Rescuing Tibbetts Brook Community Gathering

On October 26th, CALL organized a community gathering at Manhattan College to update stakeholders and residents on the progress of the Rescuing Tibbetts Brook initiative and to brainstorm ideas for the future. The Gathering invited participants to note points of Interest, Opportunity, Concern, and Importance around the Daylighted Tibbetts. Presentations were made by many of CALL’s partners including Dart Westphal (Professor, Environmental Studies, Manhattan College), Stephanie Ehrlich (Executive Director, Van Cortlandt Park Alliance), Amy Motzny (Section Lead, Climate and Equity, NYC Department of Environmental Protection), Jessica Wilson (Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Manhattan College) and Robert Fanuzzi (President, Bronx Council for Environmental Quality). These presentations were followed by an artists roundtable featuring Matthew Lopez-Jensen, Kamala Sankaram, and Manuel Acevedo– all artists who have created Rescuing Tibbetts projects– as well as Daven Asafo (gardener, Outer Seed Shadow at Marble Hill Houses). This roundtable was moderated by Jennifer McGregor, a curator and arts planner member of CALL’s board. 

Breakout sessions followed the roundtable to discuss how community members, business owners, and property owners can become more engaged with the greenway. Discussions and presentations raised vital questions about the next steps and provided a platform for engaged dialogue Subsequently, Kamala Sankaram and her virtuoso ensemble performed an excerpt from Kamala’s composition The Buried Brook--featured in her augmented reality app which can only be experienced while tracing the former path of Tibbetts Brook. The evening concluded with a community dinner, allowing participants to socialize and further discuss the interesting ideas brought up throughout the afternoon. CALL hopes to build on the ideas exchanged during the Gathering and incorporate them into future programming.