Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Bill de Blasio Strongly Reaffirms His Pledge To End Horse Carriages Rides



AN OCT. 23, 2013 PHOTO

SETH WENIG/AP

Horses and carriages — which Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has promised to outlaw — wait for customers near Central Park in New York.  Antique, electric cars could be on the horizon to replace them.



Manhattan

Mayor-elect  Bill de Blasio strongly reaffirmed his stance on ending Horse Carriages Rides.

"We are going to get rid of the horse carriages. Period,” de Blasio said on Monday in response to a question at his press conference announcing his schools chancellor pick, according to the New York Daily News. 

“It’s over,” he said.


De Blasio said he would work with existing drivers to set them up with alternative vehicles to ferry tourists around Central Park.
De Blasio and advocacy groups who support him say it’s inhumane to make the horses work the dangerous city streets, but drivers insist their horses are well cared for and there’s no reason to end the industry.
“There are some moving parts to work out. But we are going to quickly and aggressively move to make horse carriages no longer a part of the landscape ... They are not humane, they are not appropriate for the year 2014. It's over. So, just watch us do it.” 
De Blasio said he would work with existing drivers to set them up with alternative vehicles — perhaps antique cars — to ferry tourists around Central Park. He called electric vehicles “a cleaner, safer, wiser, more humane alternative that will be very appealing to tourists.”  
Read More:
New York Daily News - December 30, 2013 - By Ben Chapman and Erin Durkin  








Woman Hit By Parks Vehicle While Sunbathing On S.I. Beach Settles Suit For $ 300,000


Staten Island

A day at the beach turned out to be no picnic for a New Brighton woman when a city Parks Department vehicle hit her as she sunbathed, her lawyer said, according to the Staten Island Advance. 

Aneta Kurkowska, 36, survived the harrowing incident at South Beach on last year's Memorial Day weekend, although she needed stitches and surgery, said her lawyer, Michael H. Bush.

Now, she's hoping to put the matter behind her after settling her civil lawsuit with the city for $300,000.

The episode occurred around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 26, 2012, said court papers.

Ms. Kurkowska was lying on the beach sunbathing, near Sand Lane, when she "felt pressure on her head," according to a police accident report.

That "pressure" turned out to be the front end of a 2004 Ford suburban, which had struck her, court papers said.

Bush said it was not immediately clear why the vehicle, owned by Parks, was on the beach.

Ms. Kurkowska was taken by ambulance to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, where she received four medical staples to close a head wound, said Bush, a principal in the New Dorp firm Chelli & Bush.

She also was treated for neck, back and shoulder injuries, he said.

Ms. Kurkowska subsequently underwent left shoulder surgery.

Earlier this year, she sued the city in state Supreme Court, St. George.

In July, Justice Thomas P. Aliotta granted Ms. Kurkowska summary judgment on the issue of liability, over the city's objection and after oral arguments, said court papers.

The settlement was reached before the case could proceed to trial for damages.

A spokeswoman for the City Law Department said the settlement "was in the best interest of all parties."

Read More:

Staten Island Advance - December 30, 2013 - By Frank Donnelly 


Fireworks Explosion In Pelham Bay Park Shatters Windows Scares Residents

Huge fireworks blast rattles Bronx

Police investigate the scene of a large explosion last night on a Pelham Bay Park baseball field where someone set off fireworks around 11:15 p.m. causing a huge blast and broke windows a block away. (Photo: William C. Lopez)

Bronx


A massive explosion rocked the Bronx tonight when a box of fireworks detonated in Pelham Bay Park at about 11:15 p.m., an FDNY spokesperson said, according to the New York Post. 

The explosives were in a garbage pail that was left on a pitcher’s mound on a baseball field in the park, law enforcement sources said. The pail was turned to shrapnel in the blast, but there were still a number of unexploded fireworks left scattered around.
““These were high grade professional fireworks, very strong fireworks,” an NYPD source said.
Residents throughout the borough reported hearing the blast.
Many ran into the streets to see what was going on.

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About 100 calls were made to 911 on Monday night after an explosion was heard and felt in homes around Pelham Bay Park. A mesh trash can had been put at the park's baseball diamond and filled with commercial-grade fireworks that, after they had been detonated, caused some windows to break. No injuries were reported and DNA testing was being conducted on duct tape and a box used in the detonation.   (Photo: Enid Alvarez/New York Daily News)    

Detonated Fireworks Cause Loud Explosion in Bronx: FDNY
Police say that fireworks were detonated from a trash can, sending out vibrations that could be felt for miles.  The incident generated 911 calls from two states. (@roblafata)

It was not clear why the explosives went off, but there were no reported injuries.
Houses as far as a block away from the park suffered shattered windows.
“There was shaking, just crazy shaking, I heard a loud boom, two of the windows on my house cracked,” said Nick Pjetromi, 37. “We were all scared, especially my kids.”
People took to Twitter to report hearing the blast from as far away as Glen Cove on Long Island.
Early this morning police could still be seen searching the area. While officials suspected the explosives were fireworks, they could not say who set them off.
Police took the unexploded fireworks to the NYPD firing range and detonated them.
The blast was so powerful it broke these windows in nearby house. (Photos: William C. Lopez)

