The Dumbo/Vinegar Hill CSA registration for Summer 2013 is open. A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly portion of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become members of the CSA.

Here’s how it works:

• Step 1: Fill out this simple form: bit.ly/SummerRegistration2013
• Step 2: Mail in your payment (details on payment)
• Step 3: Count down the days until your first veggies arrive in June!

The deadline is 5/15 for all registrations/payments. What does it cost?

Vegetable share (fresh, organic veggies from Long Island)

• Full share: $620 for 23 weeks ($26.96/week)
• Partial share: $410 for 23 weeks ($17.83/week)

They’re also offering two optional add-on shares:

• Fruit share: $195 for 18 weeks ($10.83/week)
• Cheese share: $195 for 18 weeks ($10.83/week)

This will be their 6th season and are partnering again with Sang Lee Farms, which provides the fresh, organic vegetables. Briermere Farm provides the fruit. The cheese share rotates between four artisan cheese providers: Catapano Dairy Farm, Mecox Bay Dairy, Harpersfield Cheese, and Goodale Farms.

The CSA is a great way to connect with your neighbors and support a local farm, not to mention the wonderful produce you’ll pick up every week!

Visit the Dumbo CSA website to learn more about how the CSA works

Feel free to contact the CSA at core@dumbocsa.org with any questions about payment plans or details about the program.

Previously:
{Sign Up for the 2012 Dumbo / Vinegar Hill CSA, 17Apr2012}
{Dumbo/Vinegar Hill CSA 2011 Season Kick Off, 15Jun2011}
{Sign up for the Dumbo/Vinegar Hill CSA 2011 Season, 07Mar2011}
{Past CSA Posts}

Pomme, the children’s boutique in Dumbo is closing at the end of May 2013. One of the partners have said that they love Dumbo, and would love to stay, but with the seasonal foot traffic (or lack thereof), it is difficult to sustain the business. Pomme has been on the Washington Street location since 2005 in a loft space that evokes the art gallery spaces in the neighborhood with children’s clothing and toys from around the world.

Pomme will have a pop-up location in Nolita and continue to seek a permanent locations in Manhattan. Keep an eye on facebook.com/PommeNYC for the announcement on the location.

Pomme
81 Washington Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
info@pommenyc.com

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is filming The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in Dumbo Brooklyn today, according to Onlocationvacations.com.

Spider-man 2 stars Emma Stone (as Gwen Stacy), Shailene Woodley (as Mary Jane Watson), Jamie Foxx (as Max Dillon / Electro), Andrew Garfield (as Peter Parker / Spider-Man), Paul Giamatti (as Aleksei Sytsevich / The Rhino)

The following blocks are held for filming:

• Plymouth Street between Main and Washington St
• Main Street between Plymouth and Front St
• Water Street between Old Dock St and Washington St
• Front Street between York and Washington St
• Washington St between York and Water St
• York St between Front and Washignton St
• Anchorage Pl between Plymouth and Water St
• Water St between Pearl and Jay St
• York St between Bridge and Gold St
• Bridge St betweeen York and Prospect St
• Gold St between Sands and York St

All filming posts are tagged here: DumboNYC.com/tag/filming

The TD Five Boro Bike Tour will pass through Dumbo/Vinegar Hill on Front Street with a rest stop at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sunday, May 5, 2013.

For bike tour info, go to bikenewyork.org/ride/five-boro-bike-tour/route-map

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Pratt Area Community Council and Two Trees Management Co. will be holding an information session on affordable rental opportunities at the Dock Street Dumbo building that is being built on Dock and Front Streets in Dumbo/Fulton Ferry Landing Brooklyn. The info session will take place at The Actors Fund Arts Center, 160 Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 6:15pm.

Rents for the affordable units at Dock Street will be between approximately $500-$850 per month for studios, 1, and 2 bedrooms, depending on income, family size, and apartment size. Rental applications will not be available at the presentation (they will be available sometime in 2014). Back in 2008 plan called for 400 rental units, 80 of which will be affordable.

Seating is limited. RSVP by May 5 by email to: rsvp@prattarea.org

Facebook event info: facebook.com/events/190253431125310/

{Past Dock Street posts}

Keep Your Child’s Brain Working Over the Summer

The DUMBO Einsteins program is a Pre K alternative, set in a small school environment. The ‘Einsteins’ receive direct instruction around, literacy, math, chess, art, music, theater, and yoga. See what parents are saying here.

1) Summer Handwriting Class – This is a great way to help out young students with their handwriting. Over fifteen 45 minute sessions, Traci Timmons and Rachel Rath will guide 5 and 6 year old students through practical steps and skills that enable proper handwriting. This five week course, set in a small group, is appropriate for beginning writers and those who need a little extra help with their printing.

2) Private Chess – Rachel Rath, one of the DUMBO Einstein instructors, guides students through the beginning steps of becoming a great chess player. Private chess 45 minute chess sessions are available for kids ages 4-6 at $60/session or $550 for 10. All packages must be used up by September 15th.

3) Tutoring over the summer is a great idea whether your child is behind or ahead in reading. Without the stress and fatigue of school, Traci Timmons and Liz Frank create personalized one-on-one lesson plans that help the regular school year go by so much easier. At Abundant Learning, they see students who are very advanced and somewhat behind. They have a great deal of experience with children who suffer from dyslexia and use multi-sensory techniques to help students achieve their goals. $125/session. Email to inquire about scheduling.

All classes and sessions are held at Abundant Learning, in Dumbo, Brooklyn at 68 Jay Street, room 513. Space is very limited. Email Liz@abundantlearning.org to sign up.

Abundant Learning
68 Jay Street, Suite #513
Brooklyn, NY 11201
917-727-8839

New York City’s bike share program, called Citibike is expected to launch in May. The program will allow members to use one of 6000 bikes from 330 stations in Midtown, Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. The bike stations have been installed in the following locations in and around Dumbo:

• North side of Old Fulton Street near Water Street – 41 bike docks
• North side of Front Street near Washington Street – 30 bike docks
• West side of Pearl Street near Water Street – 24 bike docks
• South side of York Street near Jay Street – 27 bike docks
• South side of Front Street near Gold Street – 23 bike docks
• North side of Sands Street near Gold Street – 19 bike docks
• East side of Cadman Plaza East near Red Cross Place – 27 bike docks
• West side of Cadman Plaza West near Middagh Street – 23 bike docks

The bike program has had some delay and some controversy surrounding the bike racks with advertising in Historic Landmark locations (such as in Dumbo, Vinegar Hill, and Fulton Ferry Landing). Gothamist spoke with the LPC:

“Landmarks Preservation Commission says that the stations are just fine, since the landmarks law generally allows advertising in historic districts—including on street fixtures like bus shelters, pay toilets and newsstands. “We approved the plan for the installation of bike share stations in historic districts throughout the city because they have no effect on the historic fabric of those neighborhoods,” said Elisabeth de Bourbon, the commission’s communications director”

In a Brooklyn Eagle article, store owners on Front Street in Dumbo said they were not notified or consulted with before the bike stations were installed. Doreen Gallo of the preservation group DUMBO Neighborhood Alliance (DNA) said in the article, “DOT never contacted us and never brought it through Landmarks. It’s more visual clutter in the wrong spot. That’s a great open space and it should be an open piazza; but they keep adding more and more crap. It’s an inappropriate use of this great municipal space.”

The Front Street location (top photo) seems to be a tight fit for the traffic that goes by in the busy intersection where delivery trucks pass. Thoughts?

For bike station listing, go to citibikenyc.com/stations

The increase in food trucks in NYC is a great thing for those looking for lunch and dinner options. High quality food being served in neighborhoods that need options is welcome. However in some cases, that has led to turf wars to get prime parking spots. Dumbo has been lucky to get a steady strem of great trucks, but they risk being ticketed or sent away by transit police. The trucks have to park in Dumbo starting at 7am to get prime spots.

