[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 177 (Thursday, December 8, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN HONOR OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EAST SIXTIES NEIGHBORHOOD 
                              ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2016

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize the 25th anniversary of the East Sixties Neighborhood 
Association (ESNA). For the last quarter century, ESNA has had an 
extraordinary impact on the quality of life of residents of the East 
60s.
  ESNA was founded in the summer of 1991 to ensure that residents had a 
say in decisions that were being made in their neighborhood. The idea 
for ESNA came about because of a proposal to turn a vacant lot on the 
corner of 63rd Street and Second Avenue owned by the Metropolitan 
Transportation Authority to a parking lot. A parking lot would have 
attracted more traffic to one of New York City's busiest intersections. 
Instead, the founders, Barry and Judy Schneider and Neil and Judy 
McLennan, were able to persuade the owner to lease the property to an 
alternative tenant that was more acceptable to the community.
  Over the last 25 years, ESNA has grown into an influential 
organization with a committed group of community volunteers. ESNA's 
catchment area includes the area from East 60th to East 69th Street 
from the East Side of Third Avenue to the East River, and is home to 
more than 35,000 New Yorkers. Today, ESNA's many committees all work 
together to make the community a better place to live. ESNA volunteers 
help prune street trees, promote recycling, remove graffiti from city 
property, and monitor neighborhood conditions on the streets, alerting 
the city to sanitation conditions, traffic and noise. ESNA also 
encourages community spirit through a number of social events and 
caroling during Christmas.
  One of ESNA's current concerns has been the East Side Access project 
(ESA), which will bring the Long Island Rail Road into Grand Central 
Terminal. Some of the construction work related to ESA is in ESNA's 
catchment area. ESNA worked with the MTA to minimize the impact on 
local businesses and residents. Similarly, one of the stations for the 
Second Avenue Subway is being built in the ESNA area, and ESNA helped 
alleviate construction impact while continuing to support the 
development of a subway that will provide much needed transportation 
alternatives to the area.
  New York is a city of neighborhoods. Local groups like ESNA make it 
possible for residents to come together as a community and have a 
profound impact on the quality of life in their neighborhood. I applaud 
ESNA for helping to create a real feeling of community in one of New 
York's most dense urban neighborhoods and for ensuring that community 
concerns are considered when decisions are being made.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the 25th 
anniversary of ESNA and its immeasurable contributions to the East 60s 
and New York City at large.

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