7th Annual  23rd St. Mega Stoop Sale
(23rd St. between 6th & 7th Aves.)

“Come one, come all to our block-long stoop sale.”
20+ households will be ready for you with our stuff!

Saturday, May 18
11:00 a.m.
-to-
4:00 p.m.

Houses will have lots of stuff for sale, at, of course, very reasonable prices! (or you can just haggle with everyone)

On sale:
Housewares
tchotchkes
books/CDs Clothing
furniture
and a wee bit of “junk” too!

Rain date: Sunday, May 19-same time

Please spread the word! And feel free to put up our bi-lingual flyer on your block or in your building if you are on 23rd St. (heck, even if you are not!)

Are you having a stoop sale on your block this spring or summer? If so, let us know and we’ll post it on the CCGH blog.

UPDATE: you can see photos of the stoop sale here. If you have more photos, please e-mail them to us so we can add them.

Here’s a few quotes from the news groups:

One of the owners of Greenwood Park took questions from the attendees and ‘officials’ there. The bar is currently applying for sound permits to offer live music on the weekends in the summer. Many people (most of whom live directly across the street) complained of noise pollution from the bar as well as some other quality of life issues in the neighborhood (public urination/vomiting/drunk people etc.) So of course the idea of more music/noise isn’t welcomed.The owner expressed the bar’s efforts to operate legally and a willingness to try to work with the community and improve the situation – so far the only suggestions on the table for the owners to consider are to redirect speakers so they are facing the bar not the street and add more bathrooms/port o potties. The unhappy neighbors would like the DEP to do more random monitoring of the sound levels coming from the bar and an independent third party to check this if possible.

I personally came away with the conclusion the place is not breaking any laws (not all would agree) but that it still really sucks for the people who live right across the way. As long as they continue to play music, this will be a problem for some. However, their liquor license is up for renewal next year and the public can comment on this further then, I believe.

Another poster had a similar take away:

I also attended the meeting last night. The update that [the first poster] provided is pretty accurate. However, I would like to add that there was a discussion of when a sound/noise permit is required. According to the community outreach officer, you need a sound permit any time that there is reproduced sound (speakers) that can be heard at a distance of 100 feet from the property line.  Basically if the music or sound being generated can be heard across the street, where the residential buildings are, you need a permit.

There was a lot of unease because of the quantity of these permits that they are going to solicit. The owner of Greenwood Park expressed their intention of getting a permits for every Saturday and every Sunday for a span of 3 to 4 months. This did not sit well with the residents that were in attendance, since it turns it from being an occasional day of loud music to a permanent nuisance for the duration of the summer.

What’s the rest of the community’s take on this meeting and Greenwood Park in general? South Slope News is also supposed to have a follow-up today.

Any other new ones out there we don’t know of? Are they reducing speeders or just changing traffic patterns? We’d love to know. Post below.

It will be on Wednesday, May 8 at 6:30pm at CB7 (4201 4th Ave @ 43rd St). Not sure what the “conversation” is going to be about, but we have heard both pros and cons about the outdoor beer garden:

1. A great a place to hang out with your kids during the day and grab a beer
2. Who wants to stay here with all these kids running around
3. What a wonderful place to have an evening outside with great beer, food and music
4. The noise, public urination and bad behavior by patrons at night has killed the quality of life for nearby neighbors

And so on (please feel free to leave your own thoughts below). So, it ought to be an interesting evening.

Here’s a copy of the flyer to fwd to your neighbors.

SUNSET PARK
It’s My Park Day
It’s my park day today and every day this year in Sunset Park.
Together with the Sunset Park Garden Club, SPRiG will be
getting flower beds ready for the growing season.

