Community input sought for Tompkins Square Park map project

Longtime LES resident Michael Natale has been keeping tabs on the trees in Tompkins Square Park for the past three years.

He's looking for some help in naming parts of the Park for his map. He explains in a recent post at his Tompkins Trees site:

I’m working hard to get my Tompkins Trees map ready for printing. I’d like community feedback on the names I’m using on the map for the various areas of the map before printing. Most of these areas don’t have official names from the Parks Department or its employees. There are a few that do such as The Sandra Turner Garden, The First Run Dog Park, and The Don Robert’s Garden. Other areas such as the Avenue A Playground, the Oval Garden, the Central Lawn and Central Plaza are commonly used. I’ve given names to the other areas, or Islands as I call them, they are mostly the fenced in areas of the park. I needed to name these areas to keep track of the various trees as I identified them.

Peaceful Grove, the area behind the Park Office, that was formerly reserved for children. Now it is used as a picnic area, and for quiet meditation and Tai Chi. There are also sprinklers for the kids in the summer.

I’m not sure if there are official names for the two smaller playgrounds. I’ve heard them called the smaller and larger playgrounds on B. I call them the Oak Playground and the Elm Playground because of the predominating trees surrounding them.

You may ahead over to Tompkins Trees if you have any suggestions.

Sad Pie Face?

[Photo yesterday by Derek Berg]

The Pie Face on Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street was suspiciously not open this past weekend.

Several tipsters said the place had closed for good. A look inside yesterday showed a whole lot of inactivity. (Eater noted this yesterday.)

This outlet of the Australian chain, which specializes in mini meat pies with smiley faces on them, opened here last fall after extensive renovations of the former Brothers Deli.

Comptroller: City is losing the rat race

[A rat maze in Tompkins Square Park via Scuba Diva]

Via the EVG inbox yesterday...

At a press conference today in Harlem, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer unveiled findings of a new audit showing widespread deficiencies in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (DOHMH) response to citizen complaints about rodents.

“This is a rat race we’re all losing and it’s one that affects our quality of life,” Comptroller Stringer said. “When people discover infestations in their homes and on their blocks, they expect a quick and effective response. Our audit found that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene wasn’t managing its pest control program effectively, even as the number of complaints about pests grew.”

The number of pest complaints in New York City jumped from 22,300 in 2012 to 24,586 in 2013. Comptroller Stringer’s audit examined whether one of the agencies primarily responsible for pest control, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, adequately followed its procedures for addressing pest control complaints during the period from July 1, 2011 through April 8, 2014.

DOHMH receives pest complaints online and through New York City’s 311 complaint call system, which are then assigned to one of five regional offices for inspection and notification, as well as the baiting and clean-up of properties if owners fail to act.

Auditors found DOHMH had weak oversight of its Pest Control Services program and failed to follow its own procedures:

• In 24 percent of the cases examined, DOHMH failed to check out citizen complaints in the 10-day target that it has established as the proper time in which to respond;

• In 160 cases, there was no field inspection attempt at all and 14 still had an open status in DOHMH’s system as of March 2014;

• There was no indication that assessments were conducted in 44 percent of 386 instances where inspectors requested clean up services during FY13, a required step before remediation can proceed; and

• DOHMH failed to give some property owners notifications of city orders to eliminate rodent conditions – thus increasing the risk that rat infestations may spread through a neighborhood.

“Rats are a daily, stomach-turning insult to New Yorkers — whether they’re scurrying over people’s feet on the sidewalks, invading homes where children sleep or swarming through restaurants,” Stringer said. “Without a vigilant and timely response by the City to citizen complaints, this problem will come back to bite us again and again.”

As NPR reported in August, the East Village will be one of the testing grounds for the city's new "rat reservoir pilot" — an initiative to try to reduce the rat population in neighborhoods with chronic infestations.

The Villager has a follow-up on this initiative here.

Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office slated to be demolished

First came the post office's closure … then the asbestos abatement … then the davey drill.

Next: the owners (Benenson Capital Partners) of 438 E. 14th St. filed the demolition permits on Friday.

The post office and former Stuyvesant Stationery shop next door will be coming down for some unspecified new development, which has been rumored now for the past year.

And to recap our recap:

This post office branch just west of Avenue A closed for good in February. (The USPS is leasing the former Duane Reade at 333 E. 14th St. for retail services.) Previously, the Stuyvesant Stationery shop next door to the post office lost its lease and closed. Both single-level buildings share the same landlord.

To date, there's nothing on file with the DOB regarding any new development here.

Meanwhile, it is becoming very clear that I will never see the birthday present from my mother that ended up here in 1992.

To memories of waiting in line…


[Just an hour to go! Photo by Adam H. via Yelp]


[Photo by Gian G. via Yelp]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Today in rants: the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office

Meanwhile, at everyone's favorite local post office branch...

UPDATED: Did you hear the rumor about the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office branch closing?

Report: Closure of the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office is pretty much a done deal

First sign of more development on East 14th Street?

Asbestos abatement to begin at former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office

Davey drill arrives ahead of rumored development at former East 14th Street post office

Never-ending construction at 185-193 Avenue B continues to never end

While discussing the other day how quickly 10 Bond was racing toward completion, we mentioned the scant progress at 185-193 Avenue B, 20-some months in the making.

As previously noted, there's a 7-story mixed-used residential building with 41 dwelling units in the works for the corner here at East 12th Street. The building will include the new home of the Elim Pentecostal Church.

We took a look late last week to see how it was progressing. Looks like the crew is up to three floors now...





Nearby residents and school children endured months of relentless pile driving and other building-rattling noise. There were complaints about cracks next door at No. 183, which we heard put a temporary halt to the construction.

