A new initiative to beautify and clean up Kingston Avenue, the main street in Crown Heights, has expanded to a year-long project.
Sam Stern, a businessman and activist from Crown Heights, called upon friends and fellow residents to join in funding the services of a private street cleaning company, which will clean Kingston Avenue every morning during Tishrei.
The street cleaners will sweep Kingston Avenue from Lefferts Avenue to Eastern Parkway every day during Tishrei.
After a huge outpouring of support, many in the neighborhood called upon him to expand the project into a permanent initiative.
Joined by fellow community activists Rabbi Moshe Pinson and others, a RaiseThon campaign has been set up support the project and raise $75,000.
“During Tishrei, Kinus Hashluchim and Shluchos, Chanukah, Yud Shvat, Pesach, Gimmel Tammuz and many other times, the community is overwhelmed by an overflow of guests, and the NYC Sanitation Department is unable to keep up,” they said.
“Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, the Rebbe’s Secretary, related to us that the Rebbe appreciated very much when Kingston Avenue was clean,” Mr. Stern told COLlive.
“The community simply becomes overwhelmed with guest festivals and traffic and our Sanitation department doesn’t apply more resources so the streets become disgusting,” he says.
Outdoor dining rules and reduced alternate side parking have also impacted the neighborhood, with trucks not being able to clean properly.
“With all that taking place, we must take matters into our own hands,” Stern says. “If we want to be a beautiful community that proudly represents who we are and how we feel about the Rebbe’s shechuna,” he says.
“We need your help. Any amount will show you care and are happy to see this happen.”
With all due respect, its high time for the stores on Kingston Ave to step up to the plate and start cleaning outside their establishments. Kingston Ave starting with the rats 🐀 climbing in the Sukkah Dealership on the corner of President and Kingston all the way to Eastern Parkway, its an absolute Shandeh and a Chilul Hashem. If you collect rent from a property and if you profit from your patrons, please don’t ask the community for handouts…. V”dal
S Stern should be commended for initiating this important project. We owe him a great deal of gratitude for this important basic responsibility of making sure our neighborhood is clean. Hopefully the businesses on the ave that are benefiting from the many guests will kick in to help as well. Wishing you much success and thanks again for caring.
All the outdoor dining sukkah !! All around them are filled with garbage . Why are the restaurants not cleaning up in and around them. I donated . Thank you for trying
Please call
On Prime sandwich essen bentch and Kingston pizza to take their garbage more often and wash down the sidewalk the smell from the food waste is horrible
Thank you shmully stern! Shmully stern for vaad hakol!!
There is a Project called ACE New York, Ace New York is a Non Profit program that is affiliated with the DSNY Sanitation, Ace New York had people with very large garbage cans on wheels and they clean the City Streets, They were recently (like a month ago) awarded from the NYC City Council tens of millions of dollars towards their Ace New York nonprofit program. BH This CH initiative to clean Kingston & surrounding streets is amazing, and Yaasher Koach to Sam, Moshie & to all those involved, You are doing great & thank you for stepping up to… Read more »
Thanks Mr Stern for taking this initiative. And yes business owners should definitely step up. Regarding Sanitation they do not sweep streets. Their job is only to collect garbage. The Street Cleaning trucks will come by only when cars are moved. If we open our community to have guests it is on us to manage and keep the streets clean. Yes Mr Stern is stepping up but whomever owns areas where garbage is put out has a responsibility to keep it clean. This actually impacts on kiddush hashem and yeas our neighbors notice. Lastly not keeping the streets clean is… Read more »
One of the reasons why in CH (and other parts of NYC) Water Backed up into Everyone’s Basements and Ground Floor Levels, as well why there was in some places in CH about 2 feet of water during this recent strom causing tremendous damage etc, Is because our Catch Basins/Storm Drains by ALL our City Street corners in CH are Clogged with Garbage (as can clearly be seen by some pictures on this article) the thing with NYC unless we let the city know to fix their problem then there is no chance they will fix it on their own, So… Read more »
Although on Kingston towards EP yes most likely the amount of Garbage everywhere is from Lubavitchers locals & visitors alike, But on Kingston between Lefferts & Empire all the Garbage on that block is Not from Yidden at all, Its from the dangerous Goyishe Building by Lefferts/Kingston that besides for all the crime that comes daily from there, They Party All Night, Every Night, Leaving all Residents on the block waking up to the street being filled with Garbage all over
For the first time in years I walked down kingston ave today with my family and never before have I seen such cleanliness Bh! We need to support this important project so we can bring the beauty back to kingston ave! Thank you Sam Stern!!!!!
Why can’t our newly elected officials
step up and send in the city cleaning crew
The main reason why there is so much Garbage all over our Streets is because the City Garbage Cans on all the City Street Corners on Kingston/Albany Dont get emptied enough & the Garbage overflows onto and all over the Street. For the immediate moment, very glad that people from within our community are taking charge, stepping up to the plate & doing what needs to be done, Thank You & Kudos to them for caring for our community, But once the Donations/Funds finish in a few months then what? We need to really think ahead for in the long run. If… Read more »
Thanks Sam Stern for your initiative. Hershkop own a street sweeper, and he has been using it to clean up Crown Heights. Please connect with him and I am sure the streets will be clean quickly.
Yes, thank you sam
Thank you for the initiative. At the same time guests should be encouraged to clean up after themselves. The same way you behave when you go to someone’s house, is the way you should behave in our neighborhood.
Tons of guests are here and not so much garbage 🗑 cans that are full!!! Simply add more mess here … and pls advise all to not leave food & water bottles around – this is HilulHaShem…
Food district must be clean – I see only Chocolatte washed their front store with water- pls all food businesses follow their rules – and clean outside sitting areas as well….
Not.
Well, yes, I love that people activated to clean the streets, but –
Interesting that one would need an indication from the Rebbe that clean streets are preferable to the alternative, and
Distressing that people don’t clean up after themselves and certain rsidents have to clean up after others to have clean public space
These pictures confirm a total disrespect and disgrace to the neighborhood. Crazy to raise money for this task