Friday, July 12, 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Oval Tree and Plant Replacements Have Arrived!




UPDATE

They aced it.  Perfection.  Very Zen.  Perhaps a front row to be added, but not much else, I'd think.  Now, isn't this much better than the messy lush garden that was here before?


2nd UPDATE

Important to read:

http://town-village.com/2013/07/12/shade-trees-chopped-down-in-oval-management-says-some-trees-were-overgrown/

I knew it.  Replacing the former gardens in the "crescents" around the Oval will be low plants with a bunch of space in-between.  The photo above is probably what both crescents will look like, aside from the addition of flowering perennials and, I assume, cabbages for the winter.  You can kiss the lush gardens that surrounded the Oval--and that were a delight to many, giving people the feel of being in the country--goodbye. Probably forever.  Management also states that the trees cut down in the crescents were "overgrown."  What the hell does that mean?  None of the trees were problematic and they offered welcome shade to those sitting on benches nearby. Damn these people. They have destroyed one of the the few things that made this place unique, just so they can promote how the Oval has been upscaled in a sale.

3rd UPDATE

Stuy Town and PCV residents who wish to take in a lush garden, now that their own lush gardens have been destroyed, can head over to Tomkins Square Park, which now puts the Oval to shame.  (Photos taken a couple of months ago.)



Question: How is it that a financially strapped Parks Department can maintain Tomkins Square Park grounds-keeping with the above results when the geniuses behind the grounds-keeping here seem to be always struggling and killing off plants and trees, and planting and replanting?

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW.
This is a MAJOR improvement!
Management you the BEST!

Stuy Town Reporter said...

I agree. I gasped when I saw those, and trembling with joy, I had to sit down immediately on a nearby bench to calm down. Tonight, celebration time!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Just wow! The scale and quantity are perfect! Micro shrubs in dirt patches are the way to go!

But in all seriousness... WTF? What was the point of ripping out the lush gardens and cutting down eight large, healthy trees only to replace them with these pathetic twigs that have nearly baked to death in their holding cell on the other side of the proprty for the last month? My only guess is they want the Oval more visible to the non residents and their guests who come here for the rock concerts.

Speaking of which, how much did Soul Asylum get paid to play for 100 people? How much are Witch Hazel Tonic getting paid? An incredibly poor allocation of funds for such a laughable turnout.

Anonymous said...

This is a boondoggle. They will plant these shrubs, rip them up in a couple of weeks, plant some more. Repeat. They are gaming the system and getting paid over and over. Just a fucking scam. They are ripping off the tenants, the bondholders and god knows who else.

Anonymous said...

This place sure gone crazy.

Anonymous said...

Want to get shade and cool off?
Lay down on the dirt and put your head under their new designer's shrub !

Anonymous said...

What and how is wasting good green trees and shrubs gaming the system?

huh?

and more visible? how?

noone is gettng paid for ripping out grass.

Anonymous said...

I just heard on NY1 that Garodnick will be on "The Road to City Hall" at 7 pm (repeated at 10 pm) tonight and will be taking a walk through his district. I hope he walks through Stuyvesant Town and addresses the vandalism and destruction committed by these so-called "stewards" of the property. Doubt he'll have the balls, though.

Anonymous said...

I smell sulfur, Andrew MacArthur must be nearby!

Anonymous said...

As per the just released T&V blog post:
“CompassRock said, “This work is part of a property-wide landscaping stabilization program currently in progress, with the goal of establishing a landscape environment which will thrive for years to come. This requires the correction of programs undertaken by prior ownership, which did not ensure adequate care or space for plants to grow, including many instances of tree, shrub, and flower plantings in inappropriate soil and sunlight conditions.”

Management also said the landscaping renovation includes “the transplant of trees and shrubs to other locations in the property; removal of several overgrown trees and plants; remediation of the soil; and improvements to the existing irrigation and electrical infrastructure embedded in the crescents. The new tree species being planted in the crescent beds will be lower in height and density, allowing the trees the space they need to prosper, as well as increasing visibility into the Oval for both passers-by and security. When completed, the gardens will have a cleaner look and a new, lush ground with perennials to add color. The final plantings will be completed in the coming three weeks, and new fencing will be established to protect the area and keep it healthy.”

“as well as increasing visibility into the Oval for both passers-by and security.” This is the key statement. To further their marketing to the college and just post college transients for both sun bathing and Oval events, this is why this horror being inflicted on the Oval This has nothing to do with proper landscaping or security concerns.

