Source: tmcNYC/Flickr
From the Department of Sanitation:
The NYC Department of Sanitation will be conducting special collections for mulching and recycling of Christmas trees.
Collections will take place beginning on Wednesday, January 2 through Saturday, January 19, 2013.
Residents are encouraged to put out their discarded trees at curbside as early as possible during the collection period.
DSNY asks residents to remove all tree stands, tinsel, lights, and ornaments from trees before placing them out for collection. DO NOT place trees in plastic bags. Trees will be chipped into mulch that will be distributed to parks, playing fields, and community gardens throughout the city.
New Yorkers can also participate in NYC Parks & Recreation Mulchfest by bringing their holiday trees to designated sites throughout the five boroughs on Saturday or Sunday, January 12 & 13, 2013, from 10 am to 2 pm.
All of the trees will be chipped into mulch that will be used as ground cover to nourish plantings across the City. Before dropping off your tree, please remove all tree stands, tinsel, lights, and ornaments from trees.
Free mulch will be available at Mulchfest locations —bring a bag if you would like to take home some mulch.
October marks the beginning of “heat season,” wherein landlords are legally mandated to turn the heat on for renters.
As stipulated by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), indoor temperatures of 68 degrees Fahrenheit between must be maintained from 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., if temperatures fall below 55 degrees outside.
Further, from 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., the indoor temperature must be set as 55 degrees if it falls below 40 degrees outdoors. Hot water must be at 120 Fahrenheit degrees all year.
During the 2011/2012 heat season, there was a total of 3,367 heat complaints in Community Board 11. The landlords who do not turn heat on for the residents of their buildings will face heavy fines and penalties.
So, if you’ve you’ve asked your super and landlord to turn on the heat, and they are not obeying the mandated heat requirements, call 311.
A landlord who is caught deliberately ignoring the rules may be fined $1000 per day, as well as civil penalties. If not action is taken by the landlord, tenants may also sue the landlord, or hire a contractor and bill the property owner.
More information about the regulations and actions to take if a problem arises can be found here.
The heat season lasts until May 31, 2013.
Giuseppe Maffei, owner of Gino’s Foccaceria.
The 18th Avenue Feast has been coming to town for close to three decades, bringing this Brooklyn neighborhood a sprinkle of culture, a pinch of cuisine, and a wrinkle straight into that summer lovin’ state of mind. While last year’s Festa di Santa Rosalia was canceled at the last minute, this August it’s back – and tomorrow it’s show time.
But while many natives are ready to indulge in some funnel cake and perhaps brave a ride on the rickety Zipper, some 18th Avenue business owners are a little less enthused about the return of the Feast.
Continue Reading »
The following is a press release from the offices of Councilman David Greenfield:
As part of his ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life for Bensonhurst residents, Councilman David G. Greenfield is hosting a cleanup event along Bay Parkway this weekend in partnership with Assemblyman Bill Colton. All residents are invited to meet at 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 6th in front of St. Athanasius Elementary School at 61st Street and Bay Parkway, where tools and supplies will be distributed. This event comes as a result of a town hall meeting Greenfield held in Bensonhurst last month to discuss ways to improve the neighborhood’s overall cleanliness and to reduce the amount of trash and litter along Bay Parkway.
“This is a great chance for residents to meet their neighbors and join together to keep Bay Parkway clean. A couple of hours can go a long way towards making this important commercial strip more attractive and inviting for residents and shoppers. I am hopeful that this is the beginning of an ongoing effort to eliminate the issues that have plagued Bay Parkway for far too long, and I encourage everyone to come out and show their Bensonhurst pride on Sunday,” said Greenfield.
Source: Joe Mabel via Wikimedia Commons
Councilman Vincent Gentile, along with the Bay Ridge Food Co-op and members of Community Boards 10 and 11 have announced a neighborhood clean-up for Sunday, April 22 at 12 p.m.
The clean-up will take place on Third and Fifth Avenues from 65th Street to 101st Street and New Utrecht Avenue from 70th to 86th Streets.
If you are interested in participating, please email jbrannan@council.nyc.gov for more information.
