Brooklyn's Progress
March 2004

Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) announced on Jan. 27 over $2 million in federal funding for projects headed by organizations in the 12th District, ranging from afterschool centers to economic development initiatives.

“This funding will help local organizations turn their innovative plans into concrete solutions for the community,” Congresswoman Velázquez said. “Residents will be able to access services that are crucial for economic growth and healthy living.  These projects – from fostering entrepreneurship through microenterprise development to improving the Williamsburg waterfront – will make our communities healthier, safer, and better places to live and work.”

Congresswoman Velázquez secured funding for the following organizations:

Added Value’s Red Hook Farmer’s Market: 
The isolation faced by Red Hook residents and the lack of access to healthy, safe, affordable food puts the community at risk for poor nutrition.  Added Value’s Red Hook Farmer’s Market in Southwest Brooklyn will receive $112,500 for a project to increase participation in the market to over 500 residents a week, bring farm fresh produce into local stores, and assist neighborhood restaurants in using New York state produce.  The project will also help expand entrepreneurial activity as Red Hook youth work to develop agricultural skills and then sell their products to local markets.
Contact:  Added Value’s Red Hook Farmer’s Market Co-Director Ian Marvy at (718) 855-5531

Ridgewood Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District (BID):
Congresswoman Velázquez secured $200,000 for the Ridgewood Myrtle Avenue BID to perform a planning study exploring the redevelopment of a 10 block commercial strip in Ridgewood and to implement improvements to this strip.  The Myrtle Avenue BID plans to survey the area for redevelopment potential and identify specific sites to undertake the renovation and/or construction of commercial/retail space as well as back office space. 

El Puente’s Youth Leadership Center:
El Puente’s Youth Leadership Center in Brooklyn will receive $200,000 in federal funding for the creation of an afterschool center to provide anti-violence programs, leadership training, tutor/mentoring, and computer and GED classes to youth ages 12 to 21.  The center plans to place special emphasis on at-risk students and high school dropouts. 

Progress Inc.’s Community Technology Center:
Progress Inc. was allocated $400,000 in federal funding to establish a Community Technology Center.  This center will provide a series of educational and training activities to underserved residents in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  The center will have state-of-the-art technology equipment, curricula and instruction.

United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park (UPROSE), Sunset Youth Industries:
The community-based advocacy organization UPROSE located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, will receive $150,000 in federal funding for its Sunset Youth Industries project to help young people create and launch their own enterprises, develop vital skills and expand work opportunities.  The project will consist of two microenterprises – the first project will develop a team of youth who will offer videomaking services to non-profit organizations around the city at a low cost.  The second project will be aimed at mobilizing and training young people to start environmentally-friendly microenterprises.

Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) – Myrtle/Wyckoff/Palmetto Transit Hub Enhancement:
The Myrtle Avenue BID will receive $500,000 for a project to enhance the Myrtle/Wyckoff/Palmetto multi-modal transit corridor/hub in an effort to alleviate commuter congestion and safety hazards.  Funding will allow for the installation of new and improved street lighting for passengers, new sidewalks on both sides of Palmetto Street, and a bus holding light/electronic message system to ensure effective and safe transfers to the bus system for riders. 

Regional Plan Association’s Williamsburg/Navy Yard/Vinegar Hill Corridor Access:
Congresswoman Velázquez secured $200,000 for the Regional Plan Association to help connect the communities surrounding the Navy Yard to the waterfront.  With this funding, a 3-mile greenway will be planned that extends from Williamsburg to Vinegar Hill along the edge of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.  Once complete the project will create new connections to both the Brooklyn Bridge Park that is underway and the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges bicycle paths, which link to Manhattan’s waterfront greenway.  The planning will also investigate the restoration of some cobblestone streets in the historic Vinegar Hill neighborhood, and improve the Flushing/Kent Avenue corridor and Williamsburg’s southside waterfront streets.  This is a collaborative project coordinated by the Regional Plan Association with Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Task Force, the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation.

Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation’s (GRRC) Neighborhood Improvement Project:
The Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation will receive $200,000 for a neighborhood beautification project.  GRRC will plant 4,800 trees on 240 square blocks along both sides of the Brooklyn/Queens border, known as “Asthma Alley.”  These trees will help absorb pollution, assisting efforts to assuage the asthma problems that plague the community.