The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council is pleased to announce that Ellen Fishman has been elected as Chair of the organization. She succeeds Danae Oratowski, who served as PHNDC Chair since 2007. 

Ms. Fishman, a native New Yorker, is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Brooklyn Law School. She has been a resident of Prospect Heights with her family for 13 years. During that time she transitioned from working as an attorney in private practice to operating with her husband Albano Ballerini the authentic pizza and pasta restaurant Amorina Cucina Rustica, on Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights. Ms. Fishman is also the President of the Vanderbilt Avenue Merchants District and continues to represent it on the PHNDC board. As both as both a resident and merchant she brings a unique perspective to our organization. 

Heart of Brooklyn (HOB), A Cultural Partnership is launching a survey focused on retail attraction for the Washington Avenue district between Atlantic Avenue and Eastern Parkway. The findings will be shared publicly with property owners, business owners, and community stakeholders.

The survey is available now at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/washingtonavenue.

In addition to online surveys, volunteers will be conducting surveys with residents in the area and visitors at locations surrounding Washington Avenue starting Wednesday, April 3rd. Merchants who would like a survey display at a business or a hard copy, please contact Rebeca Ramirez at rramirez@heartofbrooklyn.org.

The Crown Heights Community Mediation Center is pleased to announce its third annual Arts to End Violence festival and contest.  CHCMC is a neighborhood problem-solving center that aims to strengthen the Crown Heights neighborhood through youth programming, neighbor services, and the community-based anti-gun violence program, Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) Crown Heights. Last year the Arts to End Violence show brought artists together to share their messages of peace and feelings about violence. Some of the participants were established in their field and others were new to the creative process. CHCMC is calling on artists of all ages to submit art for this project in three categories: 2-dimensional art, video and performance. Artists 24 and under are eligible for cash prizes and all are eligible to be displayed in a local gallery. 

Brooklyn East Collegiate, an Uncommon middle school located at 80 Underhill Avenue and serving grades 5-8, is now accepting new student applications for students entering the 5th grade in the 2013-2014 school year. Applications are due Tuesday, April 2nd at 5:00 pm. Parents can visit the website at www.uncommonschools.org/enrollnyc to apply or call 718-250-5760 for any questions.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has launched a new manual on its website to help property owners in City historic districts (such as the Prospect Heights Historic District) file complete applications that include the correct materials, enabling our staff to review work proposals more expeditiously and issue permits with fewer delays. The LPC Permit Application Guide lists the materials that must be submitted, describes the criteria a project must meet to qualify for a permit, and explains the preservation principles for those criteria. 

In response to community concerns following a string of car accidents on Underhill Avenue between Park and Prospect Places (the most recent one from December 2012 is pictured above), the New York City Department of Transportation has investigated ways to adjust the signal timing to promote slower speeds and plans to implement the following no later than March of this year: