ATTENTION: Channel 7 Hosts Brooklyn Town Hall!

Channel 7 (WABC-TV) is coming to Brooklyn!

Channel 7 is holding a town hall meeting/community forum on Wednesday, March 10th at 7pm at The Brooklyn Museum in the Cantor Auditorium.

This will be a fantastic opportunity for 35th district organizations, residents, and the larger Brooklyn community to meet with Channel 7 staff and the Eyewitness News anchors Sade Baderinwa and Bill Ritter. This town hall is open to the community.

For those interested in attending:

1). Organizations/Groups and individuals are welcome, and all should pre-register;

2). Contact the Office of Council Member Letitia James at (212) 788-7081 for more information or to register. We will register you with Channel 7, but they need a head-count.

We look forward to seeing you there!

PACC Holds Homeowner/Homebuyer Night; 2/24; 4PM; Crown Heights

Pratt Area Community Council (PACC) presents their...

Homeowner/Homebuyer Night!

featuring workshops on: affordable homes, financial preparedness, foreclosure prevention, tax exemption, loans, reverse mortgages, etc.

WHERE: First Baptist Church of Crown Heights
450 Eastern Parkway
(southwest corner of Rogers)
Brooklyn, NY 11225

WHEN: February 24, 2010
4PM-9PM

*This is a free event; refreshments will be served.*
For more information, contact (718) 783-3549

NYCC FY 2011 Budget Request Information

The New York City budget cycle for Fiscal Year 2011 has begun and we want to let the public know about the process for requesting City Council member items this year.

As you undoubtedly know, the City's budget situation is not good, so unfortunately we will not be able to provide funding to all of the great programs that we would like. Please rest assure, our office will fight very hard for critical services and programs needed within our district. When applying for funding, PLEASE READ THE BELOW INFORMATION CAREFULLY.

Operating/Expense Grants
Organizations seeking operating/expense funding (usually in the $3,500 - $10,000 range, sometimes larger) must submit an application form by Wednesday, March 3rd at 5pm (NOTE: the City Council website lists a different due-date for citywide initiatives- but 3/3 is the deadline for member items from our office).

In order to apply and receive member item funding, an "Organization Qualification Form" is required by the New York City Council. The form and instructions are available at: http://council.nyc.gov/html/budget/fy2011.shtml

This form and the accompanying materials can ONLY be:
•Completed hard copy mailed to Attn: Simone Hawkins, Office of Councilmember Letitia James, 250 Broadway, New York, NY, 10007; OR
•Filled out electronically and emailed to Simone Hawkins at shawkins@council.nyc.gov

Please note: If you are seeking more than $10,000 and DID NOT RECEIVE FUNDING IN FY 2010, there is an additional form- the pre-qualification form- to fill out, which the City has not yet made available. If you fall into this category, please email Simone Hawkins at shawkins@council.nyc.gov to inquire about this form.

Capital Grants
If you are interested in seeking a capital grant (amounts above $35,000, for construction, equipment, or other items that last more than five years), DO NOT fill out the forms above. The applicant group must submit an application form by Monday, March 22nd (NOTE: the City Council website lists a different due-date for Non-City Capital requests- but 3/22 is the deadline for capital grants from our office).The capital funding application is online, at http://council.nyc.gov/html/budget/fy2010_funding_application.shtml

This form and the accompanying materials can ONLY be:
•Completed and submitted online at the NYC.gov website

In addition, if you are applying to another Council Member, please check with their office for when the forms are due.

*************************
We look forward to receiving your application.

ATTENTION: Brooklyn NAACP General Membership Meeting

Please attend the Brooklyn Chapter of the NAACP's General Membership Meeting--

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
at

Restoration Plaza
1368 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11216

7:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.

Join us for the first meeting of 2010! Refreshments will be served. For more information please contact the Brooklyn-NAACP at (718) 243-2040.

