Hi Everyone:

Just a quick reminder that there is another phone bank tonight at WEACT.

Also, I saw Calvin Solomon last night, and he told me about a community Forum called

GUN VIOLENCE: A COMMUNITY ISSUE

This will be held Monday, September 20th at the Harlem State Office Building, 163 West 125th Street, 2nd Floor. From 7 to 9 pm. Please call 212 335 9082 if you have any questions.

On a related topic, Calvin will be having a meeting in his office in the next couple weeks. I will post the final date and time when I get them.

Thanks, John

Hi Everyone:

Does anyone want to go to the phone bank this Wednesday? I will be going. Please let us know if you'd like to go, or just show up. Paula and Byrd and Meriweather went last week.

The phone bank starts at 6 pm Wednesday, and is in the WE-ACT offices
located at 271 West 125th Street, Suite 308. Their phone number is
(212) 961-1000.

John

Hi Everyone:

Did anyone else try and go to the phone bank last week? I went there, but the office was locked up.

Does anyone want to go this Wednesday? I can not go, but Paula will be going. Please let us know if you'd like to go.

The phone bank starts at 6 pm, and is in the WE-ACT offices
located at 271 West 125th Street, Suite 308. Their phone number is
(212) 961-1000.

John

Please try to come to the phone bank at WEACT Wednesday from 6 to 8 pm so that we can help to get word out about the Marine Transfer Station that will be built at the base of our street unless it can be stopped.

The meeting and phone bank starts at 6 pm, and is in the WE-ACT offices
located at 271 West 125th Street, Suite 308. Their phone number is
(212) 961-1000.

I'll see you there, John

Hi everyone:

This is a quick notice about the next WEACT Phone Bank, this Wednesday, the 18th, from 6 to 8 pm.

Unfortunately, I was the only person from the block to show up last week. I was also the only person from the community at large. It was a paid staffer and myself.

Please try and attend. We're calling members of the community and informing them about the MTS that the city is trying to build at the base of our street.

John

Hi Everyone:

Just a reminder about tonight's (Wednesday's) WE-ACT meeting:
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The meeting and phone bank starts at 6 pm, and is in the WE-ACT offices

located at 271 West 125th Street, Suite 308. Their phone number is

(212) 961-1000.
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*
Please be there if you can.

John

Hi Everyone:

Tomorrow night, Wednesday, from 6 pm to 8 pm, there is a meeting at the offices of WE-ACT. WE-ACT will be setting up a phone bank so that we can make phone calls to members of the community informing our neighbors of the Sanitation Department's decision to rebuild and reopen the Marine Transfer Station at the base of our street

It is crucial that everyone who can possibly make it attend so that as many people as possible can be contacted. We will be informing people about the issue, and the fact that there will be a major press conference this Fall down at the site of the station. It is essential that we get as many people as possible from the community there at the press conference.
*
*
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The meeting and phone bank starts at 6 pm, and is in the WE-ACT offices located at 271 West 125th Street, Suite 308. Their phone number is (212) 961-1000.
*
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If the city succeeds in building this station, it will quickly and completely destroy our block. It will be a hammer blow from which our neighborhood, and especially our street, will not be able to recover. Each and every one of us needs to be at some, if not all, of these phone banks.

Thanks a lot. I will see you at the phone bank, and please give me a call if you have any questions.

John

Hi Everyone:

Anyone who tried to open the Columbia web site that I posted a couple days ago quickly found out that it was an invalid address. Here is the new one, with my apologies.....

http://www.neighbors.columbia.edu/campusplanning/campusplanningHome.php

Sorry about any incinvenience.

John

Hi Everyone:

I just wanted to update everyone on a couple meetings that have taken place in the last two weeks.

Two weeks ago I attended a meeting on Convent Avenue where representatives from Columbia University gave a presentation to the Hamilton Heights and West Harlem Communities about their plans for a satellite campus in Manhattanville, the area between Riverside Drive and Broadway, 125th Street and 133rd Street. This was a slightly updated, and much less crowded version of a similar meeting some of us attended at Community Board Nine a couple months ago.

The plans have not really changed, but they did clarify that they would like to rebuild the bus station so that it is somehow located below part of the University project. They also said that they, in fact, oppose the Marine Transfer Station at the base of 135th Street, and have sent a letter to the Department of Saanitation stating their opposition.

My impression is that, while against the MTS, Columbia is not going to make too much noise against it, at least untill the area where they want to build is rezoned to accomidate their project.

After the meeting I spoke to Larry Dais. He is Columbia's director of Community Relations, and he offered to speak to the Block Association. He also gave me some copies of a survey that we can individually fill out and send back. Please come by the house and get one if you'd like If this project goes through we will, no doubt, feel a significant impact here in the neighborhood.

Anyone wanting more info on the Columbia Expansion Project can go to

www.columbia.edu/cu/neighbors

Larry Dais' number is 212 854 4469, and his e mail address is ld1@columbia.edu

This last week I went to a meeting at the West Harlem Environmental Action Committee, along with three other residents of the block, where we discussed the Department of Sanitation's efforts to have the present Marine Transfer Station demolished, and replaced by a facility three to four times larger. This proposed facility is designed to not only handle every bit of houshold garbage produced in Manhattan, but to also containerize it as well. This would produce a major 24 hour a day industrial facility at the edge of our block. Our block will be inundated with stench, noise and deisel polution every hour of every day. Our block would be destroyed.

WE-ACT has developed a series of strategies to work towards stopping this. One of the first is a phone bank that will take place on Wednesday nights, starting Wednesday, August 11th, from 6 to 8 pm. WE-ACT needs people in their office on these nights to make calls to members of the community, informing of them about the issue, and to announce that there will be a big press conference in early September designed to get as much Media and Political attention to the issue as possible.

There is not an impending issue out there that can more quickly destroy this block. I strongly urge all of us to get over there and see what we can do, and to make sure and attend the press conference when it happens. The exact time and place is to be announced.

I will send out a reminder about the phone bank. Please come by or call me if you want more info on these two issues,

John

Hi Everyone:

The meeting mentioned below starts at 6:30. It is very important that

as many of us as possible attend.

The Northern Manhattan Environmental Justice coalition is holding its

monthly meeting on Monday, July 26th at WE ACT's office

271 West 125th Street, room 308 between 7th and 8th aves.

The purpose of the meeting will be to debrief the DOS public hearing

held on

June 16th in which over 38 of the 75 community residents commented on

the

Mayor's proposal.

Subsequently, there were two additional public hearings on the Mayor's

proposal, the first was on the 59th street MTS at which 15 residents

showed

up and the second was on the 91st street MTS where community residents

were

in total opposition to the plan and a few residents even suggested

re-open

an MTS further uptown.(residents at 91st street have retained an

attorney

to fight the re-opening of the 91st MTS

Another purpose for the meeting is to plan for the Environmental

Justice

hearing which the DOS is suppose to plan because Northern Manhattan is

classified as an EJ community. The hearing should address the

cumulative

impact of re-opening another polluting facilites in this community

Please feel free to call me if you have further questions

Hope to see you soon

Yolande A. Cadore

271 West 125th Street

Suite 308

New York,NY 10027

Tel:212-961-1000 ext.316

Fax:212-961-1500

E-mail: yolande@weact.org

Web:www.weact.org

Hi Everyone:

The meeting mentioned below starts at 6:30. It is very important that as many of us as possible attend.

-John

Hello All:

The Northern Manhattan Environmental Justice coalition is holding its

monthly meeting on Monday, July 26th at WE ACT's office

271 West 125th Street, room 308 between 7th and 8th aves.

The purpose of the meeting will be to debrief the DOS public hearing held on

June 16th in which over 38 of the 75 community residents commented on the

Mayor's proposal.

Subsequently, there were two additional public hearings on the Mayor's

proposal, the first was on the 59th street MTS at which 15 residents showed

up and the second was on the 91st street MTS where community residents were

in total opposition to the plan and a few residents even suggested re-open

an MTS further uptown.(residents at 91st street have retained an attorney

to fight the re-opening of the 91st MTS

Another purpose for the meeting is to plan for the Environmental Justice

hearing which the DOS is suppose to plan because Northern Manhattan is

classified as an EJ community. The hearing should address the cumulative

impact of re-opening another polluting facilites in this community

Please feel free to call me if you have further questions

Hope to see you soon

Yolande A. Cadore

271 West 125th Street

Suite 308

New York,NY 10027

Tel:212-961-1000 ext.316

Fax:212-961-1500

E-mail: yolande@weact.org

Web:www.weact.org

Hi Everyone:

I went to the meeting with Columbia last night at Convent and 145th Street. It was an interesting meeting. Afterwards I spoke with Larry Dais, who was one of the main speakers. He offered to set up a meeting with our block Association. So I thought we could arrange to do that, perhaps early this Fall.

