My Letter Opposing the Proposed Sale of the Harriman Club House

August 22, 2018
Mr. William B. Tyree
President, Board of Trustees
The Boys’ Club of New York
287 East 10th Street
New York, NY 10009
Mr. Steven Tosh
Executive Director
The Boys’ Club of New York
287 East 10th Street
New York, NY 10009

Dear Messrs. Tyree and Tosh:
We are writing in connection with the proposed sale by The Boys’ Club of New York (BCNY) of the Harriman Clubhouse building located at 287 East 10th Street in the East Village (the “Harriman Clubhouse”).
As representatives of the area, we were disappointed to have learned initially about the sale of the Harriman Clubhouse at a very late stage in the decision-making process. In order to ensure that your decision was fully informed by the community you serve, we strongly urge you to postpone placing the Harriman Clubhouse on the market until you convene a community meeting to take public input on your plans to sell the Harriman Clubhouse and present your plans for remaining services in the community. The meeting’s agenda should include the following:

1. Membership profile by measures such as age, area of residence, etc.;
2. A transparent overview of organizational finances;
3. Overview of past outreach efforts to increase membership among boys and young men at various age levels; and
4. Options and strategies that would allow your organization to remain in the current facility.
Messrs. Tyree and Tosh

We strongly value your mission to empower boys and young men by providing effective programs and a supportive community. As you are well aware, the Harriman Clubhouse has been a vital part of our neighborhood for more than a century. Therefore, the decision to sell such an important community asset must only be taken after rigorous analysis and extensive public consultation.

Thank you for the consideration of our request. Kindly contact Senator Hoylman’s office at 212-633-8052 at your earliest convenience to discuss how to proceed with these steps.

Sincerely yours,

Sincerely yours,
Brad Hoylman-27th District Manhattan 

Gale Brewer- NYS Senator Borough President

Harvey Epstein- NYS Assembly  74th District 

Carlina Rivera- City Councilmember, District 2

Alysha Lewis-Coleman- Chair Manhattan Community Board 3