2014 Issues/Activities of Sunset Park Restoration
(WHAT WE HAVE DONE & WHERE WE ARE SO FAR ON EACH ISSUE)
(CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)
April 8th, 2014 - Volunteers stepped forward to reconsitute Restoration's executive board.
Started this webpage
Illegal Clothing bins - Success, NYC law changed
High tuberculosis rates - Found percentage was high but misleading - number extremely low
1. Need to do a public campaign against spitting - not yet done
High autism rates
1. No progress
Convert old Court House to Community Use - rejected by NYPD
1. Need to approach again from a new angle
Shortage of Pre-K seats - no success
1. City is responding by using not-for-profits, but need still is there
Tree plantings, City is unresponsive to complaints - we helped a number of folks get info but no major changes
SP locker room moving to outside landmark bldg - failed to get any accurate info, in the end it seems to be very positive
2nd entrance to the N train on 62nd Street - Success MTA agreed - but will take years (local Asian group also lobbied)
Handball court repairs needed in park - repeated requests to elected's, told it will now happen
Delivery motorcycles & illegal power bikes - first lipservice from Capt Grant, but new Capt (Ng) made priority - but no change
1. Must remind Capt Ng that it is still happening - may have to pinpoint locations.
Payne Park - paint chips, pigeon poop, repair - some attention - success - $3 million for repair by Councilmember
Payne Park - route needs to be more accessible - Councilmember open to discussion, no further steps on complaintants
Failure of City to remove ice/snow on railroad cuts 1st to 8th Ave - committment from DOT to do it, but only when possible
1. Need to ask Council to enact legislation now that we determined that DOT is responsible not MTA (2/65,3/65,4/65,5/65,6/64,7/63,8/65)
Need to Improve the Community Board Operation Rules
1. Need to send emails to elected officials & media
58th Street Pier - EDC plans to lease for barges - We lobbied greatly & are drawing plans for education center, now heard EDC isn't going on.
1. Continue planning for Education Center and other improvements and move it ahead
Waterfront Park still closed 99% finished - We raised public awareness, investigate license application & were 100% successful
1. Now need for 2nd entrance, playground, safety fencing & completed full park - begun public outreach - send emails/media
SIMS - # trucks & air quality & ed center - zero cooperation for officials, FOIL requests no help
1. Public Outreach needed. City is doing NO oversight. We are continually collecting data. Will write to SIMS directly.
Old 68th Precinct demolition by neglect - corresponding with City - they now promise to move to court suit to force fixing
1. Continue effort with City Corporation Council.
Historic Rock - huge total success! also healed relationship with Greenwood - great success.
1. Move for: lighting, signage, DOT street sign - Martense Lane, subway signage & bus stop signage
1,400 friends achieved 1,400 FB friends, but four months later FB shut us down and we had to start all over.
Police brutality after P.R. Day Parade - followed up with Cop Watch, meetings with electeds - two more incidents occured
1. Broke with the main group - they were making bad decisions.
2. We will have people with white hats/white shirts at next P.R. day parade after party to help buffer police & community if needed
3. We are nurturing a positive relationship with precinct - aimed at being able to request changes in Sunset crowd control
DOT 4th Avenue plan faulty - collected hundreds of hours of data, studies, contacted groups, rejection by electeds & DOT
1. Made a broader group to deal with DOT, we will continue communication with DOT on all issues related - contact media
8th Ave Mall - excellent assistance from Boro President's office - have lots of accurate info.
1. Keep watching
New Law to make EDC more responsive - made definitive plan and shared with City Council - nothing came of it
1. Make another effort with the media
Governor refusing to hold election to fill Senate seat - total failure - everything we did was ignored - went a full year with no State Senator
Congressman Nadler funding 350 acre container port in Sunset - no one will respond to our questions
1. We will continue to watch
Siting of a restaurant grease recycling facility here - no further info, after our involvement it may have been dropped.
SP sewer backup, rubber tiles floating - no response, but Parks finally fixed it
Proposal for Parks to post signage - post at location of broken equipment or problem - date noticed, date of repair - no response to us
1. Renew our effort with media & electeds
Participatory Budget issues - no response
1. Trying again in next round, but so far no response
EMS double parking reduces 7th to a single lane - repeated assurances, repeated violation, site visit
1. Eventually ask them to move to waterfront industrial area
Hate crime in bensonhurst $1,000 & signs - we posted signage, kept in touch with the police and no further issues - success
1. We moved money to a SP signage project/tee-shirts - but moving slowly with design problems
FDNY double parking 4th & taking extra on 52nd - continual assurances from FDNY to stop it, for a week and then back again
1. Continue and possibly add media or threat of the media
Axis Auto Group - missing? - got all the info - they ran out on 11 year lease - went bankrupt - took 3 years to release property
State Senate Debate - participated in Sunset's first cyber involved political debate - having on line questions for the candidates - success
Major Block collapse - got quick response from the City after residents had waited weeks
Construction debris on 3rd Ave - got overnight response after residents complained for 3 years
Intersection sinking 8th & 49th - got immediate response after weeks of resident complaints
Mail Box graffiti - Sunset Parker stepped forward and got it done for all of us - GREAT
58th Street pier closed to park police cars - no response from NYPD
1. Must write to Bratton about this
Name plate for man died on park bench - Parks Dept said no, we were going to do it anyway, but lost contact with the family
Sunset Park is one of 2 parks no sound - no movies, plays or concerts permitted (although parks does it when THEY want)
1. Go to media, Community Board was a huge failure even to the point of being obstructionist
Election night coverage on line - the most dynamic & fun give and take all night - huge success
AC in library broken for over a week - got accurate info, developed good working relationship with BPL - success
Massage Parlors - 58th & 5th closed - great success - Capt cooperated and we got it closed & he is on top of the other ones
1. We need local residents who are impacted by specific parlors to step forward to continue
Garbage trucks leaking on streets need welding - complainant failed to give timely info, DOS said they will assist, if we give timely info
Low flying NYPD helicopters no info available - NYPD responded poorly - jerking us around, but local precinct has done it for us - success
2nd police brutality issue - after street fair - see above - we responded on behalf of the community
3rd police brutality issue - parents - we responded on behalf of the community
Library reconstruction & affordable housing - led online discuss, collected input & accurate info - huge success
Tree guards - developed design and construction of inexpensive tree guards, installed one as a test, we will monitor & then advertise
Block Bulletin Boards - built several and have material for dozens more - but haven't had the time to build & distribute
1. Build a dozen or more and advertise
Illegal dispensing of food cart grease into street sewer - total success from DEP, caught vendor, issued warning
Community visit to Owl's Head Water Pollution Control Plant - great successs
Provided recycling posters, stickers, materials - huge success promoting appropriate recycling practices - distributing info locally
Designed & printed 10,000 bike saftey stickers/booklets - huge success, DOT bike expert says it is the best they have ever seen
Designed & printed tourist passports for Sunset memories - hugely popular with residents past & present. Community "building"
Battle with 5 boro story project - they were ignoring the Puerto Rican's of Sunset so we protested & ran our own event.
