Neighbors2Save Rivington House March 12th Forum. Details to follow soon.
Other news from Neighbors to Save Rivington House
The landlord, which purchased the Rivington House in a controversial deal last year, exposed tenants in two of its Upper East Side apartment buildings to hazardous amounts of dust containing lead, the city’s Department of Health told DNAinfo. Slate kicked up the dust while renovating 1288 and 1290 First Avenue, which Slate purchased last April. The city’s DOH halted all work on properties until the dust is cleaned up. The developer maintained that once lead was discovered on the property, they addressed the issue immediately….
In the past year, Slate’s been the subject of intense scrutiny due to its purchase of the Rivington House for $116 million (along with partners Adam America and China Vanke). In July, the city’s Department of Investigation released a report that made it seem that Slate conspired to keep the deal quiet until the owner, the Allure Group, successfully lifted a deed restriction on the property. In December, the city acknowledged that it didn’t have a legal case against Allure, despite the mayor’s insistence that he would sue the developer for flipping the Lower East Side property.
Under pressure from the city, Slate also sold its stake in the controversial Bedford-Union Armory redevelopment project in Crown Heights to lead developer BFC Partners. [DNAinfo]
“Squadron said, “Frankly it leads to questions when (officials) at the highest levels of the administration (are) accusing (the developers) of misleading (the city). “To just be told, ‘we agree but we can’t,’ is not sufficient for a community that is still smarting from the loss of a healthcare facility.”
The mayor agreed to set up a meeting between the city’s top lawyers and Squadron. He also pointed to new city laws, sponsored by local City Council member Margaret Chin, meant to prevent future Rivington House-like fiascos. And he said, “We committed to a nursing facility as part of our Health & Hospitals system that will help low-income seniors in your community as one way to give back some of what was lost. That is a good faith effort.”
Daily News: Questions from the Dans: De Blasio needs to answer Squadron and Garodnick on his entanglements
“On Monday, state Sen. Daniel Squadron demanded an explanation for why the city has declined to sue the developer de Blasio claims deceived his officials into lifting deed restrictions protecting the Lower East Side nursing home known as Rivington House, allowing its conversion into luxury condominiums .”
“Following a frenzy of lobbying by two donors to de Blasio’s Campaign for One New York, lobbyist Jim Capalino and union 1199SEIU, a city agency scrambled to satisfy the demands of nursing home buyer the Allure Group.
Those demands included the deed restrictions’ removal at the bargain price of just $16 million, far lower than area property values would dictate, all on the pretense that a nursing home would remain. Allure then turned around and sold the building to a luxury condo developer for $116 million.
Quite the rip-off. Like this editorial page, Squadron remains puzzled over de Blasio’s claim that his lawyers are powerless to file a credible case under the state False Claims Act, which punishes malefactors who bilk New York taxpayers.”
In our continuing saga of Plastic Bags & NY State Legislature vs the Environment & NYC…
The NY State Legislature voted to undermine NYC decision making autonomy (whether you like the law or not, frankly, that’s not a great development) and sided with the “Progressive Plastic Bag Alliance” (no kidding, that’s their name) formerly connected to the American Chemistry Council.
Contact Governor Cuomo: website Twitter: @NYGovCuomo and Facebook.
…the State Legislature this week voted to block the city’s duly enacted law, doing the bidding of the plastic-bag industry, and hiding behind the argument that the fee is a tax on the poor. …the Assembly passed its own bill to delay for a year any effort by New York City to adopt any such fees…”
“….the city’s bag law protects the poor. It exempts about 1.8 million New Yorkers who use food stamps. … free reusable bags have been sent out by the thousands across the city.”
“Lawmakers led by Senator Simcha Felder, Democrat of Brooklyn…[joined by] Assembly speaker, Carl Heastie …. [and the GOP]”
“…have taken steps to keep the city safe for plastic shopping bags…It will cost you — your city will still have to spend millions of your tax dollars to dispose of 10 billion bags a year….
…Now it’s up to Gov. Andrew Cuomo …He can veto the bill, stand up … for home rule, for common sense and self-government, and for the environment. Whom will he side with — eight million New Yorkers or the plastic bagmen of Albany? This is an easy call; Mr. Cuomo knows what to do.”
Fight to reclaim yet another public resource:
Time for Albany to get out of the way of a local law passed by the NYC Council. The lobbying efforts of petroleum companies should not be allowed to stand in the way of good environmental policy.
Rwanda has a law to dissuade people from using plastic bags. Ireland does. China is working on one.Taiwan, South Africa, Australia, and Bangladesh have one. Long Island City and Suffolk County were allowed to have their law. Just not NYC?
It works. And there is policy in place that would allow those on public assistance not to pay. No reason this doesn’t pass except for private profit interests. Our Democratic leadership needs to make a stand here.
