THE CITY OF NEW YORK

COMMUNITY BOARD 12
5910 - 13 Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11219

(718) 851-0800 FAX # (718) 851-4140 email: bklcb12@optonline.net

Marty Markowitz Alan J. Dubrow Wolf Sender

Borough President Chairperson District Manager
Moshe Wieder, First Vice Chairman
Martin Katz, Second Vice Chairman
Roberta Feinstein, Secretary
Larry Jayson, Sergeant-At-Arms

July 8th, 2010

TO: COMMUNITY BOARD 12 MEMBERS/INTERESTED PARTIES

FROM: ALAN J. DUBROW, CHAIRMAN

RE: JUNE BOARD MEETING

______________________________________________________________________
Please be advised that the next regularly scheduled meeting of Community Board 12 will be held on:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2010

7 PM

AMICO SENIOR CENTER

TH
5901 – 13 AVENUE (Entrance on 59th Street – 3rd Floor)
BROOKLYN, N.Y.

AGENDA TO BE ANNOUNCED
SUMMARY OF COMMUNITY BOARD 12 MEETING HELD TUESDAY, JUNE 22nd, 2010
AT AMICO’S SENIOR CENTER, 5901 – 13TH AVE. BROOKLYN, N.Y. – 7 PM

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT

SANDY ABOULAFIA YAKOV ABRAMOU
TAMAR ABRAHAM LAN CHEN
TAHIR BHUTTA HOWARD KLAYMAN
ANNA CALI ANDREW KOHEN
FRED CASSERA JOHN MORONI
JACOB DASKAL MORTY PUPKO
ALAN J. DUBROW PETER REBENWURZEL
JOEL EISDORFER AMY SICIGNANO
TZVI ENGLARD MENDEL ZILBERBERG
ROBERTA FEINSTEIN
JULES FLEISCHER ELECTED OFFICIAL’S PRESENT
RABBI FREILICH AVI SIEGEL, BORO PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
JACQUE FRIEDMAN YISROEL TABI, REP. ASSEMB. DOV HIKIND
SHARON FUCHS YONI HIKIND, REP. ASSEMB. ABBATE
RABBI EDGAR GLUCK JOEL EISDORFER, REP. SENATOR ERIC ADAMS
EDWARD HANDLER RABBI BRAUN, REP. SENATOR MARTY GOLDEN
JACOB HAAS, P.E. JULES FLEISCHER REP. SENATOR DIANE SAVINO
CHAIM ISRAEL COUNCILMAN BRAD LANDER
SAMUEL ISRAEL JESSICA TURNER, REP. COUNCILMAN LANDER
DOUGLAS JABLON COUNCILMAN DAVID GREENFIELD
JOSEPH JACOBS BARRY SPITZER, REP. COUNCILMAN
GREENFIELD
LARRY JAYSON
MARTIN KATZ LIAISON’S PRESENT
MORDECHAI KATZ PINNY RINGEL, REP. PUB. ADVOC. OFFICE
ABU KHALQUZZAM DEP. CHIEF JAMES LEONARD, FDNY
RAYMOND LEE BATTALION CHIEF STEINMAN
LILY MARINELLI INSPECTOR JOHN SPRAGUE, 66 PCT
ELI OIRING LT. JAMES SELLECK, 66 PCT
DR. JOAN PASTORE DET. VINNY GALENO, 66 PCT
MENDEL REINER DET. MIKE MILICI , 66 PCT
ELLIOT ROSMAN P.O. JIMMY VAUGHN, 66 PCT
MORDECHAI SCHWARTZ SUPT. KEITH WOODS, DSNY
MORRIS SENDEROVIC SUPV. ROBERT HOFFNER DSNY
DAVID SHLOMOVICH SUPV. JOSEPH KUBAT DSNY
YERUCHIM SILBER SUPV. JOHN ARMENTO DSNY
SAMUEL STOBER SUPV. STEPHEN CAULFORD, DSNY
STANLEY SUSSMAN SUPV. CARMINE CORDELLA, DSNY
MARGARET TOBIN SUPV. ANTHONY ZULLO, DSNY
SOL WAHBA SUPV. MARK FONTI, DSNY
JOSHUA WEINSTEIN SUPV. VINCENT BUCCHERI , DSNY
MOSHE WIEDER SUPV. JOHN VENDITTI, DSNY
SUPV. GLENN ADAMA DSNY
SUPV. GLENN VAN PELT DSNY

