NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION WILL MEET IN NOVEMBER

 

Update:

Minutes from the Albemarle Neighborhood Association Meeting

November 4,2024 held at the Flatbush Jewish Center

 

Officers :

Larry Jayson, President

Jody Cook, Vice President

Jannette Katz-Gomori, Secretary

Peter Gomori, Treasurer

 

Larry Jayson introduced Councilwoman Shahana Hanif. Councilwoman Hanif who encouraged everyone to vote on November 5 and to pay attention to the 6 ballot measures requiring a vote. 

 

Councilwoman spoke about the Madison Square Garden Rally held last Sunday , saying that inciting violence through speech and denigration of different communities was not acceptable in our City.

 

Archiving of past newsletters of the ANA over the past 50 years of its existence will be done as soon as the archives are ready to be sent to the Center for Brooklyn History . The Center for Brooklyn History has agreed to accept these archived newsletters.

 

“Sammy’s Law” is being implemented in Brooklyn with a pilot initiative that will include a 20 mile per hour speed limit by Prospect Park West. 

 

EBike issues are being addressed by the City Council using a piecemeal approach regarding batteries, and integrating the different types of Ebikes with other vehicles in the City. Restaurants are being advised to be good neighbors in making sure Ebikers who deliver follow rules of safety for pedestrians.

 

Councilwoman Hanif introduced a new staff member; Bryan Gross, Constituent Service Director,who will address areas of concern to our neighborhood. His address is 197 Bond Street, Brooklyn , New York 11217 . Tel (718) 499-1000, 

 

Events in Kensington this month include food distribution at Ave C Plaza every other Friday.

 

A health fair in partnership with Maimonides will be happening 

 

Leaf bags are being distributed by Shahana Hanif’s office.

 

Participatory budgeting will be happening in the months ahead.

 

Kensington will continue to have an office available for advisement to immigrants at 118 Beverly Road , Brooklyn New York 11218

 

Councilwoman Hanif’s office has been moved to the Gowanus area to better serve her changing districting boundaries.

 

Look forward to the June 2025 Mayoral Primary. There will be many candidates running.

 

Questions arose regarding installation of citibikes in awkward, unsafe locations such as the installation near Walgreens at 114 Beverly Road . The Department of Transportation partners with CitiBike. The City Council has been taking a piecemeal approach to address inappropriate bike installations . Concerns are raised by the Council regarding students under 16 being charged $5 to rent a CItibike.

 

Dead tree limb removal concerns were raised by residents of the Dahill area around Biils Place and Minna Street. The Parks department should be contacted to address this concern. Under a special program 100 trees will be planted in the Kensington neighborhood.

 

Neighborhood complaints about trash and other issues should be directed to 311 where a report can be filed and the number of the report should then be sent to Councilwoman Hanif’s office so they can follow-up.

 

A link to receiving Councilwoman Hanif’s weekly newsletter will sent via ANA’s email.

 

The link (see below) will also be posted on the ANA website:

New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif

 

At the close of this evening’s meeting, President Jayson announced that to go forward there is need for more volunteers to get involved in ANA to make it a viable community organization. Interested persons should contact President Jayson at his office on the corner of Albemarle Road and East 5 street.

 

The next ANA meeting will be scheduled in March 2025

 

Respectfully submitted

Jannette Katz Gomori

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Albemarle Neighborhood Association Meeting

Monday, November 4th

6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

 

Neighborhood residents are invited to the November meeting of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association, the first in-person community meeting of the year.

 

The meeting will take place at the Flatbush Jewish Center on Monday, November 4th, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

New York State Assemblymember Robert Carroll and New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif have been invited to discuss upcoming community events. 

Foodtown and the ANA will provide refreshments.

 

---------------------------------------

About the 

Albemarle Neighborhood Association

The Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) is the oldest existing neighborhood association in Brooklyn.

 

Since its founding in 1973, it has worked to advance Kensington's quality of life. The ANA's meetings are always free and open to the public. These meetings provide a place for Kensington's residents to address safety, security, and quality of life issues.

ANA helps create a safe and stable neighborhood by working closely with its members, other neighborhood residents, city agencies, and elected officials to address key issues.

