Report of Meetings

This Page is where we post Reports from our various Meetings.

Notes from the April 2, 2015 Meeting

• Ms. Jaime McGill Executive Director of YDA was in attendance at this meeting.  YDA can provide PR for various programs.
• April 22 is Yonkers Earth Day - for a list of activities and times visit the Sarah Lawrence website.
• April 25 is the HRCA cleanup day and barbecue.  Start at the Charter School of
• Education Excellence from 10am to 2pm.
• Also on the 25 The Clearwater presents Earth Grooves. Starts at 7pm at the St. John's Church.  Tickets are $35.
• There will be a ribbon cutting on April 11, 2015, at the Barge.
• The Christina Griffith Foundation has started meetings regarding the work on the Foundation for the Echo House or Urban Homestead located at the Buena Vista Garden. 
• Robert Hothan stated that we need accurate measurements of the Barge and surrounding water temperatures.
• Yonkers will be the second home port for the Clearwater.
• The Building Department work for the Sharing Community is going well.
• The Yonker's Arts weekend will be May 1, 2, and 3.  There will be live performances and art exhibits at various galleries.    

Notes from the March 26, 2015 Meeting

• There will be a ribbon cutting on April 11, 2015, at the Science Barge.
• The St. John’s Church carillion will be played this Sunday for testing and will begin ringing regularly on Easter Day, April 5, 2015..
• The Building Department work for the Sharing Community is going well and they hope to get their certificates of occupancy settled.
• Candide will be performed at St. John's this June.  The church is also planning a program, “The Way of Compassion” in the fall.  It will be modeled on the stations of the Cross and the way of compassion including all media.
• Echo House will be situated in the Buena Vista Community Gardens Urban Homestead.  Christina Griffith Foundation will provide the basement paper work for the Building Department pro bono.
• The Yonker's Arts weekend will be May 1, 2, and 3.  There will be live performances and art exhibits at various galleries.    

Notes from the March 19, 2015 Meeting

• April 22 is Earth Day.  In conjunction there will be cleanups at two locations.  These locations will be clarified at a future date. 
• They are projected to be a vacant lot at Palisades and one at The Saw Mill River.Clearwater will also be docked and will be allowing tours. 
• The charge will be $25.The Sloop Clearwater will give a concert called Earth Grooves at St. John’s on Saturday, April 25^th at 7PM.  The tickets are $35.   
• The Boat Club is offering a free night.The Carillon at St. John’s Church is being replaced and will be played on Easter Sunday.
• There will be space in the basement of the Sharing Community for the drop in center when the situation is cleared up with their certificate of occupancy.
• There were 350 responses to the downtown quality of life survey sponsored by BID.
• The owner of the building with the murals painted wants to tear down the middle building.  There was a discussion about saving the Hass murals at intersection of Main St and Warburton.
• There will be a new show at the library gallery on April 9, 2015 .

Notes from the February 12th, 2015 Meeting

• Father John thanked all who attended the celebration of his tenth year anniversary of his ordination.  He was thrilled at the attendance and the many good wishes from those not able to attend.
• The homeless are now being allowed to shower a the Yonker's Bathhouse on Yonkers Avenue..  It was suggested that a small gift be given to the staff to show gratitude for their cooperation in allowing this to happen.  Karen Tumely volunteered to do this.
• There was a discussion of the issue of the separation of Church and State and how this issue affected funding for religious organizations.

Notes from the February 5th Meeting

•  Father John announced that there will be a celebration of the tenth anniversary of his ordination into the priesthood on Sunday, February 8, 2015, at 10am, at St. John's Church in Getty Square.  All are invited.
• St. John's Church also received a $25,000 grant which is the second $25,000 grant received in two month.  $275,000 has been collected he needs $200,000 more for the Windows Restoration Project.
• There will be a concert at the Church April 25^th organized by the Clearwater.  It is to celebrate Earth Day and is a fundraiser..
• Haifa is spoke about the coordination contract for management of the arts.  The first weekend in May there will be a art fair in several locations throughout the downtown area.  Adam and Haifa will coordinate the press release.  A name will be decided and there will be workshops all three days.  Major bands will be engaged including an African American Hip Hop Band.
• Haifa also spoke about the availability of showers at West Hab and Nepperhan and Elm Community Resource Center.
• There will be a rededication of the civil war memorial event at Philipse Manor Hall on June 6, 2015.

