Greenpoint YMCA Men’s Basketball League kicks off tonight

The new season of the Greenpoint YMCA’s Mens Adult Basketball League starts tonight, with game times scheduled for 9PM & 10PM.

The league had 7 teams last season, and was “the best season yet,” according to Greenpoint resident & league participant, Rob Tabor.

32479333YMCA staffer, Ali, has been running the league for a few seasons now. Ali plans to keep the league exclusive, but welcomes all teams… as long as they are professional about how they conduct themselves on the court.

“We’re here to have fun, compete, and play good basketball… not to fight with each other or the refs,” said Ali.


Ali recruited referees from Heroes Basketball League, a highly regarded league in Queens.

The league has room for 2 more teams this season, so call Ali now to reserve your spot: 347.656.2640

 

TONIGHT: L train public forum

Photo courtesy L Train Coalition
Photo courtesy L Train Coalition

The L Train Coalition, a group of local civic organizations, businesses and advocacy organizations, is hosting a public forum to learn about the MTA’s proposal to shut down the L train for 18 months.

Participants will be able to offer feedback on the MTA’s plan. Starting in 2019, the agency will shut down L service between Brooklyn and Manhattan to fix the tunnels that were eroded by Hurricane Sandy.

The forum will focus on the lack of concrete plans outlined by the city or state to mitigate the shutdown’s impact.

Do you have an idea that will improve commutes during the shutdown?

The forum will be hosted at Automotive High School (50 Bedford Avenue) starting at 6:30 p.m.

If interested, RSVP to Vanessa Barrios at VBarrios@RPA.org. Space is limited.

For more information, see the L Train Coalition’s Facebook event.

Suspect wanted in Bushwick Hotel robbery

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Police are looking for a man who robbed the Bushwick Hotel, located at 171 Bushwick Avenue, on Saturday night.

Authorities say that on Saturday at 11:26 a.m., the suspected kicked open the office door for the hotel. He used an unknown object to hit a 36-year-old employee over the head.

The suspect then took $1,000 in cash from the office and fled.

The employee had a cut to his eye and was treated at Woodhull Hospital for his injury.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

Greenpoint Y to host Spirit of Community Service Awards

Photo courtesy Greenpoint YMCA
Photo courtesy Greenpoint YMCA

The Greenpint YMCA and its board of managers is hosting the Spirit of Community Service Awards Dinner on Wednesday, December 7th at 6:30 p.m.

The event will benefit the children and families in Greenpoint and Williamsburg.

The Greenpoint Y are honoring the following people at the ceremony:

  • Carlo Scissura, CEO and President of Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
  • Diana Reyna, Deputy Brooklyn Borough President
  • John Catsimatidis, Jr., Executive at Red Apple Group

The awards dinner will be at Giando on the Water, located at 412 Kent Avenue.

To RSVP, contact Tatiana Terzuoli at tterzuoli@ymcanyc.org.

Greenpoint Parks Town Hall

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Councilman Stephen Levin and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation is hosting a town hall meeting on Thursday, November 3rd about the state of parks in Greenpoint.

The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. and will be hosted at the Polish & Slavic Center at 176 Java Street.

North Greenpoint Development Meeting

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Councilman Stephen Levin is hosting a meeting about the ongoing development in the northern Greenpoint area.

Attendees will get updates from developers about construction projects and their impact on the community.

The meeting will be on Tuesday, November 1st a 6:30 p.m. at the Polish & Slavic Center (176 Java Street).

RSVP at bsolotaire@council.nyc.gov.

Park advocates holding social media campaign today

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Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park – the local green space advocacy group calling on the City to purchase the former CitiStorage site and turn into a park on the Greenpoint and Williamsburg waterfront – is hosting a campaign today to pressure Mayor Bill de Blasio into acquiring the site.

They are asking fellow advocates to tweet @nycmayor or @billdeblasio or to call 311 to demand the City sign a deal to acquire the space. They posted the following message on the campaign:

The City has done a great thing by making a generous offer for the final parcel of Bushwick Inlet Park. The time is now to close this deal with the land owner. The City and the owner of the CitiStorage property have been in discussions, and we believe that both sides are close. Close enough that the time is now to close this deal. Please call 311 to tell Mayor de Blasio to please bring the CitiStorage property out of harm’s way, and Tweet him as well @nycmayor @billdeblasio #wheresourpark now!  Please act today.

NAG to host free garden soil workshop

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If you’ve missed NAG’s free soil testing workshops earlier in the year, including the one in August, here’s your chance.

Neighbors Allied for Good Growth is hosting a free garden soil workshop on Sunday, October 30th from 1 to 3 p.m. at the eagle Street Rooftop Garden (44 Eagle St.).

The workshop is in collaboration with the green experts at Brooklyn College’s Analytical Center.

According to NAG, attendees will learn about the science behind urban soil and how North Brooklyn’s soil became toxic. That’s important for those who want to learn more about Greenpoint’s environmental degradation history.

The hands-on workshop will allow you to even apply your skills right on the rooftop farm.

The soil test screens for heavy metals like zinc, copper, arsenic and lead. NAG encourages attendees to arrive by 1 p.m. if you want to get your soil tested. If that’s the plan, bring a handful of your soil in a zip lock bag.

Police are looking for this perv

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Police are looking for a man who allegedly exposed himself to a woman near the Broadway Triangle area.

Authorities say that on yesterday at 10:30 a.m., a 24-year-old woman walked into a residential building near Humboldt Street and Seigel Street. She was followed into an elevator by the man pictured above.

The suspect proceeded to pull down his pants and expose himself in front of the victim.

There were no reported injuries. The suspect then fled in an unknown direction.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.

Greenpoint Library to undergo renovations

Rendering by Marble Fairbanks
Rendering by Marble Fairbanks

The library on 107 Norman Avenue will transform from a one-story building into a two-story, eco-friendly facility with green features.

The current library is expected to be demolished in early January. With construction expected to last 18 months, library officials hope they can get the new and improved library running by mid-2018.

“We are going to be tearing it down and building an entirely new eco-friendly building,” said project manager Ames O’Neill. “It’s going to have green roofs and environmentally-friendly features.”

The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF) is providing a $5 million grant for the library to add the green roof and flexible programming space for environmental and education groups to use for meetings, classes and events.

The other $10 million is coming from Brooklyn Public Library.

To read more about the renovations of the Greenpoint Library, including alternative options during its temporary closure, click here.