City allows 18th century landmark to decay

From NY1:

A multi million dollar renovation is taking place at Erasmus Hall High School -- but only on the main facility.

In the courtyard sits a landmark building, the original school built back in 1786 when Flatbush was its own town.

With a statue of Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus in front, the Colonial wooden structure was called the Erasmus Hall Academy. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and Aaron Burr were among its founders. And now there's a campaign to make sure that history is preserved.

"There's a chance that we can lose it if something isn't done soon," said Terry Kaplan, Erasmus Hall Alumni Association.

The Erasmus Hall Alumni Association wants the city to put some construction dollars into the effort. The building is both a federal and city landmark and stands as one of the oldest schools in the country. But concerned alumni worry it may not be standing for long.

"The boards are falling off. They're rotting. The roof has a hole in it. And there's water leaking in. The glass is damaged. The shutters are falling off," said Kaplan.

Parks nixes Fort Totten fueling station

From Bay Terrace Cafe:

Customers of the Cafe were pleased to learn that NYC Parks & Recreation has decided an on-site CNG fueling station in Fort Totten is not necessary. According to Queens Parks Commissioner Lewandowski, the Fort Totten tram will fuel at Park’s fueling site in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. It’s possible that community pressure had a lot to do with DPR’s determination.

Yankee stadium park costs skyrocket

From Crain's:

The cost of replacing more than 22 acres of South Bronx parkland displaced by the new Yankee Stadium has skyrocketed 67% to nearly $195 million, according to a new report by the Independent Budget Office.

Design revisions, project additions, unanticipated cleanup of hazardous materials and construction inflation have driven costs up by $78.6 million, the report said. While the Yankees are financing the stadium — with the help of city and state subsidies — the parks are being paid for by the city.

Funding for the increase has been built into the city’s capital budget, according Doug Turetsky, chief of staff of the IBO, a city agency that operates independent of the mayor. A spokesman for the mayor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Still counting in 11th Senate District race

From the Daily News:

City Board of Elections commissioners voted unanimously today to reverse their December decision and allow disputed paper ballots to be counted in the yet-undecided 11th SD race, signaling the beginning of the end of what has been an extremely contentious and drawn-out process.

Depending on how long the count takes - and there have been conflicting reports as to exactly how many ballots are out there, but it's somewhere between 1,700 and 2,700 - this contest could be a contender for the title of longest-running undecided legislative race in modern history.

Observers and operatives on both sides of the aisle have been more or less in agreement (at least privately) that Padavan is going to be declared the winner.

Doorman not so smart about Smart Meters

Councilman Eric Gioia calls on Con Edison to add Smart Meters
By Erin Durkin
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

A Queens pol called on Con Ed on Sunday to install technology that could save New Yorkers millions on their electric bills - and blasted the utility for squandering cash they could use to pay for it.

Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens) said installing Smart Meters, which provide real-time info on electric rates and use, would save the average consumer 10% on electric costs.

"Con Ed has the money," he said, noting the utility made a $1.2 billion profit last year. "They've been sitting on the money and not investing a penny in what New Yorkers really need."

He said Con Ed instead paid "exorbitant" salaries to executives and upped dividends to investors for the 35th straight year.

In a statement, Con Ed called Smart Meters "the wave of the future" and said it would install them - when it could secure tens of millions of dollars in public funding to make it happen.

I guess Eric hasn't changed his position on these things, which will end up costing the consumer more in the long run. Why bother troubling yourself with closing hospitals, overdevelopment and crime when you can waste everyone's time bitching about the MTA, Costco and Con Ed?

Marty's $64M plastic potato chip

From the Brooklyn Eagle:

The huge $64 million Coney Island Performing Arts Center amphitheater that has been hailed as a significant enhancement for the popular outdoor concerts at Asser Levy-Seaside Park and a major concert venue for Brooklyn is also being questioned as a waste of money and destroyer of the parkland.

“What — $64 million for this?” said environmental activist Ida Sanoff, who lives near the park and is a former Community Board 13 member. “Why put a commercial venue in the midst of a residential community, bringing traffic jams? Our libraries and school programs are being cut. It will take away parkland and bring more noise. We don’t need this expensive plastic potato chip here!”

Smith's Infirmary Hospital - then and now

Kingston Lounge is back with another set of great photos, this time of a former hospital in Staten Island. Another outer borough gem intentionally left off LPC's V.I.P. (Very Important Property) list...

Atlantic Yards now just a shadow of itself

From the NY Post:

The reeling Atlantic Yards project has come a long away from the spectacular glass-and-steel arena designed by star architect Frank Gehry and surrounded by 16 monolithic brick, glass-and-steel high-rises - but seemingly in the wrong direction.

The economic downturn has even scaled back the hopes of the project's biggest cheerleader, Borough President Marty Markowitz, who recently called for the planned future home of the NBA Nets to be substituted for one with a cheaper "brownstone" façade, and Gehry's vision for the rest of the 22-acre project in Prospect Heights is now comprised of one or two high-rises and a lot of "temporary" surface parking and other empty space.

