Brooklyn DA Gonzalez To Host LGBTQ Price Month Celebration
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez will host his annual LGBTQ Pride Month Celebration today.
The celebration will honor distinguished members of the LGBTQ community for their contributions, sacrifices, and support to Brooklyn’s residents and beyond. This year’s event, free and open to the public.
Every year, during the month of June, the LGBTQ+ community celebrates the influence and work of LGBTQ+ people around the world. June is of particular importance because it was the month of the Stonewall Riots, that took place in 1969.
The event is slated for 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., today, June 26, at Brooklyn Law School, Subotnick Center, 250 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Rose Hails House Passage Of Split Tolling on the Verrazzano
Congressman Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) yesterday applauded the House of Representatives’ passage of a funding bill which includes language to bring two-way tolling back to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge—splitting the toll in half to be paid in both directions which studies have shown would decrease congestion without raising costs on commuters.
Earlier this year, Rose announced an agreement with fellow New York City U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-Western Brooklyn, Western Manhattan) and Nydia Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens, LES) to make this change.
The legislation would split the toll in half to be paid in both directions which studies have shown would decrease congestion and increase revenue without raising costs on commuters. The legislation now goes before the Senate before it can be signed into law. Currently, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is the only crossing in the country with federally mandated one-way tolling, first instituted in the 1980s to cut down on traffic backups from toll gantries.
According to the lawmakers, cutting out the loophole that drivers use to avoid paying or minimize the costs of tolls by enacting two-way tolling would cut down on congestion and pollution on Staten Island and could lead to $10 to $15 million in additional annual MTA revenue. The crossing for the iconic bridge shot up to staggering $19 from $17 for non-E-ZPass holders in late March, making it the highest toll in the United States.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) leadership supports the proposal and is committed to investments in public transportation on Staten Island and in South Brooklyn in the upcoming 2020-2024 Capital Plan. The capital plan will be released in October of this year will be reviewed by the Capital Plan Review Board and voted on by the MTA Board.
“Finally, my constituents are starting to see a new day after a long commuting nightmare—fewer cars on our streets, better buses, more mass transit options, and credible alternatives to reach the other boroughs,” Rose concluded. “This is common sense and we’re going to get it done,” said Rose.
Myrie Officially Opens District Office
State Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-Central Brooklyn) yesterday announced the official opening of a District Office.
Myrie was previously operating his constituent services out of several satellite offices across the 20th Senatorial District including Brownsville, Crown Heights and Sunset Park.
“Today, I’m proud to announce that our very own District Office is now open!
Above all, I ran for Senate to serve the people in my community, and that’s exactly what my office is here to do. Stop by anytime for help with issues you’re facing, information on local services, or just to say hello and learn about what’s going on around the community and how you can get involved.
I want to extend a huge thank you to the offices of Assembly Member Diana C. Richardson and City Council Members Alicka Ampry-Samuel and Carlos Menchaca, who welcomed us into their offices so that we could start serving constituents in our district right away. Their continued partnership will allow us to continue providing service in every area of our district” read Myrie’s announcement.
The new office will be located at 1077 Nostrand Avenue and will be open Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Office number is 718-284-4700.
Lander Applauds NYC Landmarks’ Vote To Calendar Gowanus Historical Sites
City Council member Brad Lander (D-Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Park Slope) applauded the the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission’s (LPC) vote yesterday to calendar eight buildings across five properties in Gowanus for landmarking consideration.
The announcement comes as a looming rezoning is set to dramatically reshape the neighborhood. The Gowanus Rezoning includes mixed-use properties that will contain market rate and affordable housing, that could rise as high as 30 stories. In addition, the development of the Gowanus Canal will be the focal point of six acres of open space and parks. The zoning proposal covers an area roughly bounded by Bond Street to the west, Baltic Street to the north, 4th Avenue to the east, and Huntington, 3rd, 7th and 15th streets to the south.
The buildings identified by the Commission include:
- the Gowanus Canal Flushing Tunnel Pump House and Gate House (2 buildings) at 196 Butler Street;
- the Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) Central Powerhouse at 153 2nd Street;
- the Old American Can Factory (3 buildings) at 238-246 3rd Street;
- the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Building at 223-237 Butler Street and;
- the Norge Sailmakers Corporation Building at 170-172 2nd Avenue.
If approved, these buildings would join three existing historic landmarks in Gowanus: Public Bath #7; the New York and Long Island Coignet Stone Company Building; and the Carroll Street Bridge. The five sites being considered are among a list of fifteen structures that neighborhood activists sent to the LPC more than a year ago for landmark consideration, according to Curbed NY.
“I’m grateful to the LPC for their diligent research and consideration, and for putting this list forward earlier in the process than in many prior rezonings. Today’s action by LPC will preserve eight great buildings that are part of that history. Together, we can insure that those buildings are knit into a mixed-use future, one that residents, workers, and visitors can treasure and learn from in the decades to come,” said Lander.