He gave me some comment forms that I can copy and give to whomever wants one.

If anyone wants to explore the plan, you can go to:

www.columbia.edu/cu/neighbors

While there, a woman from WEACT spoke. WEACT stands for the West Harlem Environmental Action Coalition, and they are instrumental in opposing the Marine Transfer Station at the base of our street.

There is a meeting tonight at 3333 Broadway, in room A, at 6:30 about this issue, and how to put action together to stop the Station.

3333 Broadway is the very large building three blocks south of us on Broadway.

Is there anyone from the block who can go? I am unable to attend.

I also have some pre-messaged post cards here at the house that can be sent to the mayor. Please come by and pick one up and mail it in.

Thanks, John

Hi Everyone:

This is just a reminder that Columbia University will be presenting its expansion plan to the West Harlem and Hamilton Heights Community Preservation Organization tonight. This should be a good opportunity to see what they're doing, and to speak to them. The crowd should be a bit more toned down, and smaller, than the last meeting at Community Board Nine.

Here is the info:

Community Meeting scheduled:

Monday, July 19th

6:00pm

Mt. Zion Lutheran Church Parish House

Convent Avenue @ West 145th Street

I'll see you there.

John

Hi Everyone:

There is a meeting of the Morningside Heights/West Harlem Sanitation Coalition on Wednesday, June 30th, at 6:30 pm. It is the coalition's annual meeting. This is a group that is very influential with what happens regarding the Waste Transfer Station and other sanitation issues.

If you would like to attend, please call Sarah Martin at 212 662 6738 or Joan Lavine at 212 666 6157.

Did anyone go to the meeting last week at the junior high school about the Waste Transfer Station? If so, perhaps someone can write in and let us know what happened.

Please call or e mail me if you need any more information about the Sanitation meeting or the coalition. I have their flier here.

Thanks, John

Hi Everyone:

Here is an e mail from the chairman of the community board about a community meeting dealing with the re-opening of the garbage transfer station at the foot of our street. I will not be able to go, but this issue will strongly impact our neighborhood, and it would be good if someone from the street were there. If you decide to attend the meeting, please update the rest of th block about the meeting. Thanks.

John

Wednesday June 16 at 5:30 PM at Roberto Clemente IS 195
625 West 133rd Street between Broadway and 12th Avenue

This meeting was originally schedule to take place at CB9M offices but was changed by Sanitation without consultations or explanation.

We strongly encourage all community residents to attend and make your voices heard, with respect, facts and articulation of the community needs.

All organizations receiving this mesage please pass it to your e-list and other organizations.

Regards

JRM

Jord (George) Reyes-Montblanc
e-mail: Reysmont@aol.com
Community Board 9 Manhattan
565 West 125th Street (off Broadway, corner of Old Broadway)
New York, NY 10027

Tel: (212) 864-6200
Fax: 212-662-7396
CB9M E-Mail NYC-CB9M@Juno.com

Hi everyone:

Here is an e mail I received about Columbia's redevelopment. It is another meeting that is seeking comment. These are very informative.:

-----------------
Forwarded Message:

Subj: Fwd: West Harlem Task Force
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2004 3:30:53 PM
From: KKuhl@planning.nyc.gov
To: mvilleheritage@aol.com, PatJonesNY@aol.com, DPhillpotts@EMPIRE.STATE.NY.US, liagartner@domino1.cuny.edu, MARITAD@msn.com, south@nyc.rr.com, blander@pratt.edu

From: KKuhl@planning.nyc.gov (KAJA KUHL)
To: mvilleheritage@aol.com, PatJonesNY@aol.com (Pat Jones), DPhillpotts@EMPIRE.STATE.NY.US, liagartner@domino1.cuny.edu, MARITAD@msn.com, south@nyc.rr.com (Walter South), blander@pratt.edu (Brad Lander)

Dear members of the West Harlem Task Force,

Please find attached an invitation to our meeting on

May 5th at 6.30pm
Community Board 9
565 West 125th Street

to discuss the future of Manhattanville.

Please feel free to pass this invitation along as we want to create an
open and constructive dialogue with the community to advise the plans
for this area.

we are looking forward to the discussion with you

Kaja Kuehl, Urban Designer
Department of City Planning
MANHATTAN OFFICE
22 Reade St 6W
New York NY 10007
Tel: 212.720.3436
Fax: 212.720.3488
kkuhl@planning.nyc.gov

Hello again:

Here is a copy of an e mail that Judith Matloff sent many of the people in the ndighborhood. This might give everyone a slightly different perspective......

Folks, herewith brief report on Monday meeting.

Senior executives of Starbucks and Johnson' s Devt Corp met with reps of the CPO, HHHA, CB9, City College and the 138th St Block Association. (forgive me if i left anyone out.)

Meeting was fruitful but inconclusive. Johnson/Starbucks were clearly moved by the community response. However, they said the store is not even breaking even and they can not afford to subsidize it indefinitely. They listened to suggestions on how to boost sales, and heard our plea not to abandon the neighborhood. They admitted that they had underestimated the challenges of wooing the Dominican consumer market, and believe that the 145th Street area may offer a better alternative site.

They promised a decision with the next couple weeks.
Marcus Edward and Deborah Stephenson are the point people, so direct any further questions to them.

Cheers, Judith

Please feel free to comment on our 138th street web site, so that everyone on the block can get an idea about how we all feel.

My sense is that Starbucks needs to see steadily increasing numbers, starting immediately, and that those numbers need to work their way steadily towards profitability or the store will close.

I know this is frustrating because so many of us see the place rather full in the morning, and also in the evening. But it sounds like it is not enough. One of the things that the executives we spoke to did apologize for was that they did not hold this kind of meeting earlier. A year ago, not now.

Lovelynne and I went to meet with Calvin Solomon on Monday evening. While there we had a chance to speak to the managing agent for 600, the corner building that contains Orlando Deli and Mary Fashion. He said that he would install lights and security cameras and a spring loaded automatically closing fence and an interior gate in the ally between his building and 602. He promised to begin this project within a week. If he does not, lets get on him to live up to his promise. His phone number is (914) 694-4200.

Victor and I went to the Community Board meeting about the proposed Columbia expansion. This is a phenominally massive project that will ultimately take 30 years to complete. It will be divided up into three ten year phases. Both Victor and I came away with some literature, so if you'ld like to see it, just flag one of us down. Community opposition was massive, and I don't think that the opposition can be dismissed out of hand. But a lot of the opposition came from people I have seen before as being fundementally and profoundly against anything that Columbia does.

The University has picked an area for their project that contains a population of less than 150 people. They showed studies that claim the number of manufacturing jobs in the area has steadily declined since the mid sixties, and continues to do so.

The project is overwhelming, and will have a profound effect on the neighborhood.

By the way, construction on the Harlem Piers project is slated to begin this spring, really any time now. Again, this is going to radically alter our neighborhood.

Take care. Shall we get together soon now that the weather is nice?

John

Hi Everyone:

On Monday evening I went to a meeting with several representatives from Starbucks and the Johnson Development Corporation. The meeting was held in the home of Marcus Edwards, the President of the Hamilton Heights Homeowners Association. Approximately ten people from various organizations in the Harlem Heights and West Harlem community were there.

Kenneth Lombard, the president of Johnson Development, and Magic Johnson's business partner, spoke at length about the store and the company, and the business' relationship and committment to the neighborhood. The upshot is that the store is simply losing money, and the "trending" of the store is flat, and has been flat for quite some time.

Neighborhood people at the meeting, including myself, did everything we could to convince him that Starbucks was an important part of the neighborhood. We asked what could be done, by them and by us, to try and keep the store here.

The honest answer to that question seems to be more traffic, more customers. Several very good ideas were floated on both sides of the table, but the basic need, on the part of Starbucks, is a simple one for more regular customers.

It is my opinion that the presence of Starbucks and other stores like it is an important aspect of this neighborhood's regeneration, and a vital aspect to the quality of life here.

At the risk of sounding like a corporate shill, I think our best bet is to simply use the store more frequently. I don't know if the greater community can jack the numbers up to the place where Starbucks needs them to be, but its worth a try. They talked about opening another store somewhere in the 145th Street corridor. But if this store closes, once its gone, its gone, and that will have a large negative impact on the block.

Please spread the word, and let me know what you think.

John

Hi Everyone:

I just wanted to give a quick reminder about tonight's (Tuesday's) Community Baord Meeting. Representatives from Columbia will be there talking about their proposed expansion into the neighborhood located around the corner from us.