A rendering commissioned by The Post shows a significantly scaled-back version of the controversial $4 billion project by developer Bruce Ratner, which is now on hold indefinitely because of both the credit crunch and anti-project litigation.

Double dose of Kew Gardens Crap

"Hey Queens Crap, I thought I'd send you guys some pictures of some oversized homes that are filling up Queens.
These two are located in Kew Gardens. Talk about no style. Oh my." - Chris

Queens hospital rally at City Hall

KEEP US OPEN!

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley:

Dr. James Satterfield, MIH Surgical Director:

And then there was a surprise visitor:

Well he could run, but he couldn't hide from this sign which was right there when he got to the top of the stairs:
(The mayor pretended he didn't see it.)

More photos by nutrichris on Flickr and videos by nutrichris on YouTube.

Weiner sneaking up on Bloomberg in polls

From NY1:

According to an exclusive NY1 poll, Mayor Bloomberg beats City Comptroller Bill Thompson by 13 points in a hypothetical matchup, but only wins reelection against Congressman Anthony Weiner by seven points.

It's a sign the mayor will have to wage an aggressive campaign.

Weiner beats the mayor among young voters, those making between $30,000 and $50,000 a year, black voters and essentially ties the mayor among latinos -- a group Mayor Bloomberg has been targeting for years.

The 1980s are back!

From the NY Post:

It feels like a flashback to the 1980s on city streets - an era no one's nostalgic for.

Overstretched cops are struggling to combat petty crime, according to police sources - resulting in an easing of enforcement that's taking Manhattan down fast, angry New Yorkers told The Post.

"People tell me they're scared to come here," said Greg Agnew, owner of the East Bay Diner on First Avenue at 29th Street. "Guys are hanging out in the street, doing things they're not supposed to be doing, loitering. They cause fights. They urinate on the floor, There's drug use."

Earlier this month, The Post reported that the NYPD had shifted focus away from quality-of-life crimes - such as loitering, urinating and drinking in public, and minor traffic offenses - and was instead focusing on major crime and counterterrorism.

Last year, the number of summonses issued for minor criminal violations dropped by tens of thousands, city data shows.

The neglect is fast sending the city back to the dark days of the pre-Giuliani era, New Yorkers said last week.

I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. Summonses went down because people are better behaved. Our mayor said so and he wouldn't lie.

Let's take a look at the Willets Point finalists, part 2

From BoomBustBlog:

Macerich (MAC), which has nearly $4 bn of debt due over the next three years faces a daunting task ahead to navigate as a going concern. Further compounding the problems for MAC is the Company’s property portfolio, which is highly susceptible to the current crisis, built on high leverage (current LTV of 85% based on market value) and including a significant number of underwater properties with negative equity. As expectations of a recession are fast turning into a reality, a slowdown in consumer spending and a consequent impact on retailers would result in additional pressure on the Company’s occupancy levels, impacting its rental rate growth and net operating income...Is Macerich an undervalued victim of a bear market slaughter, or is it a bankruptcy waiting to happen?

From the NY Observer:

Related has recently expressed worries about financing to numerous real estate executives and others familiar with the project, saying that the company has had trouble raising new money, according to those people.

Although such credit problems are hardly unique, Related, not known for doing much on a shoestring budget, has also cut back its payments to contractors. The firm stopped paying its architects, according to people familiar with the developer. And just as the public review is beginning for zoning changes integral to the project, Related has cut by half the amount it is paying its lobbying firm Capalino + Company, according to lobbying records. The lobbying firm specializes in guiding projects through the public review process.

Not to mention the firm has had massive layoffs over the past few months and has cut back the staff working on its new projects to 4 or 5 people...

And to round out the post, let me remind you about the Muss predicament.

So, to update the Willets Point developer recap from December:

Vornado Realty Trust
Forest City Ratner Companies
General Growth Properties, Inc.
The Macerich Company and AvalonBay Corporation
The Related Companies
Muss Development LLC
The Westfield Corporation
TDC Development & Construction Company

Part 3 coming soon!

Landlords not being held accountable

From the Daily News:

Hundreds of landlords caught permitting unsafe or illegal conditions on their properties were allowed to skip out on millions of dollars in fines, a scathing new audit claims.

The audit by city Controller William Thompson found more than 75,000 unpaid building and zoning code fines totaling roughly $202 million as of last October, including some that had been outstanding for nearly a decade.

"The city is not holding individuals and businesses liable," Thompson said in a statement. "If someone does not pay a fine and experiences no collection efforts, there is nothing to prevent ... future violations."

Thompson noted that the upper East Side construction site where a crane collapsed last March 15, killing seven people, had 21 unpaid fines even two months after the accident.

