Notes from May 10 Block Association Meeting

Notes on West 55th Street BA Meeting
May 10, 2010

18 people in attendance. Two guests: Julia from Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal's office and Carole L from the West 54-55 Block Association. We started at 7 PM and ended at 7:50 PM. A number of folks stayed afterward to talk, eat cookies and drink soda.

Here are the highlights of the meeting:

1. Thank You, Sherwood. Many thanks to the co-op board of the Sherwood for continuing to let us meet in their social room. The new paint job looks very nice!

2. Spring Planting, May 22. Gerald Palumbo from Seasons (888 Eighth @ 53rd) is helping us out again this year. He is giving us a great deal for 75 flats of impatiens plus 15 bags of mulch and 15 bags of soil. Total cost around $1200. Some volunteers from Midtown Community Court will join us.

3. Tag Sale, May 15-May 16. The permit has come through. Stephanie will create signs and the donation table will probably start in front of 345 W55. Charley has volunteered to tape signs to light poles in the neighborhood to advertise the sale.
Update: We had eight tables and made $343. We've learned a lot of folks were waiting to see signs in their buildings and so were unprepared. We will make sure to have signs up in the buildings next year.

4. Linda Rosenthal. Julia from Assembly member Rosenthal's office has come to a couple of meetings now. She left us with a newsletter about the Assembly member's activities and an invitation to contact her office if we need any help.

5. W55BA logos. We looked at and gave feedback on four different designs, drawn by a friend of Andrew's. Eventually, we hope to put the logo on T-shirts, baseball caps, maybe even stationery. Most folks picked design #3 below. They liked its double-deck layout and taller image of the Statue of Liberty.



6. Donnell Library. Carol L from West 54-55 told us about the continuing fight to save the Donnell Library--or really to have a substantive library where the old Donnell used to be. She asked how many of us had ever used it and about six people raised their hands--or one third of the room.

7. May 18. Midtown North Precinct Community Meeting. Next meeting is at 7:30 PM on May 18 at Fountain House, 425 West 44th.
Update: our own Jack Herlihy was elected on May 18 to be the Correspondence Secretary for the Council. Congratulations, Jack!

8. June 14 Happy Hour. We discussed a number of options: Rumours, Kennedys, Bar 9, McGees and the new bar on W54th, Characters.
Update: Happy Hour on June 14 will be at Characters, north side of W54 between Eighth and Broadway, in the back bar. We'll start at 7 PM and go at least until 9 PM. One of Character's owners, Mike, also owns Rumours, which has helped to support the Block Association financially for several years.

9. July 4 Block Party. Thank you to the 10 residents who responded to the call to testify before Community Board 4 on May 5 in support of our application for a block closure of West 55th between Eighth and Ninth so that we can have an old-fashioned Block Party on Sunday, July 4th. The full CB4 approved our application and now all need is to hear from the Street Activities Permit Office. We will put out the word as soon as we hear.

10. Hell's Kitchen Chronicle. Several folks are going to see the documentary the evenings of May 15 and May 16.

11. Street cleaning. Several people have asked and several have called to see about getting the street sweeping machine down our block. We also discussed alternatives, like organizing volunteers to pick up some of the litter, talking to fast food places where a lot of the litter comes from--particularly towards Eighth Avenue.

12. July 12 General Meeting. The next general meeting of the Block Association is July 12 from 7 PM to 8 PM.

Be sure to check the West 55th Street Block Association calendar for upcoming events www.west55ba.org/calendar, follow us on Twitter at w55ba, or read this blog, of course.

Attack of the Pavement Milling Machine!

Jack H sent some photos he took at 2 AM on May 15 during the first night of pavement milling of West 55th Street. As we all learned that night, pavement milling is LOUD--even with the noise abatement controls the City says it has in place on all pavement milling machines.

The West 55th Street Block Association found out about the milling operation on the street the same way everyone else did, on Friday. A bunch of signs mysteriously appeared on the trees saying that West 55 was due for "pavement milling." The first signs said it would begin on Monday, May 17. Then late in the afternoon, new signs went up saying it would begin three nights earlier, on Friday evening. (Thanks Carl for sending an update about the second set of signs!)

A quick Internet search revealed that "pavement milling" prepares an already paved road to be repaved. Basically, a big machine removes the old asphalt and cuts grooves in the bed so that the new asphalt adheres better.

The New York City Administrative Code allows street construction at night under a few basic rules, including the use of noise abatement technology. (See Title 24, Chapter 2, Sub-chapter 4, Section 24-223.) The Department of Transportation schedules routine street maintenance at night because it says it is less disruptive to city traffic and business and workers can get more done at night. Not surprisingly, the second most popular question on the DOT's list of Frequently Asked Questions is "Why are they always doing road construction work at night?"

Christine is going to call the Department of Transportation to see if we can get better notification of when street repairs/other construction are scheduled to happen on our block.



