Showing posts with label Parks Department Concessions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parks Department Concessions. Show all posts

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Oil Released Into Jamaica Bay





























Paerdegat Basin Park/Paerdegat Basin Creek. Paerdegat Avenue North and Seaview Avenue. 

A yellow oil boom was placed around a storm sewer between the Midget Squadron Yacht Club and Sebago Canoe Club, two of the Parks Department's five maritime concessions which were impacted by the spill. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.


Brooklyn

By Geoffrey Croft

At least 1100 gallons of petroleum were released into Paerdegat Basin Creek - part of Jamaica Bay - when a power company's abandoned pipe line ruptured.

National Grid was working on filling in an old gas main pipe with cement when it ruptured spewing oil into the much improved creek.   Dozens of concerned Canarsie residents called 911 and 311to report the noxious smell which began on Thursday and could still be detected blocks away over the weekend.

Some people complained of headaches and nausea.  Boaters where worried if dangerous PCB's were released into the area.

"You could taste oil in your mouth" a boater said at the Midget Squadron Yacht Club. 

The Coast Guard sent out pollution responders. The FDNY, and NY State DEC also responded.   Miller Environmental Group, an environmental waste crew was quickly dispatched and sent two large vacuum trucks, and a tanker truck.

The containment and clean up included laying down oil booms and blue absorbent pads in the water. The clean up is expected to last days. 

Both NYFD and the Coast guard personnel were out over the weekend surveying the area and warning boaters about the spill.   The public is advised to avoid fishing and recreational activity in the area.


Oil. Blue absorbent pads were placed in the spill area.

In addition to what got discharged into Paerdegat Basin National Grid contractors were seen filling up multiple 55 gallons drums along Seaview Ave in front of Canarsie Park. 

"Our whole club filled with gas," said Mike Keller from the Diamond Point Yacht Club, one of five Parks Department maritime concessions in the spill area.

He said he was entering the club's driveway on Paerdegat Avenue North on Thursday when he was hit with the oder.

"My car completely filled will the smell of methane gas to the point where I was gagging.   This whole area was filled with methane gas, waves of gas," he said pointing to Yacht Club grounds.

Mr. Keller  who has been coming to the club for 25 years said the spill was helped by the outgoing tides on Friday. He brought up the information on his cell phone which showed that from 7:35am-1:32pm on Friday the tides were going out to Jamaica Bay.

"That took a bulk of it out to sea. It's disbursed into the bay.  We've been through it all out here."

Gianni Lopez, 52, experienced the unpleasantness first hand when his Kayak tipped over into the putrid waters.

"It was my first time out here. You could smell the stench as soon as I got out here, I didn't go out very far," said the Park Slope resident wiping down his Kayak at the Sebago Canoe Club.

"I went under, I wasn't too happy about that. I'm going to wash very well today."

A number of boaters thought the 1100 gallon estimate was "conservative."

"This is an unfortunate environmental incident as our waterways are a local treasure,"  Petty Officer 2nd Class Erik Swanson, Coast Guard spokesman in New York said in a statement.    

"Coast Guard pollution responders, working closely with city and state partners, will ensure the responsible party performs a proper and complete cleanup of the spill site."

"On Sept. 27 National Grid and its contractor were working on filling in an old gas main that is no longer in service with cement, the energy company said in a statement.  

"During the process an oily water residue spilled from the exit pipe into a valve box. An odor from the residue was released, resulting in a number of odor calls. We were onsite with crews throughout the night investigating and did not find any gas leaks. We immediately notified the appropriate agencies and we and our environmental contractors are working under the direction of the Coast Guard and the NYS DEC to clean up a spill in Paerdergat Basin."


FDNY investigating the scene.
Oil on the water.

Coast Guard personnel inspects the conditions with a boater at the Sebado Canoe Club. 


A yellow oil boom was placed around a storm sewer between the Midget Squadron Yacht Club and Sebago Canoe Club. 

 Read More:
Metro NY - September 30, 2012 - By Jesse Greenspan 

CBS - September 30, 2012 - Alex Silverman

New York Post - September 30, 2012 - By Dan Macleod

NY1 News - September 30, 2012

Sheepsheadbites -  September 29,  2012 - by Ned Berke

The Associated Press - September 29, 2012

WABC - September 29, 2012

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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Mayor Defends On tavern On The Green Awarding Of Concession




All In The Family. City Comptroller John Liu is investigating the connection between ex-deputy mayor - and current Bloomberg LP. emplyee Kevin Sheekey (above) who is a brother-in-law of Jim Caiola, a partner in the Philadelphia-based Emerald Green Group, who won a 20-year licence to run the new Tavern on the Green restaurant in Central Park, a Parks Department consession. Kevin Sheekey is also the older brother of former Parks Department spokeswoman Megan Sheekey who was appointed by Bloomberg as the president of the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City.

