Caption this couple looking longingly and wantingly at the East River Pool

 

Crappy Friday Les Miserables, it's caption time. Wonder what else this couple thinks about this stupid ass pool, which is clearly only meant for the wealthy denizens of riverfront Brooklyn.

City approves fancy pool on filthy river

 

NY Post

 This watery venture just scored a formal street address in the middle of the East River.

Futuristic floating swimming-hole project Plus Pool (+ Pool) has officially been given a city-approved location to drop anchor slightly north of the Manhattan Bridge, in the water adjacent to the Lower East Side, Curbed reported.

The project was first conceived in 2010 when four friends at design firm PlayLab floated it by two members of architecture firm Family.

“It started as a simple idea: Instead of trying to clean the entire river, what if you started by just cleaning a small piece of it?” states a project history on Plus Pool’s official website. “With this thought in mind, four designers proposed + POOL — a floating plus-shaped pool in the inner harbor of the NYC waterfront, designed to filter the very river that it floats in through its walls, cleaning more than 600,000 gallons of water every single day.” 

The friends then crowdsourced over $40,000 for their giant East River Brita-filter idea, tested some of its filtration mechanisms at Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2011 and pitched it to city officials.

Mayor de Blasio wants 10 billion dollars to save Downtown Manhattan from climate change

NY Daily News

Mayor de Blasio proposed extending the South Street Seaport area by two city blocks into the East River — part of a $10 billion effort to fend off rising sea levels as a result of climate change.

“We had to find something that would work, no matter how expensive or ambitious it was,” de Blasio said Thursday at a press conference downtown.

The plan, part of a resilience study released Thursday, calls for extending the shoreline by a maximum of 500 feet, or two city blocks. The new segment of the shoreline, which would be 20 feet or above current sea levels, would serve as a flood barrier during storms — but it could also be home to buildings, including potential private development, de Blasio acknowledged.

But it will be necessary to keep lower Manhattan from being underwater, he argued -- saying the city’s study had found that by 2100, 20% of the streets in area would experience daily tidal flooding, even in sunny weather.

“This is the existential threat. This is the core issue we all must face as aggressively as humanly possible,” de Blasio said.

 The plan, announced six years after Hurricane Sandy swamped the city, may sound familiar to some New Yorkers — in 2013, Mayor Bloomberg proposed a similar project dubbed “Seaport City.” That plan would have leveraged private development on the new land to pay for the massive expense of building it.

De Blasio said whether the new land would contain private developments depended on whether the federal government would pony up any cash for the plan.

 From the perspective of the City of New York alone, this would be extraordinarily difficult to fund. I think it comes down to simply this: if there’s federal money in play, it probably looks one way, if there’s not federal money in play, we have to get some private money and there has to be some development,” he said.


What happened to the affordable housing plan? What about emergency funding for NYCHA?

The mayor proves yet again where his priorities lie, with the real estate overlords. New development? If all those luxury towers around there are under threat now from accelerating sea level rise, why would you build more "private" development on the new shoreline

If there is a light side to this idiotic proposal, this ten billion dollar defense of luxury real estate from the effects of climate change seems to be inspired not only from de Blasio's obeisance to his biggest donors (obviously still) but from a mentally retarded female character from the classic comedy show Arrested Development.

Cuomo to introduce modified congestion pricing

From AM-NY:

Congestion pricing was killed the way many policy proposals die in Albany: behind closed doors.

In 2008, Assembly Democrats revolted against the inititive championed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg because it included East River tolls, which critics said would disproptionately affect residents of Brooklyn and Queens.

"It's really, really difficult for people in Brooklyn and Queens at this point to consider something like this. And I think we just need to start from the ground up all over again," Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan of Queens said at the time.

But with the subways in crisis and searching for a dedicated funding source, congestion pricing could be resurrected. Sources say Governor Andrew Cuomo is considering supporting a plan that would charge fees on for-hire vehicles like Uber and Lyft.

But lawmakers outside of Manhattan are still wary.

