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Volunteer with L3BA
We’re grateful to announce that we have been selected as a 2026 @NYCService Love Your Block grantee!
Lex & 3rd Block Association (L3BA) will be
"Giving Our Blocks Flowers"
We invite you to join us! We will be planting seeds in our local street tree beds that will bloom into flowers for seasons to come. See details and timeline below.
#NYCService #LoveYourBlock @NYCService
LYB Grant Project:
L3BA - Giving Our Blocks Flowers
Giving Our Blocks Flowers acknowledges the inherent value of East Harlem. By revitalizing street tree beds in the purview of Lex & 3rd Block Association (L3BA) - planting flower seeds - we are giving flowers to a community historically under-served. This project recognizes that all residents, along with our sentient street trees, form a symbiotic ecosystem deserving of beauty, safety, and respect.
The Symbiosis
Neighborhood Ownership: We plant seeds rather than grown flowers to move residents from observers to creators. When a neighbor helps sow a seed, they develop a "stake" in its survival. This shared investment builds bonds that naturally reduces littering and mistreatment of the beds. Please note we may plant small starter flowers along with the seeds to help seed growth.
Living Mulch: These flowers will keep the trees company as a living mulch without stripping vital nutrients. This flora protects tree roots from urban heat and soil compaction, retains moisture, and provides the ecological support trees need to survive in an asphalt-heavy environment.
Quality of Life: High-impact "living art" provides immediate psychological benefits. By elevating the block's aesthetic, we actively discourage litter and encourage community-wide respect for shared spaces.
Botanical Strategy: Engineered Resilience Our "Native-Plus" framework is designed to thrive in Manhattan’s specific "heat-island" conditions. Our selections are non-toxic and safe for residents, pets and wildlife. We combine hardy, pet-safe annuals with true New York native species like the New York Aster and Wild Bergamot. This creates a year-round 'living mulch' that supports our sentient trees and provides a safe sanctuary for pollinators.
The 5-Pollinator Selection: Liberty Cosmos, Zinnias, French Marigolds, Calendula, and Nasturtiums. Chosen for rapid growth, high-visibility color, and extreme resilience in city soil.
The Native Foundation: New York Asters and Wild Bergamot. These true NYC native species establish a permanent, drought-resistant ecological base, restoring the natural heritage of the corridor.
Educational Stewardship
We are installing a minimum of 16 professional-grade avenue signs (one per block-face) directly within key tree beds:
Protection: Each sign features a positive affirmation* and a "Tree Voice" message, signaling the trees on the block are managed ecological site.
Digital Portal: QR codes on each sign lead to the L3BA website, providing transparency on species, tree care tips, and volunteer opportunities.
* Each sign features a positive affirmation in line with our ongoing Positive Affirmation Street Art Series created by L3BA resident Painter + Street Artist Palomas Del El Barrio. See more about the Sign aspect of the project in the Timeline below.
FLOWERS: Native Plus
1. The 5-Pollinator Selection (Need to Replant)
The Liberty Cosmos, Zinnias, French Marigolds, Calendula, and Nasturtiums are annuals.
Behavior: These plants live for only one growing season, blooming heavily and producing seeds before dying completely when the frost hits.
Result: We will need to replant these every year to maintain the same visual display, creating a consistent opportunity for community growth, ownership, and bonding.
2. The Native Foundation (Grow Back Every Year)
The New York Asters and Wild Bergamot (Bee Balm) are perennials.
Behavior: These plants establish deep root systems; while the foliage dies back in the winter, the roots remain alive underground.
Result: They will grow back on their own every spring, establishing the "permanent ecological base" of the plan.
The "Self-Sowing" Exception
While Calendula, Cosmos, and Nasturtiums are "self-sowers" that may drop seeds and sprout the following spring, they are not reliable for a full, consistent display compared to native perennials.
This distinction ensures a sustainable ecological plan: the natives hold the ground permanently, while pollinators are added seasonally for color and support.
Project Transparency: "Giving Our Blocks Flowers"
Project Transparency: "Giving Our Blocks Flowers"
100% VOLUNTEER-LED INITIATIVE L3BA is a community-driven organization. No grant funds are used for salaries, stipends, or administrative overhead. 100% of funding is dedicated to neighborhood improvement.