 The Mayor yesterday defended not disclosing the relashionship between Jim Caiola and his brother-in-law.

 The Mayor and the Parks Department revenue division have cost the city millions of dollars in lost revenue due to thier handling of the concession. 

 Manhattan 
The winning bidder on the Tavern on the Green franchise did “exactly the right thing” by not disclosing his relationship to one of Mayor Bloomberg’s top confidants, Hizzoner said yesterday, according to the New York Post. 
“If they had proactively disclosed it, you would be asking me why they tried to get special treatment by name-dropping,” Bloomberg said. “This restaurant group did not disclose it, which is exactly the right thing to do.”
The Post reported on Saturday that one of the partners in the company picked by the Parks Department to run the famed Central Park restaurant is the brother-in-law of Kevin Sheekey (pictured), a former deputy mayor who was Bloomberg’s top political adviser and is now an executive at Bloomberg LP.

Officials said the winners — Jim Caiola and David Salama of the Philadelphia-based Emerald Green Group — got the 20-year franchise strictly on the merits.
Bloomberg said it’s not possible that the Parks Department showed any favoritism since no one at the agency was aware there was a Sheekey tie.
“But even if they did, there’s no problem with that. Kevin Sheekey doesn’t work for the city. Hasn’t for a long time,” he said.
Comptroller John Liu, who gets to vote on whether to approve the deal as a member of the city’s Franchise & Concession Review Committee, has promised an investigation.

Read More:

New York Post - August 21, 2012 -  By David Seifman 



A Walk In The Park - August 18, 2012 


A Walk In The Park -  March 30, 2012 

 Glass Tube & Takeout Food Coming To Tavern On The Green
A Walk In the Park - February 24, 2012


A Walk In The Park - December 30, 2011

A Walk In The Park - December 6, 2011

A Walk In The Park - November 4, 2011
A Walk In The Park - January 27, 2011


A Walk In The Park - October 15, 2010 - By Geoffrey Croft

A Walk In The Park - June 14, 2010
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Saturday, August 18, 2012

Brother-In-Law Of former Deputy Mayor-Kevin Sheekey Wins 20-Year Licence To Run New Taven On The Green

MEAL DEAL: Hizzoner pal Kevin Sheekey (left) denies nepotism is at play at Tavern on the Green.
All In The Family. The brother-in-law of former Deputy Mayor-and current Bloomberg LP employee- Kevin Sheekey won a 20-year licence to run the new Taven On The Green restaurant in Central Park, a Parks Department Consession. Kevin Sheekey is also the older brother of former Parks Department spokeswoman Megan Sheekey who was appointed by Bloomberg as the president of the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City.

 The Mayor and the Parks Department revenue division's handling of the concession has cost the city millions of dollars in lost revenue.

 Manhattan


The winning out-of-town bidders who nabbed the right to run Tavern on the Green have never operated in New York — but they have family ties to one of Mayor Bloomberg’s top confidants, The Post has learned.
One of the owners is the brother-in-law of former Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey.
Officials confirmed yesterday that Jim Caiola, who runs the Philadelphia-based Emerald Green Group with partner David Salama, is the brother of Sheekey’s wife, Robin.
The relationship was not disclosed when the Parks Department announced Thursday that Emerald Green had beaten out three other groups competing for the 20-year lease on one of the nation’s most storied eateries, located in Central Park.
“Off the record, I’m speechless,” said a source who works for a rival bidder.
City officials insisted everything was conducted on the up-and-up and without favoritism.
“They won on the merits, and the entire process was handled by the book,” said mayoral spokesman Marc LaVorgna.
Sheekey left city government two years ago, but continues to have close ties to the mayor and the administration as an executive at Bloomberg LP, the mayor’s information-services company.
As top political adviser, Sheekey led two of Hizzoner’s election campaigns and was the driving force behind Bloomberg’s presidential flirtation in 2007.
Sheekey told The Post via e-mail that he was aware Caiola was competing for the Tavern deal — but added that he played no role in his in-law getting it.
“My wife told me he was submitting a bid, but I never spoke to him about it, nor did I communicate with anyone at City Hall,” Sheekey wrote in the e-mail.
“But I have seen his work, and he and his partner are exceptional restaurateurs.”
Steven Hall, a spokesman for Emerald Green, also insisted, “Jim and David did this entirely on their own, and they and Kevin never discussed Tavern.”
City officials said Caiola had no reason to divulge his family ties to Sheekey.
“Their attorneys went through everything,” said one official. “There’s no circumstance under which disclosure is required.”
The Parks Department provided The Post with scoring sheets showing that Emerald Green beat out two rivals, Upsilon Ventures and the combination of City Winery restaurant/Great Performances caterers.
Out of 100 possible total points in five categories, Emerald emerged with 81.96; City Winery/Great Performances 72.26 and Upsilon 70.75.
Read More:
Winning Tavern on the Green bidders have family connections to
one of Bloomberg's top confidants
New York Post - August 18, 2012 - By David Seifman 
A Walk In The Park -  March 30, 2012 


