Madison Block Association #3
Sept 5, 2008 Minutes
Handouts: Agenda, September Newsletter, Bylaws
Toya called us to order.
Jason Schneiderman read the minutes from the previous meeting. The minutes were approved.
Stars of Hope Update:
-Lush Summer of gorgeous growth
-June & Tammy have been actively working with Green Guerrillas
-We’re contemplating a plan for a path for the garden—but materials are a question (bottles? something inexpensive?)
-The Summer’s Spoken word series in the garden was small, and ghost stories were told.
-Still Question about the fence—the city is not doing it—Michael and Toya will ask Ardnes (owner of 211, which borders the garden) about the fence.
-We need to re-register with the city, reconsider the names for the registration.
Maliza Joseph-Gabriel Reported on Public Safety
-Precinct Meetings have begun again for the fall. Last Wednesday of the month, 7pm-8:30pm, followed by dinner..
-There has been graffiti at 175 Madison, both times, we painted over it.
-Graffiti Free Brooklyn will paint over graffiti, but there’s a long waiting list.
-We don’t know who owns 175 Madison-- there are family issues, and it has been closed by the Police and HPD.
-We voted to approve $100 for painting over graffiti.
Finance and Fundraising
-Andrew stepped down as treasurer, handing over the books to Rachel, who will be acting treasurer (as per the bylaws) until an election next month, and the full election in December.
-Andrew updated us on the state of the finances.
-There were some issues in the account, because the account was under Andrew’s Social Security number, and his identity was stolen—but no money was lost.
-Although Commerce Bank waived our banking fee for the first year, they will now be charging us $25 a month any time our account goes below $1,000.
-We considered becoming a non-profit, but that costs around $800, and requires an audit and hiring an accountant and a lawyer.
-Michael suggested that 40 people lend $100 to the block association to be held in escrow to keep us at the minimum $1000.
-The account will now be linked to Rachel’s Social Security number.
-Maliza audited the checks, and affirmed that cheacks 1253-1504 were present in the checkbook that Andrew gave to Rachel.
-Dues now go to Rachel
-Toya will follow up on the bank fee.
Mollie Parnis Dress Up Your Neighborhood Award
-We WON!!
-We have to plan how to spend the $3,000—and our plan has to include media coverage.
-Thoughts for the money
-More Planters (approved, in a 6 to 3 vote)
-Fixing up the Garden (no agreement on how much to spend on the garden)
-Replanting some planters
-Another Planting Party
-Evergreens in the planters for the fall?
-Creepers that will hold water (lower maintenance?)
-Plants with thorns to discourage children from pulling them out.
-We want to reshuffle (Maliza has notes on which planters are well maintained, or not)
-Rachel pointed out that trees need 20 gallons of water a week
-Michael and Rachel will put together guidelines on planter and tree maintenance for next newsletter.
Youth Committee & Block Party
-Kisha wasn’t present, but it was agreed the block party was great.
-There is still no final budget for the Block Party.
Old Business
-Rachel and Patrick are taking the city class on Tree Pruning
-Maliza would like a reading series in the garden targeted to kids.
New Business
-Joe Ray died—the funeral will be on Monday. We will put an obituary in the next newsletter in his honor, as well as sending a card and flowers.
-Halloween. We voted 8 to 1 in favor of giving out a $25, $15, and $10 prize for stoop decoration. We’ll determine the candy give away at the October meeting.
Toya adjourned the meeting.
Attendance:
209 Michael Broder
182 Rachel Hernandez
182A Toya Williford
184 Maliza Joseph-Gabriel
184 Patrick Joseph-Gabriel
164 Fran Krause
180 Siri Farmer-Vergara
173 Barbara Hopkinson
157 Andrew Robinson
209 Jason Schneiderman
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sunday, July 06, 2008
June 7th Minutes
Madison Block Association #3
June 7, 2008 Minutes
Handouts: Block Party Budget, History of Mr. Russell’s tree complaints.
Maliza Joseph-Gabriel called us to order.
Jason Schneiderman read the minutes from the previous meeting. The minutes were approved.
Stars of Hope Update
-Mollie Parnis money will hopefully be available to update the garden
-There is still unused money for the garden, we hope to renew a grant.
-We hope to pave a walkway
-We hope to keep the garden open longer hours.
-Reminder that anyone can get a key by calling Michael
Maliza Joseph-Gabriel Reported on Public Safety
-Maliza missed the meeting due to illness.
-There have been no incidents since last meeting.
-Residents are reminded to call 311 with problems.
Finance and Fundraising
-Receipts for dues were distributed by Andrew.
Mollie Parnis Dress Up Your Neighborhood Award
-We are one of nine finalists for the Grand Prize.
-The Brooklyn Eagle will be running a story on our planting party.
-If we win, we’ll receive $3000 more to get more planters
-Residents should remember to water the existing planters EVERY DAY.
-There is a problem with kids pulling up the plants. Please confront if you see it.
-For the fall, we hope to have another BBQ to winterize the planets.
-Mr. Russell will look into option for lighting the planters in the evening.