From Citizen’s Campaign:
According to the EPA, between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. These bags are used for an average of 12 minutes, but they remain in our landfills, oceans, parks and beaches for thousands of years. Both plastic and paper disposable bags are costly, environmentally damaging, and completely unnecessary. Problems with disposable bags include:
Wasting Natural Resources
It requires vast amounts of natural resources, water, and energy to manufacture and ship disposable bags. Plastic bags are made from fossil fuels, and it requires 2.2 billion pounds of fossil fuel and 3.9 billion gallons of fresh water to produce the 100 billion plastic bags the US consumes each year. The manufacturing of these bags produces a billion pounds of solid waste and 2.7 million tons of CO2 per year. Manufacturing and shipping paper bags require even more energy and water, and create more pollution, than plastic bags. In addition, producing the paper bags used in the U.S. each year requires 14 million trees.
Plastic bags never fully break down, and often clog storm drains and damage infrastructure on their way to become ocean pollution. In 1998, plastic bag pollution in Bangledesh clogged storm drains and was the primary cause of severe floods that submerged 2/3 of the country.
The mass consumption of plastic products has created a plastic wasteland in our oceans. Globally, there is now more plastic in our oceans than plankton, with 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of ocean. Marine and avian are choked and strangled by discarded bags, and are killed by consuming partially broken-down plastic pieces. This plastic pollution negatively impacts 267 species of marine life.
Though plastic and paper bags are given out for free at check-out counters, U.S. retailers spend $4 billion per year on disposable bags, and that cost is passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices. Once bags are consumed, they are also expensive to clean up and dispose of. For example, New York City spends $10 million disposing of plastic bags.”
NYTimes Op-Ed The Alban Pols Who Love Plastic Bags
“The bag fee is not, in the scheme of things, earth-shattering. It’s a nickel. It is not a tax — the city doesn’t collect or spend any of the revenue — it’s just a calculated inconvenience to give consumers an incentive to shop with reusable bags. The fee is potentially annoying, but it spares the poor and businesses that would suffer unduly, for benefits that would be enjoyed across the populace. Cities that have tried fees have found that they work splendidly.”
Craine’s NY Two words for Albany’s attempt to micromanage NYC: Bag it
“When the City Council passes a bill and the mayor signs it, state lawmakers should intervene only if the measure is egregiously wrong. Charging shoppers a nickel for a disposable bag isn’t going to kill anyone. Indeed, the law—to take effect Feb. 15 unless the state butts in—will have practically no negative impact on consumers. A twice-weekly shopper who somehow fails to bring reusable bags every single time would be spending no more than a few dollars per month on plastic ones.”
Politico NY: Bag law fight prompts questions about Mark-Viverito’s power
“On Tuesday, days before the city law was supposed to go into effect, the state Assembly by a vote of 122 to 15 approved the product of those negotiations: a bill forcing the city to delay implementation of the bag fee…..After years of negotiation, the body ultimately settled for a five-cent fee, an exception for residents receiving public assistance and a program to distribute free reusable bags around the city.”
Sara Roosevelt Park Community Coalition
Dear Council Member Chin, February 4, 2017
We gratefully appreciate and support the continued efforts of The Horticultural Society and Emma Lazarus High School on behalf of our beloved Sara Roosevelt Park.
We continue to believe that when our community ‘stakes their claim’ on this park anything is possible. It happened with the M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden, the Hua Mei Bird Sanctuary, the New Forsyth Conservancy, the Elizabeth Hubbard Memorial Garden and the BRC. And it is happening now with Emma Lazarus’ students.
These students have been learning the work of a steward under the guidance and expertise of “The Hort”. It has already made that section of the park a unique space. The kind you want to explore or just admire. They also work on projects that require more mundane upkeep of a well–used Park. All efforts are important here.
As you know, we received a “D” from New Yorkers for Parks – despite all the efforts that are being made here. We have a large homeless population who do unwitting damage, which requires a lot of vigilance, and a lot of clean up. We have chosen to live with that given the utter devastation this crisis brings to their lives. But we also want the public to love this park and enjoy its beauty.
The students and The Hort are making that a very real possibility.
We also believe that in times of such contempt for our countries immigration narrative that we make very clear our support in words and deeds for the newest members of our US family. We are proud to have poet Emma Lazarus’ namesake joining us in making this Park our Park.
Thank you again for all your support Council Member Chin.
Yours truly,
Sara Roosevelt Park Coalition
Update Feb 3: Parade forecast for Sunday calls for dry conditions with temps in the 40s, ideal for February! Come out and enjoy all of the fun!
18th Annual New York City Lunar New Year Parade & Festival
Sunday, February 5, 2017
12pm – 430pm. Parade kick-off at 1pm.
Suggested viewing locations: East Broadway or by Grand Street / Sara Roosevelt Park.
NY4P: Boro x Boro – Manhattan Meeting. To register please go to the site! by New Yorkers for Parks
Wed, February 15, 2017
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM EST
The Graduate Center, CUNY
365 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10016
We got a “D”.
Below is the extensive report done by New Yorkers for Parks. As you may remember we met with them a while back and they gave us a pretty good idea of their findings. Now it’s official.
The Report Card on Parks: Spotlight on the Community Parks Initiative.