Read/View More:


New York Daily News - December 31, 2013 - By Tina Moore  

New York Post - December 30, 2013 -  By Antonio Anntenucci, Ken Garger and Larry Celona


WCBS - December 31, 2013



WABC - December 31, 2013

News 12 - Bronx -  December 31, 2013











Monday, December 30, 2013

Mayor Signs E-Cigarette Bill - Banning Smoking In Parks and Other Public Places


Mayor Bloomberg signed 22 bills into law Monday, including a ban on indoor use of e-cigarettes, a ban on Styrofoam and a bill to create a database to track Hurricane Sandy recovery spending.

This afternoon Mayor Bloomberg signed 22 bills into law including a ban on the use of electronic cigarettes in public places reinforcing the Smoke-Free Air Act passed in 2002. That law banned cigarette smoking in bars and later in public parks and beaches.  Last week  the City Council voted 43-8 to approve the bill.   (Photo: Jefferson Siegel/New Yrok Daily News) 

The ban goes into effect on April 30, 2014. 

Last month the Mayor signed legislation raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21. 


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 30, 2013
No. 443
MAYOR BLOOMBERG SIGNS LEGISLATION PROHIBITING ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES IN AREAS WHERE COMBUSTIBLE CIGARETTES ARE PROHIBITED
Remarks by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at a Public Hearing on Local Laws

“The next bill before me is Introductory Number 1210-A, sponsored by Council Members Gennaro, Quinn, Arroyo, Greenfield, Vacca, Koo, Koppell, Richards, and Dromm.  This legislation amends the Smoke Free Air Act to prohibit electronic or e-cigarettes in all areas where combustible cigarettes are currently prohibited. 

“The City has made great strides in limiting the use of tobacco in public areas and thereby improving the health of all New Yorkers.  The United States Food and Drug Administration has stated they intend to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products, and states including New Jersey, North Dakota and Utah have taken steps to prohibit their use in bars and restaurants.  Organizations such as the American Lung Association, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids support this legislation.

“E-cigarettes heat up a chemical solution and emit vapors to provide its user with nicotine, the same highly addictive ingredient found in combustible cigarettes.  The next generation of potential smokers could gravitate to getting their nicotine fix from these products.

“This legislation will help protect the gains we have made to reduce combustible cigarette use in New York City and will serve as an example for other municipalities to follow.

“I would like to thank the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley and his staff for their work on this bill, along with my Office of City Legislative Affairs.  I would also like to thank the City Council for approving this legislation.”

Read More:

Mayor Bloomberg signs indoor e-cigarette ban among final bills as smokers light up  
New York Daily News - December 30, 2013 - By Erin Durkin 

Mayor Bloomberg Holds Last Bill Signing As Opponents Blow Smoke
New York Daily News - December 30, 2013 - By Erin Durkin 


Queens Parks Worker Arrested For Alleged Sexually Abuse Of Underage Female Relative


Parks Department employee Rene Herrera, 57,  was arrested on Sunday for allegedly sexually abusing an underage female relative.  He is accused of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl on three separate occasions in 2008,  according to police.  

The mother of the girl, who is now 16, reported the incidents to the police on Saturday, December 28. He been suspended without pay, according to a Parks Department spokesperson. 


Herrera is a Parks Manager for Queens Districts 5 and 6 which includes Juniper Park. He is married with 3 children and lives in Woodhaven. (Photo: Juniper Park Civic Association)


Queens

A Parks Department employee was arrested for sexually abusing an underage female relative, according to the New York Post. 

Sources said Rene Herrera, 57, was cuffed Sunday at his Queens home and charged with three counts of sex abuse after police learned of his vile acts, cops said.

Police did not give much detail on the victim or say how long the abuse had gone on for, but sources confirmed that the victim is a relative and below the age of legal consent.

 The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation did not immediately return a call for comment.

Read More:


Queens Courier - December 30th, 2013  - By Liam La Guerre 


New York Post - By Daniel Prendergast December 30, 2013






Sunday, December 29, 2013

Two Robbed At Gunpoint In Central Park

Police Search for Armed Central Park Robbers
A Brooklyn resident a friend from Pennsylvania were robbed at gunpoint early Saturday morning in Central Park. Officials say two suspects approached the men near West 64th Street and West Drive and one robber pulled out a gun. The theft marks the 13th robbery reported in Central Park in 2013 — the same number as last year.

Manhattan

An NYU student and his pal were robbed at gunpoint in Central Park on Saturday by a man who threatened to kill them, cops said, according to the New York  Post. 

The men, 24 and 25 years old, were near West Drive in the 60s at 12:30 a.m. when two men stormed them and one pulled a gun, police sources said.


“Don’t move, don’t make noise, or I’ll kill you!” the man with the gun said. 


