Hello Friends & Neighbors,

Thank you to all of you who joined us for the West 71st street Block Association Summer Celebration this past Saturday!  Welcome new members, many of whom supported us by buying t-shirts!

The weather was sunny & perfect; we had a live jazz duo, Blake Slaughter and Felix Hartley,  for great music and pizza was provided generously by 

The Pizza Collective (70-71 on Bway)! 

We were happy to be joined by our elected officials including Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal (who stayed the whole time!), City Council Member Gale Brewer, Senator Erik Bottcher (with guitar in tow!), and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal.  Thank you also to their aides Ben, Quentin, and Katie for bringing literature and the pleasure of your company! 

As always, thank you to Pastor Martin Hauser and Grace & St. Paul’s Church for generously hosting us for many years and being our partner! Thank you to music director and special events coordinator at the church, Rashko Nutaitis, for so much help.  Shelly, too! 

Thank you, Mia, for holding a voter registration event on behalf of the League of Women Voters!  

And we were thrilled to be joined by the head of the West 68th Street Block Association, Shaen Begleiter, who brought his adorable doggie, Pom-Pom, who we all fell in love with (see her above in Linda’s arms!)

Upper Westside Copy contributed flyers and Stationary Toy World gave us a dozen bright yellow balloons! (Flyer designed by Rashko) 

 This year, doggies stole the show!

Miriam and her daughter, Debbie, founding members, provided invaluable help and fun!    

Co-Leaders Karen and Katina below

Our favorite reporter, Bobby Panza, helped chop ice!

Stay tuned for our next newsletter which will contain information about our current work, including:

• Our recent  Rat Walk-Thru with elected officials, Health, Sanitation, and CB7
• Ongoing  work to clean up and reduce chaos on the McDonald’s Plaza
• New working relationship with Broadway Malls to beautify the area of Sherman Square and nearby areas,
• Proposal to clean up outside Grey’s Papaya! 
• Request for funding for tree surrounds and at least one tree (fingers crossed) 
• Summary of monthly Cabinet meetings with CB7 and other block association leaders

 As always, please report any issues (rats, trash, damaged news boxes, broken traffic lights, etc.) to 311 through the phone, the app, or online.  It really makes a difference!https://portal.311.nyc.gov/

Feel free to contact us anytime and we will schedule another meeting soon to listen to your concerns and ideas.

Enjoy the Summer!

Katina and Karen 

Katina Ellison & Karen Rashke

Founder & Co-Leader

West 71st Street Block Association

New York, NY 10023
(917) 796-7350

 Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We were so happy to see so many of you at our Autumn Block71 Celebration this past Saturday and to meet new friends who signed up to join us!

We loved meeting neighbors and learning about your concerns and ideas for our block.  Welcome new members! 

The weather was perfect and our elected officials popped by including City Council Member Gale Brewer, Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and City Council Member Erik Bottcher.  Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and Senator Hoylman provided invaluable materials for the day.  We were also happy to see Elizabeth Caputo from CB7.  They all listened to our concerns and goals as they always do.  Details of our current work in an upcoming email!  

Voter registration!  We were once again joined by the League of Women Voters who signed up new voters and provided information on upcoming elections.  A sixteen year old was so excited to register even though she will have to wait until age 18 to actually vote. Visit the LWVNY website!

League of Women Voters registered new voters and shared election information

Literature from Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal 

Below: Susan kept the bees away from our Two Boots Pizza!

Below:  Phil Hartman of Two Boots Pizza with Karen

Below: Steve Anderson, Pres. of UWS Coalition, Katina, Karen, Susan and City Council Member Gale Brewer

We were so lucky to have the  jazz duo of Bruce Edwards and Felix Hartley.  Thank you to Teddy Yoon Location Services & Majestic Hour Productions for sponsoring our music!

Below: Pastor Martin of Grace & St. Paul's Church and long-time member Mike

Below: Esther Caroline, Legislative Aide to Senator Hoylman-Sigal and City Council Member Gale Brewer with Katina and Karen

Below: Below: Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal  with Katina

Kind wishes to all and we welcome your calls and emails!  We will announce an upcoming meeting shortly. 

Katina and Karen 

Katina Ellison & Karen Raschke

Founder & Co-Leader

West 71st Street Block Association

BLOG: https://w71stba.blogspot.com/

New York, NY 10023
(917) 796-7350

 Join us on Saturday October 4th from 11am-2pm!  

