Full Board — April 9, 2014 · Brooklyn Community Board 6

BROOKLYN COMMUNITY BOARD 6

GENERAL BOARD MEETING

P.S. 32 SAMUEL MILLS SPROLE SCHOOL

317 HOYT STREET

APRIL 9, 2014

ATTENDANCE

PRESENT:

E. ANDERSON P. BELLENBAUM F. BROWN

E. CAUSIL-RODRIGUEZ SR. R. CERVONE E. FELDER

P. FLEMING Y. GIRELA D. GIULIANO

R. GRAHAM J. HEYER G. KELLY

M. KOLMAN A. KRASNOW D. KUMMER

R. LEVINE H. LINK S. LONIAL

R. LUFTGLASS D. MAZZUCA A. MCKNIGHT

T. MISKEL C. PIGOTT M. RACIOPPO

R. RIGOLLI M. RUIZ M. SCOTT

D. SCOTTO M. SHAMES E. SHIPLEY

M. SILVERMAN B. SOLOTAIRE L. SONES

E. SPICER J. STRABONE J. THOMPSON

S. TURET

EXCUSED:

R. BASHNER G. REILLY

ABSENT:

N. BERK-RAUCH V. HERAMIA H. HUGHES

L. PINN D. WILLIAMS

GUESTS:

K. FEDER, BOROUGH PRESIDENT ADAMS’ REPRESENTATIVE

K. CHIU, COUNCIL MEMBER MENCHACA’S REPRESENTATIVE

C. ZINNEL & B. ALONZO, COUNCIL MEMBER LANDER’S REPRESENTATIVE

R. CARROLL, ASSEMBLY MEMBER BRENNAN’S REPRESENTATIVE

M. ALAM, ASSEMBLY MEMBER ORTIZ’S REPRESENTATIVE

T. SMITH, ASSEMBLY MEMBER MILLMAN’S REPRESENTATIVE

O. JONAS, STATE SENATOR MONTGOMERY’S REPRESENTATIVE

Z. OTT, STATE SENATOR SQUADRON’S REPRESENTATIVE

P. RHEAUME, CONGRESS MEMBER CLARKE’S REPRESENTATIVE

D. WILEY, CONGRESS MEMBER VELÁZQUEZ’ REPRESENTATIVE

L. BENAMIN, KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY THOMPSON’S REPRESENTATIVE

Complete list of meeting attendees on file at District Office. 1

Chairperson Daniel Kummer called the meeting to order at 6:50pm.

 ADOPTION OF MINUTES 

Board Member Lou Sones made a motion to accept the minutes of the March’s general meeting, seconded by Board Member Roger Rigolli.

VOTE: 28 YEAS, 0 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS

MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

TIME: 6:53 P.M.

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT………………………………………………………....….DANIEL KUMMER

Chairperson Daniel Kummer began his report by informing the Board that two housing police officers, Officers Rosa Rodriguez and Dennis Guerra from PSA 1 the police service area that covers our district, responded to a deliberately set fire this past Sunday, April 6th. Both officers were severely injured after rushing into the fire at a Brooklyn housing development in Coney Island. Officer Rodriguez is in the hospital recuperating from her injuries. Officer Guerra succumbed to his injuries at 6:50am this morning. We mourn this loss of life and extend our condolences to Officer Guerra’s family and the police department for this senseless tragedy. The Chair then asked for a moment of silence to commemorate the life of this brave officer who ran towards danger to protect the lives in his charge, the mark of a true hero.

Chairperson Kummer also extended condolences on behalf of the Board to our Treasurer and fellow Board Member Gary Reilly whose brother Aaron passed away on Saturday, April 5th. A memorial service was held yesterday in Tuckerton, NJ where he lived. We are not aware of any other local commemorations. If you would like to extend your personal condolences to Board Member Gary Reilly, please see District Manager Craig Hammerman to obtain his contact information.

Chairperson Kummer reported to the Board that we have received a resignation from Board Member Christina Calabrese, who recently moved out of the district and whose mounting work demands have exceeded her capacity to volunteer at this time. With her resignation we currently have 44 Board Members.

