Vaccination rate Good news: More than 35 percent of Upper Manhattan residents have now had at least one shot in their anti-Covid-19 doses, and 24 percent are fully vaccinated. In our ZIP code, covering Fort George and Hudson Heights, the figures are slightly better: 36 percent with one dose and 25 percent with both. Those results may be one reason the infection rate continues its slow decline, at an average of 5.56 percent for the three ZIP codes in Uptown. And 10033 looks healthier, with an infection rate of 4.53 percent, down by nearly half from the final week of December, when  7.98 percent of residents tested positive. Scroll down for vaccine locations! —8:12 a.m., April 8

Edgeworthia, hellebores They’re in bloom in Fort Tryon Park, along with corylopsis, magnolias and of course pansies. Do you enjoy your walks through the park? Join others in requesting more help to keep the park clean by signing your name to this letter. —8:07 a.m., April 5

Happy Easter Our best wishes on this holy day. —9:14 a.m., April 4

Vaccine access is expanding. Everyone aged 16 and older is eligible. Those who are 16 or 17 years old must take the Pfizer vaccine.

     Follow updates on the vaccine’s availability on the Twitter feed of TurboxVax.

     Get a shot in the arm in WaHi. Columbia/Presbyterian hosts a vaccination site at the Fort Washington Armory, which is limited to New York City residents. Make your appointment here or call the bilingual phone line for Uptown seniors book their slots: (646) 838-0319, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

     Pharmacies have the vaccine too. All of these Uptown spots are giving the Moderna vaccine:

  Lower WaHi Rite Aid, 1033 St. Nicholas Avenue at 161st Street

                              Rite Aid, 4188 Broadway, between 177th and 178th Streets

  Fort George  Rite Aid, 1510 St. Nicholas Avenue, between 185th and 186th Streets

  Inwood  Walgreens/Duane Reade, 133 Dyckman Street

                    Rite Aid, 4910 Broadway, near 207th Street

Click on the pharmacy name to schedule your appointment.

     The state’s plan to distribute the vaccine is posted here.

Download the forms you need, posted here as pdf files. If you don’t see what you’re looking for here, please call our property manager, who can also send you any of these forms through the mail.

     The documents you will need for some other puposes are available from different web sites. Here are the most popular:

Gym

     The gym is closed during the pandemic.

Pets

Have a question about the House Rules, or how to get a storage cage? Ask one of your directors. This year they are:

     Jennifer Peng, president

     Riva Hocherman, vice president

     Leslie Thrope, vice president

     Jessica Bendiner, secretary

     Rogier de Boer-Phelan, treasurer

They will be happy to help you.

     While you’re thinking of the building, help us keep your contact information current so you will receive official mail from the corporation and Argo without delay. If you have children moving out or roommates moving in, please tell us. Your information will not appear on this web site. If you do not want it to appear on our internal contact sheet, simply say so.

    The secretary is responsible for keeping our records current, so when you have updates please keep us in the loop. Email using board@thepinehurst.org or one of these addresses:
     board@thepinehurst.org For general questions
     bud@thepinehurst.org To reach Bud
     secretary@thepinehurst.org Is where to send your updated contact details
     web@thepinehurst.org Reaches the webmaster
     You can also call John at Argo at (212) 896-8600 or, if you prefer paper, send a letter to us at 447 Ft. Washington Avenue, No. 68, New York NY 10033.

Have you lost a box after it was delivered and before you picked it up? You’re not alone: 90,000 of them go missing in New York every day, and residents in some buildings are protecting themselves.

     It’s terribly frustrating to have a delivery go missing despite our best efforts. If it happens to you, please follow these steps:

1. Ensure delivery confirmation with the delivery service (USPS, UPS, Amazon, etc.).

2. File a police report with the 32nd Precinct at (212) 690-6311.

3. Notify management of your missing package.

4. The police will contact management to obtain surveillance video. As per the House Rules, security camera footage is not provided to residents.

     To keep your delivery from being stolen, here are some tips to protect you. There’s no guarantee they will work, but any of them will help keep your package yours.

