RENOVATING THE PUBLIC SPACE AT MCDONALD AVENUE AND AVENUE C

Renovation of the public space at the intersection of Avenue C and McDonald Avenue will begin early next week. The city's Department of Transportation (DOT) will upgrade Avenue C Plaza with permanent plaza materials.

The goals of the upgrade are to create high quality public space, calm traffic, enhance safety, and improve access to the public space. To achieve that, DOT will

• upgrade the painted space and build out with concrete,
• add pedestrian crossing signals at the western intersection of McDonald Avenue and Avenue C,
• add pedestrian ramps, and
• add protective Martello bollards.

 
Several successful community events have been held at the plaza in the past year, including

• Discover the New Avenue C Plaza
• Peace and Unity Rally
• Movie Night: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
• Dia de los Muertos Celebration
• Post-election Bangladeshi Muslim Community Gathering
• Launching a Hate Free Zone in Kensington 

Renovation is scheduled to begin early next week and will take six to eight weeks to complete. The grand reopening of the plaza is anticipated to be in late May or early June.

The combined efforts of Kensington Stewards*, Councilmember Brad Lander, Neighborhood Plaza Partnership, and the DOT's NYC Plaza Program converted an unused concrete traffic triangle into a pedestrian plaza. Adding moveable tables and chairs, umbrellas for the tables, and planters makes it a pleasant neighborhood site, ideal for sitting and socializing.


* The Kensington Stewards is a group of volunteers who live in Kensington and Windsor Terrace. Its members got together a few years ago to work on community projects: converting a wide sidewalk into Kensington Plaza, installing metal guards around trees on Church Avenue, planting daffodils and other flowers in the tree pits, and organizing sidewalk clean-up days.

SECOND SUNDAY OF BOOKS ON WHEELS IN AVENUE C PLAZA (FREE)

Books on Wheels

Sunday, October 30th and November 6th

noon to 4:00 p.m.

A free pop-up library on wheels visited Avenue C Plaza last Sunday and will return for the next two Sunday afternoons. The Uni Project's outdoor reading room offers books on a variety of subjects to Kensington's children of all ages as well as to adults, for reading in the plaza. 

Children can also take part in other activities, including drawing. 

The Uni Project is a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to bring learning opportunities to New York City's parks, plazas, play streets, and other public spaces. Uni partners with the local library branch near each location it visits.

Uni will be at Avenue C Plaza on these dates:

Sunday, October 30th, noon to 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 6th, noon to 4:00 p.m.

Avenue C Plaza is at the intersection of Avenue C and the east side of McDonald Avenue. (map)

BOOKS ON WHEELS RETURN TO AVENUE C PLAZA (FREE)

The Uni visits Kensington neighborhood in Brooklyn,

April 2016. 

from Uni Project on Vimeo.

Books on Wheels

Three Sundays:

October 23rd and 30th and November 6th

noon to 4:00 p.m.

A free pop-up library on wheels will visit Avenue C Plaza for the next three Sunday afternoons. The Uni Project's outdoor reading room will offer books on a variety of subjects to Kensington's children of all ages as well as adults, to read in the plaza.

Children can also take part in other activities, including drawing.

This won't be Uni's first visit to Avenue C Plaza: it participated in the plaza's inaugural event in April (pictured in the video above).

The Uni Project is a nonprofit organization. Its mission is  bringing learning opportunities to New York City's parks, plazas, play streets, and other public spaces. Uni partners with the local library branch near each location it visits.

Uni will be at Avenue C Plaza on these dates:

• Sunday, October 23rd, noon to 4:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 30th, noon to 4:00 p.m.
• Sunday, November 6th, noon to 4:00 p.m.

Avenue C Plaza is at the intersection of Avenue C and the east side of McDonald Avenue. (map)

BANGLA-LANGUAGE FLYER: DISCOVER THE NEW AVENUE C PLAZA: A ONE-DAY PLAZA EVENT

DESCUBRE LA NUEVA PLAZA DE AVE C: UNA "PLAZA POR UN DIA"

DISCOVER THE NEW AVENUE C PLAZA: A ONE-DAY PLAZA EVENT

Performance/Dance Schedule

1pm-1:45pm - The Bond Street Theatre‘s Shinbone Alley Stilt Band. Strut from Avenue C Plaza to Kensington Plaza and back, ending at Avenue C Plaza

1:50pm-2:05pm - Opening Remarks New York City Councilmember Brad Lander, The Kensington Stewards, and others in Bengali and Spanish

2:10-2:35pm - The Famous Accordion Orchestra, led by composer/accordionist Bob Goldberg

240-2:45pm - BIPA (Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts) Performance 1 (Split for Costume Change)

2:55-3:20pm - Feringhees, a Bangladeshi-American Rock Band

3:20-3:25pm - BIPA Performance 2

3:30-4:05pm - Contemporary Variety music (not live)

●      The Singing Winds, Storytelling by Jill Reinier

4:10-4:25pm - " A Dancer's Day," Dance-Cardio Fitness Class by Taseen Ferdous

4:30-5:00pm - Dance Party with Ritmosis, an Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz band.  Taseen Ferdous will encourage participants to dance.