In the past several years Columbia has purchased most of the land between Broadway and Twelvth Avenue, and 125th Street and 133rd Street. In their public statement they have described building what will amount to a satellite campus there.

This will impact our neighborhood enormously. The meeting is tonight at 6:30. Community Board 9 is located at 525 125th Street, one half block East of Broadway, on the North side of the Street. All are welcome.

John

Hi everyone:

Just a reminder about the meeting at Calvin's office tomorrow (Monday) at 6:00 pm. I have received e mails from a couple folks on the block who will be there. If I have not heard from you, and you wish to come, please call me at (917) 817-5947.

John

Hi everyone:

As you may have heard, Starbucks has decided to close their store here on Broadway and 138. On the other hand, they have been overwhelmed by the community response they have received from the community asking them to keep the branch open.

This weekend the Starbucks Corporation and the Johnson Development Corporation have sent representatives here from their corporate offices out west to see the situation first hand. I believe that it would help matters considerably if we made a point of using the Starbucks this weekend, and really putting in a presence there. If you were not planning on going to Starbucks this weekend, go once. If you were going to go once, go twice, if you were going to go twice, go three times, etc. People from their corporate offices are going to be watching.

My opinion is that it would be a very bad thing for the Starbucks to leave here. They have made a commitment to the neighborhood, and I hope that they can be shown that it is in everyone's interest for them to continue to fulfill that Commitment.

John

Hi everyone:

I just wanted to send a reminder that the meeting I've been trying to set up with Calvin Solomon is for next Monday, the 19th, at 6:00 in his office. I tried to set something up for this Wednesday, but he was unable to make it. I hope that some of us will make it on Monday. I will be there. Please e mail me or call if you can come, so I can give your name to security.

Please ignore this if you've already e mailed me to say you'll be there.

Take care.

John

Hi everyone:

I'm sorry if anyone else got caught trying to go to the Columbia University meeting at CB9. I went at 6:30, only to discover that it has been postponed for a week. I did not receive any advanced notification.

The meeting is now scheduled for Tuesday, April 20th at 6:30 pm, at 565 West 125th Street.

Columbia will be presenting their plans and proposals for the property they have purchased between 125th Street and 133rd Street, West of Broadway.

On another note, did anyone else see the article about Starbucks in today's (Tuesday's) New York Sun?

The New York Times is planning on running an article in next Sunday's City section of the Times. I suggest that everyone make another round of calls to the various Starbucks and Magic Johnson related numbers that we listed here on the site a few days ago. I know that both the Starbucks and Magic Johnson people are really feeling the pressure, and that they are sending some reps from their West Coast offices to come out here next week and see the situation first hand. Another final push might really make a difference.

Please remember the meeting at Calvin's next Monday at 6:00 pm. Let me know if you plan to be there so I can call ahead and leave our names with security.

Take care, John

Hi Everyone:

I spoke to Calvin today, and we came to the conclusion that the only day that was going to work for him was next Monday, the 19th, at 6:00pm. I hope that this is ok. Some of our friends from the 30 well be there too. He is extending an invitation to the owners of 600. I will try and find out what their response is.

I will have to bust out of the meeting at 6:45, so I'm hoping we will start promptly.

Let me know what you think.

Also, as far as I know, there is still a meeting scheduled tomorrow for Columbia to present their plans to CB9 at the committee meeting. Anyone interested in going? I will probably go there straight from work, at 6:30. Perhaps I'll see you there. I will try to post a summation of the meeting for those who can not make it.

John

Hi Everyone:

I spoke to Calvin Solomon today, and he suggested that we get together for a meeting in his office, soon, some time in the next week or two. I'm going to suggest this coming Wednesday, at 6:00 pm. Let me know if there is any problem with this. I'm not wedded to this time. I will be calling him on Monday to confirm a time, so if I could hear from people before then I would appreciate it.

I don't think that our friends from 141/142 are going to be coming, so let's see if we can get a few of us there. This will give us a chance to catch up with Calvin and a couple 30th Precinct folks on some of the latest problems, including the activity that has been happening in some of our back yards.

Let me know what you think.

John

Hi Everyone:

Paula and I just got back from a week's vacation, and have only just heard about all of the Starbucks stuff. The amount of work that people have done is great. I imagine that everyone has gotten a lot of the same e mails I have, but I went through all of mine and culled out some of the more important numbers and addresses.

Let's keep up the pressure, and maybe we can help make a difference.......

1. Orin Smith, president and CEO
Starbucks Coffee Company
PO Box 34120
Seattle WA 98124-1120

3. John Calo, district manager
212-613-1280 ext 2213
jcalo@starbucks.com

Corporate relations (to lodge complaints)
1-800-235-2883

Wendy Beckman 206-318-6619. Director of Urban Coffee Organization (Magic Johnson's initiative)

www.johnsondevelopmentcorp.org

info@starbucks.com

Magic Johnson's outfit is 1-310-246-4400
1-888-624-4205

Natalie Wilson, Executive Asst. to Johnson
310-247-1994

Kimberly Thompson, Johnson Devt. Corp.
310-247-1994

upn9 tv reporter, megan vega, at 917-817-1687

Community board 9 District Manager:

Larry Mclean- (212) 864-6200

City Council
David Paterson-(212) 298-5585
Robert Jackson-(212) 928-1322

Lets keep up the good work. It is my opinion that Starbucks has been a real positive force in the neighborhood.

John

Hi Everyone:

I know that some people on the block have apartments for rent or apartments that will be for rent soon. I just received an e mail from our frend Judith Matloff, from 141st Street. Her child's teacher is looking for an apartment. Here is a part of the e mail I received from her:

Maria Fedorchak, and she teaches toddlers at St Hilda's and St Hugh's.
Her email is mfedorchak_64@hotmail.com. She's looking for a one bedroom for maximum $1200.

If you're looking for a tenant, please contact her.

John

Hi Everyone:

The Community Board meetings about Columbia have been rescheduled. Here is the latest scheduling that I have heard:

At Columbia's request the March 10 presentation of their Manhattanville expansion plans has been postponed to April as follows:

General Public Meeting CB9M - Tuesday April 13th

Presentation to full Board CB9M - Wednesday April 15th

Presentation to Housing & Land Use Committee CB9M - Tuesday April 20

Community Board 9 Manhattan

565 West 125th Street

New York, NY 10027

I will try to make it to the first meeting. These meetings should be very informative. If anyone wants to go with me let me know. The Community Board is located on 125th Street, just off Broadway. If I'm not mistaken, the meetings start at 6:30.

John

Hi Everyone:

We had a nice visit here at the house on Sunday. A handfull of people braved the cold and we sat around chatting and drinking coffee and eating donuts. Here is a copy of an e mail I just received from Jordi Reyes MontBlanc. I dont think he'll mind my copying it and sending it on. The second half of the e mail announces that Columbia will be presenting their plans to CB9 in March. I'm going to try and go. This is clearly an issue that is bery important to this block.

Jordi Writes:

Hi y'all

Justa reminder that tonight is the meeting of the Housing, Lnad Use and Zoning Committee.

City Planning will be doing a 1/2 hour powerpoint presentation of the River to River Plans for 125th Street. This is a very fine presentation which I seen at Civitas las month and asked City Planning to bring to the CB9M for our members and community to see.

As a preview of things to come, I have made arrangements for Columbia to come to CB9M on March 10 at 6PM to exhibit and present their Plans for the the 12th Ave/Amsterdam Corridor area. Formal announcements will be forthcoming soon.

Regards

JRM

As I say, I will try and go. Anyone else interested? I'll post what I learn after the meeting.

Take care, John

Hi: 138ers:

Here is a headline for an article in today's NT Times, Sunday, February 15th. The MTA seems to want to go back on their promise to convert the bus depot around the corner.

M.T.A. May Back Out of Plan to Convert Diesel Bus Depot
By MICHAEL LUO
Transit officials are considering backing out of a commitment to convert one of their massive diesel bus depots, in West Harlem, into a compressed natural gas facility.

This is something we should stay abreast of.

John

Hi everyone:

Just a quick reminder that everyone is invited to come over to the house here at around 11 tomorrow, Sunday, the 15th. We'll have coffee and donuts. Lets all sit around and catch up a bit. I'll leave the gate open. Please just come in or knock on the glass door.

Take care, John

Hi Everyone:

Paula and I would love to have evryone come over next Sunday, February the 15th, for a day after Valentine's Day cup of coffee and donuts. Say around 11 in the morning? The weather has been so cold that it seems like all activity on the block has ceased, but I think that we're all just staying inside. So how about if we get together over here and catch up? I hope you can make it.