                                                                    Outdoors (in church if raining)

71st Street Block Association Prevails: Bike Corrals Coming

• GAMES & PUZZLES

July 28, 2025 - I Love the Upper West Side.com

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71st Street Block Association Prevails: Bike Corrals Coming to One-Block Stretch After DOT Initially Said No

 Bobby Panza  July 28, 2025  Community

Following the Halloween night shooting in 2024, in which two teenage boys were shot outside the McDonald’s at 2049 Broadway, the West 71st Street Block Association proposed ten measures to enhance the safety and cleanliness of Sherman Square Pedestrian Plaza — the one-block stretch between West 70th and 71st Streets, home to shops like Pinkberry and CBD Kratom. Part of the initiative aimed to quell pedestrian congestion and what the group described as “chaos at the plaza” — an area often impacted by bikes locked to sidewalks and riders weaving through foot traffic. Now, after some back and forth with the DOT, the block association is getting four new bike corrals.

“The New York City Department of Transportation is set to enhance our neighborhood by installing four dedicated bike corrals directly in front of 234 Amsterdam Avenue, situated between West 70th and West 71st Streets,” wrote Elizabeth Caputo, Community Board 7’sTransportation Committee co-chair, noting that existing bike racks would be removed to make way for the project. “These bike corrals are designed to provide secure parking for approximately 24 to 30 bicycles, creating a convenient and organized space for cyclists.”

Caputo also shared that a bike corral could not be installed at the end of West 70th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, where four small racks are currently in place and used to capacity on a regular basis — although some bikes in this area have been abandoned for months.

“But now we have to see if the delivery guys will actually use the corral and not just keep their bikes on the plaza with a kickstand!” said Katina Ellison regarding the next steps in this initiative. “The goal, as we see it, is to relieve chaos and congestion in that area.” Ellison detailed that her block’s plan also includes keeping the abandoned newsstand by the south subway entrance at West 72nd clean. It was initially earmarked to become an E-Bike Hub by Mayor Adams in 2023, but CB7 opposed the plan, and nothing has happened since.

“Corrals in the street should be used throughout the city, as many neighborhoods are complaining of extreme crowding and a messy, chaotic situation created by dozens of bikes!” said Ellison about their vision to bring a safer, less chaotic, cleaner, and more pleasant feel to the area—an issue she and her neighbors have been complaining about for years.

The area under discussion has seen several shootings since 2021. On October 28, 2021, a man in his 70s was shot near the same McDonald’s. In August 2022, a man was shot in the foot at Lincoln Convenience, a smoke shop that has since closed. In March 2023, a 17-year-old student from Martin Luther King High School was shot twice and managed to stagger two blocks back to school. “Less friction here would be good,” said Jennifer Comers while eating pizza at Little Italy on Saturday, July 26. “This is a wide sidewalk compared to other areas, but with all the bikes locked to the tree bed grates, it severely cuts down the walking lanes. And then you still have inconsiderate people riding bikes and scooters—it’s too much,” she added. ILTUWS witnessed numerous bikers—some electric, including one from Little Italy Pizza—riding directly through the sidewalk.

“NYC DOT looks forward to adding in-demand bike parking on the Upper West Side, providing dedicated space for cyclists to store their bicycles and help keep sidewalks clear for pedestrians,” said a DOT spokesperson regarding the incoming bike corrals. They noted that the timing of the installation will depend on “internal capacity,” and no specific date has been provided yet. DOT also plans to monitor all roadway bike parking locations and make adjustments as needed.

Additional locations set to receive bike parking include:

• Columbus Avenue and West 77th Street 
• Columbus Avenue and West 83rd Street 
• Amsterdam Avenue and West 91st Street

DOT referred us to the NYPD regarding the removal of bikes parked in unauthorized areas. We’re working with DOT to provide more details on the additional parking locations.

“It felt good to know we could successfully advocate for something so badly needed and good for our neighborhood,” said Ellison about the bike corral project, which was initially shot down by DOT. The agency had cited concerns about manhole placement, but Ellison and others pushed back with photos taken by Eric Papa showing that DOT does, in fact, install bike corrals near manhole covers. “We were able to show that the law permitted a bike corral close to manholes, and indeed, Eric Papa provided examples of such corrals.”

c/o Eric Papa

Ellison’s advice for other block associations looking to accomplish local goals when seeking help from the city: “When you know your idea is sound and within the law and guidelines, don’t give up!” She added that they were able to ally themselves with Community Board 7 and local elected officials including Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, City Councilmember Gale Brewer, and State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who won the Democratic nomination for Manhattan borough president in June 2025. “They advocated right alongside us.”