-The Judges loved our BBQ on the 17th, especially the Power Point & bringing the whole block together.
Kisha Sigler Presented on the Youth Committee & Block Party
-Kisha would like to take the neighborhood kids to “Added Value”, a teaching farm in Red Hook.
-Kisha put down a $200 down payment on the carnival rides for the Party.
-The kids meeting was cancelled due to heat, and rescheduled.
-The same person who worked on the Basketball Tournament last year will run it again.
-Kisha is working on getting a sound permit.
-We will use the same games from last year.
-Barbara will look into calling the Press about the Party.
-Kisha has requested $800 from Al Van.
-Kisha is planning for money, even if she can’t get the money from Al Van.
-Currently, the budget is at $1504, and $809 has been raised.
-Kisha is going door to door to generate support, using Maliza’s list of block residents.
-There will be a Bike Parade.
Old Business
-186 Madison has been purchased! It will be occupied in the fall by the owner of the New You Day Spa at Clifton & Grand and her husband, a Police Detective.
-Maliza is trying to figure out how to get a license to prune one’s tree.
-John Russell showed us the history of his complaints since 2002 regarding tree pruning.
-Maliza will follow up on the tree pruning issue.
-Ms. Darlinton is going to lead the new trip planning committee. She will look into a bus trip to a winery and/or Atlantic City. She will present itineraries and budgets for potential trips at our next meeting. Kisha will assist.
Treasurer’s Report
-There was no handout, as Andrew’s printer was broken. The Block Association will consider buying Andrew a new printer at the next meeting.
-We spent $1869.09 on beautification.
-We spent $52.83 on the newsletter. (usually the printing is done gratis, and we’re trying to find away to continue doing it gratis.
-We reimbursed Kisha $170 for Block Party expenses.
-We spent $75 for 250 checks for the Block Association.
-As of June 7, we had 935.56 in our account.
-Mr. Russell expressed concern about the transparency of the finances.
-Mr. Russell has been placed on the audit committee for the association.
-We need to get receipts that identify the Block Association officially.
Maliza adjourned the meeting.
Attendance:
209 Jason Schneiderman
184 Maliza Joseph-Gabriel
170 John Russell
153 Kisha Sigler
136 Ms. Darlington
157A Ms. Bridgewater
173 Barbara Hopkinson
145 Dale Fraser
157 Andrew Robinson
June 7, 2008 Minutes
Handouts: Block Party Budget, History of Mr. Russell’s tree complaints.
Maliza Joseph-Gabriel called us to order.
Jason Schneiderman read the minutes from the previous meeting. The minutes were approved.
Stars of Hope Update
-Mollie Parnis money will hopefully be available to update the garden
-There is still unused money for the garden, we hope to renew a grant.
-We hope to pave a walkway
-We hope to keep the garden open longer hours.
-Reminder that anyone can get a key by calling Michael
Maliza Joseph-Gabriel Reported on Public Safety
-Maliza missed the meeting due to illness.
-There have been no incidents since last meeting.
-Residents are reminded to call 311 with problems.
Finance and Fundraising
-Receipts for dues were distributed by Andrew.
Mollie Parnis Dress Up Your Neighborhood Award
-We are one of nine finalists for the Grand Prize.
-The Brooklyn Eagle will be running a story on our planting party.
-If we win, we’ll receive $3000 more to get more planters
-Residents should remember to water the existing planters EVERY DAY.
-There is a problem with kids pulling up the plants. Please confront if you see it.
-For the fall, we hope to have another BBQ to winterize the planets.
-Mr. Russell will look into option for lighting the planters in the evening.
-The Judges loved our BBQ on the 17th, especially the Power Point & bringing the whole block together.
Kisha Sigler Presented on the Youth Committee & Block Party
-Kisha would like to take the neighborhood kids to “Added Value”, a teaching farm in Red Hook.
-Kisha put down a $200 down payment on the carnival rides for the Party.
-The kids meeting was cancelled due to heat, and rescheduled.
-The same person who worked on the Basketball Tournament last year will run it again.
-Kisha is working on getting a sound permit.
-We will use the same games from last year.
-Barbara will look into calling the Press about the Party.
-Kisha has requested $800 from Al Van.
-Kisha is planning for money, even if she can’t get the money from Al Van.
-Currently, the budget is at $1504, and $809 has been raised.
-Kisha is going door to door to generate support, using Maliza’s list of block residents.
-There will be a Bike Parade.
Old Business
-186 Madison has been purchased! It will be occupied in the fall by the owner of the New You Day Spa at Clifton & Grand and her husband, a Police Detective.
-Maliza is trying to figure out how to get a license to prune one’s tree.
-John Russell showed us the history of his complaints since 2002 regarding tree pruning.
-Maliza will follow up on the tree pruning issue.
-Ms. Darlinton is going to lead the new trip planning committee. She will look into a bus trip to a winery and/or Atlantic City. She will present itineraries and budgets for potential trips at our next meeting. Kisha will assist.
Treasurer’s Report
-There was no handout, as Andrew’s printer was broken. The Block Association will consider buying Andrew a new printer at the next meeting.
