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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 28th, 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
Comments
3 Comments on THIS WEEK: Help Shape Your Neighborhood
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SpillConspirator on
Sun, 25th Jul 2010 7:12 pm
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missheather on
Sun, 25th Jul 2010 8:07 pm
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SpillConspirator on
Sun, 25th Jul 2010 10:56 pm
Folks are already proposing projects to City Parks Foundation and trying to get support from involved community groups. City Parks Foundation wording seems a bit off. It’s hard to say, what they mean. Even the NCMC is having trouble trying to crack their code.
Here’s what I find interesting:
1. I have been told this “brainstorming” session has not been brought to the attention of our friends in Queens. Ostensibly a number of neighborhoods in this borough are eligible for these funds.
2. Why are these funds being used to implement projects that the city has already promised us?
3. The MTA lot: it is my understanding they have no intention whatsoever of moving. So why is this even being brought to the table?
4. Exactly who are these Brooklyn community groups that were consulted? I’d really like to know.
It’s was my understanding that City Parks Foundation was holding two “brainstorming” sessions. One in Brooklyn. One in Queens.
It’s also my understanding that projects haven’t been chosen yet. What is happening, is that folks are already preparing proposals in order to get a piece of the money. They have been presenting to other groups to gather support for their projects, in anticipation of these CPF meetings.
As far as the city’s promises go, we were told that there is no longer money for the MTA site. It has dissolved. The community REALLY needs to protest that. The city got it’s rezoning, we should get what was promised.
I think the group you’re referring to is the community committee that was set up to try and keep the money in the inpacted neighborhoods. Personally, I feel that the map of impacted areas should look like an epicenter. The closer to the epicenter, the greater the amount of money to compensate for impact. I’m part of the committee. I haven’t been happy with how our government agencies have been handling this process. For starters, City Parks Foundation, NYSERDA and Hudson River Foundation may be good organizations. But they haven’t been a strong presence in our neighborhood. The money should have gone to organizations such as Riverkeeper, Urban Divers, GMDC, NCA and so on. Organizations that have acutally worked for our neighborhood and Creek! As for this survey that CPF put together, they say it isn’t going to be used to decide on projects. So what the hell is it for? If they aren’t going to use it to make that decision, then why are they using the Newtown Creek community’s money to circulate it? Is it for the City Parks Foundation’s own purposes?
We have lots of questions for City Parks Foundations, but they won’t even meet with individual groups to answer questions. We just gotta wait and see I guess.
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