Visitors to this website from the European Union have the protection of GDPR 2016/679 which on May 26, 2016, went into effect.

     Data collected from on thepinehurst.org are stored on the servers of Ionos, the web hosting service used by 447 Ft. Washington Owners’ Corporation doing business as The Pinehurst. The Controller is the webmaster, who may be reached at web@thepinehurst.org, and the Controller’s Representative is the property manager, John Caceci, who may be reached at (212) 896-8600 or at Argo Real Estate, 50 W 17 St, New York NY 10011. The Data Protection Officer is the president of the corporation, Jennifer Peng, who may be reached at 447fwa@thepinehurst.org.

     The data we collect are those submitted voluntarily by shareholders to promote notices of sale of their apartments. There is no requirement to submit any information at any time. We store personal data for the duration that an apartment is for sale; once it is sold we delete it within four weeks of being notified of the sale. If a shareholder revokes permission for us to store personal information we shall delete it within two weeks of the shareholder’s notification.

     We use Google Analytics to review users’ visits to our site. Information from Google is available to us only in the aggragate; we have no access to any information about any individual visitor.

     An individual subject to GDPR 2016/679 has the right to request from the Controller access to and rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing concerning the data subject or to object to processing as well as the right to data portability. Such an individual also has the right to make a complaint the supervising authority, which is The Board of Directors. It may be reached at secretary@thepinehurst.org or at 447 Fort Washington Ave, Apt 68, New York NY 10033.

Looking for a place to light up a grill? This map shows the safe spots in Fort Washington Park, Highbridge Park, and Inwood Hill Park.

     Grilling on the Pinehurst’s balconies and fire escapes is prohibited by law — not to mention common sense.

Our building is a community, as well as our home. Residents share the responsibility to ensure a safe and pleasant quality of life at reasonable cost.  We count on each other to treat all areas of the building as our home, and to protect and respect the rights of all of the Residents to a safe and comfortable home. A set of guidelines helps us achieve these goals.

     During the pandemic, the laundry room is open 24 hours a day except for cleaning between 9 and 9:30 a.m. and 3 and 3:30 p.m.

     We ask you to limit its use to one person at a time and to take your clean laundry back to your apartment to fold so the next person can get in sooner. While your laundry is washing or drying, leave your number on the white board, below, so if you forget your clothes the next person knows who to remind.

Our laundry facilities are open to residents between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. You can refill your card in the laundry room.
     Hercules maintains the laundry machines, both the washers and dryers. With our dryers, to add five minutes you must do so when at least five minutes remain in the cycle. If there is less time, you will be given 30 minutes and charged for a full cycle.
     If a machine is malfunctioning, please call Hercules at (800) 526-5760 to inform them so they may repair it. Alternatively, you may send an e-mail to service@hercnet.com, explaining the problem and asking for a refund if you lost money. Hercules will need to know:
    BUILDING NAME Pinehurst
    BUILDING ADDRESS 447 Fort Washington Avenue
    BUILDING LOCATION Manhattan
    LAUNDRY ROOM LOCATION Basement; super required for access
    MACHINE MALFUNCTIONING Take note of the number on the machine, and if you’re asking for a refund, include your apartment number

Our fourth look at maintenance fees across Manhattan neighborhoods is available on the On The Market page. The previous survey, the third, compares fees to those in 2006 and 2008. Want to compare? Download a copy of the 2012 report by clicking on the link below.

     If you’re specifically interested in Hudson Heights maintenance fees, we have that data too:

Washington Heights is known for its noise. Luckily, Hudson Heights is a bit quieter. However, if you are bothered by loud music, a party, fireworks or other terrestrial sound, please call 311.
     Other noise comes from the skies. Aircraft fly over our neighborhood en route to LaGuardia Airport or on their way to points west.  

     Helicopters also fly nearby, and sometimes seems to hover. If these sounds are bothersome, please call the Economic Development Corporation at (212) 619-5000 with your concerns about helicopters, or for airplanes call (718) 533-5615 and press 3 for LaGuardia.

