Ribbon-cutting celebrates renovated Moore Pk.
BY GABE HERMAN
A ribbon cutting at Chelsea’s
Clement Clarke Moore Park
celebrated the completion of
renovations that included new playground
equipment and improvements
to the park’s landscape.
The Sept. 24 event in the park, at
West 22nd Street and 10th Avenue,
was attended by offi cials and community
leaders, who lauded the results of
the $1.5 million renovation project.
Upgrades were made to the pavements
and storm drainage system, and
an updated spray shower was installed
along with more swings for different
ages. The new play equipment is ADAcompliant,
including ground-level
play features.
“This is one of the most special
parks we have in the city, and it’s a
crown jewel of Chelsea,” said City
Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who
represents the area.
Johnson noted the renovation’s
origins went back to 2015, when the
local West 400 Block Association,
Manhattan Community Board 4 and
local residents advocated for park upgrades.
They pointed out wear and tear
in the park and fl ooding issues, and
Johnson said he was grateful for the
community’s advocacy.
“Thank you for your hard work and
organizing and getting it done,” Johnson
said to the Chelsea community.
Photo by Gabe Herman
Those cutting the ribbon at the playground included, left to right, Manhattan Commissioner for Parks Bill
Castro, President of the West 400 Block Association Allen Oster, CB4 First Vice Chair Lowell Kern, Assembly
Member Richard Gottfried, Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver and Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
The park improvements were made
without losing its welcoming feel, the
speaker added. Seating areas were
added, along with more planting
beds. Large trees throughout the park
continue to provide plenty of shade.
“It’s important of course to upgrade
parks, but not lose their charm,”
Johnson said.
“Clement Clarke Moore Park now
offers a safer, more welcoming playground
for the neighborhood,” said
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver.
He noted that Chelsea also added a
new park, Chelsea Green, in July.
While offi cials spoke, the surrounding
park was full of families and young
kids busy at play in the playground
area. Assembly Member Richard Gottfried
noted all the children busy having
fun, and quipped, “Some things
happen with or without us,” to laughs
from the crowd.
Lowell Kern, fi rst vice chair of Community
Board 4, said of the renovations,
“This one’s personal. Both of my
sons, who are now 23 and 20, grew
up in this park. I don’t know how any
dirt is left along the 22nd Street side
because I thought it all ended up in
my apartment.”
Others attending the ribbon cutting
included Allen Oster, president
of the West 400 Block Association,
Manhattan Commissioner for Parks
Bill Castro, and representatives on
behalf of State Senator Brad Hoylman
and Manhattan Borough President
Gale Brewer.
New pastor at Chelsea’s St. Peter’s makes her-story
BY GABE HERMAN
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in
Chelsea has announced a new
priest who is breaking barriers as
its fi rst ever female pastor and its fi rst
Asian American priest.
Rev. Christine Lee will be formally
commissioned at St. Peter’s Chelsea,
which is at 346 W. 20 St. between
Eighth and Ninth Aves., during a
service set for this January.
This isn’t Reverend Lee’s fi rst
time making history. In 2012, she
became the fi rst Korean-American
woman ordained as a priest in the
Episcopal Church.
Lee was recently vicar at All Angels
Church on the Upper West Side.
She is currently a Doctor of Ministry
student at California’s Fuller
Theological Seminary, where she focuses
on leading organizational and
congregational change.
She will bring that focus on change
to St. Peter’s Chelsea, starting a new
church vitalization program that includes
a Sunday School for kids, leadership
training and other congregational
development programs.
Courtesy St. Peter’s Chelsea
Rev. Christine Lee.
“I am looking forward to being a
part of this new season in the life of
St. Peter’s Chelsea,” said Reverend
Lee. “I have been inspired by the
leadership at St. Peter’s and their desire
for the church to be a sign of life
and hope. There is a lot of fear and
anxiety in our world today, and sadly
some of that has been caused in the
name of God. Our desire is for St. Peter’s
to be a place where all are welcome
and can encounter the love of
God in these challenging times.”
Ongoing building restoration
work will continue at the church,
which Reverend Lee will be involved
in. She will also bring in a
new group of members to join the
current congregation.
“I am very excited and encouraged
by St. Peter’s Chelsea in calling
Christine Lee as their new priest,”
said Reverend Allen K. Shin, bishop
suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese
of New York. “With additional new
members blended with the existing
congregation, a new vision for mission
and growth will emerge under
Christine’s leadership. St. Peter’s as
an incubator community for development
and revitalization of other communities
in the Diocese is a new paradigm
that has not been tried before.
This is truly an exciting new project
in this Diocese.”
St. Peter’s Chelsea, which dates
back to 1831, is in the Chelsea Historic
District and on the National Register
of Historic Places. It was founded
by Clement Clarke Moore, who wrote
“A Visit from St. Nicholas,” which is
commonly called “’Twas the Night
Before Christmas.” The church was
built on his Chelsea estate.
4 SEPT. 26-OCT.3, 2019 CNW Schneps Media