Brooklyn Public Library Launches "Party With A Purpose!"

To combat the proposed 17% budget cut, the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has begun a "Support Our Shelves" campaign meant to put the power of re-invigorating the BPL back into the hands of Brooklynites. The "Brooklyn Vanguard", the BPL's young professionals crowd, is hosting a party (with a purpose!) at the Franklin Park Bar and Beer Garden with this goal in mind.

The details are as follows:
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Franklin Park Bar and Beer Garden
618 Saint Johns Place (near Franklin Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Please consider attending, and invite your friends. You can get further information here and here.

FUREE Screens "Some Place Like Home"; 5/16; 12PM; FUREE Building

If you haven't gotten the chance to see it yet, we very much suggest you check out Families United for Racial and Economic Equality's (FUREE's) film, Some Place Like Home. It is narrated by writer and activist Kevin Powell, and focuses on the exclusion of low-income families and small businesses from the development of Fort Greene and Downtown Brooklyn.

Screening is-
Saturday, May 16, 2009
12PM- 5PM
FUREE Conference Room
81 Willoughby Street, #701
Brooklyn, NY 11201

*For more information, contact FUREE's Valery Dean at valery@furee.org or call (718) 852-2960, ext. 301. RSVP required. A light lunch and beverages will be served.*

UPDATE: SCREENING FOLLOWED BY A TOUR OF COMMUNITY HOMES, BUSINESSES, AND HISTORIC ICONS AFFECTED BY THE REZONING AND REDEVELOPMENT OF FORT GREENE & DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN.

Rep. Towns Holds Job Fair; 5/8; 9AM; Brownsville, BK

Congress Member Ed Towns, along with the Federation of Multicultural Programs, is sponsoring a 2009 Job Fair. The job fair will include information on jobs such as clerk typist, accountant, books keeper, office managerial work, social work, psychologist, dietitian, and nursing.

The fair will take place-

Friday, May 8, 2009
9AM-3PM
Brownsville Recreational Center
1555 Linden Boulevard
Brooklyn, NY 11212

*Bring numerous copies of your resume. Please contact Ronald Major at ronald.major@mail.house.gov or (718) 855-8018 for further information or to register.*

Job Opportunity: Visions Positions Available!

Visions VCB is a non-profit that has provided services for the blind and visually impaired for over 80 years. Most people they service have limited income, and thus most of the services are free-of-charge.

Visions currently has a job openings for the following positions:

Visions VCB provides services for the blind and visually impaired are recruiting workers for an 8 week summer period. All positions include room and board.

Supervisor

Social work, teaching, recreation, camp or related experience required. Masters in social work, education, recreation therapy, rehabilitation or related field preferred. Masters level students are encouraged to apply. Supervisory/management experience a must. Spouses and children welcome. Preferably post-collegiate. Salary is from $3,000 to $5,000 depending on experience

Nurse

Requires N.Y.S. R.N. standard first aid and CPR. Part time, work hourly available. Salary negotiable. Hourly wage, part time and per diem.

Dining Hall Manager

Experience in food service delivery and supervision of wait and bus staff. Must be 24+ years. Salary $3,000+

Program Specialist/Artist in Residence

Arts (crafts, pottery, music, dance), Fitness (must have certification), education (adaptive computers, nature), Rehab Teaching, O&M, TVI, Early intervention Specialists etc. Experience teaching special populations. Expertise in program area. Supervisory experience a plus. Preferably post-collegiate. Salary negotiable full/part time or per diem.

Counselor

Outgoing, warm, committed and interested in working with people of all ages and those who are blind. Leadership skills, maturity, enthusiasm, creativity and motivation a must. Counselors will also assist with the care of staff children on a rotating basis. Must 18 years or older. Salary range beginning at $1,200

Lifeguard

Lifeguard certification, B.L.S. CPR and standard first aid required. Mature, responsible, and energetic. Preferably post-collegiate. Salary negotiable

Driver

Must have a clean license– no outstanding tickets! Driving record will be checked. Patient, friendly and mature attitude a must. Experience driving in New York City a plus. Must be 24+years. Salary negotiable. Full/Part time, $10 per hour.

