Best Comment Of The Day: Showing Compassion

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Michael Reiss has left the following comment on the post "Informational Meeting On Proposed Carroll Gardens Homeless Shelter Set For October 24th":

"Wow is all I have to say. This community is hardly a community if there is not yet one comment to suggest how to integrate the less fortunate into Carroll Gardens. I have had friends go homeless and I worked as an advocate for the homeless while at a facility in Cobble Hill. In fact the facility in Cobble Hill, Baltic Street Mental Health, (at 250 Baltic St., between Court and Clinton) has been there many, many years and has functioned very well. The people there who come to seek housing are mostly unfortunate low-income people who have fallen on hard times, like anyone who isn't fortunate enough to come from a wealthy background or who has the means or the resources to buy property or rent some expensive pad. Or who were born orphans and never had a shot. Or their entire families have died and things didn't work out too well since then - no happy ending. I've seen the sadness of seeing some of my clients denied housing for petty, bureaucratic reasons and having to sleep on the subway or evade the criminality of the NYPD's harassment and having to evade the scorn of many New York residents who do so little to contribute to the homeless issue here in our midst. You complain and you whine and you piss and moan, as Lander does, and you blame it all on Bloomberg, but you don't get down to helping people, your other brothers and sisters in arms in this city, the homeless and the indigent. 

The reactions by all of you here show a distinct elitist and shallow, uneducated reaction to your less fortunate fellow New Yorkers. I absolutely think you all should show some empathy and find a way to welcome them to the neighborhood and make it better for everyone. Try to open your hearts, rather than closing them and turning your hearts into useless black lumps. You are all too concerned about yourselves and your perfect, flawless lives to realize that the world is the sum of all of its parts. It is not just thinking about your family's welfare and your own welfare - community implies caring about strangers and anyone who sets foot in our neighborhood, showing an interest because you care, not because you want to find out if they are going to jeopardize some fantasy that Carroll Gardens is or ever was some idyllic urban utopia. Show the compassion and heart that you like to think is in you, that you say is in you when you tell yourself that you're a "good person". 

I'm sure that many of you will continue to try to brand the new shelter as a crack den and a magnet for the people you don't care to have around you, the less fortunate and people who have had no good breaks. You will continue to act in clannish and reactive ways, thinking you are preserving something sacred, rather than realizing that your selfish reaction is only making the community worse and more sour, more bitter, more intractably cruel and unyielding. I suppose you haven't noticed them on Court St. and Smith St. all these years. Or in Carroll Park and other parks. Or wandering around and panhandling in your midst, as you take refuge in another big meal or lavish entertainment. Or slipping further from having a life because you all are too concerned with your children's perfect upbringings in this beautiful neighborhood. The lack of charity is horrifying among all of my fellow residents here in Carroll Gardens - it is seeming to confirm the worst qualities coming to dominate situations that could be embraced as opportunities for soulfulness and creativity and miracles, rather than your fearful, divisive, protective tactics."

Annual Gowanus Artist Studio Tour This Week-End

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   You probably already know this, but the Annual Gowanus Artist Studio Tour (A.G.A.S.T.) will take place this week-end, Saturday, October 13th and Sunday, October 14th, from 12 to 6PM.
It's a great opportunity to meet all the talented people who make this area great and to check out their work
To download the full list of participating artists and a map to find their studios, click here.

My good friend, artist Regina Perlin is taking part in this event.  You may remember the post I wrote on her here.  Her paintings of the neighborhood are just beautiful.
Make sure to stop by her studio this week-end.  You will find her at 168 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) suite #2L.

PEEK Brooklyn Pop-Up Shop In Carroll Gardens This Week-End

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It's getting cold out there, girls! It's time for tights. But not just any kind.
We all need at least one pair of those really, really beautiful, stylish tights from PEEK Brooklyn.
Lucky for us, Peek owner Cristina Casciano-King is presenting her new fall lineup at a pop-up shop this Saturday, October 13th from 12 to 6 at 423 Smith Street, corner of 4th Place.
The event is hosted by OrangeYouGlad.
See you there?