Want to help or just meet some of the folks that are beautifying the park?
We would love to meet you too!
SPRIG and friends will be meeting at the Rec. Center to clean the park.
Bring a shovel and gloves! Help with cleaning, planting and mulching.
May 5th – Meet at the Rec Center 41st. entrance at 9:00am
Volunteer from 9am – 12pm
Contact us! http://www.sprigbrooklyn.org/ or email sprigbrooklyn@gmail.com
You can also join us on Facebook @ SPRIG Sunset Park

Councilwoman González has allocated approximately $2 Million dollars in capital funds for the complete renovation of the playground. She requested an explanation [ from Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey] as to why work was delayed on behalf of her constituents who have been eagerly awaiting the Park’s opening.

Here’s a few excerpts from Parks as to why the project has been delayed…again:

1. Changed the design of the base material from asphalt to concrete to allow the best possible drainage throughout the site. This will also keep the surface in much better condition for many more years than asphalt.

2. Asbestos and a damaged flue pipe in the comfort station which was built in 1950. Thanks to the additional $100,000 you moved into the project, we will also be able to address these conditions and do some much-needed work to the restrooms

3. Hurricane Sandy caused some delays with several contractors getting materials in the New York region.

So, while it may bite into this summer’s play plans for local parents and kids, the delays seem legit. We’ll report more when we hear more.

What do you think about the delay? Post below or e-mail us.

Join us for a fundraiser at Freddy’s Bar to benefit Neighbors Helping Neighbors. There is no cover- Freddy’s will be donating tips & a portion of all drink sales. NHN works to empower low and moderate income residents to have and keep affordable quality housing.

From their website:

FUNDRAISER for “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” with the American String Conspiracy: 100% of ALL TIPS & 50% of ALL SALES got to “Neighbors Helping Neighbors”

Tue 30 Apr 2013 – 8: pm

With Special guest (in the Backroom) the American String Conspiracy. Most recent albumwas called “Help the Poor.” American String Conspiracy was formed by award-winning poet Gary Keenan and guitarist Shu Nakamura as a means to explore American song traditions and to create original songs drawing inspiration from blues, country,& everything else on stringed instruments. ASC has performed at the Brooklyn Country Music Festival, Hank Williams Festival, Kings County Opry, The NYC Opry, and the Brooklyn Winter Hoedown. Mr. Keenan was a NY Innovative Theater Award nominee for Best Original Score for his work with Flux Theatre Company on the play Angel Eaters.

She was set up to roost for the night on 23rd St in a front garden and the FAB Sean Casey Animal Rescue (Facebook link as their website seems to be down) came a relocated her from Brooklyn to Staten Island this morning.

A big kudos for Sean Casey. A thankless job caring for the stray animals of the city (on this block alone, guinea fowl, dogs and now chickens). Perhaps think of giving them a donation for their work?

And what’s next for Greenwood Hts. (besides raccoons)?

Looks like it’s going to be a bit of a mess with only one travel lane open at a time, a temporary walkway, no parking in the work area and the improvements will go through July 2013. See the attached PDF of the flyer and the text from the flyer below. Going to be a fun spring and summer!

Important Notice
Component Rehabilitation of 5th Avenue Bridge over Greenwood Cemetery HBCR01A

The New York City Department of Transportation will commence component rehabilitation of the 5th Avenue bridge over Greenwood Cemetery on or about April 1, 2013. Work at this location will require the closure of one half of the bridge roadway and the adjacent sidewalk. Two-way traffic will be maintained on the open side of the bridge. Work will be preformed in two stages; upon completion of the first half, traffic will be shifted to the other side. There will be no parking in the work zone area. The scope of work for this bridge includes: replacement of asphalt on the bridge deck and approaches; concrete sidewalk and curb repairs; pointing stone masonry and miscellaneous utility repairs. The anticipated completion date for all work is July 2013.

Commencing April 1, 2013
Day Work: 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Monday through Friday
Questions regarding the roadway closure or the project in general may be addressed to
Community Liaison Cindy Capitani at 212.804.8315 or 10BrooklynBridgesRehab@gmail.com.
You may also call 311. Please be prepared to give your name, contact information, bridge
location and the project number HBCR01A to be correctly routed to the project management team.