"Residents in New York want mass transit options. They don't want a financial burden. And they don't want to keep reaching into their pockets," said Assemblywoman Nily Rozic of Queens.

Ferries not the best way to go

From Crains:

New York City has launched its new ferry service.

The NYC Ferry service started Monday with a Rockaway, Queens, route . The area got priority because residents there have some of the city's longest commutes.

The launch also included a previously existing East River route with refurbished ferries.

NYC Ferry will get a South Brooklyn route on June 1. An Astoria, Queens, route begins in August, followed by Lower East Side and Bronx routes in 2018. An estimated 4.6 million passengers a year are expected to use the ferries, which will cut travel times by as much as two-thirds.

From the NY Post:

Lots of transit professionals don’t like ferries. They can’t carry anywhere near as many people as subways can. De Blasio’s ferries will carry 4.6 million people a year, while the subways carry 6 million people a day. Even the Citi Bikes carry 10 million people a year.

Plus, the ferries can’t serve the whole city: Only half a million New Yorkers live within a half-mile of the new landings.

Astoria Park potties have been contaminating the East River since the '30s

From QNS.com:

Parents were dismayed earlier this month when they realized that the bathrooms in Astoria Park’s Charybdis Playground would be closed for a second summer due to plumbing problems.

City workers discovered last spring that sewage from the playground and Astoria pool bathrooms had been seeping into the East River since the 1930’s, according to Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski.

The discovery was made when construction of a new amphitheater began at the park’s neglected diving pool. Designers working on the project found that pipes from the playground and pool concession were not connected to city pipes, Lewandowski said at the monthly Astoria Parks Alliance meeting on Tuesday.

“The pool and playground were built in the 1930s at a time when people were unfortunately not as environmentally conscious as we are now,” a spokesperson for the Parks Department said.

The Parks Department brought in portable toilets to Charybdis Playground last summer and will do the same this summer. The new bathrooms are not expected to be completed until 2019. Bathrooms at the pool were fixed to ensure the pool could operate last summer, the spokesperson said.

At least Little Bay Park finally got their new potties.

Pols oppose move NY plan

From AM-NY:

Queens lawmakers sought Sunday to head off a bill expected in Albany next session to add a toll on the now-free East River bridges while slashing prices to cross bridges linking only the outer boroughs.

Assemb. David Weprin criticized the Move NY plan as a “renewed congestion pricing initiative.” The plan — pitched by former city traffic commissioner Sam Schwartz, transport workers unions and environmental justice groups as a means of more fairly spreading expenses — is intended to reduce traffic congestion and raise funds for the MTA.

Opponents gathered at the foot of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge in Long Island City said Move NY burdens middle-class residents in the outer boroughs as well as small businesses.

Van Bramer backs congestion pricing

From the Daily News:

A congestion pricing plan that would toll the free East River bridges got key support from Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, the Democratic majority leader from Queens.

Van Bramer told the Daily News on Monday he’s fed up with the traffic-choked roads around the Queensboro Bridge and the cramped No. 7 train in his Long Island City district.

The estimated $1.5 billion that could be raised under the MoveNY plan from traffic guru “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz would cut down on traffic and fasttrack much needed repairs to stations on the No. 7 line, some of the worst in the system, Van Bramer said.

“We’ve seen massive congestion problems both on the subway cars and platforms themselves, and then in addition to that, in the run up to the (Queensboro Bridge),” Van Bramer said. “That’s why I am saying now we need to focus on this investment into our mass transit. The MoveNY plan is the best and most responsible way to get us there.”

Van down by the river is back in business

The chooch renting out vans down by the East River in LIC as hotel rooms is back at it again. Here are some recent reviews:

"To start with, it all happened to turn out a little different than expected. Due to an article someone had written about Jonathan’s vans there was a boom of media hype so he had to relocate all vans, including the one we had booked.

Jonathan brought us some charged batteries for an electric fan to use in the car, because in the summer it really does get hot in the van. In our first night we made the mistake to open the windows for some fresh air. Although there are nets against mosquitoes there must be a loop so we ended up having to wrestle with 15 to 20 mosquitoes inside the van in the middle of the night. However, the second night much wiser we spend with closed windows and had a quite comfortable night, although the bed is a little small for two people, but it works out."

