Monday, October 3, 2011
Mr. Peanut and his Nutmobile to christen new peanut-shaped city park today
*** UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL OCTOBER 3rd ***
MEDIA ALERT
Mr. Peanut to Open Planters Grove Urban Park in New York City!
WHAT: First look at a vibrant, unique urban park – the Planters Grove - as it opens to the public on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on the grounds of the New York City Housing Authority’s Lillian Wald Houses community.
WHO: Mr. Peanut and his new biodiesel Nutmobile
Margarita Lopez, Commissioner of New York City Housing Authority
Scott Marcus, Senior Brand Manager for Planters
Sally Prouty, CEO/President of The Corps Network
Lisbeth Shepherd, CEO of New York’s Green City Force
Ken Smith, Landscape Architect
WHEN: Monday, October 3
9:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Short remarks: 10:00AM
Community planting to immediately follow
WHERE: Lillian Wald Houses, Avenue D between East 4th and 5th Streets (near Houston St.)
WHY: Planters, America’s leading snack nut brand, and the iconic Mr. Peanut will commemorate the opening of a new green urban park – a Planters Grove – at the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) Lillian Wald Houses on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Residents of NYCHA will be joined by local officials, NYCHA representatives, community volunteers and youth service corps members for a day of planting and celebration.
With the goal of promoting healthy lifestyles and sustainable living, Kraft Foods’ Planters brand has partnered with The Corps Network – the nation’s Service and Conservation Corps – to transform underutilized land into unique, peanut-shaped parks across America. The building of Planters Groves and their ongoing programming encourages outdoor activity and community interaction, as well as provides the health, environmental, social and economic benefits that engaging green spaces provide a neighborhood and its residents.
In New York City, the Planters Grove is being built with the help of youth service corps members (also NYCHA residents) from Green City Force, an organization recently recognized by President Bill Clinton and the Clinton Global Initiative for its outstanding contribution to enriching young lives. Designed by New York City landscape architect Ken Smith, the New York City Planters Grove is inspired with Lower East Side influences, as well as locally-sourced reclaimed materials and native plants and flowers.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Report: NYCHA tenants on Avenue C have been without heat and hot water since Thursday
[Photo on 6th Street from October 2017]
The temporary boilers that arrived after Superstorm Sandy nearly became permanent sitting here for five years on Sixth Street at Avenue C outside the NYCHA-owned building officially known as Lower East Side Rehab Group 5. (The Daily News once reported that a temporary boiler costs $5,000 a month to rent.)
However, a new boiler arrived last fall, thanks to funding from FEMA. Still, by January, residents in the building said that they rarely have heat or hot water, according PIX 11, who noted that the work there was "serving as a model for 17 other projects."
Today, the Daily News reports that the residents have been without heat or hot water now since Thursday's snowfall.
“This is a harsh living condition,” said tenant Neicee Johnson, saying she has no heat and barely any hot water.
She wakes each morning at 5:45 a.m. to boil a pot of water on the oven and turn on two space heaters. Her family, which includes two teen children, sleeps with multiple layers of clothing and blankets.
“We barely hang out in the apartment,” she said. “We are hardly ever home. We go to the local library or community areas until it is time for us to come home.”
Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera is quoted in the article... she is also tweeting about the situation...
We aren’t going to solve @NYCHA’s fiscal crisis overnight. But with the temperature expected to drop to dangerously cold levels over the next 24 hours, the city must treat this crisis like the emergency it is and bring in resources to fix heating problems immediately.
— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) November 21, 2018
The residents of LES V, the members of my own staff who live in local public housing, and all the other residents suffering deserve to know if they will be able spend Thanksgiving in their homes without risking their lives.
— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) November 21, 2018
Back to the Daily News:
Resident Clara Rivera, 91, has also been shivering in her apartment since the snowstorm last Thursday.
“The house is really cold. They give nothing here in the morning or night,” said Rivera, who has asthma and arthritis. "We're dealing with this every day. I'm not going to die from this cold!"
There were an estimated 6,366 NYCHA tenants throughout NYC with the same problem, according to an online “service interruption” tracker, as the News pointed out.
