Presidents Message

The month of June is here and our community has already been busy! June 3rd kicked off our annual Square Fair with amazing entertainment, food vendors, and everyone having a wonderful day of fun – great job to everyone involved in the planning of this family event! June 6th kicked off the Westside Farmers Market – in spite of the challenges of air quality there was still a good turnout.

June 10th kicks off our Complete Streets Makeover at Arnett and Warwick Ave.. A day of painting, music, food and community – looking forward to seeing you there!

Our mini clean sweep is returning June 24th from 10-12noon at Chili and Thurston.

We have one week to the Juneteenth Festival on June 17th. Sign up link for the parade, tabling, or volunteering is here: https://www.rochesterjuneteenth.com/

There is a lot happening throughout the city mentioned in this newsletter – please take the time to not only read it but participate in it!

Our Delegates Council met Thursday before their summer break of monthly meetings. They are still available to reach out to with any questions or concerns you may have. We’ll restart our monthly Delegates Council meetings in September.

Thank you to all who continue to support and uplift the mission of the 19th Ward Community Association.

Josie T. McClary

President, 19th Ward Community Association

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD

From our Street Liaisons John DeMott and Chris McDonald

We’d like to shout out Ron Bryant at the Wireless Play store,654 Jefferson Ave., who just successfully completed a $4500 Kiva on-line funding campaign!   Ron is one of several Southwest businesses that have used the Kiva crowd-funded program.  

If YOUR business needs quick cash for almost any purpose go to  https://www.cityofrochester.gov/Kiva/  

Or contact Elizabeth Ingham at Elizabeth.Ingham@CityofRochester.Gov   

Urban League of Rochester

If you have any questions about the program, contact information is below.

Program Highlights: Reimagine program is 10 weeks with the expectation of each student completing 15hrs or more weekly to reach 150hrs program completion goal. We will offer multiple ways for each student to receive his/her required hours. For Example: online course through SUNY Attain: Edmentum, workshops, live zoom classes and some additional  learning resources. Please reach out with any additional questions/concerns.

If you have any questions email us at reimagine@ulr.org We are currently enrolling students for the program.

Photos from Square Fair 2023

Square Fair 2023 concluded June 3rd at 4:30pm with children and adults leaving with smiles on their faces. Thank you to the Square Fair Committee, volunteers, vendors, entertainers and everyone who helped make this a fun, safe family event! Click on the link below to enjoy photos of Square Fair.

2023 19WCA Annual Square Fair – LaShay Harris (smugmug.com)

Ask the Archivist

Q: What exactly does the 19th Ward Community Association do for the community?

A: Today, in answer to this question, the Archivist will address just a single function of the Association, and that is: Letters in Support or Opposition.

Today’s column, due to space considerations, will give you selected examples from a limited period: 1998 through September 2002. Excerpts from later years will be highlighted in the future.

Feb 3, 1998

To: Deputy Commissioner, Zone III, Buffalo

From: Susan Hagen, President

Re:  An application for an alcohol license at ___ Thurston Road

… The 19th Ward Community Association is working with the Genesee Section Police Department and the City of Rochester to limit the number of establishments that can sell alcohol in a given area. Sector 4 has over 35 establishments that currently sell alcohol. Thurston Road has eight places selling alcohol. We cannot support another bar on Thurston Rd. We have worked with [the applicant] and the City Economic Development department to help him come up with a business plan to open an establishment that wouldn’t require him to sell alcohol. …

_____

Feb 7, 1998

Draft: Ad Hoc Committee on Businesses that Sell Alcohol

“The policy will be used to help the Community Association respond more uniformly and effectively to the increasing number of requests for alcohol licenses in the neighborhood.”

[Members of the committee were listed; The Draft of the Policy is in our 19WCA files]

_____

[No date] 1998

To: Planning Commission Members

Re: Special Permit Application, 801 West Avenue

From: Bob McDonough, Past President

The 19th Ward Community Association urges you not to grant a special permit for 801 West Avenue, which would allow a municipal solid waste transfer station at the location.

Representatives of the Community Association met with the CID Company, and we have reviewed the Planning Commission’s file on this matter in detail. The application was discussed at length at our January 21, 1998 Delegates’ Council meeting, and delegates voted unanimously to oppose the permit. [Many details follow; the full text is in the 19WCA files.]

_____

June 25, 1999

To: Planning Commission, City of Rochester

From: Susan Hagen, President

Re: Thermal System Tire Recycling Plant, 12 Cairn St

The 19th Ward Community Association supports the granting of a special permit for the proposed tire recycling plant. On May 12, representatives of the Community Association and an environmental chemist for UR met with Thermal Systems to review the proposal. On June 8, we held a public meeting for members, and for neighbors living closest to the proposed facility. In addition, the application was discussed at length at our June 16 Delegates’ Council meeting. Our consideration included a presentation by a retired Kodak engineer concerning his technical review of the company’s application to the DEC.

