Greenpoint Star Newspaper

North Brooklyn runs on its community organizations, which has championed our neighborhoods for decades.

Churches United For Fair Housing (CUFFH), which does important housing, tenants rights and justice work, spent Thanksgiving Eve hosting its annual Turkey Fried mission.

One hundred deep-fried turkeys were delivered to families living without a stove. They also gave away hundreds of frozen turkeys to local soup kitchens and church food pantries.

This year’s volunteers and supports include Madison Group, Grand Street Boys Association, The Solano Family Foundation, San Damiano Mission and Councilman Antonio Reynoso.

“Hundreds of families in our community live in apartments without kitchen access or reliable gas to cook. Every day we work with residents who cook on hot plates, keep warm with space heaters and live in homes without basic services,” said Chris Colon, a CUFFH tenant organizer. “It’s important we give back to families who need our help because they are victims of landlord abuse. We are glad we can give back to the communities we serve and put a smile on their faces with these turkeys.”

Here’s your chance to give your thoughts about how to get around North Brooklyn.

Whether you’re a pedestrian, cyclist or motorist, streets and sidewalks play an important role in our lives.

Councilman Stephen Levin’s office has funded a transportation study for North Brooklyn, collecting more than 400 comments and concerns. DOT is preparing to release the findings. But before then, Levin’s office is asking for last-minute input.

For example, DOT has analyzed the conditions on Jay Street and Meeker Avenue.

Here are some elements to consider:

• Lane width – parking, bus routes, truck traffic, bike lanes and sidewalk width are all dependent on the lane width on the street. There are also safety considerations, as studies have shown wider streets correspond with higher speeds from cars.
• Sidewalk and curb extensions – How sidewalks are designed can inform the way pedestrians interact with businesses, entertainment, or even each other.  Curb extensions reduce the crosswalk distance, which makes crossing more safe.
• The environment – Because of North Brooklyn’s industrial past and environmental challenges, this has to be a factor in decision-making. Think about trees, bioswales, and how to treat stormwater runoff.

The time is now. Submit your suggestions by filling out the form here.

Today, November 13th, the prototype of a new potential method of transportation connecting Brooklyn and Queens was revealed. The model BQX was unveiled at the New Lab technology space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The line would run 14 miles along the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront from Astoria to Sunset Park.

Executive Director of Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector, Ya-Ting Liu advocated for the new line saying, “…now is the moment to move forward with this transformative project to connect hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, including over 40,000 public housing residents, to jobs, education, healthcare and recreation along the route.”  

Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams believes this train will solve the lack of interconnectedness between the two areas. “Everyone is on board, for the most part, with the concept that we need better transportation from waterfront to inland.”

Despite these benefits, some concerns among residents still exist. The fact that the train would not be connected to the MTA and would therefore require its own fare was one of the concerns. The project could be completed as early as 2024.

Tomorrow morning at 10:15 a.m., the PS 31 community is cutting the ribbon to its brand new STEAM wing.

STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math, all important subjects for the future.

Join teachers, students and other education leaders at the ceremony tomorrow!

Stephen Levin retained his City Council seat last night in the general election, and will soon begin his third term in office.

According to unofficial results from the Board of Elections website, Levin won 18,624 votes out of 21,104 total votes cast, good for 88.25 percent.

He will represent District 33, including Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Vinegar Hill, Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill and Gowanus for the next four years.

Cambranes, a Greenpoint native and political newcomer with a background in marketing and communications, ran on her own “Progress for All” party. She received 2,371 votes, or 11.23 percent.

In District 34, Antonio Reynoso ran unopposed, securing another term in office. He will represent Williamsburg, East Williamsburg and Bushwick for the next four years.

PS 34 is getting a nice green boost.

The school was recently awarded a $2,000 grant to support its STEM (that’s science, technology, education and math) programs, which are all the rage these days.

The funding came from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA. They have donated to other STEM programs in New York City before.

PS 34 has really turned up its STEM education, including a brand new STEM Lab, a robotics program, an environmental club and Eco-School sustainability program.

Here’s to hoping more schools will receive this kind of generous funding to continue the important work they do by educating our students!

Councilman Stephen Levin is among 27 council members who have announced their support for Mayor de Blasio’s Fair Fix proposal.

The plan would increase taxes on the city’s wealthiest to raise $800 million annually to fix the crumbling subway and bus system. It would also pay for half-fare MetroCards for 800,000 low-income New Yorkers.

“New Yorkers don’t care about playing politics—they just want a functioning subway system,” Levin said. “To get to and from work on time, without delays and frustration, that’s not too much to ask.”

“New York City has put forth a fair plan: taxing millionaires to benefit millions of subway riders. Everyday residents of our City already disproportionately contribute to funding through tolls and taxes. Let’s push this plan forward and provide New Yorkers the basic services they deserve.”

Fair Fix would need to get through Governor Cuomo’s Albany, which seems unlikely considering the governor is pushing congestion pricing, which the mayor opposes. Let’s not forget that the mayor and governor can’t seem to get along, and are in a constant political fight to top one another.

But with 27 supporters from the City Council, Mayor de Blasio’s plan appears to be picking up momentum.

Time will tell which plan will prevail. Either way, New York City commuters are just hoping that a solution comes soon.

Mark your calendars, folks!

Be sure to celebrate the Greenpoint YMCA’s Spirit of Community Service Awards dinner at Giando on the Water (412 Kent Ave) on Wednesday, December 6 at 6:30 p.m.

The honorees are Norm and Elaine Brodsky!

RSVP to Tatiana Terzuoli at tterzuoli@ymcanyc.org.

Last winter, north Brooklyn celebrated the city’s long-awaited purchase of the final 27 acres of Bushwick Inlet Park.

Now, those parcels of parkland are going to be developed.

Mayor de Blasio announced that his administration is allocating a total of $17.5 million for the remediation of development of two parcels.

50 Kent has already gone through remediation, so $7.7 million will go toward developing it into a new park.

The remaining $9.8 million will be for remediating and developing the Motiva site.

Parks will begin designing the park with community input this spring.

“We kept a promise to North Brooklyn by purchasing the final parcel of Bushwick Inlet Park, and this additional funding will allow the city to move closer to realizing the vision of a fully-developed waterfront park with beautiful views and amenities to match,” de Blasio said.

“Don’t forget, this is your park,” added Councilman Stephen Levin, “so I want everyone to be engaged in the planning process.”

The NYC local city office elections on November 7th are rapidly approaching and New Yorkers need to get informed! In order to ensure this education, Vote NYC announced the broadcast schedule for the city’s official nonpartisan Video Voter Guide ! The guide contains statements from each candidate about their stances and plans for the city. The video edition of the guide began airing Sunday, October 29th and will be on every night at 7pm (4pm on election night) from now until the election on the NYC Gov station (see channel depending on carrier below).

NYC Gov Channels and Carriers
Spectrum (TWC)…74
Verizon FiOS………..1960 HD | 24 SD
Cablevision………….74
RCN……………………….81
Over the Air (Broadcast)……….25.2

The video guide will also air on borough-based public access stations; check local listings for time and dates on BRIC, QPTV, MNN, and BronxNet.

The Voter Guide information can also be found online at voting.nyc as well as in print when it is delivered to every household with registered voters in the five boroughs.

Aspects of daily life such as affordable living and public schools will be affected by these local elections so make sure to learn about the candidates and get out there and vote!