Dear Amanda Burden: Community Board 6 Sends Letter To City Planning Chairperson Regarding Lightstone Project In Gowanus, Expressing Discomfort With "Minor Modification" Process

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 CB6 Chairperson Daniel Kumer
Many members of the Gowanus/ Carroll Gardens residents are still trying to understand what happened at Community Board 6's general meeting on Thursday evening in regards to Lightstone Group's 700 rental unit development at 363-365 Bond Street.

At the meeting, the full board had rejected the recommendations of its own Landmark/Land Use Committee, which had passed a motion requesting that New York City Planning Commission table the Lightstone project until a supplemental Environmental Impact Study (EIS) is performed.

Instead, the Board put forth its own motion and voted to conditionally approving Lightstone's application for "minor modifications" to a previously passed land use actions at 363-365 Bond Street.

Below is the letter sent today by CB6 Chairperson Daniel Kumer to Amanda Burden, Chairsperson of NYC's Planning Commission. What is interesting is that Kumer speaks of the discomfort felt by the board with the 'minor modification' process, which did not allow for a traditional land use review and did not give the public, the board nor local electeds a real voice.

He also acknowledges that the community had expressed deep concern and that the Board would have preferred to look at the project within a broader Gowanus area framework.

It's an interesting read. Let me know what you think in the comment section.

Dear Chairperson Burden,

I am writing to advise you that at its October 10, 2012 general meeting Brooklyn Community Board 6 resolved by a vote of 27 in favor, 4 against, with 6 abstentions, to conditionally recommend approval of the proposed minor modifications contained in the applications cited above submitted by The Lightstone Group (TLG) for properties at 363-365 Bond Street in our district. 

These applications will respectively seek (1) a 3-year renewal of the previously approved special permit for this property, and (2) approval of (a) some minor variations in building heights without permitting anything taller than what was previously approved, (b) elimination of two previously granted waivers that had been approved for height, setback and inner court recesses, (c) an increase in dwelling units from 447 to 700, (d) relocation of curb-cuts and entrances to accessory parking garages and permit an increase in off-street accessory parking spaces from 268 to 316, (e) expansion of the publicly accessible open space along the Gowanus Canal frontage by 10 to 12 feet with minor revisions to the design, (f) increasing the commercial floor area to 2,600 sf, community facility floor area to 2,250 sf and the total project floor area from 523,309 sf to 526,143 sf, and (g) adjustment of the lot area to conform to an updated survey. 

Before commenting on the substance of these applications, we believe it is necessary to register our discomfort with the process under which these applications have come before the Community Board. The Department of City Planning has determined that this set of modifications proposed by TLG should be deemed “minor” and therefore not subject to the traditional uniform land use review procedures to which we are accustomed for development projects of this nature, which require a public review process that would include the Borough President and the City Council. As a result of that determination, it is our understanding that the referral of these applications is at best a courtesy extended by the department to the Community Board. Having never participated in a “minor modification” review before, we have from the outset been concerned about the potentially arbitrary procedure to which this application has been subjected, in which the role of the Community Board is entirely undefined by law, statute or regulation. In essence, the department’s referral placed our Community Board in a position of making up our own process as we went along – or even, at our election, possibly undertaking no process at all. 

Even though we had no defined reviewing role, we take our responsibility as a representative body very seriously and thought that it would have been a great disservice to our community not to provide a venue for the public to learn about, review and comment on the substance of these applications. To that end, our Landmarks/Land Use Committee hosted an Informational Meeting on TLG’s proposal at their August 23, 2012 meeting, followed by a Public Hearing and formal review and deliberation by our committee at their September 27, 2012 meeting. Both meetings were extremely well-attended by members of our community indicative of the enormous interest our community has in matters pertaining to the future of the Gowanus Canal and its surroundings. As you know, a great deal has changed in the Gowanus Canal area since the commission previously approved a special permit for this property on a prior application, most notably the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) inclusion of the Canal on their National Priorities List, or, more commonly, the Superfund designation. At both meetings, many community members expressed deep concern about allowing a project of this size – with a significantly increased number of dwelling units and residents – to go forward at this location during the pendency of the Superfund cleanup process, among other strong objections. Many other community members spoke equally strongly in favor of the project. 

