BY SCOTT STIFFLER | June 3 was the occasion for this year’s iteration of the 300 West 18th & 19th Streets Block Association’s annual Meet & Greet. Held at The Whitney amidst a backdrop whose sweeping view of the Hudson paralleled the hyperlocal group’s grasp of big picture concerns, the gathering was an opportunity to “reconnect with neighbors, welcome new residents, and discuss issues important to our community.”

Robust attendance was hardly the stuff of happy accidents, said BA President Gloria Laranjeira Lowe, who noted outreach efforts began several weeks in advance, via “posting on our Facebook, and in our newsletter. We also canvassed the neighborhood with signs inviting people–and it worked! People who have lived in the neighborhood for 40 years suddenly said, ‘Oh, I’ve seen you on the street, but we’ve never spoken’… and that is really the purpose—to bring people together.”

A decade ago, Laranjeira Lowe’s own desire to connect became the driving force behind the BA’s formation—an action taken, she recalls, to address “a feeling that the community needed a place where we could come together and voice our concerns.” Laranjeira Lowe, who at that time was highly motivated if less than completely knowledgeable, noted, “I’d like to pay tribute to Bill Borock, who was [at the time of her BA’s formation] president of the Council of Chelsea Block Associations. He was wonderful, and just walked me through everything I needed to know [about establishing a block association].”

Presently, the BA has monthly general membership meetings during which they discuss issues and strategy, “and take it from there,” said Laranjeira Lowe, who noted the marrow of their “there” often takes the form of creating a committee charged with focusing on one particular issue, then reporting back to the general membership for everything from strategic suggestions to help with the physical tasks necessary to address the matter at hand. Among the top concerns of the moment, said Laranjeira Lowe, are “mental health and outreach to [homelessness] encampments. Not only are we concerned for the people living with these issues, but their impact on the greater community.”

Those matters were among several addressed at the Meet & Greet. Prior to the gathering, BA leadership compiled a list of “pressing neighborhood concerns” whose content originated from the input of area residents. A one-page printout of the list was given to attendees, and distributed to local elected officials and their representatives. (At the Meet & Greet were representatives Yiyi Wang from Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal’s Office; Patrice Comerford from State Senator Erik Bottcher’s Office; Hannah Moses from NYC District 3 Council Member Carl Wilson’s Office, alongside the Council Member himself; and Layla Law-Gisiko, District Leader, Assembly District 75 Part A.)

Items of concern appearing on the handout were as follows:

ISSUE: Subway Safety

DESIRED OUTCOME: Increased NYPD presence and station safety review

ISSUE: Fulton & Elliott-Chelsea Houses Developments:

DESIRED OUTCOME: Timeline and community engagement plan; funding sources; resident provisions

ISSUE: Sanitation

DESIRED OUTCOME: Additional containers and more frequent pickup – Bayard Rustin Complex

ISSUE: Scaffolding

DESIRED OUTCOME: Removal schedule and responsible agency – Bayard Rustin Complex. Council Member to assist in owner/SCA negotiations

ISSUE: Mental Health / Homelessness

DESIRED OUTCOME: Outreach strategy and points of contact for growing encampments

ISSUE: Traffic/Parking/Idling

DESIRED OUTCOME: Enforcement and policy clarification – Major Concerns on 9th Ave between 19th & 20th Sts.

ISSUE: Business ADA Compliance

DESIRED OUTCOME: Opportunity  for local businesses to correct violations prior to being fined

ISSUE: Community Workforce

DESIRED OUTCOME: Explore incentives for public safety personnel to live in the communities they serve

ISSUE: Streetscape & Outdoor Dining

DESIRED OUTCOME: Ensure adequate pedestrian passage and ADA accessibility where roadway sheds and sidewalk café seating coexist

ISSUE: Penn Station

DESIRED OUTCOME: Community Engagement and Updates on Planning Process

ISSUE: Graffiti

DESIRED OUTCOME: Coordinated Graffiti Removal Plan for Chelsea

ISSUE: 9th Avenue Indian Deli

DESIRED OUTCOME: Reduce Noise and Sidewalk Congestion

Writing in a June 13 Enewsletter, 18/19 BA Director Susan Palmer Marshall noted, “These issues remain priorities for the Block Association, and we are actively engaging with elected officials, city agencies, and community stakeholders to pursue solutions.”  Also mentioned in that same email was a new initiative currently being finalized–a new website for the BA that Palmer Marshall promises will “provide residents with a central source for neighborhood news, community updates, local events, quality-of-life initiatives, and information about our organization… a resource that will better inform, connect, and engage our residents.”

Learn more about this and other 300 West 18th & 19th Streets Block Association matters via:

1819nyc@gmail.com

facebook.com/1819nyc

Xcom/1819nyc

Below, find a few more visual takeaways from last month’s Meet & Greet, courtesy of the BA.

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