“What you got? Don’t move. Give me your money,” the second crook demanded. 


The victims handed over a briefcase, a cellphone, debit and credit cards, a passport and $113 cash.


 The armed suspect was wearing a dark-green winter coat and blue jeans. 


The second suspect had his long black hair in a ponytail. Both fled before cops could catch up to them. 


The theft marks the 13th robbery reported in Central Park in 2013 — the same number as last year.



The armed robber was described as a black male in his early 20s, standing about 6 feet tall with a slim build, and wearing a dark green winter coat and blue jeans, police said.
The second robber was described as a Hispanic male in his late 20s, standing about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a medium build, police said.
Anyone with information was asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS, log onto the Crime Stoppers website, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.

Read More:

Central Park Robbery Victim: Robber Didn’t Want My Cell Phone
WCBS - December 29, 2013

Central Park mugger rejects flip phone
New York Post -  December 29, 2013 - By Erin Calabrese and Natasha Velez

New York Post - December 28, 2013 - By Natasha Velez and Natalie O'Neill 

WNBC - December 29,  2013 - By Checkey Beckford 

Coney Island Community Garden Bulldozed For Marty Markowitz's Amphitheater

City bulldozes community garden in dead of night

Under cover of darkness a beloved community garden in Coney Island was bulldozed beginning at 5am Saturday morning to make way for  Marty Markowitz's $ 53 million dollar amphitheater.   The developer – iStar  –  destroyed 16 years of a community gardening effort.

The Parks Department transferred its jurisdiction of the community garden to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) in late August 2013.  

A press conference is being held tomorrow at 11:00 at the site.


Former Garden. 

Brooklyn

A developer bulldozed a beloved community garden in Coney Island on Saturday to make way for an amphitheater — uprooting 20 chickens on a decades-old plot that survived Hurricane Sandy.
Construction workers entered the Boardwalk Garden under the cover of darkness and chucked tools and wheelbarrows, along with farm fowl and a colony of feral cats, activists say.
The chickens were placed in pet carriers on the sidewalk and the felines were left fending for themselves.
“They destroyed life!” fumed tearful volunteer Elena Voitsenko, 60, a Russian immigrant who told The Post she’ll take in the birds until they find a new home.
“‎I came to America to escape from the communist regime,” she added. “This is more than the communist regime! They came at 4 in the morning.”
Workers razed the sprawling, 70,000-square-foot garden on West 22nd Street about a week after the City Council approved plans to convert the empty Childs Restaurant and its adjacent land into a 5,000-seat venue.
The $53 million project was trumpeted by outgoing Borough President Marty Markowitz, who tried previously to build a controversial amphitheater in Asser Levy Park in 2009.
Under the new plan, the city will buy the Childs building from iStar Financial and turn it into a restaurant and concert venue. The adjacent garden is slated to become a seating area.
The community board voted against the project in September, and locals have railed against turning the historic property into a noisy venue.
“The community does not want this amphitheater built on this land . . . but the city went ahead with this anyway,” said Yury Openzik, ‎34. “I’m heartbroken, not only for myself, but for the elderly people that were gardening here every day.”
Throughout Saturday, volunteers recovered their belongings after workers knocked down plots for tomatoes, cabbage, zucchinis and other vegetables.
Residents say they’ve run the garden since the 1980s.
The city Economic Development Corp., which is spearheading the project, referred questions to the borough president. Markowitz’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Bulldozed garden. 
Read More:

New York Post -  By Aaron Feis and Kate Briquelet December 29, 2013

New York City Community Garden Coalition - December  28, 2013 -  By AZIZ DEHKAN

Residents Outraged By Bulldozing Of Brooklyn Community Garden
WCBS - December 28, 2013




Friday, December 27, 2013

EPA Retracts Artificial Turf Safety Assurances

Country Wide

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has retracted its prior assurances regarding the safety of artificial turf.

The agency

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)  filed a complaint against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) more than three years ago under the Data Quality Act which requires information distributed by federal agencies be complete, objective and reliable.

Incrementalism is alive and well," PEER's  Executive Director  Jeff Ruch told A Walk In The Park in reaction to the news. 

On December 16, the EPA stated that its study of lead levels in artificial turf fields and playground was outdated and agreed to "more accurately reflect and study objective and results" on a press release and its website.

PEER also filed a complaint with the Consumer Product Safety Commission which has ordered an enforcement review of marketing of artificial turf products for children because the agency has found lead levels in artificial sports fields above statutory limits in children’s products.

The federal agency finally responded  to the complaint with, "glacier-like speed, " Mr. Ruch said.  

-  Geoffrey Croft 

Country Wide

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stepped back from prior safety assurances about artificial turf in response to an administrative complaint filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the non-profit group said in a press release.

The agency has posted new cautions concerning unexplored chemical exposure to more than 30 compounds found in synthetic shredded tire turf, including arsenic, lead, cobalt, mercury and trichloroethylene, according to  Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility  (PEER)   which had filed a complaint with the agency.

