After a walloping winter, spring is officially here. I don’t think it's possible to overstate how excited I am to walk the streets of Brooklyn Heights with sunshine on my face (at least the part not covered by a mask) and a feeling of hope about the coming months!

We’ve made the decision not to hold the traditional Spring Egg Hunt at Pierrepont Playground this year. While I believe we are turning the corner on the pandemic, it’s still important to keep ourselves safe. We’re hopeful for the return of the Egg Hunt next year.
 
Since we don’t want to let spring pass us by without at least some celebration, the BHA will be organizing a day to “Spring into Service” on Sunday April 18 – so mark your calendars. This will be fun day for everyone in the community to celebrate spring and participate in neighborhood clean up activities. Details to follow very soon!
 
On a more serious note, harassment and violence against people of Asian descent has risen dramatically across the country and here in NYC. Crimes targeting Asians rose by 150% in 2020 in New York City alone. We must work together support every member of our community. Visit Stop AAPI Hate for information and resources as well as ways to get involved. 

I will join with neighbors and officials tomorrow at 4:00pm at Brooklyn Borough Hall for a Rally Against Discrimination, Hate, and Violence. Hope to see you there! 

Best,
Lara 

An influx of federal stimulus funding means that the MTA’s Capital Program spending can proceed--including the long-planned elevator replacement project at Clark Street.

The MTA plans to issue a contract soon and work should begin later this fall. As previously reported, the MTA’s plan is to shut down all of the elevators at the same time, meaning that although trains will bypass the station, the upper level of the station will remain accessible to customers and passersby. The MTA plans to complete the work within an 8-month timeline and will provide more details once the contract has been awarded.
 
The BHA will work with the MTA and our elected officials to communicate concerns about this project. You may remember that in the early days of the pandemic, we contacted the MTA to encourage them to fast-track this project during the time when fewer people were using the subways. While it was disappointing that the timeline we hoped for didn’t come to pass, once it begins we will do what we can to support the Clark Street Station businesses along with the rest of the community while the work is ongoing.
 
In other updates, the MTA reports that work has been completed on the Borough Hall (2/3 station) elevator and it is now operational. The Jay Street (A/C/F) escalators are also fully functional after a maintenance upgrade. The new federal funding will also allow ADA accessibility planning to begin for the Borough Hall (4/5) and Hoyt-Schermerhorn (A/C/G) stations.