 Glass Tube & Takeout Food Coming To Tavern On The Green
A Walk In the Park - February 24, 2012

A Walk In The Park - December 30, 2011

A Walk In The Park - December 6, 2011

A Walk In The Park - November 4, 2011
A Walk In The Park - January 27, 2011

A Walk In The Park - October 15, 2010 - By Geoffrey Croft

A Walk In The Park - June 14, 2010

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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Hot Dog Vender Bid Tops $175,000 - 40 Vendors In/Around Central Park

Manhattan


Shelling out six figures for a piece of Manhattan real estate should get you a roof and four walls, but not if you're a hot dog vendor vying for prime selling space in and around Central Park, according to DNAinfo.


On Tuesday, vendors offered to pay the city hundreds of thousands of dollars to rent just a few feet of sidewalk space — the same amount some people pay for an entire apartment — for their pushcarts.


Minimum bids for the 10 new pushcart contracts up for grabs range from a low of $7,350 a year for the Central Park side of Fifth Avenue between East 97th and East 98th streets, to an eye-popping $176,925 for the right to hawk snacks and sodas at the northwest corner of East 60th Street and Fifth Avenue.


Bids for the patch of concrete on the southwest corner of Grand Army Plaza, across from the Plaza Hotel, start at a jaw-dropping $155,400.


The Parks Department rented out the pricey park property to about 40 pushcart vendors in and around Central Park last year, though the number of carts changes as contracts renew and expire, a Parks Department spokesman said.


A vendor's winning bid becomes the flat fee the vendor pays annually to the Parks Department for his permit. Vendors pay the fee in monthly installments like rent. They sign five-year contracts and they're expected to increase their annual flat fee by 5 percent each year.


Central Park Vendors Vy For Prime Real EstateThe minimum bid for a pushcart vending contract near the Plaza Hotel is $155,400 a year. (DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht)

Vendors are required to follow a set pricing list: $2 is the maximum charge for a hot dog, $1.25 for canned soda. They're allowed to charge less, but they can't charge more without written permission from the Parks Department.


The Parks Department also wants to make sure customers get those snacks with a smile. In the instructions for bidding, the Parks Department tells applicants to explain how they'll measure customer satisfaction, and suggests using survey forms to gauge how well customers enjoyed their service.


The Parks Department sets minimum bids based on foot traffic, but ambitious bidders sometimes make over-the-top offers for prime selling spots.


In 2008, a pushcart vendor bid $643,000 for two locations outside the entrance to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but he ran into trouble when he couldn't sell enough merchandise to make his monthly payments.


Cliff Stanton, co-owner of United Snacks, says that's a common rookie error among people new to the pushcart business. Stanton's company used to bid on vending spots, and now supplies pushcarts to vendors.


"A lot of individuals jump into the game thinking there's a lot of money to be made," said Stanton, who's been in the pushcart business since 1988. "They see only one side of it, the money coming in."


Central Park Vendors Vy For Prime Real EstateThe minimum bid for a vending spot near Central Park West and West 81st Street is $64,050. (DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht)

Yes, there are profitable days when sales "make your head spin," Stanton said, but after vendors pay overhead costs like insurance, suppliers, taxes, and employees, "there’s nothing left."


"The days where it used to be a lucrative business are long gone," said Stanton. "These guys are generally left with pennies if they're lucky."


Yuri Shutovsky, co-owner of Sigmund Pretzelshop in the East Village, got into pushcart vending in December, after the city suggested he bid for a spot outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.


Shutovsky said he pays roughly $94,400 per year in rent to the city, and making the monthly payments hasn't been easy so far.

The brutal winter forced him to miss entire days of selling, and even when weather is good, there are only a few hours when his product moves, because most people don't buy pretzels until about 1 p.m. and the museum closes at 5:30 p.m., Shutovsky said.


