Dear John
Please note! We are in the formal “communications blackout” period, less than 90 days from the November general election. To comply with election law, we are restricted with what we can discuss in mass communications until election day. We will continue to send out a weekly newsletter to keep our community updated, but bear with us as we pare down and change content to comply with election law. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Curbside composting is coming to Brooklyn on 10/2! To get ready, be sure to order your free Brown Bin while supplies last before 10/13.
Our office is excited to host our annual Brooklyn PTA Fun Run on 10/28 at 10 AM (bib pick-up and pre-race activities at 9 AM)! Sign up now or donate if you are unable to attend. We are also recruiting volunteers to join the Host Committee to help raise money and register your school community! If you or someone in your school has financial difficulties in paying for the Fun Run, please contact Mia at my office, [email protected].
PB & (J= Just launched!!)
Our office is excited to launch Cycle 13 of Participatory Budgeting! This initiative allocates $1.5 million in capital funding and $50,000 in expense funding to projects submitted and voted on by our neighbors. Ideas collection begins in a few weeks, projects are developed over the winter, and voting kicks off in late March. Anyone who lives or goes to school in District 39, regardless of citizenship status and above the age of 11, can vote in Participatory Budgeting. This democratic process expands civic engagement and empowers local leadership, awareness about important issues, and connections between neighbors, organizations, and neighborhood institutions!
We have a number of upcoming ideas collection events in the next few weeks, so be sure to RSVP today for an upcoming gathering! Each event is themed around collecting ideas on a certain topic, so pick the one, or ones, that you’re most interested in.
Last year, the winning projects included 100 Trees for District 39, renovations to support a Family Resource Center at PS 124, and rehabilitating the Bandshell Lawn in Prospect Park! These are infrastructure projects that city agencies will implement over the coming months and years for us all to enjoy. Another winning project, run by one of our amazing non-profit partners, Big Reuse, is the Repair Café, an event series where District 39ers can learn to repair lamps, furniture, and clothes. The first one will be in October, so stay tuned for more information on when and where it’ll be!
Neighborhood Updates
We have two quick neighborhood updates for you! First up is about the Head End CSO Site in Gowanus. As you may remember, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) broke ground on the project in March, and work has been progressing well. Work is about to begin at the northern tank site to construct an underground concrete wall to support the soil removal necessary to build the tank. To meet project deadlines mandated by the Federal Superfund Program, work will take place between the hours of 6 AM and 2 AM for approximately nine months beginning on 9/18. To reduce impacts to the surrounding neighborhood, crews will install sound curtains on the construction perimeter to dampen noise and spray water and foam on removed soil to reduce dust and odor. Please note this IS NOT blasting, pile driving, or jackhammering. It is excavation, and with that comes truck and equipment activity. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to our office or Community Construction Liaison, [email protected].
Next is an update on the 7th Avenue F/G Station elevator construction: the MTA has informed our office that they are looking to start safety tests and complete the final items at the station in the next couple of weeks. More information to come soon, but we’re hopeful to see this installed before the end of the year. Please continue to keep us updated on any concerns or questions by emailing Matt at [email protected].
Community Bulletin
Do you manage a chain business? New containerization rules for your business started on 9/5! If you have questions or need more information about how to safely dispose of your trash, attend any of the upcoming DSNY webinars on 9/18 (6 PM) or 9/27 (3 PM).
Are you a building owner or manager who needs help with Local Law 97 retrofits and upgrades? Join the Borough President at the Sustainable Building Resources Fair on 9/21 from 4-7 PM at Brooklyn Borough Hall to get connected to experts and experienced contractors who can kickstart your building's sustainability upgrade!
Want to learn how to care for street trees? Our office is teaming up with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy on 9/24 to teach everyday New Yorkers how to care for our very own urban forest. Details are in the RSVP link here.
On 9/24, join the Prospect Park Alliance, Empress Poetry & Friends for an evening of poetry at Lefferts Historic House! Poetry by the Fire is part of ReImagine Lefferts, the Prospect Park Alliance initiative to re-envision the mission and programming at Lefferts Historic House to focus its interpretation and programming on exploring the lives, resistance, and resilience of the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking, whose unceded ancestral lands the park and house rests upon, and the Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family.
The next Gowanus Oversight Task Force meeting is on 9/28 from 6 - 8 PM! Gowanus community members are encouraged to attend to get updates on the rezoning process, hear from City agencies on the status of the City commitments, as well as hold actors accountable on the 56 Points of Agreement as part of the rezoning process. RSVP here!
Applications for Brooklyn Arts Council's 2024 grants cycle are now open! Check out BAC’s website for grant guidelines, applications, and info sessions. All applications are due Sunday, 10/8.
Want to help clean up Kensington? Our office is partnering with Big Reuse for a community clean-up and street tree care session all in one! Join us on 10/1 for this amazing opportunity!
The Vision Zero Youth Council (VZYC), a youth-led organization advocating for safe, sustainable, equitable, and accessible transportation systems, is hosting a virtual Youth Networking and Showcase on 10/12 at 7 PM! This event will bring together youth interested in road safety, transportation/mobility, and/or urban planning, and those with projects/initiatives are encouraged to sign up to present! Learn more and sign up.
In Solidarity,
Shahana
