Beat the Heat at a NYC Cooling Center

Its Hot!

Feeling the heat? Its no surprise, since New York City is now in the middle of a heat wave. However, if 95+ makes your blood boil there is relief, even if you don’t have a working air conditioner or any ac at all. How so? At one of New York’s cooling centers. Yes you heard right. Right in your own neighborhood are places you can go to get some respite from the muggy, hot weather. Here is a list so you can find the one most convenient for you. So go down and cool down!

• Prospect Hill Senior Services Center- Head on over to 283 Prospect  Ave anytime from 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday. For weekend hours call 718-499-9574. Hours may be extended if there is a heat emergency. Wheelchairs welcome.

• Windsor Terrace Library- At 160 Fifth Street the library is a great place not just to cool off, but to also get some good reading material for the summer. Open Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Wednesday from 1-8 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 1-6 p.m.; for Saturday and Sunday hours, call 718-686-9707. Hours will not extend during heat emergency. Not wheelchair accessible.

• Kensington Library- Getting cool has never been easier. At 410 Ditmas Avenue check out the climate along with some books. Monday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Tuesday from 1-8 p.m.; Wednesday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday from 1-8 p.m.; Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; for Saturday and Sunday hours, call 718-435-9431. Hours will not extend during heat emergency. Not wheelchair accessible.

• Brookdale Neighborhood Senior Center/Agudath Israel of America- All are welcome to escape the heat at 817 Avenue H. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8am-4pm. On Saturday and Sunday call ahead for hours: 718-434-8670. Hours will not extend during heat emergency. Access to wheelchairs.

If you need further assistance or the addresses of other New York cooling centers contact the NYC Office of Emergency Management.

Kensington Residents Demand Improved Road Safety on Ocean Parkway

Councilman Brad Lander

City Council member Brad Lander joined with Kensington residents, transportation advocates and others at the corner of Ocean Parkway and Church Avenue to demand safety improvements there and elsewhere on the dangerous Brooklyn thoroughfare.

A full year has passed since Kensington residents voted for Lander’s proposal to allocate $200,000 to safety upgrades on the notoriously unsafe roadway in the borough’s “participatory budgeting” election.

Unfortunately not enough time has passed for the New York State Department of Transportation to take action. They have as yet neither approved Lander’s plan, saying it would not improve the parkway’s safety, nor have they come up with their own plan that would create a better, safer road.

Too late for 73-year-old Ngozi Agbim, who was hit by a semi-trailer truck and killed at the intersection last Monday, making residents angry, sad and bitter.

“We just do not understand how is it that a God fearing and loving mother would die in such a manner walking back from a church service,” said Eugene Agbimson, Brother-in-Law of Ngozi Agbim.  “This is very difficult, but it is also very rewarding. It allows me to reflect on her life, her dedication to the service of God and her lifelong committed to the less privilege.   Her death like her life is now a beacon – a rallying point for change.”

“We have been working to fix that intersection—which we all know is dangerous—for years,” said Council Member Lander. “The community felt so strongly that this was voted a top priority in last year’s budget. We are heartbroken about Monday’s tragedy, which took the life of our neighbor, Ngozi Agbim. We must act now to do all we can to prevent future tragedies. We are calling on New York State DOT to approve our plan.”

“It has saddened me that someone died in this tragic accident,” said nearby resident Arlette F. Mathis. “My family and I cross that intersection daily. We fear crossing, because even with the signage, drivers speed onto the Prospect Expressway and seldom yield to pedestrians. Something like this should never happen again.”