With the motto, “No Neighbor Left Behind,” the Bay Improvement Group, along with Sheepshead Bay Plumb Beach Civic Association, Occupy Sandy and volunteers, has called another 7 p.m. Block Captains meeting for this Wednesday, December 5, at Roll ‘n’ Roaster (2901 Emmons Avenue).
The purpose of the meeting is to bring the “needs of Sheepshead Bay residents affected by Hurricane Sandy to the attention of public and private sources of support, and accelerate the pace of relief and recovery.”
They write on their announcement, “Please come if you would like to represent your block, relay the needs of your neighbors, and bring info back to them.”
Those who cannot attend but wish to make their situations known are asked to complete a survey that assesses the status of homes and any immediate needs for demolition, trash removal and any other services. The form can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CKXSTLG.
From the Bay Improvement Group:
We are having a meeting of block captains and those interested in being block captains at Roll & Roaster on Wednesday, 11/27, at 7pm. Block captains will collect information at the meetings and bring them back to their blocks. They will also collect information from neighbors about the status of their homes and needs, so that we can either get them supplies or request assistance from elected officials and agencies. (This is NOT a community meeting. Only block captains and people who may want to be a block captain should attend.)
Also, Councilman Nelson secured a truckload of heaters for Sheepshead Bay residents with no heat. We’ll distribute those nearby from a truck on the street prior to the meeting. Exact time TBA. People should bring ID, a utility bill, or some other way of showing they live in Sheepshead Bay, so that they get to the residents for which they are intended.
Steven Cymbrowitz, Steve Barrison, Kevin Jeffrey at this afternoon’s announcement.
The city will kick off the final phase of an Emmons Avenue beautification project in the spring, capping off a 10-year rehabilitation of Sheepshead Bay’s waterfront, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz announced at a press conference today.
Cymbrowitz was joined by Parks Department Brooklyn Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey, Community Board 15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo, 46th District Leader Mike Geller, Bay Improvement Group President Steve Barrison and Parks Department’s Brooklyn Chief of Staff Martin Maher on Emmons Avenue and Sheepshead Bay Road this afternoon, celebrating the conclusion of a design study that will kick off the construction.
“If you look [at Emmons Avenue west of Ocean Avenue] the area is quite different than the rest of Emmons Avenue. There are several trees, some sidewalk, but that’s about it,” Cymbrowitz said. With construction expected to begin in the spring of 2013, the western portion of the strip will match the east, an area he says is “a lot more relaxing. It’s a terrific area to just sit.”
This latest phase of the project, affecting the water side of Emmons Avenue from Ocean Avenue to East 14th Street, will see improvements including:
- repaired sidewalks
- covered trash bins
- new trees, with granite block pavement in enlarged tree pits
- new curb cuts
- fresh paint on the Bay’s railing
- blue concrete and matching artistic design elements previously installed near the piers, from Ocean Avenue to East 27th Street
- 1964 World’s Fair-style benches
The project will cost $460,000, with all funding provided by a 2008 MultiModal allocation by Cymbrowitz; MultiModal funding may only be used for transportation-related projects.
Continue Reading »
Photo by Vladimir Korostyshevskiy.
BayFest 2012 turned into the biggest BayFest ever, drawing as many as 134,000 people to Emmons Avenue for a day to celebrate the waterfront, organizers said.
Check out photos and get more details about the event!
This is a sponsored announcement from Bay Improvement Group.
Completely free, with no tickets needed, BayFest 2012 is Brooklyn’s largest waterfront celebration. Scheduled for Sunday, May 20, from noon to 6pm along eight blocks of Emmons Avenue overlooking Sheepshead Bay and Kingsborough Community College, BayFest 2012 will offer music by over 20 bands, including Jay & The Americans (who got their start in Brooklyn) as well as twenty young, up-and-coming groups on a main stage, mobile stage, and 10 piers (8 blocks).
Something for Everyone
BayFest 2012 is an all-ages event that, in addition to music on every pier, will feature dance troupes; gymnastics displays; and a United States Merchant Marine Academy kick-off that includes a color guard, drill team demo, and rampart trumpet performance. The Brooklyn Nets Mobile basketball unit; FDNY smokehouse; FDNY fireboat water display; and educational exhibits by organizations like the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the New York Aquarium, and the Brooklyn Public Library are also planned. A kids’ zone will offer face painting and amusements, and an arts & crafts area for making something to take home. BayFest 2012 will also feature raffles; food, drink, and performer merchandise sales on docked cruise ships (Piers 8, 9, and 10); sponsor tables with information and giveaways; and much more.
Event Details
What: BayFest 2012: Brooklyn’s Largest Waterfront Celebration
Where: Emmons Ave. from E. 27th St. to Ocean Avenue (Piers 1-10), Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY
When: Sunday, May 20 from 12 noon to 6pm
Bay Fest 2012 Program Guide Proof
The above is a sponsored announcement by Bay Improvement Group. Sheepshead Bites has not verified the claims made in this advertisement. If you represent a business or organization and would like to make an announcement to tens of thousands of locals, e-mail us at advertising [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.
