'Hey Eli, I'm Open!'
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now The Works, p. 19 ChVOLUME 3, NUMBER 24 e THE WEST SIDE’Sl COMMUNITYsea NEWSPAPER JUNE 4 - 17, 2009 Outrage over plan to close Chelsea homeless shelter BY PATRICK HEDLUND New York’s only 24-hour homeless shelter dedicated exclusively to serving the elderly is set to close at the end of the month under a restructuring plan that will eliminate the Chelsea drop- in center. Peter’s Place, located in the basement of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church on W. 23rd St., provides hot meals, showers and clean clothes on a round-the- clock basis to more than Chelsea Now photo by Patrick Hedlund 100 seniors per day. The city Department wide “drop-in” centers from of Homeless Services nine to fi ve. announced late last year that In response to this and it would reallocate fund- other planned cuts to senior ing for its shelters serving services throughout the city, specialized populations— a group of local advocates including women, the elder- formed the Senior Outrage ly and those suffering from Coalition to oppose the shut- mental illnesses—as part of tering of Peter’s Place, which a consolidation plan reduc- ing the total number of city- Continued on page 4 Chelsea Now photo by Jefferson Siegel Scenes from Broadway 2.0 Chelsea Now photo by Tequila Minsky The city recently shut down seven blocks along Broadway at Times and Herald Squares for its “Greenlight for Midtown” pilot program, which ‘Hey Eli, I’m open!’ refashioned the traditionally car-congested streets as pedestrian malls. As seen on page 13, the proj- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning works on a game plan with young residents of Chelsea’s Fulton Houses ect has been drawing traffi c of another kind to the complex, who got the chance to participate in a football clinic with the former Super Bowl MVP at Chelsea Piers new urban oases. on Fri., May 29. The event was donated by Manning as an auction item during St. Vincent’s Hospital’s annual fundraiser last year. See story and photos on page 8. 145 SIXTH AVENUE • NYC 10013 • COPYRIGHT © 2009 COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC 2 June 4 - 17, 2009 HAPPY GAY generate positive publicity. “You guys got played,” Nash said PRIDE GET A THE of the piece, which detailed how Elder agreed to let artist 10% DISCOUNT Nadia Bertrand stay at the hotel for the cost of two paintings. “It’s a retaliatory move by Elder to try to make himself seem ON REGULAR BUZZ appealing to a little group of tenants.” We admit to being a MENU bit suspicious of the story ourselves at fi rst, despite the fact Discount not valid on that Bertrand visited our offi ces herself to let us know about fixe prix/early bird/brunch CRDC PICKS ARE IN The Chelsea Reform Democratic the deal and denied being asked to pitch the piece by anyone Club made its endorsements for citywide offi ce on May 28, at the hotel. (Elder himself even seemed surprised to see us giving the thumbs-up to Democratic candidate Bill Thompson when we showed up at Bertrand’s party to celebrate the deal, Early Bird Dinner Special in his long-shot bid to unseat Mayor Michael Bloomberg. so we stand by our judgment.) Regardless, hotel tenant Ed 4 -7 pm $26.95 appetizer, soup or salad, CRDC also voted to endorse public advocate candidate Bill Hamilton’s popular “Living with Legends” blog lit up with entrée, and a glass of wine and coffee de Blasio, despite members showing strong support for civil comments (38 at last count) after he linked to the story, with rights attorney Norman Siegel. Judy Richheimer, the club’s most readers echoing Nash’s questions about Elder’s sincerity. 108 8th AVE BTW 15TH & 16TH STREET executive vice president, said that four CRDC members “Trading art for rooms was one of the ‘offenses’ levied against 212-924-7786 / www.chrnyc.com spoke in favor of Siegel as opposed to one for former (and Stanley Bard and Family in Elder and [shareholder Marlene] possible future) mayoral candidate Mark Green and one for Krauss’s legal subterfuge,” wrote one commenter. “Problem Eric Gioia. None spoke for de Blasio, and Richheimer sug- is, Stanley rarely ever did that—it’s an URBAN LEGEND gested that a letter to the club signed by Congressmember that Stanley didn’t do anything to dissuade.” Another reader Jerrold Nadler and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried in described it as “Nothing but poorly conceived propaganda,” support of the Brooklyn councilmember likely tipped the and yet another thought of the fi nancial implications of the WIGS scale in his favor. In the comptroller’s race, David Yassky deal: “The new