June, 2009 Newsletter #204
Billboard Success
Since October 2008, TCA has been working with the NYC Department of Buildings Sign and Padlock Enforcement Unit to rid our neighborhood of the large illegal billboard found at 300 E. 41st Street. According to NYC Department of Zoning the landlord, of the building (which is located in a C1-1 zone) is not permitted to rent advertising to businesses not actually present in the building. The tenant is a Japanese Restaurant and yet, the paid advertisements have been marketing movies, HBO series, bands etc. Several complaints were reported to TCA about the inappropriate content of the advertisements. The violations led to fines of at least $90,000 and the recent removal of the offending sign. If it comes back, residents should report the matter to 311 immediately.
Countless telephone calls and follow up complaints to 311 and the Department of Buildings by residents and TCA members should be thanked by everyone. This shows 311 reporting and persistence can and do work. Thank you for your efforts and support.
Cul-De-Sac Project
Since the inception of the United Nation’s Isaiah Stairs, the 43rd Street Cul-De-Sac remains little changed. Today its steps serve as a direct connection for pedestrians traversing from Grand Central to the United Nations, its sidewalks serve as staging area for an estimated 70,000 annual photographs using the UN as a natural background. Unfortunately, this is also where bagged and other garbage for over 600 apartments and other residents and businesses is deposited three times each week. Tragically tourist step-over, trip-over, or otherwise dodge the piles of garbage while framing an internationally recognizable symbol of progress.
Our current efforts are focused on attempting to reduce the amount of time the garbage sits on the street and sidewalk before it is picked up. This involves discussions with many of the Tudor City buildings, local elected officials, the Community Board and the Department of Sanitation. We are hopeful that the pickup schedule can be altered to reduced the time garbage sits on the street in our neighborhood to just a few hours.
In 2007, TCA started monitoring the Gateway’s usage as a search for possible additional solutions. Today, TCA is engaged in conversation with a wide range of city agencies towards creating a change of use including possibly reducing the depth of the Cul-De-Sac while redesigning its relationship with both the UN and New York City. We will be meeting with representatives of our local officials to determine how to move forward with this very important project.
TCA Annual Meeting
The Tudor City Association’s Annual meeting at which a new executive committee will be elected will be held June 30th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room at 5 Tudor City Place. Please come and bring a friend. You’ll need to be or become a member to vote. It’s a good way to keep up to date on what’s happening in the community and to meet your neighbors.
TCA Thanks the Executive Committee
The Tudor City Association would like to thank the members of the executive committee for their service for the preceding year. We give special thanks to the four officers, George Brown, president; Diane Kopyscianski, vice president; William Moran, secretary; Mary Fanelli, treasurer. In alphabetical order, members are:
Charles Beardsley Roland Peracca
Betsy Bittman Cindy Riley
Sherry Halpern Susan Stamps-Griffin
Nancy Isenberger Brian K. Thompson
Paige Judge Marie Zacher
Susan Kirwan
Many thanks are deserved for their ongoing service and support.
Tudor City Greens
Spring has arrived and the Parks are bringing much needed color to the neighborhood. The tulips have come and gone and now we await the colors of all those annuals which were planted by the volunteers on May 9. Upcoming activites are the cabaret nights, the Mannes College of Music's concerts and the June Art Fair. These events are all posted on the fences with plenty of time for you to include them on your calendar.
Did you know?
TCA spends $4,800 per year to clean our Cul-De-Sacs, the city staircases leading down to 42nd Street as well as 42nd Street from those staircases down to 1st Avenue. TCA also gives $2,500 per year to the Tudor City Greens to support the parks.
311 Effective and Efficient
The subways currently have a customer awareness program where they say, “If you see something, say something.” This applies equally to our neighborhood. Don’t wait and get upset about something you don’t think is right, call 311 and say something about it. Oftentimes something can be done. It may not happen at once, but the City logs all these calls and they keep track of them. Even better, talk about it with a neighbor and get them to call too. When TCA calls to talk with our local officials about a problem, the first thing they ask is if the problem has been reported to 311, so please make those calls, they are very important.
A Little About TCA
The Tudor City Association is one of the East Side’s longest active civic groups. It frequently contacts our local elected officials on quality of life issues, development questions and problems involving traffic, sanitation, zoning, children, the playgrounds and other things that affect life in this beautiful landmarked community.
TCA purchased new benches for the sidewalks outside the Greens, contributes funding to the Tudor City Greens, the East Midtown Coalition for Sensible Development and the Doe Fund, helped procure new trees for our streets, plants flowers in the 43rd Street cul-de-sac and placed holiday wreaths on the 42nd St. bridge. The annual street fair is also a TCA effort, as are the volunteer clean-ups of Parks Dept. playgrounds in our neighborhood. Join today. Fees are annual. All you have to do is fill out the coupon below and send it in with your check.
