With its stretches of subway grating flanked by a windowless Con Edison substation and a busy bike lane, Seventh Avenue between West 18th and 19th Streets has long been in need of beautification. While the restaurants and residential buildings of surrounding blocks beckon, this barren, concrete anomaly can\u2019t claim so much as a single shrub, plant, or bush with which to entice. (The nutrient-rich soil necessary for such things has long been supplanted by the 1 Train, running directly below.)<\/p>\n
All that changed last week, with the arrival of five potted trees placed close to the bike lane and spaced evenly from one end of the block to the next. Installeld by The Horticultural Society of New York<\/a> (The Hort), the 60\u2033x42\u2033 planters are filled with \u201ca mix of potting soil and compost. We also use small stones at the base of the planter to ensure proper drainage,\u201d explained Lauren Sadowsky, Business Development Manager, The Hort. Two species\u2013Serviceberry and Redbud\u2013were planted, \u201cboth of which,\u201d noted Sadowsky, \u201care flowering trees.\u201d<\/p>\n The trees didn\u2019t exactly sprout up overnight. \u201cIt all started with Paul Groncki of the 100 West 16th Street Block Association writing years ago to City Council Member Erik Bottcher<\/a> and asking, \u2018What can we do to make this block look better?,\u2019 \u201d recalled 100 West 19th\/20th Street Block Association Chair Sally Greenspan, noting Groncki \u201cthen reached out to CCBA [the Council of Chelsea Block Associations<\/a>] with the same question.\u201d<\/p>\n Two years later\u2013with Greenspan\u2019s block association having worked alongside ConEd, The Hort, and Council Member Bottcher\u2019s office, their combined efforts were celebrated at a hot, sunny, hard-won July 8 ribbon cutting ceremony.<\/p>\n With oversized scissors in hand and poised to cut the ribbon to, well, ribbons, Council Member Bottcher drew from remarks made at similar events that have seen 500 trees placed throughout District 3 (with an equal number to follow). <\/p>\n \u201cStreet trees aren\u2019t just beautiful \u2014 they cool our streets during heat waves, absorb stormwater, clean our air, and make our neighborhoods more livable,\u201d he noted, of the newly arrived multitaskers. <\/p>\n Also speaking at the ceremony was Kimberly Williams, Director of Con Edison\u2019s Manhattan Regional and Community Affairs team. \u201cWe greatly appreciate everyone coming together to collaborate on the planters,\u201d said Williams, noting that Con Edison \u201cis governed by many regulations, so we often have to say several \u2018nos\u2019 to suggestions\u2013but our goal is to create something that works for all parties and to get to \u2018yes.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Circling back to Chelsea Community News several hours after the event, an email from the 100 West 19th\/20th Street Block Association looked back on the \u201calmost two years\u201d of communication and cooperation required \u201cto beautify the appearance of this block. So a very special thank you to Erik Bottcher\u2019s whole team,\u201d wrote Greenspan, \u201cwho dedicated their time and effort and worked with our Block Association and all the parties involved to make this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Con Ed\u2019s Kimberly Williams was also singled out as a good neighbor who \u201cworked diligently to secure the funding. The Hort team spent an endless amount of time designing and redesigning different plans to get the job done within the confines of the budget. In the end, generous neighbors also jumped in to help secure the project, a genuine \u2018it takes a village\u2019 moment. Yippee!\u201d <\/p>\n