We understood that TLG could have simply chosen to follow the path laid out by the approvals that were granted to the previous applicant. However, to TLG’s credit, it was noted by many of our committee and board members that a number of TLG’s proposed modifications constitute a material improvement over what was previously approved. Specifically, we saw a net increase in the number of affordable housing units from 130 to 140 units, which are guaranteed rather than contingent on receipt of public subsidies. Of equal if not greater importance, the individual affordable housing units would be indistinguishable from and integrated with the market rate units, in stark contrast to the project that was previously approved, which would have involved segregated and inferior affordable units. We also took note of the wider waterfront access space that will be created by increasing the setback of the building line from the canal. And we especially noted that while the EPA does not take positions on the appropriateness of any given redevelopment proposals, it issued written confirmation that in its view this proposal is not inconsistent with their goals for the Gowanus Canal under the Superfund program, and will not interfere with carrying out the Superfund cleanup process. 

Turning to the conditions of our approval, we were, by contrast, especially displeased at TLG’s failure to directly address the points we have conveniently outlined for large-scale developers who appear before us as codified in our Responsible Development Policy (copy enclosed). While we do not expect every applicant to adhere to every standard in our policy, we do expect that a good faith effort should be made to affirmatively respond and demonstrate that they have at least considered them. Our policy was developed, circulated and is publicly available on our website as a way of streamlining our review process since we found that most large-scale projects evoked common interest in subjects such as the experience and track record of the developer, good neighbor policies, hiring and training, wages and benefit standards, local business opportunities, affirmative action opportunities, affordable housing, contextual development, etc. We are still hopeful that TLG will see their way clear to comment on and, to the greatest extent possible, abide by the standards outlined in our policy and although we otherwise express our approval we ask that you take no action on their application unless and until they do so.

 The second condition of our approval relates to the fact that we currently lack a context for this application absent a comprehensive rezoning framework for the Gowanus Canal corridor, as was begun by your department years ago but then abruptly and indefinitely suspended shortly after the EPA’s Superfund designation for the area. The net result of the department’s action retroactively turns the previous approvals for this site – which we viewed as a leading land use action with an expectation of a larger, departmental action to follow – into a case of spot rezoning. Without a broader framework, and an area-wide Environmental Impact Statement, land use analysis, etc., we are at an extreme disadvantage in considering the context for this project and, most especially, any other projects that might come across our desks in the near future. Indeed, the valid frustration expressed by numerous board members in this regard produced a motion at our general meeting earlier this week – ultimately defeated by the rarest and narrowest of margins, namely, the tie-breaking vote of the undersigned – which called for returning this application to your department with no comment at all and a refusal to consider any further individual applications in the Gowanus area unless and until that area-wide rezoning is resumed and completed. 

In the end, the board voted to express approval of this application, but we have firmly conditioned our approval on the department’s commitment to reactivate the Gowanus rezoning effort. We are prepared, and eager, to work constructively with your department to that end.In closing, I hope you can appreciate that our Community Board has devoted an enormous amount of time and very careful consideration into this matter, notwithstanding our entirely undefined and essentially optional role, and that our board members as well as members of our wider community have extremely strong views on this matter and the larger context in which it arises. Since our Gowanus Canal corridor is in such a critical stage of development and planning, and commands the attention of every level of government and a wide spectrum of interested parties, it would be especially reassuring for us to hear your feedback directly about our concerns and conditions as part and parcel of our recommendation of approval of these applications.

