krvc in marble hill may 2018 march 2019 · 1 krvc’s work in marble hill may 2018 – march...
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KRVC’s Work in Marble Hill May 2018 – March 2019
- NYC SBS Neighborhood360° Fellowship Report -
Message from the KRVC Team
on our work in Marble Hill
Since 2014, KRVC has been able to expand our programming to serve the Marble Hill community. We developed and implemented many programs, including producing cultural and artistic events, supporting revitalization of the commercial corridor and merchant organizing, children entertainment activities, community roundtables, cleaning and beautification events, and many other activities to benefit the Marble Hill community. We are grateful for the support we have received for the last several years from the New York City Small Business Services (SBS) to create a new logo and branding for a new Marble Hill Merchants Association. Since July 2018, thanks to the SBS Neighborhood 360° program, we have a dedicated Project Director for Marble Hill, placed at KRVC through March 2019. In this publication we want to present the results of our Neighborhood 360° Fellow/Marble Hill Project Director work in Marble Hill between June 2018 and March 2019, to support increased awareness and civic engagement of all our partners in the community, including businesses, civic organizations, residents and elected officials. Team KRVC is known for our dedicated and professional service and we look forward to continuing to serve the Marble Hill community in the future. Tracy McCabe Shelton, Executive Director, [email protected] Shari Hall, Development Director, [email protected] Camelia Tepelus, Marble Hill Project Director/SBS Neighborhood 360° Fellow, [email protected]
Contents
2018
May Celebrating Mother’s Day in Marble Hill
June Shop Local&Save Event
Marble Hill Merchants and Community Leaders Dinner
July 228th Street Beautification
Showing KRVC’s work in Marble Hill to the NYC Small Business Services Neighborhood360° Fellows
August Supporting NYPD Night Out Against Crime
Celebrating the Marble Hill community at the Marble Hill Houses Family Day Community outreach for environmental improvements in Marble Hill
September Helping small businesses prevent the
most commonly issued commercial violations Supporting businesses confronted with emergencies
October 225th Street Beautification
November Compliance advisory consultation for
new business on 225th street in Marble Hill Celebrating Small Business Saturday on Broadway
December Marble Hill Holiday Trolley of Fun
2019
February Marble Hill Town Hall
March Launch of Marble Hill “Community Needs
Assessment” Report
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Celebrating Mother’s Day in Marble Hill
Dozens of kids happily created their masterpieces for mom at our Truckin’ with KRVC Card & Corsage Mother’s Day event in Marble Hill on Friday, May 11th. The budding artists used a mix of glitter, tissue paper and imagination to honor moms on their special day. This all took place in front of Flowers By Zenda at 5217 Broadway. We even had a visit from Senator Marisol Alcantara to mark the occasion. These events are possible because of the generous support we receive from the NYC Small Business Services and we were pleased to welcome our program manager Sean Dennihy-Bailey. A special thanks to Orlando Kross, owner of Flowers By Zenda, for supporting all the work that we do.
Shop Local & Save Event
On Tuesday, June 26th, we have parked our truck again in front of Flowers By Zenda from 2 to 4pm, and celebrated the end of the school year with arts and crafts and face painting for children. For the Marble Hill businesses, we had a first display and presentation of the new logo and campaign posters, part of a new branding effort to support the Marble Hill Merchants Association, made possible by a grant from NYC Small Business Services. Several merchants were quick to display the new logo and poster in their entrances. Thank you all for your continued support! We were happy to also receive a visit from the NYC SBS Neighborhood 360° Program Manager La-Toya Niles and Angel Vasquez representing State Senator Marisol Alcantara’s office during this event.