Support Staff

To assist in kitchen, dining hall, maintenance, and housekeeping. Serving and cleaning up of meals, cleaning dormitories, program areas and bathrooms, grounds work, assisting with program activities when assigned. Ability to work as part of the team. Must be flexible. Must be 18 years or older. Salary $1,200+, depending on experience

Language Interpreter/Rehabilitation Office Assistant

The interpreter will interpret for consumers receiving services from Visions and the working environment will include field work (i.e. consumers’ homes, neighborhoods, schools, and offices). The interpreter will facilitate communication through the use of spoken foreign language, spoken English, cultural mediation and knowledge of vision loss.

The applicant:

* Must become familiar with rehabilitation terminology
* Must show evidence of fluent ability in English and the foreign language for which they are training
* Must be willing to have a background check
* Interpreter training and certification through ATA is a plus

The salary is commensurate with experience.

Visions VCB is located at 500 Greenwich Street, 3rd Floor. New York, NY, 10013. The telephone number is (212) 625-1616, fax number is (212) 219-4078, and their email is info@visionsvcb.org.

CM James Co-Sponsors BK Bureau of Community Service "Conversations With Community Leaders" Discussion on Mental Health

New York City Council Member Letitia James on Why She Is a Co-Sponsor of the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service event- Conversations with Community Leaders:

"Conversations with Community Leaders is necessary and extremely important at this time. Now more than ever, especially during this country's worst economic crisis in decades, when incidents of violence and abuse have a greater potential to rise, it is imperative that the community have increased access to social services. Mental health services, in particular, help people at all income levels to cope with the drastic changes to their lives. It comforts me to know that the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service continues to provide superb support and resources for the community, specifically for individuals with mental health challenges."

-Council Member Letitia James
35th Council District, Brooklyn

Please join us and the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service (BBCS) at their continuing "Community Leaders" discussion entitled "Healing Starts With Us: A Mental Health Initiative" The panel will include "Road To City Hall" host Dominic Carter, author and mental health advocate Terrie M. Williams, and NY Daily News columnist Errol Louis.

The event takes place-
Thursday, April 30, 2009
11AM-1PM
Brooklyn Borough Hall Courtroom
209 Joralemon Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

ATTENTION: Community Boards- Block Party Protocol

We've collected the requirements and standards for block parties from the local Community Boards within the 35th Council District (2, 3, 8, 9,). See below:

CB2

* Applications must be submitted 60 days in advance
* $15 fee
* No multi-day or multi-block parties permitted
* If the application is being submitted by a block association, a formal letter from them is required. If the application is not coming from a block association, a petition is required. This ensures that the occupants of the block are aware that the party is going to be held and also provides the office with evidence of this.
* There is no limitation on how many block parties can be held.

CB3

* Applications must be submitted 60 days in advance
* $15 fee
* A notarized letter from the block association must be submitted
* There is a limit of 7 blocks parties per precinct per weekend

CB8

* Applicants must complete a steer activity form which must be approved by the 77th precinct
* If there is no block or tenants association, or the association has not held a block party in the last 5 years, a petition is needed. Otherwise, a letter from the block or tenants association will suffice
* There is a limit of 5 parties per Saturday

CB9

* Street activity permits can only be issued to a sponsor, who then takes responsibility for the conduct of the event. The sponsor must be a community based, not for profit organization, association or something similar which has an indigenous relationship to the street or community.
* The number of street activity events per day may be limited to 4
* Street activities cannot begin before 8am or end later than 7pm
* The sponsor must obtain, on the organization's letterhead, signatures from 60% of the residents on the block
* There is a $15 fee
* For a single day event, applications must be submitted to the Community Board office at least 90 days in advance
* Applications for multi-block/multi-day events must be filed no later that December 31st of the year prior to the date of the event.
* For street activities which occupy more than one block, fee equal to 30% of the total fees paid by the vendors to participate in such events shall be charged (excluding fees paid by organizations determined to constitute community based, not for profit organizations).

35th District House Tours!!!

About 3/7 of Team Tish went outside the office for lunch today, and we were pleasantly surprised by the wonderful weather. The birds were chirping, the hills were alive, and it seemed a great time to follow-up on our post about the Clinton Hill House Tour (because nothing says "Hi, summer" like checking-out the great things your neighbors have done with their homes over the cold winter!)

