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May 2013
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Luther Gulick Park Community Day Postponed

Today’s rain showers have caused the Friends of Gulick Park to postpone a community event scheduled to take place this afternoon.  They’re moving “It’s My Park Day” to Sunday, June 2.  We’ll have more details next week.

 

Review: Wakey!Wakey! at Rockwood Music Hall

Mike Grubbs of Wakey!Wakey! via their Facebook Page.

Mike Grubbs of Wakey!Wakey! via their Facebook Page.

Michael Grubbs, a.k.a. Wakey!Wakey!, is the kind of performer who makes you realize how incredibly vulnerable a person has to make themselves to be a good singer/ songwriter.

At Rockwood Music Hall Tuesday night, after each of his beautifully crafted and exquisitely arranged songs came to a close, (“little presents,” as he referred to them early on in the show) Grubbs launched breathlessly into a torrent of off-the-top-of-his-head banter, as if to distract us from the fact that he’d just laid bare his soul — and his flayed, beating heart, too. Which is not to say the he isn’t comfortable onstage; he is a consummate showman.

Continue reading Review: Wakey!Wakey! at Rockwood Music Hall

More Activities For It’s My Park Day on Saturday

Neighborhood parks will be celebrating “It’s My Park Day” on Saturday.  Here are the festivities happening in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, as well as M’Finda Kalunga.

It's My Park Day 2013

Click for Spanish and Chinese language versions.

Continue reading More Activities For It’s My Park Day on Saturday

Standoff at the Children’s Magical Garden; Resolution Elusive So Far

IMG_7613

Here’s the latest in the battle for the Children’s Magical Garden, where real estate developer Serge Hoyda has caused quite a stir this week by putting up a fence to divide a popular neighborhood oasis.  Yesterday afternoon, City Council member Margaret Chin showed up at the garden, located at Norfolk and Stanton streets, to talk with garden leaders and check in on a banner-making party meant to turn up the pressure of Hoyda, who’s been the subject of unflattering news coverage the last couple of days.

Chin repeated a plea she first made Wednesday, urging Hoyda’s S&H Equities to remove the fence, which marks off about a third of the lot that he owns.  The remainder of the parcel is controlled by the city’s Department of Housing Preservation & Development and has served as a community garden for three decades. “This (garden) is a treasure and we’ve got to keep it in the community,” Chin said, adding, “By putting up a fence he (Hoyda) is not being a good neighbor and is not helping his case.”  Continue reading Standoff at the Children’s Magical Garden; Resolution Elusive So Far

Good Morning!

Skating the Line by Roey Ahram

Skating the Line by Roey Ahram, on Stanton St. (btw Eldridge and Allen).

Mostly sunny and pleasant today with a high of 74 degrees.  Partly sunny tomorrow with a high around 72 and a chance of rain on Sunday, but still temperate. Enjoy your weekend!

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Residents Start Petition For East River Ferry Service

east river ferry

There’s a new petition drive to bring East River ferry service to the Lower East Side.  Here’s their press release:

Residents of the East River Coops have launched a petition to bring the East River Ferry to the redeveloped dock at Grand Street.  Residents have also proposed an outdoor cafe at the brick building, from which fireboats once launched.  New York’s Economic Development Corp., which runs the ferry service, will begin studying in June where to site additional stops.  Currently, there are only two Manhattan stops – one on 34th St., the other at Pier 16, near Wall St.  Continue reading Residents Start Petition For East River Ferry Service

Luther Gulick Park Celebration Sunday; Revamp Plans

  • Luther Gulick Park Conceptual Plan
  • Luther Gulick Park Phase 1 Plan

This coming Sunday afternoon, the Friends of Gulick Park will be marking “It’s My Park Day” with a basketball clinic, a playmobile being brought in by the city and lots of other fun activities.  Most of all, though, they’ll be celebrating a major accomplishment — the approval of a plan to refurbish the neglected public space at Delancey and Willett streets. After four years of community visioning exercises and fundraising, Community Board 3 last month approved the plans to completely revamp Luther Gulick.  Now it’s up to the Public Design Commission. You can see both the Phase 1 Plan and the final version here.  The group has raised about half of the $6 million that will be required for the whole project.  You can read more about the plans and this weekend’s happenings here.

 

Celebrate Katz’s, Support Henry Street Settlement May 31

katz-final-menu

There’s, of course, a lot of hoopla around Katz’s 125th anniversary. The Henry Street Settlement is getting in on the act later this month with a benefit event featuring the legendary Lower East Side deli and some of the city’s most well known chefs.  There will be a tasting menu highlighting some of Katz’s classics as well as dishes from Little Owl’s Joey Campanaro, Mission Chinese’s Danny Bowien, Telepan’s Bill Telepan and noted pastry chef Sarabeth Levine.  The Shabbat dinner, taking place May 31, benefits Henry Street’s programs.  Click here for more info.

 

Tabloids Call On Silver to Resign Following Lopez Reports

Sheldon Silver; file photo.