The boundaries of the geographic area that ANA serves are

• north: north side of Caton Avenue
• south: south side of Beverley Road
• west: west side of McDonald Avenue
• east: east side of Ocean Parkway

ANA's Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/Albemarle-Neighborhood-Association-of-Brooklyn-ANA-103114548271927/?ref=page_internal, and its website is located at https://anabrooklyn.org.

 

To contact the ANA, use the form at https://anabrooklyn.org/contact/ or send an e-mail to info@anabrooklyn.org or call (718) 435-7701.

Location

Flatbush & Shaare Torah Jewish Center

327 E. 5th Street

corner of Church Avenue

Kensington, Brooklyn

MINUTES OF THE ALBEMARLE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION JUNE MEETING

Minutes of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association June meeting:

Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA)
Minutes of the June 27, 2024 meeting

Alex, from Councilwoman Shahana Hanif’s office reported on developments on recent budgetary issues. The Mayor and the New York City Council are still negotiating the overall budget which is  due at the end of every June. Mayor Adams has proposed cuts and there has been a fight for restoration from cuts in the budget. Budget issues involve what is prioritized and what is not.

There will likely be a handshake deal between the Council Speaker and Mayor Eric Adams.

Funding achievements

Libraries will be fully funded to provide 7 day library services. This restoration of funds was accomplished through community pressure.

Cuts of concern include the following:
- There are cuts in Early Childhood Education from the proposed $170 million to $96 million. These cuts will affect childcare for immigrants and universal 3 PreK classes.

- Programmatic cuts for K-12 schools will affect individual school budgets. A number of schools will get decreased funding,

- CUNY will receive $94 million in proposed cuts

Assemblymember Bob Carroll gave an update on Albany Budget issues these past few months.

- N.Y. State passed a budget 3 months ago.

- Stopped closing of SUNY Downstate

- Passed Literacy bill for K-3

- Addressed housing crises, stipulating that market rate tenants cannot be easily evicted. New affordable rental units will be created.

- scrapped congestion pricing

-passed Sammy’s law. Certain streets will have 15-20 mph limits near schools and hospitals

-Illegal cannabis shops will be closed by the NYPD- unfortunately, no were new initiatives for the homeless.

Neighborhood remarks

- Improvements noted in opening of Met Fresh supermarket ( no more graffiti)

- New hardware store

- Anticipated opening of Advent Healthcare services.

Other neighborhood concerns

- There are currently four thousand homeless people on the streets, many with drug and mental health issues.

- Double parking . A proposal was made at the ANA meeting to distribute leaflets on double parked cars requesting phone numbers in case of emergency when cars should be moved to allow blocked cars access to get out of their parking space.

- Litter throughout the neighborhood is a problem, as well as the sighting of rats.

- Traffic safety is a challenge. Can Sanitation and the NYPD be alerted ?

Next ANA meeting to possibly be held in person at the Flatbush Jewish Center in the Fall. A date will be announced

Respectfully submitted by

Jannette Katz-Gomori

Secretary

 

A CONVENIENT WAY TO DONATE TO NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS

 

Writing a check is no longer the only way to donate to two all-volunteer service organizations in Kensington: the Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) and The Kensington Stewards (TKS). Both now accept donations via Zelle.

 

To use Zelle, just go to your bank's website on your computer or your phone and create a new contact.

To add ANA as a new contact,

choose Business

enter Albemarle Neighborhood Association

choose Email

enter psgomori@msn.com

 

To add TKS,

choose Business

enter The Kensington Stewards
choose Mobile

enter ( 917) 514-2993

 

The phone number and the e-mail address above belong to Peter Gomori, the treasurer for both organizations.

 

About

Albemarle Neighborhood Association

The Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) is the oldest neighborhood association in Brooklyn. Since its founding in 1973, it has worked to advance Kensington's quality of life.

 

The ANA's online and in-person meetings are free and are open to the public. They provide a place for Kensington's residents to address safety, security, and quality-of-life issues.

The ANA helps create a safe and stable neighborhood by working closely with its members, other neighborhood residents, city agencies, and elected officials to address key issues.

