Cheeky ‘Pumpkin Pie,’ p. 19 Volume 79, Number 31 $1.00 West and East Village, Chelsea, Soho, Noho, Little Italy, Chinatown and Lower East Side, Since 1933 January 6 - 12, 2010 Pols and enviros usher in new year, not with bubbly, but chilled H2O BY ALBERT AMATEAU be banned statewide. State and city elected Offi cials and activists offi cials joined environmen- demanded that the state tal activists on the steps of withdraw its draft supple- City Hall on Monday brav- mental generic environmen- ing subfreezing temperatures tal impact statement for to demand that Governor hydrofracture drilling in the Paterson scrap plans for Marcellus Shale formation hydrofracture drilling for — which lies 3,000 to 6,000 natural gas in New York feet beneath the surface of State’s Southern Tier. 27 Southern Tier counties Elected offi cials, who at — and conduct an entirely previous hearings focused new study. their opposition on gas drill- The 800-page study ing in the six Upstate coun- issued in September propos- ties of the New York City es rules intended to minimize watershed, which supplies the environmental impact of 90 percent of the city’s drink- wells tapping the natural gas ing water, suggested at the in the rock formation. Jan. 4 rally that the radical new drilling method should Continued on page 3 Developer on track with low-cost units Photo by Rebecca Pearson at rail yards site Perusing paintings at the fall 2009 Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit. BY PATRICK HEDLUND Council last month O.K.’d The city has sealed the the revamped scheme to deal on a development plan rezone the sprawling West Outdoor art show exhibits for the Hudson Yards that Side rail yard. includes far more afford- The goal of creating a able housing than ini- mixed-use development plan renewed sense of purpose tially expected. In a near- unanimous vote, the City Continued on page 14 BY BONNIE ROSENSTOCK He was joined by his equally desperate Exhibit, which takes place Memorial “One balmy spring day in 1931, friend and fellow Villager Willem de Day weekend and the weekend follow- EDITORIAL, in the heart of the Depression,” the Kooning. The Uptown art establish- ing, and Labor Day weekend and the LETTERS Washington Square Outdoor Art ment took notice of the Downtown subsequent. PAGE 12 Exhibit Web site relates, Jackson outsiders, and shortly thereafter, This spring marks the art exhibit’s Pollock, in dire fi nancial straits and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, founder 79th year and 159th show. The new facing imminent eviction, schlepped of the Whitney Museum, and Alfred executive director, John Morehouse, A LEGEND some of his paintings down the stairs H. Barr, Jr., director of the Museum who took the helm last January and has LEAVES of his Greenwich Village apartment/ of Modern Art, organized the fi rst two shows under his belt, is hoping to OFFICE studio and set them up on the side- art show that evolved into the twice- PAGE 11 walk near Washington Square Park. yearly Washington Square Outdoor Art Continued on page 4 145 SIXTH AVENUE • NYC 10013 • COPYRIGHT © 2009 COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC 2 January 6 - 12, 2010 BROADWAY PANHANDLER White SCOOPY’S Sale* NOTEBOOK HOT COOPER PURCHASE? Local blog Bowery Boogie recently reported on the persistent rumor that CNN’s Tabletop Anderson Cooper has recently purchased Fire Patrol House Ceramic Bakeware Number 2, at 84 W. Third St. “The rumor has been swirling Kitchen Utensils for a couple of months, but is getting more attention now,” Linens & More B.B. wrote. “According to The Real Estalker, Cooper and partner Ben Maisani purchased the fi rehouse together back in September for $4.3 million.” The property reportedly has *Starts Jan. 7th, 2010. While Supplies last. 8,420 square feet, plus its original brass poles and spiral 65 East 8th St. (off B’way) • 212-966-3434 stairs — no doubt, those poles will help Cooper get to his Mon-Sat 11-7 • Thurs ’til 8pm • Sun 11-6 www.broadwaypanhandler.com breaking news stories faster. CHANGING OF THE GUARD: Deputy Inspector Dennis De Quatro, commanding offi cer of the East Village’s Ninth Precinct for the past four and a half years, has been promoted to inspector and transferred to the Midtown South Precinct, where he takes over as C.O. De Quatro’s last day at the Ninth was Monday, the same day Deputy Inspector Kenny Lehr started as the precinct’s new commander. Lehr formerly head- Villager photo by J.B. Nicholas ed Transit Division 33, in Brooklyn South. Asked his thoughts Rock legend Patti Smith leaving the Bowery Ballroom on De Quatro’s tenure at the East Village precinct, Detective on Delancey St. last week after one of her three per- Jaime Hernandez, the Ninth’s community