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CB2 committee hears San Gennaro organizers on cleanup, teardown hours and disrupted M1 bus route
Summary
Organizers of the San Gennaro feast told Manhattan Community Board 2’s Street Activities & Resiliency Committee they’ve improved vendor communications but still face trash, teardown timing and vendor‑blocking problems; residents said the M1 bus route is disrupted during the festival and asked the committee to press MTA for a fix.
Erica, chair of Manhattan Community Board 2’s Street Activities & Resiliency Committee, opened the meeting by saying the committee had a “very packed agenda” and then invited San Gennaro organizers to give a debrief on the neighborhood festival.
Organizers said the event is generally improving but described recurring operational problems. Vivian Kanachio, identified in the meeting as “president” of the festival committee, told the board they have secured a different garbage contractor and that vendors and the event team are working to reduce the trash and vendor, conflicts. “We’re improving every year,” Vivian said, while also flagging that furniture and outdoor‑dining knockdown created unexpected piles that were difficult to remove overnight.
Residents and business representatives pressed for more concrete fixes. Jonathan Barelli, the president of his building’s board, told the committee the feast still “costs us money. We have to hire security,” and asked organizers to provide staff or earlier morning cleanup so building superintendents are not left cleaning in the dark. The committee advised residents to document damage or remediation costs and submit receipts for possible follow‑up.
A separate but related transit concern drew sustained attention. Public commenter Laura Tenbomb said the M1 bus “stops at Houston” during the feast and does not serve the blocks south of Houston, effectively leaving the neighborhood without regular service for the two‑week run of the event. The committee agreed to seek an MTA liaison and to investigate an alternate routing (Broadway → Grand → Center) and to check whether earlier negotiations with traffic/transportation or construction on Worth Street are factors.
The committee did not adopt any formal city rule changes at the meeting, but members said they would record the community’s requests in their recommendations to SAPO and will follow up with city agencies. The board encouraged festival organizers to continue sharing their risk assessment and to add a day‑of contact number for fast responses during the festival.
