parking challenges on 11th Street...
Saturday, March 23, 2019
On the avenues
Crane work is expected today on Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street... EVG reader Daniel notes that the posted signs warn against parking on Second Avenue between "5th Ave and 6th Ave." You've been warned.
Noted
Found lying on the sidewalk on Avenue B between 10th Street between 11th Street...
Photos submitted by Vinny & O...
Friday, March 22, 2019
Friday's parting shot(s)
A new NYPL flag for the Ottendorfer branch on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street...
Ottendorfer reopened on March 11 after a months-long renovation in which workers installed a new fire alarm and life-safety system.
Thanks to Steven for the photos!
Who let the Dogs out?
Tickets went on sale today for Adam Ant's Sept. 19 show at the Beacon Theater... Mr. Ant is playing the "Friend or Foe" album from 1982 in its entirety as well as other favorites from his tapestry of hits and misses.
The above video is for 1981's "Dog Eat Dog," his first top-10 hit.
A visit to Peter Jarema Funeral Home on 7th Street
Interview and photos by Stacie Joy
It’s not without some trepidation that I visit the Peter Jarema Funeral Home, 129 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
It’s probably totally normal to be weirded out by death and dying, but owner/managing director Danny Buzzetta puts me at ease immediately. He shows me around the chapel and the overflow room, carefully explaining the A/V system ...
... and then takes me upstairs to visit the casket showroom. The coffins are surprising in some ways: they have locks on the outside to avoid any “in-transit surprises” and they are very plush and comfortable inside. There are also different materials, colors and styles to choose from.
I get to admire some traditional red and gold Ukrainian vestments (the home was historically of service to the Ukrainian Orthodox community but is nondenominational), and Danny patiently answers my questions as we sit in the office. We talk about the history of the place, changes in modern-day loss and bereavement, and what’s next for the home (one of three along with Provenzano Lanza and R.G. Ortiz remaining in the neighborhood).
What can you tell us about the founder, Pietro Jarema? I read where he emigrated here from Austria in 1893.
Personally, I don’t know much on the history of the original Jaremas as these things weren’t written down and were lost over the generations. The handwritten archive books of Jarema Funeral Home are simply the funeral records themselves and back then — up until recent times really — very little was [legally] required to be kept, so the books themselves are hard to decipher, due to bad handwriting, and there’s also a lot of shorthand/initials that just don’t mean much to me trying to read it now.
The interesting part that I can decipher is basically the cost of a funerals from back in the early 1900s compared to now — it’s night and day.
Your father became the owner in 1987. Why did you decide to carry on with the business?
I am an only child, after finishing my B.A. at Binghamton University in accounting and working in a corporate office for nearly two years as an assistant auditor, I didn’t enjoy my job. I saw the opportunity of my father’s partner looking to retire as a better career move.
I went to American Academy McAllister Institute to complete my funeral director education and received my license. I’ve been the managing director/owner at Peter Jarema Funeral Home for nearly eight years now.
How do you handle the emotions of the job?
Handling the emotions can be difficult but part of this job is being able to provide caring and detailed-oriented service to the families that we serve. This is best done with my personal emotions not getting the best of me and allowing me to be clearly focused on the family’s needs.
What observations do you have about the East Village based on your experiences planning services with residents through the years?
The biggest observation is just how quickly the neighborhood can change. From businesses to residents it feels like both are coming and going at lightening pace. Trying to establish a relationship can be difficult when so quickly that business may be gone or that family may have moved away.
How has the typical customer changed over the years?
Our typical customers have changed in a few ways. First, many people are moving away from traditional funeral services and are looking for quicker and less-expensive options.
As an example: we rarely have two full-day viewings with mass and burial on the third day ... now customers are more likely to have a two-hour viewing in the morning, go to mass, and burial all in the same day. Or forgo the viewing all together and do a cremation in order to help alleviate the costs.
Second, the customer now is much more mobile/tech-savvy to where they will price shop one funeral home to another before they even set foot in the home to make arrangements. Of course, this goes hand in hand with all aspects of life as the internet and social media didn’t exist for most of the 113 years of Peter Jarema Funeral Home existence.
