You may notice less content from Greenpointers over the next two weeks as this weekend marks the start of our much-needed break. In recent weeks we put on Greenpoint Open Studios and as usual, followed news and events in the neighborhood. We’re a small ragtag team who feel fortunate to be part of this incredible community, and in order to keep things fresh and interesting, we sometimes must venture away from this wonderful place and get lost in the woods Henry David Thoreau style. During this time we’ll be brainstorming in preparation for the Greenpointers website redesign and relaunch and we’ll be back July 1st with more news and surprises!
Welcome to the weekend Greenpointers! Catch-up on the local headlines from this week below and find out where to venture out this weekend.
New York eliminated the religious exemption for vaccinations this week. The U.S.’s largest measles outbreak in decades is centered in Williamsburg, where approximately 75 percent of NYC’s 588 confirmed cases have stemmed from. (ABC News)
Greenpoint’s newest upscale restaurant, Madre, is now open inside Franklin Guesthouse. (Bedford and Bowery)
Greenpoint’s artists opened their studios for GOS 2019 last weekend and there was an overwhelming amount of art to see and experience, demonstrating the thriving community of local creators. (Brooklyn Eagle) (Hyperallergic)
Greenpoint’s second petroleum vapors townhall so far this year happened this week at the Polish and Slavic Civic Center (176 Java St.), where residents expressed concern over vapor testing methods, and city and state agencies confirmed the petroleum build up in Greenpoint’s sewer lines has been flushed and air qaulity has returned to safe levels. (Greenpointers) (Brooklyn Eagle( NY1) (News 12 Brooklyn)
Williamsburg and Greenpoint restaurants Mason Premiere and Sauvage, which are owned by the same restaurant group, have racked up approximately $5.2 million in debt and filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. (Eater NY)
Bogdan Piasecki, a 47-year-old Diamond Street resident was arrested for allegedly punching an eight-year-old boy in Greenpoint. (Greenpoint Post)
There’s a shortage of strong arms to hoist the Giglio in Williamsburg this July for the 100+ year old tradition in honor of the Italian Saint Paulinas of Nola. (CBS New York)
The petroleum vapors town hall on 6/12 in Greenpoint
The recent spike in petroleum odors in Greenpoint homes was the topic of discussion on Wednesday night at the second town hall this year hosted by the North Brooklyn Neighbors at the Polish and Slavic Civic Center (176 Java St.).
Representatives from the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection, Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene amd the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation provided updates on the pretorium vapors centered around Freeman, Huron, and Green Streets.
The DEP flushing sewer lines on McGuiness Blvd and Huron Street in May, 2019,
The DEC confirmed that petroleum product had recently built up in the “tight” sewer lines in the northern section of Greenpoint where multiple residents, including Freeman Street resident Mary Cinadr, have been relocated from due to vapors. The DEP has been flushing sewer lines in the area and said that petroleum vapors have reduced to safe levels.
A quick side note: if you detect petroleum vapors are present in your home then dial the DEC spill hotline at 1-800-457-7362 and call 311 (remember to write down the complaint number).
The vapor complaints that have been coming into 311 and 911 haven’t always made it to DEC in time for air sampling, as was the case with the preschool evacuating on Java St. on May 23rd, which DEC rep. Rodney Rivera said was a “chemical odor,” despite audience members claiming that a gas smell was detected prior to the school evacuation. Continue reading →
The restaurant group behind popular restaurants Maison Premiere (298 Bedford Ave.) and Sauvage (905 Lorimer St.) have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Eater NY reports.
Maison Premiere in Williamsburg
Owners Joshua Boissy and Krystof Zizka opened Maison Premiere in 2011 and Sauvage in 2016 and told Eater that both restaurants will stay open for business as usual despite racking up approximately $5.2 million in debt Continue reading →
The purchase of a $26,000 Toyota SUV by the executive committee of Brooklyn Community Board 1 resulted in multiple community members speaking out at Tuesday’s public meeting against the board’s largest expense outside of payroll, the NY Post reports.
