Java Street Beat: Cleaning Up the Street End

Cleaning Up Java Street
By Juliet Linderman
Not long ago, the street ends in northern Greenpoint were all but forgotten. Chain-linked fences blocked the waterfront from view, and the mostly-industrial neighborhood side streets suffered from neglect. They were covered in weeds, trash and graffiti, including Java Street. However, one year ago, a renewed interest in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg waterfront contributed to the removal of the fences along the river—including those on Java and India Streets—and marked the beginning of concerted efforts to revitalize the northern edge of the Garden Spot. On Saturday afternoon the NYC Community Cleanup, a city-wide program designed to engage low-level offenders in meaningful revitalization projects, came to Java Street to pull weeds, plant trees, help paint a mural and beautify the block.
“Just one year ago, Java Street was covered in garbage,” said Benjamin Smith, Deputy Project Director of NYC Community Cleanup. Smith explained that the decision to send NYC Community Cleanup crew to Greenpoint is based on an interest in revitalizing the neighborhood, particularly Java Street. “We decided to give this block a makeover. We wanted to make the waterfront access as appealing to local residents as possible, and painting a mural will discourage graffiti and vandalism.” Kicking off efforts to revamp the northern Greenpoint street ends at Java Street coincides with the imminent opening of a brand new “pop-up park”—a temporary respite at the river’s edge complete with portable planters and benches—at the Java Street waterfront, on the property of Stiles Properties LLC.
And quite a makeover Java Street received, as 27 clients with community service mandates, 12 volunteers and approximately eight NYC Community Cleanup staff members pulled weeds, painted stones and the walls and planted trees and lavender. The mural is one in a series created by artist Niko Courtelis called NYCamo, a pattern based on the shapes of the five boroughs of New York City. Each borough is assigned a color palate, and then layered on top of each other to create a camouflage, puzzle-piece effect.
“This piece is interpretive, it’s meant to be subjective. It is art, after all,” Courtelis said. For Java Street, the color scheme is based around different shades of purple and green. “The colors are intentional, because we hope to plant a lavender garden here. It will all tie together, and the colors are optimistic ones.”
Councilmember Stephen Levin and his staff were on hand at Java Street, grabbing paint brushes and lending a hand.
“We’re all connected,” Levin added.
For more information about NYC Community Cleanup visit their website at www.cleanupnyc.org.

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