What we know about 35 Cooper Square right now

Let's get caught up on what's happening at 35 Cooper Square... On Saturday, crews were on the scene to remove asbestos, according to one of the workers who wasn't wearing any protective clothing...

And here's the scene on Sunday....

So the official word from the developer is they're simply removing asbestos. So, let's take that at face value... So where are the notices for asbestos removal? Such as the one here when workers removed asbestos at St. Brigid's?



And where's the asbestos-safe dumpster like the one on the scene last summer outside the Tisch School for the Arts on Second Avenue?








And according to a comment by @Roger_Paw:

I talked to one of the workers [Saturday]. He was locking up the outer shed. I asked him if it were true that they were removing asbestos. He said yes. I asked if the building was going to be demolished and he said yes, in a week. I wanted to make sure I understood so I asked, "OK, so asbestos removal now, demolition in a week?" and he said yes.

So does anyone believe what's going on here? Per commenter Rob: "So even if it's an asbestos abatement it may be a prelim to demolition, and it looks like they haven't complied with the law anyway."

Why APizzA closed

Last week, we noted that ApizzA on Avenue A had closed...



Turns out the DOH was behind the closure...

According to the DOH:

Sanitary Violations
1) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F.
2) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
3) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.
4) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.
5) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
6) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Meanwhile, the ApizzA bike is still on the scene.

Commentary at the Mars Bar

The mural at Houston and the Bowery 5 years ago

On Friday, we posted a photo from a mere five years ago of the wall at the Bowery and Houston... Here are two more shots from 2006 via Fresh Paint NYC....

Air Bloomberg

The Wall Street Journal examined Mayor Bloomberg's flight records of his fleet of private planes ... Per the article:

The planes flew to Bermuda, where Mr. Bloomberg owns a home, 16 times last year and 54 times in all from 2007 through 2010, according to Federal Aviation Administration records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. On 41 trips, the aircraft left New York and spent all or part of the weekend in Bermuda. One overnight trip there coincided with the December blizzard, according to flight records.

The records also show that the Bloomberg fleet has been the single largest user of scarce slots allocated to private aircraft at La Guardia airport.

The flights continued apace even after the mayor two years ago called for curbs on small commercial planes at La Guardia and other area airports to reduce congestion.

The records don't mention passenger names, so it's possible the Mayor wasn't on board during all these flights.

This weekend in Tonda not being open

Friday night. (The gate was up. Looked as if a maintenance worker was checking something in the back.)

Saturday night.

Sign on the door still says open Wednesday through Saturday nights. Previously.

Today in cars maybe falling on you

Via EV Grieve correspondent Bobby Williams on Ninth Street near Third Avenue...

Tonight on East Ninth Street

The FDNY responded to calls tonight at 338 on E. Ninth St. near Avenue A this evening around 7... As a tipster reports, when the FDNY arrived, they found LES Jewels sleeping in the entryway...

...The crew told him to leave and sleep it off in Tompkins Square Park...

Billy's will always be Billy's

A note from Billy Leroy, proprietor of Billy'a Antiques...

"Billy's will NEVER be a sterile boring comforting shopping environment for cage-dwelling Sheepeople...you have Rag and Bonehead right across the street and after you paid $500 for a pair of working class styled jeans you can go to Poolino's and have a $20 slice of bad pizza."

[NY1 spot photo: Joe Holmes]

Or at least some more fiber

EV Grieve reader Samo passes along a photo of this sign found discarded last night at Houston and Allen.

An early Valentine

On Avenue C...

...and near a trash can in Tompkins Square Park ...

When you gotta park, you gotta park

East Second Street between Avenue A and First Avenue this morning.

Noted

"Gossip Girl" star Penn Badgley is doing his best to get over his split with beautiful co-star Blake Lively. Sources said he ended up canoodling two women at the same East Village dive bar the other night. One spy told us, "He danced provocatively and made out with one girl, a gorgeous brunette, then moved on to another young woman, who he kissed in the cab on the way home." (Page Six)

Worker says 35 Cooper Square will be demolished in a week

Following up on our earlier item today about the weekend work at 35 Cooper Square ... according to a comment by @Roger_Paw:

I talked to one of the workers today. He was locking up the outer shed. I asked him if it were true that they were removing asbestos. He said yes. I asked if the building was going to be demolished and he said yes, in a week. I wanted to make sure I understood so I asked, "OK, so asbestos removal now, demolition in a week?" and he said yes.

Previously on EV Grieve:
What's the rush at 35 Cooper Square?

Hey now now

Avenue A near Fifth Street tonight.

Noted

Second Avenue near Seventh Street.

