What else could the Powers That Be think of to devastate the Stuy Town/PCV community? Well, how about taking one of the core attractions of the Oval--the plantings and flowers--and ripping them out and mowing them down? In an unbelievable and shocking and disheartening action, work crews this week have devastated the western portion of the Oval, only leaving behind (for now at least) the major trees in the area.
Why has this been done?
Several guesses, but the primary one is that CWCapital can now add to its sale prospectus the fact that there's been complete and recent landscaping done in the area. Perhaps, too, there's the ability of a better view of the Oval from the guard booth, where Public Safety is stationed, monitoring personal text messages on their phones. Or, just simply, after trying to make tenants homeless, CWCapital is now going after the squirrels, who, when I was there in the morning, were running around frantically, divested of much of their habitats.
I dread to think what will take the place of the uprooted flowers and greenery. Perhaps very low plants, to give the entire Oval a beach plaza look in keeping with the sunbathing going on in the Oval Lawn. And cabbage patches in the winter.
What used to give the Oval the feel of being a luxuriant oasis in Manhattan is now chiefly gone.
There it is. The blooming flowers, the rich greenery. ALL GONE.
Simply unbelievable and tragic.
35 comments:
This place sure gone crazy.
I think so, too. I've been watching crazy things like this for years here, and it never ceases to amaze me how the thinking heads at the companies that own or have owned STPCV think. They have people getting paid a lot of money to come up with insane stuff like this, and then they clap themselves on the back for the job well done. And how much money has now been wasted in removing old landscaping to replace it with new landscaping? But, my buildings hallways haven't been painted in years and parts of PCV are still not working properly.
>gasp< a horrific site of devastation.
They need the visibility to help them better crack down on people trying to ride bikes through the oval. Whenever I see Public Safety goons I want to slap them on the back on they heads. They are all smug jackoffs.
These people are evil. Just plain evil and demonic. This is vandalism and they are probably doing just out of pure spite because they know so many of the residents love the park-like landscaping.
Pretty insane when you consider that Met maintained all of the Oval greenery for decades without changing anything. I agree, they should address basic building maintenance and upkeep before dealing with any landscaping.
They also ripped out a tree where the path by Playground 7 meets the 14th Streert Loop. It looked beautiful in the winter covered in snow. I used to call it the Dr. Suess tree because of its peculiar shape. They'll probably replace it with a MORE! sign.
LESS ANDREW MACARTHUR
LESS SEAN SULLIVAN
LESS CWCAPITAL
LESS CAMPUSJOKEREALESTATE
It IS vandalism. And a crime against nature and the sensibilities of residents who appreciate the Oval.
Meanwhile there's probably fire raging up the holes around the standpipes...
MORE dirt. Where's the sign for that? Or maybe there will be mud wrestling? They can use the big lawn in PCV for that.
>>They also ripped out a tree where the path by Playground 7 meets the 14th Streert Loop.<<
I know exactly what tree you mean! Lovely little spot. Or used to be. I pass by that area on the way to Associated and points south. Now that space is barren, with lengthy tire mark impressions over the ground.
I think Tishman Speyer selected this gestapo-like bunch of incompetent goons because they knew they would make them look good by comparison!
Happy to report they filled in the space around the riser in my stairwell and I didn't have to call 311. I hope they do that in all the buildings and don't have to be threatened before they do the right thing.
We might be getting ahead of ourselves with this. Perhaps visibility/safety is a concern. Perhaps they'll be planting lower shrubs, flowers, plants which will still look nice. I for one, will wait and see. Perhaps there's been issue of kids peeing there late at night or whatnot.. Who knows.. But security cars need to be able to see in the inside pathway, especially at night so they can spot any potential hanky-panky, no?
The concern is money, pure and simple. CWCapital doesn't want to spend money to maintain that area with flowers and luxuriant plantings. What will replace this will be cost-effective, and that's the bottom line now that a sale is forthcoming.
Let's see anyone sit in that guard booth for 8 hours and not touch their cell phone. You would all fail.
Are you a shill for management?
Anyway, no one is asking PS to stay in a guard booth for 8 hours. We have been pleading with the Powers That Be for PS to WALK about the complex, and not just stay in the guard booth or in a patrol vehicle or just in front of the fountain.
BTW, I would pass that test easily.
What did PS do before cell phones were invented?
I'd also pass. Boots on the ground...
Maybe u can but majority of tenants would fail either using their phones or reading book or doing anything that would pass time.
PS is severely underpaid for amount of bs they put up with and work they have to do. Just cause you see some on phones or at delis doesn't mean that all others are doing the same. Other property's that have 24 hour officers pay a lot more and do less work and less responsibility than Stuytown/pcv officers.
New dog run?
STR is close to the truth. The removal of the flowers and plants has little to do with security, but is another streamlining of expenditures before a sale. IF people haven't noticed, that's what has been happening here for a while. This is the latest move in a pattern to lower operating costs while raising revenues from rent increases and commercial activities within Stuyvesant Town. Don't ask me how I know, but I know. ;-)
And next weekend, for “Residents and their Guests only” (this BS is now beyond parody) there will be the Soul Asylum concert at the Oval. “Runaway Plantings”? STR, I agree with your logic here and maybe, like TS before, CWC has a financial interest in the landscaping company they have contracted with. Double dipping, fees on top of fees, win, win. They truly suck. I try to avoid the Oval these days, it’s so disheartening to see what’s become of it. Why can’t they just treat it like the Central Park Conversancy treats the Sheep Meadow in Central Park? * Instead, we have concerts, carnivals, crap sport TV and movie events. The hicks have won, long live the hicks.
http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/south-end/sheep-meadow.html
* •Quiet Zone (dogs are prohibited at all times; no bikes; no organized, active recreation or sports allowed; headphones required for radios)
We should boycott ALL of their commercial events, including the greenmarket.
They rape our wallets why not rape the land?
What did PS do before cell phones? Ate. And slept.
Organized action in front of the PCV/ST Leasing Office on First Avenue will continue this Saturday, June 1, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. The Tenants Association has also arranged for documentary filmmaker and citizen journalist Sandi Bachom to be there on Sunday, June 2, at 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to videotape your stories for posting on YouTube and sending to CW Capital.
Show support. Please try to make it, if only for an hour or so.
Nothing wrong with eating and sleeping.
STR, you shouldn't be surprised.
Short term owners, short term tenants, nobody is thinking beyond the next year or two. Except those of us who've stayed here a decade or three.
"Yeah, but what have you done for me lately?" becomes management's MO. Compass surely is more concerned with their year-end bonuses than what residents want.
Guerrilla gardening! Let's take back our green space. I know where there's a bunch of plants just sitting around--come to PCV at 22nd Street. A triangular area has been fenced off, and the plants in it have been there for weeks (some were planted ages ago). This staging area was full of plants when Sandy hit--all had to be replaced. Don't worry about the guard in the booth interfering--he's just there to take down license plate numbers of cars entering.
LOL when I read the name Met Life...
Met life kept it this way... Met Life did do well with ...
DON'T FORGET WHO SOLD US UNDER THE BUS people, to the tune of 5 1/2 billion. WHO????
thank you Met Life. I will remember your name FOREVER.
There wa MetLife and then was a new MetLife under the evil hand of Robert Benmoish.
And then there was Rob "Goat Boy" Speyer! Again with the goats!
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