The ANA serves all residents within the geographic area up to and including

• north: south side of Caton Avenue
• south: north side of Beverley Road
• west: east side of McDonald Avenue
• east: west side of Ocean Parkway

ANA's Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/Albemarle-Neighborhood-Association-of-Brooklyn-ANA-103114548271927/?ref=page_internal.

 

Its website is at https://anabrooklyn.org.

 

To contact the ANA, use the form at https://anabrooklyn.org/contact/ or send an e-mail to info@anabrooklyn.org or call (718) 435-7701.

 

The ANA is a 501(C)(3) non profit organization.

 

About
The Kensington Stewards

 

Mission

The mission of The Kensington Stewards (TKS) is to foster and support mutual appreciation and understanding, strengthening the connections among the residents of Kensington, Brooklyn, through the arts, cultural events, community gatherings and conversation.

 

How do we follow our Mission?

The Kensington Stewards is an all-volunteer group of residents of the Kensington, Brooklyn, neighborhood. We focus our energy and creative ideas on introducing Kensington's diverse demographic groups to one another so that we can learn about each other's traditions and cultures, gain an appreciation and understanding of one another, and grow together.

Our programs showcase the arts—painting, music, dance, drama—and culture for children and adults and provide space for rallies and other supportive, community-oriented events.

 

As a not-for-profit charitable organization, some of our events are made possible through grants from supporting organizations. Other events are funded by our treasury, requiring continual donations to ensure that we can present programming that appeals to our neighbors and fulfills our mission.

 

Working with government agencies and other community groups, we also assist in maintaining one public open space: The Kensington Plaza, where we offer programming. Kensington Plaza is located in front of Walgreens at 114 Beverley Road, near Church Avenue.

 

To learn more about The Kensington Stewards and our events, follow our public group on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/groups/318994119465752.

 

ALBEMARLE NEIGHBORHOOOD ASSOCIATION WILL MEET ONLINE AND BY PHONE

Albemarle Neighborhood Association Meeting

Tuesday, December 19th

6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

 

You're invited to the next meeting of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association. Open to all neighborhood residents, the meeting will take place on Zoom and by phone on Tuesday, December 19th, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

New York State Assemblymember Robert Carroll and New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif hope to join the meeting.

 

You can join the meeting on Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89319491025?pwd=VeVQpFuGHEbjTcKjRNC6mfPfxizQr6.1, using Meeting ID 893 1949 1025 and Passcode 014421.

 

Or you can join by phone by entering 1 646 558 8656 and then entering the Meeting ID and Passcode.

---------------------------------------

About the 

Albemarle Neighborhood Association

The Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) is the oldest existing neighborhood association in Brooklyn. Since its founding in 1973, it has worked to advance Kensington's quality of life. The ANA's meetings are always free and open to the public. These meetings provide a place for Kensington's residents to address safety, security, and quality of life issues.

ANA helps create a safe and stable neighborhood by working closely with its members, other neighborhood residents, city agencies, and elected officials to address key issues.

The boundaries of the geographic area that ANA serves are

• north: north side of Caton Avenue
• south: south side of Beverley Road
• west: west side of McDonald Avenue
• east: east side of Ocean Parkway

ANA's Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/Albemarle-Neighborhood-Association-of-Brooklyn-ANA-103114548271927/?ref=page_internal, and its website is located at https://anabrooklyn.org.

 

To contact the ANA, use the form at https://anabrooklyn.org/contact/ or send an e-mail to info@anabrooklyn.org or call (718) 435-7701.

 

ALBEMARLE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MINUTES, SEPTEMBER 2023 MEETING

Minutes of the September 26, 2023, Meeting of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association

GUEST SPEAKERS TENTATIVELY ANNOUNCED FOR THE NEXT VIRTUAL ALBEMARLE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING

Albemarle Neighborhood Association Meeting

Tuesday, September 26th

6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

 

The next meeting of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association will be via Zoom and by phone on Tuesday, September 26th, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

 

The tentative guest speakers are 

• Community Affairs Sergeant Wing Chan (wing.chan@nypd.org) from the NYPD 66th Precinct.
• Representative from Community Board 12. Community Board 12 covers parts of Kensington, Borough Park, Midwood, and Sunset Park. Community boards are the liaison between the public and city agencies.
  