I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Sincerely,

Daniel M. Kummer Chairperson

 cc: Hon. Marty Markowitz  Hon. Brad Lander  Hon. Joan Millman  Hon. Daniel Squadron  Hon. Nydia Velázquez  Purnima Kapur, Director, DCP/Brooklyn  Jay A. Segal, Greenberg Traurig LLP (for the Applicant)

A copy of the resolution is available by clicking here

Carroll Gardeners Petitioning For Input And Due Process In Regards To Proposed Homeless Shelter

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graphic by Jeff Anzulewicz at adesigndesk.com
About fifty Carroll Gardens residents, who live in close proximity to the proposed 170 homeless shelter at 165 West 9th Street, met last night with a representative of Councilman Brad Lander's office to gather more information about the plan. Though some of their questions were answered, it was clear that much remains to be learned about the proposal as well as about Housing Solutions USA/Aguila Inc., the Bronx-based non-profit company who will be running the program.

The concerns expressed by the residents were absolutely reasonable and dealt more with the fact that the community was never part of the conversation and that they were not given the opportunity to help plan for the integration of the shelter into the community. However, the biggest concerns stems from the sheer number of homeless men who will be squeezed into a 10-unit building that has been plagued by problems since it was constructed in 2002."That is not right to them. It's not right to us, " said Kevin Duffy, one of the residents in attendance. 
A petition is now being circulated in the neighborhood.  It reads:
"Community input and due process are part of the building blocks of our local democracies. The redesignation of buildings without any community input in a neighborhood full of concerned residents, families and local businesses seems to negate their role in community development and is a top down power move that negates the vibrancy and importance of local residents."

Dear Elected Official, 
We are writing as residents, neighbors, Business Owners, Parents and property owners in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. We have only just been informed that Housing Solutions USA, a social services organization intends – in partnership with the NYC Department of Homeless Services – to open a 170-bed homeless shelter for men at 165 West 9th Street, between Court Street & Hamilton Avenue, in Carroll Gardens. A ten unit condo building that was built in the 1990s.

We have also been told that this is being authorized under an “emergency contract” rule, which only requires 30 days community notice. Under emergency contract rules, there is no formal opportunity for public input, no input from my office or the full City Council, and no vote.

Our concern is the lack of due process and community input for this venture before its arrival. We are demanding a process whereby we can meet with elected officials and understand how these decisions that affect our neighborhood have been made and we have the opportunity to be heard and take a role in this process. We are not opposing the establishment of shelters or homeless people in the neighborhood and understand the necessity to shelter those who have no roof over their head. But we want to know how the decision to use this building took place, and how it can be designated for 170 men without any community input? If it arrives under an emergency contract rule, how long does such a dictate last? At what point does the “emergency” run out?

The proposed Shelter is in a ten unit condo building that has remained vacant or partially occupied since its construction due to its poor quality of construction and other problems. It is located in a residential neighborhood of mostly two to three story houses. The neighborhood is a family area with small locally owned and run businesses. We prize diversity of all sorts. But why would this building not be allocated to homeless families with children who could benefit from the excellent public school for example? How did the number of 170 come to be allocated to a building that has ten units.

We cannot understand how the process of local democracy and neighborhood revitalization can take place if the DSS and city services can essentially redesignate the use of buildings with only 30 days notice to the very community where it plans to establish itself. Moreover the community deserve more explanation and input on a matter that has broad scale implications for its development.

You can find the petition here.

And don't forget that there will be an informational meeting on this matter on October 24th.
The information is here. I will post more information in the next few days, so stay tuned.

Check Out Try Rae's First's 26th Anniversary Sale This Week-End

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'Try Rae's First' on Court Street is getting ready to celebrate its 26th anniversary this week-end, with special sales, raffles and giveaways, as well as spirits and sweets.
While many new stores have come and gone, this wonderful boutique for men and women has been thriving here in Carroll Gardens.  No wonder, owner Raina Passo stocks her store with some of the trendiest brands.
Don't miss out on the event.

