Monday, June 30, 2008

Studio in Greenwood Playground

Tomorrow join art educator Michelle Hinebrook and her assistant (local LaGuardia High School student Sam Campbell) for the first Studio in the Park. This is art programming for kids which will focus on using art to teach kids about sustainability and the environment. (And also just have fun with cool art supplies and new materials). The first session, starting at 10:00 a.m. will be for 4-6 year olds, the later session will be for older kids. There will be a limit of 20 kids per session so we will have some kind of sign up sheet.
Michelle Hinebrook is an art instructor through Studio in a School with over 7 years of art education experience. She has an MFA from Cranbrook and is currently an actively exhibiting artist in New York City and Denmark.
This is a free program sponsored by Friends of Greenwood Playground from a generous grant from Partnership for Parks. We don't have it all ironed out yet and have had some bumps with supplies arriving on time, so be patient as we figure it out as this promises to be a great program for the next 5 weeks for neighorhood kids.

Monday, June 23, 2008

NY Times Features Local School

And the Band Honked On
A professional musician confronts the real world at a Brooklyn junior high. (Our local Ditmas, IS 62)

Be sure to check out the multi-media photos and audio here:
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/arts/20080621_BAND_FEATURE/index.html

Pet Adoptions

From our friends at Hamilton Dog House:
This is Annie. She is a Boston Terrier who was hit by a car and dragged. She was nursed back to health at the shelter. She is adorable and loving.

Color Conundrum at Greenwood Playground

TUESDAY JUNE 24th
ages 3-6
10:00 a.m
Color Conundrum Prospect Park Zoo Puppet Show
Starting JULY 1 on Tuesdays - Studio in the Park
Join Studio-in-a-school art educator, Michelle Hinebrook for art programming at Greenwood Playground. Children will learn about the environment and sustainability using paint, clay, collage and otherart materials. First session begins at 10:00 and will be geared for4-6 year olds. The afternoon session will be appropriate for tweens and younger. Sign up at the park will be necessary because each class will be limited to 20 kids. Note: this is NOT a drop-off class.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Hamilton Dog House Summer Grand Opening!

THE HAMILTON DOG HOUSE
155 E. 3rd St., Brooklyn, New York
Between Caton and Ft. Hamilton
718-436-PETS

JOIN HDH ON JULY 12th FOR THEIR GRAND OPENING EVENT!
Food, Games, Prizes & Raffles from Noon til 5pm!
Free treats for our 4-legged friends!
Hot dogs and hamburgers available for a $2 donation, the proceeds will benefit the Sean Casey Animal Rescue.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

ANA 6/12 Meeting Minutes/ Notes

Albemarle Neighborhood Association Meeting - June 12, 2008

MTA elevator installation: Installation of the MTA elevator on McDonald Avenue near Church Avenue is expected to be completed by the end of June.

Foodtown renovation: The renovation of Foodtown is expected to be completed by the end of July.

Kensington Post Office aggravation: The Kensington Post Office (KPO) has a new manager and a new delivery supervisor. According to the KPO, a lobby director is required to be on duty in the lobby from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to direct people to the post office’s various resources, such as the stamp machine and the passport line, and answer customers’ questions about which forms to use and how to fill them out. If you are in the KPO between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and do not see a lobby director on duty, report it to 1-800-ASK-USPS.

At last month’s ANA meeting, an ANA member volunteered to attend the May 21st meeting of the Brooklyn Post Office’s Community Advisory Council (CAC) on behalf of ANA. The CAC, chaired by the Brooklyn Postmaster, was founded a year ago as a result of borough-wide complaints about Brooklyn’s post offices. Its goal is to be accountable to the public. The ANA member’s report included this information:

Report complaints, such as misdelivered mail, to 1-800-ASK-USPS.
The name and phone number of the KPO manager are supposed to be on view inside of the post office.
Based on the amount of credit card usage by customers, the KPO is not eligible for a self-service kiosk. However, an attendee at the ANA meeting stated that credit card usage is low because the credit card machines are broken.
KPO is eligible for scales for use by customers, foreign language posters, and passport fairs.
A Contract Postal Unit (CPU) will open in Kensington (a CPU is a privately-run kiosk that is inside of an existing retail store and has a person in attendance) if a retailer can be found who has an appropriate space and is willing to house the CPU.
The Brooklyn Post Office participates in the USPS’s Mystery Shopper project (http://www.usps.com/strategicplanning/stp2007/improve_002.htm).

