The Harlem Neighborhood Block Association

Neighbors united to improve the quality of life in Harlem

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One of the Owners of the NY Islanders Donates to Ice Hockey in Harlem

Posted on by Harlem Shill

John Ledecky, one of the co-owners of the NY Islanders hockey team has donated $50,000 to Ice Hockey in Harlem, a program dedicated to providing free hockey instruction to children in Harlem. This contribution builds upon the $27,000 previously given by Ledecky to honor the late advocate for Ice Hockey in Harlem, John Tonneli.

Ice Hockey Harlem began in 1987 with 40 participants, who attended classroom sessions to learn about the game and skate on the ice once a week. The group would take the ice at Lasker Rink on the north end of Central Park, where volunteers taught and trained the youngsters the fundamentals of the game.

Read more, HERE.

Community Health and Wellness Celebration

148th between Amsterdam Avenue & Broadway, New York, NY, 10023

Please join us for our 3rd Annual Community Health and Wellness event on 148th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway! It will be a day of health, fun, and festivity! Our community partners will be present, including our elected representatives, and the NYPL Libray. Community Board 9, Columbia University, Herbas, FDNY, our local churches, and faith-based organizations…. 

There will be a bouncy house, children’s story time, health workshops, fun and much fun.

Armistice Day

Posted on by Harlem Shill

A photo of Armistice Day in Harlem. The photo is taken looking up Lenox Avenue (you can see the 134th Street sign and the subway entrance on the crowded sidewalk).

One lone soldier appears in the crowd.

25th Precinct’s Community Council Meeting

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL,

We made it to 2023!  New beginnings…….. 

I just wanted to remind you that our next Council meeting is scheduled for:

Wednesday, January 18, 2023 @ 6:00PMat the 25th Precinct120 East 119th StreetNew York, NY 10035
We look forward to seeing you there for this month’s conversation.  Our guest for this month is TBD.Many thanks to all of you for your dedication to contributing to making our community safe. 

Kioka Jackson

Follow your dreams………

How To Get Rid Of Stuff?

Posted on by Harlem Shill
Not Sure How To Get Rid Of Your Stuff? 
Paint, batteries, electronics—even clothing—there’s always something we don’t need taking up valuable space. Some items can live a second life with someone else, or may need to be safely disposed. We can help!

Visit nyc.gov/HowToGetRidOf and use our search tool to find your disposal options.

If you didn’t receive our June mailer highlighting all our disposal programs, you can download a PDF.

It’s available in English, Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, and Yiddish.

Park Avenue Metro-North Viaduct Replacement Contract Awarded

The MTA will be awarding the Design-Build contract for the Park Avenue Viaduct Phase 1 Project to Halmar International, following yesterday’s MTA Board Meeting. The Phase 1 Project will replace the existing viaduct in its entirety from the north side of E. 115th Street to the south side of E. 123rd Street along Park Avenue in East Harlem.

Halmar International was selected by the MTA for providing the overall best value solution that also minimized impacts to the surrounding community. Proposals were evaluated against several criteria such as their plan and ability to minimize impacts to the public, including the surrounding businesses, residences, and community gathering facilities, as well as the pedestrian and vehicular traffic through and adjacent to the project, while also minimizing impact to Metro-North Customers, and the Harlem–125th Street station. The project is expected to reduce local noise and vibration levels compared to those from the existing viaduct by utilizing modern design and materials. 

Additionally, as part of the Project Labor Agreement, the MTA and Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) are working together to provide meaningful training and job opportunities for the local residents of Harlem. With partners in the Apprenticeship Readiness Collective (ARC), the MTA and BCTC commit to providing pre-apprenticeship training for Harlem residents that have real pathways into union jobs created by the construction of the project. 

MTA and Halmar International will work together to uphold MTA’s commitment to minimize disruption to the surrounding community and deliver the project as safely and quickly as possible. 

We currently anticipate construction to begin in the second quarter of 2023, and expect it to be complete in 2026. The community can also expect regular communication, during construction, including regular updates and at key milestones on the project’s webpage https://new.mta.info/project/park-avenue-viaduct and dedicated email address ([email protected]) to field concerns.

We appreciate your continued partnership on this as we deliver this vital infrastructure project as safely and efficiently as possible.

