the red hook
THE GOWANUS SHAKEDOWN - PAGE 3
STAR REVUE
SEPTEMBER 2021
FREE INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM
BASIS School fears truck invasion by Brian Abate
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here are many reasons to be concerned about Amazon's last-mile warehouses moving into Red Hook. Perhaps one of the most alarming is the threat these warehouses may pose to children. There will soon be two delivery stations in Red Hook, which combined total more than 600,000 square feet. One of those Amazon facilities is right next to BASIS Independent Brooklyn, a PreK–grade 12 private school. I spoke to the BASIS school’s Director of Communications, Jo Goldfarb, about the situation. “I think that people need to understand that no one is in control of how many of these mega-warehouses are coming to Red Hook,” Goldfarb said.“ So far they’ve been very responsible about honoring our arrival and dismissal times but we’ll need to see it happen in practice. Right now we are very focused on ensuring that proper traffic signage and enforcement of pedestrian safety laws are in place.” Goldfarb also said that the police have been really helpful about enforcing safety precautions and she has also worked with Vision Zero Safety, the Red Hook Initiative, Resilient Red Hook and Uprose to make sure that
safety precautions are in place. In addition to concerns about keeping children and others safe with trucks coming in and out of Red Hook, there are health concerns related to the pollution caused by the truck engines. Doctors have called the neighborhoods surrounding distribution cen-
“Numerous loopholes allow companies to build these facilities ‘as-of-right’" ters “diesel death zones,” and while an average of 10 percent of children in New York have asthma, in Red Hook, it's 25 percent. Goldfarb praised the work of locals like Jim Tampakis, who is working to encourage the distribution centers use greener modes of transportation. He is trying to get the City to force Amazon to utilize our waterways as part of their supply chase. Red Hook, after all, is surrounded by water.
“We would love the help of the community in reaching out to local officials about the importance of regulating these E-commerce distribution hubs, since no one has placed a cap on how many can be brought to a neighborhood,” Goldfarb said. “We’re not sure of the long-term effects of having so many of these hubs in one community, which is scary. This information is critical for all members of the Red Hook community to know before these sites are completed.”
BASIS is located at 556 Columbia Street Goldfarb mentioned that last-mile warehouses have been ties ‘as-of-right’ without the consent able to bend the rules in their favor of community boards, zoning boards, and say they’re building the facilities or the city, leaving communities with‘as-of-right’ (meaning the existing out a say in what happens in their own neighborhood.” zoning allows them to do so.) Columbia University students did a Unfortunately, that is exactly what study on last-mile warehouses and has happened in Red Hook. The warethe study reported the same alarm- houses are close to opening and now ing point: “Numerous loopholes al- Red Hook locals must figure out a way low companies to build these facili- to make them a good neighbor.
Open Studios Returns to Red Hook by Brian Abate
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ed Hook Open Studios is returning on October 9th and 10th after a taking a year off due to COVID precautions. Open Studios is an opportunity for artists and makers to show their work, meet the public and make some sales. Founded by artist Deborah Ugoretz, jeweler Katie Lincoln, sculptor Megan Suttles and inventor Richard Upchurch, Open Studios is a chance for the public to visit local artist studios. I spoke to Ugoretz about the event. “Every year we try to expand deeper and deeper into Red Hook, We started out with about 25 artists,” Ugoretz said. “Two years ago we got up to 100 artists and makers who participated.” “I’d love to try to integrate
the community even more,” Ugoretz said. “It’s exciting to have people come into your space, look at your work, comment on your work and see what they respond to. I think it’s gratifying for both artists and the public. It’s also just really fun!” The work of volunteers including Ken Aronson is essential. He is in his first year on the Red Hook Open Studios organizing team, responsible for managing the registration website. “I run Feinberg Studios,” Aronson said. “Feinberg provides studio space for artists and makers. Currently we have 14 residents that create through a wide variety of media including music production, painting, textiles, woodworking and more. We
have a great group of mostly long time resident artists contributing to the artist/maker community in Red Hook!” Suttles is the owner and founder of Hot Wood Arts, which opened in 2010. It contains 16 visual art studios, a wood shop, an art gallery and a stage. Hot Wood Arts was developed to encourage collaboration, inspiration and friendship in an urban environment and has participated in Red Hook Open Studios since the first one in 2015. Red Hook has lots of great artists but many have struggled to find studio space and haven’t gotten the opportunity to showcase their work. Red Hook Open Studios brings attention to these artists. Ugoretz first visited Red Hook in the early 2000s and has
lived in the neighborhood since 2011. “I’ve been interested in art since I was a kid and I have to create,” Ugoretz said. “If I don’t create I actually get grumpy. I studied art in school and even though my parents pushed me to have a more conventional career this has always been who I am…. I found the neighborhood so interesting when I first came here because of it's amazing diversity. I think the fact that Red Hook is inaccessible has kept an authentic feel to it and I think that inspires a lot of artists. It has certainly inspired me.” When I asked Ugoretz about her hopes this year for Open Studios, she told me “I just hope a lot of people come out to enjoy a weekend of
Deborah Ugoretz
meeting artists and makers while exploring the wonderful neighborhood that is Red Hook. And it wouldn’t hurt to shop in some of the businesses too! I hope we can keep on integrating the neighborhood more and more.” Registration costs $25 per artist, is open until September 6th. Sign up at their website, redhookopenstudios.com.