John

Hi Everyone:

As I'm sure everyone has noticed, the lights under the tunnel are still not working. I called 311, and the felow I spoke with said that the contractor who was sent out reported that the lights are working ok. I can only believe that the contractor was steered to the wrong place. This is what happened last time when they were innitially repaired, and it took a few times to get them in the right spot.

I have filed another complaint, and have been given another case number. That number is 1411475. Please feel free to call for updates, and use this number if and when you do.

Take care, John

Hi Everyone:

Thanks to everyone for coming over, and apologies to Lois, who came over, but we did not hear her ringing the bell.

It was great to see everyone. We discussed the Columbia situation a bit, and decided to try and stay on top of that. One of the most important things we discussed was the physical condition of our street. In the next couple months we will try to get in touch with Robert Jackson's office, and invite him to a block meeting. Hopefully, when he is here we can show him the physical condition of the street and road surface, and the fact that the paving is in such bad condition, and that the traffic barrels through at excessive speed on its way to the West Side Highway.

Take care everyone, and I'll see you around the block. John

Hi Everyone:

Yesterday morning I was standing up on Broadway looking down our block and was struck by how beautiful our street is. With the slope and the different building designs and the colors of all the houses and yellow leaves with the RVSD arched bridge in the background, it looks like we live in our own small village.

I agree with Brian and Maggie. In the last few years there have been some instances of extreme inconvenience, but many of the beautiful houses on the street were decrepid shells just four years ago. Nobody wants someone else's mess in their own house, but I've found every developer or contractor or homeowner eager to bend over backwards, when asked, to make sure and clean up or avoid any mess. Its my belief that we all share the same goal of a livable neighborhood that is not full of uninhabitable structures which attract crime and decay.

I'd like to remind everyone to please come over tomorrow (Sunday, the 9th) around 12:30 or so, for some coffee and snacks. We'd love to see everyone. Please bring the kids if you'd like, and we can send them upstairs to watch a video with the girls.

John

Hi everyone:

Paula and I are inviting everyone over next Sunday at 12:30. Please come on over. We'll put on some coffee. It will be great to see everyone again. Please let me know if this will work for you.

I called 311 to put in a complaint about the two dark streetlights in the tunnel. I am obviously not the only one who has done so, and the city had already assigned a case number to the problem. That number is 1410624. The person I spoke to said that the problem will be addressed within ten work days, which means that, hopefully, we will see some action by November 15th. We can call any time, using the case number, and inquire about any progress. If it is not done in two weeks, I suggest we start another round of calls.

Take care, and let me know if next Sunday is good for you.

John

Hi everyone:

By now we all may have heard that a US Marshal was shot and killed at the base of our street, just past the curve where it turns in to 12th Ave.

The New York Times this morning is reporting it as an apparent suicide.

I spoke to two detectives this morning who are working on the case, and they did not mention anything about it being a suicide, and are investigating the shooting. They are asking that anyone who has seen or heard anything please contact the 30 precinct. I will try to get in touch with Detective Paige today and see if she can give out any more information. After I speak to her I will pass anything on that I learn.

We really need to get the lights in the tunnel working correctly. If all of us call 311 and report it, we hopefully will see some action soon. The lights seem to function, they just don't turn on when it gets dark and off when it gets light. They seem to come on during the day, then off at night.

Shall we get together soon here at the house? Paula and I would love to have everyone over, say the Sunday after next, around noon, for some coffee and donuts? Let me know what you think about this idea.

Take care, John

Hi Everyone!

I just received an email from 141st street about a meeting in Calvin's office next Monday at 6:30. I cannot go, but please let me know if you want to go and I can give you the info. I need to hear back by Friday so your name can be left with security at the front desk.

Best wishes, John

Click to enlarge image.

Hello all—

Community Board 9 is meeting to discuss the 135th St Marine Transfer Station issue, better known as "dumping tons of garbage right next to the Sewage Treatment Plant."

We can also submit a letter requesting speed bump(s) on our street at this meeting, which is at:
565 W 125th St
Monday, 6:30 p.m.

Hello all—

Our next neighborhood meeting is this Saturday, January 25th, at 11 am.
We're meeting at Regina's house, 640 W 138th St.

Please send me any additional agenda items.
Looking forward to seeing you there.

Below is a detailed and informative brief put together by John Link, President of the W. 141st/142nd Street Block Association. John took the lead in protesting this when the issue was first raised two summers ago.

Our Mayor plans to dump a huge garbage transfer station near us, and, incidentally next door to our waste treatment plant, Riverbank State Park. Once it gets put there, the stink--morally and in our air--will be forever.

Please educate yourselves, talk to others, send and share this information, and begin calling and writing your elected officials to tell them to STOP this plan. Robert Jackson, our Councilmember has stated publicly that he he would "look like a fool" if he opposed this, which is startling.

Marcus Edward
President
Hamilton Heights Homeowners Association

LinkJ@wpunj.edu wrote:

Hi all,
Everyone who is interested in the garbage issue should go to:
http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dos/html/swmp2k.html
(the City's Solid Waste Management Plan) and download the chapters on the
135th St. Marine Transfer Station (MTS):
Chapter 1: Description of the Proposed Action (which describes the rules for
site selection in section 1.4 and an overview of the W. 135th St. MTS in
section 1.4.3.2.3)
Chapter 2.11: West 135th Street Modified MTS, Manhattan
Chapter 13: Environmental Review - West 135th Street MTS Site

The plan calls for the expansion of the current 135th St. MTS (which is
immediately south of Riverbank State Park and visible from the Fairway
parking lot) from its current 6/10 of an acre to 4.9 acres, an increase of
more than 800%. This plan is described in detail in the documents mentioned
above, complete with drawings and photographs.

The site selection rules given in the plan state that no existing MTS should
be considered for expansion if it is within 400 feet of residential zoning
districts, public parks or schools. The only other MTSs in Manhattan -- at
E. 91st St. (near Gracie Mansion) and W. 59th St. (near Donald Trump's new
development) -- were removed from consideration for expansion partly because
of these rules. The 135th St. MTS, on the other hand, was given a "qualified
pass," even though it is only 220 feet from a residentially zoned area and
only 60 feet from Riverbank State Park, and 50 feet from Riverside Walks, an
area designated as parkland. Clearly the site! selection rules were violated
in order to ensure the 135th St. MTS would not be removed from consideration
for expansion.

The proposed 800% increase in the size of the 135th St. MTS is also of great
concern, particularly since the City's claim that the site is suitable for
expansion rests on the repeated assertion that the expanded facility would
be "similar to the existing facility in industrial type and function,
physical size, location, operation and operational capacity." This is
patently false. The physical size of the expanded facility is eight times
greater than the existing facility. The peak capacity of the new facility
2300-4320 tons per day. The current levels processed at existing facility
1240-1440 tons per day. The City's false claim is used again and again to
assert that there will be no adverse impacts on air quality, on truck
traffic, on noise, on water quality, etc. Surely there were studies done to
verify thes! e assertions? No. "Because analysis of traffic impacts was not
required for the West 135 th Street Modified MTS ... Future Baseline
conditions were not estimated." "Because there are no additional Department
collection vehicles delivering waste to West 135 th Street Modified MTS than
under Existing conditions, no off-site air quality analysis is required.
Noise was studied, but "No changes in on-site noise levels are anticipated
by 2002; therefore Future Baseline conditions are expected to be the same as
Existing conditions." It is evidently easy to conclude a facility adds no
noise if you study it before it is built!

There is a lot to be upset about in the plan. Particularly galling is the
description of the expanded MTS as a positive part of "waterfront
development": "The West 135 th Street Modified MTS site redevelopment, as
described in Section 2.11.2, would help to restore and revitalize the
industrial waterfront property and ! would be compatible with existing and
neighboring industrial uses."

Christina Lee informs me that there is a provision in the plan saying the
DOS has no plans to increase the throughput of garbage through the 135th St.
MTS and that if those plans change, it may not use the existing
Environmental Impact Statement. This is good news, but it does not change
the fact that the expanded MTS would have a capacity three times that of the
current MTS. It would be naive to assume that capacity will remain unused.

I've attached a copy of my testimony to the City Council two summer's ago. I
collected 500 signatures on a petition and sent copies with a letter to most
of our elected officials in the summer of 2000. C. Virginia Fields issued a
press release around the same time raising many of the same issues.

Hi everyone:

Here is an e mail I received from Anemona, from 142nd street. In it she talks about a Christian Scirnce Church that has been on the market for a couple years. The issue is what can be done by a property owner in the middle of a residential block, and she is trying to muster support against the project.

