Massachusetts

I just returned from a short trip to the Bay State. Here are some observations I’ve made to help all of you embarking on similar journeys from New York through Hartford, CT to Massachusetts (684 to 84 to 91).

First, Route 84, which crosses from New York to Connecticut, can be crowded and tricky to navigate because the left, or slow, lane frequently becomes an exit, whereupon the road narrows and then widens to three lanes again. But, then the left lane becomes another exit, etc., etc., etc. So, stay in the middle lane if you don’t want to have to change lanes to avoid accidentally leaving the highway. Of course, I didn’t know this on my way up, which made for some quick merges as traffic increased. Coming home was much easier.

Massachusetts must not have a law stating that when it is raining, and drivers are using windshield wipers, drivers must also turn on their cars’ headlights. I happened to drive home Friday in almost constant rain, and most of the cars in Massachusetts did not have headlights on. It’s very hard to see a dark vehicle without lights on coming up behind you through the driving rain and rising mist. I noticed that MA cars were light-less in Connecticut and New York, too.

I also noticed that many drivers in Massachusetts do not use blinkers when changing lanes or making turns. Be on alert.

This drive home was challenging because of the rain and my car’s pull to the left, which was probably caused by the off-road driving I did (a road being paved had a large section just of gravel) and hitting a few unavoidable raised manhole covers.

The drive was challenging, but not all together bad. I wonder when my next trip out will happen.

But, while I was in Worcester County, I stayed at the Wachusett Village Inn, where I ate the most amazing penne with shitake mushroom sauce. Yum.

Bloomberg, Pataki, Environment

Mayor Bloomberg and former Gov. Pataki talk before Bloomberg’s keynote address to the Green Business Summit Wednesday at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke this afternoon of the environmental goals for the city and city agencies and about the relationship between green initiatives and business.

Gov. George Pataki opened the summit Wednesday morning by saying that new green regulations and technologies will provide a wonderful opportunity to the energy sector.

Read about their addresses.

The summit was held by Chadbourne & Parke LLP.

Mike Berger

Rewind three weeks.

That’s when I graduated. Part of the graduation festivities was a Journalism Day, the day honors are awarded. On that day, Michael Paulson, of The Boston Globe, won the Mike Berger award for his series, “Ma Siss’s place,” about a woman, her church (located in a repair shop) and her neighborhood.

The award, named for Pulitzer Prize winner Meyer “Mike” Berger, who’s New York Times column “About New York” set the standard for thought-provoking human-interest reporting about the lives of ordinary people.

Hearing about Paulson’s work and a refresher biography of Berger, I decided that I would read more of his stuff. I read “The Eight Million” last summer. (It was the best book on the J-School summer reading list.)

The next day, I got my chance.

Fast forward to now. I am only 17 pages into New York, A Great Reporter’s Love Affair with a City, but I am hooked. I’ve already learned about the New York of the 1950s (or, “before [my] time,” as a former employer would say it) through Berger’s columns about leeches, liquor licenses on trains passing through Penn. Station and the storage spaces withing the Brooklyn Bridge.

Many of Berger’s columns look back into the city’s history, showing a very different region than known today.

Anyone who is interested in city history should check this book out. Anyone who’s interested in reading really well-written, short stories should check this book out.

Abandonment

Hello!

More posts to come once I figure out my new company’s blogging policy…

In the meantime, if you live in New York City, you know the storm raging outside.

I lived in Ohio and ONCE (maybe twice) a tornado threatened our area (I’m no expert, in other words), but this–living next to 808 Columbus Avenue, which is about 20 stories now, is scary. I just watched a large bag of something fly off one of the floors and crash on the ground below and a ladder go flying.

I’m more nervous about this than the Kodiak crane erected at the site. (I’m sure the disaster across town was not a specific Kodiak problem and not all Kodiak cranes are damaged.)

Seriously, I hope the rigging on the safety net is secure, because if not, that is going to come crashing into my living room!

Stay safe, New York!

Polar bears named to the Endangered Species List

Polar bears have been placed on the Endangered Species List today, according to MSNBC.