• Debbie Sheintoch, Director, Compost Programs and Partnerships for the New York City Department of Transportation. She will speak about composting, which is being made available to all New York City residents. It will be available to all Brooklyn residents as of October 2, 2023.
  
• Michael Rosenbluth, Kensington neighborhood activist. He will talk about the MTA's Bus Network Redesign and the potential bus route changes in Kensington and Windsor Terrace,
•  Larry Jayson, President of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association. He will discuss the interest in removing the traffic sign at the intersection of E. 5th Street and Albemarle Road.
  

 

You can join the meeting via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86186946213?pwd=WICvBIEaSTU86EtmQb9rRdps8TStUg.1.

Meeting ID: 861 8694 6213
Passcode: 548786

Or you can join by phone by entering 1 646 558 8656 (New York) and then entering the Meeting ID and the Passcode.

----------------------------------------------------

About the 

Albemarle Neighborhood Association

The Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) is the oldest existing neighborhood association in Brooklyn. Since its founding in 1973, it has worked to advance Kensington's quality of life. The ANA's meetings are always free and open to the public. These meetings provide a place for Kensington's residents to address safety, security, and quality of life issues.

ANA helps create a safe and stable neighborhood by working closely with its members, other neighborhood residents, city agencies, and elected officials to address key issues.

The boundaries of the geographic area that ANA serves are

• north: north side of Caton Avenue
• south: south side of Beverley Road
• west: west side of McDonald Avenue
• east: east side of Ocean Parkway

The ANA is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Albemarle-Neighborhood-Association-of-Brooklyn-ANA-103114548271927/?ref=page_internal.

 

Its website is located at https://anabrooklyn.org.

 

To contact the ANA, use the form at https://anabrooklyn.org/contact/, send an e-mail to info@anabrooklyn.org, or call (718) 435-7701.

THE ALBEMARLE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: FIFTY YEARS OF WORKING FOR KENSINGTON

 

Albemarle Neighborhood Association

50th Anniversary

Wednesday, May 31st, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

 

Fifty years ago in Kensington, the Albemarle Neighborhood Association was born. A group of neighborhood residents got together back in 1973 and created this grassroots organization, which has continued to function from the ground up for all these years.

A 50th anniversary celebration of the founding of the ANA is planned for outdoors on Albemarle Road on Wednesday, May 31st, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; bring a chair with you.

 

If the weather is bad, the event will be held indoors on Church Avenue.

 

If you have questions about the location on that day, call ANA President Larry Jayson's office at (718) 435-7701.

The ANA and Foodtown will provide refreshments that'll be served after the event.

The celebration is free and is open to everyone who lives or works in the neighborhood.

 

Location

outdoors on Albemarle Road

between E. 4th and E. 5th streets

Kensington, Brooklyn

 

Location in case of bad weather

Flatbush Jewish Center

327 E. 5th Street

corner of Church Avenue

Kensington, Brooklyn

 

----------------------------------------------------

About the Albemarle Neighborhood Association

The Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) is the oldest existing neighborhood association in Brooklyn. Since its founding in 1973, it has worked to advance Kensington's quality of life. The ANA's meetings are always free and open to the public. These meetings provide a place for Kensington's residents to address safety, security, and quality of life issues.

ANA helps create a safe and stable neighborhood by working closely with its members, other neighborhood residents, city agencies, and elected officials to address key issues.

The boundaries of the geographic area that ANA serves are

• north: north side of Caton Avenue
• south: south side of Beverley Road
• west: west side of McDonald Avenue
• east: east side of Ocean Parkway

The ANA is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Albemarle-Neighborhood-Association-of-Brooklyn-ANA-103114548271927/?ref=page_internal.

 

Its website is located at https://anabrooklyn.org.

 

To contact the ANA, use the form at https://anabrooklyn.org/contact/, send an e-mail to info@anabrooklyn.org, or call (718) 435-7701.

BROOKLYN BUS NETWORK REDESIGN AND KENSINGTON POST OFFICE CLEAN-UP (FREE, REMOTE)

Albemarle Neighborhood Association Meeting

Wednesday, March 29th, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

 

Guest speaker Michael Rosenbluth, a Kensington resident and neighborhood activist, will speak about the Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign, which would eliminate numerous bus stops and modify many routes. 