On March 21st, PEER issued a retraction demand to EPA that a 2009 study and press release expressing a “Low Level of Concern” about synthetic turf was based on flawed and limited science, in violation of federal information quality standards. In an initial response to the PEER complaint dated December 16, 2013, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Research and Development Lek Kadeli ordered the press release summarizing the study to be prominently stamped with a notice that it was “outdated” with a link to a new posting stressing the need for “future studies” to enable “more comprehensive conclusions.” 

“We are gratified that EPA has taken this small and grudging step toward a more responsible position reflecting synthetic turf exposure risks,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, noting industry claims that approximately 4,500 synthetic turf fields have been installed across the U.S., each sitting atop in-fill consisting of between 20,000 and 40,000 shredded tires. “EPA now admits that it has no idea about the extent of chemical exposure to children and athletes playing on these surfaces.”

The sole study on artificial turf that EPA conducted was back in 2009 when it took air and surface samples from three athletic fields and from one playground. The testing looked only at one chemical on brand new fields without levels of activity typical on a field or playground and ignored the role of heat in chemical release. EPA has refused to retract the study but now states that the study was “very limited” and provides no basis “to extend the results beyond the four study sites…”  

The PEER complaint was filed under the Data Quality Act which requires information distributed by federal agencies be complete, objective and reliable. While EPA guidelines suggest the agency should respond to these complaints for correction within 90 days, in this case EPA took nearly nine months. PEER has the option to appeal this decision and seek full retraction of the now discounted study. 

Back in 2009, EPA’s own Office of Inspector General took it to task for endorsing reuse of industrial materials such as coal ash and shredded tires without conducting any credible risk assessments of those practices. While EPA promised to address this criticism, documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by PEER indicate that no reportable progress has been made.  

“By blindly promoting so-called ‘beneficial’ reuse of tire crumbs and other toxic industrial wastes, EPA has shirked its public health duties,” Ruch added. 

“EPA claims that minimizing chemical exposures to children is one of its top priorities yet through its slow-walking of synthetic turf studies, children on playgrounds and sports fields across the country are left to serve as human guinea pigs.”  

In response to another PEER complaint, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered an enforcement review of marketing of artificial turf products for children because the agency has found lead levels in artificial sports fields above statutory limits in children’s products. Significantly, there is no safe lead exposure level for children.  

Read More:

PEER - December 27, 2013

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

EPA Retracts Artificial Turf Safety Assurances



New York City has allowed hundreds of fields to be installed in parks and schools without testing.  With no regular maintenance many of the costly fields began falling apart within a few years, further endangering the public. The elected officials forced the taxpayers to barrow the funds in order to pay for them.   (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Parks Advocates) click on image to enlarge.

"Incrementalism is alive and well," Jeff Ruch Executive Director of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)  told A Walk In The Park in reaction to the EPA news. 

PEER filed a complaint against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) more than three years ago under the Data Quality Act which requires information distributed by federal agencies be complete, objective and reliable.

On December 16, the EPA stated that its study of lead levels in artificial turf fields and playground was outdated and agreed to "more accurately reflect and study objective and results"  on a press release and its website.

The federal agency responded to the complaint with  "glacier-like speed,"  Ruch said.  

PEER also filed a complaint with the Consumer Product Safety Commission which has ordered an enforcement review of marketing of artificial turf products for children because the agency has found lead levels in artificial sports fields above statutory limits in children’s products.

Country Wide

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stepped back from prior safety assurances about artificial turf in response to an administrative complaint filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

The agency has posted new cautions concerning unexplored chemical exposure to more than 30 compounds found in synthetic shredded tire turf, including arsenic, lead, cobalt, mercury and trichloroethylene, according to  Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

On March 21st, PEER issued a retraction demand to EPA that a 2009 study and press release expressing a “Low Level of Concern” about synthetic turf was based on flawed and limited science, in violation of federal information quality standards. In an initial response to the PEER complaint dated December 16, 2013, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Research and Development Lek Kadeli ordered the press release summarizing the study to be prominently stamped with a notice that it was “outdated” with a link to a new posting stressing the need for “future studies” to enable “more comprehensive conclusions.” 

“We are gratified that EPA has taken this small and grudging step toward a more responsible position reflecting synthetic turf exposure risks,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, noting industry claims that approximately 4,500 synthetic turf fields have been installed across the U.S., each sitting atop in-fill consisting of between 20,000 and 40,000 shredded tires. 

“EPA now admits that it has no idea about the extent of chemical exposure to children and athletes playing on these surfaces.”

The sole study on artificial turf that EPA conducted was back in 2009 when it took air and surface samples from three athletic fields and from one playground. The testing looked only at one chemical on brand new fields without levels of activity typical on a field or playground and ignored the role of heat in chemical release. EPA has refused to retract the study but now states that the study was “very limited” and provides no basis “to extend the results beyond the four study sites…”  

The PEER complaint was filed under the Data Quality Act which requires information distributed by federal agencies be complete, objective and reliable. While EPA guidelines suggest the agency should respond to these complaints for correction within 90 days, in this case EPA took nearly nine months. PEER has the option to appeal this decision and seek full retraction of the now discounted study. 

