From The New York Shitty Inbox: Withdrawn…

March 30, 2011 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

…or at least postponed. The following was forwarded to me by an anonymous tipster who opines:

Interesting. I’d prefer if you kept my name off this if you post… I think he made the right decision based on the reaction from community. I wonder at what moment he had the realization that his dream was crushed… Or, at least, delayed 12 months.

Dear prospective vendors:

As you may have heard, there has been a storm of opposition to the Bazaar by locals in Greenpoint. Vocal and influential residents complained that the Bazaar would bring increased traffic, compromise public parking, intensify noise and garbage over a sustained period. Many felt that the Bazaar was an attack on their relatively quiet neighborhood.  In response to these complaints, we made several concessions but the public image of the event got badly damaged and our ability to attain the required permits has been significantly compromised. Out of respect for the Greenpoint community, we will hold off on opening the Bazaar in 2011 and will be regrouping for 2012, making sure that the community is fully supportive.

For those that contributed by kickstarter, you should have received an e-mail with instructions on getting your pledge back.

For those that contributed on PayPal, I will be contacting you shortly.

We look forward to re-connecting next year. Thanks to all of you that have provided so much support over the past 5 months.Please contact me directly with any questions or concerns. Thanks.

Aaron

So there have you, folks.

Miss Heather

Live From Last Night’s Meeting Regarding The Brooklyn Night Bazaar

March 29, 2011 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

Yours truly did not being along her FlipCam to last night’s meeting. In the clarity of hindsight this was a mistake: this meeting lasted approximately two hours. However, a great deal of the people who spoke made points that were rather redundant. The general sentiments of the attendees essentially boiled down to two statements:

  1. I do not want this in my back yard.
  2. The organizer of this event is a liar.

I care not to attest to the veracity of the latter statement. I am merely reporting what appeared to be the sentiments of the people present. In any case the co-chairs of the Greenpoint Business Alliance did a wonderful job keeping last night’s public forum civilized. There was no profanity of any kind to be heard. One citizen seemed to have had problems comprehending points #3 and #4; he was shouted down. Without further ado follows is some footage I shot from last night’s proceedings. Pay particular attention to the revised “plan” for this event. Enjoy!

It was at this point my camera ran out of memory! Nonetheless here’s New York Shitty analysis/a VERY brief synopsis of what followed:

  1. I find the prospect of 27 West Street being sublet during the week for events troublesome.
  2. I find the Open Space Alliance’s opposition to this event intriguing. As an entity which outlays a substantial amount of its resources on conducting concerts in our public parks, one would presume they would be behind this endeavor. This is not the case. This would lead one to wonder if the prospect of having “competition” in this arena (remember: they do more or less have a monopoly on such events hereabouts) is the real matter at hand. A fellow attendee, the fabulous Tommy of Alter did in a manner of speaking bring this to the table. The answer he received was at best evasive. He was told, among other things that concerts should be held in one place. That one place was, by implication, East River State Park. I want you to think about this and what happened to JellyNYC for a moment.*
  3. A handful of people present pressed the Greenpoint Business Alliance to take a position on this bazaar. It was emphasized by the co-chairs that this event places them in a rather difficult position: while some businesses may possibly benefit from the Brooklyn Night Bazaar, others may not.
  4. Building upon point #4, Eric of the Red Star Bar brought up a very prescient point: is the lack of local involvement in terms of organizing said Bazaar an issue? Methinks it most assuredly is. As he plainly stated local businesses are stake-holders in the community and as such have to be very cognizant about being good neighbors. Someone who is operating an event here for four months does not.
  5. The plans for this bazaar seem to be changing on a daily basis and this makes it difficult to draw any reasonable, informed conclusion.
  6. Arguably the highlight of the evening was when the inimitable Ann Kansfield of the Greenpoint Reformed Church spoke. She not only admonished her fellow Greenpointers to refrain from further in-fighting and other UN-neighborly behavior but reminded us to be thankful for the the G train; if it has service interruptions of the summer this will cut down on the attendance of this bazaar significantly!

Regardless of where you may stand on this issue, I think we can all agree that it is great that the folks of the Greenpoint Business Alliance were thoughtful enough to organize last night’s hearing for the general public. Thanks guys/gals!

Miss Heather

*Here’s an intriguing two cents regarding OSA’s opposition to this bazaar I received from an anonymous tipster:

osa opposition to this bazaar … could it have something to do with one of their board members is the co-owner of artists and fleas … was osa opposed to brooklyn flea heading over to the edge?   this really seems wrong on osa’s part as the fundraising arm for north brooklyn parks.   they supported the bring the night event.   it is an interesting choice for them and full conflict of interest.

