West 13th Street Gazette No. 14

7/30/2019 West 13th Street Gazette No. 14

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W. 13th St.GazetteVoice of the W. 13th St. 100 Block Association, Inc., 155 W. 13th St., New York, N.Y. 10011

Issue No. 14 Spring 2007

In May, with girls in spring dresses, Marilyn moments would havebloomed like so many fluttering blossoms. But no -- the steady windthat came from underground in mid-March ruffled only the dark coatsof winter. It was the long-promised test of the fruits of the Big Dig, anendurance run of subway ventilation machinery that was billed at 100hours, but in fact ran much longer, more than a week in all, endingonly with the late-winter snowstorm of March 16.Block Assn. board memberAlan Jacobs has some thoughts:

I kind of miss the hubbub and excitement!The huge MTA fan project that started back in October 2002

is basically finished.The fans are installed and tested. During the tests, thewhoosh of the fans was audible to those in front apartments at105, but it wasnt too disturbing. Rather like an idling car annoying, but you can sleep through it.Following this initial testing period, the fans are to be switched

on just a few times a year, unless they are needed.When they're on, there's an impressive updraft as you walk

over the grill in front of the parking garage; you can justchannel Marilyn Monroe and say to yourself, "Isn't it delicious!"(Continued on p.2)

Big Dig Finally Finished4 1/2-Year MTA Project Ends; Assn. Board Plans for Future

Presidents MessageBy Gary Tomei

St. Vincents Big Construction Plan:

What it Could Mean for Our Block

As you may have read in The NewYork Times, St. Vincents Hospitalplans to redesign and restructure itsphysical plant in order to create astate of the art medical facility.Nineteen months after enteringbankruptcy, St. Vincents is poised toemerge from court protection as asmaller, profitable company that saysit can repay its debts.

As a result of inefficient businessmanagement (for example, theHospital was spending millions ofdollars per year on consultants) aswell as by overextending itself bytaking over the operation of a numberof smaller hospitals, St. Vincentswent bankrupt in 2005. In 2003, St.Vincent lost $68 million, cut hundredsof jobs, and doctors took a vote of noconfidence in management.In 2004, it turned over its

management to Speltz & Weis, aconsulting firm. Losses more thandoubled that year. It lost $140 millionin 2004 and about $17 million in2006, In J uly 2005, St. Vincents filedfor bankruptcy. The Hospital hiredGuy Sansone, a turnaroundspecialist. In recent months, it hasbeen operating in the black andprojects a $60 million profit this year.(Continued on p. 3)


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W. 13th

P St. Ga ette Pa e 2 S rin 2007

B i g D i g F in i s h e d (cont. from p.1)

The MTA installed two sets of fans, one set on ourside of 6th Ave., another on the east side. The fansare said to be state-of-the-art, and are intended toprotect riders on the F, V, D and B lines frominhaling smoke or toxic gas.Unfortunately, if the worst happens in the subway,

those substances will be blown onto our block, upthrough the sidewalk grill. We can only hope thefans will never need to be used for that purpose and if they are used that it will be windy day andthe smoke and fumes will dissipate.

I went underground to see the fans, along with

State Sen. Tom Duane (pictured), AssemblywomanDeborah Glick, and several of our neighbors. It wasa thrill to go down under the sidewalk and walkaround in a space that's just outside my door, yet ina totally different realm. It was a rush to feel thebreeze as the trains zoomed by. But the fansthemselves were pretty boring. (I wasn't allowedtake a picture of them we don't want to help theterrorists plan their attack, do we?) They looked likeany old fans, but bigger of course, about 10 feethigh.It took a long time to get them up and running, but

now they're just another piece of the City's boringinfrastructure. May they run flawlessly for the rest ofthe century, and let's hope they never need to beused.

Homeless ProblemsBy Daphne Uviller

On Tuesday, J an 30th, at 7pm, about 15 blockresidents met with representatives from TheChurch of the Village (NW corner of 13th street and7th Ave.) to discuss neighborhood concerns. Chiefamong them was the increased presence ofhomeless people outside the church. Bishop

J ohnson led the meeting. Also attending wereothers members of the church and representativesfrom the LGBT Center, a representative from theSixth Precinct and a number of residents of 175 W13th, many of whom have apartments overlookingthe church.Residents raised concerns about homeless

outside the church blocking the sidewalk, cajolingand threatening 13th street residents, defecating on

their property or on the sidewalk and, in at leasone early morning incident, chasing them.

