Protecting and improving the community for the people who live and work here

Great to have the Youth Explorers in Sara Roosevelt Park this weekend.

Hard working, kind to each other (and everyone).

Our two Officers are fantastic PO Shaneek Smith and PO Randy Chan! Cleared litter, watered, raked leaves and broke up old wooden frames and removed a stump that kept tripping people.

Thank you!

Apex for Youth

“As a team, we provide both individual and group counseling that focuses on fostering safety, trust, and community. We also partner with various stakeholders—including families, schools, staff, and volunteers—as a part of our work to provide social-emotional support for our youth. Through the relationships we build, our goal is to uplift and empower youth to identify, connect, and engage with their own unique strengths, resources, and creative skills.”

A lovely visit to M’Finda Garden for a  Yoga class taught be bKind‘s Lisa and Ray.

And a tour of the Chickens and Turtles!

We ended up not being able to use the playground due to a dog owner’s refusal to leave the playground (off-limits to adults without children) nor even leash her dog. Wow.

But we improvised with the young people and made it a great day!

Jose is Back!! Children’s Free Summer Means Truck with Department of Education

Food Truck Service

• 7 Days of the Week
• 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Weekdays
• 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Weekends
• Manhattan: Sara D. Roosevelt Park

June 27 – August 30

“Even when school is out, you can still enjoy free breakfast and lunch! Our 2024 Free Summer Meals Program is here for you all across New York City, and it’s totally free for anyone who’s 18 years old or younger. You can find these meals at specific places like select NYC Public Schools, community pool centers, parks, and libraries. And guess what? You don’t need to sign up, show any papers, or have an ID to get these meals. Just head to one of our spots and enjoy a delicious breakfast and lunch. Have a great summer filled with good food and fun!”

Before, During and After Carol Prud’homme Davis, Inside Change from Within and artists were creating beautiful murals (see below).

“INSIDE CHANGE from WITHIN are artists, activists, educators, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations

All Photos by Carol Prud’homme Davis, Inside Change from Within

From their Facebook Page (linked above):

“Inside Change from Within had a wonderful time creating street art at “The Pit” in collaboration with Remote Theater’s “Thank You for Listening” June 8th performance”

At long last, after many many hours of rewriting, outreach and effort on the part of our communities, we have a resolution!

The nearby neighborhood and grandfathered users will  keep us updated once this begins its progress!

SDR Park Grand to Delancey Reconstruction Community Board 3 RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Department of Parks and Recreation has proposed a reconstruction plan to complete construction at Sara D. Roosevelt Park between Delancey and Grand Streets with the following goals:

• Complete Reconstruction of the Park between Grand and Delancey Streets
• Creating multipurpose, multigenerational spaces for active and passive uses and neighborhood gathering,
• Upgrading and expanding seating and gathering areas throughout the park,
• Improving access, circulation, and sight lines in and around the park,
• Creating welcoming and ADA-compliant entrances into the park, and pathways throughout the park,
• Preserving existing trees and adding new planted areas and trees; and

WHEREAS, NYC Parks held a virtual community meeting and reports that 45 community members attended and ranked the following issues of community importance: Security/safety, Active recreation, Garden & Planting, Maintenance, Amenities, and Circulation; and

WHEREAS, NYC Parks participated in an in-park event to gather more input on wishes for this section from nearby residents, small businesses, and park goers to ensure those who may work evenings or who have no internet access, that was language accessible with NYC Congressman Goldman’s rep, State Senator Kavanagh, Assembly Member Lee, Council Member Marte, The Chinese Progressive Association, University Settlement and the Sara Roosevelt Park Community Coalition with invitations sent to all major stakeholders to reach out to their constituencies; and

WHEREAS, NYC Parks design team followed up with an invitation to community members and stakeholder organizations, after the outdoor event, to send any other suggestions from their constituencies; and

WHEREAS, NYC Parks held an additional stakeholder meeting inviting only The Sara D. Roosevelt Park Alliance after the April CB3 Parks and Waterfront meeting to address concerns raised by their organization; and

WHEREAS, Reconstruction plans from Grand to Delancey have been in discussion for a long time and now there is funding available to rebuild what all agree is a dilapidated section of a park; and

WHEREAS, Community Board 3 is grateful for the efforts of:

Former CM Margaret Chin – $15 million;

DOT – $15 million;

NYS Governor Hochul – $3.5 million via The Sara D. Roosevelt Park Alliance’s application to the DRI;

The former and current mayor with $1.8 million;