Notes from the January 29th Meeting

• Father John announced that there will be a celebration of the tenth anniversary of his ordination into the priesthood on Sunday, February 8, 2015, at 10am, at St. John's Church in Getty Square.  All are invited.
• Richard Polo is new to the group discussed his work in metals and woods.  Shows are given at the center once a year.  It was stated that it was to difficult to mount more than 1 show per year.
• There was commentary about the blizzard that did not happen.
• The group was reminded that things said in the Lunch Club are not necessarily private.  As an example, Laura Case, an attendee of the Lunch Club has used the notes of our meetings in an article she wrote.
• The Quality of Life survey was discussed.  The BID has received over 100 responses to the survey.  The goal of the survey is to determine what the community wants to see in the downtown area and what is working now and what is not.  There will be a further quality of life meeting at BID at 1:30 on Thursday (today) to go over results of the survey.  What are priorities and what issues will be advocated.  As data comes in the necessary modifications will be made.
• The TLC has been contemplating locating the venue for the lunch in places other than restaurants.  The first of these will be St. John's Church the last Thursday in February.  The Waterfront Library in March and the Science Barge in May or June.  It was thought that the participants would order from one of the smaller restaurants in the area.  Further refinements of the plan will be discussed.
• Haifa spoke about the NEA Conference which was held on Friday, January 30, 2015.   This meeting was a charrate  where data was complied regarding the branding of the downtown.  The next meeting will be on February 18 starting at 6pm.  The community is invited to attend and offer their commentaries.
• Haifa also spoke about the availability of showers at West Hab and Nepperhan and Elm Community Resource Center.
• The meeting held at the police precinct focused on police and community relations.
• Ken Jenkins was suggested as the person to call for a meeting on the homeless issue.  Department of Justice will be participating in the symposium on the homeless run by Ken Jenkins.
• Restaurant week is from February 2 to 8.  The week will start with a kick off at the opening of the Yonkers Brewery starting at noon.  The Brewery is offering food. .

Notes from the Jan. 22, 2015 Meeting

 

• John Hamilton chaired the meeting and everyone introduced themselves.
• There was a discussion about gaining approval to have some of the jazz concerts on Saturday instead of Friday, or scheduling a second concert on Saturday during the day.  This would be to promote the downtown as a destination or family day.  The funding is not in place to accommodate this scheduling.
• There is an arts program at Van der Donk park also the Wednesday music series was mentioned.
• What is working what is not.  What does the community want to see in this series.
• When the Clearwater is in dock perhaps events can be coordinated with the Museum and GroundWorks.  Father John announced that there Is an Earth Day concert that has been coordinated with the Clearwater and will be held at St. Johns Church.
• The Greyston organization has volunteers that can be utilized to help with various functions.
• There will be a quality of life meeting at BID at 1:30 on Thursday to go over results of the survey.  What are priorities and what issues will be advocated.  As data comes in the necessary modifications will be made.
• It is the downtown areas that are supportive of the arts as opposed to the bedroom communities.
• Bob made comments regarding ECHO House now placed in Chicken Island and the Science Barge.
• April 25 will be HARCO clean-up day.
• There will be an arts weekend the first week in May
• Haifa spoke about an NEA            Conference on Friday, January 30, 2015.  This will be a lunch meeting from 12- 2.
• Yonkers Brewery is opening.  The Brewery is offering food.
• Restaurant week is February 2 through February 8, 2015.  The kick-off will be February  2, 2015.

