It is no secret that the Gowanus Canal has been a polluted mess for over 100 years. It should seem that everyone would be on board with a plan to repurpose the canal into a clean body of water, suitable for fishing, swimming and never be a health hazard. A nearby apartment, old or new, looking out over a bucolic, […]
Author: gbrook@pipeline.com
There is a new private school in Red Hook, by Mary Staub
Sitting between Red Hook Park and the Brooklyn Community Farm and just steps from IKEA and the Red Hook Houses, BASIS Independent School opened its doors in Red Hook last September on the corner of Columbia and Bay Streets. BASIS, a K-12 private school, is run by a corporation that operates charter schools in the Midwest. When plans for […]
Sky’s the limit for new Friends of the Red Hook Library, by George Fiala
The slow climb back for the Red Hook Library took a step forward this week with the first meeting of the Friends of the Red Hook Library. Funding for the Brooklyn Public Library has been increased the past couple of years as Mayor de Blasio and the new City Council was able to devote some more of the city’s budget […]
Red Hook’s Summit Academy collects water for Flint, by Kimberly Gail Price
Summit Academy Charter School is collecting water that will be sent directly to Flint, Michigan, where the water supply has been contaminated since early 2014. “Sharing is caring,” the school wrote in a Facebook post. “Help us help our brothers and sisters in Michigan.” The initiative started with Devon Smith, a Park Slope resident and neighbor to Summit’s Executive Founder, […]
The best NYCHA meeting ever! by George Fiala
In a stunning reversal from the past, NYCHA held a great meeting Monday night at the Miccio Center. The purpose was to present preliminary plans for an upgrade of the Red Hook Houses using money that FEMA has granted for improving the development to better cope with future flood disasters. A common complaint at many prior meetings NYCHA has held since Sandy is […]
Mark’s Corner: Nydia’s passion and engagement a stark contrast to supposed opponent, by Mark Shames
On January 21st I attended a meeting of my old political club the Independent Neighborhood Democrats. The draw for that meeting was an opportunity to hear from our sitting Congresswomen Nydia Velazquez and Yvette Clarke. We thought we would hear from Nydia’s primary challenger the banker and former deputy superintendent of the NYS Banking Department Mr. Yungman Lee, but he […]
Op Ed: Thoughts about de Blasio’s citywide rezoning ideas, by Ed Jaworski, President, Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association
Editor’s Note: What follows was a letter sent to members of the City Council and the press. Jaworski prefaces the letter with the following: As you consider the Mayor’s-City Planning (DCP) proposals for Zoning for Quality & Affordability and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, you have heard from many who very knowledgeable about the flaws of the substance of the proposals. (Note, […]
Red Hook Summit promotes unified resiliency at the Summit Academy, by George Fiala
The first Red Hook Summit was held in June, 2013 as the community was in initial Sandy recovery. It was an invitation-only event, held at Pioneer Works and included food and presentations on community organizing. It was funded by a group called the Red Hook Coalition. The Coalition was put together after Sandy and was a consortium of local […]
Reaching Red Hook audiences through a residency that blurs boundaries, by Mary Staub
From February to April, the Brooklyn-based music collective Brooklyn Raga Massive (BRM) is bringing Indian classical music fused with a wide range of contemporary and world music styles to Red Hook during a 13-week residency at Pioneer Works. Since the inception of its artist residency program in 2012, Pioneer Works, a former ironworks facility, has been fostering cross-disciplinary and cross-genre […]
Familiar Red Hook face becomes Criminal Court Judge, by Amanda Berman, Esq., Red Hook Community Justice Center
We are thrilled to announce that Karen Gopee, Court Attorney at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, was recently appointed to serve as a NYC Criminal Court Judge. Karen served as Judge Calabrese’s Court Attorney since 2006, playing a critical role in the Court as well as the community over the past nine years. Karen brought to her work […]