THIS WEEK: Help Shape Your Neighborhood

So last month I shared the good news about our fair neighborhood (and others) receiving several million dollars of “mitigation” funds and implored you to take the Newtown Creek Survey so as to give your two cents on how you want this money to be spent. Well, now we are on step #2: this upcoming Wendesday, July 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Visitor’s Center of our very own Shit Tits the City Parks Foundation will be hosting a brainstorming session (replete with refreshments!). Here’s the 411 per their e-vite:

The primary purpose of the meeting is to develop a list of possible projects that can be funded by the $7 million that has been allocated to City Parks Foundation, together with an initial sense of the important criteria to be used when judging projects.

After this meeting on July 28th, City Parks Foundation staff will develop cost estimates for the projects that have been suggested and will identify any relevant feasibility issues or barriers to completion.  We will then reconvene in the Fall, so that everyone can express specific preferences from among the list of projects; this information will be vital to the Department of Environmental Conservation as they make a final decision on which projects should be funded.

At the meeting on July 28^th, you will hear about four specific projects that have already been suggested to the Department of Environmental Conservation by the groups that successfully advocated for this $7 million of funding.  You will also hear about a recent brainstorming session held among Brooklyn groups about community preferences for open space projects. In addition, you will hear about the results of the surveying that City Parks Foundation is now conducting in Brooklyn and in Queens.

Most of the meeting will be spent in small groups, with facilitators from City Parks Foundation, allowing everyone to suggest projects and express opinions on project ideas.  Each group will report its findings to the entire group.  We expect the entire meeting may take 2 – 3 hours.  We will have food and beverages available.

I have to confess I am more than a little confused here. Why did they put forth a survey if four projects* have already been brought to the table? In what way (if any) were these surveys used to inform the “brainstorming sessions” that were conducted by the aforementioned “Brooklyn groups” regarding open space projects? Truth be told it leaves a rather bad taste in my mouth— but I suppose I’ll have to go to the meeting and find out.

Mitigation Funds “Brainstorming Session”
July 28, 2010 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Center Visitor’s Center
329 Greenpoint Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11222

NOTE: You must RSVP in order to attend this event. This can be done via telephone at (212) 360 – 1310 or email at newtowncreek (at) cityparksfoundation (dot) org.

Miss Heather

*which I have been told are:

• Expansion of Barge Park
• Creation of park space at MTA lot
• Rehabilitation of Monsignor McGolrick Park
• Acquisition of waterfront property for extension of the nature walk