More to come…

Cuba opens its doors, reports say

Last night, Univision reported that the government of Cuba has opened its long-shut doors to the world.

Cuban people are now free to leave the nation and go abroad without needing an exit card or foreign invitation.

Some Spanish-language news outlets are reporting the story (such as El País), but so far, no English-language organizations have picked up the story.

Borough President, community deride city agency

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer attacked the New York City Department of Buildings tonight at a meeting of concerned Upper West Side residents at a local church, saying that the department had to change the way it reviews permits and carries out inspections.

Stringer and concerned residents of Park West Village and the surrounding apartment complexes turned out to discuss a recent lawsuit filed by one Village resident against New York City Department of Buildings. The suit claims that the department improperly approved building permits for new developments along Columbus Avenue.

Stringer called a department inquiry report into the collapse of a retaining wall at 808 Columbus Avenue in July 2007, a “57-page whitewash,” and criticized the manner in which the report was publicized. The report, dated February 16, 2008, was not made available to elected officials until mid-March, and then, it was only because officials asked for it, he said.

“We released it,” he said, precipitating applause. “This is a disgrace.”

Stringer said that the only way for the city to respond to the need for review of protocol is a sense of urgency, which, so far, the situation at the Village lacks.

However, hours earlier, Stringer visited a construction site on the East Side of Manhattan where a worker was killed when he fell nine stories, according to the Associated Press, after his safety line snapped.

Stringer said that his office was investigating that incident, telling community members at the Second Presbyterian Church this evening that though the department was unable to name any hazards or violations, his office could name 36 open violations.

Paul Benten, who filed the lawsuit last Friday, said he hopes the suit will result in greater public participation in future development decisions.

The suit, Benten V. DOB et al., names 11 other entities as defendants and 20 “John Doe” defendants,to be named at a later date as seen fit.

“All the people who live and work in a place should have an influence on what happens,” he said. “Full participation has waited far too long, and it begins right now,” he continued, slamming his finger down on the altar.

Benten said that he hopes the New York Supreme Court, the court with whom the suit has been filed, will compel the agency to conduct a broad environmental impact review of this project and projects in the future.

But some residents doubted that any change would come from the involvement of elected officials in the suit.

Maria Watson said that she and others had tried to bring their concerns over the development of the Village’s open space–a parking lot and three tennis courts–to the attention of elected officials two years ago, before construction began, but was met with indifference. Now, she distrusted their pledges of support.

“Those who would have had significant sway missed their opportunity. Now we have to help ourselves,” she said.

Brad Brewer said that change would only come with the support of a court ruling, and that legal battles, such as this one, required significant funds.

“If you don’t produce money, you’re not going to win,” he said.

But Cheryl Strong urged the audience to take action and put pressure on officials and the media to call for a change.

“I do believe that we do have power. We have the power of the vote. We have the power of the pen,” she said.

Work along the west side of Columbus Avenue in April 2007 (top) and April 2008 (bottom). Pictures taken from 784 Columbus Ave.

“Port Authority” open rehearsal

Saturday evening, I was lucky enough to attend an open rehearsal of the Atlantic Theater Company’s production of Conor McPherson’s show “Port Authority.” The rehearsal took place at the Richard G. Rosenthal Y.M.-Y.W.H.A, in Pleasantville, N.Y.

In the show, which will open in at the Linda Gross Theater later this month, John Gallagher Jr., plays the role of Kevin, a young man who has just moved out of his parents’ house and into a house he shares with friends in Dublin. Brian D’Arcy James plays Dermot, a man hired for a job for which he is unqualified. Both actors, along with director Henry Wishcamper and other production staff, took part in the rehearsal and a Q&A session with the audience afterwards.

Chairs stood in for a bench, the set’s only dressing. Gallagher and James sat as still as possible while the other told his story, standing downstage or pacing slowly. (A former stage manager, I usually go see shows to critique the technical aspects, the set design and scene changes, the sound elements and the lighting.) With nothing to see or hear but the actors, there were no distractions Saturday night. Just Kevin and Dermot, and the truths they tell.

