Police Called into Stuy Town

We're hearing reports of a female being badly beaten last night in front of 447 East 14th St. An ambulance had to be called. There also appears to have been a mugging that same night at the perimeter of Stuy Town on 17th St and 1st Ave. I myself saw two police vehicles at Oval Cafe this morning, as well as Public Safety. The police were there for an hour at least and left after questioning a young female, who seemed to be pointing in the direction of 1st Ave, possibly a witness to someone fleeing the area.

Hopefully fuller details will emerge soon in Town & Village.

UPDATE 10/5:

MOVE ALONG, NOTHING TO SEE HERE....

Well, Town & Village's "Police Watch" did report that someone at Papaya Dog was grabbed and had his shirt torn, and that a passenger in a taxi at 1st Ave and 22nd St didn't pay his $6 fare, but nothing on the incident that happened in Stuy Town last week. Seems the 13th Precinct is being close-lipped about what occurred, even though an ambulance was called and the investigation into what happened continued in the morning with TWO cop cars turning up near Oval Cafe to interview a witness, among other things....

There are NO pressurized walls in Stuy Town

Don't forget that.

Photo taken 9/28 between 4:30-5pm, at the 20th St. Loop.

"A nice location for those who live east of 1st Ave."

So, Cafe Kubrick, otherwise known as Oval Cafe, has a review on Yelp. In the midst of some quirky grammar, the reviewer writes that the cafe is "a nice location for those who live east of 1st Ave." Well, yeah, but it should only be for those who live east of 1st Ave and above 14th Street and below 23rd Street. Like, eh, residents of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. And their guests.

So, what does CompassRock or CWCapital have to say about this? Surely they are keeping to the zoning regulations here and not allowing non-residents the use of this wonderful cafe?

Sending a shout-out to our councilman Dan Garodnick!

Once Again, the TA Steps Up to the Plate

This week's TOWN & VILLAGE informs us of meeting the Tenants Association had with representatives of Airbnb, which has been listing loads of short-term rentals in Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village on its website. Airbnb still has not committed itself to deal seriously with the problem, so discussions with the company are ongoing.

The big question is why hasn't management met with Airbnb, instead of the TA? Isn't this a problem that should be dealt with by management?

The response from Brian Moriarty, spokesman for CWCapital: "We have initiated legal cases against several tenants we believe were operating illegal hotels and will continue to investigate and pursue tenants who violate their leases in this manner."

One wonders how many tenants is "several"....

* * *

Money saving measures in PCVST are continuing. We are hearing that there are going to be some heavy cutbacks in Recreation Department personnel. Stay tuned.

More Fails....

Cafe Kubrick is really the gift that keeps on giving. So, the last remnants of the cafe's arugala plants, devoured by rodents, were removed and replaced by less rodent desirable plants. But, the problem persists, and even these are being mauled. What I find interesting is that rodents are zeroing in particularly here, at Cafe Kubrick, while other plantings around Stuy Town remain relatively untouched.

Now, you may want to sit outside at Cafe Kubrick's patio, but--BEWARE--there may be a pit bull hiding under one of the tables....

The Madness of Oval Events Revisited

Beautiful days are upon us, cool and sunny, and they won't be here long. So, you want to enjoy the Oval while we have such delicious weather? Well, today you had to compete with "Fall Family Carnival." Okay, we'll give one to the kiddies to make them happy. So perhaps tomorrow, Sunday, you can relax and enjoy the weather at the Oval.... Wrong! Tomorrow the Oval will be hostage to TWO football games playing on a screen you won't be able to see clearly. From 1pm to 7:30pm!

Truly, truly, the people who arrange these things are insane. There is no other possible explanation for this madness and ramming into residents' stunned minds the concept that there's "always something happening in Stuy Town."

Can Lady Maya follow Radu's example and leave?

Garland Jeffreys around Stuy Town

I became a Garland Jeffreys' fan since I saw him at one of the summer events here. (Gasp! yes, I was there, seduced by the music.)  Here's a video that's making the rounds, including on the TA Facebook page, posted there by Edmund.  It's a beautiful day in Stuy Town today, so let's enjoy it and the music....

Oh, he's a Stuy Town resident if you didn't know.

Another Stuy Town Fixture Gone

Or going.  Radu, the supervisor/director of Stuy Town's Recreation Dept who has been around for a while, will be leaving his position, this week apparently.  A clue to this forthcoming change was a recent Craig's List ad for a "Recreation Supervisor," with a listing of these job duties:

The Recreation Supervisor contributes to the success of all PCV/ST outdoor programs by coordinating the Recreation Assistants in the daily operations and delivery of activities and special events.
Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Recruit, hire and train the Recreation Assistants in the delivery of "five Star Service."
• Execute all daily activities and events related to outdoor programming and special events.
• Assist in the setup and breakdown of activities and events occurring in the amenities spaces
• Provide support to activities and events, which may extend past normal operating hours.
• Schedule Recreation Assistants in adherence of monthly budgets.
• Monitor End of Day Reports and Equipment Inspection Reports for operating issues and potential improvement points with efficient and effective follow up to it.
• Communicates member and resident feedback to Management Team in an effort to consistently improve the member experience.
• Role models all operational policies and procedures, including those for safety and security to ensure safety for all employees and members.