In no way does it reflect the hard work of staff and volunteers of Sara Roosevelt Park who work diligently and long hours (many with no pay, some with little pay) to make this park a good place to be.
Our electeds have also funded us on many projects that are ongoing.
We think we need some decisions and action on furthering the ability of the neighborhood to pitch in on the park in an ongoing way that is institutionalized and protected.
Everywhere we have stable local participation we have a unique and beautiful park. Everywhere we have a beehive of activity – be it the Gardens, the Bird Sanctuary, the BRC Senior Nutrition Center,
or Parks workers who maintain THIS park – we have hubs of purpose and often unique beauty.
Let’s work with each other, the workers here, our electeds and Parks to change this ‘grade’.
NYs for Parks Recommendations: “Renew Sara D. Roosevelt Park Sara D. Roosevelt Park needs significant capital improvements, as well as increased maintenance attention. At over 80 years old, Sara D. Roosevelt Park is an incredibly successful, well-loved urban park. With multiple playgrounds, athletic areas, passive recreational space, and community gardens, “Sara D.” is highly popular and heavily used. The low score the park received in this Report Card points to the day-to-day consequences of its popularity and to the need for additional maintenance as well as comprehensive capital renewal. Recent small-scale improvements have transformed sections of Sara D. Roosevelt Park, creating vibrant, multi-generational spaces. These success stories include the renovated Hester Street Playground, a new synthetic turf field in partnership with Nike at Stanton Street , and a restored park building at Delancey Street which houses the BRC Senior Center. The popularity of these features proves that any improvement made to Sara D. Roosevelt Park will have a tremendous value for the neighborhood. However, not all parts of Sara D. Roosevelt Park shine. Remaining athletic fields, playgrounds, and many pathways show wear-and-tear signs of heavy use, and are in need of refurbishment. It is clear that the current maintenance capacity of NYC Parks is not meeting the operational needs of this property. Adding maintenance staff and plumbers will improve daily conditions of critical features, like comfort stations and spray showers. The remaining park buildings should be restored to uses by the public. Sara D. Roosevelt Park is a perfect site for capital improvements: it is a very heavily used neighborhood park serving several high-needs communities, providing much-needed open space in a dense area of the city.” *1 The Stanton Street field was under construction at the time of this survey, and is not included as part of Sara D. Roosevelt Park’s evaluation.
A “D” is our starting point. Not our end point.
Thanks for all your work.
K
K Webster
President
Sara Roosevelt Park Coalition
We stand with our all our neighbors and with the Constitution of the United States. Always will.
Turning Madness into Flowers – Alice Walker
It is my thought that the ugliness of war, of gratuitous violence in all its hideous forms, will cease very soon to appeal to even the most insulated of human beings. It will be seen by all for what it is: a threat to our well-being, to our survival as a species, and to our happiness. The brutal murder of our common mother, while we look on like frightened children, will become an unbearable visceral suffering that we will refuse to bear. We will abandon the way of the saw, the jackhammer and the drill.
Of bombs, too.
As religious philosophies that espouse or excuse violence reveal their true poverty of hope for humankind, there will be a great awakening, already begun, about what is of value in life.
We will turn our madness into flowers as a way of moving completely beyond all previous and current programming of how we must toe the familiar line of submission and fear, following orders given us by miserable souls who, somehow have managed to almost completely control us. We will discover something wonderful: that the world really does not enjoy following psychopaths, those who treat the earth our mother, as if she is wrong, and must be corrected, in as sadistic and domineering a way as that of a drunken husband who kills his wife.
The world – the animals, including us humans – wants to be engaged in something entirely other, seeing, and delighting in, the stark wonder of where we are: This place. This gift. This paradise.
We want to follow joy.
And we shall.
The madness, of course, for each one of us, will have to be sorted out.
Easiest overview (though a bit dated) is a video put together by the Real Deal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXrWxOUtyK0
Timeline for Rivington House re: Money trail:
Attorney General Schneiderman vs The Allure Group (purchasers of Riv. House):
Mayor and probe into Rivington House:
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160428/civic-center/heres-what-we-know-about-probe-into-mayor-bill-de-blasios-fundraising Edited compilation of the issues for the
NYC Comptroller Stringer’s report:
NYT Editorial https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/opinion/how-did-a-nursing-home-become-a-luxury-condo.html?_r=0
Comptroller’s Report: https://issuu.com/thelodown/docs/rivington_report_8-1-16
City Council Hearing with Admin. officials
WSJ https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-city-council-answers-elusive-on-rivington-house-deed-deal-1463184469
CBS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0wuFQp3NDg
DOI investigation:
WSJ https://www.wsj.com/articles/mayors-office-provides-rivington-documents-1469581660
False Claims Act:
Squadron Quizzes Mayor About City’s Unwillingness to Sue Former Rivington House Owner Most recent challenge presented by Sen. Squadron on using the False Claims Act.
If Facebook, Neighbors2Save Rivington House has a page that will give you all the articles since they began posting (more than you’d ever want!).