Project Budget: Love Your Block Grant ($3,000)
Project Budget Breadkdown: Love Your Block Grant ($3,000)
BOTANICAL & SOIL HEALTH — $1,142
Impact: 80 native and pollinator plugs, corridor-wide over-seeding mixes, and organic soil remediation to ensure long-term plant health.
AVENUE SIGNAGE & INFRASTRUCTURE — $960
Impact: 16 custom industrial-grade aluminum plaques with 24" safety stakes to identify and protect our street tree beds.
PROFESSIONAL GARDENING TOOLS — $310
Impact: professional-grade stainless steel trowels, garden hose, hand-cultivators, for volunteer use.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT — $188
Impact: 500 high-quality, double-sided flyers for resident notification and volunteer recruitment.
STRATEGIC RESERVE — $400
Impact: Funds held for unforeseen variables such as weather volatility or vandalism. Surplus funds convert to additional signage.
TOTAL BUDGETED EXPENDITURES: $3,000
Budget Narrative & Stewardship
Budget Narrative & Stewardship
Comprehensive Neighborhood Investment: Every dollar of this $3,000 grant is utilized to build the physical and social infrastructure of our blocks. This includes the plants themselves, the tools to maintain them, and the signage to protect our shared environment.
Quality & Sustainability: We prioritize industrial-grade materials, such as stainless steel and aluminum, to ensure that the tools and signage purchased today remain community assets for years to come.
The Surplus Guarantee: L3BA maintains a zero-waste fiscal policy. Any unused balance from the $400 contingency fund at the conclusion of the 2026 LYB Grant season is strictly designated for the purchase of additional tree bed plaques at a cost of $60 per unit.
Verified Accountability: L3BA maintains a high standard of transparency with both our neighbors and the City of New York. In addition to this public report, every expenditure is verified by NYC Service and the Office of the Mayor. We submit original receipts for all purchases to ensure every dollar is fully accounted for and used directly for our community.
Project Timeline:
L3BA "Giving Our Blocks Flowers"
May – July 2026: Supplies Procurement & Outreach
May 12, 2026 : First Sowing Event (Test Pilot) Street Care #LoveYourBlock #BigSpringClean
June – July 2026: Initial Bloom Period (Expectation)
June 28, 2026: Neighborhood Pride Street Tree Care #LoveYourBlock
July – August 2026: Maintenance Events (dates TBA) & Plaque Signage Design Drafting 16 avenue plaque templates with community input.*, Orders placed for "Tree Voice" plaques for a fall unveiling.
August – Sept 2026: Maintenance Events (dates TBA). Secondary Procurement, Execution of secondary purchases, including plant plugs and any additional gardening supplies required for the primary fall rollout.
Sept – Nov 2026: Maintenance Events (dates TBA), Primary Native Sowing & Unveiling (dates TBA)
Site: Prepped/viable tree beds in the L3BA purview (Lex & 3rd Ave from 96th to 104th Street).
November 13, 2026: Final Report & Grant Closeout. Gathering data for final report, completing feedback forms, and ensuring complete spend-out of funds for the NYC Service Love Your Block Grant.
Post-Grant Maintenance & Follow-Up
Nov 2026 – April 2027: Post-Grant Maintenance & Follow-Up. Monthly street tree care clean-up events. This ongoing commitment fosters community bonding and shared anticipation for the spring, ensuring that even in the dormant season as we wait for growth, the collective work and dedication to our blocks remain the primary focus.
May 2027: Follow-Up Corridor-Wide Sowing & Full Bloom. Sowing seasonal pollinators into established native beds and maintaining blooming native flowers from the 2026 pilot and fall sowing.
Site: Prepped/viable tree beds in the L3BA purview (Lex & 3rd Ave from 96th to 104th Street).
Project Management Highlights
Strategic Prepping: Using the fall planting as a soil-building phase ensures the Spring 2027 pollinator seeds have the nutrient-rich foundation required to thrive.
Community Engagement: We will be doing block-specific online voting on the Plaque Signage "Voices of the Trees" Slogans to ensure that residents have direct ownership over the "Tree Voice" on their specific street. By reserving two of the four plaques per block for resident-only voting, the project fosters deep local pride while allowing for broader community participation on the remaining two.
Objective: To create and maintain ongoing community engagement and pride through a sustainable ecological plan, not just a temporary flower display.
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