In This Week’s “THIS WEEK IN CHELSEA”

In Order of Appearance:

Community Board Application Deadline Extended From March 1 to March 15 / Manhattan Community Board 4´s Full Board Meeting / Fountain House Gallery Group Exhibition /  Hudson Guild Gallery Exhibits / Participatory Budgeting is Back / City Councilmember Erik Bottcher´s Free Housing Clinic

Through Tuesday, March 15: Manhattan Community Board Applications Accepted | A result of last year’s Primary and General Election process, newly installed Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine has already embarked upon on of his marquee responsibilities: Appointing new members to Manhattan community boards. In order to be considered for appointment, a complete application must be submitted online or postmarked by no later than 5:00pm on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. NOTE: This is an extension of the previous March 1 deadline. Click here to see the application, which is a doozy, and must be completed in one single sitting–so be sure and take a test run before embarking upon it.

Wednesday, March 2, 6:30pm: Manhattan Community Board 4´s Full Board Meeting via Zoom | The meaty matters dined on by CB4’s various committees during the previous month (in this case, that means February 2022) come to fruition at this gathering of the board’s full membership, which happens on the first Wednesday of the month, and is still happening online via Zoom (as opposed to the pre-COVID days of brick and mortar-based gatherings).

This monthly gathering also serves as your chance to participate in the Public Session. Sign up for a slot and get two minutes of uninterrupted time to speak your mind. For the link to sign up, click here. For the Zoom registration link to the meeting, click here. For the Feb. 2 agenda and background materials, click here. And, for the home page of the CB4 website, click here.

Among the topics of discussion to look out for are Agenda Items 9 & 10, generated by the Arts, Culture, Education & Street Life (ACES) Committee. They are letters addressed to José Bayona, Executive Director at Mayor’s Office of Ethnic & Community Media and New York State Senator Brad Hoylman. Full disclosure: We hold these agenda items in such high esteem because they wholeheartedly support the notion that hyperlocal journalism particular to Chelsea, Hell´s Kitchen, and the Village should be supported by City and State. To see the ACES meeting that started it all, click here. Interested? Intrigued? See the below listing, which tells you how to go through the process by which people end up serving on their own local community board.

Hudson Guild Galleries (Hudson Guild Fulton Center, 119 Ninth Ave. and 441 W. 26th St.) | Jim Furlong, Director of Arts at Hudson Guild, has never steered us wrong–and we’re not just saying that because we like how it rhymes. So we’re taking him at his word about good stuff happening on the Hudson Guild gallery scene. Here’s his word, literally. In a recent email, said Furlong, “I am writing to let you know about a new exhibit opening in Guild Gallery II at the Fulton Center on February 10. It’s called Memory’s Daughter, and it is a collection of lovely still lifes by Elizabeth Koszarski Skrabonja. Viewing Hours are Tuesdays – Fridays 10am – 5pm. A reception for the artist will be held on Friday, April 1 at 5:30pm. Meanwhile, Return: works with oil and fabric by Danny Simmons remains on display in Hudson Guild Gallery at the Elliott Center through March 9. This show contains some large, colorful works which are characteristic of Simmons’s vibrant style. A reception for the artist will be held on Thursday, February 17 at 5:30pm. Viewing Hours are Tuesdays – Fridays, 10am – 6pm, and Saturdays, 12pm – 4pm. And circle your calendars for Semaphore: Lauren Bakoian on paper & Jolie Stahl with clay, the next exhibit in Hudson Guild Gallery at the Elliott Center, with opening reception on March 17 at 5:30pm.”  The galleries partner with nearby neighbor Google, as part of the Google Arts & Culture online platform. In doing so, Hudson Guild shares works by artists whose work has appeared in the gallery spaces over the past two decades. “It also,” the Gallery curators note, “gives us the opportunity to create permanent records of many different kinds of shows which are presented each year in the galleries, while also advancing our mission to make the arts accessible to all.” NOTE: Hudson  Guild Galleries are free to attend, but you must observe these five points of protocol: 1. Visitors are asked to spend no more than 15 minutes inside the galleries. 2. Visitors who wish to stay in the galleries for more than 15 minutes must fill out the Hudson Guild Health Screener in advance before entering the galleries. To access the Health Screener, visit hudsonguild.org. At the top of the first (home) page, it says, “Click Here for a Health Screen,” which will take you directly to the registration page. 3. Visitors must have their temperature taken by reception staff before entering the theatre (gallery) and will not be permitted to enter if their temperature is above 100 degrees. 4. Visitors must wear masks at all times while in the building. 5. Visitors will observe social distancing of three feet from other visitors while in the galleries.

Participatory Budgeting Returns to New York City Council District 3 | Sure, he recently handed out COVID tests, and spoke passionately on TV about the joys of Chelsea street corners bereft of huge piles of garbage… but what has Councilmember Erik Bottcher done for you lately? How about set aside a cool million, to be distributed among projects created by District 3 residents? Known as Participatory Budgeting (PB), the popular Cheddar/Lettuce Distribution program, which in its first year was responsible for creating West 20th Street’s beloved Chelsea Green pocket park, is set to return once again–End Date, April 22, 2022.  Area residents (think Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Greenwich Village, West SoHo, Hudson Square, Times Square, Garment District, Flatiron, Upper West Side) vote on a variety of proposals. The winning entry is fully funded, and what’s left after that gets distributed to the second, third, etc. winners until the money has been spent. To visit Bottcher’s Councilmember web page, click here. To visit the District 3 PB page, click here. There, among other nuggets, you’ll find this dandy: That $1 million, culled from the Councilmember’s budget allocation, “can be used for physical infrastructure projects that benefit the public, cost at least $50,000, and have a lifespan of at least 5 years. For example, projects such as local improvements to schools, parks, libraries, housing, and other public spaces can be funded. Ideas are then evaluated and voted on by residents of the district.”

Second Tuesday of the Month, 4-6pm: City Councilmember Erik Bottcher´s [Free] Virtual Housing Clinic | Councilmember Bottcher continues the Housing Clinic offered by Corey Johnson for so many years. It takes place on the second Tuesday of each month, doesn’t cost a dime, and gives you access to a knowledgable housing attorney who will give you the unvarnished truth about your situation, recommend a course of action, and provide further resources for future needs. To sign up for a slot to speak with a housing attorney at no cost to you, click here. Slots are available in the 4-5pm and 5-6pm time period. For more info, see the below flyer.