and she is determined to take advantage of it as she pursues her own career in the arts.
Joe Ward’s family was one of the first to move into the Red Hook Houses. He now lives in Cleveland, but comes back to Red Hook every 9/11 and always comes to Visitation Church, his church growing up.
The rain held off and this year’s Columbia Waterfront District Festival was a smashing success. That’s Brad Lander speaking while CGA head Cynthia Gonzalez listens.
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October 2015