President’s Message Karen Emerson

Welcome to autumn, pumpkin spice, sweaters, blankets, socks, thoughts of Halloween goblins, turkeys roasting in the oven and the November elections.  What’s going on in the neighborhood? 

We started Scout Troop #1965. We are starting monthly Mini Clean Sweeps, Meet and Greets, convention with a twist. We are beginning to think about MLK luminary night

Mini Clean Sweeps

I have had many of our neighbors asking for help with street clean up on some of our main thoroughfares. A monthly event is being planned with the help of our scouts, Rotary Club and some of the fraternities/sororities at the University of Rochester. Our goal is to touch areas that need some TLC and create neighborhood. We will supply gloves, some tools and bags. Our first event will be the second Saturday of the month.  Saturday October 9th event will start at the corner of Thurston and Chili from 10am-12pm. Park in the old Key Bank parking lot.

Scouts

The Association has made a commitment to supporting these young people and we are covering the costs of troop start up and registration. We had the first meeting September 30^th. We had 8 young people equally divided amongst boys and girls. They will be meeting bi-weekly and the hope is they will eventually be based out of one of our neighborhood schools. We would like as many young people participating as possible. Currently the registration cost is $78. This could be a deterrent to some of our families. If you participated in Scouts in the past, I hope you would consider sponsoring a scout in part or whole to encourage participation. It is Scout popcorn sales with delivery due before Thanksgiving. Most of the money for the sale of popcorn goes directly to our troop and can be used to offset the cost of membership.  If you have questions please reach out to Jesse Knoth at 585-241-8522.

Meet and Greets

Everyone is sick of COVID and Zoom meetings. The office has gotten several requests to have some kind of in person event. The rate of COVID and immunization is encouraging but I do not feel it is prudent to have large indoor events. So we are going to have some outdoor family events at the Association office. The first will be held Saturday October 23 12-2pm.  Cider, donuts and rock painting and Malik Evans will be available for questions and conversations.

Our County Executive Adam Bello will join us Saturday December 4^th 12-2pm at 216 Thurston Road. We will have hot cocoa, maybe a snowman building event and conversation and questions for county executive.

Redistricting and election

Please make sure you register to vote! Make sure you familiarize yourself with the candidates for State Supreme Court, County Sheriff, County Court Judges, County Legislators, Mayor, City Council and Commissioner of Schools.  In addition there are 5 Ballot Proposals.  If you are unfamiliar with these they will be on the back of the ballot. The proposals are about redistricting, constitutionalizing the right to clean air, water and healthcare, elimination of the Ten-Day-Advance Voter Registration Requirement, authorizing no-excuse Absentee Ballot voting and increasing the Jurisdiction of the New York City Civil Court. The last day to postmark registration form is October 8^th.   Early voting is from October 23-31.  Election Day is November 2^nd.

Convention 2021

If you haven’t heard from your delegate please contact our office. If your district does not have a representative please consider stepping up. The convention will be held on November 19, 2021.  We are going to conduct it via Zoom. We will conduct our regular business meeting then as promised we will have a Trivia night. We have new merchandise!! I hope you will join us for current and past trivia and great prizes. More details to follow.

Update from RPD. Presently there is only one Crime Prevention Officer. Lt LaFave and Capt. Jones ask that we understand that requests to the Crime prevention Officer may take greater than 24 hours.

My plea is the same as it is every month. Become involved. We can use your expertise. Happy Autumn.

Karen Emerson

President, 19WCA

Around the Neighborhood

TOMORROW! October 9, 10-12 noon

Mini Clean Sweep – Meet us at the former Key Bank on Chili Ave. Come ready to work – Gloves, tools and bags will be available. Be a part of keeping our community clean! Let’s be a part of the solution and meet our neighbors!

October 23, 12noon-2pm

Meet and Greet with Mayor-Elect Malik Evans. Join us for cider and donuts, rock painting and outdoor fellowship at 216 Thurston Rd. (19WCA office)

Lend A Paw Cat Food Drive – October 16, 1-4 pm

More News

GRANTS

Rochester Area Community Foundation’s NeighborGood grants program, created in 1993 to strengthen city neighborhoods, is accepting applications from organizations serving neighborhoods on Rochester’s west side. Applications must be submitted by 12 p.m. on Friday, February 11, 2022. Grants will be awarded in late March 2022.

Rochester’s Rich History: Laura Warren Hill – Strike the Hammer

On July 24, 1964, chaos erupted in Rochester when the city’s Black community rebelled over rampant police brutality and racial inequity. The uprising led to a rebirth in Rochester’s fight for racial justice, rooted in the Black power movement, and radically changed the trajectory of the civil rights movement.

Join historian and author Laura Warren Hill for an overview of Rochester’s long civil rights history based on her new book, Strike the Hammer: The Black Freedom Struggle in Rochester, New York, 1940-1970. Hill’s work draws extensively on oral accounts of local movement participants, as well as records from the NAACP, SCLC, and the local FIGHT, offering rich and detailed stories of the area’s protest tradition.

Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing at the event.

Laura Warren Hill is Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies at Bloomfield College. She is coeditor of The Business of Black Power (University of Rochester Press, 2012)and has published in the Journal for the Study of Radicalism and the Journal of African American History. Follow her on Twitter @Mohojolo.

For more information and to register, visit https://calendar.libraryweb.org/calendar/Central/StrikeTheHammerSeries.

Date:

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Time:

1:00pm – 2:30pm

Location:

Central Library- Kusler-Cox Auditorium

Fall Leaf Collection

The City of Rochester’s Department of Environmental Services works together with residents to collect leaves and keep our streets clear. Residents are encouraged to compost leaves in their backyards. For information on backyard leaf composting, call the Monroe County Cooperative Extension at (585) 473-5335.

Loose leaves are picked up in November of each year, composted, screened and made available to the public through the Materials Give Back Program.

The City offers three methods of leaf collection: 

1. Loose-leaf collection program: The City provides free loose-leaf collection each November. Each year’s schedule for loose leaf collection is included in the City’s annual At Your Service Guide that is mailed to residents each year and published on an interactive loose-leaf collection map. Leaves be raked into loose piles between the sidewalk and the curb before the Monday of each scheduled leaf pickup week will be picked up on any day of that week. Please note that it is unsafe and therefore illegal to place leaves directly onto streets or sidewalks.
2. Refuse collection: Residential and commercial refuse customers may always place bagged leaves at the curb for pickup on their regular refuse collection day.
3. Drop off: Residents may drop off loose leaves at the Materials Give Back site on Ferrano Street, near Colfax Street. Leaves are accepted Nov.-Dec., Monday – Saturday, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. NO BAGS ARE PERMITTED. 

FLYERS

Committee Information

Reach out to our office manager if you would like to get involved.