Creating a total $35,249,000 to renovate Sara Roosevelt Park from Grand to Delancey; and

WHEREAS, the proposed plan will include the following to address stated and/or known community issues:

Security, Safety and Accessibility 

• Rebuilding the 2-way bike path with a raised pedestrian walkway along the Chrystie Street side of the park to address pedestrian safety issues. The new height will give more open sightlines into the park
• Reducing the amount of fencing to make the park more permeable and accessible
• Adding ADA accessible entryways for Grand Street entrance and Delancey street entrance and two more entry points from Forsyth Street for greater visibility in the park for increased sightlines and safety
• Revising the Grand Street entrance to Lion’s Gate field, incorporating an ADA-accessible ramp leading to both the field and the adult exercise equipment
• Creating a more open and welcoming entrance to public restrooms at Broome Parkhouse
• Replacement of interior walkways to ensure ADA compliance
• Repairing or replacing the retaining walls
• Replacing all interior fencing to adapt to the historic fencing design where it exists. Replacing chain link fencing in Hua Mei Bird Area with iron fencing
• Adding upgraded sports lighting to the Lion’s Gate field and additional, upgraded lighting to the multi-use Pit
• Adding additional receptacle bins and retaining the disposable needle boxes; and

Garden, Green Space and Tree improvements

• Provide designated parking for Parks vehicles alongside Forsyth Street with electric charging stations, to address the issue of Parks vehicles parked on the Broome streetway
• New trees and plantings, retaining older trees wherever possible
• Bruckner boxes will be created throughout the park for both new and current planting sites
• Removal of broken low brick walls abutting the two planting beds on the east and west side of the Delancey Street entryway that attract misuse
• Adding low fence perimeters with gate entries to protect plantings and allow for garden maintenance
• Restoration of the Hua Mei garden, its footprint retained as the users have requested to preserve, thus “preserving an element which reflects the character and history of Chinatown” and functions “as a non-generic space in the park”
• Retain the legacy garden footprint and plantings of the de Britto plot “to preserve elements which reflect the character and history of the area” known in the 1600’s as “The Land of the Blacks” as another “non-generic space in the park”
• Preserving the Ribbon plot and expanding the Center plot on Delancey Street

• Widening both east and west side plots to allow for planting sites along Chrystie and Forsyth Streets to increase green spaces and the installation of benches throughout
• Planting palette that consists mostly of native species including Redbud trees throughout and in gaps to increase diversity and adding well-spaced low plantings including shrubs to maintain visibility.
• Adds a Children’s Education Pollinator Garden between the Broome storehouse and the Lion’s Gate soccer field.
• Increasing permeable area from 36% to 41%

Recreation, Multi-Purpose community use spaces, and rest area improvements

• Adding adult exercise equipment (slated for the north end of this park section)
• Retaining the tall fence around the turf field
• Replacing the existing turf field with a state of the art synthetic field surrounded by a new, two lane wide, safety surface track for walking and running track
• Adding fixed seating and tables and Ping Pong tables in the Broome streetway to help calm bike traffic

WHEREAS, the proposed plan will also include the reconstruction of the Multi-Use Area (aka, “The Pit”) to address stated and/or known community issues:

• Fixing the drainage issue

• Raising the Broome streetway entrance imperceptibly to for ADA accessibility

• Retaining the multi-use area as a ‘blank slate’ to allow for the variety of current uses including, Tai Chi, tennis, pike polo, community festivals, bike riding lessons, theater events, volleyball, day care visits and activities, sports classes for youth, the Burmese Water Festival, and other community events

• Adding downward lights at four corners of The Pit to allow for better visibility, safety and to allow for multi-uses at night.

• Resurfacing the Pit surface to address the slippiness.

WHEREAS, there was significant community input requesting the preservation of the current playable area in The Pit for bike polo, unicycle, soccer and other activities including the necessity of maintaining of uninterrupted walls surrounding The Pit to ensure the safety for current sports uses and to prevent drug dealing, drug using, the accumulation of trash and other misuse; and

WHEREAS, The Parks Department will also;

• Restore park with materials consistent with parks’ history
• Use furnishings appropriate to historic character to park
• Support approved temporary art installations that reflect culture(s) here
• Will add more opportunities for cultural features (such as, a Lion symbol for Lion’s Gate entry) and will remove Lion Statues currently there
• Will assist, if possible, with the addition of an electric charging station for bike

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Community Board 3 supports the proposed reconstruction of Sara D. Roosevelt Park between Grand Street and Delancey Street as presented, subject to the following conditions:

