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

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

Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee

TITLE: Support for the Reconstruction Sara D. Roosevelt Park between Grand Street and Delancey

Street

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, the 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 SDR 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 SDR Park Alliance 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 and replacing

the 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

6Garden, Green Space and Tree improvements

? Provide designated parking for Parks 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 for ADA accessibility

? Retaining the multi-use area as a ‘blank slate’ to allow for the variety of current uses including, Tai

Chi, tennis, bike 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 the 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 the park with materials consistent with parks’ history

? Use furnishings appropriate to historic character to park

? Support approved temporary art installations that reflect local cultures

? Add more opportunities for cultural features (such as, a Lion symbol for Lion’s Gate entry) and will

remove the Lion Statues currently there

? Will assist, if possible, with the addition of an electric charging station for bikes

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:

7? 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 the de Britto 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 the 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 will be built

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.”

Canal to Hester

Large oval turf field used for soccer and play and picnics with running track. Gathering place for elders in the neighborhood.

Plantings under seasoned local gardener Pam Ito working with The Hort.