     In late 2020 a group of Uptowners formed a task force on noise. The idea came up at a meeting of Community Board 12, which may end up working with the group.

The city has a way to keep you informed of emergency information as well as less-critical topics like parking changes. Sign up to receive notifications by e-mail, text, or phone messages. To stay informed, click here: https://a858-nycnotify.nyc.gov/notifynyc/

The Pinehurst is committed to recycling in accordance with New York City's goals. Most paper and plastic (but not all), glass and metal are recyclable in our bins in the garbage area.
     Compact fluorescent light bulbs require special recycling because their contents are hazardous. Also known as CFL’s, these bulbs are typically curly in shape. During the pandemic, the ctiy’s drop-off sites, including the one closest to us in Fort George, are closed and will remain so until June. In the meantime, take your CFL bulbs to a retailer that accepts them, such as Home Depot.
     For more information on CFL recycling, click here.

When you replace your smoke detectors, you need to upgrade to a 10-year sealed model. A 2019 state law says that all new or replacement smoke detectors must be powered by the long-lasting battery or be hardwired to your electrical system. If you want to sell your apartment, you will need to upgrade your smoke detectors before the sale goes through.

In August 2017 Mayor DeBlasio signed legislation that requires all NYC cooperatives and condominiums to adopt formal smoking policies. The Board will be amending the House Rules to include this policy and any shareholders intending to sell or lease their apartment must also include it in their sale or lease agreement.

     BOROUGH 1

181 Street: Busway Pilot plan
Increasing the speed of transportation along 181st Street has been a goal of everyone for years. In January, the Department of Transportation presented its plan to Community Board 12. It includes changes to parking (and double parking!) and excludes from 181st Street traffic that isn’t a bus, truck, or emergency vehicle. You can download the plan here.    
      A previous review from Department of Transportation’s of 181st Street is here.

Get the shot Starting today any New Yorker who’s at least 30 years old can get the Covid-19 vaccine. We need more people who are protected so we can slow the spread of the coronavirus! Scroll down to Covid-19 Information for a list of places to get vaccinated. —7:39 a.m., March 30

Vaccination rate Safety keeps looking up in Uptown. As as yesterday, 30 percent of residents in the Hudson Heights and Fort George ZIP code had received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and 19 percent were fully vaccinated. Those figures are up from 25.5 percent and 12 percent just two weeks ago, but there’s still a long way to go. Sign up for your shot! Appointment info below, under the Comments bar. —8:48 a.m., March 29

Happy Passover Our best wishes for a joyful and delicious meal. —8:04 a.m., March 27

Weekend picks The Hispanic Society hosts an online story time this afternoon, in both Spanish and English. Take binoculars on a (socially distanced) hike on Saturday to watch the spring migration of birds in Inwood Hill Park. Close the weekend with a special chamber music concert on Sunday night. —8:22 a.m., March 26

GWB delay Due to a vehicle collision, expect extensive traffic delays on the George Washington Bridge. Consider alternative routes and allow for additional travel time. —7:09 a.m., March 26

Infection jump After weeks of decreasing infections in our Zip code, the rate nearly doubled last week to 8.14 percent, from the previous week’s rate, 4.53 percent. Don’t let your guard down! The vaccine will help but we’re not out of the woods yet. —8:20 a.m., March 24

Historic Holyrood The Episcopal church just down the street from us may become a landmark. The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission will livestream a hearing at 9:30 this morning to consider whether the church and its Gothic revival style should get special status. It was built by Bannister & Schell for the congregation, which was founded in 1893. —7:57 a.m., March 23

Mac madness Which NCAA men’s basketball team has the longest winning streak? The Maccabees of Yeshiva University. The Fort George team has played 36 games without a loss — the last time they didn’t win was in November 2019 — but they won’t play in the championship because the pandemic canceled the NCAA Division III tournament. —9:54 a.m., March 22

Spring arrives With the changing of the season, take a few minutes to change the batteries in your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector. Need help? Ask Bud. —9:21 a.m., March 21

