June 2010 - Harlem Community Development Corporation

HARLEM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
JUNE 2010
H arlem C DC
HCDC Spring
Gallery
The Calendar
Harlem River Park Summer
Ribbons Cut: Cue The Student Ecologists and Artists
Extra Clicks
Get On
Our List
About
Us
THE LATEST—
GREEN FROM INSIDE OUT
—The takeaway from our
green energy event
HOME BUYER SERIES
—summer seminars for
prospective homeowners
HARLEM AFRICAN
BURIAL GROUND
—inquiry into sacred
space under East Harlem
State Finds Disparity
In M/WBE Contracting
Last month, the New York
State Department of Economic
Development released results of a
study commissioned in 2006 to
determine “whether there is a
disparity between the number of
qualified minority and womenowned (M/WBEs) businesses ready,
willing and able” to land state
contracts, and the number that
actual got them.
In a cover letter to New
Yorkers on the results, Governor
David Paterson was clear about the
answer. Between April 2004 and
March 2008, the New York State
agencies contracted with M/WBE
firms, “at rates far lower than their
availability would indicate.”
Moreover, said Paterson, “The
authors of the study determined
(see “Disparity” on page 3)
A warm and busy spring in Harlem River Park will continue into the summer, as the
Harlem River Park Task Force and its component groups move the park into a new season
of growth and development along the waterfront.
Last April, New York City Parks
& Recreation (Parks) Commissioner
Adrian Benepe and representatives
from several elected and appointed
officials—including Secretary of
State Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez,
Congressman Charles B. Rangel,
Jason Wright, CFO of New York
City’s Economic Development
Corporation (EDC), Community
Boards 10 and 11 and Harlem CDC
Board of Directors Chairman Keith
L.T. Wright—cut the ribbon
opening the newest section of the park. HCDC Planning Director Thomas G. Lunke made
remarks before the crowd of about 100 supporters.
“It was great to see so many people come out on a rainy, windswept day to celebrate
an important model of collaborative community planning,” said Lunke afterwards. “This
park is a hidden gem that will only grow in prominence over time,” he added.
The event celebrated the extension of the greenway along the Harlem River from East
138th Street to East 145th Street. It provides a link between the existing Harlem River Park
bikeway to the south, which runs from East 138th to East 132nd Street. Developed by the
“Designing the Edge” program in partnership with Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance,
Harlem River Park Task Force, Parks, EDC, and the New York State Department of State,
Harlem River Park is also a
prototype for reconstructing urban
seawalls with shorelines of high
recreational and habitat value.
For the last year, students from
nearby Frederick Douglass
Academy have taken advantage of
these features to use Harlem River
(see “Park” on page 4)
Photo by Yekaterina Gluzberg, Partnership for Parks
HARLEM CDC-A SUBSIDIARY OF EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORP.
www.harlemcdc.org
HARLEM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
JUNE 2010
Harlem CDC hosted
the “Green From the
Inside Out” series last
March to try and close
the gap between the
“talk” and the “walk” about the green, energy efficient future
coming to Upper Manhattan. Participants—including Solar
One Green Energy, Grow NYC, CCNY Green and New York
Energy Smart came armed with information on everything from
changing light bulbs to recycling paper to financing wind
turbines to produce nearly free electricity.
But, said Harlem CDC director of Weatherization
Assistance Kurtis Pender, it still takes some digging to find the
green opportunity
that fits your
home or business.
And while most of
the action is still
focused
on
multifamily
property owners,
a lot of Harlem
apartment
Harlem CDC Director Kurtis Pender (right) talks renters stand to
with participant at “GFIO” event on March 31st.
benefit.
“Owners find themselves in a much better position now,”
said Pender, because ‘stimulus money’—the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act funding—has expanded opportunities to
improve more housing units and at higher income ranges than
before. For example, under a program run by New York State
Energy Research
and Development
A u t h o r i t y
( N YS E R DA ) ,
owners with
residents earning
up to 80% of the
State median
income are eligible
for funding, versus Max Joel of Solar One explains available
a ceiling of 60% NYSERDA programs
under the existing
Weatherization program. (see “GFIO” on page 3)
Looking To Buy A Home?
Harlem CDC Home Buyer Series
Continues Through The Summer
Harlem CDC’s Home Buyer and Home Owner education
series continues this summer, with four more sessions aimed at
getting and keeping Upper Manhattan residents in a home of
their own.
“Increasing homeownership in Harlem has been an
important focus of Harlem CDC,” said Wayne Benjamin,
Harlem CDC Director of Residential Development. “Turning
renters in to owners gives residents an even greater stake, indeed
a real ownership stake, in the community,” Benjamin said.