Take care everyone! We all miss you, and hope that everything is going well. Here is the e mail from Anemona:

John, with your community connections, I wonder if you could recommend
anybody for me to call to help us picket the Classical Theatre of Harlem
tonight and tomorrow. They are in contract to buy the church next door.
They plan to build in the entire back yard as a stage, and zoning gives
them the right to build up 14 stories, though not clear whether they will
use it. There is much space available on Broadway and Amsterdam, but they
apparently like the ambiance (and the price) better here.

Details below. Is there an activisit neighbor or two on your block I could call in for an IOU?

anemona

City and state officials said yesterday that they had agreed on a plan to transform a desolate strip of waterfront land in Harlem into a recreational area. It would include fishing and boating piers, an esplanade and a small privately financed building with a restaurant, shops and a visitors' or education center.

The waterfront park would be developed on city-owned land that stretches from St. Clair Place to West 133rd Street, and from the Hudson River to Marginal Way. The four-block stretch of asphalt is known as the Harlem Piers, though the piers were torn down years ago...

City and State Agree to Make Harlem Piers a Waterfront Park

We've all made it to New Mexico, and are settling in very nicely. We have a little house, and my studio is just across the yard, so I'm able to be there all the time. The weather has been hot, but very nice. Its really the wide open spaces out here.

I just wanted to thank everyone again for all the support, and for all the well wishes. The Mexican food is great down here, and the four of us went out to dinner one night with the beautiful present. We've also made a couple margaritas, and are looking forward to some more.

I hope everything is going well on 138. I think about the block and all of you all the time. I just hung some snapshots of the place up on my studio wall this afternoon.

I miss you all. Take care, John

Hi everyone:

I received a call from Detective Page, the community affairs officer at the thirtieth precinct, yesterday. She told me that a series of Civilian Complaint Review Board complaints had been filed against Officer Cruz, a female officer who had responded to the disturbance in front of 634 a week ago Sunday. She asked if we could write letters to the Board in support of Officer Cruz.

If anyone who saw the incident would like to write to the board and explain that the officer's conduct was appropriate and professional, please do so. It would be helping out the officer tremendously. Thank you very much, and please send letters to:

Florence Finkle
The CCRB
40 Rector Street
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10006

Hi Everyone:

As you may have heard, our State Senate District lines have been redrawn, and after the fall, we will no longer be in Sanator Patterson's district. We will be in District 31, which is now held by Eric Schneiderman. The Primary race for this seat is between Schneiderman and Lenares, who was City Councilman from part of Washington Heights untill term limits forced him out last year.

This race will be very important to this neighborhood. I don't have any information about web sites for Lenares, but as soon as I find something, I'll send it on. Senator Schneiderman's email address is:
Schneiderman2002-owner@yahoogroups.com.

We can email them and they can put us on their user groups. Perhaps we could get a link to each campaign on the web site.

In another note, it was great to see everyone the other night, and thank you very much for your generous gift, your sentiments, and your good wishes.

John

Hi everyone:

The last year has been a good one, thanks in part to the effort we have all made on the block. The increased police presence in the precinct has certainly made a difference in the drug activity. The block looks cleaner and cleaner all the time, and we have made some real strides towards improvement, such as getting the stairs fixed at the end of the block, getting the lights in the tunnel turned on, more and more houses are being fixed up, noise levels are lower, and the building at the corner of 135 and 12th is now sealed up. I was beginning to think that that last thing would never happen.

Starbucks opened, and HSBC, the bank, should be open at 139 and B'way. Subway Sandwiches is opening across the street from the new bank any day. All of a sudden it seems like a lot of interesting businesses are opening up, and things look promising.

Jay has done a great job creating and maintaining this website, which, I must say, is the envy of every other block association and community group around.

Unfortunately. it does not look like we will get the street completely rebuilt the way we had thought. We can talk about a strategy for this at the next meeting.

A lot of work remains to be done in the long term, and we especially have to keep an eye out for the Harlem Piers project on the waterfront. The community board is pushing for a waterfront park that will see Marginal Street closed to cars, and the construction of recreational piers, with the possibility of ferry service to Midtown and Downtown, as well as a possible re-introduction of a train station on the Harlem line tracks.

On the other hand, Charles Rangel's office has been pushing to have the piers area developed very aggressively, with entertainment complexes such as movie theaters and/or amphatheater, a floating parking garage, and docking facilities for a large boat, which many in the community feel will ultimately be turned into a site for Riverboat Gambling. We need to make sure our voice is heard on this issue.

One more issue we needs to stay on top of, is the fact that there has been some redistricting in the State Senate as a result of the most recent census. We will no longer be in Senator David Patterson's district. We will be in a district that is currently held by Senator Schniederman, whose current district consists of a large part of the Upper West Side and Riverdale. Currently, these two segments are connected by a thin unpopulated strip of land that runs along the river. His district has been given a large swath of land in our neighborhood, and his opponent for the seat, which up untill now has always been safely in his hands, is a fellow named Lenares. Mr. Lenares had been the City Councilman from the Dominican area of Washington Heights untill he was forced out by term limits last year.

It is my opinion that this will be a very important election for this neighborhood, and that we should all look at the situation very closely, and make sure to vote for the candidate of our choice.

Please come by the house next week for dessert and drinks. Details are in my other e mail. Thank you.

John

Story on our neighborhood in the NY Daily News. | PDF

Hi everyone:

Here is the address for the New York Times letters, if anyone wants to send an individual response:

connie@nytimes.com
djennings@nytimes.com

I will be mailing our group letter out tonight, our letters should be getting there by tommorrow morning. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

John

Article on our neighborhood.

Hi everyone:

Just a quick reminder about Saturday's clean up. maybe everyone who has some can bring out brooms and stuff. It would also be great if a couple of us could go back down into the stairwell of 632 and muck it out again.

Lets try to congregate around ten am or so out front. Paula and I will put on some of the coffee Barbara brought over last week.

John

Hi everyone:

For what it's worth, we have been informed that the clean up at 135th St. and 12th Avenue will begin on Monday. I suggest we stop calling the various numbers for now. But if no action is taken on Monday, I think we need to resume aggressive calling.

Hi everyone:

It looks like the 30th Precinct will come over and close the street for a few hours on Saturday. They'll be doing it as a courtesy for us, even though the city said no to the approval.

I have to amend my own schedule for Saturday. It turns out I am going to Maura's dance recital at 2 pm, so how about if we re-convene here at the house at around five or so for the BBQ, we'll make it a dinner thing instead of a lunch. I hope this is OK for everyone.

The abandoned building on the corner of 12th Avenue and 135th Street ia
atill wide open. We need to contact the various interested parties and
put pressure on them. I feel that I am at the end of my rope with this
issue, and can no longer stomach the arrogance that allows a company
like Clear Channel Outdoor to suck over a million dollars a year from
their sign and this community, but can not put the effort into
something so basic as stringing chain link around the building as a
temporary measure to seal the place up. I feel we all need to call
and/or e mail these five parties and read them the riot act,
emphasising that this situation would not be able to develop in the
neighborhoods where they live.

E mail: webmaster@clearchanneloutdoor.com

Phone: Paul Wiss, VP for Clear Channel's propert division
(212)812-0000
Emily Smith, Admin. Assistant at Clear Channel
(212)812-0092
Pete Skylass, new owner
(212)316-0159
Marleene Hartsteen, Real Estate rep for Skyllass
(212)327-9633
Stuart Klien, Skyllass' Attny,
(212)564-7560

Please take a minute out and contact these people, the more the better.
They have to be made to realize that there is simply no reason why
this building shouldn't be sealed up by this Friday. Be angry.

John

Hi everyone:

This Saturday, the 22nd, is our clean up day. As I mentioned at our last Block Association meeting, we will not be able to have our street closed off. But we are going to have sanitation come through with a truck between 12 and 12:30. They will pick up anything we leave out there, short of construction debris, so this might be a good time to get rid of some old junk. It might be a good chance to clean some of the stuff out of the tunnel that builds up down there.

My suggestion is that we plan on being active on the street from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, and then lets have a mid day BBQ over here at the house. Who wants to bring what? I'll fire up some dogs and burgers. Let me know what you think. Lovelynn made up some brochures and will be distributing them in the next few days.

Hi everyone:

Lets go ahead and get together this coming Sunday at 11 here at the house. I hope that this is convenient, and thanks for bearing with me this last Sunday. If the weather is nice we can try to sit out back.

John

Hi everyone:

Here is a copy of an e mail I received from Beth Venn. She and some others in the neighborhood are trying to get a new school opened up. Paula and I cannot go to this meeting, but if anyone is interested, please call me, and I will give you Beth's phone number. And please feel free to pass this on to anyone else who might be interested.

