Category Archives: News

BLACKOUT in Dag Plaza, Urgent Call for Service!

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Friday the 13th, a lunar eclipse, conspiracy? It’s anybody’s guess why the park and street lamps  failed to come on at dusk, cloaking the entire park block in darkness. 

FDHP director Kim Baker reported the total blackout on 9/13  to Parks Manager Shena Kaufman and filed a 311 complaint ticket. Six days later, the park block was still  cloaked in darkness. When  we learned that DOT maintains  all  lamps and that  standard wait time can be a week to 15 days, we sent out an SOS. Many thanks to 17th Precinct Captain Maggie Clamp, Manhattan Parks Chief of Staff Steve Simon, and Patrick Hill, Community Liaison FOR CM Keith Powers, who raised the clarion  call  for immediate attention. 

Now we wait as this UN gateway goes into lockdown and heads of state attend the 79th session of the UNGA. 

Scaffolding…we’re fed up! 

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We continue to voice the community’s outrage and disgust for derelict conditions under the scaffolding and inside the green barrier safety fence as well as the loss of public space. Orsid NY, the management company for 333 E. 46th Street, bears responsibility for the mess. 

Once again we pressed Park officials to provide a removal date for the scaffolding erected by 333 E. 46th Street for DOB ordered facade repairs, and once again, we were told that attorneys are close to an agreement for replacement scaffolding inside the garden.The building’s management company is required to submit plans for the replacement scaffolding to DOB. 

World Leaders Convene at UN, September 22-23

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Expect the usual street closures, park barricades and protests when world leaders convene at UN Headquarters for the 79th Session of the General Assembly (UNGA) to address the critical challenges of global governance amid escalating conflicts. 

In conjunction, Global Goals Week brings together more than 150 partners across civil society, business, and academia to accelerate action for the Sustainable Development Goals. Held annually alongside the UNGA, coalition partners work to ensure the Goals remain at the forefront of the global agenda. 

Watch for Climate Week events all over NYC, including the Highline. 

Construction for the Dag Plaza’s $4 million capital renovation resumes after the UNGA concludes September 30.

VOLUNTEER “Meet and Greet” Saturday, Sept. 7, 9 AM, gather at entrance dome, 2nd Ave and 47th Street

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After a sleepy summer amid scaffolding, we’re planning for a busy autumn, starting with a “Meet and Greet: this Saturday to get acquainted. Join FDHP directors at the entrance dome on 2nd Avenue and learn about volunteer opportunities. Match your interests and skills to FDHP programs.

With the garden closed  for construction, park beautification will focus on the plaza’s trees and tree beds, plant containers, clean-ups and autumn leaf raking. 

We also need help with events, mailings, data entry, tech and IT assistance, tabling at greenmarket and street fairs, advocacy, photography and reporting.

If you have special skills, be sure to let us know!

Please RSVP to Tricia with text 347 266 0923 if you  plan to attend or have questions. 

CAN’T ATTEND BUT WANT TO VOLUNTEER?

Even if you already volunteer with Friends and/or signed up, please take a moment  to fill out the volunteer application on FDHP website so we can match your current availability and interests to our needs. 

CLICK ON LINK:  my volunteer info

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization. Healthy parks make healthy neighborhoods. 

Night Out Against Crime, Tues. Aug 6, 5 to 8 pm

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The show goes on despite a maze of fencing and bureaucratic wrangling
Night Out Against Crime, Tuesday, August 6,  5-8 PM, Dag Plaza Our local 17th  Precinct police officers bring live music, carnival games, grilled burgers, photo ops with police vehicles and crime prevention tips  to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 2nd Avenue and East 47th Street. The show goes on despite the ever-shrinking park space available to the public amid a maze of fencing. Be sure to visit our table and share your concerns with city officials.  No sooner had Parks erected a chain-link construction fence parallel to the seating wall on either side of the DOB-permitted barrier fence that  bisects  the Plaza than NYPD ordered removal  of  Parks’ construction fence until after the UN General Assembly meets in September. Demolition and tree protection were  underway when NYPD concerns added yet another layer of bureaucratic wrangling as lawyers dicker over who bears responsibility and who pays.  Seven months have passed since the park’s $4 million capital renovation was stopped by  safty scaffolding and wood fencing erected by Orsid management for facade repairs to the rear facade of 333 East 46th Street.  Shop  the greenmarket on Wednesdays and the newly opened OASIS Juice Bar offering a  menu of delicious  smoothies, salads and grains. Help keep the plaza healthy and vibrant with your patronage.  

