Our work together is paying off. There are now 4.5 miles of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway in place. You can ride on the greenway from Kent Avenue and N. 14th Street to Columbia Street and Degraw Street, mostly on physically separated bike lanes. All of these paths will get a big design upgrade following the completion of the Master Plan in late 2011. In the meantime, new connections are in the works and will be implemented in early 2011.
 
Help us keep up the momentum!
 
Make a year-end gift to Brooklyn Greenway Initiative!
 
Our work is powered by your support. Right now, we have a grant from the state, but we have to match it. That’s where you come in. If your intention is to have a completed greenway, make your intention real by contributing today. It’s tax-deductible.

Thank you for being part of the greenway’s success

Thanks to Brooklyn Greenway Initiative’s efforts, green infrastructure is now incorporated in the greenway Master Plan that will help reduce combined sewer releases of raw sewage after heavy storms. You might not notice that, but you will notice all of the new plantings and trees that will capture the water from the streets that create a more pleasant and livable streetscape.
 
Plus…
 
We are designing new open spaces along the greenway at the Naval Hospital Cemetery, Columbia Waterfront and in Red Hook. Join us for the public design workshops in early 2011.

Naval Hospital Cemetery Memorial Landscape – dedicated to pollinators.

But first, make a year-end contribution to keep us going. We are human-powered by you.

Help us keep up the momentum!
 
Thank you for being part of the greenway’s success.

Dear Greenway Supporters,

This year we have much to celebrate, with the implementation of new interim segments of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. Routes on Flushing Avenue and Williamsburg Street West opened this spring, and the route through Brooklyn Bridge Park opened over the summer. These new routes join the greenway segments already implemented along Kent Avenue, Columbia Street and Erie Basin Park.

Please support our work by making a year-end donation to Brooklyn Greenway Initiative.

Our quarterly user counts demonstrate significant increases in foot and bicycle traffic with the implementation of each new greenway segment. This October, we counted 443 cyclists on Flushing Avenue over three hours, versus 145 two years ago. Pedestrian counts on Kent Avenue were up 600%! We hope that you are one of the many people who enjoyed using the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway during 2010!

Maybe you used the greenway to commute to work, or to walk or jog on the weekends. Maybe you participated in our annual May bike tour or the 40+ mile Brooklyn Epic Ride to the Rockaways. Or, maybe you volunteered at one of our monthly Greenway Cleanups.

No matter how you used the greenway this year, you can help us sustain the momentum in 2011 by making a tax-deductible contribution to Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI).

This year, in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation, we hosted community planning workshops in the spring and fall. The outcomes are informing the design and implementation of the permanent greenway. NYC DOT will present these plans for feedback in early 2011.

We are also designing several new open spaces along the greenway. This fall, our consultants Rogers Marvel Architects presented initial designs for the Naval Hospital Cemetery Memorial Landscape. Next, a workshop for the site located at Columbia and Degraw Streets will be held on February 2, 2011, and a workshop for the Red Hook/Columbia Street Esplanade will follow in the spring.

In 2011, we will expand BGI’s role in the maintenance and stewardship of the greenway. Solid volunteer support has kept the interim segments clean and inviting so far, but we must grow our capacity substantially in order to maintain the full 14-mile route at a high standard.

While millions of federal dollars have been allocated so far for greenway construction, none of this funding supports BGI’s annual operating budget. We must raise our budget separately, primarily from private sources, which includes the support we receive from the public – the current and future users of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. Our future effectiveness is in your hands.

Please make a tax-deductible gift today using our secure donation page. As a bonus, your 2010 year-end gift will also serve as your BGI membership for the coming year.

Thank you for your support, and have a happy and healthy holiday season!

Sincerely,

Brian McCormick, Meg Fellerath, Milton Puryear

Have a wonderful holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year!