I, for one, thought the stories were funny, thought-provoking and well played, although I didn’t make the connection between the two character’s life paths and choices until discussing the common threads with friends afterwards. (This might be because I’m slow and didn’t understand what one character meant with his great revelation at his grandmother’s funeral. The connection might be clearer with the inclusion of the third character, Joe, played by Jim Norton. Norton originated the role. He did not take part in the rehearsal.)

An audience member from Ireland complimented Gallagher and James on the accuracy of their accents and mannerisms.

Gallagher, James and Wishcamper said that the completed show would be different from the rehearsal, as the production was still evolving…what teases! I thought the show looked and sounded pretty good Saturday (with the exception of a few missed words and calls for lines–it was a rehearsal after all). But, they voiced discontent with the way some of the moments were played or staged. Even so, and still incomplete, it was pretty powerful. I’m curious to see how the final show will play when the curtain opens.

July 25 retaining wall collapse report

Yesterday we received a letter from Assembly member Daniel O’Donnell announcing that he had been sent the NYC Dept. of Buildings’ 808 Columbus Avenue Report of Investigation, dated Feb. 15, 2008, which looks into the retaining wall collapse last summer.

Below are some excerpts from that report, which I found linked from the Park West Village Tenants Association website and can also be found here.

The investigation concluded that the segment of sheeting system that collapsed was erected on top of a highly weathered (fractured) weak rock formation, and not on the competent rock indicated on the design drawings. Calculations showed that sheeting set upon a weathered rock base would eventually fail once the adjoining competent rock holding the weathered rock base in place was destabilized, whether by blasting or by mechanical means. On the date of the collapse, the adjoining rock was in fact removed by blasting. Prior to the blasting, this rock had provided lateral restraint to the weathered rock mass underneath the sheeting. The fragmentation of the adjacent rock allowed the weathered rock on which the sheeting had been erected to be displaced and thus induced the collapse (Pg. 1).

…

The lack of proper observations and stabilization measures by the responsible supervising engineer throughout pile installation and subsequent excavation allowed this failure to occur. If the rock under the sheeting had been competent, as indicated in the design drawings, or if the weathered rock had been stabilized as soon as it was identified either in the field or from a reading of the geotechnical report submitted by RA Consultants prior to the excavation, the fragmentation of the adjacent rock would not have caused the sheeting to fail and the incident would not have occurred (Pg. 2).

…

In addition, the failure to take seismic measurements appears to have violated Fire Department requirements. The failure to identify the weakened condition of the rock and the non-compliance with FDNY monitoring requirements should be referred to the appropriate units for issuance of violations or other appropriate action (Pg. 2).

The report also states, “The fractured and weakened condition of the rock mass could have been identified by the controlled inspector employed by Mayrich,” (Pg. 2) and that person could have informed Gotham Construction, the general contractor for the new building.

Also striking is the timeline of events of the days and hours leading up to the evacuation of the 784 Columbus Ave. and though the day the last residents were allowed back into the building. Two calls went to 311 between 1:30pm and 4pm, July 25, each with reports that the building was shaking. Police and the NYFD responded to a 911 caller shortly before 10pm, who reported the collapse, and the building was evacuated.

Blasting did significantly weaken the rock to which the protective sheeting (retaining wall) was secured, the report says, but there is insufficient evidence to conclude that blasting on July 25 was carried out improperly or directly caused further fragmentation of the rock, which ultimately lead to the collapse. The wall, and the building, sits atop the intersection of at least two fault lines in the rock. This could have contributed to the collapse.

I learned a lot about the local geology and proper blasting techniques and precautions from reading the report. It includes many nice pre- and post-collapse pictures of the site, too.

I appreciate being notified of the report’s existance. Thank you, sir. And thanks to the DOB for finishing the report in under seven months. (I know that sometimes reports seem to take forever to compete, and I’m not being sarcastic there.)

Gov. Paterson

Story coming later, but for now, let me just say that after attending press conferences and events held by speakers who are dry, who ramble and bumble or otherwise should not speak in public, listening to Governor David A. Paterson was a dream.

Update:

Here’s the story I wrote about the Association for a Better New York breakfast today. There was more to the speech and the reaction it got in the ballroom, but, you know how it goes sometimes.