Lenape Bloemendael District Management Association

Hi, I am writing for the 200s West 109th Street Block Association. We are raising funds to cover the cost of ContraPest, a form of rat contraception.

At the end of last summer, we formed around a shared disgust for the rats that infest our block. While there has been improvement, we still run into rats when we walk down the block. People have had rats run across their feet or even stepped on a rat. Rats are even in walls, upper floors, and running around the street.

Some success is not enough. Among our efforts include appealing to property owners, speaking with politicians, educating neighbors, contacting the city complaint line (311), inspections by the Health, Sanitation, and Building Department, and educational workshops. It is an ongoing process.

We would like to act rather than wait for NYC's trials using ContraPest to be completed and implemented in our neighborhood.

Our goal is to raise funds to cover the cost of ContraPest for a year.

Dear Friends,

We’re reaching out to our Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group community to ask for your help by sending us a donation.

We are a small group of neighbors who banded together 20 years ago to dig deeper into the local history of our region of the Upper West Side. During these years, we’ve made a commitment to discover, explore, preserve, and share that history.

Our public programs, from Zoom presentations to walking tours, are free and open to all. We maintain a website featuring past and upcoming events, a Building Database, and other helpful information, and also publish a blog and a newsletter. We house a collection of materials at the Bloomingdale Branch of the New York Public Library on West 100th Street.

Perhaps you have enjoyed an evening watching our neighborhood revealed in the movies made on our streets or learning about the history of Riverside or Central Parks.

Perhaps you’ve used our Building Database to find out more about your own home. Maybe our research helped you discover some local architectural gems or the origin of place names.

In the past, our “fundraising” was a donation basket on the check-in table at our public presentations at Hostelling International New York. That source vanished as we moved to Zoom events during the past three years.

Now we are reaching out to you to help us fund ongoing expenses and special projects. For example, we are: working with our NYPD precinct on a project to create, print, mount, and frame some history panels for the station house; starting a project that involves accessing and analyzing historic census data; and preparing materials for digital media. As we take on larger projects, our need for financial support increases.

We are able to process donations through a Go Fund Me site created in partnership with the non-profit Columbus-Amsterdam Business Improvement District (Lenape Bloemendael District Management Association), making your donation fully tax-deductible.

Thank you in advance for your donation. We know that there are many requests for your support and we appreciate that you consider ours.

Sincerely yours,

The Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group Planning Committee

https://www.upperwestsidehistory.org/

Winifred Armstrong Michael Gonzalez Angel Roman

Peter Arndtsen John Gorham Gil Tauber

Stephanie Azzarone Nancy Macagno Pam Tice

Marjorie Cohen Jim Mackin Vita Wallace

Rob Garber Batya Miller

The West 109th Street Block Association (Amsterdam Avenue-Broadway) is organizing a fantastic block party scheduled for Saturday, June 1, 2025, from 2 - 6 PM.

With the help of the Columbus-Amsterdam BID as our fiscal sponsor, you can help us build a safe, healthy community where people want to stop to chat & get to know each other.

We are building a community on a city block. Funds will support the efforts to get to know each other & will fund a block party on our street where people who live, work, go to school, and worship are brought together to bond while enjoying each other’s company. Any excess funds will be directed to the general ongoing efforts of the block association.

We live on a worn-down block in NYC that has been neglected for years. Residents have come together in the last six months as a block association with two general goals in mind: improving quality of life and building a caring community. We need material help to succeed in creating an event where people will leave feeling they have bonded over enriching activities.

Cleaning up the block, collapsing rat burrows, meeting with city agencies, calling 311, and now beginning to form tenant organizations has been grueling work. The block association has held small social events. While continuing work on safety and health, we are asking for support to bring our block together socially with a major event. We are reaching out now to fund activities designed with interaction in mind at the planned block party.

Our block party is a chance for all ages to work together and celebrate our accomplishments as we continue to get to know each other.

We have the drive and imagination. Help support the West 109th Street Block Association!

Some of the activities that we have planned are:

Creative activities:

Participation activities:

Learn about:

Projects to work on:

Bring it home:

What is happening in the neighborhood: