Upcoming Police Precinct Meetings

Join us at the monthly 20th Police Precinct Community Meetings.  Its a great way to let the police know about our block concerns (like nighttime noise!) and to meet other neighbors.  The meetings take place at 120 West 82nd St (Columbus and Amsterdam) at 7pm. They are as follows:

2012:
September 24
October 22
November 26
December - no meeting
2013:
January 28
February 25
March 25
April 22
May 20
June 24

Description of meeting from the NYPD:
The 20th Precinct Community Council is the New York Police Department’s community affairs forum for residents and businesses in the 20th Precinct.  The Precinct runs from West 59th to West 86th Streets, from Central Park West to the Hudson River.  The Council regularly meets at 7:00 PM on the fourth Monday of each month, except July, August and December.  At the Council’s monthly meetings, area residents and business owners can bring their questions and concerns to the Precinct’s Commanding Officer.  Everyone who lives and/or works in this neighborhood is welcome.  Please join us!

Rodent Academy on August 15th

Learn to safely and effectively manage rats and mice around your property.  Everyone is welcome to attend a FREE Rodent Academy on Wed, August 15 from 2-4 pm at 250 West 87th St, 2nd Floor.  In English and Spanish.

Contact Community Board 7 to register at office@cb7.org or call (212) 362-4008.

Rat Control

As a result of our block walthrough with the Department of Health on July 12, 2012, letters signed by Council Member Gale Brewer and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer were mailed to property owners last week, advising them of potential violations.  The owners were advised to make repairs to their property.  In the early fall, the Department of Health will schedule another walkthrough to examine the repairs.  If the issue has not been corrected, the property owner wil be issued a violation and be ordered to pay a fine.  Fines can be up to $2,000 for repeat offenders.

Block Association Outreach Day

The above are photographs from our very successful Block Association Outreach Day on August 1, 2012.  We enjoyed being able to meet so many of our neighbors.  We now have over 150 members!  We also appreciated NYC Council Member Gale Brewer, NYS Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal and representatives from the office of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer joining us.
Thank you also to Tasty Cafe and Magnolia Bakery for providing treats and to Pastor Martin from Grace and St. Paul's Church for providing us with tables.

Block Association Meeting Minutes

We once again had a great turn-out for our Block Association meeting this past Sunday (especially for the summer)!   Each time we meet we get several new members to sign-up and contribute their ideas and enthusiasm!

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:  

W. 71ST ST. BLOCK ASSOCIATION CELEBRATION DAY!   Wednesday August 1st 5-8PM.

Our goal is to publicize our group, attract new members, and learn of their concerns and ideas.  We will meet in front of the church at 123 W. 71st where we will have tables set up with literature and sign-up sheets.  We will also have info on sanitation, rat control, tree well beautification, etc. There also will be baked goods, balloons, a kids' table and doggy treats and water.  We will all wear white shirts with name tags (to be provided) and some of us will walk the block with clipboards and info to greet people and sign them up.  

More details to follow!

Next general meeting:  Sunday August 26th at 4PM at church (always 4th Sunday of the month at 4PM)

Issues discussed at July 22nd meeting: 

1.  Rat update - Brewer's office is preparing letters to go out to owners of various problem buildings on block (input from Stringer and CB7 as well.)

2.  Homeless people - Residents continue to have great concern over the number of homeless people on our block.  It is our hope that homeless people will be offered and accept housing and treatment, but that is often difficult.   We have a good relationship with Goddard Riverside (a non-profit) who regularly reach out to the homeless (you can reach them by calling 311).  However the growing number of homeless people is causing concerns about health and safety.  The group agreed that we will draft a letter and visit our local police precinct to ask for increased police presence to deal with unlawful or dangerous behavior.   

*Some good news:  The young couple with the dog who were homeless outside Grace & St. Paul's church have a new home!  We wish them well.

3. Trash - We are all concerned about trash cans which overflow at both Columbus and Broadway.  We have already requested new and bigger trash cans from Stringer's office and we will follow up to see if we can arrange more frequent emptying of trash cans. 

4.  Various members volunteered to help with our Celebration Day!  Details in the next email.

5.  An effort will be made to reach out to the management and/or boards of larger buildings to help spread the word about our block association.

6. Call or email 311 - http://www.nyc.gov/apps/311/about.htm - to report problems on our block.  You will receive a reference number to track the progress of your complaint. 

Thank you to all of you and welcome to our new members!

Rat Walkthrough with the Dept. of Health

Thank you to everyone who attended the Rat Walk last week on our block, West 71st Street. Through the efforts of several offices, including Gale Brewer and Scott Stringer, we were joined by representatives of the Department of Health and the Department of Sanitation. Thanks also to Penny Ryan of CB 7, who has been providing much support and information!

We found many issues that are contributing to our rat problem.  We found a lot of holes (violations) which need to be plugged up and trash cans with loose lids, and areas where loose trash was found.

The first step is cleaning up and sealing up. Some areas were much worse than others, with several buildings where we found rat feces, holes, and other evidence of rats. We also observed scurrying rats and one dead rat.

The info we compiled will be reviewed for accuracy by the rep from Dept. of Health, and then be used in a a letter to be drafted and mailed to property owners who are in violation or who could help by taking certain steps. This will probably be a joint letter sent by Council Member Brewer and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. These owners will be asked to take certain actions and then the Dept. of Health will check within a week or two to see if they have complied.

We have been advised by DOH to call 311 whenever we see a violation or sign of rats.

Please let us know if any rat problem areas your want us to be aware of. We will keep you posted as to our progress.

Next meeting Sun, July 22 at 4 pm

Please join us at Grace and St. Paul Church at 4 pm Sunday, July 22 for our next meeting!