Halloween Pet Parade

Thanks to all who participated in the 2010 Howlin' Halloween Dog Event Contest. Held on Thursday, October 29th - fun was had by participants and spectators alike!

Judges for the evening included Sarah Meier-Zimbler, Legislative Aide to NYS Senator Thomas K. Duane, neighbor, Danny Riscili and Kateri with Pet Smart's Corporate Office who had the tough job of picking this year's winners. All the dogs looked outstanding with adorable costumes with top prizes going to:

1st Place: Colby Levin with Olive dressed as an Olive Martini

2nd Place: Mike Mulvagh with Jasper dressed as The Olson Twins

3rd Place: Cecily Horner with Kevin dressed as Harry Potter

Honorable Mention: Sara Stein with Roman Aramis dressed as Chupacabra

A huge thank you to our sponsors including The Pet Market who provided super 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes and Al's Cycle Solutions who provided the honorable mention prize. We hope you'll support our neighborhood merchants who continue to support us and make live more enjoyable on West 55th Street! In addition, Rod Davis volunteered his time and talent capturing the magic of the night with fabulous photos. For photos of the event visit: http://www.rods-pix.com/galleries/seasonofthewitch.html or www.houndsofhellskitchen.com

Also, we could not pull off the event without this year's volunteers: Jen & Mitch Jacobson, Jack and Sue Herlihy, Carl Bevelmyer and Cara Vitolo. Interested in helping out next year? Let us know!

To wrap up the night, neighbor Steve Taft won a set of pewter magnets perfect for dog lovers, by guessing the closest number of Candy Corn in the first Candy Corn Contest! The magnets say it all...and so we leave you with this until next Halloween....CHASE DREAMS, CATCH LOVE and SHARE TREATS!

(Jen sent this a while ago but I somehow missed it)

Blizzard of 2010 on West 55th Street

And the holiday lights shone brightly all through the night!

West 55th in the aftermath of the Blizzard of 2010

(Thanks to Carol P for the photos)

Mattresses and Bed Bugs: New Rules

On Tuesday, November 30, 2010, the Department of Sanitation announced new regulations in an effort to help control the growing bed bug problem in New York City. Starting December 3, residents will have to place all bedding (mattresses and box springs) in a completely sealed plastic bag when left at a curb for collection regardless of whether there was bed bug infestation or not.

Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty also suggested that the bedding be placed in plastic bags before it reaches the curb to prevent any bed bugs spreading throughout the house when taking it out.

Failure to comply with the new rule will result in fines starting at $100. The rule goes into effect December 3, but summons won’t begin being issued until January 3, 2011.

The reports of bed bugs have been on the rise within the city in the past few years. According to an April 2010 report released by the Bed Bug Advisory Board (which Council Member Gale A. Brewer initiated), bed bug related 3-1-1 calls rose 54 percent from 2008 to 2009 in the city. The report also said that private residential rental housing bed bug violations rose 240 percent from 2006 to 2009. (as reported by City Council Member Gale Brewer)

Do You Know an Unsung NYC Hero?

Every year, the New York Public Library awards the prestigious Brooke Russell Astor Award to someone who is an unsung hero in NYC. Any ideas? Let Council Member Gale Brewer know before Jan. 7, 2011.

Stringer and Brewer Attend W55 Holiday Party

The West 55th Street Block Association had a grand Holiday Party at Characters Bar and Grill on Monday. There were a few flurries outside but it was nice and warm in the back room. At least 35 folks from the block attended. Linda was behind the bar serving up wine, beers and sodas.

We had several special guests who came at different times. (How do they figure these things out?)

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer did the honors and picked out the winning raffle tickets.

Jen H. from the Friends of the High School for Environmental Sciences found several potential mentors for some of the students there. (We are also sponsoring a travel stipend for an HSES student to go outside New York City to check out a non-local college or university.)

City Council Member Gale Brewer came and joined in several conversations, including one about the neighborhood's growing laundromat shortage and another about a citizen wire service for covering Community Board meetings.

There was plenty of great conversation and some stylish prizes. Many thanks to our business partners who provided gifts. Holly and Eddie won the dinner at the Nocello Restaurant. Claire won the bottle of Ciroc vodka (thank you Heather at the Blue Flame Agency) and the mystery package. Myrna received the Ciroc vodka Happy Hour for herself and 5 friends (thanks again to Heather).

Carl B sold a few W55 few iron-on transfers for T-shirts at $5 each. And the proverbial good time was had by all. Many thanks to Eddie for the photos.

Holiday Party is Dec. 13

You're invited! The West 55th Street Block Association is holding its annual winter holiday party at 7 PM on Monday, Dec. 13 at Characters Bar and Grill, 243 West 54th Street. That's just nine days away.

There will be a cash bar and prizes, donated by local businesses. The BA will provide appetizers.

Come join the fun. Last year we had about 50 people.

Developer Fences off Public Ball Fields

We've seen a lot of cases where public property is given to private contractors and real estate developers who promise to include low to moderate-income housing and publicly accessibly green spaces. Here's an interesting article about public parks in the West 60s that are chained up and only accessible to people living in the adjacent hugh rise lux buildings. Interesting how this pattern of private interest over public continues on a very local scale across the west side and elsewhere in the city. Yet another example of promises made during Community Board public input meetings that just don't pan out in the end. --Carl B.

Holiday Lights and Party

Hi All,

Lights. Hope you're enjoying the lights. You may have noticed a few on the north side that haven't been plugged in yet. A group of volunteers is going to make those connections (with supers and outlets) this Saturday (12/4/2010). Let me know if you can help or talk to your super if you are in an affected building.

Holiday Party. For simplicity's sake, we decided at the last meeting to hold the Holiday Party in a local bar. We will be at Characters in the back room on Monday, Dec. 13. There will be food and prizes. Stay tuned for more details.

Outreach to businesses. Lisa and Carl are reaching out to local businesses this weekend for donations. If you can help, please let them know in person or email them via west55ba[AT]gmail[DOT]com.

Outreach to local high school: Carl and I are meeting with the High School for Environmental Studies on Monday, Dec. 6 at 6 PM. If you have ideas or want to join, please let us know.

Fundraising. And if you haven't donated to the Block Association yet, please do so. Checks may be left c/o Jack Herlihy at 340 W55 or you can donate via PayPal at west55ba.org. And if you have donated, thank you! We will have a report soon on how much we have raised for our programs.

--Christine G.