Officer Duffy, the liaison from the Sixth Precinctemphasized that the first step to redressing thesituation is to put it on record. He noted there arenearly 100 fewer officers in the precinct than therewere a few years ago, and that their attention isdirected towards more troubled areas of the VillageHe emphasized that the most important thing to dois to call 311 to register complaints, and keep thecomplaint number. Also, leave a message foOfficer Duffy with the complaint number, so that he

can personally track the incidents, something he isvery willing to do for us. His number is TKTK.Suggestions made included shining spotlights on

7th Ave to discourage congregation; daily sidewalkscrub downs similar to what the church does onSunday mornings; coordinating with otheorganizations in the neighborhood, like the YSalvation Army, New School, and Teamsters totrade information and gain insight on troublesomeindividuals; educating ourselves on who exactly weare dealing with, since it is likely only one or twobad eggs are making things ugly.

We can help by volunteering at the Churchs soupkitchens. In addition to being a good deed, meetingthe homeless and learning their names makes it abit less likely there will be a confrontation down theline. The hope is that someone to whom youveserved lunch will greet you rather than chase you.Whats next for our block? The Block

Assn. Board is discussing manyoptions, including new iron guards forall our trees. See p. 4 for details.

The church serves a hot lunch every Wednesdayat 1:30, Saturday at noon, and Sunday at 1pm. CalAmanda Block at (212) 721-4721 or [email protected] to volunteer.


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W. 13th

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Presidents Message (cont. from p.1)

St. Vincents has filed a plan calling for it to razethe OToole Building (the white building on the westside of 7th Ave. between 12th and 13th Sts.), which ispresently used as offices for its medical staff and toreplace it with an entirely new in-patient facility,

comprising approximately 450 beds. It will be leftwith only one acute-care hospital, its flagship, alongwith other businesses like nursing homes and ahome health care service. While many jobsdisappeared with the hospital closings only about300 jobs have been eliminated out of about 8,000,mostly in administration.The hospital would either sell much of its existingfacility to a real estate developer or to an institutionfor adaptive re-use (the most likely buyers for thiswould be NYU or the New School). A developerintending to demolish the present structure to

replace it with something else would be unable tobuild as high as the existing buildings withoutobtaining a variance. The money the Hospitalreceives from that sale would help finance thebuilding of the new facility.In order to gain community support for this project

St. Vincents has convened a New HospitalCommunity Working Group to advise on theplanning, design and construction of the new St.Vincents Hospital. The group includes our localelected officials or their representatives and variousneighborhood leaders, including myself.

The hospital believes it has no choice but to moveits in-patient facility because its equipment andphysical plant is outdated and inefficient and thecost of updating the present structure would beenormous. A sale of several buildings would bringthe Hospital much of the necessary cash to buildthe modern facility necessary to meet the medicalneeds of our community. Extensive fund-raising willalso be essential.

St. Vincents is to be admired for including thecommunity in this process, but its motives are

not, to this observer, strictl y altruistic. The newstructu re will necessarily exceed the heightrestrictions in this landmark district and theHospital will need a variance in order to build .Therefore, in its own best in terests, St.Vincents must maintain and nurture goodrelations with its neighbors and should plan onbuilding an edifice which will be, as much asfeasible, in harmony with its surroundings.

Real Estate ReportBy Kitty Sorrel

Block Assn. member & VP, Corcoran Real Estate

The market for coops, condos and townhousesbelow 34th Street is currently showing healthy priceincreases. Year-end bonuses in the financial sector

continue to fuel rising prices and interest rates areholding steady. Activity in the luxury market showeda 25% increases in sales last quarter 2006compared to 4th quarter 2005.On our block, from October 06 to now, three

studios sold in doorman buildings ranging from mid-$300Ks to mid-$500Ks (a large studio with greaoutdoor space). Currently, 3 large loft units are incontract at prices from $1M to nearly $2M.One bedrooms in contract range from mid to high

$600Ks and available coop studios range from thehigh $300Ks to mid-$400Ks. A five room loft on

our block is available for well over $1M and a sixroom penthouse coop is asking over $3M.