From The New York Shitty Inbox, Part I: From Today’s Community Meeting Regarding the Brooklyn Night Bazaar

Today I opted to stay home and get some rest (and heat) instead of going to today’s meeting regarding the proposed night bazaar on our waterfront. In the clarity that is the New York Shitty inbox I suspect yours truly made the right decision. An anonymous tipster writes:

Well I attended the community meeting on the bazaar…

People were understandably upset and voiced their concerns about the bazaar, however, there was quite a bit of shouting and talking over each other and the guy behind the project. I feel like this is unproductive and the guy behind the bazaar was the only one who kept his cool, despite being unprepared on some key issues (total costs of cleanup & security were 2 items residents brought up that they wanted answers for as well as presence and input of the 94th). In fact, the meeting actually began with an older, red-faced woman presenting her 12 year old granddaughter to the guy, shouting, “See this girl? She’s 12 years old! I don’t want her coming down here and drinking!” Meanwhile, said 12 year old girl had NO coat and only a thin top despite the frigid 30 degree temperatures with a brisk wind coming off the water on top of it. If you’re so concerned about your granddaughter, start with dressing her properly! Also, it’s the woman’s responsibility (and the girl’s parents) to watch a 12 year old to make sure she doesn’t drink. This is like when people try to sue websites cause their kids saw something offensive, where is the parental guidance? In my opinion, the argument about the kids isn’t a good one, it’s a parent’s job to watch them and find out where they go, what they do, and who they are with.

Many questions I did not even hear the answers to because there was so much loud talking over Aaron and other residents asking questions. At one point, a resident on crutches, an older gentleman, shouted to the other residents to shut up because he wanted to hear (I believe he said something along the lines of, “who died and made you boss??” to one woman who objected). I don’t know who he was cause I haven’t seen him before, but he commanded some respect. Though, it worked for maybe 5 minutes. Kudos to him for wanting some semblance of order and to actually HEAR what was being said.

As a resident of the area affected, the concerns of other residents are very valid – I don’t want drunk people pissing & puking down my street at 2am either and my bedroom faces the front of the house. But I wish there had been more productive discourse and actual information (though both sides are at fault on that one). Maybe the bazaar folks would be amenable to alternatives. What if the bazaar was cut down to once a month for this summer only? Maybe that would be a good compromise. If it’s poorly run and a pain in the ass, then don’t have it here next year. I think the idea of the bazaar and utilizing that dead waterfront space is a good one overall, but the odds of things going wrong in a 5 month, every weekend, period seems too great a risk. However, what else can be done with that space to make it available to residents? It’s just been sitting there, rotting, for far too long. Why does it take a non-resident to have ideas on how to use that wasted space? How about coming up with productive alternatives to it that will help the community instead of just shouting that you don’t want the bazaar there? Some may counter with not to do anything with that space, but I’m afraid of what else may come in – more industry & pollution? A high rise condo that will block the sunlight from my street? Or let it continue to rot there and block residents from waterfront access while breeding rats and feral cats and squatters?

Another meeting is scheduled at Red Star on Monday evening, I believe. Not sure if I’ll make that one, but if it’s just going to be full of shouting again, I don’t think I’ll miss much.

Here’s what another attendee had to say:

It was a fiasco. There were a few angry people there acting inappropriately. There were a lot of cool people there from the Open Space Alliance who were collecting signatures to organize against the night bazaar. And a few older ladies form the neighborhood! Loved them! The dude in charge of the plan is arrogant and really does not care what the community thinks. He was talking as if they whole thing was a done deal. One of the owners of the Red Star was there and he said he hasn’t made up his mind about the project. Steve Levin’s dude was there and he said the councilman has not yet taken a position but wants to know how the community feels. Most were concerned about the bazaar bringing more trash, noise, and traffic to the community. Folks were also concerned about increased alcohol consumption, people hanging out on stoops near the waterfront, safety, and whether or not their kids could sleep if musicians or djs played until 2am. It sounds like Aaron does not yet have the proper permits or liquor license in place so there seems to be a lot of room to derail this insane idea.
But I am not certain about this. People need to get vocal and let the 94th Precinct and the Community Board know that we don’t want this bazaar in our neighborhood. The NYS Liquor Authority also needs to hear from us. They approve the liquor licenses with advice form the local community boards (I think.) Aaron has met with small business owners and some politicians and I bet he will even spin today’s meeting as his “outreach to the community.” What is clear is that he’s just going through the motions and has little regard for how this type of project might affect Greenpoint residents, especially those living closest to the waterfront. I’m going to get involved and reach out to my local leaders (Levin, state reps, congresswoman, Lincoln Restler and the boro prez.) This plan has got to be defeated!

