|
|
Previous Events
Block Association meetings are open to all
residents of West 75th Street and to their friends and guests. Check
the website for possible last-minute scheduling changes or updates,
and for locations, which may vary. See Photo Galleries for pictures taken at meetings and other events.
Saturday, September 12: Annual Street Party
Broadway to West End Avenue
"Life isn't waiting for the storm to
pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
A very big thanks to all the dedicated
volunteers that came out on Saturday in support of BLOCK
BLAST ’09!!! Please, take time to show your appreciation
for their dedicated efforts if you happen to see them in
the following weeks!
It turned out to be a “not so bad”
day! Gale Brewer came out to support our efforts.
Thanks, Gale!
Volunteers: You Rock!!
Jake
and Joey and friends, Camillo and Santiago, Paul
Collacio, Anne Cunningham, Liz DeVito, Patience Freeman,
Dorothy Greenberg, Chris Greeno, Harriet Hochberg, Laird
Kelley, Katy and Dan Rieber, Orlando Valencia, Seta
Wehbe
Big thanks for table donations to
Food was donated by
-
Pappardella Restaurant
-
Viand Restaurant
-
Nikkos
Entertainment was provided by:
Thanks to
I look forward to seeing many of you
at our next meeting on October 15! Be sure to check out
all the Block Blast Photos on our website later this
week!
Thursday, June 18: General Meeting
All
About Green Living—What
the Experts Say
Special
Guests:
Block Beautification Awards
GOING GREEN HAS been the focus of W75BA
activities all year, whether it’s making earth-friendly choices at
our block parties or turning our West 75th Street corridor into one
of the city’s "garden districts." At this last meeting before our annual street
fair in September*, special guests from Gotham Gardens and from
Green Keepers (a Goddard Riverside group), gave us tips on what
more we can do, how to do it all better.
Thursday, April 2: General Meeting
Crime Prevention in a Declining
Economy
Thursday, February
5: General Meeting
Reclaiming Our Streets for Pedestrians!
Film:
Streetscapes
Proposed Curb
Extensions
A curb extension is a horizontal extension of the
sidewalk into the street, which reduces the crossing distance at an
intersection. There are multiple benefits of a curb extension:
shorter crossing distances; better visibility of pedestrians to
drivers and vice versa; and smaller through space and turning
radiuses for vehicles, forcing them to slow down; extra space to
display greenery or an art installation, among other advantages.
These benefits are especially important for the elderly, people with
impaired mobility, and families with young children.
Thursday, December 11
HOLIDAY MEETING AND PARTY
Thursday,
October 30: General Meeting
Keeping Small Business in Our Communities
The October 30th meeting focused on Small
Business. Discussion ensued on what we, as residents, can do to
keep our local merchants in business.
The meeting began with the viewing of the
film, When Twilight Becomes Night, produced by
Virginie-Alvine Perrette of 2 Spot Digital. The film highlights
the social implications when local merchants are forced to close
their doors due to pressure from rising rents in gentrifying
areas.
Bruce Stark of Beacon Paint and Hardware and
Sid Gupta, owner of The Mughlai and Pappardella, both W75BA
Merchant Sponsors, were on hand to give their personal anecdotes
of owning local businesses. Councilmember David Yassky,
also serving on the Small Business Task Force, spoke on how city
government is addressing the issue. A lively question and answer
period followed Mr. Yassky's update.
Saturday,
September 13
Annual Street Party (see
photos)
This kind of effort
does not happen by accident. Here are all your neighbors
who took time out September 13 to say:
This is what community looks like!!!
Trisha,Teddy and Hal Atoynatan
Jim
Christersen, Paul Colaccio
Mary Beth Coudal
Anne Cunningham
SuEllen Estey
Patience Freeman
Chris Greeno and her sons
Sid
Gupta
Rose Marie Himie
Chris, Charlotte and Kathryn Jones
Megan Keiler
Helena Lim
Ally Martin
Ed Poor
Dan
and Katy Rieber
Vicki Sutton
Cathy and EricTsitsires
Mary Wagner
Seta Wehbe
A very
special thanks goes to Chris Greeno and Dan Rieber, who
spent countless hours over the last few months in
preparation for the event.
