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Our position on the Respite Center at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah
The McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance (MPNA) wants to clarify our organization’s position on
the Respite Center at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah. In December we helped to promote a
community forum at the Church where local residents could discuss the challenges of homelessness
in our part of Greenpoint and particularly McGolrick Park, and learn about the Respite Center that
the Church was beginning to explore. Some local residents have since questioned whether we
were actively pushing for the Respite Center and we want to clarify our position. As an
organization we are taking a neutral position, meaning that we are not officially in favor of it nor
are we officially opposed to it. Some of the members of our steering committee are very much in
favor of the center and some are very much opposed. Given that we are divided as a group on this
issue, we are focusing our energies on other areas where we align. We want to make clear that we
are not working to support or oppose the Respite Center.
In the months and years ahead, we will continue to focus our energies on improving the Park and
the surrounding neighborhood, building on the numerous successes we achieved over the past
year. Here are some of the highlights:
Secured $1.3 million in funding to completely renovate the playground in McGolrick Park, which
has been in desperate need of an upgrade. We accomplished this by working with
Councilmember Stephen Levin, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Assemblymember
Joseph Lentol, and other elected leaders to advocate for and secure funding through the
Participatory Budgeting process and other funding streams. This was a huge victory for the
group as it was one of the first priorities we identified after talking with and surveying many
parents in the neighborhood.
Held our first ever park clean up event on September 20, 2014 honoring local legend Marie
Sadowski that drew over 75 volunteers where we cleaned up approximately 250 bags of trash,
leaves and other debris, along with 3 truckloads of additional leaves and pruning debris.
Additionally the concrete sitting area of the Shelter Pavilion was powerwashed with permission
from OSA‐NB. The event was attended by Assemblyman Joseph Lentol who MC'd the opening of the
event, Councilmember Stephen Levin, Zeeshan Ott from Senator Daniel Squadron’s office, Ed Janoff
from Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn, Tony Argento from Broadway Stages, Kevin Thompson from
ExxonMobil, Roux Associates, NYPD Explorers Youth Group, PS 110, Old Mill Nurseries, and many others.
This very successful event could not have been accomplished without the help from Tony
Argento from Broadway Stages, Kevin Thompson of ExxonMobil, Peter Pan Donuts, Syrena
Bakery, and Paradise Florist for their donations to the event.
Organizing a celebratory news conference on October 18, 2014 honoring all that helped secure
the funding for the playground that was MC’d by Assemblymember Lentol, attended by
neighborhood residents as well as Councilmember Stephen Levin, Borough President Eric
Adams, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey, Community Board #1’s Chair and District
2. Manager, representatives of the 94th
Police Precinct, and Adam Perlmutter the Chair of Open
Space Alliance and staff of OSA, Partnerships for Parks and, our green market, Down to Earth
Markets. The ceremony was followed by a park clean up event that drew over 50 volunteers
who cleaned up the park and planted 1,500 daffodils to beautify the park. They will hibernate
for the winter and bloom in the spring!
Securing appointment of two of our members to the Community Advisory Panel for the
Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF), which is overseeing a $19.5 million grant
fund resulting from the State’s settlement with ExxonMobil for the Greenpoint oil spill.
Helping to organize a community meeting on September 18, 2014 for local residents to learn
about the GCEF funding, to begin brainstorming ideas that our group and others could put forth
as proposals for the next round of grants. We want to ensure that our part of the
neighborhood, which was historically most impacted by the oil spill, gets its fair share
Advocated for funding of GCEF projects that would most benefit our part of the
neighborhood. Two of the four projects we publicly supported received funding through GCEF’s
“community preferencing” process.
Raising funds from local businesses such as Arthur’s Funeral Home and Broadway Stages to
support some of these efforts.
Holding meetings with the 94th
Precinct Captain and other officials to discuss solutions to crime
and vandalism in the Park and neighborhood.
Building an e‐mail contact list of hundreds of local residents, a website, and Facebook page.
Tabling at the farmers market on many Sundays to inform area residents about ways they can
get involved in MPNA’s activities.
In the year to come, we will continue to advocate for improvements to the Park, and particularly
work hard to put forth grant proposals to the GCEF so that additional resources from the next and
final funding pot can benefit the Park and our part of Greenpoint. We are also exploring other
fundraising strategies to improve the park. We encourage more community residents, business
owners, and other stakeholders to join us as we build on our achievements of 2014. 2015 should be
an exciting year for the group!
About the MPNA
The McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance (MPNA) is a group of organized community leaders and
residents working to improve McGolrick Park and our neighborhood. We are a diverse group
consisting of lifelong residents of the community, new residents, parents of small children, senior
citizens, community activists, and representatives of religious institutions and businesses. Our
vision is to be an inclusive, equity‐aware, focused, vocal, fundraising advocate for a safer and
ultimately better park and surrounding area for all New Yorkers to enjoy.
http://www.mcgolrickalliance.org/ * https://www.facebook.com/mcgolrickalliance