Back in 2009, EPA’s own Office of Inspector General took it to task for endorsing reuse of industrial materials such as coal ash and shredded tires without conducting any credible risk assessments of those practices. While EPA promised to address this criticism, documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by PEER indicate that no reportable progress has been made.  

“By blindly promoting so-called ‘beneficial’ reuse of tire crumbs and other toxic industrial wastes, EPA has shirked its public health duties,” Ruch added. 

“EPA claims that minimizing chemical exposures to children is one of its top priorities yet through its slow-walking of synthetic turf studies, children on playgrounds and sports fields across the country are left to serve as human guinea pigs.”  

In response to another PEER complaint, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered an enforcement review of marketing of artificial turf products for children because the agency has found lead levels in artificial sports fields above statutory limits in children’s products. Significantly, there is no safe lead exposure level for children.  

Read More:

PEER - December 24, 2013    

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Prospect Park's $74M Ice Rinks Project Unveiled

NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi
One of two rinks at Lakeside, part of a 26 acre $74 million redevelopment project in Prospect Park that includes a café and event space.  The project,  along the southeast shore of the park’s lake, has been troubled by delays and money issues.   Approximatly two-thirds of the budget came from city and state funds.   (Photo: Christie M. Farriella for New York Daily News

The Prospect Park Alliance will run the complex under a licence agreement with the city.  The Alliance will be required to pay the City of New York nothing for the first year and just $ 100, 000 annually beginning the second year according to the terms of the sole source concession agreement the city "negotiated" with the influential group. 

The new facility replaces the Kate Wollman Memorial Rink which opened in 1961. The complex  opens to the public on Friday.  

Brooklyn

Park officials, flanked by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city officials, marked the completion of the year-round skating facility named the Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Center at Lakeside on Tuesday according to tthe Wall Street Journal.  
The $74 million restoration project covers 26 acres of parkland and includes the construction of new rinks for ice and roller skaters, a seasonal water-play area, an event space and a cafe. Parts of the new facility, such as the parking lot, are still being built.
Prospect Park was designed in the 1860s by architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux following the completion of Central Park. The new Lakeside facility replaces Prospect Park's former Wollman ice skating rink, which was built by Robert Moses in 1960 and was closed in 2010.
During lake excavation in 2011, parts of an original granite wall and several drinking fountains were found at the bottom of the lake, covered in mud. Some parts found during the work were reused in the restoration, according to Christian Zimmerman, vice president of design and construction at Prospect Park Alliance, which oversees the park.
"Preservation wasn't important back then, but it is to us," said Mr. Zimmerman, who was a designer for the renovation project.
The Lakeside facility has a circular and seamless theme, said Tod Williams, who was also a designer of the space with partner Billie Tsien. He said the outdoor ice rink is designed to make skaters feel as if they are on the lake, while the paths surrounding the center gently curve upward, so those talking a walk in the park may not notice they are actually going up onto the facility's roof terrace.
The rinks will be operated by Upsilon Ventures, which also operates the ice rink in Bryant Park. Admission for skating will be $6 on weekdays and $8 on weekends and holidays. Skate rentals will be $5.
The center was named in honor of the LeFraks after a $10 million donation from the family, which is well known in the real-estate industry.
The park previously unveiled two other portions of the restoration—Music Island and the Esplanade.
The brand new 26-acre LeFrak Center at Lakeside includes a pair of adjacent ice rinks, one open and one covered, which will be used for roller skating during the warmer months, as well as a café and event space, according to the New York Daily News. 
 “This is a thrilling day for us,” Prospect Park Alliance President Emily Lloyd said of the transformation, which officials called Prospect Park’s most ambitious improvement since the green space was built nearly 150 years ago.
 It restored and redesigned 26 acres of the southeast corner of the park. 
 “It symbolizes the historic restoration and expansion of city parks our administration has overseen since 2002,” said outgoing Mayor Bloomberg.   
“I think it also epitomizes the spectacular renaissance of Brooklyn over the past 12 years.”  
The new Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Center replaces the old Robert Moses-era Wollman Rink, which was torn down in 2010 after nearly five decades in operation.  The rinks officially open on Friday and will be open for skating and ice hockey from November through March, and roller skating from April through October.  
They will be open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays; from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Sundays. Skating rink admission costs $6 on weekdays and $8 on weekends. Skates rent for $5.  LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park, located closest to the Parkside and Ocean Aves. entrance. For information visit, www.prospectpark.org/about/lakeside.


Read More:

The Wall Street Journal  - December 17, 2013 - By Kaya Laterman

New York Daily News - December 17, 2013 - By Natalie Musumeci  

A Walk In The Park  - November 10, 2013  - By Geoffrey Croft











Friday, December 13, 2013

Fire Department Search Icy Waters In Ocean Breeze Park For Two Who May Have Fallen Through Ice

Staten Island

First responders just finished searching the icy waters in a section of Ocean Breeze Park for two people who may have fallen through the ice in the South Beach section of Staten Island.

