 The Sixth Sense |
Greetings!
Welcome to The Sixth Sense - the monthly newsletter email of Brooklyn Community Board 6, serving the neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens/South Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Columbia Street Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope and Red Hook.
"If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat,
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.
Taxman."
George Harrison
When you think of April you probably think of April Fool's Day, Earth Day, National Census Day and ... tax season. Yep, it's that time of year again.
When most people think of tax season the first thing they probably think of is whether they will be getting a refund or not. But where does all that tax revenue go? Most of it is used to pay for critical services like public safety, education, health and transportation. Some of it is returned to us in the form of public assistance and social security. (If you're wondering how much to anticipate receiving when you're eligible, you can use the Social Security Administration's estimator, an online tool. A little finan-cial planning now can go a long way toward future benefits.)
New Yorkers earning less than $58,000 can file their taxes online for free. Assisted online tax preparation is also available at certain free sites. At more than 60 free sites Citywide certified volunteers will prepare eligible New Yorkers' returns and help them claim credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit. Select sites offer the $aveNYC Account, a limited-time opportunity to use refunds to build savings.
Roughly one-third of the city's budget relies on tax revenues from the federal and New York State budgets. The other most significant portion of the city's budget comes from property taxes. If you've ever wondered about how our city budget dollars are spent, the Office of Management and Budget has plenty of online documents available, which can also be viewed at any Community Board district office. The community boards are responsible for the dissemination of information to our communities. They are non-partisan, public resources for the neighborhoods of New York. They, too, rely on tax dollars to exist. And your support.
Remember to file by April 15th, and encourage your elected officials to make sure that New York City get its fair share of tax revenues from the federal and New York State budgets. Wishing you many happy returns of the day!
Get involved. Stay active!
Please enjoy our newsletter and do let us know what you would like to see in future editions.
P.S. If you like what you see here, please use the "Forward email to a friend" link at the bottom of the page to pass this email along to a friend or two. There are over 104,000 residents and thousands of businesses in our district. We'd love it if they would all sign up! Click here for links to archived newsletters.
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Earth Day Turns 40: Act Locally Right Here 
Looking for things to do? You came to the right place! Here's a few ways in which you can pitch in for a cleaner, more sustainable community...
Help plan the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, a 14-mile multi-use path - stretching from Greenpoint to Bay Ridge - that will increase access to the waterfront, improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, and connect many public open spaces along the waterfront. The Red Hook community workshop is planned for April 13th, 6:30-8:30pm at the Red Hook Recreation Center, 155 Bay Street.
The Park Slope Civic Council is holdings its semi-annual Civic Sweep and Electronics Recycling event on April 17th, from 10:00am-2:00pm in front of the Prospect Park YMCA, 357 9th Street (bet 5th/6th Avenues). Roll up your sleeves and help remove posters, paint over graffiti, mulch tree pits and plant bulbs in Park Slope. The event is free, supplies will be provided, and all volunteers are welcome.
On April 25th, from 10:00am-4:00pm, the Lower East Side Ecology Center and the Cobble Hill Association are hosting an electronics waste recycling event at the PS 29 Schoolyard, on Baltic Street between Clinton and Henry Streets in Cobble Hill.
The second public meeting of the Proposed Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District steering committee will be held on April 28th, from 9:30-11:00am at the Long Island College Hospital, 339 Hicks Street (at Atlantic Avenue). Local, independently-owned businesses help define our neighborhood character. Support local merchants.
Switch to CFL's and save money, save energy and save time. One compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) lasts as long as 10 standard lightbulbs. If all New Yorkers swtiched to CFL's the energy savings could power the subways. And don't forget to recycle your used, unbroken CFL's at IKEA, Home Depot and other participating locations.
Remember, the ultimate renewable resource is Citizen Power! |
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Making Bicycling Safer, Easier and More Pleasant
 In June 2009, the Department of Transporta-tion completed the City's ambitious goal of building 200 bike-lane miles in all 5 boroughs in just three years, nearly doubling the city-wide on-street bike network while reshaping the city's streets to make them safer for everyone who uses them. The same period also saw unprecedented expansion and innovation of the overall network, including the installation of 4.9 miles of bike paths physically separated from car traffic lanes, 20 sheltered bike parking structures and 3,100 bike racks, accompanied by a more than 45% growth in commuter cycling in that time.
What didn't make headlines at least not until now is that Brooklyn CB6 is leading the way with roughly 12 of those new bike-lane miles toward the City's 200 miles added right here in our district. Just recently, the department announced a plan to add yet another 1.7 bike-lane miles on Smith and Hoyt Streets, and dozens of new bicycle rack installations coming to the district. And we can do even better!
We have set up a short, online survey that will help us continue to plan and advocate for safer, easier and more pleasant bicycling within and through our district. Results will be reported back to the CB6 Transpor-tation committee, and in a future newsletter issue. Won't you please take 5 minutes to share your opinions with us? |
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April 1st is National Census Day - No Fooling!  The 2010 Census forms were mailed out to every household March 15-17. Hopefully, you already took 10 minutes to answer the 10 questions and mailed it back. A lot is riding on it. The information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services. Census information also affects the numbers of seats our states occupy in the U.S. House of Representatives. And people from many walks of life use census data to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers and more.
