SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

BNA’s office inside the Chase Bank at 1002 Brighton Beach Avenue. Source: Google Maps

In an event that had to be rescheduled to a later date, the Brighton Neighborhood Association (BNA) will be hosting a “Senior Benefits” workshop at 11:00 a.m., February 22 inside BNA’s Chase Office, 1002 Brighton Beach Avenue on the corner of Coney Island Avenue (inside Chase Bank’s Community Center — just come inside, turn left, walk past the tellers, and look for the red sign).

Representatives from the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) will be conducting the meeting and BNA staff will also be on hand to answer and help address any of your housing-related issues.

The meeting will be conducted in English, with Russian and Spanish translators on hand. Light refreshments will be served. Bring your friends and neighbors!

To learn more, call (718) 891-0800, go to www.brightonbeach.com and follow BNA on Facebook.

BNA’s office is located inside the Chase Bank at 1002 Brighton Beach Avenue. Source: Google Maps

In the first of a series of three February meetings, the Brighton Neighborhood Association (BNA) will be holding a housing meeting on “Senior Benefits and Housing,” February 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at BNA’s office, 1002 Brighton Beach Avenue on the corner of Coney Island Avenue (inside Chase Bank’s Community Center — just come inside, turn left, walk past the tellers, and look for the red sign).

Roy Carmona, representing the NYC Department of Aging, will be discussing Section 8, SCRIE, DRIE, HEAP, SNAP (food stamps), as well as any housing issues and concerns you may have.

The meeting will be conducted in English and Russian. Light refreshments will be served. Bring your friends and neighbors!

To learn more, call (718) 891-0800, go to www.brightonbeach.com and follow BNA on Facebook.

Brighton Neighborhood Association Executive Director Pat Singer, left, and her staff (not pictured) have returned to their office at the Chase Bank in Brighton Beach following Superstorm Sandy. Photo by Erica Sherman

After being displaced and working from remote locations to serve their community in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, our friends at the Brighton Neighborhood Association (BNA) are back!

The social services and tenant advocacy organization officially re-opened for business today in its location at the Chase Bank, 1002 Brighton Beach Avenue on the corner of Coney Island Avenue.

Displaced from her own Brighton Beach apartment in the weeks following Sandy, BNA’s Executive Director, Pat Singer, as well as staff members Janet Veksler and Claudia Escoto, continued to reach out to the community in its time of need.

To learn more about the BNA and the work they do for the community, contact Singer at (718) 891-0800, visit www.brightonbeach.com, and “Like” BNA on Facebook.

Correction (12/18/2012): The original version of this article indicated that the BNA coordinated with Shorefront Y on Sandy relief. Shorefront Y has notified us that this was erroneous, and we have updated the article. We regret any confusion this may have caused.

Some of the younger attendees from last year’s BNA Holiday Party. The party is intergenerational and the entire community is invited to attend. Photo by Erica Sherman

Billed as their gift to the community, the Brighton Neighborhood Association (BNA) will be holding its free annual holiday party tomorrow, December 13 at 6:00 p.m. inside the Oceana Catering Hall, 1029 Brighton Beach Avenue between Brighton 11th Street and Brighton 12th Street.

Organized by BNA Executive Director Pat Singer and her dedicated staff — all of whom were displaced from their office inside the Chase Bank at 1002 Brighton Beach Avenue and worked from remote locations during the aftermath of Sandy to continue serving their community — the annual festivities will feature a DJ for dancing, light refreshments, fun giveaways, and toys for the children.

Bring your friends, family and neighbors, and celebrate the holidays with BNA.

If you’d like additional information, or if you need assistance with any community issue, contact Pat Singer at (718) 891-0800.

Source: Google Maps

As if the financial burden of Sandy recovery to Zone A residents wasn’t enough, the Department of Transportation sought to pile on the bills for hard-hit Brighton Beach residents by increasing quarterly rates in municipal parking lots by a whopping $220.

Permit-holding residents, business owners and commuters were alarmed to receive a letter earlier this month from the Department of Transportation, notifying them that quarterly rates would jump from $330 to $550 for the Brighton Beach Municipal Parking Lot at Brightwater Court and Brighton 3rd Street beginning January 1. Payments were requested by December 14 – even though many of the permit holders are Hurricane Sandy victims still grappling with thousands of dollars in damages to their homes, possessions and businesses.

But the letter also claimed the rates were approved by the City Council, which never happened, according to Councilman Michael Nelson.

Nelson – who represents Brighton Beach – received a copy of the letter from outraged constituents. His staff got in touch with DOT, who responded that “no such action has been taken by the Council. In fact, the DOT does not need Council approval to enact rate increases, but needs only to send out 30-day notices to permit holders,” according to a release sent by Nelson.