But Thomas Yang and his partners at food trucks Bian Dang, Fun Buns, and Fishing Shrimp saw this as an opportunity to make a positive out of a negative. They formed a coop to lease the parking lot on the corner of Jay and Water Street in Dumbo for a food truck lot. We spoke with Thomas about it:

Which food trucks will be in the lot? Will there be other ones that may rotate there?

We will have a variety of food trucks that will rotate in the space. A sample of them will be, Bian Dang, Fun Buns, and Fishing Shrimp, Domo Taco, Mike N’ Willie’s, Big D’s Grub Truck, Korilla BBQ, Milk Truck, Wafels & Dinges, Cool Haus, Palenque, Carl’s Steaks, and Food Freaks.

What prompted you to lease the space?

We like the community and vibe down here. We know people want food trucks, but it seems that there are some people that don’t want us here and the police have been shooing us away. This lot will allow us to be there to provide good food.

What will the hours be there?

We are looking to set up from 11am to 3pm [weekdays]. Also we’re asking [Dumbo] to see if there is interest for dinners from 4/5pm – 8/9pm. Some vendors are looking for a long term strategy to really create a nice space. We’d love to hear from the neighborhood!

Please comment and let them know what you’d like to see in that space. Is there an interst in dinner service there? They also talked about hosting events. If so, let them know in the comments.

Location:
Parking lot at 56 Jay Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
Corner of Jay and Water Street in Dumbo

Previously:
{2012 Summer Season for Food Trucks in Dumbo Brooklyn, 13Jun2012}
{Shorty’s on Wheels Food Truck Coming to Dumbo, 09Jun2012}
{New Food Truck Alert in Dumbo: Real Good Truck, 13Dec2011}
{New Food Truck Option in Dumbo, 08Mar2010}
{Food Truck Monday in Dumbo, 19Jul2010}
{Munch Truck in Dumbo, 10Aug2010}
{Wafels & Dinges in Dumbo, 08Dec2009}
{Taiwanese Cravings Truck Visits Dumbo, 12Aug2009}
{Schnitzel Fridays in Dumbo, 07Aug2009}
{Schnitzel & Things Truck Lands in Dumbo, 27Jul2009}
{Rickshaw Dumpling Truck in Dumbo, 16Mar2009}
{Ice Cream Trucks in Dumbo, 12Jun2008}
{Treats Truck at Pearl St. Triangle, 19Jul2007}

(Photo credit to Priscilla Fusco)

The results from last week’s Participatory Budget for City Council District 33 have been counted and announced on City Councilman Steve Levin’s blog. The winning projects for District 33 (Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and North Park Slope) are:

• 1st – District-wide tree planting ($100k)
• 2nd – MS 8 Technology Funds (MS8 announcement, 105 Johnson Street, $200k)
• 3rd – East River State Park Dog Run (90 Kent Ave, $450k)
• 4th – PS 31 Technology Request (PS31, 75 Meserole Avenue, $188k)
• 5th – PS 34 Playground Renovations (131 Norman Ave, $120k)

The City Council has allocated $1 million to District 33, and City Council Member Stephen Levin has solicited proposals from the community about how this money should be spent. Decisions will be made via voting by members of the community. One of the proposals is to allocate $200,000 to MS 8 (the new middle school extension of local school PS8) to fund the purchase of desperately needed laptops, laptop carts, and smartboards. The school opened this past fall with very little funding, and nothing allocated towards technology.

Please spread the word about this participatory budgeting process and MS 8′s proposal. You can vote on April 5 (this Friday) at PS 8 from 7:45am to 9:45am, or at MS 8 from 8am to 10am. If you are unable to vote on April 5, then you can vote at a variety of locations between April 1 and April 7.

Every resident (16+) living in District 33 can vote for up to five projects.

For more information, go to pbnyc.org/content/district-33-voting-dates-locations-2013.

Download flyer (1.1 MB pdf file)