Crow Hill Community Association Blog: September 2008

Friday, September 26, 2008

Home Maintenance Workshop

Neighborhood Housing Services of East
will be hosting a Home Maintenance Workshop.
The focus will be on Energy Savings and Winter Preparation.

Thursday October 16th, 6pm.
Location: 2806 Church Ave.
(bet. Nostrand & Rogers Aves.) Brooklyn, NY.

To RSVP, call Tyrone McDonald at 718.469.4679.

NHS of East Flatbush
2806 Church Ave.Brooklyn, NY 11226
tel: 718.469.4679 ext. 8014
fax:718.469.4743

The Energy Crisis Creates Green Jobs

The Energy Crisis Creates Green Jobs

On September 12 in lower Manhattan the Center for Working Families (CWF) conducted a two hour policy briefing entitled Green Jobs/Green Homes. At the briefing, speakers from a variety of agencies presented to a crowd of over 100 of elected officials and their staffs a proposal to create jobs by greening the homes of New York City. Emmaia Gelman, senior policy organizer for the CWF stated that retrofitting a single family house in New York could cost approximately $3,000 and yield annual energy savings of $750. Thus the cost of the retrofit could be paid back in 5 years.

It is this reality that drives the CWF proposal to retrofit 1,000,000 homes and create 30,000 green jobs in five years. CWF is a policy institute created in 2006 by a consortium of local unions and non-profit activists to provide elected officials with broad-based and innovative proposals addressing important local issues. To achieve its green job goal CWF proposes using the resources of various New York State agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA), NYS Dept. of Labor, NYS Power Authority, NYS Dormitory Authority, Long Island Power Authority and other agencies.

Under the CWF proposal, a New York state retrofit program would relieve home owners of the
up-front cost by creating an investment pool to fund retrofits. The savings on the retrofits would be used to repay the investment fund for the costs of the work. Key components of the proposal include:

NYS utilities Con Ed and National Grid would collect the monies to repay the fund as part of their monthly utility bills to home owners, relieving the investment fund of billing and collection obligations. It is well-known that utility bills are among the first bills home owners pay each month and that utilities experience very low default rates.
All retrofits would be conducted by NYSERDA trained and approved energy contractors, guaranteeing a high quality of workmanship and ensuring that the energy savings would occur.
Labor union tradesmen would work with contractors in the field to ensure that workers were properly trained and the work properly performed.
Savings would be under-estimated to ensure that repayment monies were available. For
example, if a home owner’s utility bills were $300 per month before the retrofit, he would only be asked for pay $290 per month after the retrofit. Part of this monthly payment would cover the cost of gas and electric charges and part would repay the retrofit loan.

Around Thanksgiving the CFW plans to issue a White Paper that will provide more details about how the proposed plan would work. Ms. Gelman hopes that when the State legislature reconvenes in January, this White Paper will form the basis of enabling legislation to make this proposal a reality.

Be sure to tell your elected officials to support this exciting project.
NYS Assemblyman Karim Camara - 718-756-1776. central Crown Heights
NYS Assemblywoman Annette Robinson - 718-399-7630 East Crown Heights
NYS Assemblyman Hakim Jeffries - 718-596-0100 west Crown Heights
NYS Senator Eric Adams - (718) 284-4700.

Give them a call today!

Citywide Tenant Demonstration

October 1: Citywide Tenant Demonstration

Next Wednesday, October 1st, the Real Rent Reform Campaign and hundreds of tenants will rally on the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building Plaza, starting at 5:30 pm, to protest attacks on affordable housing and demand real improvements to New York housing. I strongly encourage you to attend!

October 1st is the day the unjust rent increases approved by the Rent Guidelines Board take effect. If you represent rent-regulated tenants or are yourself a rent-regulated tenant and are worried about what high rents will mean for you and your community, please join tenants from across New York for a massive demonstration against these unfair increases. In addition to protesting the hikes we are calling for a legislative reform of the RGB. The rally will be held in the plaza in front of the Harlem State Office Building at 163 W. 125th Street (at Adam Clayton Powell Blvd) at 5:30 p.m. For more information or to officially endorse the rally, email me at the NYIC or contact Andrés Mares-Muro at Andres@tandn.org or call at 212-608-4320 ext. 316.