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Marble Hill Merchants & Community
Leaders Dinner
June 26th concluded with a celebratory Marble Hill Merchant and Community Leaders Dinner held at Montezuma. We were honored to have as guests several Marble Hill and Riverdale community leaders including Sergio Villaverde (Chair of Economic Development for CB8), Anthony Edwards (President of the Marble Hill Tenants Association), Carol Hendricks (representing Promenade Tenants Association), Orlando Kross (Flowers by Zenda) and other merchants. KRVC’s work to support commercial revitalization, beautification and branding on the Marble Hill commercial corridor will expand over the next months with on-the-ground research, observation and interviews with merchants to be carried out by our new NYC SBS Neighborhood 360 Fellow Camelia Tepelus (KRVC’s Marble Hill Project Director), towards compiling a Marble Hill Community District Needs Assessment document. This comprehensive document will highlight the specific needs of the corridor, and will be used as a tool for advocacy and further addressing the needs of the Marble Hill commercial corridor. We would like to thank again all local merchants, community leaders, elected officials and city agencies supporting KRVC’s work in Marble Hill.
228th Street Sidewalk Beautification On July 11, 2018, the KRVC team led by our Beautification Director Nancy Moukas, together with Development Director Shari Hall and SBS Fellow/Marble Hill Project Director Camelia Tepelus, turned two neglected tree pits on 228th Street in Marble Hill into beautiful patches of flowers. We were joined by business owners Chalan of Lé Chalan Nail Salon (110 W 228th street), and Sally Diaz of Sally Food Corp (125 W228th street), who received watering cans to maintain the flowers and the newly restored tree pits. KRVC thanks Orlando Kross, leader of the Marble Hill Merchants Association and owner of Flowers by Zenda (5217 Broadway), for providing soil and plants, and for his continued advocacy to improve street cleanliness and to beautify the Marble Hill commercial corridor.
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All Marble Hill merchants and interested community residents are invited to follow KRVC’s work in Marble Hill on Facebook at
@marblehillbx You can follow all of KRVC’s programs on:
@krvcdc @krvcbronx @krvcbronx @broadwayinthebronx
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Showing KRVC’s work in Marble Hill to the NYC Small Business Services
Neighborhood360° Fellows
On July 26th, the 2018-2019 cohort of NYC Small Business Services Neighborhood360° fellows toured Marble Hill, guided by KRVC Marble Hill Project Director/SBS Fellow Camelia Tepelus. The NYC SBS Fellowship program is a highly selective leadership initiative designed to help community-based organizations complete commercial revitalization projects and connect local stakeholders to city resources. Earlier this year KRVC launched a new phase of engagement in Marble Hill, including new branding and marketing campaign for the commercial corridor, support for merchant organizing, community outreach and research to produce a Commercial District Needs Assessment in Marble Hill, all with financial support from the NYC Small Business Services.
Together with SBS Senior Development Manager Leon Fonfa and Senior Project Manager La-Toya Niles, the SBS fellows group visited several businesses along the Broadway commercial corridor, in the Marble Hill residential area, on the 225th and the 228th streets. The fellows interviewed Marble Hill merchant leaders including Mustafa Awawda of Riverdale Furniture & Mattress Corporation (5211 Broadway), Antonio José Ruiz, President of Better Taxes (129 Terrace View Avenue), and Rafael Rodriguez, owner of GG&J Food Center (151 W 228th street), learning about the different challenges faced by small businesses in Marble Hill.
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All merchants spoke extensively about Marble Hill needing additional safety measures and a more visible law enforcement presence, both in the commercial corridor as well as in the residential side of the neighborhood. Business owners also described a general need for improved cleanliness and upgrades to the Marble Hill streetscape, including additional garbage receptacles, street beautification and community mobilization around these issues. Merchants also strongly advocated for additional outreach to elected officials to secure resources and infrastructure to support both the Marble Hill business and residential community.
Supporting the NYPD Night Out Against Crime
On Tuesday, August 8th, the KRVC team and the Marble Hill Merchants Association joined the Kingsbridge community to
support the NYPD Night Out Against Crime . Our team sponsored children entertainment including mini-golf, building with lego blocks, arts and crafts and a bouncy house. The evening brought together residents from Kingsbridge, Riverdale, Van Cortlandt, Kingsbridge Heights and Marble Hill, coming out to celebrate our great law enforcement partners from the NYPD 50th Precinct and across the city.