Unidentified sludge on the Northern corner of Bay Parkway and 86th Street
If only online photos were scratch-and-sniff. While the repairs on the Bay Parkway D Train station continue, a massive and disgusting sludge puddle is left to fester.
Sound off, have you seen the sludge or do you avoid this place at all costs?
“Wednesday What the What?” is a new photo feature looking at odd, weird and interesting things in the neighborhood. If you have photos of what the what happenings in Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights or the surrounding areas send them to lvladimirova [at] bensonhurstbean [dot] com.
Councilman Greenfield and Sanitation Department's Iggy Terranova
Bensonhurst, Borough Park and Midwood residents blasted the city’s handling of garbage-related issues in their areas, including fines, holiday pickup schedules and overflowing trash cans along commercial boulevards, at a town hall hosted by Councilman David Greenfield.
Greenfield spoke to an auditorium full of residents at the St. Athanasius School on March 29. The meeting was called to address sanitation and parking issues for Bay Parkway and the surrounding blocks—an area Greenfield dubbed the city’s “largest growing community.”
He began by making mention of his recent accomplishments.
“He wants to be a sanitation superhero,” quipped one elderly resident.
She’s not far off. Among other efforts, Greenfield has plunked down $1 million in capital funds to purchase snow removal equipment, including snow-ready trucks fitted with plows for the sanitation garages in his district 44 neighborhoods. He’s also responsible for writing a bill that recently became law: A ban on the impossible-to-remove neon yellow stickers stuck on car windows for violating alternate-side parking regulations.
“I know the issues here,” he said. “I live three blocks away.”
Among the residential gripes is the area near McDonald Avenue and 60th Street, which is considered by most to be an illegal commercial truck stop. Greenfield has been working with the NYPD and DOT to setup sting operations in order to catch truck drivers and stop them from leaving their commercial vehicles overnight.
He’s also urged the NYPD to put up clear signage warning of towing and ticketing for illegally parked trucks.
“Before, police were reluctant to give out tickets without the signs,” said Greenfield.
Read more about the specific complaints, and what Sanitation reps and Greenfield had to say.
The following is a press release from the office of City Councilman David Greenfield:
Greenfield Invites Residents & Businesses to Clean Up Bay Parkway
Public Welcome to Attend Meeting on Thursday with DSNY Officials
Brooklyn, NY – In response to a host of quality of life issues and concerns along Bay Parkway, Councilman David G. Greenfield is hosting a town hall meeting on Thursday in Bensonhurst in partnership with the Brooklyn Federation of Italian American Organizations and the United Chinese Association of Brooklyn. Officials from the city Department of Sanitation will be on hand to answer questions, discuss specific concerns and devise strategies to combat the issues along Bay Parkway moving forward. In recent months, Greenfield has received numerous complaints from residents and business owners regarding issues such as large trucks and commercial vehicles parked on the street overnight, trash and debris illegally dumped along the sidewalk on a regular basis and more. Continue Reading »
Photo Credit: C.P. Storm via Flickr
For months, multiple media outlets have run stories regarding illegally parked trucks on Bay Parkway near McDonald Avenue.
NY1, this site, the Home Reporter, Boro Park Scoop, and now CNG have not only brought attention to the trucks themselves, but also to the lack of consistent traffic enforcement in the area.
The CNG story quotes Washington Cemetery employees who say the trucks are disturbing funerals and causing its maintenance staff, who should be more concerned with the inside of the cemetery, to spend the bulk of their time picking up urine-filled bottles and discarded furniture outside of its gates.
This is how it normally goes – NY 1 will air a segment on the trucks, the police will come in to tow and ticket a few, and within a week or two most of the offenders will have returned. Continue Reading »
Photo Credit: C.P. Storm via Flickr
On the long stretch of Bay Parkway beginning just a couple of blocks west of Ocean Parkway, where Midwood, Borough Park and Bensonhurst converge at Washington Cemetery, the area takes on an almost bucolic quality. It’s often said that graveyards make the best neighbors for those seeking peace and quiet.
Unfortunately, the street has become a de facto overnight parking spot for tractor trailers, disturbing the quality of life with air pollution, noise, trucker bombs and, of course, the imposing presence of the trucks themselves. Continue Reading »