Notes from the Dec. 18th, 2014 Meeting

John Hamilton chaired the meeting and everyone introduced themselves.

There is a ninety day adjournment in place for the next court appearance for the completion of the Certificate of Occupancy requirements for the Sharing Community.  It is felt that the location of the Sharing Community is not the best for the type of social service programs that the Sharing Community offers.  Other locations are being sought. 

There then ensued a discussion on the nature of chaos vis-a-vis order.  One will reign when the other is removed.  Otherwise there will be constant conflict.  The other view is that chaos and order complement each other and that complete order will devolve into chaos over time.

Laura who is presently homeless and is a shelter client spoke about some issues effecting the homeless:

* Being rousted for loitering

 * Meal programs - which to many if not all is the only source of nourishment and there are no weekend sources of food

 *It appears that social services and food services cannot be in the same physical location  Showers need to be provided for the homeless The YWCA was suggested as a source of showers - Michelle stated that due to the   vulnerability of the population the Y serves, this may not be possible.  Many of the     residents there are under confidentiality restraints.  YMCA has shower and gym facilities - Michelle agreed to connect with the YMCA and   see if they can work something out.      The Yonkers Bath House was also suggested.  The Bath House is open 1 day a week   It is a public bathing facility.  Not sure if its use is restricted to Yonkers residents     only and if there is an ID requirement.  Both issues would need to be resolved if in     place.  Andrea from the Public Bath will draw up a formal agreement for use of the bath    house.  Also, if there any transportation issues to be resolved they will be included  in the discussions leading to the agreement. The entry fee for the bath house is $2.00.   The Sharing Community will be asked to subsidize this fee.  A transportation van was also discussed to carry people to the bath house.  Does the bathroom have all the  necessities for bathing, ie, towels, soap, etc..

  

There has been no indication of increased bad behavior due to the closing of one of the area's shelters.

There is a perception that the quality of life goes down if there are homeless in the area.  The homeless are older, some are mentally ill and have no income.  It is the police'  thought that if the Sharing Community is relocated there will be a decrease in bad behavior in the area.  With the closing of the drop in center, was there a decrease in citations?  When the homeless are stopped they give the address of the Sharing Community as their residence, thus the call for the removal of the Sharing Community.

At a recent meeting of Yonkers Arts - a hub of information, advocacy and the recreation of goals for the arts - everyone has a voice in the proceedings, a vote is being taken to decide who should run the group.

There were safety demonstrations in the Getty Square area initiated by Hector Gonzalez.  The effort grew for the call for more police presence in the downtown area.  The group decided that Hector should be invited to a meeting.

Notes from the December 11, 2014 Meeting

 

Bob Walter indicated that the meeting of December 4, 2014, was almost entirely devoted to the identifying, and care of trees.

John Hamilton chaired this week's meeting and requested that each participant give a brief overview of what they are involved with.  He also reiterated the purposes of the group and the lunch arrangements.

We are pleased to welcome Lamont Brown who is employed by the Westchester County Government and is mainly involved in crises intervention for the homeless and re-entry work with ex-prisoners.  He is also an advocate for housing for the homeless and participates in procuring/or building housing.  He stated that there is a lack of housing for single adults.  He explained that the lack of coordination between the various social services agencies serving this population causes duplication and makes it impossible to maximize the benefits of the agencies. 

It was pointed out that the police indicate the Sharing Community as a problem location because they base some reports on the addresses individuals report when incidents occur.  However, many people use the Sharing Community Address who have no connection with the Sharing Community and this distorts this data.  

Many of these people are mentally challenged and so it makes it harder to deliver services to them because they cannot be obliged to seek help, keep appointments, follow up on paperwork.  It is a situation where the rights of individuals can impede delivery of service because they themselves to not have the wherewithal to avail themselves of that service.

It was also opined that if we do nothing to control chaos then chaos will control us.

The restrictions placed on potential renters of affordable housing eliminates much of the population that this type of housing should be serving.