Anonymous said...

Those are worse than the cabbages? They are minuscule and make no sense there. Who is in CHARGE here? Anyone?!

Dolores Jenks said...

When I was young, we had a huge lilac bush in the backyard, and nothing said “summertime” to me more than the heady scent of lilac drifting into newly opened windows. But here in Stuy Town, ”summer” is all about dirt and fertilizer that seem to burst into shades of brown overnight!

Anonymous said...

This is very, very sad. I grew up here, and am now both embarrassed by the current landscaping as well as sad and mad. We have lots of home videos of little me +friends around Stuy Town all throughout my childhood....if any non-lifer/more than 10 years tenants saw those videos, they wouldn't even recognize the place. It is a total shame.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

The harsh truth is that we can't do anything about this. And you can forget about protests, because we've seen that the previous protests over the mid-lease rent increases fizzled before they almost even started. Perhaps Dan Garodnick could have made statement by tying himself to one of the trees meant for removal and inviting the press to watch the outcome. But really, few care. Certainly not the transients who live here and are ever-increasing in number.

Anonymous said...

STR is right. Not worth getting your knickers in a twist.


Without our elected officials' backing, there's little that can be done.


Just pray that there's new management to come who won't rape and pimp this place the way our current owners do.

Charles Dickens' novels usually had happy endings too!



Anonymous said...

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM A BUNCJ OF YAHOOS WITH NANES LIKE BOONE ATKINS AS CORPORATE LEADERS HAS ANYONE EVEY LOOKED AT TGE COMPASS ROCK REALESTAR WEBSIE? DAVID WOODWARD BOONE ATKINS DO THESE OEOPLE RUN A REAL ESTATE COMPANY OR MAKE MOONSHINE? HICKS HILL BILLYS AND RUG RATS THEY ARE LINE THEM UP AND FIRE THEM ONE BY ONE!!!!!

Anonymous said...


Without our elected officials' backing, there's little that can be done.


To repeat: NYC claims no responsibility for trees on private property. Owners can remove them without the city's permission, they only need to get an easily obtained permit from The NYC Dept of Parks and Recreation first. There is absolutely nothing that any elected official on the planet can do about it.

Anonymous said...

Boone Atkins is a real name ROFLMFAO!!!

Anonymous said...

noone is gettng paid for ripping out grass.>>

Of course not. The landscapers are working for free. Silly me. Just like CW and CR are working for free.

Anonymous said...

As already posted, this tendentious tidbit from the latest email communiqué: "This requires the correction of programs undertaken by prior ownership, which did not ensure adequate care or space for plants to grow, including many instances of tree, shrub, and flower plantings in inappropriate soil and sunlight conditions."

And which prior management would that be? Just put back what Met Life did and we can all live happily ever after. Even the numbnuts of CW should be able to manage this.

Anonymous said...

"Without our elected officials' backing, there's little that can be done. "

Let's not re-elect any of our elected officials. Let them go back to their sleazy law firms, hedge funds, covens, whatever.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>There is absolutely nothing that any elected official on the planet can do about it.<<

An aggressive elected official can do something. Perhaps that "something" will not change the situation, perhaps, via bad publicity at least, it will. But we lack aggressive elected officials who will stand up to real estate interests in this city.

Anonymous said...

Then I guess that would make this place Boone's Farm...

http://www.boonesfarm.net/

Anonymous said...

They are full shit. When they ripped out the little Dr Seuss looking tree by 14th and A, what exactly were they correcting there? Nothing! Now we have that retarded looking copa cabana palm plant that will die in October. In the same area the killed a huge portion of the lawn by using it as a staging area for their potted plants. Most of those died from the sun or from dog urine. These people are fucking idiots.

Anonymous said...

Poster meant (i believe) this is not GAMING the system. lol.

how would it be? although i can't stand any of this, there's no gaming.

Anonymous said...

At least they didn't remove public safety's dainty little dolly house. They look so cute in there braiding eachothers hair and hosting tea parties and eating finger sandwiches.

Anonymous said...

"But we lack aggressive elected officials who will stand up to real estate interests in this city."

You got that right! Why do you think Garodnick is such a milquetoast when it comes to REALLY standing up to the heinous CW?

Anonymous said...

Nights like tonight will turn what used to be The Oval into a total swamp, thanks to those cretins at Compass Rock. They have to be the most criminally stupid jerks ever born.