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Celebrating with the
Marble Hill community
at the
Marble Hill Houses Family Day
on Saturday August 18th
On Saturday, August 18th, the Marble Hill Merchants Association
and KRVC joined the Marble Hill Houses community in celebrating the Marble Hill Houses Family Day. Together with residents, community leaders as well as elected officials including Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa, NYPD 50th Precinct, Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, and many others, we enjoyed a sunny summer day filled with joy and children’s laughter, as well as tasty treats and refreshments. The event, hosted by the newly created Marble Hill Tenants Council led by Anthony Edwards was co-sponsored by KRVC and the Marble Hill Merchants Association who provided the children entertainment program including a magic show, face painting and balloon figures. The Marble Hill Houses residents also joined in advocating for additional street beautification actions, by adding their names in support of ideas submitted to the NYC Participatory Budgeting process. Proposed improvements for Marble Hill, included: - improved sidewalk landscaping, - better street lighting and garbage collection, - addition of benches along 228th and 225th streets, as well as on the Broadway commercial corridor in Marble Hill. These ideas were submitted within the NYC Participatory Budgeting process for further consideration by the New York City Council 10th District in Manhattan which includes Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill.
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Compliance Advisory Appointments for NYC Small Businesses Did you know that, as a small business owner you may receive a free compliance advisory consultation from the NYC Small Business Services (NYC SBS), to avoid the most common violations? Upon making an appointment, an advisor will present to you – at no cost – a list of issues your business needs to address in order to prevent the most common violations. If you are a restaurant, a personal care business, a coffee shop, a supermarket or any other type of business, this assistance is available for you completely free of charge. You can make an appointment to access this service at https://nycgov.tfaforms.net/277734. Commercial Lease Legal Assistance for NYC Small Businesses Another free service that NYC SBS offers to eligible small businesses is commercial lease legal assistance. For businesses getting ready to sign a new lease, businesses whose leases are due to end, or in the process of re-negotiation, free legal services are available from the NYC SBS Commercial Lease Assistance Program, which can be accessed at https://www1.nyc.gov/site/sbs/businesses/commercial-lease-assistance-program.page.
Working with NYC Small Business Services to help
small businesses prevent common violations
In the context of KRVC’s work to support thriving commercial corridors in our area, we are linking small businesses with free services that may help merchants keep their costs down and improve service quality. Small business owners have to comply with hundreds of New York City regulations pertaining to the Department of Health, Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Sanitation, Fire Department, Department of Transportation, and many other agencies. Many times, violations issued by inspectors from these agencies add up to thousands of dollars in fines which could be easily preventable.
On September 6th, 2018, upon referral from KRVC’s SBS Fellow, Angela’s Beauty, a hair styling business on 312, W 231st street, received valuable advice from SBS’s Compliance Consultant Michael Fong, who conducted a free site visit and site review. Together with the owner, the advisor identified areas to correct in order to prevent issuance of fines or violations by various city agencies, notably the Health, Transportation, Sanitation, Consumer Affairs and the Fire Department.
On September 24th, we facilitated the same advisory service for Flowers by Zenda owner Orlando Kross at 5217 Broadway in Marble Hill. The SBS advisor reviewed with the merchant regulations concerning the collection of trash and recyclables, sidewalk and property cleanliness, placement and inspection of the fire extinguishers, details on storefront presentation and potential for improvements. For more information or if you need assistance to access these services, you may contact the NYC SBS Fellow at KRVC and Marble Hill Project Director Camelia Tepelus, at 6468742179, or [email protected] Thank you Michael, Angela and Orlando!
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KRVC community outreach for environmental improvements in
residential Marble Hill
In conjunction to our commercial revitalization programing in Marble Hill, KRVC has also reached out to community members active in the work to green and beautify the area. We will continue to support community organizing towards a shared vision for a greener and cleaner streetscape in Marble Hill, including mobilizing businesses and residents in cleanup activities.
Photos from the August 25th and August 31st clean-ups led and organized by Marble Hill community leader Anthony del
Orbe and volunteer teams. Together with local community leaders including Anthony del Orbe, Roberto Vargas and Hilary Calahan, KRVC continues to review opportunities to support greening and beautification in the Marble Hill area, to benefit both the commercial corridor, as well as the Marble Hill residents. We have conducted several community walk-throughs to introduce community members to merchant leaders and to improve coordination between different stakeholders in the Marble Hill community.