-We spent $1869.09 on beautification.
-We spent $52.83 on the newsletter. (usually the printing is done gratis, and we’re trying to find away to continue doing it gratis.
-We reimbursed Kisha $170 for Block Party expenses.
-We spent $75 for 250 checks for the Block Association.
-As of June 7, we had 935.56 in our account.
-Mr. Russell expressed concern about the transparency of the finances.
-Mr. Russell has been placed on the audit committee for the association.
-We need to get receipts that identify the Block Association officially.
Maliza adjourned the meeting.
Attendance:
209 Jason Schneiderman
184 Maliza Joseph-Gabriel
170 John Russell
153 Kisha Sigler
136 Ms. Darlington
157A Ms. Bridgewater
173 Barbara Hopkinson
145 Dale Fraser
157 Andrew Robinson
Monday, May 05, 2008
Fresh, Organic Produce Available this Season
The Bed Stuy CSA is now accepting members for the 2008 harvest season through June 1st.
*The Bed-Stuy CSA* is a Community Supported Agriculture project of the Magnolia Tree Earth Center of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Inc. and Conuco Farm.
We bring fresh, locally-grown organic vegetables to the community at an affordable price through a mutually beneficial partnership between residents looking for quality produce and a local farmer of color. The season begins mid-June and ends end of October.
We are now accepting applications for our 2008 harvest season. Share prices for a full share are $475 and for a half share are $275. If your income is below $25,000, the share prices for a full share are $325 and for a half share $200.
In addition to getting great vegetables from Hector Tejada of Conuco Farm this year, we will be giving members the option to purchase additional fruit, egg and meat shares from local farmers through the CSA.
To sign up, you can download the membership contract at
www.bedstuycsa.wetpaint.com or call us
with any questions at (718) 387-2116 x12.
Free Trees!
1,250 Free Trees Available to NYC Homeowners and Families in May!
Through the generous sponsorship of BNP Paribas – presenting sponsor of MillionTreesNYC Month – 1,250
FREE trees will be available for adoption throughout the City’s five boroughs this May. Trees will be distributed by New York Restoration Project (NYRP) at four Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC) Greenmarkets and the Riverdale, Bronx YM-YWHA’s Environmental Fair – with 250 trees being given away to homeowners and families at each tree-distribution site.
Note – individuals and families are limited to adopting one tree per household and required to register their new tree at www.milliontreejavascript:void(0)
Publish Postsnyc.org. NYRP horticulture specialists will be on hand to provide instruction on proper tree-planting and maintenance techniques. For CENYC Greenmarket and Environmental Fair participants who do not have their own yard to plant a tree, information on volunteering, educational programming and contributing to MillionTreesNYC will also be available.
Adopt your FREE tree in May at the following locations, and be one in a million!
• Saturday, May 10 – 8 am to 2 pm NOTE – NEW DATE
Borough Hall CENYC Greenmarket – Staten Island
St. Mark’s and Hyatt
• Saturday, May 10 – 8 am to 2 pm
Grand Army Plaza CENYC Greenmarket – Brooklyn
Prospect Park NW Entrance
• Saturday, May 17 – 8 am to 2 pm NOTE – NEW DATE
Inwood CENYC Greenmarket – Upper Manhattan
Isham St – Seaman & Cooper
• Saturday, May 17 – 8 am to 2 pm
Sunnyside CENYC Greenmarket – Queens
Skillman between 42nd and 43rd Streets
• Sunday, May 18 – 8 am to 2 pm
Riverdale YM-YWHA Environmental Fair – Bronx
5625 Arlington Avenue at 256th Street
Limited quantities of the following species of trees will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis: Red Bud, Dogwood, Cherry, Crabapple, Service Berry, Linden, Sweetgum and Oak.
About MillionTreesNYC
Led by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and New York Restoration Project (NYRP), MillionTreesNYC is a citywide, public-private initiative with an ambitious goal: to plant and care for one million new trees across the City’s five boroughs by 2017.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
April 5th Minutes
Toya was home sick, so Maliza organized the April 5th meeting.
We started out the meeting with a reminder about dues.
The goal of the block association for 2008 is block beautification. Maliza is putting together a budget for planters, including soil and plants. We're looking at plastic planters because they last longer than the wood ones, and they're lighter. April is the deadline for Green Guerrilla's plants. Perhaps other homeowners would like to piggyback on the order of planters.
We're looking for a grant for block beautification. Mailza is writing a letter asking for homeowner help in watering and caring for the planters once they're finished.
We'd also like to organize a planting day to put together the planters. Perhaps it could be in front of Toya's place, since there's enough room there. We'd also like to distribute information about what to plant over the summer to keep the planters looking nice all year around.
Next was an update from the garden committee. They're thinking of organizing the garden by plots, to encourage people to tend a plot and grow their own plants. We'd also like to enter the competition for the greenest block in Brooklyn again this year. June says a new member of the garden is building a planting box. There will be clean-up happening in the garden, lot-by-lot. The open hours for the garden will probably be flexible, at least ten hours a week in the summer.
