Earth 2100 Screening * Wednesday 6:30

The Sierra Club and F.R.O.G.G (Friends and Residents of the Greater Gowanus) are hosting a showing of Earth 2100("Could This Be The Final Century Of Our Civilization?"),a documentary about climate change and how it will effect our futures as all manner of natural occurances such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and the like intensify as a result.

Followed by a discussion on planning for climate change by and with those who attend the showing.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Carroll Gardens Library
396 Clinton Street (corner of Union Street)
6:30 PM
Free

Urban Divers Enviromedia Mobile Debuts!

Ludger Balan founder of the Urban Divers accepting one of two nice checks, this one from Waste Management! The other was a very nice sum from Assemblymember William Colton.

So nice to have some GOOD POSITIVE news regarding our urban waterways! Today I attended the unveiling of the fab Enviromedia Mobile which travels to schools throughout the NY area educating about all things aquatic in front of Brooklyn Borough Hall. Inside this long metal trailer your will find everything from aquatic artistic inspiration, info about effects of climate change on marine life amongst many other relevant topics. The mobile also has a lot of very cool historical nautical items and has a wonderful wood planked floor (you feel like you are on a boat once inside the metal trailer!). It is quite a accomplishment.

*After 11 years of continuing dedication, including eight years in conception and design, and three years of intense hard work. The Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy has conceived a unique learning and cultural tool to help increase environmental literacy, youth development and maritime cultural enrichment in our community, in our schools, on the waterfront in Brooklyn.Senator Velmanette Montgomery, one of the few politicians to come out publicly to be for the EPA cleaning the Gowanus Canal (ie: she is PRO Superfund!) was there.

While there, F.I.B heard from reliable political sources that Mayor Bloomberg's push to have the city clean the canal is not deterring the EPA from stopping any plans for doing it themselves. Great News!!!! Is that an IRON LUNG?! Do correct me if I am wrong...FIB has more photos but the computer is dying, if it's not the camera, it's the computer, oy.... a (low tech operation here, anyone have an old laptop to donate? I have no shame!)

Anyway, the Enviromedia Mobile is an environmental center/museum and it travels to schools, community fairs/events, as well as host waterfront environmental awareness activities (e.g. eco-cruises, live underwater video exploration, birds of prey, clean-ups), in order to encourage Brooklyn residents and the general public to engage in environmental education, environmental stewardship, and maritime as to raise awareness about the ecological significance of the Gowanus Canal and the environmental impact that challenges it as well other waterways in New York’s estuarine ecosystem and urban watershed—where we live, work, play, learn and worship.

You can contact the Urban Divers Enviromedea Mobile at enviromediamobile.udec@gmail.com
to learn more or to set up an appointment for them to come to your school or neighborhood.

Congrats you crazy Urban Divers! (Yes they dive in the waters of NYC!)

* From the Urban Diver's press release.

The Gowanus Canal has ALWAYS been Stigmatized...Superfund Gowanus!

One of FROGG's Fabulous Founders, Linda Mariano, shown on the Carroll Street Bridge over the Gowanus Canal, is campaigning for the Superfund.

This wonderful article is reprinted from yesterday's Daily News. Please do not forget to comment on the EPA's website, there is only 2 days left to do so!


It's the battle for the Gowanus Canal.

The controversy surrounding the polluted waterway has inspired great passions on both sides in Carroll Gardens, complete with posters, buttons, flyers, marathon meetings and YouTube videos."I've never seen a campaign like this ever, anywhere," said federal Superfund Director Walter Mugdan. "I've never heard of one ever, anywhere."

In the past few weeks, the Bloomberg administration has held two public meetings with residents and business owners in its campaign to stop the Gowanus frombeing designated a federal Superfund site.City officials have also put together a voluminous 100-page comment to submit to the federal Environmental Protection Agency by Wednesday's deadline, with a final decision not expected until at least September. Superfund supporters, meanwhile, have been going door-to-door with their "Superfund Me!" posters and buttons.

