In fall 2012, the Park Slope Civic Council’s Livable Streets Committee canvassed the neighborhood to choose good locations for the benches. Members of the Forth on Fourth Avenue Committee surveyed locations on that busy boulevard. Volunteers walked every block of Park Slope’s avenues and busy streets, and made a batch request to NYCDOT. The efforts from the hard work of these volunteers is paying off, and the benches are now sprouting up allover the neighborhood — and people are using and enjoying them!

See our map below for bench location. Click each pin to view a photo of the bench.

View Park Slope Benches in a larger map

For more information about the Livable Streets Committee, visit our page or e-mail us at livable@parkslopeciviccouncil.org.

This public presentation to the Community Board 6 Transportation Committee follows a public workshop in February and an open house in April where community members discussed the future of Fourth Avenue.

The presentation will take place:

Thursday, May 16, 6:30 p.m.
Good Shepherd Services Family Reception Center
441 Fourth Ave. (at Ninth Street)

For more information, visit DOT’s website for Fourth Avenue, www.NYC.gov/4thave; or contact CB6 District Manager Craig Hammerman, 718.643.3027, or Chris Hrones at the DOT Brooklyn borough commissioner’s office, 718.222.7259.

Download your copy of Civic News

Read the latest updates from the Park Slope Civic Council in the latest version of our  Civic News newsletter, and check out the work from our many committees, including:

• Forth on Fourth Avenue
• Grants
• Historic District
• House Tour
• Livable Streets
• Outreach
• Scholarships
• Sustainability
• Toys for Tots

Download your copy here.

The Brooklyn Public Library earlier this year proposed closing the library, at Pacific Street and Fourth Avenue, and moving its greatly needed resources to a new tower being proposed for the BAM South triangle across from the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The branch is also historically significant among local libraries — the first library to be built in the borough with funds from steel baron Andrew Carnegie, who also endowed the construction of hundreds of public libraries across the country.

In March, the Park Slope Civic Council unanimously passed a resolution urging the preservation of the Pacific Street branch, calling for landmark status for the structure and for services to remain at this underserved location.

The latest letters of support from elected officials are an important part of the landmark process, emphasizing widespread community endorsement of the application and the importance of the request.

“I am especially concerned that the community could lose a significantly historic structure, designed by well known architect Raymond Francis Almirall, who has several Beaux Arts buildings already designated as New York City landmarks,” Millman wrote. “An expedited approval of the Pacific Library Branch will ensure an important community landmark continues to contribute to the life and sense of place of the neighboring community.”

The library “serves local seniors, students from the neighborhood schools, residents of the nearby public housing communities, and provides a central meeting location for many civic organizations and other groups,” Levin wrote. “For almost 110 years, the Library has been an important institution and, while not officially designated, a community landmark for local families.”

“This may be a small structure, but it is an important building, and it faces near-certain demolition,” James added. “I ask that the Landmarks Preservation Commission act upon this [request for evaluation] immediately.”

Read more about efforts to preserve the Pacific Branch on our website. You can also download the letters from our elected officials here.

If you own a two-family brick or brownstone building, you may be eligible receive $75 as a participation incentive, a free energy assessment, and a chance to receive a free package of energy saving measures, a $3,000-$7,000 value (measures may include insulation, air sealing, and appliance upgrades). Participating homeowners must complete surveys at the beginning and end of the study and provide the previous 12 months of energy usage data, and if selected for a free energy retrofit, 12 months of energy usage data after the installation. We only have 25 slots, so sign up today!

Download this flyer from the Pratt Center for more details. To determine your eligibility, please complete a brief survey at www.surveymonkey.com, and/or contact Jen Becker at jbecker@prattcenter.net or 718.230.6832.

The Park Slope Civic Council’s Sustainability Committee encourages programs such as this one that will help make our community greener. Learn more about the committee here.

As part of the Park Slope Civic Council’s Brooklyn Civics 2013 Mayoral Forum 2013, set for Monday, May 6, you can submit a question prior to the event. Selected questions will be given to forum moderator Andrea Bernstein of WNYC. The committee coordinating this input from the community will include members of the Civic Council and the forum’s cosponsors — the Brooklyn Heights Association, the Boerum Hill Association, the Crown Heights North Association, the Fort Greene Association, Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, and the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association.

Please send in your questions through Google Moderator (separate log-in may be required) by May 3; you can also help to vote on questions of importance to you at that site. If you prefer, mail questions to the Mayoral Forum 2013 Committee through any of the co-sponsoring groups by April 26.

For more information on the forum, visit our Mayoral Forum page. Media questions: contact Gilly Youner at gilly.youner@parkslopeciviccouncil.org.