We then dealt with Old Business. 186 Madison is owned by a bank and currently in forclosure. It's currently being marketed and waiting for plans.
There's currently an old building being torn down on the corner of Gates and Bedford. Word is that there are plans to develop the property along with an adjoining property for a large, L-shaped condo building.
We then dealt with New Business. Rebecca Broughton said that Transportation Alternatives is looking into a "Parking Swap" near the Franklin stop on the C. A "Parking Swap" is a project in which two parking spaces are changed into parking for many bikes, making it easier for commuters to bike to the subway. She was looking for input about a location for the project.
There's a new cafe on Nostrand, across from the Girl's School building. We haven't had a chance to check it out to much, but it's nice that there's another place to grab a coffee on the way to the subway!
We started out the meeting with a reminder about dues.
The goal of the block association for 2008 is block beautification. Maliza is putting together a budget for planters, including soil and plants. We're looking at plastic planters because they last longer than the wood ones, and they're lighter. April is the deadline for Green Guerrilla's plants. Perhaps other homeowners would like to piggyback on the order of planters.
We're looking for a grant for block beautification. Mailza is writing a letter asking for homeowner help in watering and caring for the planters once they're finished.
We'd also like to organize a planting day to put together the planters. Perhaps it could be in front of Toya's place, since there's enough room there. We'd also like to distribute information about what to plant over the summer to keep the planters looking nice all year around.
Next was an update from the garden committee. They're thinking of organizing the garden by plots, to encourage people to tend a plot and grow their own plants. We'd also like to enter the competition for the greenest block in Brooklyn again this year. June says a new member of the garden is building a planting box. There will be clean-up happening in the garden, lot-by-lot. The open hours for the garden will probably be flexible, at least ten hours a week in the summer.
We then dealt with Old Business. 186 Madison is owned by a bank and currently in forclosure. It's currently being marketed and waiting for plans.
There's currently an old building being torn down on the corner of Gates and Bedford. Word is that there are plans to develop the property along with an adjoining property for a large, L-shaped condo building.
We then dealt with New Business. Rebecca Broughton said that Transportation Alternatives is looking into a "Parking Swap" near the Franklin stop on the C. A "Parking Swap" is a project in which two parking spaces are changed into parking for many bikes, making it easier for commuters to bike to the subway. She was looking for input about a location for the project.
There's a new cafe on Nostrand, across from the Girl's School building. We haven't had a chance to check it out to much, but it's nice that there's another place to grab a coffee on the way to the subway!
Saturday, April 05, 2008
March 1st Minutes
The meeting on March 1st started off with an update from the public safety committee. They spoke of recent belt-tightening and budget cuts at New York's public schools, with word that the percentage of current cuts could double next year. Many after school activities are cut from this point in the year on.
The committee wondered how the budget cuts might affect the police department. We've seen more foot patrols in the neighborhood lately, though a friend of Michael Broder's tenant was recently robbed at gunpoint on Madison and Bedford Ave. Recently there's been workers late at night working on the green house at 186 Madison.
Next was an update from Andrew Robinson about finance and fund raising. He'd like to send out thank-you notes to people who contributed dues last year, and these notes could include a list of things that have been done in the past year with the dues.
Toya then spoke about out block beautification plans. We'd like to purchase between 20-25 planters for the block. Ideally, we'd like to have help from the homeowners to water the planters in front of their house 3 times a week. The galvanized buckets seem like the best solution for now, as the wooden ones are more expensive and less durable. We've also been thinking about evergreen or ivy plants that would keep the block green in the winter. Green Guerrillas might be able to help with the plants.
One of the grants we're applying for this year must have matching funds, so further fund raising will be necessary. The grant requests have been organized.
For Old Business, we've had a quiet month. The basement of 186 Madison has finally been sealed off, so hopefully there won't be any more problems with pipe theft. There's been a fair amount of confusion with the water board lately. Bills are, at times, inaccurate. I hadn't received my water bill for three years before contacting the water board last month. Please contact the water board to make sure there's nothing unusual with your bill.
For New Business, there's currently people living in the building s on either side of Michael Broder's house. There was also some complaints about too many circulars being distributed on the block, with mention of a new ordinance designed to cut down on the number of circulars distributed.
The committee wondered how the budget cuts might affect the police department. We've seen more foot patrols in the neighborhood lately, though a friend of Michael Broder's tenant was recently robbed at gunpoint on Madison and Bedford Ave. Recently there's been workers late at night working on the green house at 186 Madison.
Next was an update from Andrew Robinson about finance and fund raising. He'd like to send out thank-you notes to people who contributed dues last year, and these notes could include a list of things that have been done in the past year with the dues.
Toya then spoke about out block beautification plans. We'd like to purchase between 20-25 planters for the block. Ideally, we'd like to have help from the homeowners to water the planters in front of their house 3 times a week. The galvanized buckets seem like the best solution for now, as the wooden ones are more expensive and less durable. We've also been thinking about evergreen or ivy plants that would keep the block green in the winter. Green Guerrillas might be able to help with the plants.
One of the grants we're applying for this year must have matching funds, so further fund raising will be necessary. The grant requests have been organized.
