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Save Your Community Board -- Rally Tomorrow

Your community board needs you! While it's true that the city's CB system is flawed, it is still one of the best and most effective routes available for community activists like ourselves to interact with City government. Mayor Bloomberg has proposed cutting $35,000/year from the boards' already-meager $200,000/year budget, which covers all employees, office expenses, etc. This will mean layoffs of essential staff, and will dramatically affect boards' ability to function effectively.

As anyone who has attended a community board meeting knows, boards are charged with a wide range of tasks - from providing constituent services, to reviewing City plans and proposals. They also have a City Charter mandate to undertake comprehensive planning for their districts; however, most boards lack the technical expertise and the finances necessary to do this. Community boards need MORE support from the City to function effectively, not less.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, along with the other 4 BPs and all 59 community boards, will rally tomorrow at 11am at City Hall to urge the City Council to fully restore community board funding for the coming fiscal year. Join them and let the Council know that you support your community board!

Detail about the McCarren Park Pool Presentation to CB1

At the CB1 meeting last night, the architects, along with Julius Spiegel (Brooklyn Parks Commissioner) came to give a presentation on the pool. All of the fundng ($50 million) is still in place, and they said it will be open in two years.

It still looks the same as it did in the renderings from last year, basically--with the peninsula reaching into the pool and the water in a squared horse shoe shape. It will hold about 2,500 people. The main buildings will hold a gym and a rec center/community center. They will build cabanas off the main buildings onto the pool deck to use as changing rooms. These are essentially concrete awnings that make an enclosure with benches and lockers inside. They looked cool and modern to me.

Since the building is landmarked, not much of the exterior is being changed, which is good. A lot of the work they have to do is rebuilding--replacing almost all of the exterior brick and resurfacing the entire pool and deck. They are using the old baskets from way back in the day as an architectural accent on the ceilings on some of the rooms, which is nice. Because they are redoing the exterior brick, it is now possible that they will be able to add a comfort station--parkspeak for restroom--on the end near the playground (I think) that would be available to all park users. That is only if the whole thing stays in scope and there are no cost overruns.

They are making it all expandable--there are spaces for a future elevator and staircase up to the roof for a rooftop cafe if that comes into play with an outside vendor.

The diving pool can't be done at this time so they are going to fill it in with dirt, then put sand on top of the dirt and make it into a volleyball court. This doesn't prevent it from becoming a diving pool at a later date, though. They are putting the pipes in for this. The peninsula is usable for a wintertime ice rink, which would be done with an outside vendor like Bryant Park.

My concern was shade. The public isn't allowed to ask questions, so it didn't get asked, but as we all know, it is hot and bright in that pool, and will be more so with the sun reflecting off the water. I'm guessing Parks won't let people bring umbrellas, so will they provide umbrellas?

Another concern is that there is no lighting for the pool to be open past sunset. All NY pools close at dusk but it would be great to have the pool accessible at night. A lot of people work during the day and would like to swim at night and as we know, it is hot at night too! Also it would be possible to do small performances at night on the peninsula, wth people seated around the pool. But maybe OSA will consider this stuff later.

Phyllis Yampolsky spoke briefly and made some good points about the symmetry of the pool and preserving some of the smaller arches, which, happily, the architect assured her had been done.

-post by Mikki

Community Board 1 Meeting Update

We were provided with an update on what transpired at the Community Board 1 meeting last night by Kevin Vincent:

Chairman Vinnie Abate respectfully reinstated Teresa Toro as chair of the transportation committee. That committee has a meeting February 23rd at the CB1 office.

Parks presented the (90% complete) McCarren pool plans, a $50 million historical preservation rehabilitation of the structure. No diving pool at the moment but there will be community rooms and a recreation center. The plans were approved by the board. Swimming commences in a few years, construction begins this spring.

There's still time to submit comments on the 2010 budget needs statement submitted to the city. Due in writing to the CB1 office by February 20th. The committee responsible will meet March 4th.

Moses Gates officially submitted a proposal to hold an "adopt-a-bike lane" event for the Pulaski Bridge to advocate for a separated bike lane that would improve pedestrian and biker safety on the bridge. The proposal will be discussed at the February 23rd transportation meeting.

Help reopen East River State Park by volunteering for litter cleanup with Assemblyman Lentol and the Friends of the East River State Park. Email friendsoftheeastriverstatepark@gmail.com to volunteer.

David Yassky's office announced a new public arts project. A meeting is tentatively scheduled for Feb 23 at the Brooklyn Brewery. Contact our Rami Metal, rmetal@council.nyc.gov, for more info.

Town Square and the offices of Councilmembers Yassky and Reyna are having a "schoolfest" on March 1 for interested parents out there. Contact Lauren George at Reyna's office, lgeorge@council.nyc.gov.