Lower East Side Children’s Community Garden Revitalized

The Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC), along with the 5th Street Slope community gardeners, are pleased to announce the ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, September 12 at noon, celebrating the renovation of the 5th Street Slope Children’s Garden located at 626-27 East 5th Street (between Aves. B & C) on the Lower East Side.

The newly renovated garden was made possible with lead funding from The Walt Disney Company. Additional contributors include: The Evan Frankel Foundation, Independence Community Foundation, Christopher Elliman, Jewish Communal Fund, Barbara Moses and Matthew Grayson, Susan Korrick and Thomas Hecht, and other i ndividuals. In-kind contributions were also made from the New York City Parks and Recreation’s GreenThumb program. Architects Judy Oh and Thomas Kosbau (who provided probono design services for the site), building superintendents, sanitation workers, community gardeners, Disney corporate VoluntEARS, public school teachers, parents, and children all collaborated with CENYC to upgrade the site.

The 5th Street Slope Children’s Garden now features a "water misting" arbor, shaded seating and picnic areas, stone chiminea/ barbeque, children's garden, vine covered trellis, and a tool shed/composting area. Children from the neighborhood schools, PS 64, Tompkins Square Middle School and the Earth School can enjoy the garden and teachers can plan school related programs in the open space.

Representatives from the Mayor’s office, Parks Department & Community Board 3 are among the invited guests. Councilperson Rosie Mendez plans to attend along with other elected officials and project partners from The Walt Disney Company, CENYC, community gardeners, parents and children from the neighborhood schools. WABC-TV Eyewitness News Anchor, Sade Baderinwa, will host the ribbon cutting ceremony.

"In a time when so much of our neighborhood has been bulldozed by the forces of gentrification, the Council on the Environment has helped us, Lower East Side community gardeners, realize a rare dream--a public space designed by us, developed by us, and one that will be used by us," said Roberta Silver, board member and long-time area resident.

"Thanks to the help of two generous architects, we finally have a kind of oasis, where families from so many different cultures can come and mingle and get along peacefully in a beautiful environment," said Muffy Perez, one of the Slope's founding members. Architect Thomas Kosbau concurred, "We were thrilled to help the community in designing this space. It was the vision, ideas and hard work of the CENYC and the 5th Slope Garden Community that brought this project together." Bernadette Longford, Manager, NY Community Relations, Disney Worldwide Outreach, added “For the hundreds of Disney volunteers from our ABC, ESPN & Disney businesses in New York, this was truly a labor of love and a wonderful opportunity to spread more of the Disney magic to the local community”.

The Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC) is a 36 year old privately-funded citizen’s organization located in the Mayor’s Office. CENYC promotes environmental awareness and solutions to environmental problems through its Greenmarket farmers markets, community gardens, and environmental education programs.

The press is invited to attend this event.