KRVC warmly congratulates the Marble Hill Houses community and the Outer Seed Shadow project for opening on August 25th a new vegetable garden at 228th street and Broadway, and for their extraordinary commitment to continue work educating the community on healthy eating and civic engagement.
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Support for small businesses confronted with emergency situations
On Thursday, September 27th, KRVC became aware of severe flooding affecting several Broadway businesses, following a
previous day of heavy, sustained rain. We reached out to our partners the Kingsbridge BID, as well as the Community
Board 8. KRVC SBS fellow Camelia Tepelus visited several of the commercial locations affected, documenting the impact
of the flooding at several businesses on Broadway.
The Riverdale Garage at 5604 Broadway reported having four feet of water in the garage lower level the previous night.
A private company had been hired by the business to pump the water in the sewer system on Broadway at the time of
the visit. Williams Funeral Home at 5628 Broadway also reported having the lower level flooded the previous night, with
the water receding naturally by the following morning; the business indicated that repairs of their lower level were
needed, including long-term protective measures. Flooding at Astral Fitness at 5500 Broadway was reported on Bronx
News 12, and the business had to close due the extensive nature of the damage.
Photos from Riverdale Garage at 5604 Broadway, on September 27, 2018, 1 pm.
We contacted the NYC SBS Emergency Response Unit (ERU), who informed us that unfortunately the Broadway corridor
has a long history of water damage. ERU responded to similar emergencies in 2006 and 2009, both time a combination
of a city water main breaking, and torrential flooding. SBS ERU is in the process of scheduling visits to the affected
businesses, in order to advise on remediation measures and provide additional support resources.
Photo left from Riverdale Garage at 5604 Broadway in the early hours of September 27, 2018; photo center, CSX neighboring property west of Riverdale Garage; photo right, flooding at Williams Funeral Home at 5628 Broadway.
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225th Street Beautification and
Community Outreach
On October 25th, the KRVC team conducted a streetscape beautification and community outreach event at the southern side of Marble Hill on 225th street. Enjoying a beautiful late October sunny afternoon, our team, joined by community volunteers cleaned up, mulched and planted new flowers in three tree pits on the sidewalk between Broadway and Marble Hill Avenue, and also cleaned and provided mulch on a 4th tree pit by the Metro North Marble Hill entrance. Between the beautiful Harlem River views and the restored tree pits, it was amazing to observe the dramatic difference our beautification work made to the streetscape and to the overall pedestrian experience on 225th street. Supplies, mulch and plants for the event were generously provided by Flowers by Zenda owner and Marble Hill Merchants Association leader Orlando Kross. We also reached out to the Marble Hill community by conducting shopper surveys exploring how the commercial corridor is responding to community needs, and what additional improvements residents are requesting. The information collected will be incorporated into research to elaborate a Marble Hill Commercial District Needs Assessment that will be released in spring 2019.
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Marble Hill Merchants and Community Leaders Dinner
In the evening of October 26th, KRVC’s the full Marble Hill project team (Tracy Shelton, Executive Director, Shari Hall, Development Director, Nancy Moukas, Beautification Director, and Camelia Tepelus, SBS Fellow/Marble Hill Project Director) jointly with Marble Hill merchants and community leaders came together for a celebratory dinner at Montezuma on Kingsbridge Road, networking and exploring future plans and projects. We are extending thanks to Flowers by Zenda, to the NYC Small Business Services and to community activists Paulette Shomo and Anthony del Orbe for supporting our work in Marble Hill.
Compliance Advisory Consultation for New Business on 225th Street
We were able to welcome opening of new business “Taqueria Sinaloense” at 113 W 225th Street, by facilitating a visit from the NYC SBS Compliance Advisory Service on November 19, 2018. The taco-business which opened recently benefited from the visit of SBS advisor Angelo Pagan, which guided the owner, Pedro Almaraz, through the many requirements a small business needs to observe, from a variety of city agencies, including the NYC Fire Department, NYC Sanitation Department, NYC Department of Consumer Affairs, NYC Department of Health, etc. Upon inspecting the business, the SBS advisor provides the owner at-no-cost a detailed report, including suggesting for remediating potential violations. This service is available to any business by submitting an online request at https://nycgov.tfaforms.net/277734. For more information about the service of help accessing more information, you may contact the Camelia Tepelus, our Marble Hill Project Director/NYC SBS Fellow at [email protected].
