The meeting took place in the Hudson View Gardens Boardroom and got under way at about 7:25.m. In attendance were the following individuals: Mike Augenblick, Marcella Calabi, Gail Chern-Thompson, Sean Haines, Gwen Kingsberry, Mike Klein, Doreen Mangan, Tina Molinari, Joe Montagna, and Mike Zamm. The following member buildings had residents present: 120 Bennett Owners Corporation, 255 Cabrini Condominium, 720-730 Fort Washington Owners Corp., Castle Village Owners Corp., Chittenden House Inc., Hudson View Gardens, and Overlook Towers Corp. The following Community Associate Members (CAMs), guest buildings, and other neighborhood groups were represented: 340 Haven Avenue, Friends of Ft. Tryon Park, Hudson Cliffs Theatre Arts Program, Olshan Realty, Simone Song Properties.

Announcements included:

•  an upcoming Forum on Identity Theft sponsored by the NY County DA and the Manhattan North Borough Patrol CO.

•  details of the Coogan’s 5K race on March 6, including pothole repair along the route

• Moroccan Night 3/1 at the Park Terrace Bistro sponsored by the Manhattan Times

• The Jamie Fox group and a visual art exhibit on 3/13 at the YM/YWHA sponsored by Artists Unite

• Two folk concerts for kids at the Hebrew Tabernacle, 3/6

Summer event to prepare for: The Arts Stroll will happen again this year on Father’s Day Weekend, June 19 and 20, with kick-off events all week prior, including concerts, dance, films, poetry and literature readings, etc. Volunteers are needed, contact Mike Fitelson at the Manhattan Times:  212-569-5800 or

Co-op Clean Out opportunity:  There is an organization called Material for the Arts (MFTA), a program of the NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs, that collects donated materials and distributes them to over 3,000 not-for-profit organizations including the NYC public schools. Co-ops can establish a temporary collection point for residents to drop off unwanted household items. MFTA will provide flyers, posters, the collection bins, etc. Contact Susan Springer at 718.729.3001 x 213,

Security issues:  there was a discussion about how to handle unsubstantiated stories of violent activity. Mike Z. will call the precinct for answers to questions about the level of police presence in the neighborhood.

Ft. Tryon Park Heather Garden Fundraiser: is being held in Central Park this year, with a minimum of $500/plate. It was agreed that this prices us out, and there was discontent about moving the event away from the neighborhood and the park it is supposed to benefit (even while it was recognized that there is value in bringing in "downtown" attention and funds). Marcella was asked to communicate these feelings to the appropriate parties.

NY Metropolitan Transportation Council: Tina brought to the group’s attention the existence of the this organization, which is a regional council of governments and transportation providers responding to transportation planning needs in NYC, suburban Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. See www.nymtc.org for such information as the schedule for public commentary on planned transportation projects.

Local Mediation Center: Marcella reported on the existence in our very own neighborhood of one of the city’s oldest programs providing free mediation for residents who need to resolve disputes or tension with
 neighbors, landlords, merchants, or others. It is the Washington Heights Inwood Coalition Mediation Program at 652 West 187th Street, (212) 781-7145 or (212) 781-6722. There was discussion of the fact that the police could be making more use of this program to refer problems for resolution before they lead to violence/illegal acts, and numerous ideas were put forward for spreading the word that this resource exists. Marcella will report back to the Center (where she has recently joined the roster of pro-bono mediators).

Graffitti: Mike K. mentioned that there has been a recent upsurge in graffiti and is planning a new "personal fix-it crusade" to paint over graffiti on mailboxes, lampposts, etc., which he does in the early morning. Anyone wishing to join him in this effort  can contact him Mike Klein He is also looking into current city resources to help with graffiti.

HHOC Business: Marcella asked for brainstorming and discussion about how HHOC communicates – whether it is using email appropriately, and what to do about the fact that the newsletter function of the meeting summaries has been lost since the whole summary is no longer being mailed out. It was agreed that the emaillist can be used when the messages are short and not too frequent. Suggestions were made about various forms of listservs or web groups, which Mike A. will look into.

Information has been going around by word of mouth about a film club in the recently reopened Coliseum theater on 181st near Broadway. An enterprising resident of our neighborhood has convinced the proprietor to show excellent indie films (and inexpensively at that) and, in order to guarantee adequate support, has started a membership arrangement to see these films. Films recently shown have included Ray and Hotel Rwanda. The contact is Michael Kassin.

A range of possible dates were discussed for the next meeting, pending availability of Elizabeth Ritter who was not present today.