John

Our new schools superintendant for District 6, Dr. Jorge Izquierdo, has been meeting for more than 6 months with an interested group of parents in our neighborhood, listening to parents' concerns, and working to develop a program that would keep interested, involved parents and their families in the district. Dr. Izquierdo is proposing that we start a new program within an existing school, PS 28 at Amsterdam and 155th St. Working with Dr. Izquierdo, we are excited at the prospect of beginning a program that we, the parents, can have a strong hand in. The program would begin in Kindgergarten and expand each year. We will be starting the program this fall.

We have set up a meeting with Dr. Izquierdo to meet with a large group of parents and other interested neighborhood folks. We NEED a strong showing of support at this meeting. Dr. Izquierdo is very impressive, and is working very hard to improve the quality of education in this district. We must come out for this meeting and let him know we're behind him in his efforts.

Please join us to meet with Dr. Izquierdo
Tuesday, June 4 at 6pm
PS 28
475 West 155th St. (between Amsterdam and St. Nicholas)

Beth

Hi Everyone:

Does anyone mind if we delay this week's meeting by a week? I believe I have to work this Sunday morning. Lets make it a week from Sunday, at 11 am.

I went to a preparatory meeting for the street closing/clean up day yesterday and picked up some useful information.

Also, I'll be calling the tree people about getting the tools and things we need to get, and perhaps part of the clean up day, June 22, can be spent working on some of the trees.

John

Hi everyone:

Let's have a meeting here at the house next Sunday, the usual time, at 11 am. We can talk about the clean up day this June 22nd. I just received the official OK for our clean up day and street closing.

When I received the final OK yesterday, I also received a letter from the Community Board asking that we attend an informational meeting this coming Thursday, May 30th, at 4 pm in the Community Board office. This office is located at 565 125th Street, between Broadway and Old Broadway. I am going to try my best to attend this meeting, because I think it would be great to get some more ideas on what to do for our clean up day, but it would be great if some other people on the block could be there as well. I realize that the time is extremely inconvenient, but the more people who come, I think, the better.

Please give me a call or e mail me and let me know what you think.

John

Hi everyone:

I just got back from the community board meeting to find that the trees have been planted. This is such great news! And we really have Barbara and Regina to thank for following up on all that. Once the sidewalks are finished we should be able to get some more.

And speaking of the sidewalks, the information I was given about notification and a 45 day period was clearly wrong. The building owners whose sidewalks are being replaced will be charged about $6.50 per square foot by the city.

I am still trying to get more info on the street repair and the stair repair.

At the community board tonight I was told that we will have one of our proposed clean up days approved, June 22nd, Saturday. How about if we have our block meeting the first Sunday of June, and try to prepare for it.

By the way, the Hamilton Heights Homeowners Association meets this Saturday at 10:00 am in the Hamilton Grange, at 141 and Convent.

Take care, John

Hi Everyone:

This is a reminder that the meeting with Police and the District
Attorney is tommorrow night, Tuesday, in the Powell Building on 125th
Street, room 733, at 6:30 PM. Please call (368 3913) or e mail me if
you are going. I will be there, and it would be great to have a couple
more people from our block there if possible.

This will be a chance to see Pete Sylass again and hear how the
building at 135 and 12th Avenue is going. Also, Mike from 610, next to
Uwe's building, is going to try to be there, so those of us who have
not, will get the chance to meet him as well.

Take care, John

Hi everyone:

A reminder: the meeting with Calvin Solomon and the NYPD will be held this
Tuesday, May 7th, at 6:30 PM in room 733 of the Adam Clayton Powell state
office building on 125th Street. There will be important news about police
resources in our neighborhood.

I believe that I earlier announced that the meeting was at seven. It is actually at 6:30. Please e mail or call me (368 3913) by Monday and let me know if you will be coming. The more the better. By Tuesday I need to fax Calvin and tell him who is coming.

I also have good news. The contract for 12th and 135th have been signed, and Pete, the contractor we met, will be closing the place up as soon as he signs his insurance policy. He will be at the meeting, so he should be able to clue us in there.

Take care,
John

Hi everyone:

I just have a couple quick updates. The first is, I believe, the start of some very good news. I received a call from the representative of Pete, the plumbing contractor, and the contract has been agreed upon, he has signed it, and Clear Channel is to sign it in the next 48 hours. It is not quite a done deal, but it is very very close. The building should be emptied, and the sealing process should be begun, within a week, or less, of the final signing, so let's keep our fingers crossed.

The second thing I would like to report is that I spoke to the DOT today, and for all the people who have spray paint on their sidewalk, once the city assesses the need for sidewalk repair, as they did with the paint last Friday, they send out a registered letter to each property owner. We will then have a certain amount of time, 30 or 45 days to respond. I believe that, in our case, I am going to try and ask for a waiver, saying that no sidewalk work should be done untill the street is repaired, and that, in fact, the impending repair is the reason I have not done the sidewalk repair myself. In any event, if the city goes ahead and repairs the sidewalk, it will cost the property owners $6.29 a square foot.

I received an e mail from Mike, from 610, today and he says that they are almost done with their architectural drawings.

Please give me a call or e mail me if you want to go to the DA's meeting a week from this Tuesday, on the 7th, in room 733 of the Powell Building on 125th Street. I am trying to see if we can get someone from HPD Enforcement there. 601 West 138 is an HPD building, and I would like to see them more proactive in trying to get the activity in front of the building cleaned up.

Take care, John

Hi Everyone:

During our meeting last Sunday we met two new residents, Ruben Luque and Pat Terry. Pat and Ruben live in the co-op at 604 Riverside Drive, which is on the corner of 138 and RVSD.

In addition to Ruben and Pat, Brian, Lovelynn, Barbara, Uwe, Regina, John and Paula, Victor, Jay and Jessica were at the meeting.

Ruben did a great job of taking notes, which he emailed to me so I could write them up and send them out. Thanks Ruben!

STREET CLOSING
The first thing we discussed was closing the street this summer. It was decided that we would shoot for having the street closed on the second Saturday of June, July, and August, and that we would use this time as a general clean-up of the neighborhood. We will try to get Sanition on board and have them come with a truck and/or crew to help us and give us the chance to throw out big stuff if we want too. We could also use this as an opportunity to have a BBQ of some kind. It is assumed that these days would also serve as a substitute for our monthly Block Association Meetings. This will also give us a chance to do something that might introduce us to the rest of the block.

(As a side note- I spoke to Deputy inspector Cody at the 30th Precinct Community Council Meeting the other night, and he is very enthusiastic about promoting these type of events as mini block parties. - John)

NOISE
Regina and John spoke about their meeting with the Director of Riverbank State Park in an attempt to get the 138th Street entrance to the park closed earlier than 11 pm at night.

(As a side note - I received a message on my machine when I arrived home from work on Friday. it was from the director of Riverbank, and she said that there is no way she was going to be able to close the gates early. Judging from everyone I've spoken to about this, it seems like a dead issue, that we will not be able to get the thing closed without a tremendous amount of effort. If someone wasnt so continue to pursue this, please let me know. - John)

BUILDING ON 135 AND 12TH AVENUE
We discussed the possibility of mounting some sort of protest in order to bring attention to the abandoned building on the corner of 135 and 12th. John has spoken to a reporter who suggested that such an action might bring some rather prominent media attention, and might move the process along faster.

(As a side note - I have spoken to all the parties involved several times in the last week, and all involved claim that the deal will be finalized no later than Thursday. I told this to the reporter, who still wants to go ahead and pitch the idea to her editor. I'll keep you posted. - John)

GARBAGE PICK UP
Garbage pick up is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Large objects are to be put out on Friday, and recycling is to be put out on Wednesday. This was brought because one of the people at the meeting mentioned that he had seen the super from 604 RVSD take a large sofa down the stairs and dump it in the tunnel, where it languished for a week. Pat and Ruben said that they would speak to the super.

The subject of the sea of trash along Broadway came up and it was decided that we need to contact Sanitation and ask for:

Greater enforcement on Broadway
Solid trash cans along Broadway

There are still, of course, constant rat sightings on the street. It was mentioned that rats have been sighted in and around the garbage in front of 612 138th, and coming in and our of the cracks in the cement in front of 610.

(As a side note - I received an e mail message from Pat in 604 RVSD. She sai that she had spoken to the building's super, that he had in fact left the couch in the tunnel, and that he promised not to do it again. Thanks Pat. - John)

MONEY
Barbara and Regina brought up the subject of money and the need to impose a form of dues on ourselves. No one seemed to think that this was a bad idea. Regina is going to look into what would be entailed in becoming an incorporated group, non profit, that might make it easier to deal with the money issue. This might make it easier to collect money from production companies who shoot in our neighborhood, from grants, and from dues. Once more info is gathered we can decide how to proceed.

