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

From Anthony Rueter our GreenThumb Outreach Coordinator!

Allen/Pike Mall photo by Justin Ladda

“Happy (almost) spring!  It’s that time of year when we’re all busy gearing up for the growing season and planning events, open hours, and more!  GreenThumb’s GrowTogether conference is almost here, in a new lower Manhattan and Staten Island friendly location at Borough of Manhattan Community College, and tickets are selling super quickly so make sure to buy your ticket ASAP!

News:

The LUNGS (Loisada United Neighborhood Gardens) Spring Awakening Earth Day parade is coming up quickly!  On Earth Day, Sunday April 22^nd, 2018 gardeners and community members will march from El Sol Brillante to El Jardin del Paraiso, stopping at 27 community gardens along the route ending with a celebration of educational workshops, music, and food.  Join us for a planning meeting TONIGHT, March 15^th at 7pm at 428 East 10^th Street otherwise we’ll see you at the parade and celebration on Earth Day!

Welcome Sage’s Garden to the NYC Parks and GreenThumb family, officially!  I’m excited and proud to announce a new addition to the GreenThumb garden family.  Sage’s Garden’s mission is to honor the legacy of Sage Payton, a community member who passed away and used to maintain the lot at 281 East 4^th Street that has become this garden.  The gardeners want to restore and improve the space in his honor!  I’m really impressed and excited by all the work these gardeners have already done building strong group structure, rules, and bylaws, and now they get to dive into the (more fun) physical work!

The Spring Supply Distribution is approaching! On Saturday April 14^th, from 10:00am-1:00pm at Green Oasis Community Garden in lower Manhattan …we will be distributing spring supplies!  The list of supplies is still being finalized [Anthony will] email it out.  RSVP is required to pick up so please be sure to RSVP at the link…Coordinate with garden members so that there is only one RSVP per garden!

As we get ready for the 2019 relicensing of all GreenThumb community gardens, we’d like to inform you that GreenThumb will be requiring all community garden groups under Parks jurisdiction to submit copies of their bylaws to their Outreach Coordinators as a prerequisite to being licensed.  Read more here for what we want to see in bylaws, links to our super helpful bylaws worksheet, and check the program guide for upcoming workshops on the topic!

Prevent heavy metals from entering your food by adhering to the GreenThumb requirement of growing food crops in containers or raised beds lined with landscaping fabric and filled with clean topsoil and compost.  Read more about our recommendations here!

Highlighted Upcoming Events

Click the link to register for each workshop and find out more details.  There are even more workshops in the program guide & on our website!  Download the spring program guide here.

TONIGHT!! Microbes and Fungi: The Life of the Soil Party

Tuesday, March 20^th, 2018

5:30pm-7:00pm

GreenThumb Office, Manhattan

34^th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether Conference

Saturday March 31^st, 2018

8:30am-4:00pm

Borough of Manhattan Community College

Tickets are only $5 at the link and will be $10 at the door so secure your ticket today!  Tickets are selling fast!

Fruit Tree Care

Saturday, April 7^th, 2018

11:00am-1:00pm

Jardin la Roca, Bronx

Happy Hydrating with your Hydrant

Tuesday, April 10^th, 2018

5:30pm-7:00pm

6BC Botanical Garden, Manhattan

More upcoming events here!”

Looking forward to seeing this vital community park’s reopening with all intended “amenities” and new and improved spaces.

Makes our life go better to notice what we can do to make a difference on someone else’s.

From The Lo-Down

“The Department of Buildings DOB) last month gave Slate Property Group the go-ahead to proceed with its luxury condo conversion at Rivington House. But local activists (Neighbors to Save Rivington House) have not given up their campaign to block the transformation of the former Lower East Side nursing home.

Earlier this week, they got a boost from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Councilmember Margaret Chin. The elected officials Monday sent a letter to Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, urging her to put a hold on any DOB permits at 45 Rivington St…”

Read more here.

Vigil at Rivington House on World AIDS Day

RSVP info@yuhlineniou.org or call 212-312-1420

March 11, 12pm-3pm Downtown Alliance 150 Broadway

Event is Tuesday April 17th 2018

Doors open at 6pm event begins at 7pm

RSVP by April 7th

Council Member Margaret Chin and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer  have continued to advocate for the return of Rivington House and a meeting with the Mayor and the Buyers: Slate Property Group, Adam America and China Vanke.

From Neighbors to Save Rivington House (N2SaveRh):

Much gratitude and congratulations to Council Member Margaret Chin and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer who have continued to work diligently on the return of Rivington House.

In a letter to Alicia Glen Deputy Mayor for Housing & Economic Development on the future of Rivington House they noted::

1) the state of a continued lack of transparency re: Rivington House – even in the aftermath of a “flawed process that paved the way for the closure sale and now potential conversion”- and to “demand a clear and transparent process for the future of this site”.

2) on current zoning that makes it inappropriate for Rivington House to be converted to luxury condos.

3) a request to halt all construction, exploration etc until the buyers meet with the local elected officials and community to resolve all issues. 

Thank you to our electeds for fighting on behalf of those who cannot: our aging neighbors and those who need 24/7 skilled care whose partners, friends and children are waging a desperate battle to care for their beloveds against impossible odds.

Allen Street Mall – one of our Sister parks – a few blocks away:

From The History of the Allen Street Mall website (a great read):

“The history of this project goes back to at least 1997, when I was selected by the Department of Cultural Affairs to be the artist to work with Chris Crowley, an architect at the New York Department of Parks and Recreation, on a design for the Allen Street Mall segment between Delancey and Broome Streets. Over several years we developed 32 distinct designs and after many changes arrived at the final version which is reflected in the model. We had a great working relationship and I learned a lot about park design and the strange workings of city government from him.
In 2005 the project was given to the landscape architects Able Bainnson Butz to finish.They finalized the design to what it is now. I am especially grateful for their choice of plants which have stayed alive without being watered and survived under less than ideal conditions….” Read more here.

Justen continues to care for the Park as a volunteer tending to plantings and the rock design itself.

He imported the rocks here from China. They are beautifully and thoughtfully arranged. He writes:  “they were shaped by water, I only carved one side of one”

He designed their placement and the plantings around them and tends to them which he says he will “do forever.” 

In answer to questions about the benches (The SDR Coalition receives a number of them):

The original sturdy and comfortable benches (“world’s fair benches”) were replaced. They were removed (along with the old style light fixtures – pictured on Justen’s site under Allen Street Mall 2008) and replaced by new benches when some new re- design for the whole mall was implemented.

Unfortunately we think the slats will likely fail again as they were cut out of stock which weakens the integrity of the slats. Apparently in order to have curved slats the wood would have to be steamed and bent, which is much more expensive.

He has added about 90 new plants in the fall is not finished yet!

For more and beautiful photos and history: here is Justen Ladda’s site

He says the biggest need for the Allen Park is fertilizer which has not seen any since it opened in 2008!