Hosted our own real stories of Sunset night - huge success, NY Times, Bklyn Paper & Home Reporter attended - at Library
Announce events, alternate side, resources - many residents turn to us for current events & local news - we are filling a void
Bus stop missed on 3rd Ave - City skipped a bus stop, now they say they will install it
Pavers for rock added - Greenwood was nice enough to install pavers for us at the historic boulder
Events at the rock - hosted school groups & individuals & bus visits to the rock - huge success
1. Must organize & advertise more
Printed info about the rock - printed information booklets and also on line and for the media - success
Offered $100 a month for youth projects - finally had one person step forward for it
1. Heavy advertisement of the first one to encourage more
Bingo game - devloped a Sunset Park bingo game to build community identity - success
1. Distribute to school & other groups
Created & posted several Sunset Park crossword puzzles - success, folks loved them, builds community sense
Created & posted seveeral jigsaw puzzles - success, folks loved them, builds community sense
Poor street conditions 2nd Ave & 39th Street - advertised, wrote to electeds, only minor improvement made
1. Contact EDC about it
Lubavitch sit-down dinner - community needs to be notified of such events hosted in Sunset - we are not
1 No action on this at all.
Time Warp Rave - community needs to be notified of such events hosted in Sunset - we are not
1. Complained to elected's - but no response - write to EDC & elected's
Investigate motorcylist's death on Gowanus - NYPD not responding
1. Continue to try to connect NYPD with Sunset Parker Bobby Hughes
Held WF Park ribbon cutting - push for 50th & other improvements - Huge success on many levels
Air Pollution Monitoring Needs - continually reminding electeds and community that there is only one monitor & it measures only one item
1. Continue to promote - ask that it be part of every new business on the wwaterfront
Liquor License Blocking - successful assistance
Proposal to volunteer to train school kids on crossing - DOT failed to assist
1. We need to find one school that will cooperate & get teaching aids to use
Anti-crime info for seniors - posted excellent tips - widely distributed
May have turned City Council around on EDC master lease - we played a huge if not pivotal role in this major change in NYC policy
Anti-crime info for high rate car break-ins & attention - Police agreed to respond greatly, we published info - widely distributed
Prevented boycott of local business - another HUGE success - stopped the boycott in its tracks - united the elected officials, made contacts
Question about emergency subway exit left open on 46th - MTA was not cooperative in getting info - we will drop if no further interest
Sickening fumes from bus depot affecting P.S. 24 - HUGE success in drawing attention to this. Great help to parents.
1. MTA and electeds are not helping or responding but we have a foil request in and are keeping this open & active.
DOT wouldn't post 25 mph speed signs - posters & won - HUGE success - got DOT to turn around!
Walking tours began updating
1. This will be a very slow process - very time consuming and I have to work on it exclusively in large blocks of time
2. Will continue and post the first of 9 as soon as possible.
Support art programs at NARS - throughout the year we have posted their info on free events - highly successful
Assist folks helping burned out restaurant workers - successful in assisting folks who wanted to help.
2015 New Year Begins
Tracking crime stats
1. Sunset Parker John has volunteered to keep track for our fear of a increase in crime beginning in December 2014
Designing education center for 58th Street pier - part of our attempt to save 58th Street pier
1. Peggy is doing a great job on the plans, when finished - media & electeds
2. Begin looking for initial funding
Free 5 night sanitation test prep course for free - Tremendous success - hugely popular & civic building & gentrification fighting
Investigating cross harbor tunnel EIS - continue to research & share
1. Check all info & then distribute
Sunset Park Shovel Bridgade
1. Providing advertising support
Municipal Credit Union
1. Promote the creation of a Municipal Credit Union - look for partners in the effort
Video Library of Housing & Family Finance Information
1. With the help of Sunset Parker Sujewa Ekanayake, looking to partner with 5th Ave Committee & Neighbors Helping Neighbors
2. Set up a dedicated WIX page & a YouTube page
Sustainable Sunset Park
1. Develop waterfront development - purchase zoning maps & create large magnetc board of waterfront
Developing a Network of Block Representatives - Was supposed to begin last fall, tested our plan, needed to improve it
1. Finish a tri-lingual brochure, finish from free bulletin boards, signage done