Thank you,

Park Avenue Viaduct Project Team

  • The Park Avenue Viaduct is an elevated steel structure built in 1893 (128 years ago) which carries four Metro-North Railroad tracks above Park Avenue in East Harlem.
  • 98% of all Metro-North trains use the viaduct
  • 750 trains and 220,000 customers use the viaduct on a typical (Pre-Covid) weekday
  • The viaduct served 5.3 million customers at Harlem-125 Street Station in 2019
  • Harlem-125th Street Station is 3rd busiest in Metro-North system (PreCovid)

What To Do With The Tree?

Posted on by Harlem Shill

DSNY’s Christmas Tree Collection Options

DSNY will collect clean Christmas trees (and wreaths!) from Friday, January 6, 2023 through Saturday, January 14, 2023 — weather permitting.

Remember, Christmas trees and wreaths are collected separately from your trash and recycling. They are scouted at the curb to make efficient collection routes, so yours may not be picked up immediately.

Before your Christmas trees and wreaths can be collected, you MUST:

  • Remove ALL lights, ornaments, tinsel, and stands. Remove stands from trees and metal frames and wires from wreaths.
  • Make sure they are not wrapped in ANY plastic or placed inside a plastic bag.
  • Leave them at the curb between the designated dates (January 6 – 14).

Trees and wreaths are chipped, mixed with leaves, and recycled into rich compost for NYC’s parks, institutions, and community gardens.

Artificial Trees

Donate or sell used artificial trees in good condition at donateNYC.

You can also take apart your tree to recycle the base and trunk (pole) with your metal, glass, plastic and cartons. Remove all lights, ornaments and tinsel before placing at the curb.

Otherwise, set it out as garbage on a regular collection day. Look up your collection schedule.

Make Your Own Mulch

Use evergreen boughs and branches from your Christmas tree as mulch to enrich the soil in your garden or street tree beds. Just cut off the smaller branches of your Christmas tree and remove the twigs from evergreen boughs. Lay three to four inches of these trimmings over the bare soil around street trees or in your garden. After removing the branches for mulch, you can take your tree to Mulchfestor leave it out for our collection.

Charlie Brown and Linus pick out a scrawny tree in A Charlie Brown Christmas, a TV special based on the “Peanuts” comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. The beloved show is airing for the 50th year Tuesda


Mulchfest

Remove all ornaments, lights, tinsel, and stands from natural trees and take them to Mulchfestfor free chipping.

Visit our website for more information.

1975 Madison For Sale

Posted on by Harlem Shill

The site of the former church at Madison/126th Street is being promoted as an investment opportunity. No word on the price.

                                   
Prime 80,000+ ZFA Multifamily Development Opportunity
Vested in 421-a
Corner of Madison Avenue and East 126th Street

Newmark is pleased to present the opportunity to acquire a prime development site located at 1975 Madison Avenue (“1975 Madison”, the “Site”, “Project”, or “Development”), a proposed eight-story, 93-unit luxury multi-family rental or residential condominium complex with approximately 35 underground parking spaces and approximately 3,500 square feet of premier community facility commercial space, in a rapidly improving, transit-oriented location. The Site offers potential investors a compelling opportunity to develop a boutique, luxury residential property in a prime location with high demand and the potential for significant capital appreciation.

Vested in Affordable New York /  “421-a” Providing a 35-Year Property Tax Abatement•The Project satisfied all requirements for the Affordable New York / “421-a” tax abatement program in May 2022•Extensive evidence of satisfying these conditions is available•The Project is thus eligible for the program that expired in June 2022 and will enjoy a 100% property tax abatement for the first 25 years of occupancy and a partial abatement for the subsequent 10 years•As one of the city’s last projects eligible under the expired program, 1975 Madison Avenue will enjoy a significant financial advantage to long term holders of the asset•As of today, no replacement program exists replacing 421-a, further constraining the supply of multifamily housing
Shovel Ready
1975 Madison is ready to commence construction with:•Approved plans•Advanced entitlements•Required access
Multi-Family Development Site in Manhattan, Facing Critical Housing Shortage•Demand to live in Manhattan remains robust with rents achieving new high prices, including in Harlem•The Project provides an opportunity to access one of the world’s most desirable investment markets that faces continued housing supply constraints•The tax advantages secured by the Project offer significant financial advantages, particularly to long-term holders of the asset
If you are interested in acquiring this prime development opportunity, please sign and return the attached Confidentiality Agreement and the full offering memorandum will be forwarded to you.    Ronald A. Solarz Executive Managing Director
O (212) 372-2306 | [email protected] 
M (917) 545-8862

