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The BQE. Eagle file photo by Paul Frangipane
The Brooklyn Heights Association’s 2022 annual meeting on Feb. 24 took place online for the second year in a row. The Zoom event covered topics including the reconstruction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, traffic patterns on Montague Street and local businesses’ continuing woes.
The meeting featured a panel discussion between noted journalists Eugene Linden & Leslie Kaufman about climate change.
BHA also presented its annual Community Service Awards to groups and individuals who have made significant contributions to the neighborhood’s quality of life. The award ceremony was hosted by Tom Stewart on Thirteen WNET New York.
BHA President Erika Belsey Worth presided over the meeting, and Executive Director Lara Birnback presented financial statements (which can be accessed online). Worth opened the meeting by paying tribute to two members who were lost this year. Jack Kenny And Ben Crane.
“[Kenny] used to stop by the BHA office with quality of life reports — overflowing trash bins and the like. He never missed an annual meeting and was first to put a ‘Six lane highway? No way!’ poster in his window,” Belsey Worth said.
“Ben Crane spearheaded the successful lawsuit that preserved the scenic view plane and stopped development at Piers 1 through 5,” she said. “To quote former Executive Director Judy Stanton, ‘Ben Craine was a treasure of a man who gets as much credit for Brooklyn Bridge Park as can be poured on him.’”
The crumbling Brooklyn Queens Expressway
“The BHA has not wavered in our determination to pursue a more responsible and sustainable solution to the problem of the BQE,” Belsey Worth said. “We continue to work with our neighbors on the ‘BQET,’ which is the Coalition for the BQE Transformation.” She applauded legislation allowing metering which would identify overweight trucks automatically.
She said that the Brooklyn Bridge added a bike lane, reducing Manhattan-bound traffic to three lanes from two. This benefits both bikers and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade’s crumbling concrete cantilever. She added that reducing traffic on the cantilever from 3 to 2 lanes in each direction did NOT cause congestion in local streets, as was feared.
BHA advocates for the following BQE priorities
- Eliminate noise, vibrations, pollution, especially in the North Heights.
- Protect the historic Promenade while adhering to SV-1, scenic view plane.
- Brooklyn Bridge Park’s existing entrances can be improved, especially Atlantic Avenue.
- Brooklyn Heights can help you make new connections to the park.
Clark Street Station and Montague Street
BHA has engaged “traffic guru” Sam Schwartz to analyze the current state of traffic on Montague Street. Schwartz is currently working on plans for the four blocks that run from Court Street to Montague Terrace.
“The goal is to create a pedestrian-friendly zone that encourages people to linger and to shop so that our existing businesses will flourish and our new businesses will fill the remaining empty spots,” Belsey Worth said.
She encouraged her neighbors to shop at Clark Street subway station’s stores, as they are experiencing a devastating loss in business due to the elevator construction.
“We have been told by the MTA that the work is on schedule and they will be reopening the station for full service by the end of April,” she said.
Senate district changing
“Brooklyn Heights may be losing Senator Brian Kavanagh when we become part of Senate District 23,” Belsey Worth said. Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo will merge with parts of Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, and the coast of Sunset Park. BHA invites candidates to speak at the forum for candidates on Sunday, June 28.
Community Service Awards
Stewart hosted the Community Service Awards. He did so with his usual joie de vivre. Amerika Williamson received the award for her leadership in the annual tree lighting ceremony along the Promenade. Also, the Brooklyn Heights Community Fridge founders led by Rev. Adriene Thorne is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church.
“Sometimes there are things that happen in our communities that we simply take for granted. They seem to happen every year by themselves … Such is the story of the Christmas tree lighting ceremony on the Promenade,” Stewart said. “Tonight we would like to recognize Amerika Williamson, who is the unsung hero of this lovely tradition.”
“Take what you need, leave what you don’t — that’s the motto of the Brooklyn Heights Community Fridge,” where Rev. Stewart explained that Adriene Thorne joined hands with neighbors to provide fresh fruit for those who needed it. Darryahn Knight (with James and Caroline Koster), Jenny Astrachan, as well as other school and church groups, were instrumental.
Climate talk
Panelists Eugene Linden and Leslie Kaufman were introduced by BHA’s Birnback, who noted that environmental effects are an important consideration in BHA’s work with the BQE and Montague Street.
“We’ve known about climate change for decades now, and yet when we look at what we’ve accomplished to stop it, it’s very little,” Kaufman said. She asked why, if we have so much knowledge, it’s taken us so long to address it.
Linden stated that the industry has developed a playbook that can be used to address inconvenient concerns such as global warming or the ozone layer.
“The fuel lobby used the same playbook developed during the ozone story: dispute the science and the consensus, attack the scientists and their motives, and mostly say we have time.”
Consumers can choose to not buy products made by “bad actors,” Linden said. He also suggested universal tariffs and putting pressure upon businesses. “It’s within our power to reduce emissions if we find the will to do it,” he said.
You can view the entire meeting. Here.
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