Approximately a dozen people spoke out on Tuesday against the purchase of the SUV which is used by CB1 manager of more than 40 years Gerald Esposito, who lives a few blocks from the SUV’s city designated parking spot, the NY Post reports: Continue reading →
Parachute Brooklyn (151 Norman Ave.) is a new modern and vintage kids clothing store in Greenpoint that celebrated its opening in May.
(Courtesy of Parachute BK)
Co-founders and Greenpoint residents for over a decade, Carly Boonparn and Ambra Markos met through the friendship between their 3-year-old daughters at school. “We’re both mothers of three-and-a-half-year-olds and having little babies you get a lot of hand-me-downs and a lot of presents,” Markos said. Boonparn worked as a manager at the local clothing trading chain, Beacon’s Closet for the past 15 years and Markos worked as a production manager for major fashion brands, making their business venture a natural progression.
(Courtesy of Parachute BK)
Parachute Brooklyn operates as with a buy/sell/trade model with a variety of modern used clothes and vintage clothes dating back as far as the 1950s. “Because babies grow so fast from the age of newborn to four, they just go through their clothes soo quickly so it’s kinda just this cycle of clothes piling up and piling up,” Markos said, adding that it’s difficult to find one location to drop unwanted clothing an avoid it going into a landfill if it’s stained or damaged.
(Courtesy of Parachute BK)
Sellers at Parachute Brooklyn are given the option to receive 25% of the retail value in cash or 50% in trade, and the store even has a donation drop-off site for stained or damaged pieces. “We don’t want people throwing away their clothes and them just ending up in a landfill, we want them to go into housing installation or be upcycled in some way,” Markos said.
(Courtesy of Parachute BK)
Items that are not purchased for resale in-store will be donated to a variety of charities and recycling facilities. “Right now we’ve been giving the stained and damaged items to GrowNYC and they get them to the textile recycling facilities,” she said.
Another way Parachute is upcycling is by working with a local tie dying artist to transform stained or imperfect white clothing items into tie-dyed items.
The store will also host events for kids and parents from time-to-time with a live music singalong scheduled for every Tuesday morning in July.
The India Street entrance to the NYC Ferry on Monday didn’t flood as NYC DEP was on the scene.
The flood waters sparred the entrance to the India Street pier on Monday during the rainstorm after recent flooding caused ferry commuters to speak out.
Workers from the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection were spotted at India Street on Monday during the rain where they monitored the water. Commuters claimed that the DEP drained the catch basin at the end of India street to keep the water flowing, and the DEP’s actions yesterday appeared to have worked. Continue reading →
Greenpoint residents nave reported petroleum vapors inside their homes in recent weeks.
The second town hall this year on petroleum vapors in Greenpoint will take place on Wednesday.
The North Brooklyn Neighbors are hosting the town hall on “persistent petroleum odors in Greenpoint homes and on the streets” on Wednesday (6/12) at the Polish and Slavic Civic Center (176 Java St.) at 6:30 p.m.
Representatives from the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection, Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene, the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, and the Dept. of Health are scheduled to speak and a Q&A will follow.
The North Brooklyn Neighbors map of recently reported gas vapors (blue markers are vapors reported prior to the meeting; orange markers are reported indoor vapors; smaller orange dots are reported outdoor vapors; yellow markers are both indoor and outdoor vapor reports)
At the previous petroleum vapor town hall in May, DEC reps explained how they are testing the air quality in homes where vapors are reported and that DEP has been actively flushing and testing the sewer lines for petroleum vapors near Huron Street and Manhattan Avenue.
DEC workers flushing the sewer lines at McGuinness Blvd and Huron Street in May.
The Queens-based lifestyle shop Lockwood announced their expansion to Greenpoint with plans to open at 98 Greenpoint Ave. in September.
“We’ve been looking to expand for a long time and we just found that Greenpoint was the friendliest neighborhood, and we found a really amazing spot with really friendly landlords, so it was just meant to be,” said owner Mackenzi Farquer Continue reading →