Bunche Beauty
Neighbors, tired of the cold winter, and eager for signs of the Earth’s re-awakening, are encouraged to take a stroll up the West side of First Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Street. Right across from the United Nations lies New York City’s First Peace Park (designated by Mayor Koch in 1985): the Ralph Bunche Peace Park. Ralph Bunche (1904-71) was an American Educator, political scientist, United Nations Mediator and the first African-American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (1950). For several years, TCA has been involved with the planting and weeding of the Park’s center garden and recently purchased a 20-gallon watering tank to assist in the care and maintenance of the fifty rose bushes, hundreds of lilies, daffodils, tulips and hydrangeas that grace this lovely area. Don’t take our word for it, take a walk and come see this neighborhood park that is also distinguished by four monuments: the Isaiah Wall, Peace Form One, Sharansky Steps and the Bayard Rustin plaque. The park also serves as background for many protests against oppression and demonstrations for peace.
A special word of thanks needs to go out to Betsy Bittman for the Ralph Bunche beautification. Betsy has taken on this project and almost singlehandedly transformed the park into what it is today. The weather is getting warmer, so if you see Betsy strolling down the street with the watering tank, take a minute and say thanks.
New Library
We have a new library in our area located at 135 East 46th Street. This is known as the Grand Central Branch and is open Mon-Thurs 8-7, Fri 8-5 and Sat 10-5. The new location boasts having 44 computers, a large collection of DVD’s and CD’s and a special collection of teen oriented collections and programs called Teen Central. The branch can be reached at (212) 621-0670.
Community Loss
We are sad to report that a long standing and very active member of our community, Bill Baltz, recently passed away. Bill was a former President of the Tudor City Greens and a long time director of TCA. Bill will be sorely missed by the community.
- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Please enroll me as a member of The Tudor City Association, Inc.
Name: _____________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________________________________________
___Royal Society $100 ___ Herald Society $50
___Guild Society $25 ___ Tudor Rose Society $15
Make check payable to: Tudor City Association Inc.
Send check to: Tudor City Association Inc.
5 Tudor City Place, #5E
New York, NY 10017
Since October 2008, TCA has been working with the NYC Department of Buildings Sign and Padlock Enforcement Unit to rid our neighborhood of the large illegal billboard found at 300 E. 41st Street. According to NYC Department of Zoning the landlord, of the building (which is located in a C1-1 zone) is not permitted to rent advertising to businesses not actually present in the building. The tenant is a Japanese Restaurant and yet, the paid advertisements have been marketing movies, HBO series, bands etc. Several complaints were reported to TCA about the inappropriate content of the advertisements. The violations led to fines of at least $90,000 and the recent removal of the offending sign. If it comes back, residents should report the matter to 311 immediately.
Countless telephone calls and follow up complaints to 311 and the Department of Buildings by residents and TCA members should be thanked by everyone. This shows 311 reporting and persistence can and do work. Thank you for your efforts and support.
Cul-De-Sac Project
Since the inception of the United Nation’s Isaiah Stairs, the 43rd Street Cul-De-Sac remains little changed. Today its steps serve as a direct connection for pedestrians traversing from Grand Central to the United Nations, its sidewalks serve as staging area for an estimated 70,000 annual photographs using the UN as a natural background. Unfortunately, this is also where bagged and other garbage for over 600 apartments and other residents and businesses is deposited three times each week. Tragically tourist step-over, trip-over, or otherwise dodge the piles of garbage while framing an internationally recognizable symbol of progress.
Our current efforts are focused on attempting to reduce the amount of time the garbage sits on the street and sidewalk before it is picked up. This involves discussions with many of the Tudor City buildings, local elected officials, the Community Board and the Department of Sanitation. We are hopeful that the pickup schedule can be altered to reduced the time garbage sits on the street in our neighborhood to just a few hours.
In 2007, TCA started monitoring the Gateway’s usage as a search for possible additional solutions. Today, TCA is engaged in conversation with a wide range of city agencies towards creating a change of use including possibly reducing the depth of the Cul-De-Sac while redesigning its relationship with both the UN and New York City. We will be meeting with representatives of our local officials to determine how to move forward with this very important project.
TCA Annual Meeting
The Tudor City Association’s Annual meeting at which a new executive committee will be elected will be held June 30th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room at 5 Tudor City Place. Please come and bring a friend. You’ll need to be or become a member to vote. It’s a good way to keep up to date on what’s happening in the community and to meet your neighbors.