For Old Business, we've had a quiet month. The basement of 186 Madison has finally been sealed off, so hopefully there won't be any more problems with pipe theft. There's been a fair amount of confusion with the water board lately. Bills are, at times, inaccurate. I hadn't received my water bill for three years before contacting the water board last month. Please contact the water board to make sure there's nothing unusual with your bill.
For New Business, there's currently people living in the building s on either side of Michael Broder's house. There was also some complaints about too many circulars being distributed on the block, with mention of a new ordinance designed to cut down on the number of circulars distributed.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
February 2nd Minutes
We started off our February 2nd meeting talking about our plans for block beautification, including the most effective way to put planters on the block. We'd like to have planters similar to the ones on Madison Block #2.
There appears to be work going on to the building on the Northwest corner of Bedford and Gates. We'd like to find out what's being planned. We might be able to find out through the community board meeting. There appears to be a demolition order filed for 1124 Bedford Avenue, but I'm not sure if it's the same building.
We've heard that Officer Lyons has been promoted from the 79th Precinct, but I was unable to find information about any promotion on the web. He's still listed as the department's head on the 79'th website.
There was also talk of a bad car accident that happened on the corner of Madison and Bedford the previous night.
Treasurer Andrew Robinson reported that some money had had been stolen out of his bank account had been mixed up the the block association's account, as they both have his name associated with them. He's currently trying to iron out the problems.
We discussed whether a mass mailing of the newsletter might get more attention than dropping them in mailboxes. The general consensus was that it would be best to avoid the additional confusion and cost that the mailing would create. We'd also like to start passing out meeting reminders on Thursday rather than Saturday morning to give people more advance notice of our meetings.
We still have 264.88 from last year's grant that needs to be spent on block beautification. We're going to be getting some planters to place on the block. Madison Block #2 has 10 or 11 planters, so we'll probably need some galvanized planters and bricks to place them on. Tires won't work, as they slowly deflate. We plan on buying the planters in bulk, and think the most expensive part of the process will be getting all the dirt to fill the planters.
We then had a unanimous vote to spend some of our grant money on paper, mailing labels, and other office supplies.
There was no Public Safety meeting in January.
In March we'd like to have a tour of the neighborhood's community gardens with Green Guerrillas. It would be helpful to see how the other community gardens work.
Our calls to 311 seem to have helped the situation with our missing streetlights.
For information on dealing with and avoiding predatory loans in our neighborhood, check out www.nedap.org and www.changernyc.org .
Our next meeting will be held at 6:30 on Saturday, March 1st.
There appears to be work going on to the building on the Northwest corner of Bedford and Gates. We'd like to find out what's being planned. We might be able to find out through the community board meeting. There appears to be a demolition order filed for 1124 Bedford Avenue, but I'm not sure if it's the same building.
We've heard that Officer Lyons has been promoted from the 79th Precinct, but I was unable to find information about any promotion on the web. He's still listed as the department's head on the 79'th website.
There was also talk of a bad car accident that happened on the corner of Madison and Bedford the previous night.
Treasurer Andrew Robinson reported that some money had had been stolen out of his bank account had been mixed up the the block association's account, as they both have his name associated with them. He's currently trying to iron out the problems.
We discussed whether a mass mailing of the newsletter might get more attention than dropping them in mailboxes. The general consensus was that it would be best to avoid the additional confusion and cost that the mailing would create. We'd also like to start passing out meeting reminders on Thursday rather than Saturday morning to give people more advance notice of our meetings.
We still have 264.88 from last year's grant that needs to be spent on block beautification. We're going to be getting some planters to place on the block. Madison Block #2 has 10 or 11 planters, so we'll probably need some galvanized planters and bricks to place them on. Tires won't work, as they slowly deflate. We plan on buying the planters in bulk, and think the most expensive part of the process will be getting all the dirt to fill the planters.
We then had a unanimous vote to spend some of our grant money on paper, mailing labels, and other office supplies.
There was no Public Safety meeting in January.
In March we'd like to have a tour of the neighborhood's community gardens with Green Guerrillas. It would be helpful to see how the other community gardens work.
Our calls to 311 seem to have helped the situation with our missing streetlights.
For information on dealing with and avoiding predatory loans in our neighborhood, check out www.nedap.org and www.changernyc.org .
Our next meeting will be held at 6:30 on Saturday, March 1st.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Water Department Offering Amnesty on Late Fees
I don't know about the rest of the residents on our block, but I've been living here three years and have never recieved a single water bill or had anyone check my meter. The Water Department is going to start shutting off water on unpaid accounts next month, but if you go to them before February 21st, all your late fees will be waived and you'll only pay $2 a day on your unpaid bill. Please read this article in the Post.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
January 5th Minutes
Don't Forget to Apply for your STAR Rebate!
The January 5th meeting started out with an update from our garden committee. There was question about how to keep developers away from our garden. The answer is keeping it registered and active. We'd like to look into a possible grant for a new fence for the garden. There's also been two new trees planted on the block recently - hopefully with more on the way.
The minutes for our previous meeting were then read.