Neighborly kudos Did you ever wonder who found the historic photos of the Pinehurst on our site? Send warm wishes to Mel, who last month said goodbye to a career improving the archives of the New York Public Library. Over four decades she made the archives easier to access and broadened their inclusivity.  —9:02 a.m., March 18

Vaccine expansion Starting today, you may be eligible for the vaccine regardless of your age if your job has you “facing” the public and you work for a non-profit, in building services, or for the government. There’s more good news: From tomorrow through Sunday you can get the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Inwood Academy for Leadership Middle School, at 403 West 204th Street, at St. Jude’s Church, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Register here. —7:29 a.m., March 17

Missing package Rogier can’t find one that FedEx says it delivered yesterday around 1 p.m. There’s a note on whiteboard but nothing in the storage space. —7:26 a.m., March 17

Culture streets Theater, music, comedy, and dance acts can now take precedence over cars and delivery trucks on Open Culture Streets in Lower WaHi and Inwood. The program lets cultual institutions and enetertainment venues to apply for a permit to close a street and use it for performances. —8:28 a.m., March 16

Vaccination rate Keep rolling up those sleeves! Fort George and Hudson Heights now have 12 percent of residents fully vaccinated, and 24.59 with at least one shot (of the two-shot varieties). Only Lower WaHi has a better set of rates in Uptown. On top of that, the infection rate in our Zip code is mercifully lower, at 4.53 percent, the lowest in Uptown except for Lower WaHi (again). And in more good news, the mayor says more vaccine sites are coming our way. —7:57 a.m., March 15

Spring ahead Feeling behind? Daylight saving started this morning so if you haven’t adjusted your analog clocks and watches, move them ahead an hour. —8:54 a.m., March 14

Coogan’s Way? The reknowned restaurant closed in April but the legend lives on. A group of Uptowners started an online petition to rename the corner of Broadway and 169th Street as Coogan’s Way. As of this morning, it has 896 signatures. —8:25 a.m., March 9

Ikea meatballs Your neighbor Jennifer has a special craving for Swedish meatballs. If you’re  stopping by an Ikea soon, she would be extra appreciative if you’d pick up two or three bags of their traditional frozen meatballs & packets of cream sauce. She’ll pay you back! —4:14 p.m., March 8

Brood X Sounds like a scary movie but it’s just a bunch of bugs. To be specific: millions of red-eyed cicadas will emerge from their seventeen-year gestation in a few months, once the ground reaches 64 degrees. They’re harmless to humans. Their noise, on the other hand, can be obnoxious. It come from the males vibrating membranes on their abdomens. —7:53 a.m., March 7

Package deliveries Oh, it’s frustrating when we can’t get the packages we’re expecting. Here’s a tip: when you see a box sitting in front of a neighbor’s door, pick it up for them and leave a note saying you’re holdig it safely from those with sticky fingers. We have several other suggestions under Package Security, above. —8:06 a.m., March 4

Washington Heights variant The new strain of Covid-19 likely started here in WaHi. That’s the unsettling news Dr. Anthony Fauci shared yesterday, following on the report from Columbia last week (see “Covid variation,” February 27, below). Stay vigilant! —7:58 a.m., March 2

Vaccination rate We need more adults to get their first shots! We’ve hovering at 7 percent, while the rate of adults who have had both shots is up to 9 percent (from 5). There are plenty of spots where you can roll up your sleeves: scroll down to Covid-19 Information. —8:08 a.m., March 1

Restaurant week Today’s your last chance to order from a half-dozen Uptown restaurants to have a special $20.21 meal delivered. Support local business! Here’s the list. —9:01 a.m., February 28

Covid variation A new variant of the coronavirus disease is making its appearance Uptown. Columbia researchers tested 1,142 samples from the medical center and found 12 percent of them to be carrying B.1.526. Most of the samples come from residents of WaHi and Inwood. Stay vigilant: social distancing and masks work. —7:42 a.m., February 27

Going up? The elevator is back in service, six hours ahead of schedule. Thanks for your patience! Keeping it running smoothly is an important job. —10:11 a.m., February 25