I did hear from one of the people at the meeting that the India Street pier is almost finished and NY Waterways wants to start running ferries Memorial Day weekend. I have to check to make sure that this is accurate. THAT would be amazing! I am against the bazaar but FOR ferries coming to Greenpoint!

So there have you. When I get a confirm on the time for Monday’ meeting I will add it here— so check back!

Greenpoint Business Alliance Meeting Regarding Brooklyn Night Bazaar
March 28, 2011 starting at 7:00 p.m.
Red Star Bar
37 Greenpoint Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11222

Miss Heather

LAST GASP: STOP

March 25, 2011 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

It would appear the notion of a night-time bazaar on our waterfront has not gone over well with some of the citizenry. I for one found “problematic outdoor toilet facilities” particularly amusing. Given the state of the public lavatories hereabouts, “problematic” (which I am guessing is a kind way of saying poorly maintained and revolting) is pretty much par for the course. In this respect I fail to see how this event’s privies will be unique.

Miss Heather

P.S.: Special thanks goes out to diana gee for sending this my direction.

SATURDAY: Community Meeting Regarding The Brooklyn Night Bazaar

March 24, 2011 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

Those of you who have concerns about the proposed Brooklyn Night Bazaar (and did not receive the above fliers which were apparently posted door-to-door) mark your calendars…

Community Meeting Regard The Brooklyn Night Bazaar
Saturday, March 26, 2011 starting at noon
27 West Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222

Miss Heather

P.S.: until 2:00 a.m.?!?

From The New York Shitty Inbox, Part II: A Note From The Organizer of Brooklyn Night Bazaar

March 6, 2011 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

As some of you recall I posted an item about a proposed Night Bazaar in the works for our waterfront. While the idea strikes yours truly as being rather neat, I cannot help but be concerned about what kind of impact this event will have on the surrounding environs. To state a few examples:

  • the burden this would place on law enforcement
  • trash (which West Street has an ample amount of already)
  • noise and above all
  • traffic

Well, the gentleman behind this endeavor, Aaron Broudo, has been nice enough to contact me. Here’s a little of what he had to say regarding the above-listed concerns.

Thanks for writing back. If you have any free time, I would be very glad to meet you to go over all details. Please let me know.

Per the trash issue, we will have a full cleaning crew, which will not only clean inside 27 West after each night of the event, but will also do a full sweep of West Street and Franklin St. between Quay St. and Greenpoint Ave. along with Calyer St., Oak St., and Noble St. between West and Franklin Streets. It’s our mission to keep the Streets surrounding 27 West spotless throughout our possession of the property.

For security, within the grounds of 27 West we will be hiring a number of bouncers and security personnel from a reputable firm. In addition, we have been keeping the 94th precinct aware of our intentions for the event for the past 5 months. We are arranging a face to face meeting with the precinct, as well as the local NYFD. We will also be arranging for a dedicated police presence in the immediate vicinity to ensure those exiting the event do so safely and without incident.

For noise, we have professional sound techs with a high level of have experience directing noise from speakers to within the confines of the lot itself without spilling over to the surrounding streets. Per city regulations, live music will be shut down by 10 PM.

We will have staff directing traffic into the lot and lining the surrounding area to help with vehicle, bike and pedestrian traffic within the vicinity. I can send you our traffic mitigation plan shortly…

Looking forward to being in touch and please do let me know when you are free to meet. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I will address them. Thanks.

All in all, I have to say this looks promising start! However, I am very interested to see what in the way of a traffic mitigation plan will be put in place. In the meantime if anyone has questions about this event and/or its logistics I would love to hear them and bring them to this chap’s attention. These can be tendered via comments or email at: missheather (at) thatgreenpointblog (dot) com. Thanks!

Miss Heather

From The New York Shitty Inbox: A Bazaar on West Street?

March 4, 2011 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

This item was forwarded to me by a buddy on the Community Board 1 email list. Although Mr. Broudo has been advised by Chairman Olechokowski that Community Board 1 has no oversight over such matters (and he would have to seek permits for this series of events through the appropriate city agencies) it is my understanding he is interested in community feedback. Whether or not he will sign up to speak at the end of next week’s meeting remains to be determined. Personally I hope he does. A series of events of this size, if not carefully planned, could prove to be a colossal nuisance to the surrounding community. Then again, maybe it wouldn’t be? I guess we’ll have to wait until next week’s meeting!

Miss Heather

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