CFO must be mighty busy this morning fi gur- edged out John Liu by the slimmest of margins, and the club ing out how to report this to the tax man…” r4FOTBUJPOBM4FMFDUJPOPG8JHT endorsed Richard Aborn for district attorney. r'JOFTUJO/:$ STOOP SALE The 400 block of W. 21st St. between Ninth DICK AND JOHN In related news, the Chelsea-based and 10th Aves. will hold its fourth annual stoop sale from 11 r"MM3FBTPOBCMZ1SJDFE Gottfried came out in support John Liu for his run at comp- a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat., June 6. “You never know from year to troller, calling the Queens councilmember “a reform-minded year what kinds of treasures—from books to white elephants— $BMM/PX212.243.9379 legislator who takes on issues regardless of politics or partisan- will turn up on our stoops,” said Ann Sewell, a longtime ship.” Liu already counts a slew of endorsements from across resident of the block across from the General Theological the city, including nods from Downtown Councilmember Alan Seminary. “It’s a great way to meet people on the block and Gerson, Upper West Side State Sen. Eric Schneiderman, from the neighborhood.” The rain date is set for Sun., June 7. Congressmember Charles Rangel and the Working Families Party. “His experience and his integrity position him as the GOOD TIMES FOR DISCO DEVELOPER “The judge best-qualifi ed to lead the city forward,” Gottfried said in a May has thrown their petition out of court. I have won the petition,” 8SE4U /:$rXXXTBMPODFDJMJBDPN 27 statement. “I am confi dent he will continue to make a dif- Novac Noury declared after a State Supreme Court special ference for working families as the next comptroller for New referee ruled on May 11 that hotelier Andre Balazs and his York City.” Liu will get a stiff challenge from Councilmembers partners in the Standard Hotel can’t affi x an aluminum water David Yassky, Melinda Katz and David Weprin in what’s shap- gutter to Noury’s 51 Little West 12th St. building. Noury argued, ing up to be one of the most hotly contested races of the year. and the referee agreed, that the “scupper,” as Noury called it, “I’m thrilled to receive the support from Assemblymember represented an illegal encroachment onto his property. The rul- Gottfried, a true visionary in New York government,” Liu said ing now clears the way for Noury—a.k.a. the Arrow Keyboard in the statement. “He has been a leader on so many critical Man and the Phantom of the Organ™ of the 1970s and ’80s issues, from health care to the integrity of public institutions, disco days—to move ahead with plans for his own development and I am looking forward to working with him.” The two have on a lot abutting Balazs’s swank, new, High Line-spanning hotel. an overlapping interest in improving access to health care; Noury said the scupper would have blocked use of his own air Gottfried as chairperson of the Assembly’s Health Committee rights, and that, as a result, potential development partners and Liu as member of the Council’s Health Committee. were previously put off. One builder who notably bailed was Henry Hay of Centaur Properties, who Noury knows back from PAINTER PLANT? Our recent article about a Canadian when they both used to hang at Studio 54. “We were about to - BREAKFAST SPECIALS - artist who arranged for a free month-long stay at the Chelsea go contract,” Noury said, “but he backed out of the triple-net MONDAY - FRIDAY FROM 6 - 11 a.m. Hotel in exchange for a pair of paintings elicited quite the lease because he did not want to be involved in a lawsuit.” reaction among some of the hotel’s more vocal residents. Hay is currently building the project at Eighth Ave. and 15th - BRUNCH SERVED - Particularly incensed was tenant Arthur Nash, who’s had a St. where Rebar, Cajun and Chelsea Grill used to be located. SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. longstanding feud with hotel stakeholder/manager David Noury assured that a cascading, 40-foot-high waterfall abutting BANQUET ROOM & CATERING - 212-924-3709 Elder and called the story a “plant” orchestrated by him to Balazs’s new hotel remains a key element of the project, but that, on the advice of potential partners, he’s retooled his concept a bit. Instead of a mini-inn, it will now most likely Your Passion is either be “a multi-retail with terraced views” or “an exclusive mini-mansion.” “I have the right to build 10 stories—13,000 exploring the square feet—grandfathered under FAR 5,” Noury asserted. world However, since the Standard is built on massive stilts, the blockage by—not to mention the waterfall splash-age from— EVERYONE DESERVES A SMILE! Noury’s project will be minimal, he said.