Neighborhood
merchants and organizations who contributed to the
party:
Beacon Paint and
Hardware
Citarella
Crumbs
Cosi's
Council on the Environment
Feline's Day Spa
Fairway
CuS- Grown-up Soda
Halstead Property LLC
Jeff Philips and TRU BLU"
Trio
Ladder Company 25
LandmarkWest!
LUSH Handmade Cosmetics
Manhattan Diner
Mughlai
New Pizza Town
Neuhaus Chocolates
Pappardella
Pet Central
Project FIND
Solar One
Transportation
Alternatives
Viand Café
WAMU
West Side Market
Special thanks
to the superintendents and staff of:
240 West 75th
33 Riverside Drive
310 West End Avenue
325 West End Avenue
Astor Apartments
Legislators who
came to the party:
Gale Brewer
Helen Rosenthal
Linda Rosenthal
Scott Stringer
David Yassky
We
hope you will take time to personally thank them for their
outstanding efforts! And patronize our
supporting merchants!
In
closing, there is one thing to say and I know you will
join in unison:
On the
count of 3 — 1…….2…….3!
Thank
you!
Thursday, June 19
Our last general meeting of the
season, and in a new venue more centrally located for all members,
Park to Park.
Awards Presentation: Outstanding Beautification Achievements*
Special Guest: Peter Goldwasser, Transportation Alternatives
Peter Goldwasser, our guest
speaker from Transportation Alternatives at the June 19 general
meeting, reported the city’s plans for summer in NYC. Closing long
stretches of Park Avenue to automobiles, for example, to create
weekend pedestrian and bicycle malls—very much in line with TA’s
strong advocacy for bicycling, walking, and public transit. The
city, he said, has also proved receptive to the creation on
residential streets of oases with benches and greenery where
pedestrians can relax. TA has helped win numerous improvements for
cyclists and pedestrians and has been the leading voice for reducing
car use in New York City.
Also at this meeting, Dee
Rieber announced the winners of W75BA beautification awards:
Luigi Arlia
and Maria Arlia
Christine
Dhimos
SuEllen
Estey
Josef Langel
Michael
Mahoney, 33 Riverside Drive Superintendent
The Mughlai
Restaurant, 320 Columbus
Pappardella
Restaurant, 316 Columbus
Thanks and congratulations to all!
*A
NOTE ABOUT THE BEAUTIFICATION AWARDS:
Block Association members nominated
individuals/buildings/supers, et al, who go above and
beyond in their efforts to keep the block clean, green, and
aesthetically pleasing. Additional nominees can be submitted to
info@w75ba.org.
Sunday June 1
Adopt-A-Tree Contest—
Street Beautification!
W75BA was out in full force to
make
our block a greener, more beautiful place to live!
Block Association volunteers* planted some forlorn tree beds on the
Park West block (W75BA brought plants, gardening gloves, tools) and
welcomed new members to the Association on our newest "member"
block. Residents from Park to Park were encouraged to plant tree beds and window boxes,
and prizes for
the prettiest plantings will be awarded at the June 19 general
meeting.
*Jake
Abrams, Joey Abrams; Joe Bolanos, Suellen Estey, Patience Freeman,
Dorothy Greenberg, Chris Greeno, Laura Jelinek, Louis Kleinman,
Josef Langel, Mary Ratcliffe, Dan Rieber, Mary Wagner.
From Park to Park, we will all enjoy the
beautiful plantings by our neighbors — the tree bed gardens we
planted on June 1 and the many gardens already in bloom.
Thanks to everyone on W75 who has been
generous with their energy and dedication!!
Check the
Photo Galleries page for photos of
the planting effort — and our street in full bloom.
Monday, May 26
Memorial Day Observance
Time:
10:00
am (sharp)
Location: Soldier’s and Sailors Monument, 89th
Street and Riverside Drive (just inside Riverside Park)
On
Monday, May 26, 2008,
(weather guaranteed to be sunny and beautiful) we invite you to join
us for the
re-opening and ribbon cutting of the restored Soldiers and Sailors
Monument
and
to stay for the annual Memorial Day Observance and wreath laying.
After a year
of construction, the plaza is beautifully restored, much thanks to
the hundreds of thousands of dollars of funding allocated by the
Parks Department, Riverside Park Fund, and Council Member Gale A.
Brewer, and especially to the vision and leadership of Margaret C.
Bracken, Landscape Architect.
