The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association will be meeting this evening, May 6, 8:00 p.m. at Public School 195, 131 Irwin Street in Manhattan Beach.
The meeting will feature speakers from Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes’ office, leading a seminar on identity theft prevention.
To learn more, call (917) 747-5863.
PS 195. Source: Google Maps
The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association will be meeting this evening, April 8, 8:00 p.m. at Public School 195, 131 Irwin Street in Manhattan Beach.
Topics of discussion will include:
To learn more, call (917) 747-5863.
The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association will hold its next meeting on Monday, March 11, where they’re planning a workshop for seeking tax relief in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
The how-to workshop will be led by a former IRS agent and certified public accountant.
The meeting kicks off at 8:00 p.m. at P.S. 195, 131 Irwin Street.
The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association will hold its next meeting on Monday, January 7, where they’re planning a workshop for appealing insurance claim denials in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
The how-to workshop will be led by Stuart Fries, vice president at Garber, Atlas and Fries Insurance Company.
“If you have experienced difficulty with your insurance claim due to Hurricane Sandy, we ask that you attend this meeting to receive some very important information regarding your rights to argue or appeal,” the flier states.
The meeting kicks off at 8:00 p.m. at P.S. 195, 131 Irwin Street.
From our friends at the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association:
The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association cordially invites you to attend our next meeting on Monday, December 3, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. at P.S. 195 Elementary School (133 Irwin Street).
This is a special “Town Hall” meeting for those seeking disaster relief assistance. Key representatives will provide guidance and proper direction for homeowners who incurred substantial damage from Superstorm Sandy.
A partial list of speakers scheduled:
All homeowners in Manhattan Beach are urged to attend!
The next meeting of the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association will be this evening, October 15, 8:00 p.m. at Public School 195,131 Irwin Street between Shore Boulevard and Oriental Avenue.
The group will be providing updates regarding security, quality of life and other neighborhood concerns.
Refreshments will be served. To learn more, call (917) 747-5863.
Community Board 15 decided on Monday night to table the a proposal to move the Manhattan Beach dog run, saying that the plan is still to vague for them to take a stance on.
Councilman Nelson’s chief of operations, Chaim Deutsch, brought the issue before the Board after working with the Manhattan Beach Community Group, which wants to relocate the dog run to a less visible area, and put a beautification garden in its place. Although $500,000 has already been allocated to the project, Deutsch and the Parks Department wanted to ensure the proposal has broad community support before going forward, but many residents who spoke at the meeting said they were against the plan. [Corrected]
Deutsch explained that when the dog run was fenced in approximately 15 years ago, it lacked proper drainage or any of the other amenities city dog runs have. Because of that, and inconsiderate patrons, members of the community have complained to the councilman’s office that it was unclean and often muddy.
Others who spoke in support of the proposal – largely members of the Manhattan Beach Community Group – said that users of it often came at unacceptable hours and left trash and dog feces in the park.
The councilman’s proposal is to move the dog run to a smaller location, redesign it with proper amenities – including drainage, lighting and pebbles – and turn the current location into a beatification site. The smaller location would be further subdivided to make separate pens for big and small dogs. The councilman has already allocated $500,000 for the project, but Deutsch told Sheepshead Bites that amount would only cover construction of a new dog park, not the establishment of a beautification garden.
However, many Manhattan Beach residents and dog owners spoke against the plan, airing their skepticism that the city would ever complete the job and that they’d be left without a dog run (Deutsch said he had received the Parks Department’s word that the existing run would not be eliminated until a new one was completed).
They also said that many of the problems are overblown, that users are courteous and most pick up their remains, and that there is no odor. They also took issue with shrinking the size of the park, as owners of larger dogs need the space for their canines to get exercise. Still, others, said that the money allocated should simply be used for maintenance of the dog run, for which the community has been told there is no funding, and that a “Friends of”-style group could be formed.
Members of the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association also took issue with the proposal, noting that funding had been allocated by the councilman to repair the community’s basketball courts five years ago, but that they “haven’t seen a penny” put to use.
“Believing we’re going to get this money is like believing in fairy tales,” said Al Smaldone, reading a statement from MBNA President Alan Ditchek.
They also pointed out that 75 percent of the current dog run is in the shade, making it a poor choice for a beautification site.
The Board voted overwhelmingly to table the proposal until the Parks Department or councilman could provide written plans about the proposed location, amenities, costs and design for them to better judge the project.