Other Activities

2:30pm-5pm

●      Uni-Project Pop-Up Mobile Reading Room

●      “Energetic Painting” by  Diana Sanzone

●      Plant Workshop & Giveaway by Sue Braverman

●      Cynthia’s Arts & Crafts by Cynthia Fortozo

●      Participatory Budgeting Voting Location

●      Info Table with DOT Street Ambassadors

Grants from The Scherman Foundation to The Horticultural Society of New York’s Neighborhood Plaza Partnership program are partially funding the April 3 program.

The Kensington Stewards are a Project of the Open Space Institute, Inc.

AVENUE C PLAZA PLANNING MEETING (MARCH 10TH)

Avenue C Plaza Meeting with

The Kensington Stewards

Thursday, March 10th

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

Join the Kensington Stewards at a meeting to plan the opening of a second pedestrian plaza in Kensington. The public space would be a gathering place for neighbors, located on the existing concrete triangle on McDonald Avenue at Avenue C.

The plaza will have movable tables and chairs, umbrellas, planters, a granite block like the one at Kensington Plaza, and a mural painted on the ground to create a pleasing look.

If you'd like more information about the meeting or about the plaza, send an e-mail to Dorothy Le from Neighborhood Plaza Partnership at DLe @ thehort.org or call her at (212) 757-0915, extension 125.

Meeting location
Windsor Terrace Library 
160 E. 5th Street
between Fort Hamilton Parkway and Caton Avenue 
Windsor Terrace - Kensington

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

The plaza at Avenue C is a joint project of the Kensington Stewards and the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP).

About the Kensington Stewards

The Kensington Stewards is a group of volunteers who live in Kensington and got together a few years ago to work on community projects: getting Kensington Plaza built, getting metal guards put around trees on Church Avenue, planting daffodils and other flowers by the trees, and holding sidewalk clean-up days.

About the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP) Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP), a program of The Horticultural Society of New York, is working with The Kensington Stewards. With their professional guidance, the plaza will be clean, green, and well-managed.

HELP PLAN THE NEW PLAZA AT MCDONALD AND AVENUE C

Avenue C Plaza Planning Meeting

Thursday, January 14th

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

A second pedestrian plaza is in the works for Kensington; this one will be at the intersection of McDonald Avenue and Avenue C. Everyone interested in learning about what has been accomplished so far as well as helping to plan the plaza is invited to the next meeting of the Kensington Stewards at the Windsor Terrace Library.

Some of the features of the plaza would be movable tables and chairs, umbrellas, planters, and a granite block.

The proposed plaza is a joint project of the Kensington Stewards and the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP), who would work together to manage the plaza and keep it clean.

The Kensington Stewards 
The Kensington Stewards is a group of volunteers who live in Kensington and Windsor Terrace that got together a few years ago to work on community beautification and quality-of-life projects: creating Kensington Plaza, protecting trees on Church Avenue with metal tree guards, planting daffodils and other flowers around the trees, and holding community "sidewalk clean-up days."

Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP)
Neighborhood Plaza Partnership is a program of The Horticultural Society of New York that is working with The Kensington Stewards. With their professional guidance, the proposed plaza would be clean, green, and well-managed.

For more information, contact Dorothy Le of the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership at dle @ thehort.org or (212) 757-0915, x. 125.

Meeting location
Windsor Terrace Library
160 E. 5th Street, corner of Fort Hamilton Parkway
Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

THE PLAN FOR THE PUBLIC PLAZA AT AVENUE C

Public Meeting: Plan for Public Plaza at Avenue C

Thursday, October 22nd, 6:30 p.m.

Residents and neighbors who live or work near Avenue C and McDonald Avenue: you are invited to a public meeting to learn more about the proposed pedestrian plaza and art for the plaza surface. 

The flyer above shows the proposed pedestrian plaza's location--where there is currently an empty, unused, unattractive concrete triangle (upper right). 

The plaza's amenities, including moveable tables and chairs, umbrellas, planters, a granite block, and flexible bollards are shown on the bottom right of the flyer. 

In the middle left is the artwork for the plaza surface. The painting, which would cover the entire surface of the plaza, is called "Pond Island." The proposal by neighborhood artist Anney Fresh was selected from twenty-two entries submitted to the art competition.

If you would like more information about the plaza or the meeting, send an e-mail to Dorothy Le from Neighborhood Plaza Partnership at DLe @ the hort.org or call her at (212) 757-0915, extension 125.

The proposed plaza is a joint project of the Kensington Stewards and the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP). The Stewards and NPP would manage the plaza and keep it clean.