STAFF PRESENT COMMUNITY PRESENT

KAROL JOSWICK, CB CONSULTANT APPROX. 13 PERSONS PRESENT
LUCILLE MAURO, COMM. SERVICE AIDE (NAMES ON FILE IN BOARD OFFICE)
ADY MATTEO, COMM. SERVICE AIDE

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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PUBLIC SESSION
Natalie DeNicola, one of several concerned residents spoke about an empty lot at 2084 60 th Street. She
stated that the owners, Monaco Constuction, have repeatedly made aggressive motions and threats
toward the neighbors, such as knocking on doors and slurs against Italians. Apparently this has been an
ongoing response to residents making allegations of over 40 building violations. Ms. DeNicola, as well
as neighbor Joseph Oliva, stated that 911 will not help as it is not an emergency, and that Community
Board 12 is not doing anything to help either. Chairman Dubrow advised that the Community Board
will look into this.

Benzion Miller and Shaul Azatchi, both of E 10 th Street, Brooklyn, spoke about the recurring problem
of the nightclub called “Passions”, located at 1814 Coney Island Avenue, between N & O. This issue
has come up before and was addressed by the police, but the club was later re-opened under a new
name and is operating legally. The residents claim that the music is extremely loud at very late hours,
as verified by the summonses issued by the DEP based on noise meter readings. Another concerned
resident pointed out that it’s so bad, he has to wear earplugs, but having a 2 month old baby makes this
no option. The Board was asked to pressure the 66th Precinct to look further into the problem.

Joe Nathan addressed the Board basically to look at the “year in review”. He thanked Community
Board 12 for all the hard work throughout the year. He also mentioned again the problem of
Maimonides Medical Center and felt that the Community Board should apply some pressure, regarding
the issue of tearing down under-used buildings and replacing them with much bigger bed facilities.

Rabbi Braun stepped up to wish everyone a happy summer on behalf of Senator Martin Golden.

Board Member Abu Khaliquzzaman also took this time during the public session to inform all residents
of the upcoming event on McDonald Ave. between Church Avenue & Avenue C. He wanted to invite
everyone to come and participate in the Bangladeshi Street Festival on Sunday, June 27 th, 2010 from
9AM to 8 PM. The event is being sponsored by the Bangladeshi Businessman’s Association, and Mr.
Khaliquzzaman wanted to especially thank District Manager Wolf Sender and his assistant, Lucille
Mauro, as well as the 66th Precinct, for all the help they extended in making this happen.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ADOPTION OF MINUTES
There were two corrections to be made: Councilman Greenfield reported that the late hours listed for
his office were incorrect. The correct time for Thursday is 9AM to 9PM.

Also, Councilman Greenfield was erroneously marked “present” as a Board Member, when he is now,
in fact a New York City Councilman.
With all corrections being duly noted, the minutes were unanimously approved.

CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS-- ALAN J. DUBROW

Mr. Dubrow took this opportunity to welcome the new Board Members, and asked each to stand when
called to allow fellow Board Members to become familiar with them. Following are names of newest
Members: Yakov Abramou, Margaret Tobin, Anna Cali, Lili Marinelli, Mendel Reiner and Mendel
Zilberberg.

Mr. Dubrow informed all that the office has sent out the committee preference list and information
sheet; asking that all Board Members please return them to the office as soon as possible. New
committees will be formed in September, so if preference sheets are not returned, members will be
assigned to a committee.

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Mr. Dubrow also reminded everyone that Tuesday, August 3 rd is National Night Out Against Crime.
The 66th Precinct, along with the 66th Precinct Community Council and Community Board 12 will host
the event outside of the Precinct from 6 to 9PM. There will be all kinds of good food and activities for
the kids. Flyers were left on the front table.
Finally, Mr. Dubrow extended his wishes to all for a safe and happy summer.

DISTRICT MANAGER’S REMARKS

Mr. Sender announced that awards were being given out for the outstanding work done by everyone
involved in the Passover bread burning. He recognized that there were many people involved in
keeping Boro Park a safe community throughout the year, there were not enough awards to be given to
every single person. Mr. Sender stated that awards were being given to the leaders and coordinators of
the teamwork; specifically the NYPD, FDNY, Sanitation, Parks Department, , Shomrim, Chaverim and
Hatzolah and remarked on the hard work and wonderful effort made by all. Mr. Sender introduced
Councilman Brad Lander and Councilman David Greenfield to join in presenting the awards.

