Dear Neighbors,
We wish to update you on plans for upcoming construction related to Friends Seminary’s much-needed academic modernization project, the design for which was approved by Community Board 6 and the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2015. The first phase of this project focuses on the Hunter Hall building at 222 East 16th Street, to which will be added two floors of classrooms and a reconstructed rooftop playspace. During our two-week Spring Break, which begins March 19, construction manager Tishman Construction will be erecting the required protective sidewalk bridge and scaffolding along East 16th Street, as well as a bridge and scaffolding in our interior courtyard. Tishman also will install a hoist on East 16th Street and begin preliminary work related to eventual partial removal of facade bricks once the scaffolding is installed. This preliminary work will continue through April 2, with work hours on Saturdays from 9am-3pm (allowing for arrival and prep from 8-9am and break-down from 3-4pm), and weekdays from 7am-6pm. Once school is back in session, starting April 4, construction work will be primarily restricted to Saturdays for the rest of the school year, with occasional prep activity outside the building during the week. Full weekday work will resume when school breaks for the summer on June 6. There will be no construction activity on Sundays for the duration of the project. We have instructed our construction managers to be sensitive at all times to the fact that this work is being carried out in a residential neighborhood, and that the safety and security of our students, school community and our neighbors is our utmost concern. Tishman will be coordinating with the school throughout the day, including at the time of student arrival and dismissal, to insure the safety of the students, faculty and pedestrians, and will make their best efforts to keep noise and traffic disruptions to an absolute minimum. Friends is committed to providing regular construction updates by email and on our website atwww.friendsredevelopment.org. If you have questions regarding construction, the project email is projects@friendsseminary.org. You can also direct questions to our dedicated project phone number at (646) 979-5225. Additionally, the school will hold regular community construction update sessions for area residents and community members who wish to meet with us throughout this process. Notice of these forums, open to all, will be sent to the project email distribution list, as well as posted online and outdoors around the school’s perimeter. The first community construction forum will take place on Thursday, April 7 from 6-7pm in the Friends Seminary library at 222 East 16th Street. Please RSVP to the project email, call the phone number listed above, or visit www.friendsredevelopment.org/aprilmeeting. We have appreciated the robust community dialogue between the school and our neighbors regarding the project, and look forward to continuing that productive communication throughout this process and beyond. Sincerely,
Robert “Bo” Lauder
Principal