A 4--story, single family townhouse is currently onthe market, asking $9,995,000.

Recent rentals include a 1-bedroom in a doormanbuilding for $3,200/mo. and a 6-room duplex in atownhouse for $6,500/mo.

Rats:City Finds Evidence Nearby

In response to a letter from assn. presidentGary Tomei, City Health Dept. Pest Controlofficers inspected our block for rodents in

J anuary.This initial inspection was negative, but afollow-up in February that took in propertiesadjoining our block on 14th St. discoveredfresh rat excreta on the pavement ... ratburrows, exposed garbage, scattered food andan overflowing dumpster at No. 154, all healthcode violations.

In a letter to Gary, Pest Control Servicesdirector Rick Simeone promised to send awarning letter to the buildings owner, and toperform a compliance inspection to assesswhether conditions have been satisfactorilyabated.If not, the owner will receive a summons and

the city may exterminate and/or clean theproperty as necessary.


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thSt. Ga ette Pa e 4 S rin 2007

Block Assn. Board Ponders Tree Guards, Homeless, ParkingThe executive board of the West 13th St. Block Association met at the Markle Residence on Thursday, Feb22, to review a number of issues.These included the impending conclusion of the Big Dig; block association plans to install new tree pit guardsalong our block; construction planned by St. Vincents Hospital (see Presidents Message, p.1); new parkingregulations imposed on our block; increased graffiti, and the unruly homeless camp outside the Church of the

Village on 7th Avenue.

Attending: officers Alan J acobs (who chaired themeeting in the absence of association presidenGary Tomei), Mary Perica, J udy Pesin andRobert Kittine, along with Naomi Usher andDorothy Graham of the Beautification CommitteeGazette editor Bruce Meyer and members alarge Lisa McKeon, Michael Anastasio and KittySorrel.The longest discussion, led by Naomi, involvedthe tree pit guards. The board has decided theblock association should take on the cost andeffort of removing the current battered iron loop

guards and replace them with a new design similar but not identical to those recently installed

by our neighbors to the east on the 5th-6th Ave. block of 13th St. It wasdecided to seek a somewhat simpler design. (One possible design ispictured.) J udy, the treasurer, reported that approximately $8,000 hasbeen received in contributions for this project, largely from brownstoneowners on the block, along with some businesses. The association hasabout $12,000 in the bank, but more will be needed to complete thisambitious project. It is time for a new membership drive, and a call forrenewal of current memberships with dues payments.Regarding the homeless on 7th Ave., Lisa reported that she is pressing the church to illuminate its sidewalk

spotlights (which make it an uncomfortable place to camp) every night, not just on the night before morning

services, which is the churchs current practice. Lisa reported observing drug dealing and noisy disturbances(For more on this, see Daphne Uvillers report, p.2)There were varied opinions on the citys removal of Alternative Side parking on our block to allow daily

parking on both sides of the street. Car owners who do not garage their vehicles consider this a positive. Butthe board concurred that the block has become a traffic bottleneck. With six restaurants, two schools and anumber of other businesses, and parking on both sides, delivery vans and cars frequently double park, leavinglittle or no room for the passage of ambulances and other emergency vehicles. It was decided to seekrestoration of the Alternative Side parking regulation that was in effect before the change.The boards next meeting was set for April 19.

ITS YOUR BLOCK ASSOCIATION: JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP NOW!Block Association dues for calendar year 2007 should be paid now. Make checks to W. 13 St. 100 Block Assn.

Mail to: W. 13th St. 100 Block Association, 155 W. 13th St., New York, N.Y. 10011

[ ] Resident ($10 per individual) Number of individuals:____[ ]Brownstone owner ($50) [ ]Business ($100)[ ]Cooperative board ($100) [ ]Addl. contribution (any amount) ________ TOTAL ENCLOSED: ________[ ]This is a renewal.Name or names: ___________________________________________________________Address:Name of business (if applicable):Home phone: Work phone: E-mail:

I am interested in the following issues (circle one or more):Traffic [ ] / Crime Prevention [ ] /

Beautification [ ] / Community Affairs [ ] / Other:______________________

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West 13th Street Gazette No. 14