An ad is still visible on the side of Vazac's/the Horseshoe Bar at 108 Avenue B stating, in part, “Air Conditioned Chapels 129 E. 7th St. OR 4-2568.” Do you still receive queries about that?
We don’t ever get any inquiries about that old ad.
Real estate being what it is in NYC, especially the East Village, what is the long-term future of Peter Jarema Funeral Home?
My long-term future for Peter Jarema is to continue providing dignified and affordable services for decades to come. I have two young sons who I would love to pass along the opportunity to continue the family legacy and keep Jarema going for another 113 years.
Local elected officials urging the MTA/DOT to keep local service in M14 SBS plan
[EVG file photo]
Last month, the MTA presented a preliminary proposal for permanent M14 Select Bus Service (SBS) on 14th Street.
The Villager recently had a recap of that meeting, gleaned from attendees:
Currently, the new planned SBS route calls for fewer stops by the M14, particularly in the East Village and Lower East Side, as well as off-board ticketing. The MTA has not decided yet whether it will eliminate current M14A and M14D service following SBS implementation. But, officials at the meeting said the authority was “open” to that idea.
The elimination of service/stops along the M14A and M14D routes isn't sitting well with local elected officials.
This afternoon at 1, several of them — including City Councilmember Carlina Rivera, State Sen. Brian Kavanagh and State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein — along with other community leaders are gathering on the northwest corner of Avenue A and Fourth Street to call for "a new M14 Select Bus Service (SBS) plan that retains local bus service while creating a new, faster SBS alternative with fewer stops."
The rally comes on the heels of a letter urging the MTA and DOT (see below) for a "real M14 SBS."
Here's some background via the EVG inbox...
Community District 3, which encompasses most of the future M14 SBS route, is one of the most underserved transit areas of Manhattan, with 15 percent of our residents living more than half a mile from the nearest subway stop.
At the same time, this area is home to one of the 10 largest senior populations in New York City. These seniors rely on the current M14A/D to get to medical appointments, supermarkets, and social activities. If these individuals lose their local stops, many will also lose a critical connection to their community.
The current proposal also ignores the challenges that stop removal will pose for our neighbors living in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments and the 28 percent of residents of the Lower East Side and Chinatown who live below the Federal Poverty Level.
A real M14 SBS with supplemental, local service, would service these populations while improving on the proposed SBS plan, which is currently a clear compromise between a local route and a typical SBS route – meaning that the proposed M14 SBS will not have the “express” travel times that other routes have.
Village Square Pizza debuts today on Avenue A
[Photo by Steven]
Village Square Pizza is having a sneak preview this weekend at 147 Avenue A between Ninth Street and 10th Street.
The pizzeria, which serves a variety of square slices, is offering 50-percent off of everything today through Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m. The grand opening is March 29.
Here's a look at some offerings via the Village Square Instagram...
Eggoo, which sold Hong Kong egg waffles and ice cream sandwiches, was at No. 147 for a year. Before that we had La Lucha for six years.
Pretty in pink? Shibuyala softly opens today on St. Mark's Place
Shibuyala, which sells beauty and health-care products from Japan, is in soft-open mode starting today here at 37 St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue. (Thanks to @unitof for the photos from Sunday!)
Shibuyala arrived in the United States in 2016, and now has stores in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Houston with 50 more outposts expected to open worldwide by 2022, per its website.
This space has been tenant-free since the 7-Eleven closed in November 2013.
Previously on EV Grieve:
New tenant for 37 St. Mark's Place — REVEALED
Now-closed Classic Man Barber Lounge space for rent on 9th Street
[Photo yesterday by Steven]
For rent signs arrived yesterday at the Classic Man Barber Lounge, which had been closed of late here at 445 E. Ninth St. at Avenue A. The upscale barber shop opened in early 2018.
Three of the four new businesses that opened in Icon Realty's renovated retail spaces along 441-445 E. Ninth St. (aka 145 Avenue A) have now closed in recent months.
BeetleBug, the floral design shop, quietly shut down last month. They opened in early 2017, and were the first tenant to arrive after Icon bought the building for $10.1 million in April 2014.