Katharine Hepburn Garden Party, Sat. May 11, 1 PM to 3 PM

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Celebrate Katharine Hepburn’s Birthday with free cake, coffee and live music at our annual garden party in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, Saturday, May 11, 1PM to 3 PM. (RAINDATE, Sat. May 25) Look for the tents at west end of Dag Plaza near Second Avenue entrance dome. 

Peter & the Master Keys will perform swing band favorites from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Wear your spring hat and dancing shoes. Meet you neighbors and city officials.

Volunteers  from NYU Langone Health/Tisch Hospital and Bahá’í International Community, UN office, planted hundreds of Impatiens, attended to tree beds, pruned and spruced up the plaza during Earth Week. So even with the  scaffolding, we’re ready to party! 

The tradition of celebrating Kate’s birthday (May 12,1907) started in 1997 when the park’s garden was dedicated to the famous actress for her role as a good neighbor who joined forces with the Turtle Bay Association to preserve the neighborhood’s charming character and fight for the trees on East 49th Street, now known as Katharine Hepburn Way. 

The event is co-presented by Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza and the Turtle Bay Association in cooperation with NYC Parks & Recreation. 

Children’s Art Contest “What Earth Day Means to Me”

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Children’s environmental awareness starts at home. Join the celebration of Earth Day with this family-friendly project. All children age 1-13 are invited to enter and share their thoughts about Earth Day.   No entry fee.  You may use any medium (paint, crayons, collage. It is up to you. 

  • Deadline April 15, 2023. 
  • One entry per person. 
  • 9 X11 Inches or smaller to fit in the Plaza’s  display cabinet bulletin board. 
  • Winners notified by email and announced  on our website by April 22. 
  • Take a photo of your art and upload it using the Entry Form below.

ENTRY FORM.

Rogue Fencing in Plaza Delays Capital Renovation. One month and the clock is running…

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The barrier fence installed smack in the middle of Dag Plaza by 333 E. 46th Street for repair work on its rear facade has now delayed the park’s capital renovation for one month as DOB, DPR and the architect for the residential building wrestle with how to come to terms with this collision of agencies. The Department of Parks (DPR) was blindsided by the installation when the building’s management failed to inform DPR and work out a feasible solution for a safety fence. DOB permits are posted on the lobby entrance, but not on the scaffolding and barrier fence. (scroll down, please)

All the buildings overlooking the park’s retaining wall have required repairs to their rear facades and even demolition and construction (UAE), but NEVER BEFORE has any safety fencing extended beyond the line of the Plaza’s seating wall. In fact, this photo shows a prior safety barrier for repair work ON THE SAME BUILDING. The fence followed the line of seating wall between the two center fountains. It was winter, and Friends decorated the green panels with stencils of white birch trees and red cardinals.

Underground casino, 4.5 acres of public greenspace and affordable housing

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Midtown East parkland is characterized by plazas and esplanades with gardens and river views, BUT a paucity of lawns. The latest casino pitch for the 6.7 acre site on 1st Avenue between 38th and 41st Street offers 4.5 acres of  lawn and recreation  with  the  casino and parking located underground, accessible from FDR Drive. Another sweetener in the package is a recently introduced community reinvestment fund amounting to $5 million annually or 2 percent of net profits from the casino, whichever is larger, no strings attached. A museum,  a hotel, condominium and rental towers flank the public greenspace  with retail on the ground floor of the 5-star hotel. 

What about public housing? The  Sololiev Group has committed to 513 units of affordable housing made economically  possible by the Mohegan-operated casino and integrated into one of two residential towers. As a result of c ommunity groups, including MECA and St. Vartan Park Conservancy, engaging in dialogue with the developer, the original proposal has evolved into a more innovative landscape design.  

Who Decides? In order to advance to the state level in March, the Sololiev Group proposal requires support from two-thirds of a Community Advisory Committee comprised of the Governor, the Mayor,  NY State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assemblyman Harvey Epstein, Manhattan  Borough President Mark Levine  and Council Member  Keith Powers. So three  of six negative votes kill the plan.  

FDHP is  keeping a close eye on what the  proposal offers in terms of privately maintained green public space with public access.  As the period of public engagement draws to a close with developers vying for one of the three downstate casino licenses, the latest version  of “Freedom Plaza” calls for close examination.