Community Magazine July 2014

118 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE New York’s Park System Ranks Second Best The Trust for Public Land ranked New York City’s park system the second best nationwide, AM New York reported. The Trust, a nonprofit organization, gave the Big Apple 4.5 out of 5 “park benches” in its annual ParkScore index, the highest score behind first place Minneapolis. New York was given high marks for its parks’ proximity to residents and for overall investment in its public spaces. The Trust used three factors to determine its score: the percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk from the park; the city’s median park size and percentage of total city area dedicated to parks; and per capita park spending. New York scored high in the first category, with 97 percent of residents living within a 10-minute walk from a park. The city also did well with spending – $170 per resident. However, the median acreage for a NewYork park is 1.1 acres, which is well below the national ParkScore average of 6 acres. The Trust said that was a major factor in the second place listing. Car Thieves Using “Mystery” Wireless Devices Police bureaus across the country have reported a rash of car thefts in which the thieves appear to use small handheld devices to gain access to vehicles, the New York Daily News reported. These devices could be “cloned” car remotes. The thieves have been caught on camera raiding vehicles for valuables before skulking away. The signals sent by car remotes to the vehicles are encrypted and constantly changing, and they are supposed to be hack-proof. Cops have warned car owners not to leave valuables stashed in their cars. New Developments Aim to Preserve and Develop the Brooklyn Bridge Park A massive new development is slated for Pier 6, at the southernmost edge of theBrooklynBridge Park, theBrooklynEagle reported. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC) has formally issued a “Request For Proposals” for two towers which will offer approximately 430 housing units. The Park’s managing corporation has asked that any proposals include affordable apartments for middle- and moderate-income New Yorkers to align with the mayor’s affordable housing initiative. “The residential development…will ensure that the community better reflects the diversity of Brooklyn and provide[s] vital park funding to guarantee the ongoing maintenance of the waterfront Park for generations to come,” a press release from the BBPDC said. Responses to the park’s request for proposals are due July 21. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Historical Society and the Brooklyn Bridge Park have partnered to install markers and signs that reveal the history of the Brooklyn waterfront and highlight the ecological and sustainable features of the park. The markers and signs were unveiled at a ceremony on BBP’s Pier 1, located at the corner of Old Fulton Street and Furman Street in Brooklyn. To tell the stories of the park’s history and elucidate its unique design, signs and markers embedded in the ground have been installed in various locations throughout the park from Pier 1 to Pier 6. Each sign and footnote tells the story or relates the facts about each location. Installation of a second phase of signs and markers in the northern portion of the park will begin once construction is completed there in 2015. An accompanying website, brooklynwaterfronthistory.org , was developed to further enhance the visitor’s experience. New York City Municipal Schedule Occasion Day Date Alt Side Garbage Collection Parking Banks & Post Offices Independence Day Friday July 4 Suspended Suspended Holiday Closed Observance Monday - Wednesday July 28-30 Suspended Normal Normal Open Observance Friday August 15 Suspended Normal Normal Open Life in the Big City