BROOKLYN, NY, July 7, 2015: Today, a coalition including Community Education Council 13; Brooklyn Community Board 8; the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council (PHNDC); leaders of the parent-teacher organizations of Brooklyn public schools P.S. 9, P.S. 11, P.S. 20, P.S. 133, and P.S. 282; and elected officials announced M.S. OneBrooklyn, a community vision for a new public middle school to serve District 13. M.S. OneBrooklyn would be located in the school facility being created at the Atlantic Yards project expected to open in September 2018, and would help meet a significant local need for a dedicated intermediate school accessible to all District 13 students.

M.S. OneBrooklyn’s unique location within Brooklyn’s cultural district will enable it to offer a curriculum that recognizes the intrinsic value of the arts and culture while also using them as a critical lens through which students learn to see themselves, the communities around them, and the role of the arts and culture in society. Reflecting the many technology start-ups that now call this part of Brooklyn home, M.S. OneBrooklyn will offer a comprehensive science, technology, engineering and math (“STEM”) curriculum. Subjects like software engineering and robotics will complement a rigorous math and science foundation, preparing students for the challenges of high school, college and future careers. M.S. OneBrooklyn will offer dual language studies, in order to provide continuity in the bilingual and bicultural educations of the students in six District 13 dual language elementary school programs while providing deep support for English language learning students.

Sign a petition calling on Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Farina to dedicate the Atlantic Yards facility for use as a middle school.

On May 15, 2015, the New York City School Construction Authority issued a notice for the development of a 616-seat primary and intermediate school to be housed in building B15 at the Atlantic Yards site. The building is slated to begin construction in July of 2016.

Citing the longstanding need for a middle school to serve students from Prospect Heights and its environs, in comments to the notice submitted to the SCA today, PHNDC called for the proposed facility to instead be a dedicated middle school for District 13 students. "The SCA and DOE should issue direction that the developer design the facility as a dedicated middle school as soon as possible so to take advantage of these opportunities without risking its projected September 2018 opening," wrote PHNDC Chair Gib Veconi. In separate comments submitted to SCA, Community Education Council 13 and Community Board 8 also called for the facility to be dedicated as a middle school.

On Tuesday, May 26, the Transportation Committee of Brooklyn Community Board 8 approved a plan by the New York City Department of Transportation to implement a Neighborhood Slow Zone (NSZ) in Prospect Heights. In October 2013, Prospect Heights was one of 15 neighborhoods selected from among 74 applicants to receive a NSZ. PHNDC applied to the program on behalf of Prospect Heights, gathering support from more than 1,300 individuals through an online petition.

Before the Prospect Heights Historic District was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2009, the neighborhood was home to a National Register Historic District listed earlier in 1983. The current Prospect Heights NR district consists of 305 contributing buildings constructed between 1865 and 1900, mostly situated between Prospect Place, Bergen Street, Carlton Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue.

The National Register of Historic Places is the federal government's list of districts, buildings and sites deemed worthy of preservation. Unlike in a New York City Landmark district, properties in a National Register district are not protected from uncharacteristic alteration or demolition. However, owners of income-producing properties contributing to a National Register district may be eligible for a 20% investment tax credit for rehabilitation of a historic building through the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program. Tax credits for certain income-producing and owner-occupied properties in a National Register District are also available through programs offered by the State of New York.

After a long winter, the daffodils and tulips that have popped up around our neighborhood – many of which were planted by Prospect Heights Street Tree Task Force (PHSTTF) volunteers – are welcome sights indeed. We hope they inspire you to take a few moments to consider how you can help make our neighborhood greener and even more beautiful in the coming weeks. We’d like to offer a few suggestions:

While Prospect Heights awaits curbside composting pickup through New York City's Organic Collections program, residents can drop off eligible food waste for composting at two locations in the neighborhood.

• 7th Avenue B/Q station, Park Place and Carlton Avenue: 8:00AM to 10:00AM on Wednesdays, sponsored by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's NYC Compost Project.
• Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket: 8:00AM to 3:30PM on Saturdays, sponsored by GrowNYC and its community partners.

Both locations accept food waste year round.For a map of all compost drop off locations, see the Department of Sanitation web site.

Through October 2015, residents can also drop off organics and food waste for composting at the Prospect Heights Community Farm, located on St. Marks Avenue between Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues. For hours of operation and drop off rules, click here.