I produced this video for New York City is Not For Sale this week, as part of an effort to draw attention to Mayor Bloomberg for his proposed budget cuts. We had a lot of fun putting this together.
Enjoy.
The 2011 Design Workshop, a collective of nine Parsons School of Design graduate students, is prepared to build a major enhancement to the pool and recreation center in Highbridge Park. The project would free space in the recreational center building for many activities. Currently the building is used as a locker room and changing area during the summer.
Using the popular fundraising website KickStarter.org the group is targeting $15,000 in donations by June 1st, which would represent a significant portion of the project's funding. Reaching the goal would help make the expansion of the pool facilities a reality, but as of May 26th only $12,000 had been pledged, with less than a week left until their fundraising deadline arrives.
On June 1st, six days from now, the project might face funding challenges if the pool rehab water mark of $15,000 isn't met. The exact outcome of the fundraising goal falling short has not been made clear by the group on their KickStarter.org page. However if the KickStarter.org goal is not met, none of the credit cards used to donate money will be charged, effectively leaving the group $15,000 short.
The pool has been a hub of activity for generations, and the enhancements proposed by the Design Workshop are being presented as a simple, cheap and carefully planned solution to the problems inherent in operating a pool of this size and popularity.
The group's KickStarter.org page can be found here, and below is a video they produced explaining the proposed enhancements:
Via DNAInfo
After more than fifteen years in existence, Hudson Heights, and The Hudson Heights Owners Coalition, will now be sharing their territory with another owners coalition in the sub-section of Washington Heights.
The Uptown Current was sent a press release yesterday by Jusky Ding, who is the Co-op Board President of 753 West 178th Street, and the co-founder of newly formed, 5-building strong, Bustling Gardens Owners Coalition. Ding is "thrilled to announce the formation of the coalition," and says it took "nearly a year of planning."
Ding, also of the "Friends of the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal" group, is a regular and outspoken member of the community at the monthly CB12 Traffic & Transportation Committee meetings, and said in a phone call that the coalition would attract "prospective home owners who understand that they are separate from the rest of Hudson Heights."
"These blocks are unique," insists Ding, "and we are hoping people will see that." Fifty years ago, before the Trans-Manhattan Expressway was built, "this area looked just like the rest of Hudson Heights, but now we have a bus station and no one can argue that the station and I-95 don't set us apart."
In the conversation with Ding, concerns that the owners coalition could be trying to separate itself from Hudson Heights, were raised.
The Uptown Current called a representative of the Hudson Heights Owners Coalition, who wished to remain anonymous, "[this] is just their way of trying to disassociate themselves from Hudson Heights. It's like what we did with Washington Heights."
Elaborating, the source said, "It was the 90s! Back then we had real reasons to not want to be associated with our associations."
And the trend may be continuing. 16 Pinehurst Avenue is apparently starting a movement to rename the 4th-6th floors in their apartment building as 'The Bustling-Hudson-Washington Shareholders Association.'" Apparently the group is aiming to market apartments with better light than others within their cooperative as being of higher value, compared to apartments on lower floors.
None of the shareholders could be reached for comment, though apparently owners on the third floor are arguing with shareholders on the upper floors about being considered for inclusion in the coalition.
With a push mentioned on their website to have StreetEasy.com recognize the area as "Busting Gardens," Hudson Heights' sub-map of Washington Heights could soon see a sub-map of its own.
On their return lap an estimated 7,000 people, from the race leaders, to the last runner, begin mile 3 of the Coogan's 5K Race on March 6th, 2011.
Depending on their speed each person is visible for about 1 to 5 frames. The video was recorded over a period of 45 minutes.
On Sunday 71st Assembly District Democratic Leader Mark Levine outlined a progressive agenda to help meet the needs of his constituents.
See his remarks below.