Try Rae's First  26th Anniversary Week-EndSaturday, Sunday MondayOctober 6-8from 11 to 8430 Court StreetTo follow Rae's on Facebook, click here

Gowanus Residents Hoping Full Community Board 6 Will Follow Land Use Committee's Recommendations Regarding Lightstone Development On Bond Street

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On Thursday, September 27th, Community Board 6's Community Board 6 Landmarks/Land Use Committee recommended that the City Planning Commission table an application at 363-365 Bond Street submitted by Lightstone Group to the NYC Department of City Planning  requesting a three-year renewal of a previously approved special permit and approval for “minor modification of this special permit, "until such time as various specific conditions are met."

In addition, members of the committee voted 14 to 3 in favor of asking for a supplemental Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the project as well as asking Lightstone to commit to:
*have 30 percent of the units be affordable
*reducing the over-all height of the buildings to eight stories as opposed to 12 stories.
*follow Community Board Responsible Contractor Conditions (which include union labor)

The matter will go in front of the full Community Board on October 10th, where a final vote will be taken.Here is the information:
Community Board 6 General Board MeetingOctober 10that 6:30 PMProspect Park Residence 1 Prospect Park West Brooklyn, NY 11215
Though the full Community Board mostly aligns its vote to the committee's vote, Gowanus residents are not taking a chance.They are currently collecting signatures on a petition that they will present to members of the Board on Wednesday evening.
A statement reads:Even though the turnout at the Public Hearing was larger than any other hearing in the neighborhood in recent memory, and even though the number of folks opposed to the project outnumber those who were for it 3 to 1, and even though the CB6 Land Use subcommittee voted to urge the Department of City Planning to TABLE the Lightstone Group Proposal for Bond and Carroll Street 12 to 2, it now lies with the larger body of CB6 to determine whether this recommendation will be passed along to DCP. 

We are hoping that they will listen to the community and approve the recommendation. But we want them to know that there is widespread community support for this motion. And since the Lighstone Group has hired at least 3 lobbying groups to actively work on this, targeting the Department of City Planning, NYC Council members, and others, we feel it was very important to take this action in order to make sure that the community's voice, and not just that of Lightstone lobbyists, are heard. (You can go here and enter "Lightstone" to see the companies they have employed for this and who their targets are: http://www.nyc.gov/lobbyistsearch/ )

The petition can be found here: http://savegowanus.org/petition
Please make time to attend this important Community Board 6 meeting and to sign the petition.

Less Than A Stellar Moment For Community Board 6 As Members Reject Own Land Use Committee's Recommendations And Votes To Conditionally Approve Lightstone Gowanus Project

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Community Board 6 Board  October Meeting at Prospect Park Residence in Park SlopeBoard Chairman Daniel KumerThe Lightstone Group suitsChairman of CB6's Land Use CommitteeBoard Member Lou SonesBoard members Debbie Scotto (with hand raised) and Judy Thompson
Last night's monthly meeting of Community Board 6 was a bizarre, badly organized affair that left many Gowanus/ Carroll Gardens residents scratching their heads and wondering about the board's integrity.

First, CB6 should have known that their monthly general meeting would be well attended. After all, on the agenda for the night was the Lightstone Group's  application for "minor modifications" to the previously approved land use actions at 363-365 Bond Street in Gowanus.
When the issue was discussed at CB6's Landmark/ Land Use Committee's public hearing on September 28th, 2012, the community had come out in force, filling an entire school auditorium and overwhelmingly spoke against it.

Yet, no provisions were made to accommodate a larger crowd. Before the meeting even started, the room set aside for the night at the Prospect Park Residence in Park Slope was filled to capacity and members of the community were stuck in the lobby, unable to go upstairs to attend.
(Perhaps if someone had asked some of the 10+ representatives of Lightstone to leave, there would have been room? Just saying...)

Board Chairperson Daniel Kumer was quick to tell everyone that no comments would be taken from the audience. He stated that there had been plenty of opportunity for the community to speak out at the Landmark/ Land Use Committee on September 28th and at a previous meeting in August.
"Most of the real work happens in the committees" he stated.