FDNY dispatched divers in the waters at the end of Oceanside Avenue.

The two people reported missing have been accounted for according to officials.

 -  Geoffrey Croft

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

NY Yankees Looking to Seize More Bronx Parkland To Build Major League Soccer Stadium


The proposed soccer stadium would be proposed in the top center portion of this overhead view of Yankee Stadium.
The proposed soccer stadium would be directly across the street from residential buildings in the top center portion of this overhead view of Yankee Stadium. (Photo: Kevin P. Coughlin /New York Daily News)

The proposed public park land deal - just south of Heritage Field, the site of the old Yankee Stadium - would also require City, State and Federal appovel including requiring State alienation approval in order to use the land for the non-park purposes.


The Parks Department owned garage on E. 153rd Street & River Avenue, the proposed site of a $ 350 million, 28,000 seat soccer stadium is located 80 feet away from residents.   (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge. 

Bronx

By Geoffrey Croft

Step right up for the next Yankee Bloomberg public parkland giveaway.

The New York Yankees are hoping to squeeze one last gift out of the Bloomberg gravy train in the final days of the administration.

The deal would also test park policy from incoming Mayor Bill de Blasio almost immediately after taking office under the proposed new deal.

The team is currently negotiating a behind closed door deal that would secure the rights to build on a parking garage on 153rd Street and River Avenue owned by the Parks Department in order to build a new 28,000 seat Major League Soccer stadium.

The proposed site is directly across the street from residential buildings. 

The lucrative gift involves using $300 million in tax-free bonds that would allow the Yankees and a royal from the United Arab Emirates to tear down one of the bankrupt Yankee Stadium garages and build the soccer stadium according to the New York Daily News.  

The team would pay virtually no rent for 38 years as part of a 99 year lease.


The proposed soccer stadium site is located 80 feet away from residents.


The soccer team is eighty percent owned by billionaire Sheik Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and twenty percent owned by the Yankees. 

Mayor Bill de Blasio would then have within 30 days of his inauguration to decide whether to approve the deal for the new soccer franchise, the New York City Football Club.

On Wednesday Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's camp said they had some concerns.



The Times reports that Bill de Blasio was not briefed on the deal until Wednesday and did not immediately embrace the proposal, in part, because the Bloomberg plan entails tax breaks, the sale or lease of public land and public financing.

“We have real concerns about investing scarce public resources and forgoing revenue to support the creation of an arena for a team co-owned by one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, and will review any plan with that in mind, ”   said Lis Smith, a de Blasio spokeswoman.

Approvals

The proposed land deal would also require City, State and Federal approval. 

The public park land would require State alienation approval in order to use the land for the non-park purposes.  

The Federal government would also have to sign off  because an exit ramp from the Maj. Deegan would be impacted.    

The previous disastrous land deal allowed the Yankees to seize 25.3 acres of  historic parkland in Macombs Dam Park and Mullaly Park to build a new Yankee Stadium. The community lost several acres of parkland in the controversial deal. 

The Bloomberg and City Council debacle also forced the tax-payers to shell out more than two hundred the sixty-five million dollars in associated costs to replace the park land alone.

The Yankees also received hundreds of millions of dollars in tax-free bonds and forced the building of new parking garages which are now going bankrupt.

The New York Yankees and Manchester City have a deal to tear down a bankrupt parking garage on E. 153rd St. to build a soccer stadium on the site. GAL Manufacturing, a producer of elevator equipment that employs more than 350 workers, would also need to be relocated for the deal to go through.
The New York Yankees and Manchester City have a deal to tear down a bankrupt parking garage on E. 153rd St. to build a soccer stadium on the site. GAL Manufacturing, a producer of elevator equipment that employs more than 350 workers, would also need to be relocated for the deal to go through.  (Photo: James Keivom/New York Daily News) 





















The 86-year-old GAL Manufacturing Corp.,  an elevator equipment company, is located directly across the street from the garage on 153rd street  The City would de-map 153rd Street and close off the Maj. Deegan exit ramp.  (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge. 


More land Needed For Soccer Stadium 

The Yankees are negotiating a deal to buy out a nearby elevator equipment company, GAL Manufacturing Corp.  which operates a 100,000 Square foot manufacturing facility  at 50 East 153rd Street,   located across the street from the garage.

In order to qualify for the tax exempt bonds the Yankees would then give the land to the city.

One of the sticking points is the company is requiring they be relocated near by.  The tax payers could be further be on the hook if the city is needed to help acquire land. 

Earlier this year Major League Soccer had launched an aggressive campaign to try and build the stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park but strong community opposition  in Queens killed that proposal.


Under the new proposal  Heritage Field would be sandwiched between two professional sports stadiums.  The City would de-map 153rd Sreet (above) and close off the Maj. Deegan exit ramp. 