Elevator maintenance Having a new fridge delivered? Keep in mind that the elevator will be out of service starting Wednesday morning at 8 until Thursday afternoon at 4. —8:47 a.m., February 22

Arts engagement Two Uptown creative organizations would like to hear from you. The WaHi Chamber Orchestra and WQXR want to know more about the interests of classical music lovers. You could win a $50 gift card by taking this survey. Making history meaningful is a goal of the Morris-Jumel Mansion, which would like you to take a survey administered by museums nationally. Complete it and you may be one of four people to win a $100 gift card. —11:27 a.m., February 21

Lotion giveaway A wonderful part of being a teacher is the appreciation your students show. Molly recentely received a gift of several hand and body lotions and creams, more than she can use herself. Would you like some? She’ll drop a tube or jar at your door. —7:32 a.m., February 20

Vaccination rate While it could be better, Hudson Heights and Fort George are on par with Lower WaHi for partial vaccinations, at 7 percent, and ahead of Inwood, which is at 6 percent. Five percent of our residents are fully vaccinated, ahead of Inwood (4 percent) and behnd Lower WaHi (6 percent). Roll up those sleeves! —7:59 a.m., February 17

Infection decline More good news: The rate of coronavirus infections is still going down. In our Zip code, the rate was 5.91 percent for the week ending February 11. Just two weeks earlier it was 8.75 percent. Sign up for the vaccine if you’re eligible and if not, mask up! —8:56 a.m., February 16

Vaccine points Good news: Five pharmacies will administer the coronavirus vaccine, making six spots in Uptown. The bad news: They are all chains, so none is in Hudson Heights. The closest is the Rite Aid on the other side of the bridge, and there’s another in Fort George. All of them are giving the Moderna vaccine. Here are the spots, from down to up:

  Lower WaHi Rite Aid, 1033 St. Nicholas Avenue at 161st Street

                              Rite Aid, 4188 Broadway, between 177th and 178th Streets

  Fort George  Rite Aid, 1510 St. Nicholas Avenue, between 185th and 186th Streets

  Inwood  Walgreens/Duane Reade, 133 Dyckman Street

                    Rite Aid, 4910 Broadway, near 207th Street

Click on the pharmacy name to schedule your appointment. —10:07 a.m., February 14

Uptown housing There isn’t enough of it, and the number of new apartments grew at the second-lowest rate in Manhattan in the decade ending last year. Download the study below. Only 644 new housing units were added, with the help of Inwood activists who have successfully fought against new apartment developments. That’s good news for sellers, and if you’re one, remember that we can put a link to your listing on our site. —7:47 a.m., February 11

Renaming parks With the discovery last year of James Gordon Bennett’s racist and anti-abolitionist writings, should he remain the namesake of Bennett Park? The Community Board holds a committee meeting this evening at 6:30 which may take up the question, first raised at a December meeting. You must register here to join it. —11:29 a.m., February 9

Trump up He may be on trial today in the Capitol, but Upper Manhattan has decided: his support here grew at a higher rate than in most of the rest of the city. Take a look at this map and plug in our Zip code, then click on “Change from 2016” to see that our precinct voted 7.3 percent more Republican in November than we had in 2016. In fact, only 11 precincts above 165th Street voted more Democratic this time — and seven of them are in Hudson Heights. —8:24 a.m., February 9

Gas meter If you received a letter from ConEd asking for access to your apartment so a staffer can read your gas meter, go to ConEd.com/GasInspectionManhattan to schedule a visit. It’s probably in your kitchen. ConEd determines your gas bill by looking at those little dials to find out how much gas you used, and for accurate billing prefers to read your meter monthly. Oh, those meters in the basement across from the elevator? They’re for electricity. —8:05 a.m., February 7

Winter storm Start getting prepared for another blizzard, coming tomorrow morning at 4 with a  total accumulation of 5 to 7 inches. Snowfall rates may exceed 1+ inches per hour in the late morning and early afternoon. Charge your cell phone, make your food and medicine, and turn your refrigerator and freezer to a colder setting in case the power goes out. Be a good neighbor, too: check on neighbors to see if you can run an errand for them today. —8:11 a.m., February 6

