Empty Vessel Project Wants a Secure Home on the Gowanus: You Can Help

From the Empty Vessel Project comes news of a petition drive "to demonstrate community support of the project and help us legitimize our 1st Street berthing location." With much development planned for Gowanus, particularly in the area of the canal itself, the good people at the Empty Vessel Project--which is a WWII Navy rescue boat being converted to use as a performance, classroom and community space--are launching the drive to ensure that their wonderful boat will continue to have a home.

The project's sponsors are collecting signatures of registered Brooklyn voters to bring to the local community board to support their request for permanent berthing space and modest public funding to allow it to happen. If you want to help with a petition, you can copy and paste the following text to a document: "The Empty Vessel Project is providing a positive impact to the local community. I support government funding for the project. I support using government funding to create public berthing space on the Gowanus Canal."

Then, print the document, sign it and print your name, address and zip code. (They promise not to use it for anything, but it's needed to validate your petition with NYC government.) Mail the signed document to: Empty Vessel Project; 839 Kent Ave Rear 2; Brooklyn NY 11205.

The Empty Vessel Project ship is located at the foot of First Street on the Canal, between Carroll Street and Second Street. If you can't find it, go to the Carroll Street or the Third Street Bridge and look for it. It's the only boat moored on that part of the canal.

The excellent Gowanus photo above is from e-liz's flickr photostream.