Closure on Crane Accident, at Last
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Turtle Bay News A Publication of the Turtle Bay Association Summer 2014 Vol. 57, No. 3 Closure on Crane Accident, at Last BY BRUCE SILBERBLATT wo condominium towers are going up of the crane, including the cab and engine, on two northeastern corners of Second crashed into and destroyed a townhouse, TAvenue: 51st Street (The Halcyon) and ripped off the rear of an old six-story and 50th Street. They are totally different apartment building, one block south, on in design, yet their histories are entwined. what is now the site of new construction, The Halcyon topped out in July 2013, at 301 East 50th Street. Belatedly, the and is designed with a metal and glass fa- DOB admitted its error, and, within a few çade. Its origins go back to 2006, when its months, stopped all further work on the in- then developer, Kennelly, broke ground complete 19-story skeleton. Kennelly went for what was expected to be a 42-story, bankrupt soon after. 500-foot-tall spire. The Department of The Great Recession of 2008 ensued, and Buildings (DOB) swiftly granted approv- construction activity ground to a halt, al, although the design was woefully out citywide. The crane site with its skeleton of compliance with city zoning regula- structure languished, and the corner of tions. As it also emerged, negligence ruled 50th Street remained scarred behind fenc- the construction site: equipment was vastly ing, both bitter reminders of one of the below safety codes and the DOB was lax worst New York City construction acci- in auditing building operations. dents in years. Five-and-a-half years went The TBA was the lone whistleblower. We by before construction activity revived. Arrows point to construction sites on Second Av- protested the violations, and, for several At The Halcyon, the developer HFZ took enue, at 50th (l.) and 51st (r.) Streets. months, were brushed off by the DOB, over and radically altered the plans to constructed it on the Second Avenue side, a which continued to court disaster until it comply with zoning regulations. The ex- difficult and noisy operation. The rest of the was too late. On March 15, 2008, the tower isting structure overran zoning limits by tower, 13 floors, was then erected, bringing crane at the site collapsed, killing seven eight feet to the east. HFZ took down the the height to 360 feet and 32 stories. and injuring 24 others. In the accident, part offending portion of the structure and re- There were further complications. Me- chanical equipment in the original apart- TBA Places New Trash Cans at Busy Corners ment layouts on the lower floors was al- continued on page 10 BY BILL HUXLEY The TBA has bought and deployed eight new trash receptacles. Funded by generous grants Coming Soon from City Council Member Dan Garodnick and former City Council Member Jessica Keep your mouse ready. Lappin, the initiative is part of our com- We will soon launch the mitment to keep the neighborhood clean. TBA’s Facebook page. Placed along Second Avenue on the corners ____________ from 49th to 52nd Streets, the decorative Watch for our email blast new baskets, bearing the TBA’s name, have announcing the date, replaced the unattractive and frequently- then visit us and... overflowing wire baskets previously lo- cated there. We have contracted with The (l.-r.) Alex Hunt, Business Manager, The Doe Doe Fund, whose employees will service Fund; Johnson, a Doe Fund Supervisor; Bill Curtis, President of the TBA; Doe Fund the cans with their signature white plastic employee who relines baskets twice daily, and liners, twice-a-day, seven days a week. Olga Hoffman, a TBA member. Turtle Bay Association • 224 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017 • (p) 212-751-5465 • (f) 212-751-4941 • [email protected] • turtlebay-nyc.org TBA Who’s Who Obituaries Turtle Bay Association Michael Brown, 93, Dies 224 East 47th Street Roy Goodman Dies at 84 New York, NY 10017 Roy M. Goodman, the New York State Michael Brown, the cabaret performer and Phone: 212-751-5465 senator who represented Manhattan’s East songwriter, died on June 11 from lympho- Fax: 212-751-4941 Side for more than thirty years, died of re- ma. He was a longtime resident of Turtle Email: [email protected] spiratory failure on Tuesday, June 3. Bay and a member of the TBA. Website: www.turtlebay-nyc.org Mr. Goodman entered politics as one of Mr. Brown was well-known for writing, Check our Bulletin Board: East side of Second Avenue a group of New directing and singing in mid-century in- between 48th and 49th Streets, dustrial musicals put on by American York liberal Re- outside wall of supermarket. publicans who corporations to entertain and motivate were powerful their employees at meetings. The shows Board of Directors celebrated the companies’ products and in federal, state Officers and city politics, successes, featured