SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

What makes Sheepshead Bay special? It’s just not the number of sushi bars or gourmet delis. Need a hint? Think waterfront.

But is it good for anything other than a nice view from overpriced condos? Some people in Congress think so.

Introduced to Congress in May of 2009, Keep America’s Waterfronts Working (KAWW) Act of 2009 protects coastal area economies by securing indispensable funds for preserving and expanding waterfront access. As an amendment to the  Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, KAWW directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to establish a Working Waterfront Grant Program. The program allows states to request grants, through a regionally equitable, competitive funding process, to secure access for persons engaged in commercial fishing, recreational fishing, aquaculture, boatbuilding, or other water-dependent coastal-related business. It would also allow a non-profit group to obtain a grant to buy development rights in order to keep a working boatyard in business, rather than see it sold for residential development.

In short, KAWW will give give fuel to local governments around the nation to rethink their waterfront strategies.

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Bay Improvement Group President Steve Barrison informed us yesterday of the untimely passing of Faith Palmer-Persen just before New Years. Palmer-Persen, who was fighting cancer, is the artist behind the mural on East 15th Street between Avenue Z and Sheepshead Bay Road. Her passing came as BIG prepared for a restoration of the 120-foot mural.

As Palmer-Persen was most recently a California resident, her funeral services will be near San Francisco this Sunday. Barrison is requesting that anyone with photos of Palmer-Persen send them to him by e-mail so he can forward them to family for the service. BIG is also helping organize a local memorial at the mural site in June.

Below is the obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle, published January 5:

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BIG President Steve Barrison with Vince Martell and other performers (Photo courtesy of Clare)

Despite bitter cold, roughly 100 people joined Bay Improvement Group organizers at St. Mark’s Catholic School last night for their annual Holiday Caroling and Toy Drive and Celebrity Concert. President Steve Barrison said approximately 180 kids benefited from this year’s drive, with more than 205 toys collected last night. An additional 40 to 50 had been delivered on December 20, after their original date was delayed because of the snowstorm. All the recipients this year were under 10 years old, he added. (More photos to come.)

We interrupt this holiday vacation to bring you news of a very special event.

Bay Improvement Group’s 19th Annual Holiday Caroling and Toy Drive is holding it’s rain/snow date today! The group originally planned to have the event December 19, but snow pushed it back to post-holiday times. As a result, they’ve dropped the “caroling” from the title and added “celebrity concert.” But most importantly, they need your donations.

From BIG:

The snow storm really hurt this special annual event and we really need your help here.

PLEASE help promote, publish, PSA’s, etc. to get the word out for the few hundred needy children mostly under 10 years old that are counting on us to come through this year.

We will be there for a Special New Year’s snow date Toy Drive Celebrity Concert!

Please tell people we need toys this year for the needy, battered woman’s shelter and terminally ill children at our southern end of Brooklyn, in the Sheepshead Bay area.

St Mark, RC School Auditorium, Jerome Av & East 19th St,
Parking enter on Ave Z…
JUST Bring a NEW UNWRAPPED TOY and get a GREAT FREE Celebrity Holiday Concert and Toy Drive!

BIG adds that 200 kids under 10 years old stand to benefit from the event.

The info, one more time:
When: Tonight, January 3 @ 5 p.m.
Where: St. Marks RC Church; East 19th Street and Jerome Avenue
Cost: Free! Just bring an unwrapped gift for the kiddos!

This is an update on the Bay Improvement Group’s 19th Annual Holiday Caroling & Toy Drive that was originally scheduled for Sunday, December 20, 2009 from 5-7 p.m. at St. Mark’s School:

Weather update…BIG Celebrity/Toy Drive featuring Vanilla Fudge’s Vince Martell and other friends is RESCHEDULED FOR Sunday January 3, 2010!
PLEASE DON”T FORGET THESE KIDS> BRING THE TOYS Jan 3rd same time 5-7pm!

UPDATE as of December 19, 2009: Due to inclement weather, this event has been postponed to January 3, 2010.

The Bay Improvement Group (B.I.G.) is inviting you to a special toy drive and concert. The concert is free, but entry requires your donation of a new toy. The toys will be categorized and wrapped, then sent to needy and terminally ill children in the local area. All are welcome.

Here are the details (see flyer above):

Sunday, December 20, 2009 from 5-7
19th Annual Holiday Caroling & Toy Drive
St. Mark’s Roman Catholic School Auditorium
2602 East 19 Street
Enter on East 18 Street and Avenue Z

The Bay Improvement Group’s (BIG) President, Steve Barrison, said that the BayFest 2010 Planning Meeting on December 2 was “great”, and invited anyone else who is interested in helping out with the planning for Sheepshead Bay’s Waterfront “Party” to join in the next meeting.