Forms are due back by April 15th. If you need help completing the form, there are Questionnaire Assistance Centers established in every neighborhood. The CB6 district office is a QAC, staffed by census workers on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:00am-4:00pm. If you don't mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker, who will ask you the questions from the form. The census takers or enumerators will be out collecting data from May through July.
The U.S. Census Bureau is still recruiting temporary, part-time census takers for the 2010 Census. Apply today by contacting your Local Census Office or by calling (866) 861-2010.
Participation isn't just important - it's mandatory!
Curious to know how well your community responded to the last census? The U.S. Census Bureau has created an online mapping tool to show the Census 2000 participation rates. |
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Restaurant Sanitary Inspections Get a New Look
 On March 16th the Board of Health approved a reform measure to give consumers more informa-tion on the sanitary conditions of New York City restaurants. The new initiative requires all res-taurants to publicly display letter grades that summarize the results of Health Department food-safety inspections. Restaurants will receive grades based on the number of violations docu-mented during their sanitary inspections.
Each year the department inspects 24,000 restaurants to monitor their compliance with the city's health code, and most establishments main-tain good or excellent conditions. Currently, about 30% of the city's restaurants would qualify for A grades, 40% would get Bs and 26% would get Cs. After Los Angeles instituted a letter grading system, the proportion of restaurants meeting the highest food-safety standards rose from 40% to more than 80%, and hospitalizations for food-borne illnesses fell.
Restaurant inspection scores are available on the department's website and accessible on some mobile devices, but publicly displayed signs are accessible to everyone. They require no electronic technology, and they give consumers the needed information as they're walking into a restaurant. The department plans to enact the new system in July 2010. | |
Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Inc. (Federal EIN 04-3780020) was established in 2003 to support the work of Brooklyn Community Board 6 in improving the quality of life in the district. Friends seeks to provide planning, advocacy, research and administrative resources to supplement the limited capacities and budget of the Community Board, thus enabling it to properly carry out its City Charter mandated tasks of evaluating the needs and advocating on behalf of its communities.
Friends of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organiza-tion. Donations are welcome and are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. |
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For the Next Monthly General Board Meeting |
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Brooklyn, NY 11231
(Board members should respond with corrections to minutes.)
All posted Community Board meetings (general, committee, informational, etc.) are open to the public and we encourage you to attend; however, participation may be limited depending on the agenda. Contact the district office if further clarification is needed. |
| Ask the DM |
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This is definitely one of the most popularly asked questions:
"How do I get a tree planted?"
Requests for tree plantings in public areas couldn't be simpler! The Parks Depart-ment plants street trees for free on sidewalks in front of homes, apartment build-ings, and businesses in all five boroughs. To request a free street tree, report a damaged or dead tree, or a dangerous tree-related condition, you can use the department's forestry service request system, or call 311.
You can also plant a street tree on your own by obtaining a free Tree Planting Permit. The permit application is also available online or by calling 311. For one-stop planting and permitting, the New York Tree Trust will work with you on selecting the species and site and permitting and planting process - for a donation. Call (212) 360-TREE.
The City's MillionTreesNYC initiative is in full bloom. Grants have been made available to help community groups with the care and maintenance for street trees. And free tree giveaways are planned for all 5 boroughs throughout the Spring.
You don't have to be a Joyce Kilmer or Betty Smith. You don't even have to plant the tree yourself. Just pass a good location for a tree plant-ing along to the City and they will take it from there.
Got a question?
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Who's Who at CB6
CB6 2010 Officers:
● Richard Bashner,
Chairperson
● Ray Lohier,
First Vice Chairperson
● Nica Lalli,
Second Vice Chairperson
● David Reiss,
Treasurer
● Elly Spicer,
Secretary
CB6 Chairs:
● Ben Atkins,
Housing, Co-Chair
● Richard Bashner,
Executive
● James Bernard,
Youth Services, Co-Chair
● Stephen Burzio,
Transportation, Co-Chair ● Peter Fleming,
Land Use
● Mark Kolman,
Human Services
● Daniel Kummer,
Permits & Licenses ● Nica Lalli,
Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs
● Betty Lester,
Housing, Co-Chair
● Robert Levine,
Landmarks
● Ray Lohier,
Budget; Public Safety
● Rick Luftglass,
Economic Development, Co-Chair
● Thomas Miskel,
Transportation, Co-Chair ● Greg O'Connell,
Waterfront Development
● David Reiss,
Economic Development, Co-Chair
● Suzanne Turet,
Education
● Derrick C. Vito,
Youth Services, Co-Chair
● Bob Zuckerman,
Environmental Protection
District Office Staff:
● Craig Hammerman,
District Manager
● Leroy P. Branch, Jr.
Assistant District Manager
● Liza Santiago,
Office Manager
● Helena Miskel,
Office Volunteer
● Peter Katz,
Planning Fellow
Newsletter Production:
● Craig Hammerman,
Editor | |
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