Still, DOT has nixed the increase mentioned in the letter sent earlier this month, and are notifying permit-holders that the letter was sent by mistake, and rates will remain the same for the time being.

The rates were slated to increase the same amount in 2011, but community outrage similarly spurred the DOT to rescind the plan.

Nelson is also requesting that the DOT confer with the City Council before instituting and rate increases and municipal lots.

“Many people who use these municipal parking lots and garages are on a fixed income, and already pay a fair share to park their cars,” said Councilman Nelson. “It is never an appropriate time to discuss rate increases, especially when many who were hit hard by the hurricane expect the City to work for, not against, them in the recovery.”

The Brighton Neighborhood Association is inviting people to an instructional event tomorrow morning, September 29 at 10:00 a.m., which will educate people on how to use the new voting machines as well as how to protect the privacy of their vote.

Items and topics to be covered will include:

• How to vote with the new system
• How to protect your privacy
• What to do if your name cannot be found on the registration list
• Register to vote if you are not already registered

The event will be taking place at BNA’s office inside the Chase Bank, 1002 Brighton Beach Avenue on the corner of Coney Island Avenue. Light refreshments will be served.

To learn more, contact BNA Executive Director Pat Singer at (718) 891-0800.

Our friends over at the Brighton Neighborhood Association are celebrating the 36th Annual Brighton Jubilee, a half-mile street festival on Brighton Beach Avenue featuring, food, entertainment and tons of bargains.

Above is the flier, and below is the text of a news release the organization sent us:

36TH ANNUAL BRIGHTON JUBILEE SUNDAY, AUGUST 26TH
10AM TO 5PM…IN THE ‘RUSSIAN CAPITOL OF BROOKYN”, BRIGHTON
BEACH…ON BRIGHTON BEACH AVENUE TURNING DOWN CONEY ISLAND
AVENUE TO THE BOARDWALK….PRESENTED BY THE BRIGHTON
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.

ONE OF BROOKLYN’S MOST POPULAR EVENTS IS TAKING PLACE THIS
SUNDAY FEATURING THREE STAGES OF ENTERTAINMENT….PERFORMERS

FROM DANU RUSSIAN RADIO, GREAT SOUNDS FROM FRANKIE MARRA AND
OTHER BROOKLYN BANDS INCLUDING NEPTUNE JAM. THE BROOKYN NETS
WILL BE PARTICIPATING ALONG WITH THE NEW YORK ARM WRESTLING
ASSOCIATION WHICH WILL BE HOLDING A COMPETITION FOR ‘BROOKLYN’S
STRONGEST ARM”.

THE JUBILEE FEATURES BLOCKS OF BARGAINS, GREAT FOOD,
KIDDIE RIDES, INFO TABLES INCLUDING HUMAN RESOURCES
AND HUMAN RIGHTS….

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL PAT SINGER AT
718 891-0800 (UP TO FRIDAY)

718 541-3866 (SATURDAY AND SUNDAY)
718 646-9715 (SATURDAY AND SUNDAY)

OVER 100,000 PEOPLE HAVE VISITED THIS FAIR IN PAST YEARS…
WE INVITE YOUR COVERAGE.

And don’t forget to check out our Brighton Jubilee coverage from 2011, or that from 2010, a year that we also did an audio feature, “Sounds of the Brighton Jubilee.“

SHEEPSHEAD BITES EXCLUSIVE: The city suddenly shut down a medical center in Brighton Beach in June, leaving several doctors with no place to work and no access to their medical records for as long as two weeks.

At least one local activist believes that barring doctors from their records creates a dangerous situation, and feels that the city should implement a procedure to ensure that commercial tenants of a building have the ability to reach vital information in situations such as this.

The medical center, located at 2965 Ocean Parkway, was closed June 13 by the New York City Department of Buildings for lacking a secondary means of egress, a technical term for an entrance and exit. The four-story building had only one open staircase, but, Department of Buildings regulations require an additional staircase for a building of such size in case of an emergency.

The building was locked immediately, without notifying the doctors who worked there.

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Source: mRio / Flickr

A health educator from Coney Island Hospital will visit the Brighton Neighborhood Association (BNA), May 11 at 11:00 a.m. to discuss “Women’s Health” at the civic group’s headquarters, 1002 Brighton Beach Avenue, corner of Coney Island Avenue (inside Chase Bank).

Questions and concerns on women’s health issues will be addressed during the talk, including learning how to receive medical treatment if you do not have health insurance. The event will also feature a free raffle.

To learn more about this and any upcoming BNA events, contact Pat Singer at (718) 891-0800, visit www.brightonbeach.com, and “Like” BNA on Facebook.