PRESENTATION OF PLAQUES
In addition to the plaques presented by the Community Board, Councilmen Brad Lander presented City
Council awards as well as Pinny Ringel on behalf of Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio. The awards were
presented to the following:

FDNY- Brooklyn Borough Commander, Deputy Chief James Leonard and Battalion Chief Steinman.
Chief Leonard said he was very honored on behalf of all, and remarked that the great teamwork
resulted in a second year with no injuries.

NYPD – Deputy Inspector Sprague, Lt. James Selleck, Detective Vincent Galeno, Detective Michael
Milici, and Police Officer James Vaughn. Inspector Sprague echoed the sentiments of Chief Leonard,
and also thanked the Community Board. He stated that this was a real collaboration between the city
agencies and local community organizations, such as Shomrim, Chaverim and Hatzolah, saying he had
never seen such a seamless coordination with no injuries. The Inspector also remarked that our Council
Members were also on hand to coordinate the operation and that this should be used as a model for
other precincts and boroughs.

Department of Sanitation – Superintendant Keith Woods, Supervisor Glen Van Pelt, Supervisor
Robert Hoffner, Supervisor Glen Adama, Supervisor Mark Fonti, Supervisor Anthony Zullo,
Supervisor Vincent Buccheri, Supervisor John Armento, Supervisor Joseph Kubat, Supervisor Carmine
Cordella, Supervisor Stephen Caulford, and Supervisor John Venditti. Superintendant Woods thanked
all the other agencies and stated that this shows what can be accomplished by pulling together. He said
his agency is committed and dedicated to this very important task, trying to improve it every year.

Department of Parks – Arthur De Cesario

Shomrim – Simcha Bernath, Motty Katz, Sam Follman, Dovid Kastow, Shaya Lichtenstein, and Jacob
Daskal. Mr. Daskal repeated the sentiments offered by those before him and thanked all for their hard
work.

Hatzolah – Award was accepted by Rabbi Edger Gluck, Bernie Gipps and Elliot Rosman on behalf of
Hatzolah Rabbi Gluck, stated that everything had already been said, but thanked the Community Board
and all agencies on behalf of the many Hatzolah volunteers.

Chaverim – Chaim Fleischer, coordinator, also thanked all on behalf of all the Chaverim volunteers

Dr. Jaon Pastore, Director of the AMICO Senior Center also received an award for the many years she
has allowed the Community Board to use her facility for meetings. She remarked on what an
unexpected surprise and pleasure it was receiving the award as well as getting to know everyone.

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Chairman Dubrow called upon Councilman David Greenfield to say a few words.

Councilman Greenfield remarked that nights such as this make us realize what a unique
community Boro Park is, to have everyone come together to do such a wonderful job;
acknowledging each agency and volunteer group. He also welcomed the six new Board
Members, being what he believes to be the largest new group in awhile. Councilman
Greenfield congratulated this great group of people, recommended by Councilman Brad
Lander and himself.

Councilman Greenfield also announced that it is budget season, with a deficit of 3.2 billion dollars,
and that by New York City law, unlike New York State, the budget must be passed on time. He
explained that Councilman Lander and he are working very hard and fighting for the issues that
matter; specifically for senior centers, child care centers, and to recover the funding proposed to be
eliminated for Priority 7 day care vouchers. Twelve thousand letters of support were delivered to
the Mayor’s office during a rally held on the afternoon of this Board Meeting, when the Deputy
Mayor was asked to restore these funds. Councilman Greenfield likened this uphill battle to the
work of paramedics, in that once they see a patient, regardless of how bad it may look, they do
whatever needs to be done to restore the patient to health. He stated that Councilman Lander and
he will keep fighting and doing whatever they can to ensure the health of this community and its
agencies.

Councilman Greenfield made his final point to remind all of his office hours:
Monday – Wednesday, 9AM to 6PM; Thursdays 9AM to 9PM; Friday 9AM to 3 PM
Phone number: 718-853-2704 (no appointments necessary)

Chairman Dubrow called upon Councilman Brad Lander to say a few words.

Councilman Lander began by thanking everyone for being there and for the efforts made by all. He
welcomed the new Board Members, and reminded all that the swearing in ceremony for all Board
members was on Monday, June 28th, 2010, and is mandatory for all new members. He mentioned that
with significant rezoning in the works, this would be a good training year, and that even returning
members would benefit from re-training considering all the information planned for the ceremony.