Another new business in this strip, Mahalo New York Bakery, which served Hawaiian-inspired desserts, closed last fall after seven months in business.
Poke N' Roll is the lone business now on the Ninth Street side of the building.
One pre-Icon retail tenant here in 2015 said that the new landlord either wasn't renewing leases or offering terms with unmanageable rent increases.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Report: Probation for plumber indicted in deadly 2nd Avenue gas explosion
[Aerial photo of 119-123 2nd Ave. from March 27, 2015]
According to the Daily News, Andrew Trombettas, the plumber indicted in connection to the deadly Second Avenue gas explosion in March 2015, was sentenced to probation and community service yesterday.
Trombettas had previously pleaded guilty for his role in rubber-stamping a modification to 121 Second Ave. prior to the explosion that killed two men and injured 20 others on March 26, 2015.
In February 2016, the D.A.'s office charged him with two counts of "Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E felony."
Per the News:
He was promised a sentence of three years probation and 100 hours of community service in a plea deal made in Manhattan Supreme Court.
The plumber signed off on required paperwork that went to the city Department of Buildings and Con Edison because a friend who actually did the job did not have a license. Trombettas never went to the site.
In February 2016, the Post reported that Trombettas signed off on 19 other jobs that violated regulations.
The previous owner of 119 and 121 Second Ave., Maria Hrynenko, her son Michael Hrynenko (now deceased), contractor Dilber Kukic and their plumber Anthanasios Ioannidis illegally tampered with the gas line then failed to warn those in the building before the blast, according to the Manhattan District Attorney.
According to public records, Hrynenko and the other defendants will appear in court again tomorrow (March 22). Records show that Hrynenko and the other accused have appeared in New York County Criminal Court 23 times since February 2016... and the outcome was the same — "adjourned/bail continued" — since their initial appearance. There's also a new judge presiding, Michael J. Obus of the State Supreme Court in Manhattan. Justice Kirke Bartley had been the judge of record.
Meanwhile, work is quickly moving along on the condoplex coming to part of the blast site. Here's a look at the lot that will house a Morris Adjmi-designed residential building with 21 condos and ground-floor retail...
The new building will include a commemorative plaque that honors Moises Locón and Nicholas Figueroa, the men who died on on March 26, 2015.
Shaky Cohen's Nexus Building Development Group paid $9.15 million for the empty lots. In a previously recorded transaction, Ezra Wibowo paid $6 million for the adjacent property at 123 Second Ave. There isn't any development planned there for now, according to previous reports.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'
Report: Judge says plumber allegedly involved in 2nd Ave. blast should have his license revoked
Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner
Dedicating Moises Locón Way and Nicholas Figueroa Way on 2nd Avenue at 7th Street
RIP East River Park
Dave on 7th shared this photo from yesterday from along the East River Park promenade. Someone placed memorial ribbons commemorating the life of East River Park: "We will miss your breeze, your trees, your plants and flowers and your birds and bees."
This is all in reaction to the details that emerged last fall (city press release here) about the updated construction phase to protect the East Side against catastrophic flooding along the East River.
As previously reported, the city plans to "lift" East River Park by up to 10 feet when work starts in March 2020. However, to do this, the city will need to close East River Park for up to three and a half years, bulldozing all the current amenities and chopping down many of the trees.
The East Side Coastal Resiliency Project is currently (and quietly) undergoing environmental review. This link goes to the notice of the public review and request for comments.
Per the notice:
"All interested persons, groups, and agencies are invited to submit written comments regarding the proposed use of federal funds to support the construction of the proposed project in a floodplain and / or wetland. The City is interested in alternatives and public perceptions of possible adverse impacts that could result from the project as well as potential mitigation measures."
Write to Calvin Johnson
Assistant Director CDBG-DR New York City Office of Management and Budget
255 Greenwich Street, 8th Floor
New York, New York 10007
Here's the email address.
Meanwhile, a community group called the East River Alliance formed at the end of 2018 to help organize various East River Park stakeholders and to ensure that the design and reconstruction "reflects our community’s needs and values."
You can read more about the Alliance in this article at Patch.
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