Read More:

Deal for Bronx Soccer Stadium in Works as Clock Ticks
New York Times - December 11, 2013 - By Charles V Bagli 

New York Daily News - December  11, 2013 - By Juan Gonzalez


Capital NY - December 11, 2013 


Monday, December 9, 2013

Washington Sq. Park Vendors Demand City Keep Privatization Out Of Park - Further Conservancy Influence Revealed

"The claim that they (the Conservancy) have no influence is ridiculous.  Elizabeth (Ely) was instrumental in making that decision."  -  city source. 


Mohammed Mastafa and Golam Rabbani, brothers originally from Banledesh,  display their Parks Department  permit in front of one of their two food carts currently licensed to vend in Washington Sq. Park.  They have been selling food in the Park for five years,  but not for long.  The City is removing hot dogs and replacing the vendors with high end - sellers.  To add insult to injury for years the Parks Department has refused to refund more than twenty-thousand dollars owed to them as part of their deposit.  The revenue division is overseen by Bloomberg family friend Betsy Smith.  (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on imaes to enlarge.

The group's influence however goes way beyond food vendors, and much further back than previously disclosed NYC Park Advocates has learned.   Conservancy founder Elizabeth Ely was on the interview panel to decide which city employee was going to be hired as the park's new administrator.   


Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

First it was the Bloomberg administration illegally  cracking down on musicians playing in one of the City's oldest parks,  this time its hot dogs.

On sunday food vendors, community residents and park advocates gathered in Washington Square Park to denounce the Bloomberg administration's plan to kick out hot dog vendors and replace them with high-end sellers.  A newly formed conservancy made up of wealthy neighbors is being accused of using its influence to make it happen.

The press conference was held to raise awareness in support of immigrant vendors who organizers say have provided inexpensive food options to the area for many years but are on the verge of being evicted after December 31st.  

The group called on Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio to prevent private, corporate and real estate interests from privatizing public spaces like Washington Square Park, and to ensure that  inexpensive food vendors can continue to serve the area.  

Critics held hand lettered signs in several languages - some read Mayor Elect De Blassio Reverse Bloomberg's Privatization of our Public Spaces,  and Hot dog Cart In, Private Influence OUT of Washington Square Park and  Hot dog in Socialites Out on a frigid day.    

Critics wary of yet another public-private park group forming and exerting influence over public park policy say their fears have already come to fruition in Washington Square Park.   

The Washington Square Park Conservancy's high profile board called for the removal of hot dog vendors deeming them “unsightly” according to emails recently uncovered.  

Park watchers and neighborhood residents were already suspicious of the groups' intentions and point to the recent email revelations as further evidence of a lack of transparency and accountability from both the Parks Department and the newly formed conservancy. 

One by one vendors got up and spoke in front of the park's large foundation about the need to have jobs and support families.  


On sunday critics held signs saying,  Mayor Elect De Blassio Reverse Bloomberg's Privatization of our Public Spaces,  and Hot dog Cart In, Private Influence OUT of Washington Square Park and  Hot dog in Socialites Out in several languages in the park. 


Mohammed Mastafa and Golam Rabbani are brothers from Bangladesh and have five children between them.  They moved to New York  24 and 15-years ago respectively and own seven pushcarts including two that have been selling hot dogs and peanuts in the park for five years. 

On Sunday they brought a copy of their Parks Department permit which expires  on Dec. 31st. They say they were given no warning of the agency's recent decision not to renew the permit nor were they given an opportunity to add new items the City is now claiming they want sold.   

To add insult to injury the siblings say for years they have been demanding the return of  more than $ 20,000 dollars owed as part of their deposit but the Parks Department's revenue division has kept it despite repeated requests.  

According to terms of the agreement they were required to pay the city $ 130,000 annually to operate four pushcarts in the park.    A September 18, 2009 notice from the Parks Department however reduced the number of pushcarts to two. 

"The security deposit in the amount of forty thousand five-hundred dollars ($ 40,500) is reduced by fifty percent (50%) accordingly. The balance of twenty-thousand five hundred and fifty dollars ($ 20,250)  may be refunded to the Permittee at the Permittee's written request," the letter states.

"May be refunded, May be refunded,  What is that," asked an angry Rabbani,  a father of two. "This is my money. They are keeping it.  They are not even giving me interest."

Conservancy Influence 

The city is increasingly coming under fire for deals that hand over enormous power and decision making authority to public/private park groups with little transparency and accountability on what is supposed to be public land.   An issue the city pretends does not exist. 

The City and people associated with the Washington Square Park Conservancy have repeatedly tried to claim the group has no influence in the City's hot dog vendor decision but critics say the emails prove otherwise.   

NYC Park Advocates has learned however that the group's influence goes way beyond food venders and reaches as far back to at least the summer of 2012,  a time when the group was privately in discussions with the Manhattan Parks Borough Commissioner Bill Castro to officially form a conservancy.