There was a question as to how many grants we've received so far. Two were received, one from Citizens for $600 and another for $500 from the Green Guerrillas for use with the garden.
There was then an update from the public safety committee. We'd like to invite officer Lyons out to another one of our meetings, perhaps the fourth Wednesday of the month would be good. Several of the members of the block association have had problems with rude treatment at the 79th precinct, being treated like criminals when they were trying to report crimes. We'd like to sort that out and get answers from the officer in charge. We're not sure if Officer Lyons is still in charge, but according to the NYPD website he's still the commanding officer.
We then received a report from Andrew about our finances. We current;y have 1118.58 in the bank, 264.00 of that is part of the grant from Citizens NYC.
In February we'd like to re-apply for the Citizen's Grant for the purpose of block beautification.
There was also a call for someone to organize the block part this summer. Keisha did a great job last year, but she's too swamped with work this year, and Toya has a baby on the way. It's a big responsibility. We'd like to find someone to take the reins.
There's been some problems with 186 Madison. HPD has been helpful but we're still having some problems with it. There have been at least two recent burglaries of copper pipes from the building. The police caught the thief the first time, but the second thief got away. One problem is the location in our area of a metal recycling business that takes the stolen pipes. Please call 311 if you see anyone breaking into the building. The last pipe theft caused water leakage that could damage neighboring houses.
207 Madison is being renovated by the Bridge Street Development Corporation. The organization fixes up houses in our neighborhood and sells them as a community-building endeavor. June says that over 200 people are signed up to try to get the house.
We'd like to figure out some way to get the owner of the vacant lot next to the apartment building to fix their sidewalk, and might have to work through the city to do so.
Right before our meeting, the streetlights all vanished from our block. We think it was very poor planning to take all our lights at once. These are the longest nights of the year! After the meeting many of us called 311 to file complaints.
Next we covered New Business.
We'd like to organize meetings with block associations from neighboring blocks. We've heard that Monroe Blocks 2 & 3 meet at the YMCA.
There were some complaints about the number of cats recently on the block, with some disagreement about whether it's better to have cats than rats. Andrew recommended a product called "Critter Away" for gardens to keep away cats, but the closest thing I could find on the internet is a product called "Critter Out" If the cat situation gets out of control we should contact the ASPCA, but for now we'll observe the situation. The ASPCA is available to lend safe traps.
There was also mention that the HPD website shows houses available as part of the affordable housing lottery.
With that the meeting closed. Our next meeting will be February 2nd at 6pm.
Friday, January 04, 2008
January 2008 Newsletter
M A D I S O N 3
The Official Newsletter of the Madison Street 3 Block Association January 2008
A Year of Accomplishments
Madison Street #3—that’s the official name of our block between Bedford and Nostrand—begins the year 2008 by looking back at a 2007 filled with accomplishments that we can all be proud of. Here are some of the highlights.
Monthly Block Association Meetings
The Madison Street #3 Block Association met monthly at the Bedford Stuyvesant YMCA. Meetings were generally well attended and enthusiastic discussion took place on a wide range of issues of importance to our community. Officers were elected, bylaws were adopted, and members contributed dues in impressive numbers.
Sizzling Hot Block Party
Neighbors turned out in force on July 14, 2007 for the Madison Street #3 Block Party. Family, friends, food, and games were the hallmarks of this highly successful event—along with music, music, music as we moved to the beat of 3-count-‘em-3 DJs up and down the block! Many thanks to Keisha and Ms. Gloria for making it happen.
Community Garden Party
The grill was sizzling on August 5th in the Stars of Hope Community Garden at 213 Madison Street. Block association member Jason Schneiderman flipped the burgers and turned the hot dogs as friends and family flocked to the garden for good food, lively conversation, and live jazz in the beautiful peace and tranquility of the garden.
Halloween Party & Candy Give Away
The ghouls, ghosts, and goblins haunted the Stars of Hope Community Garden on Wednesday October 31, 2007 where block association volunteers gave out candy donated by block association members.
How Does Our Garden Grow?
A Little Background on the Stars of Hope Community Garden
You probably know there is a community garden at 213 Madison Street, on the north side of the block near the corner of Nostrand Avenue. But you may not know how it got there, who makes it grown, or how you can get involved. Want to learn more about the garden? Read on!
How Did the Garden Get There?
The official name of the garden is the Stars of Hope Community Garden. Stars of Hope is a GreenThumb garden. That means the city owns the lot, and a Parks Department program called GreenThumb issues us a license to operate a garden there. Some long-term residents of the block may remember a time when the garden occupied three lots—211, 213, and 215 Madison Street. But it turned out that the lots at 211 and 215 were not protected by the law that keeps the developers away, so those lots have now been developed and the garden occupies the precious little sliver of our block at 213 Madison Street.
Who Makes It Grow?
The garden is tended by a group of gardeners who together make up the Stars of Hope Community Garden Group. There are about 6-10 active gardeners in the group, most of whom live on our block but some of whom live nearby. The garden is a community resource and anybody can join, regardless of where they live. The garden group is loosely organized, but we’d like to tighten our organization over the coming year.
