January 14th- Neighbors, friends, police, and elected officials came out in record numbers for the East 86th Street Annual Meeting. A little cold rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of some 160+ people who attended to hear presentations from the NYPD’s 19th Precinct Officers, Council Members Ben Kallos and Keith Powers, as well as a number of Board Members from the East 86th Street Association.

Crime and Safety was the most important issue according to residents, followed by over-development, and Sanitation, which was the biggest concerns from the two years prior. Several NYPD Officers were generous with unpaid time to join the meeting representing Sectors “B” (E 79th- E 86th), and Sector “C” (E 86th-E 96th). Police warned of inaccurate information frequently spread by social media apps like the Citizen App, and reminded the community that if they see a crime in process, the most important thing to do is to call 911 right away! Police also answered numerous questions regarding the recent rise in crime, and bemoaned the recent changes in regards to Bail Reform. We appreciate the great work of the 19th, and have started a petition to increase funding for the Precinct to put more Officers on the Streets. To sign the petition, please click here: http://chng.it/KyGgHpVY .

Passions were high when the topic of overdevelopment came up. Several residents indicated that they were very upset about recent superscrapers being built in the area, expoitation of zoning regulations to increase height with the use of mechanical voids or lot splitting (see 180 East 88th Street), and the potential for Northwell Health to build well outside of the scale of the neighborhood at Lenox Hill Hospital. The Association will continue to advocate for a 210’ height limit and zoning rules improvements to prevent blatant flaunting of existing standards and regulations. We appreciate the hard work put in by Council Member Kallos on this issue, and encourage other elected officials to emulate his approach.

As mentioned, Sanitation has dropped from the most pressing concern in the area to third. We would like to think that our efforts are paying off. Over the past several years we have advocated for larger garbage cans, a doubling of corner can pick-ups, and funded street cleaners, known as “Greenkeepers” from Goddard Riverside twice/week. To supplement our efforts, Council Member Kallos started a pilot program for “Wildcat” street cleaners to clean, sweep, remove graffiti, and even power wash throughout the neighborhood. The program was such a success that the Wildcats are now working 4 days/week and are funded through the next fiscal year.

East 86th Street Association Members detailed recent accomplishments during the meeting, including:

• Deep root feeding and pruning street trees along the length of East 86th Street.

• Cleaned, leveled, mulched all tree pits on the heavily traveled stretch of East 86th between Second Avenue and Park Avenue.

• Initiated several “experimental tree pits” filling them with plants like Rosa Rugosa, Yews, and Holly to evaluate the most suitable and sustainable plants for a more aggressive spring planting program.

• Aggressive oversight of the $1.25 Million East 86th Street “Streetscape Plan” that brought new trees, tree guards, “Bishops Crook” lampposts, and updated street furniture to East 86th Street.

• Regularly assembled volunteer “Clean Teams” of area residents to clean East 86th Street while fostering community, raising sanitation awareness, and giving local residents the opportunity to interact with local elected officials who have also volunteered.

• Advocated and continue to advocate against Street Vendor legislation that aims to introduce nearly limitless vending on our streets.

• Met regularly with the 19th Precinct to discuss community concerns and cooperated extensively with the precinct to raise awareness on social media and elsewhere regarding crime trends, wanted perpetrators, and prevention measures.

The year ahead look bright for East 86th Street. With the help and support of the community, we plan to continue to beautify East 86th Street with new plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs. We will continue to advocate on behalf of our residents for safer, cleaner, and civilized streets. We will continue to insist on clean streets, and look to address mid-block sanitation challenges with private collection from Big Belly cans tended by a network of neighborhood building managers and the help of Wildcats and Green Keepers. We will continue to advocate for reasonable building heights and to preserve our space and light while not overburdening our transportation systems and schools. We encourage local residents to get involved. Join the East 86th Street Association, follow @East86th on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Call or tweet 311 with quality of life complaints or to report homeless in need. Attend community meeting with Community Board 8, the NYPD meetings, and contact your local elected officials and attend their meetings to make your concerns heard. In short, activate! Together, if we make ourselves heard, and work together, anything is possible in our community!