BP Adams Awards Over $22K To Grow Local Tourism
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) Executive Director Charlotte A. Cohen yesterday announced $22,500 in new Destination>Brooklyn mini-grants to 15 local arts and culture organizations to advance cultural tourism across the borough this week.
This allocation brings the program’s total investment to local arts and culture organizations to more than $140,000 since 2015. The grant program, now in its fifth year of operation, supports the promotion of local artistic groups to a broader audience through the creation, production, and distribution of print promotional materials, funded by the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President and NYC & Company Foundation.
The arts and culture organizations receiving a new Destination>Brooklyn grant include:
- Afro-Latin@ Project, which organizes an annual festival in Downtown Brooklyn,
- Artichoke Dance Company, an environmentally-focused performance group planning a free workshop and series around the Gowanus Canal;
- Arts Gowanus, a non-profit organization working to support local artists in Gowanus;
- Asian American Women Artists Alliance, a Gowanus-based non-profit collective of Asian-American women artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts;
- Brooklyn Heights Music Society, the Boerum Hill-based sponsoring organization for the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra;
- Brooklyn Raga Massive, a music collective based in Gowanus presenting Indian classical and cross-cultural Raga-inspired music;
- Center for Performance Research (CPR), which supports the development of new works in contemporary dance and performance in Williamsburg;
- Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music, an organization based in Ditmas Park working to preserve the reggae art form and its traditional message of healing and unity;
- Cora Dance, a critically-acclaimed dance company in Red Hook that offers five days a week of pay-what-you-can classes in ballet, composition, hip-hop, modern, and other dance forms; Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn, a contemporary ballet company and dance academy in Marine Park;
- Falconworks Artists Group, a theater organization in Red Hook working on an original play focusing on immigration and what it means to be American;
- FiveMyles, an exhibition and performing arts space based in Crown Heights;
- Fulton Art Fair, an annual exhibition of visual fine art based in Bedford-Stuyvesant;
- Greenpoint Film Festival, which is in its eighth year of operations in Greenpoint, and
- Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, a Columbia Street Waterfront-based organization that puts on the annual Brooklyn Folk Festival.
“Brooklyn has long been a destination for the best in artistic experiences, and our Destination>Brooklyn mini-grants have given residents and visitors alike a greater awareness of opportunities that may go under the radar. I thank my friends at BAC and NYC & Company Foundation for their continued partnership on this initiative that helps our cultural flame burn bright across the borough,” said Adams.
Gounardes, Carroll Announces New Bill Restricting Campaign Funds For Personal Gain
State Senator Andrew Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend) and Assembly member Robert Carroll (D-Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Park Slope) will announce, “The Golden Rule,” or Senate bill # S3697 and A5486 in the Assembly, a bill restricting the use of campaign funds at a business owned by a candidate or candidates’ family.
The bill has its origins in former State Senator Marty Golden’s campaign spending habits. According to Gounardes’ office, his predecessor spent nearly $800,000 in campaign funds at his family’s catering hall. He also spent campaign funds to cover personal expenses including country club dues and car payments.
The new measure directly speaks to Democrats’ promise to enact legislation to fundamentally change the culture of Albany.
The event is slated for 12-noon, today, Feb. 20, at 250 Broadway in Lower Manhattan.
Salazar Rallies For Congestion Pricing Support
State Senator Julia Salazar (D-Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, Ocean Hill/Brownsville) will join advocates from the Riders Alliance today in taking the state legislative subway ride-along train to Brooklyn to document the depth of the transit crisis as momentum builds toward congestion pricing.
In the coming days, legislators and riders will ride the rails and talk to riders about their commutes in a final push for a fair, sustainable, progressive transit funding plan in the upcoming state budget. The state budget is slated for an April 1 deadline.
First proposed last year, Congestion Pricing aims to create a congestion zone and tolling drivers entering the Manhattan Central Business District (MCBD). The proposed charge would raise $1.5 billion annually — the amount the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) agrees must be raised to fix the system — and reduce congestion by 20%.
The event is slated for 3 p.m., today, Feb. 20, at Broadway Junction Subway Station -Top of the Escalator Leading to the J/Z and L trains in Bushwick.
Treyger Sponsors Free Property Tax Info Session
City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst) announced yesterday that he is sponsoring an upcoming Notice of Property Value/Property Tax Information Session.
The event will aim to help southern Brooklyn residents with sky-high property taxes learn more about the process, how to appeal the assessed value of their property, and find out if they qualify for critical cost-saving reductions. Co-sponsoring the event is the New York City Department of Finance (DOF).
Attendees to the information session will find assistance with:
– learning how they can appeal their property value assessment
– applying for property tax reductions
– understanding their Notice of Property Value (NOPV)
– Accurately calculating their market and assessed values
– changing the description of their property
“Too many of our community’s working families are struggling to keep up with our city’s antiquated, burdensome property tax system. But there may be steps you can take to lower your tax bill and save your hard-earned dollars. The first step is making sure you have all the information you need about the process and the options that may be available to you. I encourage anyone who feels they are paying too much in property taxes to join us for this informative event. Your wallet may thank you,” said Treyger.
The event is slated for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday, March 4, at the Block Institute, at 2214 Stillwell Avenue in Gravesend.
All attendees should bring their Notice of Property Value to the event.