On The Hot Seat.  Founding Washington Square Park Conservancy board members (from left) Justine Leguizamo, Gwen Evans, Veronica Bulgari and Elizabeth Ely.  The fledgling group had already succeeded in influencing public park policy even on which city emplyee to hire before the group even presented themselves to the public for the first time on June 5, 2013.  (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates.) 


A year before the group publicly announced its formation plans,  Conservancy founder Elizabeth Ely was on the interview committee to decide the Park Administrator and was instrumental in picking the city employee for the job according to a city source.   

The Washington Square Park Administrator job was posted in July 2012, and interviews were conducted over the next few months.


"The claim that they (the Conservancy) have no influence is ridiculous.  Elizabeth was instrumental in making that decision (on who to hire) ,"  said a city source involved with the interview process.  

"They all seemed to defer to her. I was thinking why is this person even here. Elizabeth was asking all the tough questions. It was clear she would be the person working with who ever was hired."  

The job went to Sarah Neilson,   a Parks Department employee who now serves in a dual role as the conservancy’s executive director.  Sarah was the former chief of staff for Jonna Carmona-Graf,  Chief of Capital program management.

"A lot of qualified people interviewed for the job. Sarah was a clerk in the office. She had no park experience, zero, " said a source,   sentiments that were echoed by several park employees.

"She was a pet in the front office. "

The duel role of city employees simultaneously holding a Park Administrator job while serving as the non-profit's Executive Director has repeatedly raised conflict of interest issues but the city under Mayor Bloomberg and then Parks Commissioner Adrain Benepe have merely blown the concerns off.   

In public, a year after the Park Administrator interviews,   Elizabeth Ely conveyed the party line. 

"We have no plans to run Washington Square Park. The city runs the park,”  Elizabeth Ely said at a Community Board 2 meeting formally announcing the group's creation.

Those gathered in the park on Sunday were not buying it.  
  
"They say its just to raise money to keep things looking beautiful, but their definition of beauty does not include these vendors,"  Sean Basinski of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center  said of the Washington Square Park Conservancy.

The vendor group organized sunday's event along with Washington Square Blog creator Cathryn Swan.

“The park is a public space. It’s not their private backyard, and so they don’t get to control who’s here. The city does, and we think it’s a city of immigrants, and workers, and regular folks like these hot dog vendors who have been here for a long time.” 

Despite repeated requests the Parks Department refused to answer any questions including commenting on the deposit money owed; why the brothers were not  asked to submit a proposal with a "diverse selection of food choices" as the city is now claiming one of the reasons for the switch;  if hot vendors  are being displaced for ice cream sandwich concessions in other park locations;  Whether or not  the new ice cream concession Melt was chosen through an RFP and how much they are paying;   

The City however may already be backing down -  based not on sound decisions being made before the issue was revealed publicly -  but instead as usual on negative media attention.

“We will be assessing the public’s desires for what foods they would like to see . . . as we determine what mobile foods — including hot dogs — may be offered, and where in the park they will be located,” a Parks spokesman said.


Actor John Leguizamo spoke in favor of his wife's project at a Community Board 2 meeting on June 5th, 2013. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates.) Click on image to enlarge

Meanwhile actor John Leguizamo and his wife Justine have taken to Twitter to defend the newly formed non-profit and deny claims of the group's power and infleunce in the city's desion.

  1. FOR DOG'S SAKE! Nothing better to do with your life? Let Moon Mohammad stay in Washington Square!
  2. the conservancy has no power over policy in the park. If you want something done, go to manhattan parks dept. come volunteer!


  3. I 'volunteer' in a way via blog, becomes important when misleading info presented to public. Hope for more future transparency.



  1. Email obtained says otherwise. These decisions were not made until private conservancy gained influence at WSP.
  2. : as a real New Yorker you should be ashamed of this. ”I'm ashamed you believe that hooey
  3. : can you have a chat with to let Moon Dogs stay in the park?”we love cart food
  4. : can you have a chat with conservancy has no power to ban anyone!! Talk to manhattan parks dept
  5. : so what did happen?" The parks department did it. We have no power but to raise money for improvements
  6. : so what did happen?”we had nothing to do with it. The park did it on their own and we became the scapegoat
  7. : you can take john out of the ghetto and you "CAN" take the ghetto outta john.”I wanna keep the hot dog guy
  8. : Great reporting by Wash Sq Pk blog on how rich Conservancy people kicked hot dog vendors out of park"but it never happened
  9. : you can take john out of the ghetto and you "CAN" take the ghetto outta john. #KeepTheHotDogGuyBro#Shady”not true
    1. you can take john out of the ghetto and you "CAN" take the ghetto outta john. #KeepTheHotDogGuyBro#Shady
: you can take john out of the ghetto and you "CAN" #KeepTheHotDogGuyBro#Shady”its a big slanderous lie!

One of two push carts  in Washington Square Park slated to be removed by January 1st.

Some of the attendees and organizers at sunday's event. 


Read More

A Walk In The Park - December 8, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft


WNBC - December 8, 2013 By  Sheldon Dutes