Last night, Community Board 3’s landmarks subcommittee voted 6-1 in favor of a resolution supporting historic protection of the Bialystoker Nursing Home on East Broadway. The facility was shuttered last year. Preservation activists filed an application with the Landmarks Preservation Commission to protect the 1930’s-era Beaux Arts buiding. The commission has not yet acted on the application.
Representatives of the nursing home board were in attendance at the meeting. They handed out a press release that read, “the Bialystoker Board is now in the process of entering into a contract of sale (of the building) to the highest bidder.” It continued, “The sale has been approved by the Attorney General.”
A representative of 1199/SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (the nursing home’s union) was also present last night. The union opposes landmarking on the grounds that it would jeopardize the sale and an agreement to pay union members more than $4 million in pension, health care and other benefits.
The home owes all of its creditors about $13 million. One board member, Gary Ambrose, said the offer on the table totals around $17 million. This morning, the Attorney General’s press office would neither confirm nor deny that it had signed off on a deal.
The subcommittee’s vote will now be forwarded to CB3’s park’s committee, before going on to the full board late next month. Last night’s discussion was an interesting one. We’ll have a more detailed report summarizing the conversation in the next day or two.
Yes, a wise, enlightened decision by the CB3 committee. Now the uphill battle will begin.
1199 SEIU is just worried about monies owed to them which should not have any effect on the sale of the home even if it approved landmark status because it can still be sold.
The Union was suppose to have taken care of it’s members a long time ago with legal action instead, they waited for the closer of the home to go public even though they were told about the closer months maybe even a year in advance by the Bialystoker employees, but Issac Norty one of 1199 SEIU Greater New York chapter presidents was informed about Ira Miesters intentions with the home and the sale of the medical building next door, but did nothing stating “those are serious accusations” and asked for proof. Which was on the internet as public information….
THE MEMBERS PENSION SHOULD HAVE BEEN SECURED BY 1199 FROM DAY ONE.