professional casts and President: William E. Curtis roughly from the might cost as much as $500,000. Secretary: Grace L. Perry mid-1950’s to One of his greatest successes was “Won- Treasurer: Dick Irwin the early 1980’s. derful World of Chemistry,” created for the Vice Presidents: Millie Margiotta Dolores Marsh, Bruce Silberblatt Mr. Goodman DuPont pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair championed le- in New York. The 24-minute show was Directors Roy Goodman in 1970. gal abortion, seen by an estimated five million people Ethel Bendove, Bunny Blei, Credit: Librado Romero/ rent regulations, and ran for 17,000 performances, a record Meryl Brodsky, Orin Buck, The New York Times. William E. Curtis, Lee Frankel, that far outstrips even the longest-running gay rights, le- Denise Hamilton, galized prostitution, and he opposed the Broadway musicals. Marie-Louise Handal, death penalty. He succeeded in amending Mr. Brown is survived by his wife, Joy Anita Harvey, Dee Howard, the City Charter, in 1975, to expand the Williams Brown, and two sons, Michael Bill Huxley, Dick Irwin, power of community boards, require bal- Jr. and Kelly. Another son, Adam, died in Jeffrey S. Mailman, anced budgets and public disclosure of 1994. Mary F. Marangi, Millie Margiotta, labor contracts, loosen mayoral control Mark P. Markowski, of spending, and give the city comptroller — This article is adapted and, in part copied, from Dolores Marsh, Pat McDougald, broad power to audit agencies. the obituary by Margalit Fox, The New York Times Candi Obrentz, Grace L. Perry, website, June 29, 2014 Michael Resnick, Mr. Goodman's wife, Barbara Furrer, died Carol Rinzler, Bruce Silberblatt in 2006. He is survived by three children Honorary Emeriti and six grandchildren. Barbara Connolly Jeannie Sakol — This article is adapted, and in part copied, from Helen Shapiro the obituary by Richard Pérez-Peña, with reporting by Peter Keepnews, The New York Times website, June 3, 2014. Community Calendar 17th Precinct Community Council Open Meeting Great Tweets from The City of Last Tuesday every month, 6 pm NY @nycgov Michael Brown in 1977. Credit: The New York Sutton Place Synagogue Times. 225 East 51st Street Annual melanoma cas- 212-826-3228 es in NYC have dou- (No meetings July, August, December) bled since the 1990s. Editorial Committee @nycHealthy reminds Editor: Lee Frankel Community Board 6 NYers to use sunscreen Full Board Meeting Layout: Hilary Black when outdoors: http:// Second Wednesday every month, Photographs: Lee Frankel, on.nyc.gov/1jFjpmV. 7 pm Vivian Gordon, Candi Obrentz, NYU Medical Center Bruce Silberblatt If you find a dog that has a NYC dog 550 First Avenue Contributors: Lois Avery Gaeta, 212-319-3750 license, use the Dog eLocator to help Bill Huxley, Millie Margiotta, reunite him or her with the owner on Candi Obrentz, Karen Schlendorf, Now live online at nyc.gov/1d2VTLh@nyc311. Bruce Silberblatt http://wp.cbsix.org/live 2 Turtle Bay News www.turtlebay-nyc.org 17th Precinct’s C.O. Focuses on Community’s Quality of Life BY LOIS AVERY GAETA As Commanding Officer of the 17th Pre- Brooklyn, where his stellar performance in on car seats – is among the most frequent cinct, Captain Clint McPherson is an em- several precincts moved him up the ranks crimes in our area. blem of success familiar to many New from sergeant to lieutenant to captain. His He also emphasized that traffic tie-ups Yorkers whose families have moved to this experience included stints in the Organized and road accidents receive the most com- country, bringing fresh talent and dedica- Crime Control Bureau (OCCB) narcotics, plaints, and he underscored the many inju- tion to the city. Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB), and detec- ries that result from the dangerous habits tive squads of two precincts. He then went Born in Guy- of cyclists who ride on sidewalks and ig- to the Counter Terrorism Bureau where he ana and a nore traffic signals. “We have stepped up oversaw the training of police officers in Brooklyn res- enforcement of traffic rules and are having active shooter response in a building crime ident since the good success with [Mayor De Blasio’s] Vi- age of 12, as a environment, such as the Columbine High sion Zero traffic and safety improvement teen, Captain School tragedy in Colorado. He was also push. It’s an ongoing goal.” McPherson part of the team that deployed officers to was inspired large-scale events, like the Macy's Thanks- Reminded that the timing of the 69th Ses- by a police of- giving Day Parade and New Year’s Eve sion of the UN General Assembly (from ficer assigned celebration in Times Square. September 16 to October 1) will mark to his high About the challenges of the 17th Precinct, six months since he joined the 17th Pre- school, who McPherson, now age 44, noted, “Street cinct, Captain McPherson responded by became his mentor.