Anonymous said...

Why do anything here on a horticultural level if dogs are just going to shit and piss all over it while their owners are on their cell phones? Unless, of course, they intend on fencing it off?

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why they are trying to devalue the property. The Oval was always the "Crown Jewel" of the property. It was filled with lush grass, numerous enormous shade trees (which were planted by real arborists and gardeners employed by Met Life. The perimeter of the Oval (which included that dirty path that TS or some such idiot cut) was an explosion of tulips, crocuses, daffodils and seasonal perennials. What is left of the Oval looks like it has been used as a battlefield. It is an absolute sin what they done to it. I doubt it could ever be saved now. It would take a dedicated team of experienced, professional gardeners and landscapers to even begin to repair some of the damage inflicted by these barbaric idiots.

Anonymous said...

The CompassRock website lists these creatures as the people responsible for destroying Stuy Town. Get to know their names!

Jeffrey Jacobson - Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director of Corporate Administration

Jeffrey Jacobson is responsible for overseeing the Accounting, IT, Human Resources, and Office Management departments. Mr. Jacobson has previously held the role of Chief Financial Officer at the community before taking on his current position. Mr. Jacobson brings almost 30 years of experience in multi-family real estate operations and finance to the organization. Prior to joining Peter Cooper Village / Stuyvesant Town, Mr. Jacobson was a consultant with Mast Realty Company and previously worked as CFO of Fawn Associates, one of the largest property owners in Greenwich, CT and at Helmsley Spear where he held the position of Director of Property Development/Operations and Financial Director of Operations. In that capacity, Mr. Jacobson was responsible for financial operations at Parkchester, a 171-building residential community consisting of 12,000 apartment homes and 75 commercial/retail tenants making it one of the few comparable properties to Peter Cooper Village / Stuyvesant Town in the country.

Chris Schmidt - Managing Director of Business Development and Administration

Chris Schmidt oversees all aspects of internal and external marketing, vacant leasing, renewal leasing and all related administrative functions. Mr. Schmidt is an industry leader within the areas of developing and implementing sales and marketing strategies resulting in increased customer volume, higher resident retention, and increased revenue generation. Mr. Schmidt comes from AvalonBay Communities and served most recently as Director of Marketing for the firm’s national portfolio of multi-family residential rental communities consisting of 190 properties.

Anonymous said...



Paul Cenzoprano - Director of Apartment Redecoration and Standardizations

Paul Cenzoprano oversees the process of preparing all vacant apartments for occupancy. He joined the Apartment Redecoration and Standardizations team with Tishman Speyer in April 2010 and has held design and construction management roles overseeing several prominent projects including his work as a Project Development Manager for the design and construction of the new Yankee Stadium. Mr. Cenzoprano is an industry leader who brings over 25 years of engineering and construction project management experience to our team.

Thomas V. Feeney - Director of Maintenance Operations

Thomas Feeney serves as Director of Maintenance Operations overseeing all maintenance and facility operations since coming to Peter Cooper Village / Stuyvesant Town in 2006. Mr. Feeney has over 30 years of real estate industry experience and is considered a leader in the field. Prior to joining the management team at Peter Cooper Village / Stuyvesant Town he served as a senior member of the operations team with Tishman Speyer at Rockefeller Center for more than 10 years.

Karen Lynn Griemsmann - Director of Procurement and Inventory Management

Karen Griemsmann is responsible for procurement and inventory management at Peter Cooper Village / Stuyvesant Town. Ms. Griemsmann began her real estate career in 1999 and has both commercial office and multi-family industry experience. She worked most recently as Senior Occupancy Planner for South America with Jones Lang LaSalle. Previously, Ms. Griemsmann held positions with AvalonBay Communities including Portfolio Operations Director overseeing the Long Island sub-market.

Gregg P. Haverstick - Director of Information Technology

Gregg Haverstick is responsible for all aspects of the community’s IT strategy, technical standards and practices, and IT infrastructure. Mr. Haverstick is a leader with 14-years of industry experience. Just prior to joining the team at Peter Cooper Village / Stuyvesant Town, Mr. Haverstick served as Property Management Applications Manager with The Related Companies.