 

The second guest speaker, Sisi Keghida, Esq., will speak about the Kensington Post Office clean-up.

 

New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif and New York State Assemblymember Robert Carroll have been invited to discuss issues of importance in New York City and New York State.

 

Join the meeting via Zoom at tinyurl.com/anameetingzoom.

Or join by phone by dialing 1 646 558 8656, then dialing the Meeting ID 846 9458 7577, and then dialing the Passcode 329381.

----------------------------------------------------

About Albemarle Neighborhood Association

Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) is the oldest neighborhood association in Brooklyn. Since its founding in 1973, it has worked to advance Kensington's quality of life. ANA's meetings are free and are open to the public. They provide a place for Kensington's residents to address safety, security, and quality of life issues.

ANA helps create a safe and stable neighborhood by working closely with its members, other neighborhood residents, city agencies, and elected officials to address key issues.

The boundaries of the geographic area that ANA serves are

    north: north side of Caton Avenue
    south: south side of Beverley Road
    west: west side of McDonald Avenue
    east: east side of Ocean Parkway

Albemarle Neighborhood Association

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Albemarle-Neighborhood-Association-of-Brooklyn-ANA-103114548271927/?ref=page_internal

website: https://anabrooklyn.org

ALBEMARLE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS AND 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Congratulations to the Albemarle Neighborhood Association on its 50th Anniversary!

-----------------------------------------------------------

   The Albemarle Neighborhood Association will hold two meetings this Spring. The first will be on Wednesday, March 15th, 2023 at 6:30 pm. (rescheduled for Wednesday, March 29th). At this time that will probably be a zoom meeting. We will attempt to have issues and guests that are important to our community.

   The second meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 31st, 2023. It will also start at 6:30 pm. We are not certain as to where or how that meeting will take place. There are a few options that may be available to us.

   We chose May 31st for the meeting as it will mark 50 years to the day that our organization was founded. We had our first meeting on May 31st, 1973. A half century of serving our community. This is a milestone that we should all be proud of. We would like to pay tribute to some of those members who helped to make the ANA one of the most successful and longest enduring community organizations in our city.

   If we have this in-person meeting either indoors or outdoors on Albemarle Road, as always refreshments will be supplied by Foodtown.

   Hopefully, this will be an exciting Spring for an organization that has helped shape this area of Kensington. We will invite community leaders and elected officials to the meeting.

Sincerely

Larry Jayson

President

----------------------------------------------------

About Albemarle Neighborhood Association

Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) is the oldest neighborhood association in Brooklyn. Since its founding in 1973, it has worked to advance Kensington's quality of life. ANA's meetings are free and are open to the public. They provide a place for Kensington's residents to address safety, security, and quality of life issues.

ANA helps create a safe and stable neighborhood by working closely with its members, other neighborhood residents, city agencies, and elected officials to address key issues.

The borders of the geographic area that ANA serves are

• north: north side of Caton Avenue
• south: south side of Beverley Road
• west: west side of McDonald Avenue 
• east: east side of Ocean Parkway

 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Albemarle-Neighborhood-Association-of-Brooklyn-ANA-103114548271927/?ref=page_internal

website: https://anabrooklyn.org/

ALBEMARLE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION OPEN MEETING (FREE, VIRTUAL)

 

Albemarle Neighborhood Association Meeting

Wednesday, November 16th, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

All Kensington residents and business owners are invited to attend and participate in the next public meeting of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA). The meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, November 16th, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 

ANA meetings are open to everyone, not just to ANA members. You can participate with a computer (PC or Mac), an iPad, an iPhone, an Android device, or a landline/wired phone.

The tentative guest speaker will be Tom Bauer, Director of Operations, Ocean Parkway Community Development Corporation. 

New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif and New York State Assemblymember Robert Carroll have been invited to participate so that they can update the community on events that affect us.

 

To join the meeting on Zoom from a computer (PC or Mac), iPad, iPhone, or Android device, click or tap here to register. An e-mail with be sent to you confirming your registration.

To participate by landline/wired or cell phone with audio only, press 1 (646) 558-8656. Then press the Meeting ID: 880 4126 9505. Finally, press the Passcode: 612704.