Saturday, September 17, 2022
The latest headlines from the Riis Houses water scandal
Saturday, September 10, 2022
Officials now say water tested at the Riis Houses never had arsenic in it; lab says results were 'incorrect'
Officials made a stunning announcement yesterday about the week-long water crisis at the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D.An update from the Mayor’s Press Secretary @Fabien_Levy on the water situation at Jacob Riis Houses in Manhattan:https://t.co/j1foCteceU pic.twitter.com/xUs2uLTRV0
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) September 9, 2022
Today, Environmental Monitoring and Technologies — the original lab that provided the initial test results claiming there was arsenic in the water at Riis Houses issued a full retraction and released revised results, calling their initial results 'incorrect.' Worse yet, the company has now admitted to being the ones that introduced arsenic into the samples, leading to the false results.
The audience erupted, with tenants shouting that they don't know what to believe after being whipsawed back and forth over eight days, beginning on the Friday night of Labor Day weekend, that left them furious and exhausted."This one week has felt like an eternity," said Riis tenant Dianna Fernandez. "Water is essential. NYCHA needs to do better. Mayor Adams: Where are you?"Adams was in Washington, D.C. trying to woo the Democratic Committee to hold its convention in New York, but NYCHA Chairman Gregory Russ was present, facing the angry crowd and quickly becoming the target of much of the room’s explosive anger.
And as NBC New York reported: "City leaders plan to explore all legal avenues while guaranteeing the end to all work with Environmental Monitoring and Technologies."Angry residents of the Jacob Riis houses at a public meeting tonight demanding answers from officials about the complex’s water. @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/mBDygvJdFi
— Thalia Perez (@ThaliaPerezTV) September 10, 2022
NEW: I, along with many of my colleagues, want answers from @NYCMayor and @NYCHA Chair Russ. Residents at Riis Houses have been through a lot. They deserve answers, transparency, accountability and compensation. We look forward to the response. pic.twitter.com/sJ7Rb0CKPH
— Harvey Epstein (@HarveyforNY) September 9, 2022
Friday, December 22, 2023
Spiritualized: End of days for High Vibe on 3rd Street; 'I would like to stay open!'
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
The latest headlines on the water crisis at the Jacob Riis Houses
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Mayor Adams gives the all clear to the water at the Jacob Riis Houses
This comes after the news Friday in which Environmental Monitoring and Technologies Inc. admitted that its earlier findings of arsenic in the water were incorrect.This morning, @nycHealthy reviewed the final test results for contaminants and we can confidently say the water at @NYCHA Jacob Riis Houses meets EPA standards. I wouldn’t ask residents to do anything I wouldn’t do, which is why I stopped by Riis Houses to drink the water myself. pic.twitter.com/0eTnIBDyaZ
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 10, 2022
Other reactions...I know the last eight days have been unbearable for the residents of Jacob Riis Houses, but, this morning, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reviewed the final test results for contaminants and found the water to be well within EPA drinking water quality standards. We can confidently say the water at Riis Houses is and has been free of any discernible amount of arsenic since the initial tests were initiated in August and meets EPA standards. I would not ask the residents of Riis Houses to do anything I wouldn’t do, which is why I have already stopped by Riis Houses and drank the water myself.As we stated yesterday, NYCHA nor any other city agency will test water through Environmental Monitoring and Technologies any longer, and the city intends to pursue all available legal options on behalf of the residents of Riis Houses and will look for how we can reimburse residents for costs incurred over the last week. In regard to the Legionella bacteria reported earlier this week, we suspect these results are inaccurate.As public health experts have noted, Legionnaires Disease cannot be contracted by drinking water. Additionally, we are actively reviewing our Legionella surveillance data, and have found no reported or confirmed cases of Legionnaires Disease at Riis Houses over the last 12 months.
After being on the ground hearing directly from residents this week and laying out questions + demands below, we heard little from the City at tonight’s mtg with Riis families.
— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) September 10, 2022
Blaming an outside vendor for NYCHA’s mistakes is not accountability. These families deserve better. https://t.co/rcSWQMA1Wg
Friday, September 9, 2022
Sept. 9: The latest headlines on the water crisis at the Jacob Riis Houses
... and here's a flashback to a piece via PIX 11 about the water at Riis Houses from Aug. 12 titled, "Cloudy tap water has East Village NYCHA residents worried."Out here at Riis Houses, w/ @CarlinaRivera & @HarveyforNY, helping w/ hot meal distribution for tenants who are enduring yet another day without useable water.
— Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) September 8, 2022
We need this crisis resolved once and for all. And we need accountability for what residents here have endured. pic.twitter.com/FsgxLs0Tzx
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
An idea for this 'vacancy hotspot' on Avenue A
Urge the NYCHA to make their vacant spaces on Avenue A available for vendor markets, micro-entrepreneurs living in NYCHA developments, and local businesses more generally.
We don't know why the city/NYCHA hasn't made more of an effort to lease these high-profile spaces.
The other two vacancy hotspots are the retail spaces at Steiner East Village on Avenue A between 11th Street and 12th Street (for lease signs have been posted for the past four years) and the renovated storefronts at 250 E. Houston St.
Friday, December 1, 2023
Residents ordered to vacate after excavation next door destabilized this 14th Street building
Structural stability of building compromised due to construction operations taking place at 644 E. 14th Street. Heavy cracks in the exterior and interior in addition to separation noted at door frames and floor from wall...
The development, owned by Madison Reality Capital, is expected to yield 197 apartments — a percentage said to be affordable housing — plus retail space and a community facility.
What is compromising the building's integrity: There is construction planned to start next door at 644 E 14 Street, and it is suspected that this cracked the facade at 642. There is further construction planned and it is likely to cause further structural damage. The tenants are also very concerned about the damage that can't be seen: namely the structural integrity of the building. The location of the structural instability: Cracks are largely on the east side of the building. The location of the crack or gap and whether it is horizontal or vertical: There are diagonal cracks on the side of the building.
Friday, November 25, 2022
EVG Etc.: NYCHA residents demand repair reforms; The Drunken Canal announces last issue
THE FINAL ISSUE IS HERE, and its none other than Lucky Number 13. In a gesture to thank you for all the love, support, submissions, hate, kisses, hugs, free drinks, we are giving our farewell issue to YOU. Starting tomorrow @ NOON, you have 48 hours to send us whatever you want❤️ pic.twitter.com/cShQtvyiSu
— the drunken canal (@thedrunkencanal) November 21, 2022
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Report: City taking different approach to leasing space on public housing property
In February, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) revealed plans to lease playground and community center space for luxury high-rises ... an announcement that brought about immediate criticism from residents and politicos alike.
Yesterday, NYCHA officials announced that "instead of requesting formal proposals to build on the grounds of eight housing projects in Manhattan, as previously envisioned, they would first solicit ideas from private developers — so-called expressions of interest — before choosing any construction projects."
Also!
"Officials are now encouraging proposals that would incorporate retail stores, community facilities and other uses on the ground floors, which many public housing residents favor."
The NYCHA originally said that the new development would generate $31 million to $46 million in annual lease payments, "all of which will go toward fixing up deteriorating buildings. The agency currently has a backlog of 420,000 repair orders and faces a $60 million budget gap annually," the Daily News reported in February.
Perhaps those trees adjacent to the Max Meltzer Tower will be safe after all.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Outrage over proposal to turn the green space at the Meltzer Tower into private development (35 comments)
Friday, March 23, 2018
EV Grieve Etc.: A 'crisis point' for the NYCHA; stand-out dishes at Mama Fina on Avenue A
[Flashback Friday to Monday morning, 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's]
A "crisis point" for the NYCHA (Curbed) ... Cuomo says no state budget unless NYCHA improvements approved (ABC-7)
NYPD rejects request for records on hit-and-run killing of East Village resident Neftaly Ramirez last year (Streetsblog ... previously)
De Blasio donor testifies the mayor told him "do what you’ve got to do" with illegal contributions (Daily News)
The changing landscape of small businesses in the East Village, and what it means to the community (Thirteen/MetroFocus)
On Avenue A, Mama Fina serves Filipino food with "exquisite results" (Eater ... previously)
Remembering the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire this weekend (The Lo-Down)
A visit to the KGB Bar on Fourth Street (amNewYork)
Club Cumming on Sixth Street looking to change their method of operation to allow for live music/DJs (Page Six)
NYC population reaches a record high (Curbed)
If you're interested in speaking out against Albany seeking to repeal Residential FAR Caps (The Municipal Arts Society of New York)
Eggs in Dora's future? (Laura Goggin Photography)
About the East Village subbing for Hell's Kitchen in "Jessica Jones" (Variety)
Madonna pics from the early 1980s (Dazed ... previously)
U.S. theatrical premiere of "12 Days," a well-regarded documentary filmed inside a psychiatric ward in France (Anthology Film Archives)
Priced at $16 and sold 3,044 times, the Outlaw Country drink at Death and co. generated $53,218 in gross revenue, or $48,024 before taxes and comps, in 180 days last year (Forbes)
A walk from the East Village to the West Village in 1986 with Nelson Sullivan (Flaming Pablum)
A Live Skull reunion (Dangerous Minds)
History of the Allen Street baths (Ephemeral New York)
Shakespeare & Co. is opening two new bookstores in NYC (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York ... previously)
And Trinity Grace Church on 11th Street is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt in Tompkins Square Park on March 31 at 10:30 a.m. ...
