Paint Frida Kahlo at S. Brooklyn Foundary 5/21

All you Frida Kahlo fans – Art with Lauren is going to teach you how to paint Frida.

On Tuesday, May 21st from 7:00 – 9:00 pm, you can paint a 11×14 canvas of Frida at the South Brooklyn Foundary.  6909 – 3rd Avenue.

Cost: $35 – Register here  (or  Venmo Artwithlauren)

*There is a one drink and appetizer minimum for all painters*

Topics: Bay Ridge | No Comments »

Participatory Budgeting #Fail in Bay Ridge

 

Here’s the projects that were voted on & won:

1. SMART Boards for P.S. 102
2. Butterfly habitat at Shore Road Park
3. Security cameras on 5th Avenue
4. SMART Boards for IS 30
5. Funding for new trees and tree guardsB

Three school projects won. It’s not that these school projects are not worthy of funding, it’s that they should have been funded from another source.  In other areas, the Council member didn’t put school projects in the participatory budget. (See here)

Why didn’t the Councilman fund the schools outside of the participatory budget? 

Councilman Brannan had other money (See here), but certain projects were put into this “Participatory Budget” list because Bay Ridge residents would vote for education. If funding school projects is part of the participatory budget in Bay Ridge, then it will always win here because everyone wants schools to do well. People aren’t aware that schools have multiple sources of funding.Another resident wrote:

Participatory budgeting was a waste of time in Bay Ridge as school projects were chosen for it.

Since children 12 and up were able to vote as well, that will skew the funding towards their school.  The voting seemed like a waste of time because school projects were included.

The butterfly habitat sounded interesting in the description that Brannan provided residents. When I saw it would take $500K, I went to see if there was more information about the project online. Essentially the money is going to be used to grow some high grass and put a sign on it.  Yes, it is going to have a sign that says it is butterfly island because you may not know why there is wild high grass without the sign as butterflies don’t live in NYC for about six months of the year. 

Voters didn’t have the description that I saw of the project:

Where did the cost of $500K come from?  Whose managing it? Is someone’s salary being paid to make or design this?  #SomethingIsntRightHere

There is going to be problems with this “butterfly area”:  no one likes high grass except ticks. Next to a door park – that doesn’t sound good.  Even more interesting, the description says “school groups” will go to it.  I don’t see that happening.

The money should have gone to fixing up one of our parks (some look terrible) or setting up a community center – something cool for residents.  

How do I know Bay Ridge did better without Participatory Budgeting? When Vincent Gentile was Councilman, we didn’t have participatory budgeting. I wondered why and I went to check how he spent the money. He funded renovations at Martini Home (see here) for developmentally disabled adults. That’s something sustainable and changed lives for people who really needed it.

Brannan’s answer to people who didn’t like the results of Participatory Budgeting is to join the Participatory Budgeting district committee (See here)…..I don’t remember him ever mentioning a PBD committee  (To the last PBD Committee: Do you realize you spent $500,000 tax dollars for bugs that live here for less than six months a year?)….#Ridiculous

Topics: Bay Ridge | No Comments »

Parent Town Hall by Senator Gounardes 5/2

Senator Gounardes is holding a Parent Town Hall Meeting on May 2, 2019 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at IS 259 – 7301 Fort Hamilton Parkway.

That’s the first I have heard of a Parent Town Hall meeting in this part of Brooklyn – very cool!

Topics: Bay Ridge | No Comments »

Brooklyn Cougars Baseball Tryouts

See here: Brooklyn Cougars Baseball

Topics: Brooklyn | No Comments »

Brake Problems on Citibikes

Citibikes are experiencing brake problems.

One man had two broken elbows.  See story

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

Now Collective – Broadway Cabaret 4/26-4/28

I never heard of The Now Collective, but they have been around for a few years.

It’s a group of young Bay Ridge artists putting together shows for April 26th, 27th and 28th.

Two of the places are restaurants (South Brooklyn Foundry and Schnitzel Haus – so that’s good for small businesses to have dinner and a show.

Buy tickets here   Saturday’s show has a $10 discount code for the 1 pm show on Saturday for Teens/Children. The code is 10NOW

Topics: Bay Ridge | No Comments »

Maybe It’s Time to Rethink Easter Photos…

Father Michael Gefant, pastor of St. Finbar’s Church posted the above Easter picture. See the look of pure joy on the little boy’s face – see it larger.

The picture is beautiful and it’s the type of picture parents aim for when they are thinking about taking Easter photos. The smiling priests and fresh flowers are much better than a creepy bunny:

This was the bunny at the Staten Island Historic Richmond Town. They were going for a Victorian Bunny, but that’s so creepy!!  They tweeted that picture and then deleted it (the little girl was in their photo – I removed her).

Equally creepy is a photo of another “Victorian Bunny” at Historic Richmond Town that appeared in the Staten Island paper – see here.

Staten Island Historic Richmond Town is one of the few places I like in Staten Island….they just need to get a less scary bunny costume.

Topics: Brooklyn | No Comments »

Need to Get Confirmed?

Topics: Bay Ridge | No Comments »

Happy Easter!

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

Tree Giveaway – Bay Ridge Library 5/11

There will be a tree giveaway at the Bay Ridge Library on Saturday, May 11, 2019 from noon to 2:00 pm.  

The library is at:  7223 Ridge Blvd.

There will be a pre-registration here but it’s too early so it’s not there. On April 27th, there is a tree giveaway in Park Slope – that form allows you to register now.
 

Topics: Bay Ridge | No Comments »

Community Board 10 Senior Resource Fair 4/30

12:30 – 1:00 pm – Police and Senior Safety Breakout Session

1:00 – 1:30 pm – DOT Traffic Safety Breakout Session

1:30 – 2:00 pm – OATS Technology Training for Seniors

Topics: Bay Ridge | No Comments »

OLPH Soccer Registration – Starts 4/27

April 27th is the OLPH Spring Soccer Academy kickoff.

More info here

Register here

There are weekly Saturday sessions that mix training, drills and games.

Topics: Bay Ridge | No Comments »