Also new to the group is Karen Tumelty.  Karen seeks employment opportunities for the indigent and also provides readiness training.  The sense of control that receiving a paycheck gives is something some of the indigent may not be able to cope with.  Greyston does not create first line barriers to employment.  However there are certain criteria which must be met - if they are not met this precludes a successful employment opportunity.  She also explained that Greyston offers training in the culinary arts and construction trades.

The obtaining of a Certificate of Occupancy for the building housing the Sharing Community.  It is not clear what the problem is with the Certificate of Occupancy.  Father John indicated that it will probably be necessary to change the zoning.

 Trees educaion on differenttrees and the best ways to plant them.

Notes from the November 20, 2014 Meeting

The location for ECHO house is still being decided (See Bob Walter for details regarding ECHO house.)

A number of large rodents have been spotted at the Daylight Park.

Christmas Tree lighting is scheduled for December 1st, 2014.

Sara Lawrence has received a grant for homeless services.

Rachel McCain has prepared a paper regarding the Sharing Community.

The Gospel Mission has closed its 71 bed facility for the homeless.

The rumor that the Nepperhan Community Center was going to house the homeless was discussed.  It was decided that that use for the Center was not a good idea due to the mix of the population. 

Notes from the November 6, 2014 Meeting.

 

Father John went through the notes from last week's meeting.

Michelle Gonzalez - stated that the YWCA is preparing for its 100 year anniversary.  The Celebrity Check function hosted by the Y was a huge success and earned a profit for the first time in five years.

Father John informed that the building which is tenanted by the Sharing Community does not have a permanent CO.  He will need assistance in obtaining a Permanent CO.  St. John's church received a generous donation to help with the rehabilitation of the facade of the Church.  The Harvest Fair raised $2,300.

There was a discussion of housing the History of Yonkers at the St. John's Church.  It was mentioned that the Historical Society and Scenic Hudson probably would want to be involved.

Father John is reluctant to have the Church designated a Landmark Building because of the onerous restrictions placed upon any rehabilitative efforts.

Dan Lipka is preparing a quality of life survey for the part of Yonkers covered by his organization.  He is developing a questionnaire and is seeking volunteers to solicit responses to it.  He hopes to establish a baseline quality of life so that any changes can be recognized.

There then ensued a discussion on the formation of a BID and the purposes of the BID.  Dan Lipka stated that he is doing things to encourage people to utilize the area and is seeking to make area attractive to "tourists".

A meeting with the Mayor has been scheduled with Mr. Bofill.  Harvey Russack facilitated this meeting with Kelly Blevins. 

Notes from the October 30, 2014 Meeting.

Kate Nicholson was introduced to the group.  Kate is working out of Good Sheppard Church for Westchester United.  Currently the group is working with families to instill  assertiveness.

There will be a Green Walking Tour on Saturday, November 1, starting at 9:30 and leaving from the downtown Yonkers Train Station.

There will be Halloween festivities at the Yonker's Train Station Market, the Beczak, and at the Barge

Fabricio Beato has relocated back to Yonkers after a 26 year hiatus. 

Dan Lipka, Harvey Russack, Ricardo Bofill, Kelly Belvins and Bob Walter met with the staff of the Planning Commissioner to discuss development in downtown Yonkers.  The City is aware that the current master plan is in need of some revisions.   Future meetings will be held to revise the current master plan. A meeting has been set up for Mr. Bofill to meet the Mayor.

The Westhab organization is involved with family relief.

Mara Gross talked about various Sara Lawrence programs.

There were further discussions regarding some of the problems faced by the Saw Mill River.  Students working under the Urban Design program at Sara Lawrence will bring fresh ideas to the project while gathering information and performing statistical evaluations.

Haifa explained the focus of her new project for CETA a recently created non-profit to work with teenagers.  There was discussion regarding the teenagers from one gang area not crossing the boundaries of another gang area - despite the fact that the teens in the program were not actively involved in gangs they were still facing the threat of violence.  The issue is a formidable one due to the fact that some of the gangs are armed.

