Live Blog: Atlantic Yards Area Community Impacts Meeting

We're here at Wednesday night's  organized by Park Slope/Boerum Hill Councilmember Levin will discuss sanitation and transportation issues. We'll be live blogging it (timeline is newest at the bottom).  

6:19 p.m. There are about 40 people at the meeting, which is taking place in the basement of the Pacific Library. 

The Department of Sanitation's Community Affairs Officer Iggy Terranova is discussing sanitation. Going to put one garage in charge of cleaning up around the arena (like ). They haven't determined which garage yet.  

6:25: Question from an area resident: How do we get garbage cans that are not "rat feeding stations"? (He's referring to the regular mesh ones.)

Terranova: The only way to get a "high end" garbage can is if you get someone to sponsor it. 

Area resident: We're worried that if there are not enough garbage cans out on the streets, homeowners are going get fined for litter. Will the Dep. of Sanitation be putting out extra cans?

Terranova: No. We'll put the regular number, one on each corner. "We're not going to be putting out a line of cans out there."

Councilman Levin noted that Forest City Ratner has promised to have people standing at the doorways outside the game collecting garbage. 

6:47 p.m. 

Area resident: What are you going to do to step up sanitation service in the neighborhood?

Terranova: We're not doing anything.

Levin: We only do the budget once a year. There aren't a lot of options as to getting extra funding. 

Levin: Turns to sanitation guy and noted that "this is extraordinary circumstances." Also suggested more discussions with Forest City Ratner regarding the desire for more sanitation efforts.

Area resident: Why did Chicago get Wrigley's Field to clean up the blocks around the arena?

Jim Vogel of state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery's office: about seven years ago in the Memorandum of Understanding, the city basically signed away all their rights. Chicago kept its leverage power. 

Area resident: Any feedback from Forest City regarding released by area civic groups last week? 

Gib Veconi of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council: No, but we did just find out that the clubs at Barclays are planning to serve alcohol until 2 a.m.

"We haven't received any feedback from them but it doesn't seem to be going in the right direction," he said.

Levin: the capacity for those clubs will be about 3,000 people. (Collective gasp from the residents.)

Vogel: "The fact that this is coming to light now, means that the community boards , were not in possession of all the facts." People should send their concerns about this to the ESDC at AtlanticYards@esd.ny.gov.

Veconi: You can also sign the asking for liquor sales to end at 10 p.m. 

Area resident: Back to sanitation. If you can't increase service in the area, can you do a little bit more enforcement over the food vendors? Consider bringing a little bit more effort to this area.

Levin: That's the NYPD's jurisdiction

Terranova: I'll gladly help, but remember that enforcement doesn't come with blinders, it will be across the board. 

Initial Questioner: Great!

From the audience: They're also going ticket every single person who has a paper cup on their stoop. 

(Murmers of disapproval.)

Terranova: We will not give you a ticket for one wrapper. We do use common sense and discretion. We don't give tickets for one cup, we don't give tickets for one paper. We will use common sense, but we can't look one way and turn a blind eye another way.

Area resident: Does that mean we're going to have to clean our sidewalks every single day?

Terranova: Yes. The arena is not going to excuse anyone in the city from not cleaning up their property.

Levin: The impact wasn't there before, they didn't ask for the impact, but they're stuck 200 nights a year with tons of trash. 

Terranova: We don't know what's going to happen yet. When it happens we're going to handle it. The DOS understands that some arena patrons will leave their trash on the sidewalk--we will use common sense. But that doesn't excuse you from cleaning the sidewalk.

Area resident: We already are responsible for cleaning the city bus stop and there's trash there every single day. We already do that and it's a lot. 

Area resident: What happens if someone puts their giant slurpie on top of our trash?

Terranova: We won't give you a ticket for that.

Levin: We can continue to press for having the city and FCR provide resources, but the reality is the arena . We need to make sure that the community can work together to effectively address issues once we see what will actually happen. 

Area resident: Will Forest City Ratner meet us halfway and provide some of the requested funding for sanitation?

Levin: No, I don't think so. I think the city ought to step up in terms of resources as well. The reality is that "not to many people in the neighborhood around the arena asked for this" (understatement of the year).

Area resident: The city said Barclays would bring more tax revenue. Well it's time to spend it.

Area resident: Where's Barclays in this? Where are they? They don't even come to the table.

Area resident: Is there even a date to dicuss this plan (the Neighborhood Protection Plan) with Forest City Ratner?

Levin: Not yet

Area resident: Will you push a little more forcefully? 

Levin: Yes.

Area resident: If we ever , I don't think people should have to pay for them.

Levin: I don't think it should be a way for the city to raise money. To be honest with you, I would be shocked and amazed if a Residential Parking Permit Program were to be put in place during the Bloomberg Administration.

Area resident: Mr. Terranova, have you looked at the Barclays Community Protection Plan? Is there anything the Department of Sanitiation finds problematic? 

Terranova: No. But not much of it has to do with us. Most of it is requirements for Forest City Ratner.

Terranova: Note that ticketing is only between 8 and 9 a.m. and 6 and 7 p.m. 

Area resident: How much street sweeping will there be?

Terranova: There's street sweeping on Flatbush every night from Grand Army to the Manhattan Bridge.

Area resident: What about side streets?

Terranova: We can't do it if there are cars parked there. There's no parking at night on Flatbush.

Levin: Can you make sure to send the trucks out after 2 a.m. so they catch the post-event trash?

Terranova: Yes (I think he said that, it was a little unclear).

Area resident: How does it work at Madison Square Garden?

Terranova: MSG staff does the cleaning.

Area resident: But you're not going to do any extra cleaning?

Terranova: Correct

Area resident: Even though there will be an extra 20,000 people? That's incredible.

Area resident: Will you come back and meet with us after the arena opens?

Terranova: Absolutely.

Area resident: Can you tell the Mayor's Task Force that more sanitation needs to be done? We feel that sanitation is barely keeping up with the area now.

Terranova: I'll tell the Sanitation Commissioner what the issues are. I don't go to the task force meetings. 

Terranova: There is some good news. We're hiring an additional 401 sanitation workers citywide. I don't know how the allocation will be, but that's a good thing that we're getting our numbers up back where it was.

Area resident: (To Levin) Can you tell the mayor that we want more foot patrol officers around the arena?

Area resident: I think you're aware that we've had an We're worried about more car and home break-ins, too. 

Levin: We have to wait until it's officially announced that the 78th Precinct will have jurisdiction. Once that happens we can sit down with the captain and request it. 

Area resident: Cops from the 78th Precinct told me that there's been a 200% increase in crime around the arena. We're very concerned. Last week my house was unoccupied for under an hour and it was broken into as well as two other homes. 

(A different) Area resident: As a landlord I've had two burglaries in 27 years and they've both been in the last month.

Area resident: It helps to get a surveillance camera. It's acutally not too expensive.

Levin: It costs a few hunderd bucks.

Levin: There are these high quality cameras that cover a large area, such as all four corners at an intersection. They cost about $30,000 but if residents really want it, we can look into it. E-mail me if you're interested.

Area resident: Something like that sounds good for the main avenues. But it would still be good for homes to have them (facing the street) on residential streets.

Levin: Burglaries in the 78th Precinct are up 71 percent.

7:48 p.m. The meeting ended abruptly as the library is about to close.