CB14 members fighting the Cross Bay toll

From the Daily News:

A southern Queens community is trying to enlist the help of a civil liberties group in its fight against a proposal to abolish a decade-old toll rebate program on the Cross Bay Bridge.

In a creative legal strategy, community leaders in Broad Channel and Rockaway say that removing the rebate violates locals' First Amendment rights, provisions of the state Constitution and the City Charter.

"We have to pay a tax, in the form of a toll, to travel within our own community," said Community Board 14 member Michael Tubridy, who wrote a letter to the New York Civil Liberties Union.

"If the rebate program was removed, it would infringe on [our] rights," Tubridy said.

Broad Channel and Rockaway residents would be the only city residents forced to pay a toll within community board boundaries, established by the City Charter.

"The removal of this rebate will require Broad Channel and Rockaway residents to pay a toll to go to the post office, pick up their children at school, access our local hospital, go food shopping," Community Board 14 District Manager Jonathan Gaska wrote in a letter to the NYCLU. "The financial cost to our residents will amount to thousands of dollars a year ... to conduct everyday activities."

Community members are planning a multipronged effort to halt the MTA plan, which is likely to take effect in June.

Cheyenne slowly makes its way to Alabama

From the Daily News:

The Cheyenne Diner's famed neon sign was lifted onto a flatbed truck on Sunday - its first step in a cross-country trek toward Alabama.

Neighbors and tourists gathered at the corner of 33rd St. and Ninth Ave. to watch as the once-glowing beacon was unbolted from the iconic Manhattan diner. The sign will be stored in a Brooklyn warehouse before it - and the oft-photographed railroad-car style diner it adorned - head south to Birmingham.

"Sorry to see it go. I just wanted to say goodbye," said Andrea Kleiman, 43, a Manhattan dog-walker.

A nine-story condo is slated to go up on the site.

Parking perk still part of the job for pols

From the Daily News:

Mayor Bloomberg yanked free parking spots from a handful of elected officials last year - but borough presidents, the city controller and other pols still enjoy the perk, the Daily News found.

Bloomberg ordered the crackdown after the Daily News reported exclusively last summer that four City Council members had signs outside their district offices reserving spaces for "Council Vehicles."

But city officials decided to leave in place nearly 200 spaces near City Hall and borough offices for borough presidents, the city controller and state officials like the governor and attorney general.

The Gotham Gazette has more about the continued abuse of parking placards by city employees.

1939 World's Fair in Color! (part 2)

Video by robertwmartens on YouTube.

If the snout fits, wear it

Daily News editorial:

...on Dec. 5, 2007, the Governmental Operations Committee, chaired by Brooklyn's Simcha Felder, held a hearing on reforms. Civic organizations testified, calling for action, and Felder said he would submit legislation on the matter in the coming year.

Having noted that on our calendar, we posed a question to Felder on March 15: What was up with the legislation, we asked.

Ask Quinn, he answered.

We queried Quinn: When would the bill be ready? Later, her aides said.

Well, it's 2009, and Quinn and Felder and most of the rest are getting ready to run for reelection. It was high time to call Quinn again. The answers were very different.

The speaker now believes the Council should defer to the judgment of a still-to-be-appointed Charter Revision Commission.

Then again, Quinn's aides said, if any members of the Council want to push their own reform legislation, they are perfectly free to do so.

Bottom line: Quinn and the Gang took the money and ran.

KEEP THEM OPEN!!

Councilman Tony Avella and staff from St. John's Queens and Mary Immaculate Hospitals will hold a press conference tomorrow at City Hall at 12 noon. The following is footage from Saturday's rally at St. John's:


"KEEP US OPEN!"


Myrna Bailey, Administrative Director of Clinical Services


Councilman Tony Avella


State Senator Shirley Huntley


Assemblyman Michael DenDekker


Comptroller William Thompson


Assemblywoman Marge Markey


State Senator Toby Stavisky


Dr. John Denton, Director of Medical Education

Videos by nutrichris on YouTube.

So I can't help but wonder as I look at these videos and yesterday's photos:

- Where was Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum? Early retirement?

- Where were Public Advocate candidates and current council members Eric Gioia and John Liu? Both represent Queens but apparently only "certain" people.

- Where was Borough President Helen Marshall who made a point about keeping these hospitals open during her State of the Borough speech? When you have no primary or general election opposition to worry about, this is what happens, I guess.

- Where were Community Affairs Unit Commissioner Nazli Parvizi and Queens Community Affairs Unit Director Jennifer Manley? Harassing another community group somewhere?

- Where was City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden? Trying to figure out how many condos can be squeezed into this space after the hospital closes?

- Where was Councilwoman Melinda Katz, whose district utilizes this hospital? Hosting a fundraiser for developers with eyes on this property?

- Two mayoral candidates showed up and a third sent a representative. Where was Mayor Bloomberg? Keeping his ass warm in Bermuda?



Shame on all of you.