Homeownership can be the key to stabilizing a family’s
finances, because it conveys financial benefits that are
unavailable to renters. Owners can deduct real estate and
mortgage interest from their income taxes, and they benefit
from the increase in the value of their homes. Purchasing a
home is typically the single largest investment that a household
makes.
Harlem CDC is a HUD-certified housing counseling
agency. It regularly hosts first-time home buyer and other
housing related seminars in order to provide the community
with basic but important information needed to make them
informed buyers and owners. Harlem CDC is hosting seven
housing seminars for 2010. Upcoming seminars include:
o
o
o
o
June 10th — explaining the ins-and-outs of reverse
mortgages, presented in partnership with Bank of
America.
June 17th — seminar for first-time home buyers will
focus on HDFC co-ops, presented in partnership with
UHAB, Citibank and the Housing Partnership.
August 7th — seminar on mortgage modifications,
will be presented in partnership with the Center of
New York City Neighborhoods.
September 14th — focused on first-time home buyer
and foreclosure prevention, presented in partnership
with Citibank.
The seminars are free. Light refreshments are served. All
seminars except for the June 17th and August 7th seminars are
limited to 30 participants. The June 17th and August 7th
seminars are limited to approximately 200 guests. Interested
parties are invited to call Harlem CDC at 212-961-4100 to
reserve a seat for any of the seminars.
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HARLEM CDC-A SUBSIDIARY OF EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORP.
www.harlemcdc.org
HARLEM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
JUNE 2010
“GFIO” (cont. from page 2)
The artwork of Harlem CDC intern Michael Jiménez has played a key part in
Harlem CDC’s support as a member of the Harlem African Burial Ground Task
Force. This slide shows the original village of Harlem built by Africans circa 1670,
with a sculpture representing ancestors believed to be buried on the site near First
Avenue and 127th Street and original burial records.
Moreover, with more money in more programs
going around, “more owners are getting double and
triple dips, taking advantage of multiple programs,
including Weatherization,” said Pender “to get more
bang for their buck.”
As an example, Harlem CDC Weatherization grants
of up to $396, 000 and $3.6 million of federal stimulus
(Department of Housing and Urban Development)
Green Retrofit for Multifamily Housing funding will
upgrade 198 apartment units in a series of buildings on
135th Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell
Jr. Boulevard. The retrofit includes many measures
discussed at “Green From The Inside Out”—new
showerheads, energy efficient refrigerators and ranges—
as well as new drywall and electrical work.
Harlem CDC Weatherization will be focused on air
sealing and blow-in insulation on the project. “At the end
of the day,” said Pender, “it’s still ‘find the hole, seal the
hole’.”
“Disparity” (cont. from page 2)
that the statistical and anecdotal evidence support the
conclusion that these outcomes are the result of
discrimination.”
The study also confirmed that these firms were
more likely to be denied loans than non-MWBE firms,
further compounding their problems in competing for
contracts.
“The Governor’s brave step in commissioning the
study shows his strong support for the State’s M/WBE
program,” said Harlem CDC President Curtis L. Archer.
“More importantly, it shows his desire to expose
weaknesses in the program, with the hope showing what
needs to be done to make the program more effective,
the goals more enforceable and provide more access for
MWBE firms to contracting opportunities with New
York State.” One set of numbers from the statistically dense,
468-page report stands out. In the single largest
contracting category, services, minority firms won just
0.65% of contracts during the period. That was, in
round numbers, $96 million out of $14 billion.
“In short, the study powerfully demonstrates the
need for a robust New York State program to ensure a
level playing field for M/WBEs,” Paterson said.
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HARLEM CDC-A SUBSIDIARY OF EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORP.
www.harlemcdc.org
HARLEM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
“Park” (cont. from page 1)
Park as a laboratory for studying the
ecosystem where the park meets the river,
including the marine biology of the
Harlem River. On Saturday May 22nd
the students pushed carts filled with
displays and instruments over the Harlem
River Drive to demonstrate their research
methods and findings to the community.
Cynthia Ortigoza, Paul Rivers, Kimberly
Ferguson and Kesuva Pierce prepare, plunge
and inspect a probe sampling the Harlem River
“The most notable conclusion is that
during the summer the dissolved oxygen
levels in the river fall below federal
Environmental Protection Agency
standards, putting at risk the organisms
that live there,” said their inspiring
JUNE 2010
teacher Mauricio González. Frederick
Douglass Academy is a member of the
Harlem River Park Task Force. Other
veteran Task Force members on hand
included Richard Toussaint, who
conducted tours of the park, and
Yekaterina Gluzberg, Outreach
Coordinator for the City’s Partnership for
Parks, who took pictures.
New artistic decoration, and a
valuable summer experience for
teenagers, will also come to Harlem
River Park with the second year of
partnership between the Task Force,
Parks, New York State Department of
Transportation (NYSDOT) and Creative
Arts Workshop for Kids (CAW).