TCA Thanks the Executive Committee
The Tudor City Association would like to thank the members of the executive committee for their service for the preceding year. We give special thanks to the four officers, George Brown, president; Diane Kopyscianski, vice president; William Moran, secretary; Mary Fanelli, treasurer. In alphabetical order, members are:
Charles Beardsley Roland Peracca
Betsy Bittman Cindy Riley
Sherry Halpern Susan Stamps-Griffin
Nancy Isenberger Brian K. Thompson
Paige Judge Marie Zacher
Susan Kirwan
Many thanks are deserved for their ongoing service and support.
Tudor City Greens
Spring has arrived and the Parks are bringing much needed color to the neighborhood. The tulips have come and gone and now we await the colors of all those annuals which were planted by the volunteers on May 9. Upcoming activites are the cabaret nights, the Mannes College of Music's concerts and the June Art Fair. These events are all posted on the fences with plenty of time for you to include them on your calendar.
Did you know?
TCA spends $4,800 per year to clean our Cul-De-Sacs, the city staircases leading down to 42nd Street as well as 42nd Street from those staircases down to 1st Avenue. TCA also gives $2,500 per year to the Tudor City Greens to support the parks.
311 Effective and Efficient
The subways currently have a customer awareness program where they say, “If you see something, say something.” This applies equally to our neighborhood. Don’t wait and get upset about something you don’t think is right, call 311 and say something about it. Oftentimes something can be done. It may not happen at once, but the City logs all these calls and they keep track of them. Even better, talk about it with a neighbor and get them to call too. When TCA calls to talk with our local officials about a problem, the first thing they ask is if the problem has been reported to 311, so please make those calls, they are very important.
A Little About TCA
The Tudor City Association is one of the East Side’s longest active civic groups. It frequently contacts our local elected officials on quality of life issues, development questions and problems involving traffic, sanitation, zoning, children, the playgrounds and other things that affect life in this beautiful landmarked community.
TCA purchased new benches for the sidewalks outside the Greens, contributes funding to the Tudor City Greens, the East Midtown Coalition for Sensible Development and the Doe Fund, helped procure new trees for our streets, plants flowers in the 43rd Street cul-de-sac and placed holiday wreaths on the 42nd St. bridge. The annual street fair is also a TCA effort, as are the volunteer clean-ups of Parks Dept. playgrounds in our neighborhood. Join today. Fees are annual. All you have to do is fill out the coupon below and send it in with your check.
Bunche Beauty
Neighbors, tired of the cold winter, and eager for signs of the Earth’s re-awakening, are encouraged to take a stroll up the West side of First Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Street. Right across from the United Nations lies New York City’s First Peace Park (designated by Mayor Koch in 1985): the Ralph Bunche Peace Park. Ralph Bunche (1904-71) was an American Educator, political scientist, United Nations Mediator and the first African-American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (1950). For several years, TCA has been involved with the planting and weeding of the Park’s center garden and recently purchased a 20-gallon watering tank to assist in the care and maintenance of the fifty rose bushes, hundreds of lilies, daffodils, tulips and hydrangeas that grace this lovely area. Don’t take our word for it, take a walk and come see this neighborhood park that is also distinguished by four monuments: the Isaiah Wall, Peace Form One, Sharansky Steps and the Bayard Rustin plaque. The park also serves as background for many protests against oppression and demonstrations for peace.
A special word of thanks needs to go out to Betsy Bittman for the Ralph Bunche beautification. Betsy has taken on this project and almost singlehandedly transformed the park into what it is today. The weather is getting warmer, so if you see Betsy strolling down the street with the watering tank, take a minute and say thanks.
New Library
We have a new library in our area located at 135 East 46th Street. This is known as the Grand Central Branch and is open Mon-Thurs 8-7, Fri 8-5 and Sat 10-5. The new location boasts having 44 computers, a large collection of DVD’s and CD’s and a special collection of teen oriented collections and programs called Teen Central. The branch can be reached at (212) 621-0670.
Community Loss
We are sad to report that a long standing and very active member of our community, Bill Baltz, recently passed away. Bill was a former President of the Tudor City Greens and a long time director of TCA. Bill will be sorely missed by the community.
- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Please enroll me as a member of The Tudor City Association, Inc.
Name: _____________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________________________________________
___Royal Society $100 ___ Herald Society $50
___Guild Society $25 ___ Tudor Rose Society $15
Make check payable to: Tudor City Association Inc.
Send check to: Tudor City Association Inc.
5 Tudor City Place, #5E
New York, NY 10017