 

About Albemarle Neighborhood Association

Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) is the oldest neighborhood association in Brooklyn. Since its founding in 1973, it has worked to advance Kensington's quality of life. ANA's meetings are free and are open to the public. They provide a place for Kensington's residents to address safety, security, and quality of life issues.

ANA helps create a safe and stable neighborhood by working closely with its members, other neighborhood residents, city agencies, and elected officials to address key issues.

The borders of the geographic area that ANA serves are

• north: north side of Caton Avenue
• south: south side of Beverley Road
• west: west side of McDonald Avenue 
• east: east side of Ocean Parkway

 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Albemarle-Neighborhood-Association-of-Brooklyn-ANA-103114548271927/?ref=page_internal

website https://anabrooklyn.org/

ALBEMARLE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING MINUTES, OCTOBER 2021

The Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) had a recent zoom community meeting.
Here are the minutes:

Minutes of the Albermarle Neighborhood Association Meeting October 6, 2021
Larry Jayson: President
Diana Sanzone: Vice President
Peter Gomori: Treasurer
Jannette Katz Gomori: Secretary
Attendance on zoom : 19 people

CAMBA Shelter: Larry Jayson started the meeting by introducing Denise from the CAMBA shelter on MacDonald Ave. She gave an update on the services currently being provided to homeless adults and children. Services include liaison with local educational facilities, Brooklyn Public Library bookmobile once a week, recreational services, job search support, etc. Monthly newsletters provide a listing of neighborhood resources.

Questions were asked regarding when clients are supposed to be returning to the shelter during the evenings. The curfew times are 9 pm for families and 10 pm for adults.

Comments include praise for the way the shelter is run.

Volunteer opportunities are being created as fall programming continues. Donations gladly accepted include diapers for the 3 to 1 matching Diaper Program, meals that are individually wrapped, no perishables.

Efforts to clean up the front yard are being taken. Protocols for Covid are being observed as are provision of vaccinations.
Any concerns , please email denisel@camba.org

Motorbikes: a discussion of the danger of motorbikes on streets, and sidewalks, as well as in Prospect Park took place. The delivery service bikes as well as others often do not observe traffic rules and are not ticketed when they are in violation of rules. It was suggested that people boycott restaurants of delivery people who violate rules. This issue should be addressed in the upcoming mayoral administration as well as the City Council.

Clean-up on Ocean Parkway
Peter Gomori reported on recent efforts in clean up in collaboration with the NYC Parks Department.
Garbage cans have been placed. Funding of a job box has been gotten through grant money so that volunteers can continue clean up efforts. There is a noticeable improvement in the cleanliness of Ocean Parkway.

Looking towards the future, efforts to clean up local city streets is being considered by encouraging volunteer participation.
Safety of Streets: Complaints have been made regarding harassment by local people who hang out on Albermarle Road and are currently be addressed.

Robberies of catalytic converters: There has been an uptick in robberies of catalytic converters in cars. The robberies take less than 5 minutes and are difficult to report. An incident was discussed of a robbery that occurred in our neighborhood was reported by the car owner after she moved her car due to alternate side regulations and therefore the police refused to take the report since the car was moved. This was unjust and it was suggested that future complaints be made in person to the captain of the 66th precent.

Docks for CItibike: Complaints about the saturation of bike docks in our neighborhood were made. One of the attendees suggested that complaints be made to Lyft who owns citibikes. Of particular concern are the bike docks placed in the streets such as the dock on the intersection of Church Ave and MacDonald Ave. It is a concerning location for bus drivers and pedestrians.

Rite Aid: the vacant store on Church Ave has a lot of unsightly graffiti. Efforts to remove it were made by volunteers to partially remove some of the graffiti. It was realized that the job is a much bigger effort to undertake. Several attendees volunteered to paint over the graffiti. It was suggested that a mural be drawn in place of the graffiti.

Rite Aid still leases that property , according to an investigation.

Sterling Bank recently merged with Webster Bank. The merger with Webster bank was discussed as well as quality of services currently being provided.

A Zoom meeting with the current candidate for City Council for our district, Shahana Hanif was announced for Thursday, October 28 at 8 pm. Below is the link to register
https://forms.gle/4cCyXL6jfjHExXtr5

Regarding the Deli on Church Ave: it was reported that there is much sidewalk obstruction because of garbage outside a deli on Church Ave between East 4 and East 5 street. It will be brought to the attention of the community police .