Issa Abbassi  Director
O (212) 372-2221 | [email protected] 
M (917) 455-7373

See the full sales brochure, here:

https://f.tlcollect.com/fr2/722/54368/1975_Madison_OM-2_v4.pdf

Metropolitan Hospital and Nursing Burnout and Shortages

Our district leader William Smith also serves as the chair of the Metropolitan Hospital’s Community Advisory Board. In that capacity, William writes of the dire need for adequate compensation for Metropolitan’s hard-working nursing staff so Metropolitan can deliver world-class care.

Please read William Smith’s letter, below:

CAB-Testimony-to-Committee-on-HospitalsDownload

COVID/Flu/RSV Testing and Treatment

If you’re experiencing symptoms and don’t know what you have, now you can go to any of dozens of mobile “Test to Treat” sites around NYC and get tested for covid, flu & rsv AND if you need it get an Rx for paxlovid or tamflu *on the spot*.

Tomorrow! A Gospel Christmas

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Tomorrow night at 7:30, all are welcome on East 126th Street to join in the holiday spirit, build community, and celebrate all that we have to be thankful for.

Tomorrow, December 16th. 7:30 PM.

57 East 126th Street.

Ummmm?

As seen on Madison Avenue. A New Jersey plate headed southbound on Madison Avenue.

125th Street BID Opposes Legal Weed Shop Across from the Apollo

The 125th Street BID is opposing opening the state’s first legal cannabis shop across from the Apollo. The BID president said she was not opposed to a cannabis store, just opposed to that prominent location when the community is working so hard to address other stressors on businesses – loitering, trash, shoplifting, mental health, open-air dealing/using, etc.

If you’d like to sign their petition opposing this location, the Change.org petition is here:

https://chng.it/jd6kzMN4

Note that no notice to the community (to CB10) was provided about the location in advance.

Your Invitation to the HNBA Holiday Party

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Thursday, December 15th, 7:00 PM

Click HERE to RSVP

Here’s your chance to celebrate with the neighbors you know, meet some of the ones you don’t, and finally introduce yourself to a few who you’ve seen, but haven’t connected with yet…

All welcome.  Feel free to pass this invite on to a neighbor who you think would be interested.  

The goal here is to build community by creating the links that make us all stronger, healthier, safer, better informed, and connected. 

HNBA’s Holliday gatherings are always welcoming, filled with food and good cheer, and we’ll be thrilled to have you join us.  Just sign up below, and let us know what dish or drink you can bring and share.

The gathering will be at Studio 125 – a new event space where the Serengeti Tea House used to be on 125th between Madison and 5th Avenue – 22 East 125th Street.

https://www.instagram.com/studio125nyc/?hl=en

We will have access to the main area in addition to the lovely covered outdoor patio area with heaters.

Please RSVP using this link:

https://forms.gle/7h3TY51esFBfYxnV8

Blank Check

Posted on by Harlem Shill

While the phrase ‘blank check’ may live on, increasing numbers of young people have very little experience with physical checks. When I saw this pristine blank check from the Harlem and Spuyten Duyvil Navigation Co. for sale on Ebay, I was taken by the partially prefilled-out date: “187_”

The image on the left-hand side of the check is also wonderful. It shows the High Bridge when it was exclusively a masonry structure. (A steel span now has replaced the center arches.). You can also see the bucolic Bronx, and yes, a steamship with a paddlewheel, plying the Harlem River.

As Seen In Harlem

THE 29TH ANNUAL HARLEM HOLIDAY LIGHTS

Posted on by Harlem Shill

The traditional Harlem Holiday Lights celebration, a production coordinated by the 125th Street Business Improvement District (BID), in partnership with Manhattan Community Boards 9 and 10, as well as Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association, is focusing on a call for Unity and Peace in the Community, as the theme of the 29th year of this celebration.

Originally scheduled for Nov 15th, due to inclement weather, it will now take place TODAY, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022.

As Seen In Harlem