Chairperson Kummer informed the Board that in recent news we have learned that SUNY received 9 responses to their re-issued Request for Proposals for an operator for LICH and, of the 9 responses many of them included maintaining a full-service hospital as part of their proposal. The highest scoring proposal was announced last week by SUNY and it was the proposal submitted by Brooklyn Health Partners, one of the responses that propose maintaining LICH as a full-service hospital. The CEO of Brooklyn Health Partners has already reached out to us to express their interest in being not only good neighbors, but actively engaged in the community. They are furiously working to close the deal and have until May 22nd under the terms of the Court-ordered schedule. This would appear to be good news for us, but until the deal is closed and perhaps even afterwards, there are still more hurdles in the process. Meanwhile, things appear to be on a much better trajectory which is a good reason to celebrate this milestone in the process.

Chairperson Kummer advised the Board that he is really proud of the work that the Youth/Human Services/Education Committee has been doing by getting involved in a wider variety of issues then they have traditionally, which is expanding our board into areas that we have not admittedly been very influential in the past. Their recent initiative to act as a catalyst and bring together tech-savvy organizations with our local schools to teach students to code will enrich our local curriculum by offering students the opportunity to learn a very marketable and sought-after skill. Further to that end, I want to highlight a very special event that our Human Services Co-Chairs Paige Bellenbaum and Benjamin Solotaire have put together for next month. Our 2

committee, along with an impressive variety of elected officials will be sponsoring a professional panel discussion called “Shining a Light on Postpartum Depression: The Role of Programs, Policy and Public Health.” This panel discussion includes some of the top service providers and leading advocates in the field along with legislators who are working on ways to expand access to services for women and families who suffer from this disorder. The panel discussion will take place from 7-9pm on Thursday, May 29th at the Congregation Beth Elohim on 8th Avenue and Garfield Place in Park Slope and will take the place of their regular committee meeting in May. The district office will be forwarding the announcement, and has already created an event on our Facebook page.

DISTRICT MANAGER’S REPORT………………………………………….…….CRAIG HAMMERMAN

District Manager Hammerman began his report by informing the Board that the district office would be hosting an informational meeting on April 14th in an effort to better understand the rules and regulations governing restaurants and bars in our district. Representatives from City agencies and the local precinct will be on hand to answer any questions in respect to noise, smoking, backyard usage, garbage and other related issues.

District Manager Hammerman advised the board that he was invited to a meeting along with Congress Members Nydia Velázquez and Jerry Nadler with the Federal Aviation Administration and their Regional Administrator to talk about the impact of helicopters on our district, particularly over Red Hook. Last year there were 40,000 helicopter flights over New York harbor. These flights in their general pattern take off from the Wall Street Heliport in Downtown Manhattan and as part of their climb they are ordered to fly over the Buttermilk Channel between Governors Island and Red Hook. New York City Economic Development Corporation participated in the meeting making claims about how important helicopters are to the New York City tourism industry. Of course, their numbers were suspect and questionable in terms of how much was actually a result of being induced by the ability to fly in a helicopter. Much of that money, we believe, would have been spent on tourism in NYC anyway even if helicopter rides were not available. At the end of the day the results of the meeting were not very encouraging, as there was no intent to even consider reducing or further regulating the number of flights that impact our district. And so there is no relief in sight.

District Manager Craig Hammerman informed the Board that on March 25th the Board of Standards and Appeals voted unanimously to approve the application by Basis Independent School. Remember, this was an item that the Land Use Committee was recommending conditional approval of, which the Community Board overturned and ultimately voted to disapprove. The Basis school is planning to open its doors on September 15th. This will be a K-12 school with 1,000 students. It is a private school that will charge $23,500 year tuition. At this point we do not know whether they intend to hold to any of the previous commitments they made to our Land Use Committee while they were reviewing it such as, but not limited to: A. Commitment to hire local businesses where possible; 1. To provide pupil transportation 2. Cafeteria services 3. Security B. Hire local teachers; C. To make their auditorium, gymnasium and other facilities available to the community during off hours when the school was not using them; D. To make scholarships available starting in year two.