Composting : Efforts to bring back the Brown Bins for composting have yet to be successful. There needs to be participation via signing on to a website to indicate a desire to do this. The Department of Sanitation is happy to send representatives to any community event to publicize the website and sign people up. The more willingness to participate , the greater likelihood that brown bins will be placed in our neighborhood. If you want a representative to come to a community event, please reach out to jodi.cook@corcoran.com.

Next Zoom ANA meeting will be in a month. Tentative date is Wednesday, November 17 at 6.30pm

Respectfully submitted by Jannette Katz Gomori

MINUTES OF ALBEMARLE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION PUBLIC MEETING, MARCH 2022

Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA)

Minutes of the March 30, 2022, Meeting

by Jannette Katz Gomori, Secretary

 

Larry Jayson presided over the zoom meeting with 10 participants.

Peter Gomori, Treasurer

Jannette Katz Gomori, Secretary

 

1. New York State Assemblyman Robert Carroll was introduced. 

 

Councilman Carroll is in Albany awaiting the state budget approval proceedings. It is hoped that the budget will be passed by the beginning of April. Some sticking points are issues of affordable housing, bail reform, and casinos.

 

There has been additional funding given to SUNY and CUNY as well as to the public schools, MTA funding, and renewable energy projects. The Federal Stimulus package has added funding to the State budget. Robust tax receipts from state and city have added as well.

 

The uptick in crime was discussed. Councilman Carroll spoke about preserving the Presumption of Innocence structure. 

 

Also spoken about was that most crimes have nothing to do with bail reform. Reasons for uptick in crime include the lockdown during the pandemic, folks staying at home, and unemployment. Bail is only used to compel people to return back to court.

 

Rollout in congestion pricing was discussed. The timetable would suggest March or April 2023. Traffic is equal to or above pre-pandemic levels. Limited exemptions might include individuals with disabilities or under medical treatment.

 

2. Pete Gomori spoke about the East 5 Street block party scheduled for May 14, pending permit approval. The block would include the street between Albemarle Road and Caton Avenue. A letter is being sent to everyone on the block to inform people of the event. Activities include tree management, street cleaning, petitioning to restart composting, arts /crafts, and music. Bob Elstein of the Beautify Brooklyn movement is invited to attend. 

 

The purpose of the block party is for neighbors to meet neighbors and to improve quality of life. A $1000 grant was awarded to sponsor a music event in Kensington that might be used for this event.

 

3. Church Avenue cleanliness was discussed. 

 

The issue of 419 Church Avenue being vacant as well as the deli next door contributing garbage on the streets adds to the unsightliness and uncleanliness of the area. People can call 311 to report this, as each store is responsible for cleaning the front area of their store.

 

Foodtown was discussed regarding quality of freshness and accurate advertising of sales. Larry Jayson will speak to the manager regarding these issues.

 

Parkway Pharmacy has a torn awning outside the building. Larry Jayson will speak to the owners to see if the awning can be replaced.

 

Trash outside Dunkin Donuts is placed in black bags outside the store. Is it possible to have bins used instead of black garbage bags? 

 

Pete Gomori suggested having another volunteer cleanup on Church Ave sometime this spring.

 

4. A gathering of Uber drivers on Albermarle Ave near Ocean Parkway has been observed daily around 4 p.m. Larry Jayson will look into this to see if there is any questionable activity. 

 

Also mentioned was the concern regarding a menacing person standing in the middle of Ocean Parkway on an island leading to the Prospect Expressway. 311 should be called as well as the Neighborhood Coordination Officers, Karol Smiarowsky at 917 826 6569 and Vivianne Perrone at 917 863 5169. The 66th Precinct can be called as well at 718 851 5611.

 

5. Participatory Budgeting week is starting this week.

 

6. The next ANA meeting will take place on Zoom in June, with the date to be determined.

 

Respectfully submitted

Jannette Katz Gomori, Secretary

 

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The Albemarle Neighborhood Association has a page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Albemarle-Neighborhood-Association-of-Brooklyn-ANA-103114548271927/?ref=page_internal