The Queens Library and Jamaica Bay Lives are inviting the community to help to document the history of Jamaica Bay and Superstorm Sandy by sharing stories about life in and around Jamaica Bay, now and in decades gone by, during “Community History Night,” April 24 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Queens Library at Broad Channel, 16-26 Cross Bay Boulevard.
Organized by the Queens Memory Project and Jamaica Bay Lives, the public is invited to bring old family photographs and home movies, and tell stories on camera to help preserve the community’s history at this important time.
From filmmaker Dan Hendrick, who is filming a history of Jamaica Bay:
If you remember Weiss’s Restaurant or O’Sullivan’s Pharmacy, if you attended Broad Channel Day Camp, if you knew about the Great Hurricane of 1938, the Storm of the Century of 1992, want to talk about your experiences during Hurricane Sandy or share your thoughts of an idyllic life watching the waterfowl on the bay, we want to hear from you.
Community History Night is free. Please register to share your Jamaica Bay story by contacting Hendrick at jamaicabaylives@gmail.com or (917) 207-8715.
Community Board 15 is meeting today, April 23, at 7:00 p.m. at Kingsborough Community College (2001 Oriental Boulavard) in the faculty dining room.
On the agenda is a public hearing on the following zoning item:
- 712 Avenue W - An application for a Special Permit to allow the enlargement of a single family dwelling within the Special Ocean Parkway District.
- 1957 East 14th Street – An application for a Special Permit to allow the enlargement of a single family dwelling.
- 176 Oxford Street – An application for a Special Permit to allow the enlargement of a single family dwelling.
There will also be time to hear residents’ concerns and discuss various committee reports, and elected officials may be in attendance.
Source: Weinstein’s office
The following is a press release received yesterday from the offices of Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein:
For years now, Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein has been bringing MTA personnel and the MTA reduced-fare program to her District office at 3520 Nostrand Avenue on the 3rd Thursday of every month. During today’s visit, although MTA staff was on hand to process new and lost/damaged card applications, the reduced-fare program van broke down and those who came to refill cards or check balance were unable to do so.
In order to accommodate people who were inconvenienced, the MTA has arranged for the van to park in front of the Assemblywoman’s district office this Sunday, the 21st of April, from 11am to 2pm. In addition to being able to refill and check balances, those who missed today’s visit will also be able to file new card applications and register their cards lost or damaged.
For more info please call the Assemblywoman’s office at (718) 648-4700.
Source: CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities / Flickr
Volunteers are wanted to help celebrate the upcoming Earth Day by helping to clean up marine debris at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, April 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. You can get there via public transportation on the Q52/53 buses.
The cleanup will require moderate physical exertion, so be prepared to flex those muscles. You should dress for the weather — wear long pants, long sleeves, sturdy shoes and bring a pair (or more) of work gloves.
Anyone can help out and groups are welcome too. Registration is required — call (718) 318-4340 to sign up.
Yes, it’s last minute, but we’re passing it along anyway…
State Assembly Insurance Committee Chair Kevin A. Cahill will be holding a roundtable today at 2:00 p.m. at the Shorefront YM-YWHA of Brighton – Manhattan Beach (3300 Coney Island Avenue) to discuss the claims settlement practices of insurers related to Superstorm Sandy. He will be joined by Assemblymembers Steven Cymbrowitz, Helene Weinstein and Alec Brook-Krasny.
Cahill has been making the rounds to Sandy-afflicted areas to discuss the topic, and it may result in proposed legislative changes in the case of future disasters.
“The damage caused by Sandy left hundreds of thousands of homes and commercial properties without power and caused an extraordinary amount of property damage,” said Cahill. “This roundtable will help us determine if insurance companies adequately responded to claims from families and businesses that rely on their insurance policies to recover from such a disaster.”
The committee will also hear testimony from representatives of the Department of Financial Services, insurance agents and brokers, consumers, adjusters and major insurance companies.