Details here.
Monday, March 8, 2021
PSA 4 providing increased security at Mariana Bracetti Plaza
Sunday, October 29, 2017
5 years of portable boilers on 6th Street
[Photo from yesterday]
The temporary boilers that arrived shortly after Superstorm Sandy remain rather permanently on Sixth Street at Avenue C outside the NYCHA-owned building.
In September 2014, Sen. Schumer and Mayor de Blasio announced that $108 million in federal funding would be used to replace temporary boilers in NYCHA buildings damaged by Sandy. Apparently they haven't been able to get over here these past three years. (The Daily News once reported that a temporary boiler costs $5,000 a month to rent.)
Anyway, a look back at the boilers that have roughly cost the NYCHA $600,000 to rent these past five years.
October 2014...
October 2013...
April 2013...
Early 2013...
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Sidewalk bridge fakeout at the beleaguered Mariana Bracetti Plaza
Landlords put up these dark ugly scaffolds as a resolution instead of actual repairs. Then they stay up for years without any actual work being done. But someone is getting paid to have these sidewalk bridges just up with no real purpose. It creates dark hidden places for illegal activity.With the sidewalk bridges came more and more and more homeless, drug addicts and alcoholics. The money being spent to have these useless sidewalk bridges up should be used to actually improve the building conditions.
Saturday, May 18, 2024
EVG Etc.: Report: NYCHA mishandled Riis Houses arsenic crisis; Beth Israel patient care lagging
Tuesday, July 3, 2018
EVG Etc.: NYCHA's staggering repair bill; CitiBike's new owner
[Sunset and shadows on St. Mark's Place]
The NYCHA needs $32 BILLION for repairs over the next five years (Curbed) More than 800 kids tainted by lead in NYCHA buildings, city says (Daily News)
Why Gabrielle Hamilton, chef/owner of Prune on First Street, would want to team up with an accused sex harasser (The Post)
Lyft buys CitiBike (Gothamist)
Should you worry about falling window A/C units? (Curbed)
Q-and-A with writer/DJ/goth scholar Andi Harriman (Flaming Pablum)
Grand/Clinton Street gridlock update (The Lo-Down)
Opening a fire hydrant is a long city summer tradition (Ephemeral New York)
The business success of Luke's Lobster, which got its start on 7th Street in 2009 (CNBC)
1986 Tonya Harding doc "Sharp Edges" gets a 1-week run starting Friday (City Cinemas Village East ... and background here)
U.S. premiere of the documentary "A Skin So Soft" begins on Friday (Anthology Film Archives)
About that cartoon video for Richard Hell's "The Kid With the Replaceable Head" (Dangerous Minds)
NYC’s first bike counter is at the base of the Manhattan Bridge (Streetsblog)
There's a special breakfast-taco menu tomorrow from 6:30-11 a.m. at Superiority Burger on Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...
An EVG reader shared this photo ... showing that GoLocker has set up shop at 508 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B in a building owned by the Kushner Companies.
The Brooklyn-based company, which launched in 2014, delivers parcels to lockers stored in neighborhood businesses. There was a set of GoLockers in the back of the Gentle Wash Laundromat on Avenue A, though those were recently removed.
... and EVG reader Andy Reynolds reports that an equipment truck for "The Deuce" shoot on Seventh Street this week took out a nice-sized branch near Second Avenue...