Restaurant week After excluding Uptown eateries, New York Restaurant Week expands above Harlem and extends through February. For $20.21, you can choose a lunch or dinner to be delivered to your door from two restaurants in Lower WaHi and six in Inwood. (Why didn’t Hudson Heights restaurants join in?) Here’s the list. Bon appétit! —7:52 a.m., February 4

Transit memorial A digital memorial to the 137 Transit workers who have died of Covid-19 is now running in the “A” Train’s 207 Street Station. Videos play throughout the day. Of the 107 subway stations with an installation, it’s the only one above Harlem. The videos will run through February 7. —7:57 a.m., February 3

Neighborly check-in What a mess out there! Consider knocking on the door of a neighbor who can’t get around well to see if you can help by picking up groceries, a prescription or something else. We could get up to 14 to 18 inches of snow and an icy glaze, with winds gusting as high as 45 mph. Stay in if you can. —7:21 a.m., February 1

Covid rates They’re down from their peak in Hudson Heights and Fort George, but they’re still far too high for safety. In the week ending January 24, the infection rate in our Zip code was 8.75 percent. Just a month ago the rate was 7.98 percent — an increase of 9.6 percent in just four weeks. In Inwood, the rate on January 24 was 9.12 percent (it was 6.47 percent the week ending December 24), and Lower WaHi had the lowest rate: 8.49 (and did by far a month ago, when the rate there was 5.57 percent, though that means the rate shot up 52.4 percent in 31 days). —11:18 a.m., January 31

Armory outsiders After The City reported that New Jersey residents and other B&T visitors were outmaneuvering Uptown residents for the Covid-19 vaccine at the Armory, Columbia/Presbyterian, which administers the site, changed course. Now it will limit vaccines to New York residents, with 60 percent set aside for those who live between Central Harlem and Inwood. To schedule an appointment, register online by creating an account with Presbyterian, o aquí en Español, or call (646) 697-VACC, which has an option for Spanish. —7:37 a.m., January 28

Hudson flyover Two F-18 jets will fly low over the Hudson River toward the Verrazzano Bridge this afternoon at about 12:15. They will fly at approximately 2,500 feet. —7:29 a.m., January 27

Underground Railroad A group of Uptown residents is fighting to prevent a historic home on Riverside Drive from being razed. The two-story Italiante house was built in 1851 and was owned by an abolitionist until 1854. During that time, historians contend, the home was a stop on the underground railroad. —7:35 a.m., January 26

Armory vaccinations Just days after Patch asked Mayor DeBlasio why there are no Covid vaccination centers in the hardest-hit neighborhoods of Manhattan, Gov. Cuomo and Community Board 12 helped Columbia/Presbyterian set one up at the Fort Washington Armory. Make your appointment here. —8:03 a.m., January 16

Fort George prices You already know that the neighborhood to our east is the most affordable in Manhattan. A study by the Property Club acknowledges that though determines that it’s not in WaHi. Nonethless, here’s the list of the borough’s 50 cheapest neighborhoods. —9:57 a.m., January 13

Vaccine desert As Patch reports, even though Upper Manhattan has the highest rates of Covid-19 infection in Manhattan, none of the borough’s 23 vaccination sites are above 136th Street. View the map here. —10:52 a.m., January 12

Inwood fire aid That devastating fire in Inwood on Tuesday left 51 uptowners, including 16 children, without a home. You can help them by contributing to fund-raising efforts to assist the families. One organized by the Juan Pablo Duarte Foundation seeks to help the displaced families. Another is to support the mother of Indira Peralta. —11:09 a.m., January 10

Covid infections The rate is getting worse. Here in Zip code 10033, including Fort George and part of Lower WaHi, 7.98 percent of people are infected, more than the rate for the city, which is 7 percent. In Inwood, it’s even higher: 8.53 percent. Scroll down to find out how to get tested for free and how to find out if you have coronavirus antibodies. —9:11 a.m., December 29