What the Block Association does on the blocks around the Park.
Year-round, our professional Clean Team sweeps sidewalks and curbs, removes litter, graffiti and stickers, tends tree gardens, clears drains and shovels snow.
The work changes with the seasons: fallen leaves, winter snow and the steady wear of a busy city each call for attention.
The annual Neighborhood Refresh adds repairs and repainting for tree-garden fences, lampposts, hydrants and other street fixtures.
The program began in May 2022. Our reports since then have followed both the results and the people doing the work: see the before-and-after photographs and meet the team.
Neighbors’ contributions fund the people, supplies and equipment that keep these historic blocks cared for throughout the year.
Meet the work behind the streetsFor more than three decades, we have worked to protect Gramercy’s architecture, streetscape and residential character. We advocate for responsible development, organize neighbors when preservation issues arise, monitor construction and hold developers to their commitments.
We care for the 41 City-owned street trees around the Park, each measured, mapped and brass-tagged with a record and care plan prepared with Bartlett Tree Experts. The inventory guides pruning, root care, treatment and new planting to protect the neighborhood’s living canopy.
As the designated Community Partner of the 13th Precinct’s Neighborhood Coordination Officers, we bring neighbors’ concerns directly to police, City agencies and elected officials. Together, we address safety, noise, construction and problems on our streets and sidewalks.
We help neighbors in need with meals, clothing, school supplies and household essentials. Through longstanding partners, volunteers and donors support families in shelters, veterans, people with disabilities, formerly homeless residents and homebound older neighbors.
We connect neighbors, local institutions and public officials, taking concerns to those responsible and following through on answers. Our newsletters keep the community informed with timely notices, local history, photographs and stories from around the Park.