After the meeting, Deutsch said, “I’m happy that it was tabled because if people voted and it was politically motivated it be very immature and immoral.”
CORRECTION (9/28/2012): A statement in the second paragraph of this article has been corrected. It previously indicated that Deutsch brought the issue before the Board at the request of the Manhattan Beach Community Group. Ira Zalcman, president of the group, sent the following note to us:
The mbcg never asked Nelson or Deutsh to make a dog run presentation to Cb 15. It was Theresa Scavo who asked for the presentation. Also the mbcg never asked for this funding of one half million dollars. The space for a new dog run was chosen by Ron Biondo when he was President of mbcg and his chair of his quality of life comm Al Smaldone … Mbcg stands by biondo and Smaldone that the dog run should be moved.
While we have made the correction regarding the request for the presentation, we would like to add that we have never stated that MBCG asked for the funding – only that the project be done.
Community Board 15 will have a public hearing and vote tonight on a proposal to move the Manhattan Beach dog run from its current location – a project on which the neighborhood’s two community groups are at odds.
Out of respect for the Yom Kippur holiday on Tuesday night, Community Board 15′s monthly meeting has been bumped up to tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Kingsborough Community College’s Faculty Dining Room (2001 Oriental Boulevard).
The Manhattan Beach Community Group has decried the dog run’s current Kensington Street location as filthy, smelly and poorly maintained, asking the city to remove it. Councilman Mike Nelson has allocated $500,000 to move the dog run further away from Kensington Street and to replace the current spot with a city-maintained garden with no public access whatsoever. The MBCG’s rival, the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association, claims that they were not consulted on the project and are against the move. The new proposed location is still to be decided, but will be smaller, and subdivided into areas for large dogs and small dogs.
Nelson’s office said they will adhere to the Board’s recommendation, and the park will only go forward if the Board gives the green light.
Aside from the dog park, the Board will also hold public hearings on the following land use issues:
Additionally, there will be discussion of the district’s budgetary needs in advance of the city’s 2014 budget process.
Candidates for a handful of local elections came before the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association last night to make the case for residents’ votes.
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz was first up, speaking about his work to increase access to healthcare in the community through his health fair and free screenings, as well as his role in helping establish the Maimonides Cancer Center, Brooklyn’s first and only cancer center. He also noted his efforts as chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse to raise awareness of issues in drug use – which, he said, for youths often begins with the medical cabinet at home – and to steer revenue from potential casinos in New York towards gambling addiction programs.
Mike Geller, who is running for re-election as 46th District Leader, told the crowd about his history as a lover of Manhattan Beach, and how he first got involved in politics (apparently, at the urging of Ed Eisenberg). He also criticized the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association’s rival group and predecessor, the Manhattan Beach Community Group, for a structure that gives too much power to too few neighbors, and complimented the MBNA for broadening participation in the neighborhood.
Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, the front runner in the race to replace Congressman Ed Towns in a congressional district that, beginning in 2013, will include Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach and other Southern Brooklyn communities, discussed the extraordinary diversity of his district, which crosses Brooklyn from our shores up to Cobble Hill and Fort Greene. Jeffries said that, despite the diverse backgrounds, all residents want safe streets and more job opportunities. He also noted that he believes the greatest foreign threat of our times is the potential of a nuclear Iran, and noted that we must work with Israel to stop that from becoming a reality.
A contingent of Republicans also attended the meeting, including Russ Gallo, who is vying for Cymbrowitz’s seat, and Alan Bellone, who is taking on Hakeem Jeffries in the November elections. Bellone asked the group earlier in the day for time to speak, but was declined. A representative for the group said there was not enough advance notice.
As a 501(c)4 organization, the MBNA is not required to provide equal opportunities to competing candidates for office, and is permitted to make endorsements.
Last week we screwed up, and accidentally posted that the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association would meet on, er, Labor Day. Well, we corrected it as soon as we could, but here we’re reposting to make it quite clear.
Also, there has been a change in their list of speakers. The new info is as follows:
The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association invites residents to attend their next meeting on Monday, September 10, at 8:00 p.m. at Public School 195, 131 Irwin Street between Shore Boulevard and Oriental Avenue.
The group is hosting a “meet and greet” with certain political candidates, including Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, District Leader Mike Geller and congressional candidate Hakeem Jeffries. State Senator Eric Adams, who is running for Borough President in 2013, was originally scheduled to attend, but had a personal conflict.
The public is invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.
To learn more, call (917) 747-5863.
