A Chance to Dance
Charla Genn, class teacher for Ballet Hispanico, runs dancers through their paces during auditions. The West 89th Street company fuses Latin dance with elements of classical and contemporary forms. Photo by Andrew Schwartz
Jimmy Breslin
By Charlotte Eichna
Jimmy Breslin moved about six months ago from West 68th Street and Broadway to a high rise on West 57th Street with sweeping views of the Hudson River. He’s not sure why—ask his wife, Ronnie Eldridge, a former City Council member and host of the CUNY TV show Eldridge and Co.
The pool in this new building isn’t ready yet, but Breslin says he still swims regularly at the Reebok Sports Club/NY on Columbus Avenue. Read more
About Face for DOE: District 3 Needs New School
By Sarah Seltzer
After desperate parents, elected officials and the Department of Education convened a “war room” to deal with District 3 crowding, the city has agreed to create a new school on the Upper West Side. This marks a significant turnaround for the Department of Education, and a victory for parents who have been pleading with education officials to acknowledge that the neighborhood building and baby booms have created a dire need for new elementary seats. Read more
WAITING FOR PARK CLEAN UP
By Samuel Chamberlain
Almost two months after alerting the Parks Department about the grubby state of Verdi Park, at West 73rd Street and Broadway, Council Member Gale Brewer got her wish: an additional worker will be stationed there starting Jan. 26, according to a parks department spokesperson.
Brewer wrote the Parks Department Nov. 19 to request funding for an additional city parks worker to keep the park clean between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.
“The park is filthy, and the trash is particularly apparent in the morning rush hour when people go to the subway,” Brewer wrote to the department’s borough commissioner, William Castro.
“We get constant complaints about the park, especially when the weather gets warm,” Brewer said. “I’ve been down there in the morning and the trash receptacles are overflowing. People leave their lunch on the benches, their cigarettes, there’s a gum problem. Somebody needs to be attached to [the park], and tell people, ‘Hey, you can’t put your lunch there.’”
Castro responded Dec. 11, pointing out the park was cleaned “at least once most days and twice daily on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.” However, the letter went on, “I agree with you that it would be very helpful to have a worker assigned to start cleaning the park before the morning rush hour.”
Now, Verdi Square may look a bit cleaner.
BREWER MOVES UP IN COUNCIL
By Dan Rivoli
Council Member Gale Brewer got a bump in status in this year’s Council class.
Brewer now chairs the Council’s Government Operations Committee, perhaps best known for holding two marathon meetings on the term limits extension in 2008. The committee heard 20 hours of testimony on the controversial matter over two days. Read more
CITY TO STUDY PCB REMOVAL
By Dan Rivoli
Two years after toxic PCBs were found in P.S. 199, the city and federal Environmental Protection Agency agreed to address this chemical.
The city will conduct a study to better target and remove PCBs, a man-made, cancer-causing chemical used in construction and electrical products before 1978. The legally-binding agreement was reached after the city possibly violated the Toxic Substances Control Act by using caulk that contains more PCBs than are allowed.
The city will choose five schools—one from each borough—to study, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler wants P.S. 199, at 270 W. 70th St., between West End and Amsterdam avenues, to be included. In May 2008, Nadler and other Upper West Side elected officials urged the EPA to clean the building when School Construction Authority subcontractors removed PCB-containing caulk without following state regulations.
“[P.S. 199] is where the problem of PCB contamination was first discovered and so it is logical for it to be among the schools used in the city’s PCB study,” said Ilan Kayatsky, spokesperson for Nadler. “Upper West Side families certainly deserve the peace of mind knowing that their kids are not being needlessly exposed to dangerous chemicals in their public school.”
State Sen. Tom Duane echoed that statement, saying that removal of PCB-containing caulk will restore the community’s confidence in the safety of P.S. 199. And Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal has been pushing a bill to get the city to study all schools that used PCB-containing caulk between 1950 and 1978.
“Having the five-school pilot project is a positive first step,” Rosenthal said. “But I think ultimately a lot more will have to be done and all the schools will have to be tested.”
Judith Enck, the EPA’s regional coordinator, said in a statement that the study will help the federal agency understand the risk of PCB in caulk.
“We believe that the program outlined in this agreement, along with general EPA guidance on managing the issue, will serve as a model for school systems across the country,” Enck said in a statement.
Forever Young
Cutting through the hype of some common anti-aging potions
By Fred Cicetti
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage, against the dying of the light.
—Dylan Thomas
Q.I’m tired of taking this sitting down. What can I do to fight the aging process?
A: There’s nothing that will stop aging, but you know that. The most you can hope for is longevity with health. Here are some pointers from health professionals for a high quality of life. You may find these boring, but they work: Read more
What I Found in My (Pita) Pocket
By Nancy J. Brandwein
“You’ve got to try Pita Joe,” Pete told me, week after week.
Pete Blumenthal and I have spent years after school on the P.S. 75 playground, sometimes talking about our kids, but mainly talking about food. And while I trust his instincts, I wondered what could be so special about yet another falafel joint.
Well, Pita Joe is not your “average Joe” of falafel joints. For one thing, it’s a strange mix of German, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Indian tastes stuffed in whole wheat or white pitas. Read more
Wine, Au Naturale
Just what the heck does ‘organic’ mean anyway?
Josh Perilo
“So this wine was made from grapes that grew… out of the ground?”
My friend Jon stared at me blankly after he said this, as if issuing some kind of challenge.
“Yeah,” I snorted. “Of course.”
“And it fermented? Naturally?” Read more
Set for Summer
Families got a head start on their children’s summer activities with the Camp Fair Series this past weekend. New York Family Magazine played host to more than 400 families and representatives of 50-plus camps who attended fairs on the Upper East and Upper West sides. The fairs featured both city day camps for younger children and beginning campers, and sleepaway camps from around the country for older children seeking a traditional camp experience. Representatives were on hand to answer questions from both parents and prospective campers, giving a complete idea of camp life. Two additional fairs will be held this weekend in downtown Manhattan and in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Read more