[Many more details can be found in the full text.]

_____

Oct 14, 2000

To: Executive Director, The Salvation Army

From: Josanne Reaves, President

Re: Genesis House relocation to 33-35 Ardmore

… The Salvation Army has a rich history of addressing problems and issues in this community and we appreciate in particular the work being done with homeless youth. We believe the relocation will benefit our neighborhood and we look forward to partnering on projects in the future.

_____

Oct 10, 2001

To. Mayor William A Johnson Jr

From: John W. Borek, President

Re: Mayor’s Campaign Headquarters

Dear Mayor Johnson,

We thank you for choosing Thurston Road for your campaign headquarters. We now need your presence there to quell the fears of our community.

Thank you for your leadership.

_____

January 29, 2002

To: Westside Health Services, Inc

From: John W. Borek, President

Re: Thurston Road proposed site

The 19th Ward Community Association is pleased to have the opportunity to support Westside’s initiative to open a new family practice site on Thurston Road. … Our organization shares the concern for the disparities in health care amongst racial and ethnic minorities and looks forward to supporting Westside in this strategic effort.

_____

March 13, 2002

To: Fashun Ku, commissioner of Economic Development, City of Rochester

From: John W. Borek, President

Re: Merchant Association Program

… Much to our surprise, while the merchants are encouraged to set up a DBA, no mention is made to them of the liability they can incur. … We would also like to see full disclosure in writing of whatever help can be expected with accounting, grant administration and tax filing. … Helping struggling neighborhoods to create a sound economic base is good work. The program is forward thinking. However, the administration of the program needs to be clarified so that the participants are treated neither as rubber stamps nor as experienced corporate business people.

_____

April 17, 2002

To: DCD/Building & Zoning

From: John W. Borek, President

Re: Opposition to upzoning

… We believe that if our commercial districts are upzoned to C-2 we will experience a host of new problems in these struggling commercial areas. We would rather make exceptions to a more restricted zoning code and retain community input than give free reign to proposed new businesses. Thank you for allowing our community input.

_____

September 24, 2002

Separate letters To: Chief Robert Duffy; Fashun Ku, Commissioner; Tom Argust, Dept of Community Development; Roderick Cox-Cooper, Bureau of NET

From: John W. Borek, President

On behalf of the residents of the 19th Ward, I’d like to thank you for the attention, thought and time you gave our community at last week’s meeting. I am quite certain that no other city government anywhere does more to address the concerns of its citizens. Once again thank you for almost three hours of access.

_____

In closing, the Archivist will simply add that a community develops a sense of pride in taking the time to reflect on such an important history of community building.

Arnett Branch Library

CIVICS CORNER

Primaries are almost here!  Inform your neighbors!

The League of Women Voters of the Rochester Metro Area has printed door hangers to inform voters about the June primary.  They are an easy-to-read format with early voting dates, locations and offices up for a vote.  They are looking for volunteers to distribute these non-partisan voter educational materials.  If you’d like to help, send an email to voterservices@lwv-rma.org.

Cathy Kane

Co-chair of Voter Services

League of Women Voters of the Rochester Metro Area

City of Rochester

News Release

Mayor Evans Announces New Career-Connecting Summer Public Safety Intern Program

High School Graduates Can Earn While They Learn About Careers in Firefighting and Emergency Communications (911)

(Monday, June 5, 2023) – The City of Rochester has launched a new summer program that will connect high school graduates age 17-21 to careers in the Rochester Fire Department (RPD) and Emergency Communications Department (ECD).

The Career Connect Summer Public Safety Intern Program will provide classroom and hands-on learning opportunities in firefighting and 911 Center operations, as well as life skills, decision making, leadership development, and team building. At the end of the program, participants will be eligible to take the City of Rochester Civil Service Exam and qualify to enter the RPD Firefighter Trainee Program or to apply for Public Safety Communicator jobs within the ECD.

Applications are being accepted now through June 19, 2023.

The program will run for five weeks, July 17 through August 18. During the program, all participants will receive an hourly wage of $16.26 per hour. For more information and to apply, visit www.CityOfRochester.gov/CareerConnect.

The Emergency Communication Department manages all 911 functions for the City of Rochester Police and Fire Departments, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, local ambulance corps, and various town and village police and fire departments. For more information about the ECD, visit www.CityOfRochester.gov/911.

In addition to preventing and fighting fires, the City of Rochester Fire Department responds to numerous emergencies including vehicle extrication, medical crises, high-level rescue, hazardous materials incidents, structural collapse, swift water rescue, and other dangerous situations. For more information about the many services provided by the RFD, visit https://www.CityOfRochester.gov/rfd.

Monroe County

FLYERS

 

Committee Information

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