affairs offi cer, said, formances there. A new documentary about the singer “He’s very well liked — excellent boss. He was well liked by and Downtown resident, “Patti Smith: Dream of Life,” Home of the NFL Sunday Ticket, the community — that makes it easier.” aired on PBS on Dec. 30. She also has a new book College Football, Premier League out, “Just Kids,” about her close friendship with the KURLAND ASSAULTED: Yetta Kurland, the attor- late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Soccer, MLB Playoffs + World Series ney who ran unsuccessfully for the City Council seat of Private Party Room avail. / happy hour 4 -7 Mon. - Fri. Speaker Christine Quinn in November, was the victim 63 Carmine St., Greenwich Village. of an apparently random assault by a young man during EXTRA! EXTRA! Josh Rogers, associate editor of our Tel. 212 - 414 - 1223 • www.MrDennehys.com the early hours of New Year’s Day. Her assailant, one of sister paper, Downtown Express, and his wife, Sarah a group of several youths, punched her in the back of the Wolff, had a baby boy Tuesday morning. Named Isaac head several times as she was standing on the south side Nathan, he weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces. The delivery of 14th St. between Seventh and Eighth Aves. The 3:50 was at 8:56 a.m. at N.Y.U. Medical Center, at 32nd St. and a.m. assault was painful but the injuries were not serious First Ave. Mazel tov! and Kurland refused medical attention. “I was waiting with a friend for someone to come out of a building when THE MOSAIC AWARDS: Things are really looking up we saw about six guys coming up the street,” she told for Jim Power, the East Village’s “Mosaic Man.” First of all The Villager. “One of them ran up and pummeled me in — getting him off the hard streets and out of the cold — he the head. He seemed hopped up — strung out — and it now has a place, with three hot meals a day, up in Harlem looked like he didn’t even see me. It seemed like he would at Kelly House, a facility run by Common Ground. He said have attacked anyone who was standing in that spot at the the program is for the “chronic homeless,” and that for an time,” Kurland said. The suspect, who was no older than individual to be accepted, outreach workers must spot the 20 and might have been younger, could have been swing- person fi ve times living on the street. After a few months up ing wildly as he was walking up the street, she added. on 127th St., he said he might transition to Common Ground’s “It made me ask myself what we are doing about youth Times Square residence, and then to their new project at East IN THE HEART OF GREENWICH VILLAGE violence and what we are doing to get drugs off the street Houston and Pitt Sts., at the former Boys’ Club site — assum- — Recommended by Gourmet Magazine, Zagat, Crain’s NY, Playbill & The Villager — to make sure that young people can celebrate New Year’s ing it ever gets built, hopefully. Jesse Jane, Powers’s canine “Gold Medal Chef of the Year”. — Chefs de Cuisine Association or any other occasion peacefully and responsibly,” she companion, was dozing comfortably by his side when we .ORTHERNITALIAN#UISINEs#ELEBRATING/VER9EARS added. Kurland said she and her friend followed the sus- called “Mosaic” Monday night. Power, who is in his 60s, noted 69 MacDougal St. (Bet. Bleeker & Houston St.) s pect and his group to the subway station at Seventh Ave. that Jesse Jane is 9 — that’s 63 in dog years — and that she’s /PEN-ON 3AT PMsWWWVILLAMOSCONICOM and 14th St., where she told them she was calling police. been leading a rough life with him for 8 1/2 years, so she really One member of the group of white Hispanic youths tried needs this break. However, Power’s hips are going, and he Steaks - Lobsters - Seafood to persuade her not to call police, but a Transit worker needs to fi x at least one soon, or he’ll really be in trouble: And dialed 911 and the group dispersed. there’s no way he’ll ever be able to repair his mythic “Mosaic Trail” of 80 tile-covered street lampposts unless he gets a hip BANQUET POLITICS: Following our item two weeks replacement. So he and friends are planning a big fundraiser Happy Valentine’s Day ago on the new Downtown Democratic political club at Theatre 80, on St. Mark’s Place, Tues., Feb. 16, from 7 fi nally coming up with a new name for itself — Lower p.m. to 11 p.m. The details are still being worked out, but “Old-fashioned in every way”, Manhattan Democrats — Sean Sweeney, president of Power said several historic fi lms about the East Village will be this Chelsea “trip back in time” Downtown Independent Democrats, fi red off an e-mail to shown — including the 1989 movie “Mosaic Man,” not seen purveys “hearty” Americana put the upstart club in its place.