How Can You Get Involved?
Anybody can get involved with the garden. The contact person for the garden is Michael Broder. If you want to get involved, you can call Michael at (718) 622-4080 or by email at mbroder@mbroder.com.
What Can I Do in the Garden?
As spring approaches, the garden group will be holding meetings to plan our activities for the coming year. We need to build more vegetable beds and flower beds, do more landscaping in the ornamental parts of the garden, erect a new fence, get some patio furniture in there to make the garden an inviting place for gardeners and visitors alike, and keep the garden open to the public for 10 hours a week, as GreenThumb requires. We also want to organize more community activities in the garden, like the barbecue and the Halloween candy giveaway we held in 2007. And of course, we need to do what we do best—grow beautiful flowers and delicious, nutritious fruits and vegetables. As a member of the garden, you can do any of these things—and more. So get involved today!
Madison Street #3 Block Association
Toya Williford, President
Maliza Joseph-Gabriel, Vice President
Andrew Robinson, Treasurer
Fran Krause, Secretary
Michael Broder, Assistant Secretary
Jason Schneiderman, Assistant Secretary
Block Association meetings take place on the first Saturday of every month at 6:00 PM at the YMCA on the corner of Monroe Street and Bedford Avenue.
Do you have news for the newsletter? Contact Michael Broder at 718-622-4080
Visit our blog at http://madisonblock.blogspot.com
The Official Newsletter of the Madison Street 3 Block Association January 2008
A Year of Accomplishments
Madison Street #3—that’s the official name of our block between Bedford and Nostrand—begins the year 2008 by looking back at a 2007 filled with accomplishments that we can all be proud of. Here are some of the highlights.
Monthly Block Association Meetings
The Madison Street #3 Block Association met monthly at the Bedford Stuyvesant YMCA. Meetings were generally well attended and enthusiastic discussion took place on a wide range of issues of importance to our community. Officers were elected, bylaws were adopted, and members contributed dues in impressive numbers.
Sizzling Hot Block Party
Neighbors turned out in force on July 14, 2007 for the Madison Street #3 Block Party. Family, friends, food, and games were the hallmarks of this highly successful event—along with music, music, music as we moved to the beat of 3-count-‘em-3 DJs up and down the block! Many thanks to Keisha and Ms. Gloria for making it happen.
Community Garden Party
The grill was sizzling on August 5th in the Stars of Hope Community Garden at 213 Madison Street. Block association member Jason Schneiderman flipped the burgers and turned the hot dogs as friends and family flocked to the garden for good food, lively conversation, and live jazz in the beautiful peace and tranquility of the garden.
Halloween Party & Candy Give Away
The ghouls, ghosts, and goblins haunted the Stars of Hope Community Garden on Wednesday October 31, 2007 where block association volunteers gave out candy donated by block association members.
How Does Our Garden Grow?
A Little Background on the Stars of Hope Community Garden
You probably know there is a community garden at 213 Madison Street, on the north side of the block near the corner of Nostrand Avenue. But you may not know how it got there, who makes it grown, or how you can get involved. Want to learn more about the garden? Read on!
How Did the Garden Get There?
The official name of the garden is the Stars of Hope Community Garden. Stars of Hope is a GreenThumb garden. That means the city owns the lot, and a Parks Department program called GreenThumb issues us a license to operate a garden there. Some long-term residents of the block may remember a time when the garden occupied three lots—211, 213, and 215 Madison Street. But it turned out that the lots at 211 and 215 were not protected by the law that keeps the developers away, so those lots have now been developed and the garden occupies the precious little sliver of our block at 213 Madison Street.
Who Makes It Grow?
The garden is tended by a group of gardeners who together make up the Stars of Hope Community Garden Group. There are about 6-10 active gardeners in the group, most of whom live on our block but some of whom live nearby. The garden is a community resource and anybody can join, regardless of where they live. The garden group is loosely organized, but we’d like to tighten our organization over the coming year.
How Can You Get Involved?
Anybody can get involved with the garden. The contact person for the garden is Michael Broder. If you want to get involved, you can call Michael at (718) 622-4080 or by email at mbroder@mbroder.com.
What Can I Do in the Garden?
As spring approaches, the garden group will be holding meetings to plan our activities for the coming year. We need to build more vegetable beds and flower beds, do more landscaping in the ornamental parts of the garden, erect a new fence, get some patio furniture in there to make the garden an inviting place for gardeners and visitors alike, and keep the garden open to the public for 10 hours a week, as GreenThumb requires. We also want to organize more community activities in the garden, like the barbecue and the Halloween candy giveaway we held in 2007. And of course, we need to do what we do best—grow beautiful flowers and delicious, nutritious fruits and vegetables. As a member of the garden, you can do any of these things—and more. So get involved today!
Madison Street #3 Block Association
Toya Williford, President
Maliza Joseph-Gabriel, Vice President
Andrew Robinson, Treasurer
Fran Krause, Secretary
Michael Broder, Assistant Secretary
Jason Schneiderman, Assistant Secretary
Block Association meetings take place on the first Saturday of every month at 6:00 PM at the YMCA on the corner of Monroe Street and Bedford Avenue.