• Installation of wayfinding signs at the entrances to the park to inform elders about the senior protected garden space behind the BRC Senior Service Center in Sara D Roosevelt Park

• Retaining the legacy garden footprint and plantings of Hua Mei plot by replacing the fencing and gate while keeping the height and placement of the existing southern entrance to the Hua Mei Garden. The east entrance on the rebuilt interior path will be removed, with no other gate added on the west side, and the protective southern chain link fencing separating Hua Mei Garden from The Pit will be preserved, with the decorative fencing restored on the northern side

• Creating a curb at least 6 inches high underneath the west fence between Broome St Plaza and The Pit

• Adding inserts to allow for the quick installation of a volleyball or tennis net in the Pit area to accommodate other sports activities

• Keeping The Pit free of benches and other impediments that may affect the playability and safety of the multi-purpose area
• No ADA ramps at north end to preserve this as a blank slate multi-use space for all the current varied uses and any others in future. A wide ADA accessible entryway into the space from Broome Street.

Organizer and Leader Debra Jeffreys-Glass created this event and has put it on for many many years now.

This was the best yet!

The Honoree of the day Robert Humber. “Bob” Park guardian who watches over the plants and people – especially the most vulnerable among us – there is no one else quite like him.

M’Finda Kalunga Garden Thanks you.

NYC Parks Thanks you.

Sara Roosevelt Park Community Coalition Thanks you.

Our Local Elected Representatives Thank you.

BRC Senior Center Thanks you.

Our Community Thanks you.

Thank you for the Proclamation Congressman Dan Goldman!

Our new NYC Parks Man Borough Commissioner Tricia Shimamura Thanks you!

Our CM Chris Marte Thanks you!

AM Grace Lee represented by Fannie Ip Thanks you!

Great to see our new NYC Parks Man Borough Commissioner here Tricia Shimamura. Welcome! And our Council Member Marte. FABnyc’s Ryan Gilliam with ‘Halo’ artist Immanuel Oni! All who spoke beautifully!!!

Our long time Sara Roosevelt Park former Managers (now) Dep. Chief of Operations Jamil Phillips and (now) Regional Manager Teresa Flores, and all our NYC Park workers here!

Forsyth Satellite Students and teacher Paula Walters Parker & their gorgeous artwork!

Bobby Bryan’s R&B band!

Tenement Museum long-time guardian of the past, New Museum ensuring all artists are known & seen.

Healing Drum Circle

Eddie Jeffreys-Glass historian and reader.

And of course the hardest working crew ever: Fran Brown, Bud Shalala, and Carina Liu!

Irit Houvas, Jim Cusick, Carlo, Ted, K, and many others who pitched in!

And here are a few bonus photos taken by Carol Prud’homme Davis who leads the Inside Change from Within organization working with artists, some without homes.

From Canal to Houston.

Thank you Herman for the suggestions about parking along Forsyth Street!

and our intrepid SRPCC Gardener: The Lorax

Broken fence to the Hua Mei Garden

Thanks to the all the workers involved and the MTA’s  Katerina Patouri and EECruz’s Michael Quasarano we have a finished Plaza. And a diligent neighborhood.

It was a long wait and it looks great!

And we can fix it!!  See Mayor Adam’s and NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue Commitment and Make Space for Girls Studies (below)

Just today:  a brand-new CityParks Soccer program this summer for girls ages 13-16. The program will take place in all nine of our usual soccer locations, with female coaches offering a supportive environment for girls of all skill levels to make friends, build self esteem, and discover a new sport for life! This program is made possible thanks to support from Nike.

Sharing works better for everyone!!

What’s wrong with this picture?

Girls try to play volleyball in a corner of the play area available. Without a volleyball net.

Boys take over most of the play spaces

and

Girls:

but finally ‘encroach’ on the “boys space”!

Parks and women and girls in NYC

Mayor Adams Unveils $43 Million Plan to Lead on Gender Equity, Lays Ambitious Goal to Make NYC Most Women-Forward City in U.S.

January 25, 2024

https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/069-24/mayor-adams-43-million-plan-lead-gender-equity-lays-ambitious-goal-make-nyc-most#/0

“With this plan, Mayor Adams is building on the administration’s commitment to addressing gender disparities and supporting women in New York City,” said New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “Advancing gender equity means setting an example for a fair future and creating resources that improve equity and access in the workforce. This action plan will make New York City a beacon for women’s advancement and will further our work at NYC Parks in providing an inclusive and supportive environment for women in our parks system.”