🎃🦇Halloween is Around the Corner, Columbia Street Waterfront!👻🍬

In this issue:

• CSWA Annual Meeting is just three weeks away!
• Community events all week long!
• BQE and BMT continue on collision course - more info sessions and BQE Central CEQR scoping sessions.
• Save the date - CSWA's 2nd Annual Tree Lighting at Human Compass Garden - Wednesday, December 2!
• And speaking of Human Compass Garden, neighbors join together to prepare the garden for the fall!

The CSWA Annual Meeting is just three weeks away!

The Columbia Street Waterfront Association’s first Annual Meeting will take place in just a few weeks on Monday, November 16 from 6:30-8:30 PM, at Cabrini Hall, Sacred Hearts and St. Stephen Church,125 Summit St, Brooklyn, NY 11231. Please RSVP ​here. We will be streaming the meeting on Zoom.

We’ll have updates from our committees on all that’s been achieved since CSWA was born in September 2025. Plus, we will be honoring Congresswoman (and CSW resident!) Nydia Velázquez for her many years of service to our community!

During the election portion of the meeting, the Nominating Committee will present the slate of nominees for the first elected Board of Directors and Officers, and Individual and Business Members will be able to vote in person or electronically.

Note: Only CSWA Individual Members (who live or own property in the Columbia Street Waterfront District), and CSWA Business Members (who operate a business within the CSWD) will be eligible to vote. If you do live, own property, or operate a business in CSWD and wish to vote at the meeting, please sign up on our website’s support page:

Members will vote to elect 9 directors, including officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary)*.

The nomination slate is:

Officers (3-year terms)

• President: Randy Gordon
• Vice President: John Leyva
• Treasurer: Lucy Di Rosa
• Secretary: Lynette Wiley Wood

Directors (1 or 2-year terms**):

• Blake Bell
• Ben Fuller-Googins***
• Elliot Grossman
• Zoe Grover ***
• James Morgan
• Gregory O'Connell ***
• Jessica Setton
• Debra Tackney ***

The agenda, RSVP, and bios of the nominated officers and board members will be published next week.

*Per the Columbia Street Waterfront Bylaws, Section 5.4, for the first election, the four Officers will “shall be elected for initial terms of three (3) years. Three (3) additional directors shall be elected for initial terms of two (2) years, and Two (2) additional directors shall be elected for initial terms of one (1) year.” Section 5.1 states that the CSWA Board “shall consist of not fewer than five (5) and not more than eleven (11) Directors, including the elected officers of the Association.” The Board intends to expand from 9 Directors to up to 11 in the future.

**Per the CSWA Bylaws, Section 5.4, “The initial elected Board shall determine by lot which of the non-officer Directors shall serve the one-year and two-year terms.”

***Current Board Member

A full week of community events here in the Columbia Street Waterfront!

Today! 1-3pm: Summit Street Community Garden’s Fall Neighborhood Cookout and Fundraiser!

Wednesday, October 28, 4-6 PM: Fall/Halloween craft kid friendly event at Human Compass Garden! Co-sponsored by CSWA!

Wednesday, October 28, 6-9 PM - CSWA Member Mingle! The Hop Shop, 121 Columbia Street!

Saturday, October 31, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, Annual Urban Meadow Halloween Parade!

BQE and BMT continue on collision course - more info sessions and BQE Central CEQR scoping sessions

This week:

EDC's BMT Community Drop-in Hours (to speak with project staff):

• Monday, October 26, 6-8 PM - Virtual - sign up for your time slot - scroll down the page to the "Join Us in Your Neighborhood" section.
• Tuesday, October 27, 6-8 PM - in person:
  Red Hook East/Joseph Miccio Community Center
  110 W 9th Street
  Brooklyn, NY 11231
  ​Register here​

DOT's BQE Central Info Session - In person:

Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Registration: bit.ly/bqecentral-oct29​

BQE Central City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Public Scoping Sessions

(We all remember the BMT CEQR Scoping Sessions from last fall and early this year, I am sure!)

NYC DOT will hold public scoping meetings where you can learn more about the Draft Scope of Work and provide an official CEQR public comment. The same information will be presented at each meeting. You only need to attend one meeting, but you are welcome to attend either. Please note that registration in advance is required for the virtual public scoping meeting. If you require language interpretation services for the virtual meeting, you must register by Thursday, November 5. Register at the link below.

Public Scoping Meeting #1 (In-person)​
Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: The Auditorium at City Tech, 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Language interpretation services for Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese), Arabic, and ASL will be provided.

Public Scoping Meeting #2 (Virtual)​
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Registration: bit.ly/bqecentral-nov12​
Language interpretation services available upon request. If you require language interpretation services for this virtual meeting, you must register by Thursday, November 5.

Save the date - CSWA's 2nd Annual Tree Lighting at Human Compass Garden - Wednesday, December 2!

Many of you remember our first annual Tree Lighting last December. It was a wondrous night. We've booked Human Compass Garden once again for Wednesday, December 2, with Thursday, December 3 as a rain date and the following Wednesday, December 9 as a snow date. We are sure this will be even better this year!

Preparing for Halloween and the Tree Lighting at Human Compass Garden!

A week ago Friday, Board Member and Treasurer Debra Tackney joined Human Compass Garden caretaker Launa Beuhler, gatekeeper Ria Rua, and neighbor Bubba Versandi spent the morning spreading a hill of mulch throughout the garden. They shared these pictures for our newsletter. Thanks, Debra, Launa, Ria, and Bubba for your work making our neighborhood more beautiful!

Questions? Email us at admin@columbiastreetwaterfront.org. Also, please share our website with your friends and neighbors: https://columbiastreetwaterfront.org/, where they can sign up for our newsletter!

Some of you may be receiving this newsletter for the first time. Welcome! We hope you decide to stay with us. You can always click "unsubscribe" below.

Media Contact:​
Randy Gordon, President
Columbia Street Waterfront Association, Inc.
Phone: 917-593-2674
Email: admin@columbiastreetwaterfront.org​​