The manager of the KPO has been invited to participate at the next ANA meeting. Assemblymember Jim Brennan pointed out that zip code 11215 (Park Slope) has three post offices, but Kensington only has one. He said that Congress would have to designate money for an additional post office for us and suggested that Yvette Clarke, our representative in the House of Representatives, be invited to the September meeting.

Traffic congestion: An ANA member reported on a Department of Transportation (DOT) meeting about street traffic congestion on Church Avenue between McDonald Avenue and Utica Avenue caused by double parked cars, cars making illegal U-turns, bicyclists, and the lack of ten-second pedestrian phasing (which turns the WALK light on ten seconds before the green light goes on) and on sidewalk congestion caused by merchandise placed in front of stores. On Thursday, June 19th, DOT will conduct a walk-through of Church Avenue to learn about specific problems. We are invited to meet up with the DOT representatives at Church Avenue and Coney Island Avenue at 5:15, walk with them to McDonald Avenue, and point out the problems as we see them.

Express bus service elimination: The MTA’s Vice President of Planning and Operations unsuccessfully attempted to justify to the large number of aggrieved commuters the elimination of the BM1 and BM2 express bus stops in Kensington.

The major issues mentioned by the Kensington commuters are: 1) During the day, there is often a forty-five minute wait between buses because the staggering is “off.” This is detrimental to the community because the bus functions as a viable transportation alternative for the elderly and the sick. 2) Kensington commuters often see BM1 and BM2 buses that are only half-filled drive past them as they wait for the very full BM3 and BM4 buses to stop for them. As a result, some Kensingtonians have to stand up on these BM3 and BM4 buses (the MTA VP told us that that does not happen). It is clear that resources need to be allocated better.

The VP told us that Command Bus left a mess that the MTA has been cleaning up. We in Kensington are defined as part of that mess: When an express bus stops to pick us up, we make the commute longer for passengers who boarded at the beginning of the route. He promised that larger buses will be assigned to the BM3 and BM4 lines. He said that if those get overcrowded, the MTA will think about restoring some of our BM1 and BM2 service. If the MTA does change the schedule, it will not go into effect until September.

In response to requests for Sunday service, the VP told us that we have no Sunday service because we do not use the bus much on Saturdays. If you have problems with the bus and would like to complain about them, call:
James J. Harding, Jr.
Vice President, Intergovernmental and Community Relations
128-15 28th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Work: 718.445.3100 x 3420
Cell: 347.203.8382
Fax: 718.961.2660
Jim.harding@mtabusco.com

To complain about the F train, call 646.252.5800 and ask for:
Lois Tendler
Director, MTA NYC Transit Government and Community Relations2 Broadway, D 17.140
New York, NY 10004
718-694-5127
ltendle@nyct.com

The VP will report back to the ANA president in two to three weeks.

ANA committees and changes: Over the summer, the ANA will establish a committee to draft changes to the by-laws in order to address boundary issues for members, membership and membership dues, and streamline the officer core. Once complete and in effect, the ANA will nominate officers for the new positions and hold elections.

Next meeting: The next full meeting of ANA will be in September, date to be announced.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Coffe Shop on Ft. Hamilton?

FROM THE IN-BOX:
I was just walking by the old Jimmy's Deli Grocery on the corner of Ft. Hamilton Parkway and E. 4th St (across the street from IHM Church) and noticed some guys working. I popped my head in and asked what was going to be there. One fellow, Rodrigo, told me that he is opening a coffee shop there! It will have tables and a patio. He will be selling "very good coffee," as well as pastries, bagels, sandwiches, etc... The place will be called "The Oak and The Iris" and he hopes to be open in about 3 weeks.

Off-Leash Hours

Please sign the petition below in support of off-leash hours from 5pm to 9pm in the Nethermead within Prospect Park.
We urge a return to off-leash hours in Prospect Park's Neathermead from 5pm to 9pm, Monday through Fiday, excluding holidays. This long-standing privilege was lost during last year's change in the NYC Off-Leash Law.
FIDO Off-Leash in the Nethermead Petition

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Bill de Blasio - Local Graffiti Removal

Bd's local office on Ft. Hamilton Pkwy is looking for volunteers to help catalog all the graffiti in order to have it removed. If you are interested in working with you can call or stop by the office.

Councilmember Bill de Blasio
2907 Ft. Hamilton Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11218
(O) 718-854-9791
(F) 718-854-1146

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Children's Store for Church Ave!?

We just got word there is a new Children's Store called Rich Frog set to open this weekend on Church Ave (b/w East 2nd and 3rd). Anyone got the scoop?