"I never felt unsafe walking to and from the van, or in the van itself. However, there were a couple of expectable "car" problems. It got hot in the day, and so staying in was not an option. It stayed noisy until the wee hours, and asking the cars to drive softly was not an option. It got stuffy at night, and opening a window was not an option. You see what I'm saying? In addition, you need to consider that you have no shower/toilet/power. You need to do your business elsewhere!"

"Not being able to shower was definitely a negative seeing as New York City isn't very clean so you get dirty easily. It wasn't quite on the water, it was actually parked up the street on the side of the road but was within a quick walk of the waterfront. The space was cramped but enough to put our luggage and have some leg room. The bed is comfortable and cozy. If you don't mind feeling dirty for a few days and need to save money, than this is for you."

It's pretty obvious that this dude got in trouble the first time but has no intention of stopping anytime soon. James Van Bramer probably thinks this is fabulous since he hasn't released a statement about it or called for an investigation and come to think of it, none of the news outlets that packaged this as an "exclusive" after cribbing it from this blog bothered to ask any elected what they plan to do about it even though they had the resources and opportunity to do so.

Astoria or LIC may get a pool in the East River

From the Queens Courier:

The Long Island City or Astoria waterfront might become the home of a floating pool that will filter water from the East River to become safe and swimmable water.

The designers behind +POOL, the world’s first water-filtering, floating pool, has reached the next step into making their design into reality as they announced they will be looking at 10 locations across the city as potential homes for their pool, first reported by Curbed.

+POOL, which brings collaborators from design offices Family and PlayLab, plans a pool area “for everyone” as it brings four pools into one plus-sign-shaped complex, including a kid’s pool, sports pool, lap pool and lounge pool.

Described “like a giant strainer,” according to the +Pool official website, the floating pool will filter the river water within its walls, removing bacteria, contaminants and odors.

Of the 10 locations being looked at, one is the Hunters Point in Long Island City, while the other is Hallets Point in Astoria.

According to a +POOL representative, they will look into the water conditions at both Queens sites to understand the depth, access points, navigable channels, 100-year flood wave heights, current speeds, tidal elevation and harbor conditions.

Water quality testing for sites that might be able to accommodate +POOL will include testing various parameters to understand how +POOL’s filtration system will support the site, the representative said.

Fireworks coming back to East River

From LIC Talk:

The Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks extravaganza is finally returning to Long Island City this summer after a seven year hiatus. Four barges will be placed on the East River between 23rd and 37th Streets, so there will be no better viewing location than our own waterfront parks, balconies, terraces, and rooftops. For LIC, this will be where Mardi Gras meets New Years Eve in Times Square and the Superbowl of Christmases.

If previous MTA funding schemes didn't work, why will this one?

From CBS New York:

Ardent protests erupted Friday against the latest attempt to put tolls on the free East River bridges as part of a congestion pricing plan.

As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, outer borough business and community leaders said they have been taxed enough.

The protest was billed as a wake-up call for New York City drivers who might be asleep at the wheel.

The protesters were targeting the latest incarnation of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s failed congestion pricing plan, which seeks to raise money for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority by putting tolls on four free East River bridges – the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge between Manhattan and Queens.

Some believe the plan is a good idea because in exchange, it seeks to lower tolls on other spans such as the Henry Hudson between Manhattan and the Bronx, the Whitestone and Throgs Neck between the Bronx and Queens.

But elected officials and others at the protest listed all the tolls and taxes that have been enacted to help the MTA, which are still in effect today.

After the $15 auto use tax in New York City, officials enacted a $30 car registration surcharge in the entire MTA region, followed by a sales tax surcharge, a mobility tax on small businesses, and a 50-cent surcharge on taxi rides.