The rendering notes a completion date of October 2014.



Nine floors in 19 days? Let's do it!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Inside the Charles

Former landmark countercultural theater now for rent on Avenue B

7-story building in the works to replace former countercultural theater/church on Avenue B

Construction site at 185 Avenue B remains shut down for now

[Updated] The 'insane' noise and pounding are back at 185 Avenue B

Another look inside the pit of the former 98-100 Avenue A

Here's the latest look inside the former theater-turned grocery between East Seventh Street and East Sixth Street ... where the crawler excavator is playing king of the hill atop the pile of bricks.

This view comes courtesy of EVG reader John Cline.

Developer Ben Shaoul is putting in a 6-floor residential building with 29 apartments and ground-floor retail here.

Previously

Reader report: The return of the guy with the kids in the car

Via the EVG inbox tonight...

I had never encountered him before tonight. Yes, the guy who says "are you from around here" and then says his kids are in the car and he needs money ...

Had a run-in with him just now at East Sixth Street and Second Avenue, and didn't get to hear his whole pitch because as soon as he said his kids were in the car I just immediately said no. He didn't even push it — just spun abruptly on his heels and crossed Second Avenue.

I can't believe this guy is still working this neighborhood after all this time. It must be more lucrative for him than other nabes.

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village grifter alert: Beware the broken vodka-bottle scam!

East Village grifter alert: Beware the man with the sob story who offers you a wedding ring as collateral

Snowy afternoon grifter alert

Reader report: 'my kids are in the car and I'm out of gas' scam guy back in action

Touring the East Village on New Year's Day 1995

Our blogging friend Alex at Flaming Pablum came across this video the other day.

Highlights of this walk include The Gas Station, the performance space/art gallery on Avenue B at East Second Street (now an apartment building with a Duane Reade) and Eddie Boros' Tower of Toys (RIP 2008) in the Sixth Street & Avenue B Community Garden...

Week in Grieview

[Photo outside Gem Spa yesterday by Derek Berg]

Someone dumped motor oil in this Steve Croman-owned building (Friday)

Permits filed to demolish former 2nd Avenue BP station (Wednesday)

The Whitehouse Hostel has closed for good on the Bowery (Monday)

Activity again at the long-dormant 25 Great Jones (Friday)

Now open: Barcade on St. Mark's Place; King Bee on East Ninth Street (Thursday)

A matcha bar on East Fourth Street (Friday)

An Out and About recap (Wednesday)

Interior of 137 Avenue C is gutted (Monday)

Longtime East Village resident Jack Smead has some of his photos on display at the 11th Street Bar (Thursday)

Local pols blast 7-Eleven for blocking order to remove noisy refrigeration unit at 170 Avenue A (Tuesday) and .... 1 year later, 7-Eleven asks for more time to move noisy refrigeration units from residential windows (Wednesday)

Pricing and interior shots of the 'intimate new development' at 277 E. Seventh St. (Tuesday)

Possibly albino bank robbery suspect has been busy (Wednesday)

Checking out Centre-fuge Cycle 15 on East First Street (Monday)

Residents continue to speak out about living conditions in Jared Kushner's 170-174 E. Second St. (Wednesday)

The Yaffa mural returns to view (Tuesday)

People behind Gestations still pretending to be opening a bar for pregnant women on Avenue A (Monday)

Avenue A Classic Food opening soon on ... Avenue A (Wednesday)

Lunar eclipse! (Wednesday)

The Subway Inn has a new home (Wednesday)

Looks like The Cock won't be moving into the Idle Hands space (Wednesday)

At Empellón al Pastor, with graffiti on the outside and Charles Bukowski on the inside (Tuesday)

The Post discovers graffiti around the city (Friday)

The changing of the facade at 9 Bleecker St. (Tuesday)

And thanks to Tim Hayes at CBGB for giving 50 EVG readers tickets to the CBGB Music & Film Festival (Tuesday)

Rave like it's 1999 in Tompkins Square Park

Dunno much about this undated video from 1999 … a reader came across it the other day.



Worth noting: The boy's reaction at the 51-second mark … and the introduction of who is presumably the "Rave Santa" in the title at the 1:26 point.

Here's another longer video … this one is dated from April 1999…

$10 specials proving popular

Second Avenue between East Fourth Street and East Fifth Street today.

Photo by EVG contributor Derek Berg

6th and B Garden Harvest Fest is still on today

Via the EVG inbox...from the Sixth Street & Avenue B Community Garden...

Our Harvest Fest is still going on today despite the rain (it's forecast to clear up around 2 pm, the start of our event). From 2-7 pm, there's food, live music and tons of raffle prizes donated by businesses in the community. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and helps keep our garden open and able to serve the community with workshops, events and activities.

On the southwest corner of Avenue B and East Sixth Street.

And from earlier in the summer via the EVG Vine account... a quick history of the garden...

A call for a Bendy Tree Memorial Bench in Tompkins Square Park

[EVG photo from February]

There is a petition in circulation that states:

We, the residents and friends of East Village's Tompkins Park, would like the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to permit the installation of a six-sided wooden memorial bench enclosing a decorative potted tree in the place where "Bendy Tree" stood for decades until being removed on September 20th. A creatively designed bench by a local artist and a potted tree over "Bendy Tree's" stump would best honor the unique character of the beloved "Bendy Tree."

Here's a photo illustration of how it could look...



You may find the petition here.

Last weekend to visit the New York City Marble Cemetery this year

You can visit the historic New York City Marble Cemetery on East Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue today and tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Historical displays will be available for visitors to learn more of the history of the Cemetery and those interred (interned?) here.

You won't have this chance again until 2015.

And this is all part of Open House New York.

Read more about the cemetery here.