Here are the details for the next volunteer and planning meeting happening the Wednesday, with a message from the group:

BayFest2010 planning meeting for all interested VOLUNTEERS for our 19th BayFest!

Wednesday, December 16 at 8 p.m. at The Golden Gate Inn
located at the intersection of Knapp Street & Shore Parkway in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.
Free Parking is available.
For further directions you can call the Golden Gate Inn at (718) 743-4000.

Help us plan, and set up for reaching out to sponsors as we plan now BayFest2010! Marketing, PR, getting local businesses and residents near and far involved in our 19th year of BayFest, the annual NYC waterfront ALL Free party for Sheepshead Bay!
This is the time we must do it together.

Check the BayFest website: www.bigbayfest.org for contact information.

Got an idea for Sheepshead Bay’s biggest annual festival? Bay Improvement Group (BIG) is having a planning meeting tomorrow night, and they want to hear your ideas on how to make BayFest2010 bigger, better, and ballsier than the rest. (Okay, we added that last one.)

And there’s reason to believe this year really will be leaps and bounds beyond previous years’ celebrations. Why? Because back in August, BIG secured more than $27,500 from local politicians, making it the largest budget the group has had yet. And in the months since, they’ve been hitting up corporate and small-business partners for sponsorships, their primary source of funding in other years.

At the last planning meeting, BIG President Steve Barrison even suggested the group would love to score some top-notch headliners for the stage. But money and bands aren’t going to make a better BayFest by themselves. The group needs raw manpower. So get involved and bring some fresh blood to a Sheepshead Bay tradition!

When: Wednesday, December 2 at 8 p.m.
Where: The Golden Gate Inn (located at the intersection of Knapp Street & Shore Parkway)
Free Parking is available. For further directions you can call the Golden Gate Inn at 718-743-4000

Though it may be chilly, it’s time to get your green thumb throbbing. Bay Improvement Group is hosting its annual cleanup and planting at its community garden locations throughout the area this Sunday. BIG is inviting neighbors to join them – and bring tools if possible – to clean up and plant bulbs at its Adopt-a-Highway locations along the Sheepshead Bay Belt Parkway overpasses. Cleanup starts at 9:00 a.m. sharp, meeting at Sheepshead Bay Road and Shore Parkway, and bagels and coffee will be served free to all volunteers.

The program is run by Richie, who told us previously of the dire need for new volunteers for the activity. The group has maintained the gardens for several years now, but as time has passed the members have teetered off. Richie says he needs some new blood to help out, so all those who kvetched at last week’s midweek photo of the garbage in Sheepshead Bay – get out there and help make a difference! And if you can’t make it Sunday, then give Richie a call at (347) 631-9551 since he still needs help for the ongoing efforts to keep the Bay clean.

For the Bay Improvement Group (BIG), August is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

BIG President Steve Barrison revealed that local politicians have pledged $27,500 to next year’s BayFest, making it the largest budget the organizers of the annual waterfront celebration has secured in its 19-year existence. And that’s before the numerous sponsorships BIG obtains for BayFest.

“We’re ecstatic. It’s wonderful that we’re able to keep BayFest going in these economic times,” Barrison said.

According to Barrison, $15,000 came from State Senator Carl Kruger, marking the largest single donation the event has ever received. The remaining $12,500 came from City Councilman Lew Fidler, who provided similar amounts in recent years.

If other politicians give the same amounts they gave in recent years, Barrison said the budget will swell a few thousand dollars more. He also said that BIG has not yet started to seek private sponsorships, which usually nets BayFest the bulk of its operating budget, and, in light of the funding already secured, may double its usual funding.

With the donations from Fidler and Kruger alone, the money is $2,500 more than it was during the group’s 10th year anniversary in 1991. Then, the $25,000 (made up almost entirely from private sponsors) was enough funding to have games and attractions for kids, and bands on each of Sheepshead’s ten piers, showcasing different styles of music, plus several more on the main Emmons Avenue stage.

But Barrison warns that money alone doesn’t guarantee a great event. He is calling on volunteers and neighborhood businesses to get involved early in the process to help shape the event.

At BIG’s first BayFest planning meeting last week, it was apparent the organization needs to bulk up its manpower and get some new blood in the mix if this money is going to create an unparalleled Sheepshead event. So if you have an idea for how to bring arts, culture and party spirit to the waterfront, be sure to e-mail them and see how you can help.