City Council Hearing on East River Park this Wednesday

A joint hearing on East River Park is being held by the City Council on Wednesday, January 23, at 1pm at City Hall. A Press Conference is being held at Noon on the Steps of City Hall on the East River Park Plan. We need gardeners to turn out in garden colors, with signs and numbers to show our strength and unity of our community.

We are in the middle of a struggle to preserve East River Park. We are fighting the proposed plan and its implementation. The City intends to close the entire park for at least 3 1/2 years beginning next Spring.

LUNGs has been actively involved with a new community group, The East River Alliance, to resist this new plan. Our major concern is lack of community input, the environmental impact, concerns not addressed in the proposed plan and closing the entire Park for such an extended period of time.
The East River Alliance and LUNGS are preparing testimony for the hearing. Other groups are welcome to testify and anyone who wishes to is encouraged to a prepare personal testimony. You don’t need to testify but you need to be there, please save the time and the date, be at City Hall at 11:30 am on Wednesday, Jan 32 for the Press Conference.

The community is getting its first chance to speak out publicly: to officially raise hell about their concerns with the new plan. The City Council hearing on the East Side Coastal Resiliency(ESCR) project will be Wednesday, January 23rd at 1:00 PM at City Hall. Press Conference at NOON. Councilwoman Carlina Rivera will be there advocating on our behalf, and she has asked us to rally as many folks as possible to attend. We are asking each garden to send at least two gardeners to this hearing, we need your support; this is going to effect all of us.

LUNGS is hosting a sign, banner , costume making party, Tuesday evening Jan 22, 6-9pm at 428 E.10th St. We have supplies, please come by and let’s have some fun!

East River Park Meeting Tomorrow

The planned destruction of East River Park is going to have a direct impact on our gardens. LUNGS is holding a public meeting tomorrow, Thursday, January 17, at 7pm at 428 E10th St.(C&D) to discuss the situation. Please send a garden rep to be part of the discussion.

We are in the middle of a struggle to preserve East River Park. We are fighting the proposed plan and its implementation. The City intends to close the entire park for at least 3 1/2 years beginning next Spring.

Whatever is going to happen, the gardens need to be prepared. We will be called on to open our garden gates and welcome a community more needy than ever before. Our green spaces will take on an even important role for the neighborhood then today. We need to understand this and plan accordingly.

We also must plan for the joint hearing on East River Park at the City Council’s on Wednesday, January 23, at 1pm at City Hall. We must turn out in garden colors, with signs and numbers to show our strength and unity of our community.

Community Gardener Survey

Recently a survey was sent out by GreenThumb asking Community Gardens questions ahead of receiving new licenses. We thought it would be informative to hear from you in another series of questions. As gardeners you have a unique perspective on the rewards and problems in maintaining public green space in the City. In December the City will be issuing new 4-year licenses for our gardens. We believe these agreements should have input from the gardeners. We are all volunteers working for free as stewards of city property. As such we deserve to be part of the discussion in any agreement we are being asked to sign. PLEASE fill out this SURVEY

LUNGS Summer programming

We have 12 City High School Students again working with us in the gardens through the City’s Summer Youth Employment Program. Let us know your garden’s needs and projects and we can schedule workdays. Our workdays are Sundays, Wednesdays. Thursdays. Fridays and Saturdays 10 am to 4pm.

This year LUNGS is continuing The Living Classroom(TLC) program. We are offering free educational environmentally based classes for elementary aged children. The classes will be held in the mornings 10:30-11:30 am on Mondays and Fridays at Campos Garden, 640 E.12th St between Aves B & C. And in the afternoons on Mondays and Fridays 1:30 to 3pm at Green Oasis Garden, 376 E.8th St, between Aves C & D. We are working in conjunction with the Educational Alliance for the TLC program but classes are open to all. If you are interested contact us at info@lungsnyc.org

This year LUNGS new Program:
FREE SENIOR SUMMER CLASSES
In Three Community Gardens, For six weeks
July 9 to August 17
Cooking Classes, Every Monday 10:15 to 11:30am
In DeColores Garden 311 E. 8th St (Aves.B & C)

Gardening Classes, Every Wednesday 10:15 to 11:30am
In Eastside Outside Garden 404 E. 11th St ( 1st Ave & A)

Movement Classes, Every Friday 10:15 to 11:30am
In 6BC Botanical Garden 624 E. 6th St Aves B & A)
To register and for more information info@lungsnyc.org