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photo by Asterix611/Flickr

The Brooklyn Civics 2013 Mayoral Forum is an opportunity for residents to submit questions with a Brooklyn focus, on a range of topics that will include infrastructure, schools, emergency preparedness, city services, transportation and transit, parks, development, businesses, and local jobs. The event is set for:

Monday, May 6, 7-9 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Congregation Beth Elohim, 274 Garfield Pl. at Eighth Avenue

All mayoral candidates as of March 2013 have been invited to attend the forum (Sal Albanese, Adolfo Carrion, John Catsimatidis, Bill de Blasio, Joe Lhota, John Liu, George McDonald, Christine Quinn, and Bill Thompson). The forum will be moderated by Andrea Bernstein of WNYC and will be strictly timed. There will be 1.5-minute opening statements and 2-minute closing statements. The Civic Council invites all interested voters to attend this forum and hear the candidates’ vision for the future of Brooklyn and New York City. Reporters from all local news outlets, publications, and blogs are also welcome to attend.

Please submit your questions through Google Moderator (separate log-in may be required) and vote on questions of importance to you by May 3. If you prefer, mail questions to the Mayoral Forum 2013 Committee through any of the co-sponsoring groups by April 26.

The forum is free to the public. RSVP or tickets are not required; seating is on a first-come-first-served basis. Bring friends and voters.

For more information on the forum, visit our Mayoral Forum page. Media questions: contact Gilly Youner at gilly.youner@parkslopeciviccouncil.org.

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[post updated April 11, 2013]

See below for some highlights of this year’s House Tour.

The 54th annual edition of the Park Slope Civic Council House Tour, always one of our most popular events, is set for Sunday, May 19, from noon to 5 p.m. This year’s self-guided walking tour will focus on seven of Park Slope’s most beautiful and interesting homes between Fourth and Ninth Streets. New York Methodist Hospital will serve as a rest stop; the Old Stone House is also participating.

Advance tickets ($20 each) can now be purchased online through NYCharities. Please be sure to exchange your receipt for a ticket and brochure beginning at noon on Sunday, May 19, at our starting point, Saint Saviour Catholic Academy, 701 Eighth Ave. at Seventh Street.

• Aguayo & Huebener, 138 7th Avenue
• Betancourt & Assoc. Realty, 335 7th Avenue
• Brown Harris Stevens, 100 7th Avenue
• Dixon’s Bicycle Shop, 792 Union Street
• Dizzy’s Diner, 511 9th Street
• Ideal Properties Group, LLC, 78 7th Avenue
• tb shaw realty associates, 197 7th Avenue
• Warren Lewis Sotheby’s International Realty, 123A 7th Avenue
• Zuzu’s Petals, 374 5th Avenue

On Tour Day, May 19, $25 tickets will be available only at Saint Saviour’s.

Ticket-holders will receive a handsome illustrated brochure describing the history and interior of each home, along with a suggested route, as well as shoe covers. Following the tour, at 5:30 p.m., local architect-historian Francis Morrone will present a lecture at the New York Methodist Hospital Dining Room (House Tour tickets are required).

Please note our rules for the House Tour:

• No children under 10 with the exception of infants in front packs.
• No smoking, food, or drinks.
• No photos or videos of any kind.
• No large backpacks.

Proceeds from the annual tour go toward our Community Grants Program, which helps to support activities for many local organizations.

An advance peek at the 2013 House Tour

The parlor of a lovely 1903 Flemish Renaissance Revival home features graceful mahogany columns and a beautiful ceiling with dentil moldings. Leaded-glass transoms can be seen above the bay window. Beautiful oak woodwork is seen in the dining room, as well as a plate rail with an Italian plate collection, a window seat, and cabinets with leaded-glass doors.

At the entrance of a lovely 1903 Flemish Renaissance Revival home, an oak hall stand with carved garlands and a shell-like center panel is flanked by beautiful lithographed wallpaper of the Bay of Napoli and Mt. Vesuvius.

A beautiful kitchen in shades of white and blue is a highlight of a 1908 Neo-Classical home, which has undergone major renovations.

A powder room in a 1908 Neo-Classical home is papered with a Brooklyn-themed Flavor Paper wallpaper designed by Mike D. of the Beastie Boys.

A handsome pier mirror and cabinet with Dresden figurines reside in the parlor of a beautiful 1883 Neo-Grec home. A Waterford Crystal chandelier graces the dining room. The spacious, light-filled kitchen features lovely cherry cabinetry, a Viking Professional stove, and starfish granite on the center island.

Top four photos by Audrey Gray;
bottom photo by  Cynthia Dantzic