Various sites for teen meeting places were discussed including the unused Bank of America building.  Father John stated that the St. John's Church could be a temporary location for Haifa's program.

 

Notes from the October 23, 2014 Meeting

There was a discussion regarding the value of murals in downtown Yonkers.  The view was expressed that murals signaled distressed or blighted areas.  Even so it was felt that the murals were interesting to look at and helped in the beautification of the community.  It was also felt that murals tend to improve real estate value of the area.

The group needs to work on developing a guest list for the Thursday Lunch Club meetings.  Bob is going to invite an artist to the meetings.

We are still working on involving the library in the meetings.

The work on the T-Shirts discussed at last week's meeting will be commenced in a couple of weeks.

Groundwork will continue to maintain the garden at St. John's.  This work is part of the CDBG.

One of the goals to improve the downtown area is to relocate the Sharing Community by 2017.

The services offered need to be more engaging for seniors.

The services offered by the Sharing Community need to be split up and a plan should be developed to do so.

It seems that the wealthy would be more inclined to donate to causes involving senior citizens.

Notes from the October 16, 2014 Meeting.

 

Louis Albano gave a brief synopsis of his experience.  Which included the Building Department in Mt. Vernon, creating successful proposals for the Community Development Block Grants from HUD and also in administering the grants, instrumental in creating the Mercury Athletic Club which instituted the Yonkers Marathon.  Presently in his position as Deputy Commissioner of Planning is working on obtaining space on Bashford Street for assisting low and moderate income young people with job training, after school programs, health issues such as avoiding pregnancy, tutoring, personal issues and, mentoring etc.

 

Brandon Kral an overview of her experience which included many creative projects.  Presently one of her films is being shown in the YoFi Festival  She volunteered to design a T Shirt which could be used as PR for Yonkers, or of assisting in conducting a contest for the best design for a T Shirt touting Yonkers.  Dan, Brandon and Tessa, from Chris Johnson's office, have agreed to work together to organize that undertaking. 

 

Jerry Blackstone from the YPRC said that the club was started in 1937 by "blue collar workers" as the Yonkers Canoe Club.  It has since grown to include members from other groups and has increased in size.  The Board of the YPRC meets monthly.  There are weekly paddling sessions on Tuesdays, weather permitting.  Jerry also stated that Jack Gilman teaches boat building at the Kennedy Marina.  He has been instrumental in seeing that boat building skills are replicated in area high schools.

 

Harvey Russack introduced Kelley Blevins to the group.  Mr. Blevins has had experience in developing water front space world wide and feels that Yonkers would be an excellent development project.  He is a member of the Ricardo Bofill Architectural firm located in Barcelona, Spain.

 

Notes from the October 9, 2014 Meeting

 

There was a discussion of the Breakfast meeting led by the police department.  Some of the issues discussed.  Rest Rooms only opened sporadically.  The complaining about the homeless relieving themselves on the streets or elsewhere is useless unless rest rooms are provided.  The Gospel Ministry which has 71 beds is closing.  There is not one shelter for single women and the regular shelters house sexual predators and is not a safe environment for single women.

 

The need for more mental health counselors was again expressed - at this point the available counselors refer the women to New York City.  Lamont Brown was mentioned as a source for a directory of services for the City and the State.

 

The White Plains plan for the Homeless was discussed including a curfew.  But the curfew would affect everyone and probably would not help.

 

The opinion was expressed that development opportunities are not being taken advantage of because of the homeless situation.

 

The need for a complete development plan was also discussed.

 

Does anyone have any ideas for the Christmas season at Manor Hall and for the Clearwater.

 

The cleanliness of the down town was discussed.  Mark has offered to buy a cleaner but how he intends to use it was hazy.  Is he going to rent the machine or offer to use it in his business with an operator?

 

###