True enough. After listening to much opposition to the Lightstone project, the Committtee had passed a motion requested that New York City Planning Commission not move ahead with the Lightstone project and that it be tabled until a supplemental Environmental Impact Study (EIS) is performed.
In addition, the motion requested
*that the developer commit to the following:
* that 30 percent of the units be affordable
*that the over-all height of the building be reduced to eight stories as opposed to 12 stories.
*and that the Community Board Responsible Contractor Conditions (which include union labor) be followed.
The motion passed 14 to 3.

The same committee's motion was now in front of the full board.  It is customary for the board to follow  the  committee's recommendation, but after discussion, the motion failed to pass with 27 members voting against.  (Strangely, some members, like Lou Sones, who had voted for the motion a week before, now voted against it.  What was up with that?)

A second motion was made by board member Debbie Scotto. It stated:
Community Board 6 was to neither approve, nor disapprove the application, but to ask City Planning to renew its commitment to a rezoning study and a full EIS for the entire Gowanus Corridor.  In addition, the Board insists that any developer agree to CB6's Responsible Contractor Policy.
It failed 19 to 18.

The following motion was then made by Bob Levine and voted on by the Board:
The Community Board conditionally approves the minor modifications provided that the developer follows CB6's Responsible Contractor Policy and that City Planning starts a full scale study involving the rezoning of the Gowanus Corridor.

The non-binding recommendation passed with 27 yes votes.
 (There were 4 abstentions and 4 no votes.

It was less than a stellar moment for CB6.  Local Gowanus residents who had taken the time to understand the issue,  to attend two prior CB6 meetings on the matter and had  testified in front of the Landmark/Landuse committee were disgusted by the board's refusal to consider the recommendation of its own committee.
"What a shameful performance," someone mentioned on the way out of the meeting.

Informational Meeting On Proposed Carroll Gardens Homeless Shelter Set For October 24th

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Photo above taken this morning.  Are mattresses already being moved into the proposed shelter?

News that Housing Solutions USA/Aguila Inc., a Bronx-based non-profit organization, intends to submit a proposal to the NYC Department of Homeless Services to house 170 single adults at 165 West 9th Street near Court Street, spread around the neighborhood ever since it has been announced late last week.

On Thursday last week, Community Board 6's office had received a letter from the organization announcing its plan. "The news took us by surprise," Community Board 6 Chairman Daniel Kumer declared last night at the board's monthly meeting.  "At this moment, we don't have any more information."    He added:  "The plan does not require input from CB6, nor from our elected officials. There is no public review. However, we will continue to broadcast about this matter on CB6's website."
In addition, a public informational meeting has been scheduled by CB6 for October 24th at 6:30 PM. The meeting place will be announced as soon as confirmed. Represenatives from both Housing Solutions USA/Aguila Inc. and the Department of Homeless Services have been invited.
"Hopefully, we can replace fear with facts," Daniel Kumer stated.

Meanwhile, Councilmember Brad Lander has issued his own statement on the proposed shelter.
He states:

Safe and decent housing is essential for all of us, and I am glad that New York recognizes a “right to shelter.” I have worked throughout my career to create and preserve affordable housing and to combat homelessness. As a City Councilmember, I hear every week from constituents who are on the brink of losing their apartments and becoming homeless.
The Bloomberg Administration’s homeless policy – eliminating long-standing pathways to affordable housing – has been an abysmal failure. As a result, homelessness is at an-time high, with over 46,000 New Yorkers, tragically including over 19,000 children, sleeping in shelters each night. As I have done dozens of times in recent years, I implore Mayor Bloomberg to restore pathways to permanent housing in NYCHA, Section 8, and other subsidized housing for homeless families. We know the way to reduce homelessness, and it is a scandal that he keeps choosing not to do it.