New congestion tax proposed

From the Daily News:

The “Move NY” plan would put $8 tolls — or $5.54 with E-ZPass — on the four East River bridges, and charge drivers the same amount to cross 60th St. in Manhattan in either direction.

But unlike the congestion pricing plan that failed under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, it would also cut outer borough drivers a break by cutting tolls by $2.50 on the Verrazano, Triborough, Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges, and $1 on the Henry Hudson, Cross Bay and Marine Parkway bridges.

Backers say the plan will generate $1.5 billion a year in new cash.

Vibrant and diverse fishing habits

From the NY Times:

It may seem like an unusual spot to catch dinner, across the East River from Manhattan’s imposing skyline. And the tiny fish that a group of fisherwomen trap in these waters may not seem like dinner at all.

But the women, Bangladeshi immigrants who live nearby, show up nearly every day, along a stretch of Vernon Boulevard in Queens that overlooks a sheltered section of the East River known as Hallet’s Cove.

They wear long, colorful dresses and head scarves, and tote numerous metal traps that they toss into the river to lure small, silvery fish typically used by many anglers as bait and commonly called spearing or shiners.

Small fish like these happen to be staples of the Bangladeshi diet, often stir-fried with rice and vegetables. So these women appear this time of year when schools of the fish are plentiful in New York City’s warm waterways, even in this urban stretch of river where the coastline is dominated by power plants and sewage treatment centers.

The women, who lack a New York State-mandated recreational fishing license or a city permit to fish near a boat launch at the location, also seem to be far exceeding the strict limitations that state health authorities recommend for eating fish taken from the East River.

The woman said that when enough fish were in her bucket, she would, as usual, take them home to her family’s apartment in the nearby Astoria Houses public housing project, and serve them to her family for dinner, frying them and adding tomato sauce, garlic, onions, chili pepper and other spices.

Power plant may be killing fish

From the Times Ledger:

The Sierra Club is asking a judge from Queens Supreme Court to require that the state Department of Environmental Conservation review the issuing of the first water withdrawal permit given to the Ravenswood Power Plant because the organization claims withdrawing water from the East River is killing fish.

The challenge by the grassroots environmental group along with the Hudson River Fisherman was filed last Friday. The authorization by the state agency allows the Long Island City-based plant to use up to 1.5 billion gallons of water a day from the East River. The permit is valid until 2017.

According to the Sierra Club, the DEC failed to order the power plant to have a closed-cycle cooling system in place.

“I hope the judge decides to have a hearing on this,” said Jonathan Geballe, attorney for the organization. “We believe we have a strong case.”

Geballe calculates that in about two months the Queens Supreme Court judge will make a decision.

Fireworks returning to East River

From CBS New York:

The Macy’s 4th of July fireworks show will return to the East River this year.

The annual display will be set off from the Brooklyn Bridge and barges on the East River, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday.

As public advocate, de Blasio would join other Brooklyn leaders each year asking Macy’s and then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg to bring the fireworks back to the East River.
Now that he’s in charge, it’s happening.

Saying no to East River bridge tolls

(QUEENS, NY) Senator Tony Avella was joined yesterday by Assemblyman David Weprin, the Queens Civic Congress, and the Queens Chamber of Commerce at a press conference announcing legislation Avella will be introducing in the State Senate that would prohibit the installation of tolls on any bridges controlled and operated by the City of New York, which include the East River bridges.

The imposition of tolls on the East River bridges, including the Willis Avenue, Third Avenue, Queensborough, Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges is not a revenue generating option that the residents of this city should be forced to endure. Such tolls would place an unfair burden upon Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Manhattan residents who would be forced to pay to travel between the Boroughs. Given the always increasing cost of living in the City and with constant bus and subways fare hikes, city residents are in no position to again face another huge increase in their daily living expenses.

Avella stated, “Despite the ever present need for additional revenue, the imposition of tolls on the East River Bridges is not an acceptable revenue generating option. Adding tolls to any of these bridges would have a devastating effect on working and middle class families and small businesses. Everyone agrees that we need to address traffic congestion problems throughout the city, but the first step has to be improving mass transit. That is why I will be introducing legislation to prohibit putting tolls on these bridges.”