Met's Icon 'Mr. Met' Visits LIU! 2/27; 3:30PM

MR. MET SPEAKS!

Saturday, February 27, 2010
3:30 pm (free admission, doors open at 3pm)
Long Island University
One University Place, Brooklyn
(corner of DeKalb & Flatbush)
Cyber Cafe- inside main LIU gate

Come meet the beloved icon of the New York Mets baseball team!
Mr. Met does not actually speak, but will sign autographs, pose for pictures, shake hands, and bring good news about the upcoming season.

Accompanied by William Corbett, poet, critic and longtime baseball fan, and...
Dana Brand, author of The Last Days of Shea.

All residents are welcome to attend for FREE.
For more information or to RSVP for this event, please contact Michael Randazzo at rockets.rollerskates@gmail.com or at 917-605-5624.

Sponsored by Long Island University, Council Member Letitia James and
Brooklyn Sporting Goods.

For information about other community events in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill,
and Fort Greene, or about LIU Summer Camp 2010 contact Jorge.Rosales@liu.edu.

ATTENTION: CMs James, Lander, Levin and CBs Hold Public Info Meeting on Street Closings at AY

Council Members Letitia James, Brad Lander, & Stephen Levin
with Community Boards 2 and 8
present a
Public Information Meeting
on the
STREET CLOSINGS at ATLANTIC YARDS

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
6:00-8:00 PM
Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church
85 South Oxford Street

Brooklyn, NY, 11217

Representatives will be present from NYC Department of Transportation and Forest City Ratner Companies to brief interested residents of planned permanent street closings in the project area.

ATTENTION: Upcoming Community Events

The next Fort Greene Association meeting, scheduled for Monday, February 22nd at 7:30PM will include forum of sorts on cost of living increases in the Fort Greene area.

Pratt Area Community Council and NYCHA reps will be on-hand to answer questions. All FG residents are welcome.

Monday, February 22, 2010
7:30PM (refreshments will be out at 7PM)
Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church
85 South Oxford Street
Fort Greene, Brooklyn
______________________________________

Join the 57th Assembly District Democratic Organization, District Leader Olanike Alabi and the Clinton Hill AARP- Chapter 2197--

In a community forum on Fire Safety presented by the Fire Department of New York. Joint carbon monoxide and smoke detectors will be distributed at the event. Please note that the second half of the meeting will be a community conversation on the race for New York State Governor and United States Senator.

Thursday, February 25, 2010
Teen Challenge Center
444 Clinton Avenue
(between Gates Avenue & Greene Avenue)
6:00pm
______________________________________

The Civic & Public Safety Committee of Brooklyn Community Board #3 will host a community presentation in conjunction with Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes on Sexual Predators.

Thursday, February 25, 2010
6:00pm
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration
1368 Fulton Street
(between Brooklyn Avenue & New York Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11216

For more information you may call Ms. Saadia Adossa at 718.250.3370.

______________________________________

TONIGHT: End the Cradle to Prison Pipeline with a candlelight vigil at the

Brooklyn House of Detention
February 17, 2010
6:00pm- 8:00pm
275 Atlantic Avenue

Please bring a photo of a loved one that is in prison and a white candle. For more information you may reach out to Rev. Sylvia Kinard, Esq. at sylvknrd@aol.com.

ATTENTION: Schools Eligible for Discounted Student Tickets to Broadway Play "FELA"!

FELA! Broadway's most original new musical, celebrates the life of Nigerian artist, activist and Afro-beat legend Fela Kuti.

Co-conceived, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones.

There are a limited number of $25 student tickets available for middle school and high school educators, as well as youth organizations. This production is highly recommended for young people studying music, theater, dance, visual arts, history, politics and social justice.

NOTE: FELA! is a celebration that offers amazing opportunities for both art specific and interdisciplinary study but graphically depicts issues of human rights and personal struggle.