Sheldon Silver; file photo.

Lower East Side Assemblyman, Speaker Sheldon Silver, woke up to a second day of bad press following yesterday’s scathing ethics reports regarding the Vito Lopez sex harassment scandal.   The Daily News says it’s time for Silver to go:

The Democrats who control the New York State Assembly must summon the conscience and the courage to oust Sheldon Silver from the speakership of their house.  The report on Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s victimization of young women staff members indisputably nails Silver as a participant in a coverup that enabled Lopez to continue subjecting female aides to gross conduct, including assault… Silver’s fellow Democrats have backed him through thick and thin for 19 years as the Assembly’s top leader. To stand by him now would be to share complicity in assaults on the dignity and the persons of women. Continue reading Tabloids Call On Silver to Resign Following Lopez Reports

Serge Hoyda’s Workers Return to Children’s Magical Garden

Cemented Fence in Children's Garden

A tipster sent us this photo from the Children’s Magical Garden this morning with an update.  She writes that the developer Serge Hoyda’s workers have “Put concrete around the fence and tore up bricks that marked the vegetable garden. Used the bricks to mix the concrete into the holes. There is a truck full of concrete across the street.”  Yesterday, the developer’s rep stated that nothing is being built on the disputed site (at least not yet), with the exception of the fence. It appears the crews are simply reinforcing the posts by pouring concrete around them.

UPDATE 10:30 a.m.: Members of the garden group are on site and keeping a close eye on about four workers who seem to be completing the job they started yesterday.   As previously reported, kids will be making banners in the garden this afternoon beginning at 2pm.  More photos from the scene: Continue reading Serge Hoyda’s Workers Return to Children’s Magical Garden

Kerry Kennedy Hosts RFK Young Leaders Event at Angel Orensanz

Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F. Kennedy for Justice and Human Rights, and Sierra Ewert, RFK Young Leaders Fellow. Photos courtesy: RFK Young Leaders.

Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F. Kennedy for Justice and Human Rights, and Sierra Ewert, RFK Young Leaders Fellow. Photos courtesy: RFK Young Leaders.

Editor’s note: This story was written by a new contributor to The Lo-Down, New York City journalist Helaina Hovitz.

Last week, the second annual RFK Young Leaders event went down at the Angel Orensanz Center, on Norfolk Street. The space was perfect: blue lighting, gothic architecture, crystal chandeliers, and a neon pastel pink, orange, and green exterior.  The fundraiser, hosted by Kerry Kennedy, was a boost for their newest campaign, “Except Farm Workers” which advocates giving New York farm employees the same basic labor rights that everyone else in the state receives. Continue reading Kerry Kennedy Hosts RFK Young Leaders Event at Angel Orensanz

Good Morning!

Manhattan Bridge

Under the Manhattan Bridge. Photo by Lee Brozgol.

Cloudy this morning, sunny in the afternoon and a high near 80.

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Sharp Criticism For Silver in Ethics Report

sheldon silver

In a report released today, the state ethics commission was sharply critical of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s handling of the Vito Lopez sexual harassment cases.  The long-awaited report accuses Silver’s office of protecting Lopez from public scrutiny and of disregarding Assembly rules for failing to refer complaints from several employees to the legislative ethics committee.

Continue reading Sharp Criticism For Silver in Ethics Report

More on the Status of the Children’s Magical Garden

garden fence

Here’s more on the situation at the Children’s Miracle Garden, where developer Serge Hoyda erected a fence around  a portion of the property earlier today. There are actually three lots on this site — two controlled by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and one owned by Hoyda’s development company.  The city-owned sites are destined for future development – HPD’s mission is to create affordable housing. In the interim, we’re told, the city offered the Lower East Side gardeners a temporary agreement for the two parcels last fall.  According to a spokesperson from HPD, the agreement would have helped “keep a clear line of communication open between the group and city, and also offer(ed) certain protections under city rules for temporary gardens – such as providing notice to the group when development is imminent and helping to locate alternate gardening sites if a garden has to be vacated for development.”   The spokesperson said the group declined the offer. Continue reading More on the Status of the Children’s Magical Garden

Followup: Confrontation at the Children’s Magical Garden

garden 6

More now from the Children’s Magical Garden, where community activists, a real estate developer and police officers are engaged in a tense confrontation this afternoon. Several hours ago,  workers arrived on the scene at Stanton and Norfolk streets and began erecting a fence in one corner of the garden, which has been a contentious spot on the Lower East Side for many years.

The garden has been active for three decades.  Several years ago, about a third of the parcel was acquired by developer Serge Hoyda, who has sold many of his LES holdings but still has a presence in the neighborhood. The remainder of the lot is controlled by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.   The city has been in ongoing talks with the development company about building a new residential project on the combined parcel, including some affordable housing.  The garden group has always argued that the community now owns the space, since it rescued the lot from drug dealers and neglect many years ago.

garden 2

Continue reading Followup: Confrontation at the Children’s Magical Garden