Community Connect: Brooklyn Initiatives & Recreational Boaters

November 16, 2016

NYC Ferry is taking great pride in supporting our local communities as we get closer to launching New York City’s new ferry system. To understand and listen to the various communities and learning about the unique changes and concerns each neighborhood is currently facing, our team attended multiple local meetings and events this week concentrating on the future of New York City’s five boroughs.

Brooklyn Chamber: Business Before Hours

Berkeley College, Brooklyn
November 4th, 2016

We are now members of the Brooklyn Chamber! As part of the Brooklyn Chamber, the NYC Ferry team will be able to attend meetings and town halls concerned with local initiatives and changes, to boost local Brooklyn businesses and provide support for the local community.

One of the many programs that the Brooklyn Chamber offers, is an event called Business Before Hours where various Brooklyn businesses gather to do a “speed dating” networking session. The morning event is geared toward creating a deeper and more meaningful relationship between company representatives, by focusing for longer periods of time with a smaller group of individuals. When the event begins, everyone is grouped together by random numbers, and attendees spend 30 minutes with a small group of 4 talking about your business, target clientele, and other important topics for business owners.

While the NYC Ferry representative, Franny Civitano, had the chance to share information with Brooklyn based businesses about the coming New York City ferry service, she was also able to hear what local contractors, real estate agents, marketers, non-profit leaders, PR folks, and people in hospitality were working on and what current trends they saw in the borough.

Recreational Boaters Meeting

Bushwick Inlet Park, Community Room
November 7th, 2016

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (“NYCEDC”) and NYC Ferry by Hornblower met with a group of Recreational Boaters from the five boroughs of New York at the Bushwick Inlet Park Community Room, hosted by the NYCEDC.

At the meeting, the NYCEDC and NYC Ferry gave a presentation about what future New York City ferry service entails, as well as a presentation on Hornblower’s safety practices and plan for NYC Ferry, as part of their HSSQE (Health, Safety, Security, Quality, Environment) department. The recreational boaters groups asked questions to the NYCEDC and Hornblower about safety, operating procedures, landing sites, vessels, schedules and more. It was a productive conversation that certainly won’t be the last.

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative

The William Vale Hotel, Williamsburg
November 9th, 2016

The Greenway + Industry event at the incredibly beautiful The William Vale Hotel in Williamsburg was hosted by the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative.

The networking event was hosted to celebrate the efforts of the hardworking members of the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, which is an initiative to create a 14-mile route connecting Brooklyn’s waterfront from Greenpoint to Bay Ridge. The greenway would be stretching from NYC Ferry’s North Williamsburg stop and continue past the South Brooklyn route stop at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, allowing New Yorkers to enjoy walking, running and biking along the path.

The NYC Ferry representatives met with attendees from all over the five boroughs, but sat at the Brooklyn Navy Yard table and had the pleasure to meet Valerie White, the Vice President of External Affairs and Nora Daniel, the Community & Government Affairs Coordinator, and Richard Hanley from the Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center, who is doing a waterfront conference on transportation in the spring of 2017.

Photo: L Train Coalition

L-Train Coalition Transit Forum

Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg
November 15th, 2016

Two NYC Ferry representatives attended this week’s L Train Coalition Transit Forum, a community meeting to discuss transportation alternatives and planning during the L Train shutdown in 2019.

The Riders Alliance and Regional Plan Association presented their Community Consensus Proposal, which incorporates robust train, pedestrian, bike, bus and street plans. NYC Ferry representatives attended the event to answer any questions attendees had about the ferry service launching in 2017, and to gather information and ideas about how ferries could potentially help mitigate the stress and constraint on the New York transit system during the shutdown. The representatives heard a vast array of ideas, all that will be considered as we discuss the most effective way to address the lack of L train in the coming years.

southwest-brooklyn-waterfront-presentation-1

Brooklyn Chamber: Southwest Brooklyn Framework

November 16th, 2016

As part of another morning event, NYC Ferry team members attended the Brooklyn Chamber’s event called Southwest Brooklyn Framework, a presentation by Chris Ward of AECOM about growing the South Brooklyn Waterfront. Ward talked about job disparities, New York City’s growing population compared to available housing, current and potential green spaces, and accessible transit. This presentation and topic discussion was the start to a larger conversation about South Brooklyn’s future.

Photo by: Scribd.com