Shutovsky charges $3 for one of his gourmet pretzels, which are handcrafted with high-end ingredients, but he doesn't want to raise prices, even though that could help him make rent payments.


"We don’t want to sell pretzels for $100, it's a pretzel for crying out loud, we wanted to be democratic," Shutovsky said.


But he's hopeful business will pick up, and feels he pays a fair price for his location on East 81st Street and Fifth Avenue.


"It's one of the better locations in New York, because you have a captive audience," Shutovsky said. "There's nowhere to buy anything affordable. I keep my fingers crossed that we do better and better and at the end of the year, there will be a good profit margin."


Read More:

DNA Info - April 5, 2011 - By Leslie Albrecht
Bidding starts at $176, 925 for a pushcart vendor spot in a prime location near the Plaza Hotel.

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Price Gouging At Two Parks Dept. Gas Stations - Again

"They're pigs. Their lease should be terminated," City Council member Jimmy Vacca said. "They have a history of overcharging, and this is just the latest and most egregious example of their greed."

Two Citgo stations in the Bronx are bilking drivers by charging more than $4 for a gallon of gas - among a handful of the nation's highest stations.
Two gas stations owned on Parks Department land in the Bronx are once again ripping off customers. Two "Supervalue" CITGO stations across from each other on the Hutchinson River Parkway near East Tremont Ave were found to be charging 10% higher than the city average and the highest in the nation outside of four stations in California. The Citgos lease the land from Parks, paying an average of $177,777 per year in rent or 3% of their gross receipts - whichever is larger, a Parks Department spokesman said.

The stations must keep gas prices similar to those within five miles of it according to its license agreement with the Parks Department. The embattled agency has only a few employees to monitor more than 600 concessions. The agency's concession and revenue division is run by Mayor Bloomberg associate Elizabeth "Betsy" Smith. The story was first reported by CBS 2's Tony Aiello on February 28th.

This is not the first time these two Parks Department concessions have been caught overcharging: In 2008 the two CITGO stations were charging $4.12 a gallon when the average price in the city was $4.49 according to the American Automobile Association. (Photo: Pace/NY Daily News) - Geoffrey Croft

Bronx

Two shameless Citgo stations in the Bronx have drivers over a barrel - they're charging more than $4 for a gallon of gas, according to the NY Daily News.

The $4.09 price for regular is 10% higher than the city average and the highest in the nation outside of four stations in California.

The apparent gouging enraged motorists and could land the stations in hot water with the city, which leases them the land on the opposite sides of the Hutchinson River Parkway.

"It's highway robbery - literally," said Miz Donnelly, 42, of Norwalk, Conn., who stopped at one station just to use the bathroom.

"I'd rather run out ... than fill up here. Tell you the truth, I'd rather walk home."

Pete Wolski, 48, filling up a rental car while visiting from Chicago, called it "awful."

"But what can I do?" he asked. "I need the gas and have no choice."

With unrest in the Middle East pushing up oil prices, the city's average for a gallon of regular was up to $3.65 yesterday - compared with $2.90 a year ago.

The national average was $3.37, the Oil Price Information Service said.

A Chevron in Bakersfield, Calif., was charging the most yesterday - $4.29 per gallon of regular, the service said.

The Citgo attendants were unapologetic - and inaccurate - when asked about the cost.

"That's the price," an attendant told a Daily News reporter who paid $10 for just 2.44 gallons of regular. "It's $4 everywhere."

The Citgos lease the land from the city, paying an average of $177,777 per year in rent or 3% of their gross receipts - whichever is larger, said a Parks Department spokesman.

After a complaint about rising prices in August, the city fired off a warning letter to the stations' operator, the ironically named Supervalue.

It noted that its license with the city bars it from charging more than the area's going rate.

A spokesman for the Parks Department said yesterday that the agency is investigating the latest hike and "will determine appropriate next steps."

Councilman Jimmy Vacca (D-Bronx) has an opinion about what that should be.

"They're pigs. Their lease should be terminated," Vacca said. "They have a history of overcharging, and this is just the latest and most egregious example of their greed."

Read More:

New York Daily News - March 2, 2011 - By Mike Jaccarino


Gas Prices Soar, Especially at 2 Bronx Stations
My Fox - March 2, 2011

ABC News - March 2, 2011 - Tim Fleischer

YourNabe - March 10, 2011 - By Vito Signorile

New York Daily News - June 3, 2008 - By David Hinckley


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