Once again, we
are immensely grateful to the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial
Association and its President, George Chall, to the staff of the
Department of Parks, and to the Riverside Park Fund for making
possible our celebration of Memorial Day at the Monument.
Joining us
will be veterans, naval and Marine personnel from the fleet, Civil
War re-enactors, and hundreds of West Siders. The words and feelings
of the day are personal and moving, and
everyone is welcome.
Sunday, May 11, 2
p.m.
Mother's Day Happening
In front of Fairway & Citarella
Councilperson Gale Brewer asked
the West 75th Street Block Association to partner with her office in
handing out 800 reusable shopping bags that were designed by New
York City High School Students on the Upper West Side!
These along with three great raffle
prizes donated by Fairway, Citarella, and Viand Cafe were given
out on Sunday, May 11, MOTHER’S DAY, in front of Fairway and Citarella. Block Association leaders
were on hand to assist in
the effort. We offered our hats
for sale as well!
Thursday, May 1
General Meeting
First,
Our thanks to the Manhattan Day School
for the use of their library!
Evan Mason talked about the Landmark West!
program "Urban Forests in our Midst." He pointed out that there
are over 100 acres of privately owned open space on the Upper
West Side that have unrecognized environmental benefits. Part of
the project is to quantify through scientific methods the
effects these spaces can have on the following environmental
concerns:
— Urban heat island effect reducing air
conditioning use and energy consumption
— Removing air pollution and thus improving air quality
— Reducing the storm water runoff that overwhelms New York
City's water treatment infrastructure during heavy rains
Landmark West! has received $18,000 in
challenge grants to support this environmental study. Donations
large and small are greatly appreciated to continue this
research that will inspire home owners to make the most of their
"green" spaces on the upper West Side. Send checks to Landmark
West, 45 West 67th Street, NY, NY 10023. For more info and full
proposal on this program visit
www.landmarkwest.org/green/greeninitiatives.htm or call Evan
at 212-496-8110
Bruno Terranova from the Sanitation Department
gave a very informative talk on how Sanitation reaches out to
communities in New York. He also explained how landlords receive
summons for not keeping their buildings clean. He spoke about
how Sanitation collects on those violations. One member
mentioned that Citarella's garbage area on West 75th needs
improvement. Bruno pledged to take a trip after the meeting and
take a look at how it is being handled. Let us know if you are
also effected by Citarella's garbage
Ian Alterman from the 20th Precinct
Community Council was on hand to discuss how our Police Precinct
is working to improve community quality of life issues like
sidewalk bikers.
Sunday, April 13
West 75th Street Celebrates Earth Day!
Hello, Friends and Neighbors!
It
was a success! We signed up new members, sold our new W75BA caps,
made the community more aware of the plight of our Health Nuts, and
got acquainted with neighbors between Columbus and Central Park
West! Park to Park, we have many
concerns in common, but we learned of some that are specific to the
Park West block: Car break-ins and thefts seem to be more prevalent
on that block, and we will work to address these issues with
residents there.
A big
thanks to our team of volunteers who came out today to assist with
our event! It could not have happened without them!
Mary Beth Coudal, Kathy Divine, Ruth
Fifer, Dorothy Greenberg, Chris Greeno, Jake Greeno and Joey Greeno,
Catherine Jones and Charlotte Jones, Dorothy King, Louis Kleinman,,
Mary Ratcliffe, Dan Rieber, Katy Rieber, Rachael Schwartz, Vicki
Sutton, Mary Wagner.
Best regards to all!
Dee Rieber
Thursday,
February 28
General Meeting
Agenda
Meet/Greet and Pay your dues!
(We
will have your membership cards!)
Welcome Remarks/Updates: Dee Rieber,
President
Treasurer’s Report: Mary Wagner
A word
from Gale Brewer’s Office: Anne Cunningham
Guest
Speaker: Helen Rosenthal, Chairperson, Community Board 7
Website Presentation: Mary Ratcliffe,
Webmaster & Technology Committee
Door
Prizes donated by local merchants! You must be present to win
Refreshments (Everybody please bring something to share!)
Return to top
West 75th Street Block Association
33 Riverside Drive, #2A
New York, NY 10023
info@w75ba.org
Home | About Us |
Calendar |
News |
Resources |
Contact Us |
Membership/Support | Site Map
|