NYPD Firearms and Tactics Section (Source: nyc.gov)
Ever wonder what it’s like to be an NYPD officer in the line of fire? The Be Proud Foundation and the NYPD are hosting a special firearms simulator presentation that allows citizens to experience what it is like to be a cop under the most dangerous conditions, according to a press release.
The presentation is being given by the NYPD Firearms and Tactics Section, the unit charged with training all officers in firearms and safety tactics. This unit, known as “The Range,” is using large video screens and computerized equipment designed to give community members a better understanding of what an officer on patrol goes through when faced with various criminal scenarios.
The press release explained exactly what participants are in for:
Participants will be stationed in front of a table that has a firearm and a simulated mace canister. The Range instructor will control the movements in the video scenario and the participant will react to what he/she is viewing on the screen. The scenarios are usually crime scenes, motor vehicle accidents, domestic violence cases etc. The usual day to day incidents that police officers respond to each day. The only difference being that the participant will be the actual police officer and will control what the results of the incident will be.
Sounds interesting. Those interested in attending should meet at 6:30 p.m. at the National Restaurant, 273 Brighton Beach Avenue on the first floor tomorrow, April 18. Participants must be 18 and over and speak English fluently. Space is limited, and participants must RSVP by calling Raisa Chernina of the Be Proud Foundation at (347) 613-5332.
The next meeting of the Manhattan Beach Community Group will be tonight, April 17, 8:00 p.m. at Public School 195, 131 Irwin Street. The meeting will focus on community news, a new flood zone plan, DOB plans, and more. A number of public officials will be in attendance.
Scheduled speakers include an expert on solar energy and a representative from the MTA to discuss the community’s issues with the buses on Oriental Boulevard.
For more information, call (718) 200-1845, email arigina@aol.com, or write to: Manhattan Beach Community Group, 250 Dover Street, Brooklyn, New York 11235. The MBCG encourages members of the community to attend and participate in their monthly civic meetings. To learn more, visit www.manhattanbeachbrooklyn.org.
The King’s Chapel. Source: Google Maps
The next meeting of the Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association, April 18 at 7:30 p.m., will feature a special “Ask the Doctor” segment with Dr. Ian Wall, a gastroenterologist with Brooklyn Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Associates and Beth Israel Hospital’s Kings Highway Division.
The meeting will be held at the King’s Chapel on the corner of Quentin Road and East 27th Street (enter on East 27th).
There will also be elected officials as well as a police representative from the 61st Precinct. Light refreshments (coffee and cookies) — but no medicine — will be served.
For more, contact Ed Jaworski, president, Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic, at (718) 375-9158 or coachedj@aol.com.
If you are a business owner or homeowner still struggling to get back on your feet after Superstorm Sandy, there is help available to you to ease the recovery process.
Asian Americans for Equality and the Kings Bay YM-YWHA will present a “Post-Sandy Recovery Resource Seminar” for business and homeowners, April 18, 7:00 p.m. at the Kings Bay Y’s Sheepshead Bay location, 2801 Emmons Avenue.
The seminar — sponsored by the Brooklyn Community Foundation — will address such topics as emergency repair loans for homeowners, financial assistance for small businesses, rehab cost consultation and how to qualify for a post-Sandy recovery grant of up to $15,000.
The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
To learn more, call (718) 648-7703 extension 239 or email info@kingsbayy.org.
Source: mikaylakonvicka / Flickr
“Operation Seniors” — a “free night of fashion and fun” created to offer prom season assistance for high school seniors affected by Superstorm Sandy — will be held tonight, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. inside the Bay Ridge Manor, 476 76th Street.
The office of State Senator Marty Golden, who informed us about the event, says that high school seniors can choose from prom dresses, shoes, bags, and more. There will also be consultations with hairdressers and makeup artists, who will be on hand.
More than 200 dresses have been collected and the organization has received donations from The Jones Group, MAC Cosmetics, Revlon, Synderela, Coloriffics, New York Dress Company, I Love Jewelry Auctions, Charles Elias Salon, Lucky New York Salon, Marine Florist and Classie Tuxedo.
To learn more, contact Mary Beth at (917) 865-1260.