Radu was very hands-on in the Recreation Department and always looking for ways in which to artfully save money while acquiring needed equipment for his department. This was the cause of some embarrassment in the mini-scandal of ZogSports, but the PCVST-ZogSports connection appears to have existed before Radu came on the scene.

Radu seemed the perfect employee, but word is that he was seeing the writing on the wall and aware of attempts by the Powers-That-Be to penny-pinch the Recreation Department, including salaries.

Radu even participated in Stuy Town advertising for Oval Study (see below).  Wonder if he got compensated for this?

 Best wishes to him.  I wonder who is next.

* * *

Oh, what a gift Cafe Kubrick is turning out to be!

Those arugula plants (or whatever the hell they were) have been munched on so much by either squirrels or rats that it surely is about time for management to replace them, perhaps with cabbages.

 

Meanwhile, someone must have been incensed that Cafe Kubrick was not serving Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches, so they took it out on the Oval Cafe sign or else a speeding bicycle rammed into it:

Considering the shape of this sign, the half-devoured patio plants, the dog urine stains along the outer patio wall, and the worn-out and chipped tables outside, Cafe Kubrick is making a really classy impression these days.

* * *

It seems as if our reportage (with photos) on the filthy shape of the Oval walkway had an effect, so that now Stuy Town's street-cleaning zamboni is being used regularly to erase, as best it can, the dog urine and turd stains that appear regularly in a walk around the Oval.... And progress is being made in cleaning out the recycling areas, with a night crew at work.

The Madness of Oval "Events"

Many people who live in Stuyvesant Town work during the week. Not as many as used to, because we now have a very significant student and senior population, but the Monday through Friday workers still exist as tenants, and one would think in sizable numbers.  If Stuyvesant Town offers anything particularly special to these residents, it's a chance to relax and unwind in the relative peace and quiet of the Oval on Saturday and Sunday.  Many times, I see residents of ALL ages taking advantage of good weather and the Oval, sitting around reading, having conversations, playing with their kids, tending their newborn, contemplating nature or their own thoughts, or picnicking or sunbathing on the Oval Lawn.

And yet the Powers That Be consistently feel that something MUST BE HAPPENING in the Oval or else it's all a failure.  They have even used "something is always happening" as a PR mantra, oblivious to the fact that for many residents this "happening" intrudes upon residents' own weekend in Stuy Town.  Furthermore, residents are smart enough (well, most of them) to make their lives as "happening" as they desire, without the Powers That Be dictating what that activity will be and forcing its effects upon the entire Oval area.

Most of these events, from a crowd gathering point of view, are embarrassing failures, made more painful by the amount of money spent on them.  It's a good day for the Powers That Be if a couple of hundred people show up of the thousands upon thousands that live here.  Sometimes, barely a hundred or so residents and their guests turn up.  Not a good ratio.

Why do it?

For two main reasons, I think:

1) Events are a selling point in advertising and the future sale of this property.  Despite the reality that the overwhelming number of residents here do not attend these events and that many residents who live around the Oval loathe them because of the disruptive noise that flows into their apartments, the Powers That Be will stubbornly keep on churning out these events because they fear that in not making Stuy Town a place where "something is always happening" interest in Stuy Town will lessen, as will the value of Stuy Town as an asset.

2) It keeps employed the people who craft and work on these events, so it's a paycheck that these people desperately do not want to lose, and we, the residents, suffer because of it.

Tomorrow, Saturday, if it's a nice day and you decide to spend the morning at the Oval, you will have to compete with another "event"--this one the outdoor screening of the U.S. Open beginning at 11am. Which probably means a set-up an hour or two before then, with the Oval Fountain, the central axis of those who want to relax, being turned off in the morning.  Worse, afterward there will be something called "New Fox Tuesdays Private Outdoor Screening."  No, it's not coverage from Fox News, but rather a promotion for Fox's Tuesday TV line-up, a promotion in tandem with Verizon's Fios.  That's right, a commercial push and pimping out Stuy Town right on the Oval to further fuck-up your Saturday if you routinely like taking advantage of the Oval.

Quite simply, having events continually "happening" on the Oval is a telling display of the disregard and paternalism that the Powers That Be have toward the Stuyvesant Town community.  I've no beef against the occasional event, but it's now gotten to the level of clear madness, with the Powers That Be not cognizant of the fact that they are now ensconced in the mad house, from which they plan out their events and issue their dictates.

We have wonderful playgrounds in this community and a wonderful "park" and a beautiful fountain.  This is what others, living in the city outside of PCVST, envy.  We have everything that can make living here particularly appealing.

So, for heaven's sake, PLEASE LEAVE US ALONE with this cavalcade of events!

Cafe Kubrick Plants Eaten

Rodents? A dog? A human rat?  Someone must have been hungry last night, because the morning found a few of the new green plants at the patio extension of Cafe Kubrick (Oval Cafe) chewed on and broken apart.  Or is American Leisure serving salad now?

 

And a look at the tables at this BRAND NEW amenity shows their sorry condition--chipped, gouged, peeling--and two flies munching away on one. These flies were so engrossed in their activity, they didn't move away when I approached!

Only the best for Residents and Their Guests!

Meanwhile, back in Stuy Turd Town, unpicked dog crap shows up in front of the Oval Essentials Office and the placard advertising the annoying and money-wasting events for the Labor Day Weekend.