Pictured above is the milling machine or cold planer that chewed up the old asphalt on West 55th.



A conveyor belts transfers the asphalt into a dump truck.



The dump truck carries off the broken up asphalt



Quiet returns to the block



Good thing pavement milling happens only once every ten years. The street is scheduled to be resurfaced in the next two weeks.

Jack H Elected to Community Council

At last night's meeting of the Midtown North Precinct Community Council, our own Jack Herlihy was elected Correspondence Secretary. Congratulations, Jack!

Here is Jack's report from the May 18 meeting:

I am pleased to report that tonight I was elected to the Midtown North Community Council! I will serve as the Correspondence Secretary.

I must thank all of you for all your hard work and support.

This is an executive committee position and the great yield is we now have a direct line with Midtown North and other community organizations.

Other news from the meeting:

Bicycles still a problem on sidewalks.
Some suggestions included delivery person rules being distributed by community service persons and a lady blinded in a bike accident, to all merchants that deliver.
Another was to enforce ID etc.

Crime declining in our precinct continues to out pace all city wide stats by 11 % !

No new news on Times Square attempted bombing, except to say all they know only what we all know from the media.

There will be a new club opening on 50th and 12th that can accommodate 2,000 patrons! Police were not aware of it and were asked to look into the safety precautions. A few in attendance thought the name would be "Eden."

There were some complaints regarding loud clubs with doors open and music blaring in the 40's.

Tag Sale, Street Paving, Spring Planting and More

Lots has happened in the neighborhood in May--and the month is only half over!

1. May 10 General Meeting. 18 people came to hear the latest news, plan the Tag Sale, provide feedback on a possible new logo and get an update on a possible Fourth of July Block Party. Detailed notes from the meeting will be posted on the website soon. Late update: CB4 approved the application for a street closure on Sunday, July 4. Now all we are waiting on is the okay from the Street Activities Permit Office downtown.

2. Tag Sale, May 15-16. We had eight tables with jewelry, clothes, CDs, DVDs and other treasures. The Block Association raised $343.05, which will be used to defray the costs of the Spring Planting. We also met a lot of people from the surrounding neighborhood and several signed up to receive regular email notices.

The BA broadcast the word about the Tag Sale ahead of time through email and signs on the mailboxes. However, several people said that they depended on seeing notices in their buildings and so missed out on putting up a table. That's great feedback. It tells us that people do print up the signs and hang them in their buildings and other folks read them. So, next year, we'll be sure to email the posters out to everyone so they can tack them up in their building's basements and mail rooms.

Also, several folks offered to help carry items up and down stairs next year for some of the older residents to sell. So don't throw out your treasures. Save them for next year's Tag Sale! Remember, it's always the same weekend as the Ninth Avenue Food Festival!

3. Repaving the Street. The BA learned about the milling operation on the street the same way everyone else did on Friday. A bunch of signs mysteriously appeared on the trees saying that West 55 was due for "pavement milling." The first signs said it would begin on Monday night. Then late in the afternoon, new signs went up saying it would begin Friday evening. (Thanks Carl for sending an update about the second set of signs!)

A quick Wikipedia search revealed that "pavement milling" prepares an already paved road to be repaved. The Wikipedia article made no mention, however, of how LOUD the process would be.

Jack and Susan H gave up trying to sleep and headed out at 2 AM to take photos and talk to the work crews. They learned that the street is paved once every 10 years.

Also, it looks like we are in for another night of loud machinery noises on Monday night. So be prepared! I'll post photos as soon as they come in.

4. May 17. Annual Open House at Council Member Gale Brewer's office at 563 Columbus Ave at 87th Street, NYC from 5:30-8:30pm. All residents of the District (and that means both sides of West 55th between Eighth and Ninth) are invited.

5. May 22 Spring Planting. We'll start taking out worn out soil and putting fresh new soil in selected beds and planting all the beds with impatiens at 10 AM on Saturday. Bring you sun hats, gloves, trowels and cool drinks and prepare to have a blast!

6. May 23 Shredfest. Bring your documents to Columbus Circle from 10 AM to 4 PM and they will be shredded for free. Sponsored by New York's Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Sanitation New York, Department of Parks and Recreation and the Office of Criminal Justice Coordinator. (Thanks to Carol L and Declan O for finding out the details!)

7. June 14. Block Association Happy Hour starts at 7 PM. Location to be determined.

Hell's Kitchen Chronicle: May 15 and 16

Our friends at West 44th Street say tickets are going fast to "Hell's Kitchen Chronicle," a new documentary about the neighborhood. See below for details . . .