FIXING 138TH STREET
It was mentioned that, while there seemed to be a lot of activity last Summer that was leading up to our street possibly being rebuilt, all of that seemed to come to a halt September 11th. It was decided that John would look into the status of this problem, and see if the comprehensive re-build we were promised is still in the works. Everyone at the meeting expressed a great deal of concern about the condition of the substructure of the street, especially after the earthquake a couple weeks ago.

(As a side note - As I mentioned in an earlier e mail, the city seems to be getting ready to replace a good deal of our sidewalks. In looking into the street project, I am also asking about how the sidewalks play into all this. I feel that we need to get the street structure resolved before the sidewalks can or should be replaced. I also continue to look into the stairs at the bottom of the street. - John)

632 WEST 138TH STREET
We discussed this building again. It seems that the previous deal we had heard about with Howard Cantor had fallen through, but that there is a chance it is available. And Bravo to Brian and Lovelynn for cleaning up the mess in front of 632.

So that's about it. It was great to see everyone, and remember that there is a meeting in the DA's office on Tuesday, the 7th. I'll send out another e mail reminder of that. Give me a call at 368 3913 if there are any questions.

Take care, John

Hi everyone:

I'm sure we've all seen that the city has painted on our sidewalks and is obviously getting ready to dig up many of our sidewalks and replace them. I am concerned that we may get stuck for the bill for this. Here is an email I sent Mrs. Madden, and I'll see what I can find out on Monday, but if anyone has any ideas let me know.:

Hi Mrs. Madden:

I hate to bother you on the weekend, but I just came home from work and discovered that the city seems to be getting ready to replace a lot of the sidewalks on the block, including the one in front of our house. Many of us need to have the sidewalks replaced, but were waiting until the city rebuilt the street to do so. Lots of the sidewalks are sinking and cracking because of the problem with the street. I don't really know what this means. Does it mean that we will be fined, or that the city will charge us for the work which might be able to be done more cheaply by a contractor? Will this work simply have to be done again if and when the street is rebuilt? There are some places on the block where the cracked sidewalk problem is very severe because of the street problem, and simply replacing the sidewalk will not solve anything. Would it be possible on Monday to look into what is happening, why, and when it is supposed to happen? I'm wondering if they are going to start on Monday, and why we were not contacted by anyone. Thank you very much.

Sincerely, John Dooley

Hi Everyone:

Last Sunday's meeting went well, and Ruben, from the co-op at 138 and Riverside Drive, took some great notes which I will send out in the next couple days as minutes.

But right now I just wanted to send a quick notice for two things. One is to remind everyone that tonight is the 30th Precinct Community Council meeting. It starts at 7 pm, and is on the ground floor of the precinct house on 151th between Amsterdam and Edgecomb.

The second thing is to say that I've spoken to a couple people from 141/142, and we have tentatively planned to have the semi-regular DA meeting a week from next Tuesday, May 7th, at seven PM in the Powell Building on 125th Street, room 733. Let me know if you want to go to the DA meeting. It would be good to get a few people there. This will be a great chance to hear first hand about the increase in manpower, etc.

Take care, John

Hi everyone:

So, shall we go ahead and shoot for this coming Sunday at 11 am here at the house? I don't know if the warm weather will hold, but, if so maybe we could sit out back.

Anyway, we'll put some coffee on, and let's get together for 45 minutes to an hour. We can talk about the street closings this summer, and Regina and I will have met with the head of Riverbank State Park by then, so we can talk about what that was like.

Hi everyone:

Something has come up, and I will not be able to make the meeting this Sunday. I'm very sorry How does everyone feel about a week's postponement? Another thing we can talk about is the fact that by then we may have our new trees in, and that the city will have given us some tools and instructions on how to take care of them.

Also, I have scheduled a meeting with the director of Riverbank State Park for next week. Is anyone interested in going? This would be a good time to advocate the early evening closure of the 138th Street entrance. Give me a call if you want to come, and we can discuss how we should approach the subject.

John
368-3913

Hi Everyone:

This is just a quick note to suggest a block meeting this Sunday at 11 am, here at the house, unless someone has some other suggestions. It will be the second Sunday of the month. There are lots of things to talk about, and one issue we should make a decision about is the timing for street closings. I have the form here, and we can fill it out and send it in.

The tunnel is now lit by two functioning street lights!!!!

Please contact me and let me know if you can come, and also let me know of any suggestions you might have for issues to be brought up this Sunday.

Take care,
John

Hi everyone:

Here is an e mail I received from Yuien Chin this morning:

Hi,

The CPO is still waiting for a confirmation on a meeting date with the Commissioner, but in the meantime, just wanted to give everyone a head's up on this appearance.

The church she's talking about is on the corner of Convent and 141. I am, unfortunately, not going to be able to attend, but if anyone else wishes to, it would be a great idea.

John

Hi Everyone:

This is just a quick note to say that the next meeting of the Hamilton Heights Homeowners Association is tomorrow, March 16th, at 10 am at the Hamilton Grange, on the corner of Convent and 141.

Topics on the agenda include:

Care of the neighborhood trees

Friends of St. Nicholas Park

House tour update (there are some people on this block who might want to consider being on the tour)

Open forum for the homeowners.

John

Last Sunday's meeting of the West 138th Street Block Association was faily brief, and we spent a good deal of the time talking with two officers from the 30th Precinct. Officer Pecorella is one of our beat officers, and he was here, as was Sgt. Carty, who is the CPU (Community Policing Unit) Supervisor. Our block actually has two beat officers because 138 is the boundary between two beats. Their numbers are 690-8816 and 234-0251. There is someone answering those numbers during regular business hours Mon.-Fri., and at other times there is an answering machine. Meeting with them gave us a great chance to talk about some of the specific problems that are ongoing here on the block, and I think it helped them put a face to some of the residents here on the street.

Article in the Columbia Spectator on the housing restriction being lifted.

Hi Everyone:

Let's meet at our house, 622, at 11 am again. I'm proposing that we stick to an agenda, and that we try to keep the meeting at about an hour. I would like to propose the following as our agenda, and please let me know if you would like to add anything to it:

The break in at Victor and Nadia's and the bricks through the windows. Regina has invited someone with knowledge of security equipment and methods to come and discuss the matter with us.

Victor's efforts with the INS

The building at 135th and 12th Ave

The gas pipeline proposed for 135th and the river, along with a quick update on the Harlem Piers project

The tree meeting on Monday night

The letter writing campaign

Houses for sale on the street

Getting street buildings in the affidavit program

Any new business anyone wishes to bring up

Please try to arrive on time, and we'll see you then.

John

Hi everyone:

Who would like to go to the meeting with the guy from parks about the block trees?

He would like me to give him a call and let him know. The meeting is this next Monday at 7 pm on 142nd Street. I cannot go, and it would be great if someone from the block could be there. Give me a call 368 3913

John

Hi everyone:

Next Sunday let's have our monthly meeting. This will be the second Sunday of the month, so we'll be back to the schedule we originally discussed. Any thoughts on where we can meet?

As you may have heard, Victor and Nadia's house was broken into the other day. At this week's meeting, let's discuss what it would take to install a series of linked video cameras as a security system. I suggest we all look around for any information we can come across that will help us decide what to do, and we can discuss this at the meeting.

Here is a copy of an e mail I received about a meeting with Robert Jackson, or Councilmember:

There is an open forum with Councilmember Jackson planned for March 19 at 7pm, location to be determined. Notices will be mailed/distributed shortly.

I'll post any more information as I get it. I suggest we put in as large a showing as we can, and really hammer away on the issues that we are concerned about.

John

Hi Everyone:

Regina and I were at the DA's meeting in Calvin Solomon's office this evening and we met the future owner of 701 West 135th Street. His name is Pete Skyllas, and he is the owner of PSEC.

PSEC is a plumbing and heating contractor, and their current site is located at 622 West 125th Street. If I'm not mistaken, that is right next door to the McDonalds on Broadway and 125. I think everyone at the meeting was impressed with Mr. Skyllas. He intends to sign his contract this week, and as soon as he does he will hook up with officers from the 30th Precinct, they will clear the building, and he will then seal the property and begin renovating it for the use of his business.

I feel that this is fantastic news, and will go a long way towards bringing a sense of normalcy to our street.

At the meeting we also discussed the guy who buys bottles and cans around the corner from us, and Captain Cody said that he would tell his officers to be more aggressive in kicking this person out of the neighborhood. Its important that we call in to the precinct or the quality of life hotline when we see this guy out in the neighborhood.

I was given a Street Activity Permit form by Detective Page. We should discuss this at our next meeting. I suggest that we apply to have our block closed for the day perhaps three or more times this summer. One of the reasons we can put down for closing the street is simply "Clean-Up". Perhaps, in conjunction with the community garden down the hill, we can simply shut the street down, invite sanitation in, and do a block wide clean up of the street. Maybe we could also use that as a way to get rid of some excess garbage, etc.