District Manager Hammerman reported that the district office will be shortly launching a new crowdsourcing tool, which will solicit ideas from the public for where we could be thinking about future capital budget projects that we would advocate for as part of the Community Board’s role in the City’s budget process. This is not “Participatory Budgeting”. It is a part of the Community Board’s annual attempt to gather input from the public so as to provide informed and supported suggestions to our elected officials that ultimately creates the City’s budget. We are call it “Put Your Money Where Your Map Is” and we will be sending out the link soon. 3

District Manager Hammerman ended his report by informing the board that we brought copies of the new brochure for the Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Inc. It is the first print material that we developed for the Community Board’s non-profit arm. Most importantly on the back of it, there is an explanation of how someone can donate to support the work of our non-profit affiliate. Please take home some copies and share them with your neighbors, civic groups and organizations.

Chairperson Kummer recognized elected officials representatives

Kai Feder, representing Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams stated that since he is the Borough President’s Director of Capital Budget and Economic Development please tell all of you community groups and non-profits to use him as a resource to give advice or counsel a group on how to develop projects to improve the community. He ended with two upcoming events:  Garifuna Heritage Celebration – April 11th  DEP/HPD/DOF will be hosting a Tax Lien Outreach Workshop – April 30th

Kenneth Chiu, representing Council Member Carlos Menchaca, introduced himself and stated that his office will be announcing the winners of the Participatory Budgeting process next week.

Catherine Zinnel, representing Council Member Brad Lander, announced the winners of the 2014 Participatory Budgeting process: 1) Street Safety Improvements on 4th Ave ($300,000 – 1202 votes); 2) Laptops at PS 130, 230 & 321 for student and adult learners ($195,000 – 1150 votes); 3) Pedestrian Safety on McDonald Ave at Ft Hamilton ($300,000 – 984 votes); 4) Repair and Improve Three Pathways in Prospect Park ($215,000 – 968 votes); 5) Green Roof at Windsor Terrace Library ($250,000 – 931 votes); 6) Industrial Shredder for Community Compost Project ($105,000 – 836 votes); 7) Outdoor Plaza at John Jay Educational Campus ($150,000 – 714 votes). On March 20th “Bridging Gowanus” held its second community planning meeting which was well attended by over 150 residents. Bridging Gowanus is an effort to bring together a wide range of community members to identify broadly-shared goals, discuss different viewpoints, and build consensus around a neighborhood framework for the infrastructure and land use regulations needed in the Gowanus Canal area. For more information please visit http://bridginggowanus.org/. The councilman will be hosting a “Vision Zero” Town Hall on April 21st. Following the Town Hall meeting, participants will be invited to attend two interactive workshops, where you can join in small discussion groups and map conditions in the neighborhoods where you live, work, and visit, April 24th and April 29th. For more information please visit http://bradlander.com/.

Robert Carroll, representing Assembly Member James Brennan invited everyone to the 4th Annual Park Slope Volunteer Fair on May 29th at the Park Slope Armory.

Maruf Alam representing Assembly Member Felix Ortiz thanked everyone for their support for Universal Pre- K. There is now $300 million allocated in the budget for the program. He also informed the board of a fire in Red Hook Houses West where a family has been displaced. Fairway Supermarket is raising money for the family and donating food to them. The family has been moved to an alternative apartment in the development.

Tamar Smith, representing Assembly Member Joan Millman, reported that the Assemblywoman is also happy that the legislature was able to secure $300 million for Universal Pre-K which would open up 4,000 new spots in public schools. To accommodate these new spots the deadline for applying has been extended to April 23rd. As Chair of the Committee on Aging, she is also pleased to announce that the state budget increases the income limit for the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program, commonly referred to as SCRIE. Currently, household income may not exceed $29,000 but this year’s budget will push that income limit to $50,000 for two years. The Assemblywoman has introduced three bills that will improve services for elderly residents:

 Bill A09134 – In direct response to the closure of the Prospect Park Residence – This bill will create a temporary state commission to study and investigate the effects of closures of long term care facilities on the residents of such facilities and their families.  Bill A08871 – This bill relates to guidelines for local area agencies on aging relating to assistance for informal caregivers.  Bill A09067 – This bill relates to making chemical dependence counseling and referrals available in naturally occurring retirement communities.