Assemblyman David I. Weprin, (D-Fresh Meadows) stated. "I am proud to join my colleagues and the community to support Senator Avella's legislation which would ban tolls on the East River Bridges. The addition of tolls on the East River Bridges would take away much needed income from working families and local businesses. There are other ways we can raise revenue without financially burdening workers who have to commute to work to support their households."

“Any plan to impose tolls on the East River Bridges is merely another revenue generating plan, not a traffic-reducing plan. It should be the responsibility of the leaders of the city to find ways of increasing revenues without placing the fiscal burden upon those who can least afford it,” concluded Avella.

Astoria megadevelopment expected to be approved today

From Crain's:

The City Council is likely to approve plans for a $1 billion mixed-use project on the Astoria waterfront Wednesday, although support from a key Queens lawmaker is still up in the air.

The council's Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises is currently ironing out a few remaining issues concerning the largely residential, seven-acre Halletts Point project following hearings last week.

"I expect that it is going to go through," said Councilman Mark Weprin (D., Queens), who chairs the subcommittee. "We just have to tie up some loose ends."

Should the subcommittee give the plan its nod, it would likely work its way up to the full council for approval the same day, the last opportunity before the application expires.

The planned Lincoln Equities Group development consists of ten towers boasting a total of 2,200 apartments, 20% classified as affordable. The first building is projected to be entirely rental and Lincoln will determine the rest of the development. It would rise in the shadow of the huge, 22-building Astoria Houses, a public-housing project that is home to 20,000 residents—many of whom have long complained about a lack of several basic amenities on the peninsula.

In response to such concerns from the community, Lincoln has pledged to build space for a bank as well as a moderately-priced, 35,000-square-foot grocery store. The development will also have space set aside for a school should enough children move into the district, plus a publicly-accessible park along the East River waterfront.

But City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., who represents the area, has expressed concerns over how the influx of the projected 6,000 new residents will affect already sparse transportation options. He has yet to give the project his blessing, which could be crucial for the project's fate. Instead, he and the subcommittee are exploring options for increased bus and ferry service to the proposed development.

"I'm working on that now with the administration and the developer, and it will come down to the last minute," said Mr. Vallone. He concedes it would be difficult getting a commitment for ferry service since he reckons that work on the first buildings will not actually be completed for another three years.

Why is the City Council so hellbent on approving everything that lands in front of them?

Another Bloomberg big idea

From the Daily News:

Mayor Bloomberg wants to build a new New Amsterdam in the East River to protect Lower Manhattan from future superstorms — so naturally, he’s going Dutch.

City Hall has just selected Arcadis, an Amsterdam-based engineering firm, to study whether Hizzoner’s so-called “Seaport City” is even doable.

In May, the mayor unveiled a plan to build a neighborhood on acres of levees stretching south from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Battery.

Now, Arcadis and other experts must determine if this unorthodox “Battery Park City East” is technically, financially and environmentally feasible.

Building the landfill alone, to say nothing of the residential towers of the gleaming Seaport City, is expected to cost billions — by far the largest of the mayor’s post-Sandy projects to reform the waterfront.

But a big vision is required for a big undertaking, the mayor’s “Sandy czar” said.

Dude, you're leaving in less than 3 months. Stick to tree planting and stop wasting money.

Queensbridge Park seawall may finally be repaired

From WPIX:

Queensbridge Park will be repaired after 15 years of neglect.

City, State and Federal funds are being used in the $3.65 million project which is set to be finished by the summer of 2014 and managed by the NYC Economic Development Corporation.

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents the area, says the project the seawall will be reconstructed using “rip-rap revetment” which is made up of large rocks, will be used to protect the shoreline by absorbing and deflecting waves while lessening the effects of erosion.

When it’s completed, there will be a 6-foot wide waterfront promenade with benches and plantings, and a small wharf at its northern end.

The MTA also added in $1 million to the project because the erosion is affecting the structure of the F train which runs under the river in the area.