At a meeting with business owners, Bloomberg official Cas Holloway said a Superfund designation for the canal would drive away development."There is in fact a stigma attached to a Superfund listing," said Holloway. "Property values decline and they generally don't bounce back. . . . There is difficulty refinancing, securing loans and obtaining insurance."

But Mugdan said the city's appeals to locals rest on claims that range from "a little bit misleading" to "just point-blank wrong."
At an earlier meeting with homeowners, most weren't buying the city's cleanup plan, which hinges on getting congressional funding for a cleanup and convincing past polluters to voluntarily help pay for it."Why is the city expending our money trying to talk us out of what we're being given by the EPA?" said Rita Miller, 54, who owns a home on Second Place. "They want to clean it up, let them clean it up."Kevin Duffy, 42, brandished a city flyer with anti-Superfund talking points and said, "It's a lie. It's spin."Some business owners were more receptive to the alternative plan. Daniel Tinneny said two of the 10 commercial tenants at the property he owns along the canal have already threatened to leave because of the Superfund listing and rising taxes."They were leery of it from the beginning," he said. "I'm lucky if I can hang on to my tenants."

A group of businesses and developers called the Clean Gowanus Now! Coalition has collected hundreds of postcards to send to the EPA opposing Superfund, according to local activist Buddy Scotto, a coalition member.

"You designate it a Superfund site and every private developer along the canal is going to hit the panic button," he said. "How are they going to sell apartments next to a Love Canal?"

On the other side, more than 600 people have signed a petition supporting the Superfund listing.

Linda Mariano, a founder of Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus, has gone door-to-door passing out the "Superfund Me!" posters that have popped up in windows of homes and businesses in the area. The pro-Superfund faction also sports buttons touting its cause and has posted videos on YouTube.

"The Gowanus Canal has always been stigmatized," Mariano said, adding that city officials "have no real plan."

"It's a question of contaminated water or clean water," Mariano said. "Who would choose contaminated water?"

Please submit your comments here!

REMINDER! Gowanus E.P.A. SuperFund Meeting this Tuesday Night

Public Information Forum with the U.S Environmetal Protection Agency Regarding the Gowanus Canal Nomination for Superfund
Tuesday April 14th
PS 32 317 Hoyt Street
7pm


If you have any interest at all in the clean up of the Gowanus Canal I URGE you to attend this meeting. There have been a lot of twists and turns regarding clean up and development. Residents tirelessly have dragged themselves to meetings, hearings, have sent comments regarding the rezoning of the canal for the past year. Last month the city gave approval for a spot rezoning to take place so that developers the Toll Brothers could build their condos between Carroll and 2nd Street on the banks of the canal. Any cleanup that was to be done on this site was in the hands of the developers, a frightening thought in this day and age of people being screwed by corporations and banks. There are members of the community such as Buddy and Debby Scotto, who supposedly want a clean canal but are now balking about this highly toxic site receiving Superfunds so that the Environmental Protection Agency can do a proper job before any building takes place. Now, any rational person would think that one would clean BEFORE building but NO! Scare tactics from the developers have quickly occurred. Today I received a press release from the Toll's "public policy consultant's claiming:
Superfund Designation is Wrong Way to Clean Up the Gowanus Canal With No Funding and the Promise of Lengthy Litigation, Federal Involvement Will Only Diminish Property Values, Stunt Development and Muddy the Waters" and a business on Smith Street had a stack of papers published anonymously (hmm i wonder just who it is?) pablum along the same lines. They are inviting people to come to the meeting with local real estate people and other scare tactics. The general theme is all about property values going down with no THOUGHT at ALL about just WHY the EPA feels that this area needs clean up or about health issues or the future.

Judging by the media blitz I am sure in addition to people being for or against this on their own terms, there will also be a ton of paid union guys talking about being willing to endanger their health for a job.