From our friends at the Bay Improvement Group (BIG):
Bay Improvement Group is gearing up once again for the annual BayFest, taking place this year on Sunday, May 20.
The event will feature 21 bands, non-stop entertainment, Brooklyn Net’s mobile basketball unit, inflatable rides, an exhibit by the New York Aquarium and lots (lots!) more.
But in advance of the event, the group needs to corral dozens of volunteers to help pull off the big day. And, besides being a community do-gooder, there are plenty of perks for those vollies, including free food, t-shirts and more.
The group is having a meeting for volunteers tonight, so if you’re interested in joining come tonight at 8:00 p.m. to the Comfort Inn at 3218 Emmons Avenue. If you can’t make it tonight, you can e-mail bayimprovementgrp@gmail.com for more information.
City workers ripped out a flag pole at the end of Pier 3 on Emmons Avenue, near Bedford Avenue, sparking anger with a local group that says they fought to renovate and redesign the waterfront more than a decade ago.
Sheepshead Bites first reported on the removal of the flag pole at Pier 3, which helps captains identify the piers as they come into the marina, earlier this week. Since then, the Department of Parks and Recreation, which oversees the Sheepshead Bay marina, has told Sheepshead Bites there is no plan to replace the flag.
They added that the decorative pier marker pole was removed because of severe leaning, aggravated by heavy winds. They removed it to protect against it falling over and damaging the pier, vessels or any persons nearby.
Bay Improvement Group President Steve Barrison, though, is demanding that the city repair the missing flagpole and do better upkeep on other elements of the Sheepshead Bay waterfront. Barrison said BIG was on the forefront of fighting for an overhaul of the Emmons Avenue roadway, streetscape and marina in the 1990s. That renovation cost several million dollars, money that goes to waste if the area is not maintained.
“We at BIG and the community would like to see the flag poles that have been damaged either replaced or repaired,” Barrison told Sheepshead Bites. “They are part of what was an overall pier renovation streetscape design which cost $11 million and then $13 million to complete, and some simple uniformity in the design respects that investment. In the same manner broken railings along the esplanade should be fixed to match the existing design or, find a crafts person to manufacture the matching parts if necessary. Other cities seem to have no problem overcoming these kind of repair issues, why can’t we here in NYC? We must support our waterfront everywhere we can in our city especially in our Sheepshead Bay Special District waterfront. This is our park for all to cherish and enjoy.”
We got a note from Bay Improvement Group President Steve Barrison telling us to check out their various gardens throughout the community, including the one above on Voorhies Avenue, across from the rear entrance to the train station.
Lo’ and behold, we got there and hundreds of fresh daffodils have been planted, providing a colorful greeting to those entering the community using the Belt Parkway or the subway.
According to Barrison, this site in particular was established as a September 11 tribute.
Bay Improvement Group is always looking for volunteers to help them keep the gardens clean and full of fresh, healthy flowers – especially during the spring and summer. They usually meet on Sunday mornings and ply their volunteers with tasty bagels and fresh coffee.
So if you’ve got some free time on Sundays, want a greener thumb and a pretty community, contact bayimprovementgrp@gmail.com or (718) 646-9206.
Source: Markowitz's office
Using tonight’s State of the Borough address, Borough President Marty Markowitz is expected to revive plans to establish ferry commuter service between Manhattan and Southern Brooklyn neighborhoods including Sheepshead Bay. Markowitz’s push comes less than a year after a city study determined Southern Brooklyn unworthy of such a costly service.
Markowitz will take to the podium at Brooklyn College tonight for the 2012 State of the Borough address. The address begins at 6:45 p.m. and can be viewed live here.
According to a Daily News report, Markowitz plans to “push for the expansion of city ferry service to connect Manhattan to Coney Island, Sheepshead Bay, the Canarsie Pier and the 69th Street Pier in Bay Ridge.”
If that proposal sounds familiar, it’s because it is.
Way back in 2009, the New York City Economic Development Corporation unveiled the Comprehensive Citywide Ferry Study, which identified possible landing locations for an expansion of commuter ferry services around the city and weighed the costs and benefits.
When the EDC rolled into the Sheepshead Bay – Manhattan Beach area for a public hearing on the plan, they got an earful.
“It’s romantic. It’s beautiful. It’s wonderful. But practically speaking, it’s not practical,” Bay Improvement Group President Steve Barrison said at the hearing.
Critics of the plan blasted it as an impractical way to make the commute. At an estimated 45 minutes for the trip to Manhattan, it would cost approximately $6.00 per rider, offering little incentive for those paying $2.25 for a trip of the same duration on the subway. They also worried about the effects of parking in the area, and noted that any ferry service in the area would require the Bay to be dredged.
Keep reading, and find out what the EDC concluded.