Do you have news for the newsletter? Contact Michael Broder at 718-622-4080
Visit our blog at http://madisonblock.blogspot.com
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Decemer Minutes
The December meeting started out with updates from our committees.
The Garden Committee is thinking about what kind of project can benefit from it's recent $500 grant. The Garden Committee will need to figure out a bank account, possibly a joint account with the Block Association. The Target-sponsored garden on Bedford was also discussed.
The Public Safety Committee was next. We started a list of derelict homes on the block. 186 has been recently cleaned out, Toya had called HPD (Housing Preservation & Development) about the building. Contractors have been seen going into it, so it might be getting fixed. 148, the vacant lot, was recently cleaned and had a rat abatement. 175 has been sealed by HPD & NYPD. The status of 169 Madison is unknown for now. The house near the North-East corner of the block, the one with the new tan vinyl siding, is being restored by The Bridge Street Development Corporation.
Over the past month, the records of the Block Association have undergone their regular audit. This audit is scheduled by our by-laws, once a year, to make sure everything is in order. This year, the audit was carried out by Rebbecca Broughton and Rachel Hernandez. It was determined that everything was in order. We have 1110.88 in the bank, 1158.88 including cash on hand. Not bad for starting the year with $0!
We will need to spend some of that money by March to stay on schedule with our grant. As part of that plan, we will be installing some beautification projects such as flower boxes.
There was no Old Business to cover.
The nomination and election of officers followed.
Toya Williford was elected unanimously as President.
Maliza Joseph-Gabriel was elected unanimously as Vice-President
Fran Krause was elected unanimously as Secretary
Andrew Robinson was elected unanimously as Treasurer
Jason Schneiderman & Michael Broder will serve as assistant secretaries through their continued work on the newsletter.
We'd also like to thank Kisha Sigler for all the work she's done over the past year as Vice President. She did a huge amount of work on the block party and fund raising. Kisha won't have time to be Vice President this year, but will still be participating in the Block Association. Thanks, Kisha!
Speaking of the Block Party, we're going to need to start planning that in January to have all the paperwork in on time.
For New Business, we'd like to organize a painting activity with the children of the block. There was some discussion about painting the light poles, but the utility companies probably wouldn't allow it. There was also talk about getting florescent lights for the block, perhaps in bulk. Gil Mason says that the reason the city garbage can was removed from the corner of Madison and Nostrand was that it was being filled with residential trash.
For general announcements, Madison Block #2 has a bunch of plant bulbs that they might give us for our garden. Also, we're going to need to re-apply for our Citizen's Grant this year. As part of the new grant, we'll need to raise matching funds.
The Garden Committee is thinking about what kind of project can benefit from it's recent $500 grant. The Garden Committee will need to figure out a bank account, possibly a joint account with the Block Association. The Target-sponsored garden on Bedford was also discussed.
The Public Safety Committee was next. We started a list of derelict homes on the block. 186 has been recently cleaned out, Toya had called HPD (Housing Preservation & Development) about the building. Contractors have been seen going into it, so it might be getting fixed. 148, the vacant lot, was recently cleaned and had a rat abatement. 175 has been sealed by HPD & NYPD. The status of 169 Madison is unknown for now. The house near the North-East corner of the block, the one with the new tan vinyl siding, is being restored by The Bridge Street Development Corporation.
Over the past month, the records of the Block Association have undergone their regular audit. This audit is scheduled by our by-laws, once a year, to make sure everything is in order. This year, the audit was carried out by Rebbecca Broughton and Rachel Hernandez. It was determined that everything was in order. We have 1110.88 in the bank, 1158.88 including cash on hand. Not bad for starting the year with $0!
We will need to spend some of that money by March to stay on schedule with our grant. As part of that plan, we will be installing some beautification projects such as flower boxes.
There was no Old Business to cover.
The nomination and election of officers followed.
Toya Williford was elected unanimously as President.
Maliza Joseph-Gabriel was elected unanimously as Vice-President
Fran Krause was elected unanimously as Secretary
Andrew Robinson was elected unanimously as Treasurer
Jason Schneiderman & Michael Broder will serve as assistant secretaries through their continued work on the newsletter.
We'd also like to thank Kisha Sigler for all the work she's done over the past year as Vice President. She did a huge amount of work on the block party and fund raising. Kisha won't have time to be Vice President this year, but will still be participating in the Block Association. Thanks, Kisha!
Speaking of the Block Party, we're going to need to start planning that in January to have all the paperwork in on time.
For New Business, we'd like to organize a painting activity with the children of the block. There was some discussion about painting the light poles, but the utility companies probably wouldn't allow it. There was also talk about getting florescent lights for the block, perhaps in bulk. Gil Mason says that the reason the city garbage can was removed from the corner of Madison and Nostrand was that it was being filled with residential trash.
For general announcements, Madison Block #2 has a bunch of plant bulbs that they might give us for our garden. Also, we're going to need to re-apply for our Citizen's Grant this year. As part of the new grant, we'll need to raise matching funds.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)