Community Board 10 collects toys for kids of domestic violence victims

December 13, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Greg Ahl (right) has been organizing a Christmas toy drive for the Center Against Domestic Violence for more than two decades, working with Community Board 10 colleagues like former chairman Brian Kieran and District Manager Josephine Beckmann to collect toys. Eagle file photo by Paula Katinas

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Community Board 10 members are making sure that children who have had to flee their homes because of domestic violence will still have a Merry Christmas.

The community board, which represents Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights in dealing with city agencies, is asking members to bring new, unwrapped toys to the board’s next meeting on Monday, Dec. 18, to be donated to the Center Against Domestic Violence.

The meeting will take place at Shore Hill, 9000 Shore Road, starting at 7:15 p.m.

The Center Against Domestic Violence runs a shelter for victims of abuse and their children.

Greg Ahl, a longtime Community Board 10 member, has been sponsoring the toy drive for more than 20 years.

Following the community board meeting, the toys will be transported to a Brooklyn shelter run by the Center Against Domestic Violence. The exact location of the shelter is a well-kept secret to protect domestic violence victims from possible retribution from their abusive spouses.

In other news, the community board is expected on Monday to hear a valedictory address from outgoing Councilmember Vincent Gentile, who is leaving office at the end of the month after serving on the City Council for 14 years.

Gentile has been asked by the community board to lead the tradition called the Honor of the Pledge, in which a prominent individual leads the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the meeting.

Gentile will be succeeded in the council by Justin Brannan, his former chief of staff, who takes office in January. Brannan is a well known civic leader and Democratic Party activist in Bay Ridge.

The community board will be voting on several issues at the meeting, including whether to approve an application by the owners of Positano, a restaurant at 10018 Fourth Ave., to set up a sidewalk cafe with 22 tables outside the eatery.

Three liquor license applications will be coming up for a vote. Positano is seeking to amend its liquor license to cover the new sidewalk café. The owners of Circles, a restaurant at 6931 Third Ave., have applied for a new liquor license. And the community board will also consider a request from the owners of Parc Oasis at 6403 11th Ave. for a change in its liquor license.

The New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) has the ultimate say over whether to grant a liquor license to a business. But SLA does permit local community boards to offer recommendations.

The community board will also hear details about two street fairs coming up in 2018. The applications by the sponsors of the Holy Cross Greek Cultural Festival and the Third Avenue Festival will be reviewed.

For more information, visit http://www1.nyc.gov/site/brooklyncb10/index.page.