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Where the Locals at?

On June 12th local artists Ernest Concepcion (from Kensington) and Saul Chernick (from Windsor Terrace) will be showing a selection of paintings and drawings at the Phatory Gallery in the East Village through August 5th that riff on caricatures seen frequently in old graphic art, comic strips and street art.
While retracing the development of continued linear movement, both artists transform banal, everyday imagery into abundantly complex fantasies. Chernick's two-tone drawings focus on the individual mark as a critical component, forming a bridge to classical drawing while piecing together phantasmagoric representations. In complimentary fashion, science fiction underlies Concepcion's work, which begins as an empty landscape that is quickly tagged with spaceships, robots and mythical beasts battling each other in an imaginary war. This exhibition explores the pictorial tensions of sequential art as the drawn line evolves gradually from one subject into another.
Saul Chernick completed his degree in art at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and is represented by the Max Protetch Gallery. Ernest Concepcion receive d his degree from the University of the Phillippines in Quezon City and has exhibited in numerous group shows throughout New York City. The Phatory is located at 618 E 9th Street, between Avenues B and C.


Gallery Opening: June 12th 7pm-9pm
Gallery Hours: Thurs - Fri, 8pm-11pm; Sat - Sun, 1pm-6pm

FAROS

We got this in the In-Box and wanted to share.....

This 50 seater place has survived everything in the area for over a 20 year period. Recently renovated this place is family owned/operated by a family that is been in the restaurant business over 30 years serving Park Slope, Down Town Brooklyn as well as The Bay Ridge “Pegasus Restaurant”. (The above mentioned past history is displayed on 5x7 signs on each table). Their menu offers a great variety of foods, prices are moderate and the food is great. The only place I know that offers fresh squeezed Valencia Orange Juice made to order. They are soon to offer outdoor service in their back yard. The place is next to Kabir’s Bakery, Church & Mcdonald.

ANA Meeting - June 12th

The next meeting of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association will be held on Thursday, June 12th, at University Place at 385 McDonald Avenue, on the lower level.

The General Membership meeting will start promptly at 7:00 p.m. First nominations for officers for 2008/2009 will be held. Membership issues will be discussed and a by-laws committee will be formed that will be responsible for any changes that may be required if boundaries, membership, and dues are to be changed. They will also try to have updates on Foodtown, the Post Office meeting, and the MTA elevator. At the May 15th meeting, there was a question about the dramatic reduction of express bus service in the community. A representative from the MTA will be at the June 12th meeting to discuss the changes in the BM1 and BM2 buses.

***Refreshments will be provided by Foodtown*** (Thank you Foodtown!)

Where the Locals at?

Kensington resident Steven Coburn will be performing on piano and organ this weekend in two different venues:
The first is as the accompanist and assistant director for the Brooklyn Community Chorus, doing an American composers program at 7 pm, Saturday June 7th at Old First Church, corner of 7th Avenue and Carroll Street in Park Slope. Featuring works by Copland, Thompson, Bernstein, Paul Simon, Gershwin, Steven Coburn, and others. $10, $8 seniors and students.

The second is as the accompanist and assistant director of the Park Slope Singers, doing a program of choral works by Mozart, Gounod, Gilbert and Sullivan, and others, at 2:30 pm, Sunday June 8th at St. Saviours Church, corner of 6th Street and 8th Avenue, Park Slope. $10, $5 seniors and students.

PS 230 Spring Fair

Annual PS 230 Spring Fair, 12:00 to 3:30 PM, in the upper school schoolyard. Enjoy games, food, face painting, crafts, and a performance by PS 230 Music teacher Dan Schorr from 12:45 to 1:30. ( Accompanied by his band, the Good Boys, Dan will be performing favorite original songs from music class, including "I Saw A Dinkleheimer", "Terry, the Tennessee Turtle", "Chicken Pickin'", and others.)

PS 230 is at the corner of Albemarle Rd. and McDonald Ave. Enter the school yard through the playground on McDonald, or from Dahill Road at 12th Ave.

Monday, June 2, 2008


For Riders and Mounts, Rough Going in Prospect Park

NY TIMES - Published: June 2, 2008
The riding trails in Prospect Park have become the focus of a dispute between riders who use Kensington Stables and the park’s administrator.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Sunday Sidewalk Sales

We hear there are 2 sidewalk sales happening today...
One on East 4th b/w Caton and Albemarle and another on East 2nd b/w Greenwood and Fort Hamilton.