Special Screenings of HELL'S KITCHEN CHRONICLE
Saturday, May 15th & Sunday, May 16th - 5pm Showings
The Tank - 354 West 45th Street btw 8th & 9th
RSVP: http://bit.ly/9NH4wO
Venue details: www.thetanknyc.org

HELL'S KITCHEN CHRONICLE, is an award winning, hour long, 1984 documentary film by Maren and Reed Erskine. Screenings May15th and 16th with the filmmakers in attendance, will premier the release of the film's 25th Anniversary DVD edition. More than 30 years ago Maren and Reed came to live among the tenements and factories on mid-town Manhattan's far west side. They documented the life and rich history of the neighborhood around them as it faced the rising tides of development and gentrification threatening to make it, in the words of a New York Times editorial, "a disposable community". Originally released as a 16mm color film, four years in the making,

HELL'S KITCHEN CHRONICLE has been described as a visual narrative that "makes you think -- doesn't tell you how to think." The Daily News called it "...an urban American drama...", The Hollywood Reporter proclaimed, "trenchant and eye-opening".

Tree Bed Clean Up and General Meeting

Just a reminder about two upcoming events.

Tomorrow, May 8, starting at 10 AM. We're cleaning up the tree beds. Meet in front of 345 and we'll fan out from there. Bring litter grabbers, gloves, hammers (for fixing borders). We're fixing borders and preparing tree beds for the May 22 planting.

Monday, May 10 from 7 PM to 8 PM. General Meeting. 3 agenda items that I know of:
1. Planning the May 15 Tag Sale
2. Planning the May 22 spring planting
3. July 4 Block Party. Report from CB4 meeting (10 people testified in support! Hooray!) Planning events: patriotic pet costumes anyone?

May 5 CB4 Meeting: Volunteers Needed

:Please come to the Community Board 4 meeting on Wednesday May 5 at 6:30 PM to speak in favor of the West 55 BA's request to close off West 55th (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues) on July 4.

We want to have a pre-fireworks Block Party that day. The CB4 meeting is at the Fulton Auditorium (119 Ninth Avenue between 17th and 18th). It starts at 6:30 PM and you only have to speak for 30-60 seconds.

If you come early to the meeting, you'll get a high spot on list of folks to speak and can say your piece and leave right after. You do NOT have to stay for the whole meeting.

We already have an okay from CB4's quality of life committee and the Midtown North Police Precinct. Now we need to go before the full board and ask for their support. We have been told that since this is a new event, there may be some skepticism and we should show up in force to show that the community really wants this.

The picnic will be BYO food and blankets and the first Block Party we've had in many years. We'll organize some silly races like a relay race to fill a glass of water using just a teaspoon. We'll need volunteers to handle setup and cleanup and other stuff but right now we need people to testify on Wednesday evening that they want this to happen.

Please email Christine at west55ba[AT]gmail[DOT]com with how you'd like to help.

UPDATE: Ten residents from West 55th Street showed up and CB4 approved our application for a block closure on Sunday, July 4. Next--and final step as far as permission goes--hearing from the Street Activities Permit Office of the Mayor. Stay tuned!

Volunteers Needed for Four May Events

We have a couple of immediate needs for volunteers, starting with giving 30-second testimony at this Wednesday's Community Board 4 meeting at 6:30 PM in support of the West 55th Street July 4th picnic. Please take a look below and send an email to the Block Association at west55ba[AT]gmail[DOT]com to say whether you can help with any or all of the items below.

1. Wednesday, May 4 at 6:30 PM. The West 55th Street Block Association is asking Community Board 4 to support us in a street closing permit so that we can have a pre-fireworks picnic on West 55th Street on the Fourth of July. We need people to show up at CB4 meeting, register to speak and in 30-60 seconds say why they want W55th street closed on July 4. I'll send out the place where CB4 is meeting as soon as I learn it.

If you come early to the meeting, you'll get a high spot on list of folks to speak and can say your piece and leave right after. You do NOT have to stay for the whole meeting.

We already have an okay from CB4's quality of life committee and the Midtown North Precinct. Now we need to go before the full board and ask for their support. We have been told that since this is a new event, there may be some skepticism and we should show up in force to show that the community really wants this.

The picnic will be BYO food and blankets and the first Block Party we've had in many years. We'll organize some silly races like a relay race to fill a glass of water using just a teaspoon. We'll need volunteers to handle setup and cleanup and other stuff but right now we need people to testify on Wednesday evening that they want this to happen.

2. May 8, starting at 10 AM. We're fixing borders and preparing tree beds for the May 22 planting

3. May 15, Tag Sale. The permit came through for us to have a Tag Sale on May 15 and May 16. We need volunteers to help make signs, organize buildings, collect items to sell, etc. Reminder: this is the weekend of the Ninth Avenue Food Festival so there will be lots of foot traffic on West 55.

4. May 22, Flower Planting. We need volunteers to help plant flowers in our 37 tree beds. We had a blast last year when we did it. It's a lot of fun.

Please email west55ba[AT]gmail[DOT]come to let us know which activity you can help with.