I would like to quote a long time member of F.R.O.G.G (Friends and Residents of the Gowanus Canal, a neighborhood group has tirelessly fought for the clean up of the canal through the correct channels:

"It would be a great loss to this community to pass up the financial help and expertise that the Superfund listing will bring to this area wide Gowanus Cleanup. It may be the only opportunity that will lead to the water complying with the Clean Water Act. (Nothing else could be better for our home values than this, nothing!Nothing else could be better for our health and well being, NOTHING! No amount of affordable housing could take the place of havinga clean waterway for our future! Having a clean waterway that supports planned developments is the only way to go.)

It would be a great loss to the community and the city as a whole if Toll and Buddy put their clout behind stopping this when,it looks like Toll Inc may not be in the financial position to build now anyway. The news on condo sales in the city is that values are to drop for another 4-5 years. With these kind of financial indicators, we should all take a step back. This may be the perfect timing to addressthe Gowanus Canal. The Pump tunnel work is to begin this spring. The Army Corp is part of that whole aeration process that will be put into place soon with much water quality testing going on during this process. The Army Corp has already done much study work--there is good science going on here--not the lopsided science that pops up in EIS's to support one opinion.

Touche!

Important F.R.O.G.G Meeting Tuesday!

This Toll Brothers rep is just SO excited to build build build on toxic land! Say good bye to that background cause it's gonna be all glass and steel if he gets his way!

If you live in the Gownaus Canal area and care about the POSSIBLE upcoming zoning changes which would allow some very large condominiums to be built starting on Bond Street with the Toll Brothers, I urge you to attend a meeting held by local citizens activist group F.R.O.G.G. (Friends and Residents of the Gowanus Canal) on Tuesday. To be discussed is the upcoming meeting with CB6 Land Use Committee meeting on Thursday, Sept. 25. regarding this matter. F.R.O.G.G has been pouring over the Enviromental Impact Statement that the Toll Brothers have released (which is the size of two phonebooks by the way) and this will most likely be the major topic. From what I hear it is not complete. Traffic rather than environmental issues seem to be more important to them. To quote a F.R.O..G.G member who has been studying the tome since it's been released.

"525,309 zoning square feet, 447 dwelling units with 268 Parking spaces and all they need to do is get the DOT to adjust traffic light timing. (Oh and of course, make sure that the DEP rehab's that Flushing Tunnel so the concentrations of hydrogen sulfide in the air is brought under control--they hope.)"

F.R.O.G.G Meeting: Tuesday September 16 at 6:30 in the back room at Smith & Vine, 268 Smith Street.

Also check out this excellent but chilling video posted over at Pardon Me For Asking regarding another toxic brownfield site in the hood called Public Place - Brownfield of Dreams.

And another thing, if someone invites you to the Gowanus Dredgers Benefit "Bacchanal" sponsored by the Toll Brothers amongst others, don't go. It happens to be on the SAME night as the CB 6 land use committee meeting by the way! They will do anything in order to have a dock and storage area like even believe that corporate developers will clean up the canal correctly! If i had the time I want to photoshop into their invite which depicts a peaceful moonlit canoe ride with low buildings along the canal and replace it with the cold glass structures that MIGHT be built.


F.R.O.G.G Meeting: Tuesday September 16 at 6:30 in the back room at Smith & Vine, 268 Smith Street.

Photo from the New York Times

Free "Gowanus Transformations" Walking Tour Saturday Afternoon at 2pm.

Christine Mackellar and Margaret Maugenest, curators of the show currently at The Brooklyn Historical Society called "Gowanus-Transformations" will be leading a free walking tour of the many interesting businesses that thrive in the Gowanus area.

The walk conincides with the exhibit, which is a celebration of 150 years of manufacturing around the Gowanus and will be up until August 24th at the Brooklyn Historical Society.

The tour starts at Claireware, corner of Union and Nevins a 2pm on Saturday, June 21st.

Click here to learn more about the show.

F.R.O.G.G Receives Grant to Investigate Gowanus Water & Land Contaminants!

Great News! F.R.O.G.G (Friends and Residents of the Gowanus Canal) have received $275,000.00 grant from the state to investigate the aquatic brownfield and upland brownfield contaminants in and around the canal. As so many public officials and developers are chomping at the bit to rezone so they can dig and construct along this canal, the timing on this could not be better.

Congratulations F.R.O.G.G!!!

Below is a a copy of the original proposal which outlines what is hoped to be achieved with this grant.

Gowanus Canal Corridor Aquatic Brownfield & Upland Brownfield Area
Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program Pre-Nomination Study

Submitted by:
Friends of Community Board 6, Inc
Friends & Residents of Greater Gowanus
Brooklyn Community Board Six
____________________________________

Community Vision and Goals and Objectives.

The community vision is to realize a cleaner body of water no longer subject to contamination from combined sewer overflow (CSO) events. Natural run-off from adjacent properties some of which are brownfields and other pathways will also be investigated. BOA funding will enable us to further explore all contaminant pathways to develop a strategic plan for permanent, sustainable improvements to the ambient environmental quality of the Gowanus Canal and its environs. A remarkable amount of science and study materials have been underdevelopment on this study area for a number of years, studies produced on the city, state and federal levels. A cohesive community-driven plan, which put that science to use in order to achieve the primary goal of a clean waterway and sound environment, is still needed.

A goal of this proposed study is to develop plans that work towards a sustainable brownfield cleanup in the designated area; and to ensure that public money and tax incentives used for brownfield cleanup in the area not only achieve required cleanup levels, but maintain designated cleanup level for the proposed upland uses. While we have piecemeal information on water- and land-based contamination, we lack information on the dynamics of cross-contamination between the two.

After consideration of the aquatic brownfield contaminants and their impact on the banks and adjacent lands, the community could then look at a contextual approach to any development plans within this BOA, and suggest ways to enhance the region in a way that is consistent with the history of the Canal and its physical and natural properties, using science as a guide to what is possible and what is necessary for sustainable environmental cleanup.

Current development proposals in the area—presently under the state Brownfield Cleanup Area program-represent one aspect of the community’s view of the Canal and it corridor, yet competing development proposals do not accord with legal zoning and are inconsistent with the existing historical neighborhood character. At this time, such developments may restrict and/or eliminate all opportunity to address the extent of the aquatic brownfield conditions and run the risk of not being sustainable brownfield cleanup sites for the intended use, due to the unmitigated and ongoing surrounding contamination within the waterway.

While ideas regarding the development of the Canal vary among local groups and government agencies, current proposed development designs do not accord with legal zoning and are inconsistent with the existing historical neighborhood character. The BOA grant would allow us to address this issue, and also to harmonize growing constituency of interested parties, including residents, businesses, and environmental groups, to preserve the existing historical low-density neighborhood character, preserve and support maritime uses for properties adjacent to the waterway. Any revitalization strategies must also include and supplement current Department of Environmental Conservation efforts to clean the water and also the Army Corps of Engineers’ efforts to restore wetlands at various points along the banks of the Canal. We will also be able to consider building designs for possible commercial and residential development consistent with a “green district.”

Public Service Announcement-Gowanus Rezoning Meeting on Monday.

I received this email from "Friends of Bond" about a FROGG meeting.

"There is supposed to be a report on the City planning Rezoning of Gowanus meeting. Also on their agenda is 'How Bond Street will be affected by zoning change.We are planning a meeting for FOB sometime after memorial day. I will keep you posted."

Monday May 21
6:30pm
Smith and Vine tasting room
268 Smith Street

Friends & Residents of Greater Gowanus Meeting Monday April 16th.

Here's some info passed on from "Friends of Bond Street"

"The FROGG meeting is Monday April 16, at 6:30 in the Old Can Factory on 3rd and 3rd.
They plan on having a strategy session for the meeting that is happening on the 19th.
I think both meetings are important and should be well attended.

The Community Board 6 meeting is happening on Thursday, April 19 at 6:00 to be held at P.S. 32 at 317 Hoyt Street (brwn Union and President.)

As a separate group—Friends of Bond Street—we will be going to City Planning ourselves, to voice our concerns for the neighborhood, specifically Bond Street. I will plan on setting this meeting up for sometime after April 19 meeting."