How can you get involved?
■ Join R3 for a press conference on 10/1 at Noon on City Hall Steps
■ Attend the rally and bring your friends, kids, coworkers and neighbors!
■ Spread the word: Forward information to everyone you know and join us for a phone-banking
and poster making party on Sunday September 28th starting at 5pm at Housing Conservation
Coordinators, 777 10th Ave. Please RSVP to Lucas Shapiro at (212) 716-1664 or
LShapiro@hcc-nyc.org
■ Buy an R3 T-shirt and help defray the cost of this effort. For more information about T-shirts,
the rally or the campaign email me at the NYIC or Andres at Tenants and Neighbors
Andres@tandn.org.

To support the New York Immigration Coalition, please visit http://www.thenyic.org/ (or click here).

137-139 West 25th. St., 12th Floor
New York, New York 10001
212-627-2227
http://www.thenyic.org/

Monday, September 22, 2008

CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR NEW YORK

ATTENTION: CROWN HEIGHTS RESIDENTS

Are you tired of:

Wrongful evictions
Gun Violence and drug dealing
Being ignored by elected officials

Then let's get organized !!!

COALITION MEETING: SATURDAY Sept. 27, 2008
At the Brower Park Library
725 St. Marks Ave
(between Nostrand & New York Aves)
From 1:00 - 3:00 PM

For more information contact:
Debra A. Griffin (646) 267-4509 or (212) 822-9587

Friday, September 12, 2008

3 Rallies Against the Intake Center

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING CHANGES AND ADDITIONS

The hearing for the committee on General Welfare has been postponed until TUESDAY, Sept 23, 2008 at 10AM City Hall in the committee room.

There are still 3 important events to attend this week

Thursday, September 18 at 12:30 pm
Assemblyman Karim Camara will be hosting the Ecumenical Press Conference in Opposition to the Intake Center at The Church of St. Gregory the Great - 991 St. Johns betw'n New York and Brooklyn Aves

Evangeline Porter, President of the Crow HIll Community Association and Margaret McFarlane, Secretary of 1152 Pacific Street HDFC will be presenting our letters at the above press conference.

Friday, September 19
9 AM -Press Rally City Hall steps
10 AM -State Assembly Hearing on moving the intake center, 250 Broadway (19th Floor) - across the street from City Hall

(Visit CHRM's web site for more information)

Friday, September 5, 2008

GUN BUY BACK PROGRAM

Frequently Asked Questions:

HOW DO I BRING A GUN TO THE DROP OFF SITE?
Gun must be put in a plastic or paper bag or in a shoe box.

CAN I TRANSPORT THE GUN IN A CAR?
* If transporting the gun by car, gun must be transported in the trunk of the car.

WHEN DO I GET THE CASH CARD?
* After the gun is screened by officers, and determined to be a working firearm, a cash card will be given. This card is valid for 30 days from date of issuance.

CAN I SURRENDER A RIFLE OR SHOTGUN?
* In addition to handguns, rifles and shotguns will be accepted.

CAN I SURRENDER A BB GUN OR AIR PISTOL?
* BB guns and Air pistols will be accepted and a $20.00 cash card will be given.

HOW MANY GUNS CAN I SURRENDER?
* You can surrender as many guns as you wish but you will only be paid for three guns.

IS THERE A PHONE NUMBER I CAN CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION?
* Yes, you can call 311 for information regarding the “Pay for Peace Gun Buy Back Program”.

CAN ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC SURRENDER A GUN?
* Yes, except guns owned by active or retired law enforcement officers or licensed gun dealers will not be accepted.

The Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace/1717 Mermaid Avenue/Brooklyn, NY 11224
Reverend Patrick J. West, Pastor: 718-266-1612

Saint Anthony Baptist Church/425 Utica Avenue/Brooklyn, NY 11213
Reverend B.T. McCollum: 718-778-3459

Restoration Temple Assembly of God/4606-10 Church Avenue/Brooklyn, NY 11203
Bishop John Cummings: 718-693-3992

Our Lady of Refuge R.C. Church/2020 Foster Avenue/Brooklyn, NY 11210
Reverend Michael Perry, Pastor: 718-434-2090

Immanuel & First Spanish Methodist Church/424 Dean Street/Brooklyn, NY 11217
Pastor Gabriel Akibode: 718-622-8296

Saint Albans Episcopal Anglican Church/9408 Farragut Road/Brooklyn, NY 11236
Reverend George L. Bonner, Rector: 718-257-0706