Luckily for us, Brownstoner has already done the work for us, so check out the list of local house tours coming-up next month here.

And enjoy the weather!

teamtish

Mayor Bloomberg: Please Offer A Buy-out Plan to City Employees

April 20, 2009

Mayor Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor Blooomberg:

I am writing to state that these challenging times require you to offer a buy-out plan to city employees, similar to the plan you began studying late last year.

Similar plans have been proposed in Memphis, and Lynchburg, Virginia.

The economic tailspin has forced all of us to make difficult decisions as we face a multi-billion dollar deficit. Recently, you instructed a number of agencies to further reduce their operating expenses amidst plans for layoffs, attrition and consolidation.

To achieve further savings and to avert any further involuntary reductions, I strongly urge you to announce a voluntary reduction plan by offering a buy-out plan to city employees. This voluntary separation would be subject to the approval of each respective agency head to control the departure and mass exodus of essential staff.

It is my understanding that a number of civil service employees have expressed interest in accepting such a buy-out offer. As Council Member and Finance Chair, David Weprin has stated, buy-outs are a “win-win.”

During these austere times, it is critically important that we consider all viable options to assure the long term financial health of our great city. I thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Letitia James

Let's Talk: Soccer Games in Fort Greene Park

There's some pretty lively discussion on the New York Times blog, The Local, regarding soccer games in Fort Greene Park. Council Member James has long been aware of the matter (you can read a succinct background here; basically, some feel that soccer playing has rendered parts of the park grass-less).

Recently, we received the following comment on TeamTish-
"Hi Tish,

I have been reading about your activities regarding the FG park soccer dispute on the NYTimes blog. Is there any way that you can start documenting/clarifying your positions/actions vis-à-vis the soccer dispute on this blog?

Many of us are very concerned that a small minority of your constituents may be driving soccer out of the park completely at the expense of all of the other stakeholders in the park, including the soccer players. On the NY Times blog, a vast majority of the commentors are FOR soccer in the park.

It seems that you are moving towards taking out of the park completely. That does not seem to be a win-win outcome that treats all fort greeners as equal stakeholders.

Concerned Constituent"

As Council Member James has been quoted in many of the articles and posts written on this matter, and has held a number of meetings between the parties involved to discuss various solutions, we have not followed this issue on our blog. However, in response to the comment received, we said the following-
"Anonymous, we've been following the conversation over at the NYT-The Local.

CM James has been a part of this discussion for quite a while (it is in no way, a 'new' issue), and has actively been working to find a compromise between all parties involved (meeting multiple times with stakeholders and players, etc). We'll try to get a statement from Tish at her earliest convenience on this matter, but in the meantime it would be inaccurate to make any assumptions, as conversations with Parks (and all other parties involved) are ongoing."

Firstly, we recognize the complexity of this issue, and although we are eager to hear input from all residents, we feel that this matter needs to be addressed in a community-minded spirit. It would be unfortunate if anyone interpreted the Council Member's efforts to assist in this matter as anything other than a sincere desire to bring about a solution that benefits stakeholders and players alike. At this time, Council Member James is in discussion with alternative sites to access their soccer fields for these players for part-time use. Such a proposal may also grant the soccer players the opportunity to continue use of a designated Fort Greene Park area. We will update this blog as we receive more detailed information. Conversations with the Parks Department are ongoing.

Thanks,
TeamTish

US Congress Committee on Oversight/Government Reform Holds Hearing; 4/21; 10AM; BK Borough Hall

The United States House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight & Government Reform will host a Full Committee Field Hearing entitled "The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009: The Role of State and Local Government."

DATE: Tuesday, April 21, 2009

TIME: 10 am

LOCATION: Brooklyn Borough Hall
209 Joralemon Street (Downtown Brooklyn)
Brooklyn, NY 11201

SPONSOR: Congress Member Ed Towns

Note: The hearing is a follow-up to the recent Town Hall Forum on the Economic Stimulus Package (The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009) held on April 4, 2009 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) by Representatives Ed Towns and Yvette Clarke. All are invited to attend and/or submit testimony.