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Celebrating Small Business Saturday on
Broadway in Marble Hill
On Saturday November 24th, team KRVC parked the truck in front of Flowers by Zenda on Brodway to mark “Small Business Saturday” by encouraging the local community to patronize local small businesses. A face painter and stilt walker provided entertainment for children, and we had arts and crafts kits available for holiday decorations. We were happy to put a smile on people‘s faces on a cold November afternoon. We also used the opportunity to survey local shoppers on their experiences shopping in Marble Hill, the extent to which the area fulfills their needs, and what potential actions could enhance the shopping experience along Broadway. Thanks again to Orlando Kross, owner of Flower by Zenda and leader of the Marble Hill Merchants Association for hosting the KRVC team and supporting our work in Marble Hill.
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Marble Hill Holiday Trolley of Fun 2018
On December 8th
2018, a sunny Saturday afternoon, the KRVC Truck parked again in front of Flowers by Zenda in Marble Hill, to kick start celebration of the holiday season on the Broadway commercial corridor. Our signature event, the “Marble Hill Holiday Trolley of Fun” was a joyful opportunity for families and children to meet and greet Santa and The Grinch, and to take a fun ride together around the neighborhood. The trolley picked up shoppers and children alike and took them on a ride along the Marble Hill commercial corridors on Broadway and W 225th street. We had arts and crafts activities, face painting and informational materials about our work to assist the merchants and residential community in Marble Hill, with the support of NYC Small Business Services. All had a joyful afternoon of laughter and cheer, the perfect day to get into the spirit of holidays. KRVC thanks Orlando Kross, owner of Flowers by Zenda and leader of the Marble Hill Merchants Association, for hosting the event and for consistently supporting the KRVC work in the Marble Hill community over the years.
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Presentation of KRVC’s work on the Broadway commercial corridor
at the Marble Hill Town Hall
On February 21st 2019, KRVC’s Marble Hill Project Director Camelia Tepelus (SBS Fellow) presented an overview of our work to improve the Marble Hill commercial corridor at the Marble Hill Town Hall held at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church at 146 W 228th Street. The meeting was organized by the office of the Congressman Adriano Espaillat and the Marble Hill Resident Council led by Marble Hill Houses President Anthony Edwards, and was attended by close to 100 residents and by elected representatives including the Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, Assembly Member Carmen De La Rosa, Bronx Community Board 8 members, the NYPD 50th Precinct Captain Emilio Melendez, etc. Marble Hill houses residents expressed their interest and strong support for more projects continuing to address the significant sanitation and beautification needs of the commercial corridor on Broadway, as well as within the residential part of Marble Hill.
Launching the Marble Hill “Community Needs Assessment” Report
The final deliverable of the SBS Neighborhood 360 ° Fellow Camelia Tepelus project in Marble Hill is a research study called a “Community Needs Assessment”, which will be formally launched at the KRVC Board meeting on March 12, 2019. The report contains detailed demographic, socio-economic, employment and census data on Marble Hill residential and commercial areas, and will be available on the KRVC website and shared with the Bronx Community Board 8 members, elected officials and the wider community. Based on interviews, observations, shopper and merchant surveys, the report is also highlighting the most pressing needs of the Marble Hill community and commercial corridor, as well as provide recommendations for improvement opportunities.
We invite all interested community advocates – merchants, individuals and any other groups - to contact our Marble Hill Project Director Camelia Tepelus at [email protected], and KRVC Development Director [email protected] to coordinate efforts and mobilize resources to support future work in the Marble Hill community.
Thank you to all our Marble Hill businesses and community partners!
Thank you to all city officials and elected representatives
supporting the work of KRVC in Marble Hill!
