A Glimpse of Things to Come in 2019
Public Affairs/Marketing & Media Committee Report
The Trees
BY JUDITH PARIS
Photo by Judith Paris The noise outside my window
is deafening. I know what it
is, and I can’t look out. These
are the trees I’ve enjoyed looking at,
sitting under, being cooled by on hot
days.
My history with trees goes way
back. I was a child of the big city
and cherished the one tree which
sat in front of our house.
My sister, living in San Francisco,
also loved trees, and on our visits,
we spent much time in the forests,
walking under giant redwoods.
The day after she died, we went,
with our brother-in-law, to the one
place we knew would give us (as it
had her) comfort—Muir Woods.
We walked, talked, and cried
among the majestic redwoods.
Shortly after we returned home,
I decided to give a talk in her memory
about, yes, trees. That too gave
me comfort and it also gave me
new knowledge. Trees communicate!
I imagine that is happening
right now—warning each other
of danger. Trees can nurture other
trees—mother trees can redirect
nutrients to saplings in need. Tree
roots can leak out sugars and other
compounds into the soil which are
sucked up by neighboring roots.
How? By transporting them across
thin threads of fungi. It’s the WWW
(World Wide Woods) of nature.
I had my own special “comfort
tree” near our last house.
Magnificent and ancient. I went
to it frequently. I depended on it
in times of sorrow, pain, and yes,
joy. I would wrap my arms around
it and it hugged me back and gave
me peace.
My heart broke when it was taken
down. It had struggled mightily
to survive the damage from hurricane
Sandy, but finally succumbed.
I knew it’s struggles just as it had
known mine.
I understand why this is happening
now, but I hope the Board, in its
wisdom, researched and got expert
evaluations. Was there another
way? Could some have been left
standing? Could the smaller ones
have been relocated?
Lastly, I can only hope somehow
we will once again have trees in
their place—one’s which won’t
cause damage and will again give
us beauty, shade and comfort.
BY DEBBIE MARKELLKLEINERT,
NST BOARD
DIRECTOR,
CHAIRPERSON, PUBLIC
AFFAIRS/MARKETING &
MEDIA COMMITTEE
Photo by Stephen Vrattos Happy New Year from the
Public Affairs/Marketing
and Media (PAMM) Committee.
Hope everyone had a wonderful
holiday and a healthy 2018.
But it’s a new year now, and I’d like
to preview some of the exciting
projects the PAMM Committee is
working on for 2019.
On the marketing front, We’re
working on updating the Beaumont
Lounge into a contemporary, modern
space which reflects our new
multi-generational residents. It’ll
be a family-friendly room where we
can hold events, play games, maybe
have a coffee bar, possibly a computer
station (with lessons!) and
a number of uses we’re discussing
and looking forward to the community
embracing.
The Committee is also hard at
work on plans for a “Welcome to
North Shore Towers” program to
help new residents get acquainted
with their neighbors and all the
amenities they moved here for.
In a joint venture with Bob
Ricken’s Special Projects
Committee, we’ve got plans for the
movie theater, including a “Support
Your Movie Theater” campaign
to increase its usage by NST and
the surrounding community; and
a drive to become a venue for the
Gold Coast Film Festival, as well as
other “red carpet” film and theater
events. Stay tuned for more exciting
details.
On the media front, we’re rolling
out a major rebranding campaign
for the Towers, partnering with
the MTA, to attract vital new residents
here. Amazon, we’re coming
for you!
As for public affairs, we’ll be
holding programs throughout
the year dealing with the changing
political landscape and how
Washington, Albany and Gracie
Mansion directly affect us. Also, a
Public Advocate race is coming in
2019, about which we all need to
be informed.
Look for monthly updates on
what the Committee is doing. We
welcome your feedback and suggestions
for topics you’d like information
about and we’ll accommodate.
You can contact me via my page on
BuildingLink or simply drop me a
note at Building #2.
(standing; l. to r.) Publisher Vicki Schneps, Congressman Tom Suozzi,
PAMM Chair Debra Markell-Kleinert, NST General Manager Glen
Kotowski; (seated, l. to r.) Marty Miller, former Borough President
Claire Schulman and Fred Chernow
42 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ January 2019