Oscar Jonas, representing State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, stated that the Senator has created a program guide for youth called “Alternatives to the Summer Youth Employment Program”. This guide has a list of Internship Opportunities, Employment Websites, Department of Education Programs, Special Needs Programs, Mentoring Programs and Volunteer Opportunities for youth. He ended by stating that the B37 bus route (3rd Avenue) would be returning at the end of June. The bus would go from Bay Ridge to Downtown Brooklyn ending at the Barclay Center.

Zeeshan Ott, representing State Senator Daniel Squadron, stated that the Senator along with other elected would be sponsoring a rally on April 17th to end all tourist helicopter flights from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. The call for a complete ban on tourist helicopter flights from DMH follows a year in which local elected officials, with the cooperation of the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the industry, successfully called for increased regulations. Unfortunately, these regulations have not yielded sufficient improvement to residents’ quality of life. There will be a follow up event on April 19th. He ended by inviting everyone to the Senators 2014 Community Convention on April 27th to get residents input on issues throughout the 26th Senate district.

Latoya Benjamin, representing Kings County District Attorney Kenneth P. Thompson stated that the District Attorney’s Action Center is available to assist the people of Brooklyn with criminal justice matters such as domestic violence, child abuse, school violence, immigration fraud, gun and illegal drug activity in their community and other crime-related as well as quality of life issues. The center is open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. For more information please call 718-250-2340 or visit http://www.brooklynda.org/daac/daac.html. The Kings County District Attorney’s Office is committed to rooting out government corruption in Brooklyn. The Public Integrity Bureau is dedicated exclusively to this mission and proactively investigates corruption at all levels of government. If you have any information about government corruption, call the Public Corruption Hotline at 718-250-2747 or use the Public Corruption Complaint Form by visiting http://www.brooklynda.org/pib/public- integrity-form-2014.pdf. All complaints are confidential and you may submit complaints anonymously.

 COMMITTEE REPORTS 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION/PERMITS & LICENSES COMMITTEE

…………………....GARY REILLY, PERMITS & LICENSES CHAIR

………………...……MARK SHAMES, ENV. PROTECTION CHAIR

Permits & Licenses Committee Member Mark Shames reported that the committee reviewed the New York State Senate Bill S205-2013.

Motion: by Committee;

Recommendation to approve the New York State Senate Bill S205-2013 (companion to A2064- 2013), an act to amend the alcoholic beverage control law, in relation to making the provisions governing the various on-premises liquor licenses consistent with respect to public interest factors that may be considered by the state liquor authority when evaluating the merits of a license application. 5

Board Member Robert Levine asks if there was anything in the bill pertaining to changing the times for outdoor/backyard use. Permits & Licenses Committee Member Mark Shames stated no.

Board Member Matthew Silverman stated that this bill makes it mandatory for the State Liquor Authority to consider the Community Boards’ resolutions and recommendations when it comes to the history of establishments and operators when granting licenses. They already do this, but now it is required.

VOTE: 36 YEAS, 0 NAY, 0 ABSTENTIONS

MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

TIME: 7:30 P.M.

Permits & Licenses Committee Member Mark Shames also reported that the committee reviewed a new on- premises liquor license application at 127 Columbia Street.

Motion: by Committee;

Recommendation to approve a new on-premises liquor license application submitted to the State Liquor Authority on behalf of Sun Pok Pok at 127 Columbia Street (between Kane/Irving Streets) with the condition that no amplified music is played in the backyard.

Board Member Rick Luftglass asked if the applicant had any complaint on file. Permits & Licenses Committee Member Mark Shames stated no.

VOTE: 34 YEAS, 2 NAY, 0 ABSTENTIONS

MOTION PASSED

TIME: 7:34 P.M.

Permits & Licenses Committee Member Mark Shames additionally reported that the committee reviewed a new on-premises liquor license application at 428 Bergen Street.

Motion: by Committee;

Recommendation to approve a new on-premises liquor license application submitted to the State Liquor Authority on behalf of Black Sheep Pub at 428 Bergen Street (between 4th/5th Avenues)with the following conditions: 1. French doors closed by 10pm 2. No outdoor service

VOTE: 36 YEAS, 0 NAY, 0 ABSTENTIONS

MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

TIME: 7:35 P.M.

Permits & Licenses Committee Member Mark Shames further reported that the committee reviewed a new on- premises liquor license application at 376 Court Street.