All performances are at 2 p.m. at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, 230 West 49th Street. The performance runs about 2 ½ hours including intermission.

Tickets for this subsidized program are limited and can be requested only for the following performances:
• Wednesday, February 24
• Wednesday, March 3
• Wednesday, March 10
• Wednesday, March 17
• Wednesday, March 24
• Wednesday, April 14
• Wednesday, April 21
• Wednesday, April 28
• Wednesday, May 5
• Wednesday, May 12

To request $25 student tickets, you must complete an order form which our office will email to you. Please email teamtish@gmail.com for this form. The form must be returned to Marcia Pendelton of Walk Tall Girl Productions (WTGP inc.) either by e-mail to wtgintern@aol.com or fax to 646.253.1258.

Tickets are best seats available and will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. You must request a minimum of 10 tickets per school. Marcia will reply to let you know availability and correspond to confirm dates, ticket numbers and payment arrangements.

CM Lander Presents Interactive Webmap of Stalled Developments!

Please see the following message from 39th District Council Member Brad Lander:

I'm pleased to share with you a new web tool that we have launched for the 39th district: www.stalleddevelopment.com.

Many of you have talked to me about stalled development sites on your blocks - half-built structures, abandoned foundations, or vacant lots surrounded by plywood fencing. Too often, we've seen fences falling down onto sidewalks and loose construction debris blow in the wind. Many blocks have been turned into "moonscapes."

We need to take action to confront the problem - to make sure the sites are safe and secure, and to work together on longer-term solutions. Some sites are appropriate to become mixed-income or affordable housing. Some have violated our zoning rules and must be corrected. Some could provide pocket-parks or community gardens.

We thought the way to start was to get our community on the same (web)page about just what is going on at these stalled development sites. So we got right to work creating a new, interactive tool.

Stalled Development is interactive map of vacant, stalled or abandoned development sites in Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, and Kensington. It allows you to both view pictures and information about the sites, and to leave comments on each one.

The survey of sites was conducted by volunteers: I want to give special thanks to Rick Luftglass, who led the effort, and to Neal Kronley. I'd also like to thank Michael Freedman-Schnapp, my policy director, who put the site together. We also used tips from dozens of district residents, as well as Department of Buildings records from 311 complaints, to create this list.

We are currently working to develop legislation and policy initiatives that would keep these sites safe, address the hazards and nuisances they pose to neighbors, and put them on a path to productive uses that are a benefit to community residents. You can more read about our plan for these sites here.

The new website got great press coverage this week, in the New York Times, the New York Post, Courier-Life, Brownstoner, the Real Deal, Curbed, and the Brooklyn Paper.

I hope you will use the site to keep us updated on the sites in your neighborhood.

Councilmember Brad Lander
39th Council District

ATTENTION: Upcoming Community Events/Notices

Take the Census Employment Test

LOCATION: Community Board #8
ADDRESS: 1291 St. Marks Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11213
DATES: February 16th- 18th

Candidates must be 18 years or older with (2) valid pieces of identification. Available positions include census takers, census clerks, crew leaders/assistants and recruiting assistants.

For more information and to schedule an appointment, you may call 718.467.5620. Positions start at $18.75 an hour.
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To help lower energy costs and reduce energy consumption, New York State will provide consumers with rebates for purchasing Energy Star-rated refrigerators, clothes, washers, freezers and dishwashers during President's Week 2010 (Feb. 12th- 21st).

To learn more about program guidelines or to obtain rebate forms and instructions, please visit http://www.nyapplianceswapout.com/ or call 1.877.NY.SMART.

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Energized citizens in Fort Greene and standing up to corporate polluters!

The Fort Greene Association's new and improved "No Ads signs" have arrived. To get your signs, contact your local Greene Fort Greene & Clinton Hill block chief by visiting the http://www.greenfgch.org/ or contacting Green FG&CH chair Jed Marcus at (718) 643-6555 or info@greenefgch.org.