Greenpoint Parks Town Hall

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Councilman Stephen Levin and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation is hosting a town hall meeting on Thursday, November 3rd about the state of parks in Greenpoint.

The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. and will be hosted at the Polish & Slavic Center at 176 Java Street.

North Greenpoint Development Meeting

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Councilman Stephen Levin is hosting a meeting about the ongoing development in the northern Greenpoint area.

Attendees will get updates from developers about construction projects and their impact on the community.

The meeting will be on Tuesday, November 1st a 6:30 p.m. at the Polish & Slavic Center (176 Java Street).

RSVP at bsolotaire@council.nyc.gov.

Park advocates holding social media campaign today

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Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park – the local green space advocacy group calling on the City to purchase the former CitiStorage site and turn into a park on the Greenpoint and Williamsburg waterfront – is hosting a campaign today to pressure Mayor Bill de Blasio into acquiring the site.

They are asking fellow advocates to tweet @nycmayor or @billdeblasio or to call 311 to demand the City sign a deal to acquire the space. They posted the following message on the campaign:

The City has done a great thing by making a generous offer for the final parcel of Bushwick Inlet Park. The time is now to close this deal with the land owner. The City and the owner of the CitiStorage property have been in discussions, and we believe that both sides are close. Close enough that the time is now to close this deal. Please call 311 to tell Mayor de Blasio to please bring the CitiStorage property out of harm’s way, and Tweet him as well @nycmayor @billdeblasio #wheresourpark now!  Please act today.

NAG to host free garden soil workshop

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If you’ve missed NAG’s free soil testing workshops earlier in the year, including the one in August, here’s your chance.

Neighbors Allied for Good Growth is hosting a free garden soil workshop on Sunday, October 30th from 1 to 3 p.m. at the eagle Street Rooftop Garden (44 Eagle St.).

The workshop is in collaboration with the green experts at Brooklyn College’s Analytical Center.

According to NAG, attendees will learn about the science behind urban soil and how North Brooklyn’s soil became toxic. That’s important for those who want to learn more about Greenpoint’s environmental degradation history.

The hands-on workshop will allow you to even apply your skills right on the rooftop farm.

The soil test screens for heavy metals like zinc, copper, arsenic and lead. NAG encourages attendees to arrive by 1 p.m. if you want to get your soil tested. If that’s the plan, bring a handful of your soil in a zip lock bag.

Police are looking for this perv

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Police are looking for a man who allegedly exposed himself to a woman near the Broadway Triangle area.

Authorities say that on yesterday at 10:30 a.m., a 24-year-old woman walked into a residential building near Humboldt Street and Seigel Street. She was followed into an elevator by the man pictured above.

The suspect proceeded to pull down his pants and expose himself in front of the victim.

There were no reported injuries. The suspect then fled in an unknown direction.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.

Greenpoint Library to undergo renovations

Rendering by Marble Fairbanks
Rendering by Marble Fairbanks

The library on 107 Norman Avenue will transform from a one-story building into a two-story, eco-friendly facility with green features.

The current library is expected to be demolished in early January. With construction expected to last 18 months, library officials hope they can get the new and improved library running by mid-2018.

“We are going to be tearing it down and building an entirely new eco-friendly building,” said project manager Ames O’Neill. “It’s going to have green roofs and environmentally-friendly features.”

The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF) is providing a $5 million grant for the library to add the green roof and flexible programming space for environmental and education groups to use for meetings, classes and events.

The other $10 million is coming from Brooklyn Public Library.

To read more about the renovations of the Greenpoint Library, including alternative options during its temporary closure, click here.

Fall Carnival at PS 110

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With Halloween just around the corner, PS 110 is hosting its Fall Carnival to raise money for the school’s art program.

Starting at 2 p.m. on October 22nd, the carnival will feature a haunted house, pumpkin patch, a bake sale, carnival games, pumpkin photo booth, face painting, raffles and you can even take a pumpkin home to paint!

 

Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund open house

cuqogcpxyaalrrj-jpg-largeGreenpointers will have a chance to check out some of the good work the folks at the Greenpoint Community Education Fund (GCEF) are doing this weekend.

GCEF is hosting an open house on Saturday, October 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at four locations: McCarren Park, McGolrick Park, Newtown Creek and the Kingsland Wildflowers Rooftop.

You’ll see their green roofs, projects for parks and birds and the environmental advocacy to clean up Newtown Creek.

GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program that was created by the New York State Office of the Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Its funds were collected through a large settlement with ExxonMobil over its oil spoil in Greenpoint.

The organization helps fund important projects that makes the community a greener place to live.

For more information, visit their website at www.gcefund.org.

Police still looking for three thiefs

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It’s a case that still hasn’t been solved yet.

Police are looking for three men who robbed a 34-year-old man near Bedford Avenue and North 12th Street last month.

On Sunday, August 14 at approximately 2:30 a.m., the 34-year-old victim met up with the three suspects in a public place and invited them up to his apartment.

After the victim (somehow) fell asleep, the three suspects sprung to action. When the victim woke up at around noon, he found that they took his credit card, his Rolex watch worth $5,000 and other jewelry totaling $3,000.

The three suspects were later seen on a store’s surveillance camera using the victim’s credit card to make $1,400 in purchases at West 125th Street, including a $750 order at Ballers USA.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.

Cops search for men behind attacks, robberies

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Last month, Greenpoint neighbors expressed concerns about a seemingly increasing rate of assaults and attacks, particularly on women, in the neighborhood.

Last week, the police reported a series of incidents that appear to be connected. It has left the neighborhood on edge yet again after the attacks and robberies.

The four incidents all happened on Sunday, September 25th in the afternoon. According to the police, here’s a timeline of what happened:

  • 3:10 p.m. – A 26-year-old man was skateboarding with friends near Jackson Street and Meeker Avenue. Four unidentified man approached him to “engage in conversation. One of the suspects grabbed the victim from behind, forcing him to the ground. Another suspect took 26-year-old victim’s backpack, which had a Pentax camera worth $100, an iPhone 6, an ID, a passport and three books (“Just Kids”, “Philosophy of Andy Warhol” and “Lolita”). Another suspect then took the victim’s skateboard and hit him in the back with it. The victim suffered back pain but refused medical attention. The suspects fled on Jackson Street.
  • 4:15 p.m. –  A 34-year-old man was walking near Jewel Street and Meserole Avenue when three unidentified men approached him. One of the suspect hit the victim in the face, then removing his iPhone, wallet $300, an ID and a MetroCard. The victim was taken to Wyckoff Medical Center, where he got eight stitches to close a large cut in his chin.
  • 4:30 p.m. – A 32-year-old man was walking near Diamond Street and Meserole Avenue when two unidentified men, yet again, approached him from behind. One of the suspects punched him in the face. They went through the victim’s pockets, taking a Samsung Galaxy S7, a wallet, $80, an ID and bank cards. The victim refused medical attention while the suspects ran away.
  • 4:45 p.m. – A 33-year-old man was walking on Leonard Street and Engert Avenue when two unidentified men, one of them holding a skateboard, asked him for the time. One of the suspects then displayed a knife and demanded the victim’s possessions, a request with which he complied. They left with an iPhone 6 and an American Express card. Luckily, the victim in this case was not hurt.

Police believe all four of these incidents are related, and surveillance footage took photos of the possible suspects in the photo above.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.