Motion: by Committee;

Recommendation to approve a new on-premises liquor license application submitted to the State Liquor Authority on behalf of 376 Court Street (between President/Carroll Streets).

......………....THOMAS MISKEL, CO-CHAIR TRANSPORTATION

……...…...……SAYAR LONIAL, CO-CHAIR TRANSPORTATION

…….....……MATTHEW SILVERMAN, CHAIR PUBLIC SAFETY

Transportation Co-Chair Sayar Lonial reported that the committee reviewed a proposal by the Department of Transportation to install a new bicycle parking facility (bike corral) in front of 365 Van Brunt Street.

Motion: by Board Member Lou Sones, seconded by Board Member Elizabeth Shipley; Recommendation to approve a proposal by the Department of Transportation to install a new bicycle parking facility (bike corral) in front of 365 Van Brunt Street (southeast corner of Van Brunt/Dikeman Streets).

Board Member Elly Spicer asked why DOT has to take parking away. Did they try a parking neutral solution? Transportation Co-Chair Sayar Lonial stated that that issue did not come up in the committee meeting.

Board Member Roger Rigolli stated that DOT needs to halt these things and focus on making our streets safer by fixing the roadway surfaces, i.e. potholes, depressions, etc.

Board Member Sister Rosanna Cervone stated that this installation would be dangerous because Van Brunt Street is a truck route.

Board Member Lou Sones spoke in favor of the motion stating that every corner on Van Brunt Street there is a problem with daylighting and this installation will help with visibility and slow traffic down.

Board Member Elizabeth Shipley spoke in favor of the motion stating that along this strip of Van Brunt it is harder to park a bike than it is to park a car.

VOTE: 33 YEAS, 0 NAYS, 3 ABSTENTIONS

MOTION PASSED

TIME: 8:10 P.M.

Chairperson Kummer recognized other elected officials representatives

Jonathan Viguers, representing the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs introduced himself and stated that he can be reached at jviguers@cityhall.nyc.gov.

Patrick Rheaume, representing Congress Member Yvette Clarke, stated that the Congresswoman has called on officials with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Build It Back program to eliminate delays in providing resources to homeowners who are eligible for assistance to rebuild from damage in Hurricane Sandy. To this end she has introduced Legislation - H.R.4403 - Homeowner Disaster Relief Act of 2014 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to waive the 10-percent penalty on qualified natural disaster distributions from qualified retirement plans, so homeowners could use their retirement money to rebuild without penalty.

Dan Wiley, representing Congress Member Nydia Velázquez, stated that the Congresswoman has released a statement on how the Republican Fiscal Year 2015 Ryan budget would impact small business. The Congresswoman has also signed a letter sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo asking that local municipalities be allowed to set their own minimum wages. The letter urged the state government’s leadership to pass a bill, called RaiseUpNY, allowing local governments to set their own minimum wage rates in an effort to eradicate the wage gap between men and women. He ended by inviting everyone to the Long Term Community Recovery Plan meeting for Red Hook on April 10th.

 COMMUNITY SESSION 

Shaquana Boykin, representing the World Cares Center which was founded shortly after 9/11 by Spontaneous Unaffiliated Community Volunteers (SUCVs) in New York City, who saw a need to bring together various agencies and community-based organizations in a safe and collaborative environment. They have introduced their Disaster Preparation & Trauma Mitigation program to bridge the gap between SUCVs and official disaster responders. They offer various programs to communities to help them learn how to mobilize their members, collaborate with local agencies and develop their own recovery strategies, completing the cycle of preparedness and long-term disaster recovery. For more information please visit http://www.worldcares.org/content/home.

Cindy Similien, representing the Downtown Brooklyn Neighborhood alliance Community Events Program is offering a new initiative to provide discounted rental spaces at Barclays Center to enhance the fundraising efforts of Brooklyn-based community organizations. For more information please visit www.thedbna.org/events.

 NEW/OTHER BUSINESS 

Motion: by Board Member Roger Rigolli, seconded by Board Member Peter Fleming; To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE: 36 YEAS, 0 NAY, 0 ABSTENTIONS

MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

TIME: 8:45 P.M.

Minutes submitted into the District Office by Assistant District Manager Leroy Branch on April 25, 2014.