The Kensington Stewards is a group of volunteers who live in Kensington and got together a few years ago to work on community beautification and quality-of-life projects: creating Kensington Plaza, protecting trees on Church Avenue with metal tree guards, planting daffodils and other flowers around the trees, and holding community "sidewalk clean-up days."

Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP), a program of The Horticultural Society of New York, is working with The Kensington Stewards. With their professional guidance, the proposed plaza would be clean, green, and well-managed. 

Meeting location
P.S. 179 Cafeteria
202 Avenue C, between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets
Kensington

DESIGN PRESENTATION FOR PLAZA AT AVENUE C

The Department of Transportation tomorrow night, June 22nd, will present to Community Board 12's Transportation Committee the Avenue C at McDonald Avenue Plaza Proposal. The proposal reflects community input that the department obtained in a public workshop in April. 

The meeting with the Transportation Committee will be on Monday, June 22nd, at 7:00 p.m., on the third floor of the Amico Senior Center, 5901 13th Avenue, corner of 59th Street. The entrance is on 59th Street.

The next night, June 23rd, at the community board's monthly meeting, the committee will present its findings to the board, and the board will vote to approve or disapprove the proposal. Same time, same location.

The Kensington community is invited to attend both meetings. If you would like to comment about the plaza, arrive fifteen minutes before the meeting starts and add your name to the list of speakers.

PLAN FOR A PLAZA AT AVENUE C AND MCDONALD AVENUE WILL BE HEARD BY COMMUNITY BOARD

The Neighborhood Plaza Partnership has received confirmation from the Department of Transportation (DOT) that DOT will present the Avenue C at McDonald Avenue Plaza Proposal to the Community Board 12 (CB 12) at the following meetings next week:

• CB 12 Transportation Committee Meeting: Monday, June 22nd, 7:00 p.m., at the Amico Senior Center, 5901 13th Avenue
  

• Full CB 12 Meeting: Tuesday, June 23rd, 7:00 p.m., at the Amico Senior Center, 5901 13th Avenue

 

At the June 22nd meeting, DOT plans to present the updated Avenue C at McDonald Avenue Plaza Proposal, which should reflect feedback from the public workshop. For the June 23rd Full Board meeting, the plan is for the Community Board to vote on the plaza proposal.

Attend one or both meetings and show your support for the proposed plaza. If you plan to speak in support, arrive fifteen minutes before the start of the meeting to sign up on the list of speakers.

সার্বজনীন কর্মশালা: AVENUE C PLAZA

সার্বজনীন কর্মশালা: AVENUE C PLAZA

বুধবার, 29 এপ্রিল, 2015, সন্ধ্যা 7:30 থেকে সন্ধ্যা 9:00

P.S. 179 Cafeteria, 202 Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn

TALLER PUBLICO: UN ESPACIO PUBLICO PEATONAL

Taller Publico: Avenue C Plaza

Miercoles, 29 de abril de 2015, 7:30 p.m a 9:00 p.m.

P.S. 179 Cafeteria, 202 Avenue C

Kensington, Brooklyn 

SECOND PEDESTRIAN PLAZA POSSIBLE FOR KENSINGTON

 

Public Workshop for

Pedestrian Plaza in Kensington

Wednesday, April 29th, 7:30 p.m.

Proposed Pedestrian Plaza at

McDonald Avenue and Avenue C 

in Kensington, Brooklyn

Kensington residents have an opportunity to get a second pedestrian plaza in our neighborhood. All that we're being asked to do is go to a meeting at P.S. 179 and explain that we want it. Community support makes a difference.

In 2012, when we wanted our first pedestrian plaza, the Department of Transportation (DOT) agreed to give it to us. It's Kensington Plaza on Beverley Road, near McDonald Avenue. If residents approve a second plaza and the community board also agrees to it, DOT will build it.

The existing, unused concrete triangle on McDonald Avenue, near the intersection of Avenue C, would be the location for this new public space. DOT would provide us with moveable tables and chairs, umbrellas, and planters. The Kensington Stewards and the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership would manage the plaza and keep it clean.

Please voice your opinion at a public workshop about this addition to our neighborhood. Offer suggestions for its design and how it could be used so it would benefit the community. Show your support for it at the workshop at P.S. 179, 202 Avenue C (between E. 2nd and E. 3rd streets), on Wednesday, April 29th, at 7:30 p.m.

To arrange for physical access to the workshop, contact Emily Weidenhof at the Department of Transportation at (212) 839-4325 or eweidenhof @ dot.nyc.gov.

The Kensington Stewards is a group of volunteers who live in Kensington and got together a few years ago to work on community projects: getting Kensington Plaza built, getting metal guards put around trees on Church Avenue, planting daffodils and other flowers by the trees, and holding sidewalk clean-up days.

Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP), a program of The Horticultural Society of New York, is working with The Kensington Stewards. With their professional guidance, our plaza will be clean, green, and well-managed.