Hi Friends & Neighbors

Donations. We usually don’t start off our newsletter asking for donations, but with this issue we’re making an exception. We hope that most readers observed that over a period of three weeks in October, all 26 iron tree surrounds that we care for and maintain from Fifth Avenue to University Place were refurbished.

It was a big job and one we’ve had on the planning board for some time. The cost was nearly $30,000. Yes, we planned and budgeted for it, but we still need to replenish our account and to continue other work going forward. Other important ongoing activities include:

• Block cleaning 5 days a week

• Continued tree care with Urban Arborists

• Planting and care of bulbs, annuals and perennials surrounding our trees

• Summer watering of the trees and plants

• Following matters before Community Board 2 that may affect us

We would be grateful for your donations now…
to replenish our coffers and continue the work of the
East 11th Street Block Association for the benefit of all neighbors

The East 11th Street Block Association is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Your gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

A Little History of the Tree Guards. Some of you may remember twenty years ago in 2002 when the Block Association initiated a program called “Adopt a Tree”. We asked neighbors to take ownership of the tree at their front and donate funds to replace the damaged and mismatched tree surrounds. The program was a huge success. Of seventeen building owners back then, twelve owners either partially or fully funded a new tree surround. The tree surrounds were painted and maintained over the ensuing years and, in some cases, repairs from damage by trucks and cars were needed. Over time, salt from salting icy sidewalks corroded the panels next to the ground. It was time for a refurbishment. (A few years before the “Adopt a Tree” project, we had replaced the “highway” cobra lights with Bishop’s Crook Lights.)

I bet you didn’t know…

Neighbor and active Block Association participant George Vellonakis was instrumental in the design of the tree surrounds. A Landscape Architect, he was previously with Parks and Recreation. In an interview for this issue, George said: 

“The design concept for our iron tree guards, the low fencing around the perimeter of our trees, includes decorative cast iron rosettes, cross bracing geometries and cast-iron ball finals. These architectural features were fabricated when I designed a series of pocket parks along Sixth Avenue known as Churchill Square, Minetta Triangle, Minetta Green and Golden Swan Park during the late 1990s. The concept for these pocket parks was to create a strong repeated decorative fence that complements the Greenwich Village Historic District yet creates a continuous necklace of a green approach/gateway to our community and improves the pedestrian environment along this wide urban avenue. Our tree guards do the very same! Our decorative iron guards around the perimeter of our tree pits have a cohesive and unified signature for our block, a green rhythm of gardens with architectural surroundings as one explores our unique and beautifully planted pocket gardens.”

The decorative tree surrounds also provide a barrier to protect our trees from physical damage and prevent pet waste from entering the tree pits.  They have proven to extend the longevity of our trees.  In the late 1990s NYC Parks’ standards began to allow for larger pit dimensions of 5 feet by 8 feet.  The size of some pits vary due to sidewalk width restrictions to allow for ADA and DOT requirements.

Other Work — Fall Tree Pruning. We confer frequently with Urban Arborists (UA), our “tree doctors on call” — and especially their consultant, Founder, President and Lead Arborist, Bill Logan — about the care of our trees. Bill makes “house calls” and visits our trees.  NY City trees suffer extreme cold in the winter, and we’ve had two recent years of drought. Weak or unhealthy trees are vulnerable to pests. September 20, Bill recommended that UA come back for a check and second pruning. In an earlier pruning they had hoped that some branches that appeared dead might still leaf out. Removal of sidewalk sheds also enabled UA to get to trees they were previously unable to prune. Watching them work is a pretty hair raising experience. Check out the photos below of Marcelo and his crew pruning in September. In one photo, Marcelo is nearing the top of the Dawn Redwood tree. And, yes, he did go to the very top!

Pictures from September 2022:

Graffiti on Light Standards. We tidied up by having graffiti on the light standards painted out — hoping this will discourage new graffiti.

Coming Soon — Prepping of Tree Pits for Fall, Winter and Spring Blooms. Urban Gardeners will soon clean out the tree pits, remove annuals, cut back perennials, plant over 3000 bulbs to greet us with spring blooms and mulch for winter.

And in Early December — Holiday Decorating. We’ve organized holiday decorating for early December, and we’re hoping for a crisp, sunny day to festoon the block with wreaths and a festive holiday tree. Thanks in advance to our volunteers who travel to a garden center to get our wreaths and a tree — and to volunteers and a couple workers who climb the ladders and do the work.

Enjoy Fall 2022 and Happy Thanksgiving!

Remember us when making your year end charitable donations.

We are grateful for all donations.