With homelessness rising due to their policy failure, the Bloomberg Administration has resorted to opening more and more shelters. While no one is excited about a shelter in their community, we all have to do our part. Every neighborhood in New York City, including Carroll Gardens, has a role to play in ensuring that all New Yorkers have somewhere safe to sleep at night.
But homeless shelters need to be sited in locations that make sense. I am very concerned about the proposal from the NYC Department of Homeless Services and Housing Solutions USA for a 170-bed single homeless men’s shelter at 165 West 9th Street, a building that was constructed to be a 10-unit condo building, on a block otherwise made up of three story homes. I do not understand how the proposed shelter could fit responsibly into the building, or how the dramatically increased population would fit into the block and surrounding area.

A local resident probably reflected the community's sentiment best when stating:  "We demand community input before they move 170 people into a sub standard structure built as 10 units... And I implore our Electeds to act as leaders and work with us to find solutions immediately."

Best Comment Of The Day: Shame, Shame, Shame

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Agnes has left the following comment on the post: "Less Than A Stellar Moment For Community Board 6 As Members Reject Own Land Use Committee's Recommendation And Votes To Conditionally Approve Lightstone Gowanus Project":

"It ain't over. The community against this project is galvanized - as demonstrated by huge attendance numbers at mtgs. and the petition which now almost has 500 names. I think there should be full disclosure by CB 6 members who are connected to vested interest in this kind of Gowanus development. It was a very confusing night - attendees were confused what the resolution voted on was - I am sure not all CB6 members were clear as well. Shame shame shame for not having organized this in a more respectful way for the community, CB 6."

It's Your Turn To Compost In Carroll Gardens

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Collecting coffee grounds as well as peels and scrapsin a bin in my kitchenFood Scrap Drop-Off every Sunday morning at the Carroll Gardens Green MarketJust drop your food scraps into one of the green binsThe scraps will be composted locally, where they will become fertile soil enrichment for local farming projectsEver since the Carroll Gardens Greenmarket began taking part in the "GROWNYC Food Scrap Compost Program" in April of this year, I have been collecting my coffee grounds, egg shells and peels, so that I can drop them off at the market on Sunday mornings.
It's an easy way to keep organic waste out of our landfills and to turn it into a useful product that can be used to enrich soil for street trees, gardens, and local farms instead.
Perhaps you have been thinking about it? I encourage you to try, even if it is just for a week.

You'll see. It is actually a very easy way to be a bit greener. And that feels great.
Here is how to get started:
* During the week, collect your fruit and vegetable scraps, non-greasy food scraps (rice, pasta, bread, cereal etc.), coffee grounds & filters, tea bags, egg and nut shells, pits, cut or dried flowers, houseplants and potting soil.
****Please NO meat, chicken, fish, greasy food scraps, fat, oil, dairy, dog or cat waste, kitty litter, coal or charcoal, coconuts, diseased and/or insect-infested houseplants/soil or biodegradable/compostable plastics.
I use a medium sized covered plastic container lined with a paper bag.
* Drop off your scraps at the Carroll Gardens Greenmarket on Sunday mornings, from 8 am to 1 PM.  (The bins are on the Smith Street side.)Then do your weekly produce shopping.
*The collected scraps are composted right at the Salt Lot at 2nd Avenue in Gowanus through the Gowanus Canal Conservancy.

For more info about the program, click here.

So you'll give it a try?

Breaking News! Fire At D'Amico's On Court Street

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Just got a report that there is smoke coming out of D'Amico's, the coffee roaster and café on Court Street. Fire trucks and an ambulance are on the scene.   An elderly gentleman was carried out on a stretcher, but appeared to be fine.
Someone indicated that the coffee roaster had caught fire.

Just recently, D'Amicos, which has been in business at 309 Court Street since 1948, had been dealing with an anonymous 311 caller, who had complained about the smell of roasting coffee. The same person had also called in a few false alarms to the Fire Department.

The 311 calls had prompted a visit from an New York City's Department of Environmental Protection inspector, who told the d'Amicos that they needed a costly after-burner to reduce the smell.

Joan D'Amico explained to me back in April of this year that they were in the process of looking into the necessary requirements and are in the process of correcting the problem, but that it would take some time.