Councilman Lander also hinted at the exciting plans for the Culver El project, which would be
discussed later in the evening. He described the project as being long overdue, welcoming the prospect
of using this under-utilized land for affordable housing and possibly parking for some community
institutions. Councilman Lander advised all that the presentation would be made from a neutral
standpoint, by Yeruchim Silber; Variance Committee Vice-Chairman. He recognized the hard work
put into pushing this project forward and thanked the Committee, along with the Councilman’s
predecessor, now Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, as well as the Community Board, Pinney Ringel and
former Councilman Felder, now Deputy Comptroller. Councilman Lander went on to thank David
Parish of City Planning, as the layout of this strip of land has presented many complications, but they
managed to come up with a good plan. Although admittedly excited about the plan, the Councilman
left it for the Board to decide for themselves later, during the presentation.

Councilman Lander also wanted to update all on Kensington area issues; specifically the significant
clean up of a Church Avenue lot which has been a challenge for some time. He also mentioned
changes coming concerning traffic and pedestrians, such as the repaving of the intersection of Church
and McDonald Avenues. He thanked the DOT and Community Board 12 for their leadership and
tireless effort toward the coming changes which will make it easier for all to navigate the area, and
wished all a wonderful summer.

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Mr. Dubrow introduced Pinney Ringel, representing Public Advocate Bill de Blasio

Mr. Ringel advised all that the Public Advocate could not be there due to an emergency, but thanked
Councilman Lander for his kind words. He went on to state that the Public Advocate is very happy
about the Culver El progress, and wished all a happy summer.

Mr. Dubrow introduced Jesse Mintz-Roth of the Department of Transportation.

Mr. Mintz-Roth, of the safety issues office, gave a presentation on “Safe Streets for Seniors”. He
distributed flyers, describing the program as working on the issue of NYC pedestrian fatalities, which at
the moment is on the decline. However, the number of seniors is growing, and Boro Park was chosen
as one of 25 areas to be studied; from 5th to 15th Avenues, and 40th to 61st Streets. Through a process of
safety audits, senior surveys and traffic data collection, the DOT proposes to take community feedback
and make final recommendations. Specific issues are not enough time to cross streets, missing or
broken pedestrian ramps, hard to see traffic markings which turning vehicles fail to yield to, and poor
drainage. The program will increase crossing time at 186 intersections (62% of which has been
completed), install more high-visibility crosswalks at 18 locations, and install “beeping pedestrian
intervals”, which make pedestrians more visible when crossing. They are also shortening the crossing
distance, which will not impact parking and extending pedestrian refuge islands. There will be a
median installed on Fort Hamilton Pkwy. from New Utrecht to 45 th St. More improvements are slated
for 2011 and 2012. Discussion followed.

VARIANCE COMMITTEE REPORT – VICE CHAIRMAN YERUCHIM SILBER

City Planning ULURP applications for Culver El properties.
C 100345 ZMK, etal - Culver El Rezoning – submitted by NY City Planning and HPD
Approximate area: 36th to 39th Sts. And 12th to 14th Aves.

Cb 12 Chairman Alan Dubrow stated that he and Board Members Larry Jayson and Chaim Israel would
have to recuse themselves from voting on this matter due to their involvement.

Yeruchim Silber stated that he was speaking on behalf of Variance Committee Chairman Peter
Rebenwurzel, who was away. Mr. Silber said this is a very important rezoning project, being the
largest seen in some time. The area is currently zoned for light manufacturing, and the surrounding
areas for medium density residential districts. With this proposal, part of the area would change to
allow medium residential, part would go for commercial zoning, and the bulk of the property would
change to a mixed usage of current light manufacturing as well as medium density residential. The
purposes for the rezoning is to bring area buildings to scale, and to develop affordable housing on the
site of the old Culver Elevated subway line. The Committee voted unanimously to recommend
approval of the ULURP process. A public hearing will be held by Brooklyn Borough President Marty
Markowitz on July 8th, 2010. Margaret Tobin questioned if this project includes green space.
Discussion followed. A VOTE WAS TAKEN:
43 in favor
2 opposed: Anna Cali, Margaret Tobin
1 abstention: Lili Marinelli
4 recused: Chairman Alan Dubrow, Larry Jayson, Chaim Israel, Jacob Haas, P.E.

Meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted,

ADY MATTEO
Community Service Aide