Week in Grieview

Looking at the updated renderings of the Union Square Hyatt (Friday)

Two Nicky's for the East Village (Monday)

Veselka closes for "Gossip Girl" (Monday)

Waiting in line for the LCD Soundsystem (Wednesday)

The new dorms apartments on East Fifth Street (Tuesday)

East Fourth Street will soon be more luxurious (Wednesday)

Wondering about the hole in the ground at the Marble Cemetery (Wednesday)

The Bowery is dangerous for pedestrians (Thursday)

A record-setting sale on First Avenue (Wednesday)

Seeing the Grateful Dead on Second Avenue for $2 (Friday)

Extending a welcome to Verizon on Avenue B

Something about Verizon is tag friendly apparently....

Odie is missing

Signs are up on Avenue B and Avenue C... and another missing Pomeranian....

Report: NYPD nabs purse snatcher, thumb slasher

From today's NYPD Daily Blotter in the Post:

A purse snatcher slashed a woman's thumb as she tried in vain to hang on to her bag in her Alphabet City apartment building, sources said.

Hector Diaz, 46, followed the woman, 44, into the vestibule on East Sixth Street near Avenue D at 2:25 a.m. Sunday and tried to rip the bag off her shoulder, the sources said.

After allegedly cutting her, Diaz fled with the purse.

He was arrested Wednesday.

DOH shutters Yerba Buena on Avenue A

The city inspected the Latin eatery at 23 Avenue A near Second Street yesterday. It did not go well. The city immediately ordered the restaurant to close.

Sorry.. the link doesn't seem to work.. Here are the major violations....

Establishment Closed by DOHMH. Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.

Sanitary Violations
1) Shellfish not from approved source, improperly tagged/labeled; tags not retained for 90 days.
2) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
3) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
4) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
5) Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.
6) Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
7) Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

What's the rush at 35 Cooper Square?

EV Grieve reader Joe sends along the top photo of 35 Cooper Square this morning with a simple question: "Wasn't there a roof here yesterday?"

Indeed, workers are on this scene this Saturday morning doing something or another on the roof. (Removing asbestos from the roof, via Roland Li at Real Estate Weekly.)

...and the sinkhole parking lot is full of the workers' cars...

So, what's the rush? Are we in for a quickie, overnight teardown? Don't see anything in the work permit about Saturday construction...And someone has already called to complain about the illegal work.

A lost black tuxedo cat

Haven't walked here on Second Avenue near 12th Street for a few days... so I don't know how long the signs have been up. Still.

Protect tenant rights

Rob from Save the Lower East Side sent this information along...

The June expiration of rent regulations in New York should be a personal concern of every renter, regulated or not. The erosion of rent regulations deprives all renters of rights.

Rent deregulation encourages landlords to withhold basic services since deregulated renters are often afraid to complain to city agencies, knowing that the landlord may retaliate with an unreasonable rent hike at renewal, just to get rid of an outspoken tenant. Tenants associations are weakened by that fear, so all tenants, regulated or not, are harmed. Communities are harmed by market-rate expansion and the transiency it brings, no less than its gentrification effects. The city's culture is harmed by the decreasing availability of affordable space so essential to new artists and communities devoted to creativity and social reflection and social action.

As the pool of regulated tenants dwindles, so does its voting clout. It is more important than ever for all renters to band together to make their voices clear. From Met Council on Housing:

Kick-Off Party for the Met Council on Housing's 2011 Campaigns!

Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, 1-4 PM

61 East 4th Street, 4th Floor Btwn. the Bowery & 2nd Ave (wheelchair accessible)

Learn about our 2011 campaigns, how you can get involved, and party with a purpose!
• Rent-Law Reform
• Tenants' Bill of Rights
• Stop the Tenant Blacklist

The event is free and open to all. No need to RSVP.

[Image via Met Council on Housing]

Love and human remains

A little pre Valentine's Day music from the Troggs. This song hit No. 7 in the United States in May 1968.

A few years ago, when no one gave a shit about the wall at Houston and the Bowery

Billy Leroy, proprietor of Billy's Antiques, sends along this photo from 2006... I sort of summarized his sentiment from the e-mail in the headline...

Today, of course, the wall here is the scene of ongoing drama.

East Village prepping for induction into Ugly New Hotel Hall of Fame Class of 2012

Well, now. We've been keeping tabs on the new Union Square Hyatt coming to Fourth Avenue at 13th Street... the last renderings looked like this...



Apparently that was just too darn boring for a hotel here... The ArchPaper (via Curbed!) has the latest, um, look:

Per Curbed's description:

This terrace will reportedly hold a hydroponic bamboo garden growing tall outside the hotel windows. The Hyatt's vertical extension will be capped by two floors faced in glass. For a final flourish, the corner over Fourth will get a halo framed in metal.

Meanwhile, this will be soon joining its classmate down on the Bowery...