Hopefully, this is not the end for this much-loved family-owned business.  Carroll Gardens would not be the same without them.


Thank you to Lucy Paynter for the photos.


Related reading:

The Smell Of Roasting Coffee Just Part Of Carroll Gardens' Charm

D'Amico To Anonymous 311 Caller In New Message: Stop Calling DEP And Fire Department

Full Report On Tuesday Night's EPA Gowanus Canal Superfund CAG Meeting

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Jeff Edelstein, CAG FacilitatorChristos Tsiamis, EPA Region 2 project manager for the Gowanus Canal  with Brian Carr, EPA Region 2 Legal CouncilChristos Tsiamis

The Environmental Protection Agency's Gowanus Canal Superfund Community Advisory Group (CAG) held its general meeting at Mary Star Of The Sea housing on First Street last night.
Superfund progress report
Both Christos Tsiamis, EPA Region 2 project manager for the Gowanus Canal,  and Brian Carr, EPA Region 2 Legal Council, were in attendance and gave a Superfund progress report.

Tsiamis explained that the Remedial Investigation and the Feasibility study have been completed. Based on all the collected data and discussions with various parties, namely National Grid and New York City as well as members of the community,  Region 2 has prepared a plan for the clean-up of the polluted waterway. A prototype plan was submitted to EPA's National Review Board at the agency's headquarter in Washington.  "We are right now at the stage of putting together the Plan for presentation to the public and are hoping to put it out for comment to the community by the end of this year," Tsiamis stated.

The formal review process generally lasts about 30 days, but because of the size of the community and the anticipated number of comments, the period will most likely be extended.

At that point, Region 2 has to look at all the comments that have been submitted and consider them. After the plan has been refined, a final document called a Record of Decision will be prepared.

Tsiamis concluded: "We are right on schedule.


Polytechnic Institute of New York University Professor Maurizio Porfiri
Brooklyn Atlantis
Also on the agenda last night was a presentation of 'Brooklyn Atlantis', a project led by Polytechnic Institute of New York University Professors Maurizio Porfiri and Oded Nov. A team of graduate students in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science has been working on a system of mobile instrumented buoys with wireless capabilities for data collection and environmental monitoring. As Professor Porfiri explained last night, the buoys would move about on the Gowanus Canal, powered by rechargeable batteries that use solar energy. Cameras mounted on the buoys will be taking photos above and below the water's surface.   Sensors will monitor water quality by checking temperature, dissolved oxygen levels, ph levels (and perhaps salinity and water flow.)   Photos and data will be downloaded to a website.

An important component of Brooklyn Atlantis is the participation of citizen scientists who will be able to access images on the computer, classify wildlife on photos as well as earn points for correctly identifying objects, access sensor data for different canal locations and compare results.

The project has been funded by the National Science Foundation. Professor Porfiri expects Brooklyn Atlantis to run simultaneously to the EPA clean-up of the canal.

More information about Brooklyn Atlantis can be found at www.brooklynatlantis.poly.edu


Leah Graziano of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Chris Dorsoki of the NYS Department of Health

Public Health Assessment Of the Gowanus Superfund area
Chris Dorsoki of the New York State Department of Health and Leah Graziano of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) gave an overview of the role of their agencies and how they support the EPA and the Gowanus Canal Superfund site community.

Dorsoki and Graziano shared information about the Public Health Assessment that was prepared and the conclusions drawn from the Assessment.
Regarding the Gowanus Canal, it was found that swimming in the canal would harm people's health because of exposure to bacteria. Eating fish and crabs from the Gowanus was also a health hazard.

Dorsoki explained that a Public Health Assessment is not the same as a health study.  A few CAG members asked why such study has never been done in Gowanus, especially in light of the fact that the canal has been declared a Superfund.  Dorsoki said that a health study can take decades to complete.

After a brief discussion, Jim Vogel, representing NY State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, declared that the senator's office would formally request a study.