From a neighborhood listserv. Reprinted with the permission of the author.
Nobody goes to the Community Board meetings - myself included! I have an excuse. He's two years old.
But I've been interested in what goes on there, especially since the minutes in the past have been extremely short and haven't reflected what I've *heard* was said at the CB 12 meetings.
So I was really excited when KARMA posted minutes in their entirety and they were more than a few paragraphs long!
http://karmabrooklyn.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-your-community-board-decided.html
I finally felt informed - like I had a front seat at the meeting.
KARMA just posted an addendum to the CB 12 minutes which includes some really interesting stuff - http://karmabrooklyn.blogspot.com/2010/11/left-out-of-cb-12-meeting-minutes.html
1) Someone has requested a stop sign at a dangerous intersection from the DOT since 2006 and has LOTS of documentation to prove both the danger and effort in trying to get the sign. There has been no response by the CB or DOT thus far.
2) Someone addressed that local City Councilman David Greenfield stole a huge chunk of Kensington when he was asked about the borders of Borough Park. KARMA quotes The New York Times "'Bounded by Fort Hamilton Parkway to the west, 60th Street to the south, McDonald Avenue and Bay Parkway to the east, and McDonald Avenue to the north, the neighborhood is home to more than 300 religious institutions, according to Councilman Greenfield.' However, those boundaries would mean that a portion of Kensington--including P.S. 230--is in Borough Park. His response was that The New York Times made the mistake."
3) The final addition to the notes that absolutely BLEW MY MIND must be quoted in its entirety:
"When the Variance Committee met, only six committee members were present. Eleven of its twenty members were needed to constitute a quorum. Phone calls were made, and three more members showed up. Committee Chair Peter Rebenwurzel "fired" (membership is an unpaid position) four of the members who weren't there, bringing the number needed for a quorum to nine. Mr. Rebenwurzel said he might "rehire" the four fired members the next day."
ARE YOU SERIOUS? The Committee Chair used quite a strange technique to make sure that his quorum was reached. I mean, he "FIRED" committee members so that he would have a quorum and plans to "REHIRE" them? HUH? Is that even legal???
CB 12 Chair Alan Dubrow is quoted in the original CB 12 minutes as saying "Mr. Dubrow pointed out that Committee members need to fulfill their duties, as there are many requests from others wishing to join the Variance Committee." The reason why the variance committee (also called the Land Use Committee) is so popular is that they decide whether or not a developer can develop something.
If Committee members aren't COMMITTED enough to attend a meeting during which they must vote, then they shouldn't be on the Committee.
KARMA posted a while back about how Committee membership is open to the public - in other words, YOU AND I - we can be on the committee, too!
http://karmabrooklyn.blogspot.com/2010/10/not-on-community-board-you-can-still-be.html
KARMA quoted the The 2010 Handbook for Community Board Members:
"Although the Charter requires that the chairperson of each Community Board committee be a Board member, there is no limitation as to the number of non-Board members who may be appointed to serve on a Board committee."
Now who wants to be on the Land Use Committee? Or at least go to CB 12 meetings to express how happy, indifferent, irate you are about this stuff? People are always car-pooling to go to the meetings or taking the B16 bus there. I have info about car-pooling, so if you want to go I can put you in touch with folks who will chauffeur you to and from your home. E-mail me!
Jasmina
Affiliated with KARMA and other KWT neighborhood organizations