Keith Tartamella - Director of Property Management

Keith Tartamella serves as Director of Property Management and oversees all aspects of Property Management and Resident Services. Mr. Tartamella has 10 years of multi-family residential industry experience and most recently served as Regional Property Manager for Home Properties overseeing nine communities and a team of 60 associates. Previously, Mr. Tartamella held property management positions with Archstone Smith and AvalonBay Communities.

http://www.compassrockrealestate.com/pcvst-new-york

Anonymous said...

I wonder if it occurred to the cerebrally challenged assholes at CW/CR that as well as providing shade, trees absorb heat and generate oxygen. These people are so stupid if you pissed on them they'd think it was raining.

Anonymous said...

Don't get me started on the asinine landscaping done by Tishman Speyer AND CW Capital. If I could, I'd vomit over ALL of it. EVERYTHING. Makes me sick to my stomach how much money they are wasting with no knowledge of urban landscaping. I can't wait to be mugged/raped on my way home one evening because my building entrance is hidden from view because of the dumb bushes/trees they planted. There was absolutely nothing wrong with StuyTown/PCV landscaping before. Problems only arose when those people took over because the people they put in charge to manage this place DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. THAT, is the truth!

Anonymous said...

Half those people listed will be leaving given that their sainted lord, Sean Sullivan, has left. They will follow him to wherever he ends up. The property will be sold next year some time, and then you can all complain about the new owner. Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

If you really want to see the future, look at the grassy area in front of the small fountain in PCV. Between people playing ball in the center and dogs going all around the edge, about 1/3 of the grass is completely dead, looks like crap. 2 days ago I saw a woman come in from 22nd St with 2 pit bulls. One big community dog run. That's where we're headed.

Anonymous said...

What's happening in ST/PCV is happening all over the city: make the city unlike a city so transients don't have to acclimate to city life which is detrimental to the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

PCV has a fountain? What is it, a ruptured keg?

Anonymous said...

"PCV has a fountain? What is it, a ruptured keg?"

No, a discarded bidet.

Anonymous said...

"If you really want to see the future, look at the grassy area in front of the small fountain in PCV. Between people playing ball in the center and dogs going all around the edge, about 1/3 of the grass is completely dead, looks like crap. 2 days ago I saw a woman come in from 22nd St with 2 pit bulls. One big community dog run. That's where we're headed."

You must be be a dog hater!!!!
Or....you know the children make noise in the playgrounds, what about them????? Or, what about all the cigarette butts all over the place. Or,......

This place has been a dog toilet for years now, get used to it because the people of shit have free reign over this place now. Clean people will either have to accept it or leave. As much as I would like it to, it's just never going to go back to the place it was (i.e. dog free).

Anonymous said...

I call it the piss fountain, not because people piss in it (although they might) but because it doesn't have a full-fledged water flow. They keep tinkering with it, but it's usually a trickle. Is it really so difficult to do this right? It's another example of the move-'em-in, move-'em-out school of landscape lunacy.

Anonymous said...

What do these people hope to gain by killing all the trees and plants? They are not making the property more attractive either to buyers or renters. I think this is a prime example of incompetent leadership and plain ole stupidity. Too bad those beautiful trees had to be sacrificed to prove how stupid and incompetent these people are. RIP Trees.

Anonymous said...

PITTBULLS IN THE HALLWAY AGAIN AND TEH SMELL OF MAJUAN A ALL TROUGH OUT THE BUILDING TONIGHT THY ATE NT EVEN TRYIN TO HIDE THE DRUG DEALIBG ANYMORE AND IM SURE AT TIMES THEY ARE LETTING PROPLE HAVE SEX IN TE STORAGE ROOSM LIKE SECURITY DID DUTING THE BLACKOUT. ANOTHERA NDREW MACARTHUR PRODUCTION. MORE PROSTITUES MORE CRACK TOO BAD OFICER HAMBONE AND OFFICER SHAKE SHACK ARE WEDGED IN THEIR DOLLY BOOTH IN TE OVAL AND CAN'T GET THEIR FAT DUFFS OVER HERE TO STROP THE DOPE SHOW IN MY BUILDING.

Anonymous said...

CAPS: Try taking your gloves off before you use the keyboard. That way your posts may actually be readable. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:04 PM then don't read. I'm sick of seeing every comment on the TA page beginning with "Wow! Just wow!" but I feel the need to criticize.

Anonymous said...

I see Officer Hit on Teen Girls more than I see Officer Shake Shack.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

I accidentally removed a ROTGLMAO comment on Officer Shake Shack. Sorry.