CAW hopes to employ as many as
50 young men and women from Harlem
as apprentices through the Summer
Youth Employment Program to add four
new murals to Harlem River Park. Last
summer CAW apprentices working with
professional teaching artists created four
breathtaking murals on park facing walls
of the Harlem River Drive.
The CAW program, which teaches
teenagers job and life skills by making
public art in their communities, will also
be designing 18 3’ by 8’ banners to hang
from the lampposts on the three major
overpasses leading into the park at East
135th and Madison, East 139th and Fifth
and East 142nd and Fifth Avenues. The
Harlem River Park Task Force,
NYSDOT and Parks will work closely
with CAW and the apprentices during
the mural and banner design and
approval process, making the project a
truly community-based affair.
“CAW is excited to be working again
with Harlem CDC, the Harlem River
Park Task Force, Parks Department, State
DOT and our partner organizations on
this year’s Summer Art Works program,”
said CAW Program Director Phoebe
Zinman Winters. “With the new murals
and banners project, we will be
celebrating the culture of the
community, teaching tangible job skills,
and helping youth experience the pride
and satisfaction of permanently
beautifying their park with public art."
HARLEM
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
State Office Building
163 w.125th Street
New York, NY 10027
Tel. 212.961.4100
www.harlemcdc.com
David A. Paterson, Governor
Dennis M. Mullen, Chairman &
CEO, Empire State
Development Corporation
Curtis L. Archer, President
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Maritere Arce
Adam Clayton Powell IV
Inez Dickens
Herman Farrell Jr.
Freida Foster-Tolbert
William Hurley
Robert Jackson
Patrice M. LeMelle
Melissa Mark-Viverito
Dennis Mullen
Richard Nieman
Daniel O’Donnell
Bill Perkins
Charles B. Rangel
Jose Serrano
Scott M. Stringer
Deborah VanAmerongen
James Wrynn
Keith L.T. Wright,
Chairman
-4-
HARLEM CDC-A SUBSIDIARY OF EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORP.
www.harlemcdc.org
HARLEM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
JUNE 2010
About Us
Harlem Community Development Corporation (“Harlem CDC”), a New York State agency,
was created in 1995 to serve the greater Harlem community, including East Harlem, Central
Harlem, West Harlem and Washington Heights, through planning and facilitating the
development of a range of community development projects and revitalization initiatives that
will restore Upper Manhattan as an economically stable and culturally vibrant community.
To implement its mission, Harlem CDC targets the redevelopment of vacant or underutilized
commercial and residential property and publicly-owned spaces. Its goal in this regard is to
attract new businesses, retain and grow existing businesses, provide access to
homeownership opportunities, create employment opportunities and improve the quality of
life and the environment in partnership with Upper Manhattan residents, business and
property owners and other agencies.
Harlem CDC also seeks to empower local Harlem businesses
and entrepreneurs so that they can more fully participate in
new and ongoing business opportunities. We do this by:
•
providing information and technical assistance to
community-based organizations to assist them in
planning, development and management of their
economic development projects;
•
encouraging the participation of community-based
organizations in major projects being undertaken
in Harlem by private developers, especially
projects seeing assistance from New York State,
and;
•
facilitating the community’s access to New York
State economic development resources, including
financial assistance and skills training.
To get timely updates on
events, news and information
on Harlem CDC, please:
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR
MAILING LIST
Put “Harlem CDC e-mail
list” in the subject line. Your
name will be added to our
distribution list.
Harlem CDC is a subsidiary of the NYS Urban Development Corporation d.b.a. Empire State
Development Corporation (“ESDC”). Harlem CDC has four primary departments: Commercial Development, Residential Development, Urban Planning and the Weatherization
Assistance Program.
HARLEM CDC-A SUBSIDIARY OF EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORP.
www.harlemcdc.org
HARLEM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
JUNE 2010
“DOING BUSINESS UPTOWN”
Congressman Charles B.
Rangel spoke to about 250
participants at Harlem CDC’s
“Doing Business Uptown”
conference last April 11th at
the Gospel Uptown.
Sponsored by Citibank,
“Doing Business Uptown”
focused on the best practices
for small businesses to
manage and protect their
firms in a changing market.
This month the 125th Street
Business Improvement District
(125th Street BID) will unveil
the winners of its “BID ON
CULTURE” competition.
The banner designs reflect the
cultural vitality of Harlem.The
vibrant, contemporary banners
will be displayed high on street
light poles along 125th Street,
Harlem’s primary commercial
thoroughfare, to help brand it as
a center of culture in a diverse
community with an unparalleled
history of creativity and
innovation.
HARLEM CDC-A SUBSIDIARY OF EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORP.
www.harlemcdc.org