Civic Association moves forward by Brian Abate

The newly reconstituted Red Hook Civic Association moved from P.S. 15 to the Red Hook Recreation Center for the June meeting. A healthy and lively crowd of 26 showed up.

Attendees voted on whether or not Civic Association meetings would be held this summer and the vast majority voted in favor of having the meetings throughout the summer.

There was an additional vote on whether or not the meetings would continue to take place in the Recreation Center and the majority of attendees voted “yes.” One of the big benefits of continuing to have the meetings at the Rec Center is that the chairs are movable which allows everyone to sit in a circle. At the P.S. 15 auditorium, that is not possible.

Another possible location for future meetings is BASIS Independent Brooklyn, but it was noted that some people might not be comfortable meeting there. For now, it looks like the next few meetings will be held at the Rec Center.

Lisa, who helped lead the meeting, mentioned that there were four people working on distributing flyers throughout the neighborhood to let people know about upcoming meetings. It would certainly be helpful if anyone else who is interested helps put up flyers too.

New attendees introduced themselves and District 38 Council Member Alexa Avilés was in attendance again.

Imre Kovacs spoke on behalf of the Public Services subcommittee and said solid progress is being made on the topics they’re prioritizing, which include the recent library closures, street cleanliness, an express bus from Red Hook to Manhattan, and ensuring that local kids are getting opportunities to use the beautiful new ballfields.

“[he Parks Department has a terrible system of reserving ballfields so a lot of times Red Hook and Sunset Park kids end up at the bottom of the list,” Councilwoman Avilés told the group.

Dave Lutz and Rob Cantave spoke on behalf of the Development/Infrastructure subcommittee and reported that many people had concerns about traffic safety and environmental impacts from the numerous last-mile distribution centers which have opened up in Red Hook.

“That’s certainly a big concern here, and we’re looking at all possibilities of using the waterways more often,” Avilés said.

Lutz also noted that another concern is the new skate park at Ickes Playground on Van Brunt St. and Hamilton Avenue which is currently under construction. It turns out that a new, large preschool will be opening up nearby.,

“We need to make the infrastructure safe for those kids,” Lutz said.

Mati Kalwill has prepared a website for the Association. He reported that it is now live and took suggestions for new features. People commented on its good design and also appreciated the complete meeting calendar, including the subcommittees.

The next general Civic Association meeting is scheduled for July 17 at 6 pm at the Rec Center. All are welcome and participation is crucial for the future of the neighborhood.

Brian Abate