During the meeting Regina suggested that we contact Riverbank State Park and try and get them to close the 138th Street exit to the park earlier than the 11 pm closing time of the park. Let's contact Vickie DiMartino, the park director at (212) 694-3606/49, fax-694-3630 and Vickie.DiMartino@oprhp.state.ny.us

We can also contact Elizabeth Brett, who runs the Public Relations department. She came to speak to the Hamilton Heights Homeowner's Association the other day. Her number is (212) 694-3655/4829, and her fax number is 694-3656. I seem to recall Ms. Brett saying that she lives on the corner of 137 and Riverside, so she clearly understands the problem.

By the way, if you go to the Harlem Home website you will see the advertisement for 610 under Fall 2002.

Let's keep in touch, John

Hi Everyone:

I'll fax Calvin Solomon with a list of our names, so just go ahead and show up in his office in room 733 of the Powell Building on 125th Street at 7 pm if you can.

John

Here is a copy of an e mail I received from GG Madden. She is Councilman Jackson's community liaison for this half of his district.

In the letter she talks about the drug problem in city owned buildings. The building on the corner, with Mary Fashion, etc, is in fact a city owned building. I think we need to get the word out that the city is the landlord for many of these drug businesses.

Hi John,
Yes, I will attend the meeting on Tuesday. I will discuss with Mr. Solomon the issue of HPD buildings tenants dealing in drugs. There is an HPD Unit that works exclusively with illegal activities within HPD buildings I will discuss this with Mr. Solomon and if they have not been invited to this meeting between the two of us that Unit will be invited to the meeting.

There has been no new information regarding the Street I am still along with Mr. Mclean working on obtaining Capital Project info. This budget is a total disaster to all City residents. I have not received the report from the inspection of the stairs and underpass that inspection was due to take place yesterday Friday.

As a resident of this community I am fully aware of the growing and existing problems and the dire need for HELP in the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill /Broadway to Riverside Drive areas all of these issues are within CD9. This causes me and my family unbelievable stress. The Councilmember is getting the message to the Police that he and this community demand action.

See you Tuesday,
G.G.

Hi everyone:

I have some info to pass on, and the first thing is a reminder about the next DA's meeting.

D.A. MEETING
The next meeting at the DA's office is this Tuesday, Feb. 26, 7pm, room 733, Calvin Solomon's office, Powell Building on 125th Street. Please call me or e mail me this weekend, 368-3913, and let me know if you'll be coming. Mr. Solomon has asked me to fax a list of attendees to him before each meeting. In adition to the regular police contingent, we will have a guest there whom we will all want to meet.

It will be the new owner of the wedge shaped building on the corner of 135 and 12th Avenue. His contract should close this week, possibly by Tuesday. He will let us know what he will be doing with the building, and how long it will take to close it up or put it to use.

TREE MAINTENANCE
Also, there is a meeting on Monday, March 11th at Marcus Edwards' house. Mike Hastings-Black, a man who works for the Parks Department, will be there telling us how to care for the trees that they are going to plant on our block. The meeting starts at 7pm, 537 West 142nd Street #1. I will not be able to go, but it would be great if someone from the block could go. Maybe a couple of people. Let me know what you think.

COLUMBIA REVERSES HOUSING BAN
The Columbia Housing Office Rental Guidline that concerns our neighborhood has been reversed, and in fact the person responsible for that policy has been let go. I spoke to Mr. Goodwill, the Chairman of Community Board Nine, about the problem on Wednesday night and he called the head of community relations at Columbia on Thursday morning. By Thursday evening the policy had been reversed.

ATM PIN SCAM
Here is something I've heard from the police and the community board. There is a scam going on in the neighborhood where ATM PIN information is being stolen or lfted from some of the small ATMs in some of the Bodegas and small stores in the area. Apparently, the level of sophistication with the security for these machines is rather low and easy to crack. It is strongly recommended that we stay away from these machines. Also, identity theft is on the rise in our neighborhood, so it is strongly recommended that all bills and records be shredded before they are thrown in the trash. And speaking of banking, an HSBC branch is opening up on the corner of 139 and B'way. This will take up the rest of the ground floor of the building that holds Starbucks and McDonalds.

HENRY HUDSON CONSTRUCTION TO START
The Henry Hudson Highway, between 123th and 175th is to be rebuilt during the next two years. They are repairing all the joints between the various bridge sections in the highway. As you know, if you use the road, in some places the road is bridge for very long stretches. The joints are deteriorating, which is why the road has a regular series of bumps. In some cases during the middle of the night, the road may be closed. In any case, the traffic on Riverside Drive and Broadway through our neighborhood will increase dramatically during some of these periods. During construction, that large parking lot just north of the Riverbank State Park--the one that looks like a giant tailgate party every weekend during the summer--will be used as a construction staging lot, and will no longer be a parking lot. When the DOT is done with the project they will spend $500,000 resurfacing the lot in the manner recommended by the community. This could be a chance to have that entire "North of Riverbank" area turned into a waterfront park. It will be crucial for some of us to get to the Community Board and have our voices heard when it comes time to develop this recommendation.

GAS PIPELINE COMING
In more Community Board Nine news, we learned that there is a large natural gas company called El Paso Corporation. You may have heard about them recently. They have proposed a huge gas line to run down beneath the course of the Hudson River from Upstate New York to the Metropolitan Area. They propose to bring the pipeline ashore in Yonkers and have it travell underground through Mount Vernon. This has been on the news recently because the people in Westchester, and especially Mount Vernon, have been fighting it. Well, guess what? The proposed pipeline is not going to end in Westchester. They are also proposing that a branch of it, after it splits off in Yonkers, continue on down under the river and come ashore in Manhattan. Guess where they are proposing that it come ashore? Almost at the base of our street. The company is proposing that a new pier be built between the garbage pier and the present site of Fairway's parking lot. This is clearly a hazard, as well as a use that does not go hand in hand with the proposed Harlem Piers Project. This is something that has the potential to seriously and negatively impact our block, and soon there will be Community Board Meetings where it will be in our best interest to attend and let our feelings be known.

How are the letters going?

Regina has posted an interesting comment. Check it out.

I'll see you around the block, and don't forget to contact me if you plan to come on Tuesday.

John

Hi Everyone.

Jay has now installed a picture gallery on the web site. Just click on the photo in the upper right hand corner of the page and the album will appear.

I wanted to mention two meetings coming up. One is tonight, February 20th, at 6:30, and its the meeting for the Harlem Piers Committee of Community Board Nine. It's located on 125th Street between Broadway and old Broadway. The other meeting I wanted to mention is the meeting of the full Community Board, which is tommorrow night, the 21st, at 6:30 in the same location. Anyone is welcome to attend.

John

Hi Everyone:

The next meeting of the Hamilton Heights Homeowners Association is meeting this Saturday, the 16th, in the ground floor of the Hamilton Grange, on the corner of Convent Avenue and 141st Street.

John

Hi Everyone:

This is a reminder that we have a Block Association meeting this Sunday at 11 AM here at our house, 622 W 138. I thought we could discuss a few things:

Getting a bunch of letters out to Newspapers talking about the drug situation here in the neighborhood.

I toured the neighborhood with Councilmember Robert Jackson last week and showed him the sorts of things we are up against here in this community.

This weekend I'll be going on a similar tour with the Mayors Manhattan Liaison.

Jay can go over the web site, explaining its use and its potential.

Update on trees from Barbara.

New DA's Office meeting with 141/142 Block Association coming up Tuesday, February 26, 7 PM, Room 733.

Why don't we try to meet at 11 sharp, and keep the meeting at about an hour. Paula and I will put on some coffee and pick up some donuts.

Hello Everyone:

Jay has done some great work in setting up this web page for us. To access it, go to: http://bookism.org/138

During the last meeting of our block association we discussed the idea that we would meet here on the block at eleven A.M. in the morning, on the second Sunday of each month. I would like to stick to that proposal, if that sounds good to everyone. I would, however, like to postpone our next meeting by a week, and meet two weeks from today, Sunday the 17th. We are in the middle of a big project at work right now, and I'm sure we will have to work the whole weekend. Let's go ahead and meet here at our place again, and we can come up with a site for the following meeting at that time.

I am hoping that at our next meeting we could initiate a program of letter writing, and start by writing letters to various journalists at some of our local papers. I will try to put together a list of journalists who seem to be regularly writing about local issues.

Also at this meeting, Jay will speak about how this web page works, and how we can make it work for us.

Take care, John Dooley