Nosy Neighbor: What’s going on at PS 234?

September 19, 2019 Community News, Schools

C. writes: “Do you know what is the story with the scaffolding around the school? It’s been up a long time, and the school is only 2 or 3 stories tall, but I’ve never seen any work going on there.”

So I don’t have a very satisfying answer: the spokesman for the School Construction Authority said the sidewalk bridge went up when they observed “vertical cracks and pushed out bricks.” He expects the scope of work to be completed soon, bu that means the repairs are even farther out. Guessing the sidewalk shed went up last May? That’s almost five months to complete the scope of work, and hard to know how long it will take to actually do the repairs…

 
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4 Comments

  1. J Block
    September 20, 2019 • 3:01 pm

    Good luck.

    Wait till they start working.

    You might want to sell your home now. It will be worthless for the next 3 to 4 years once construction begins

    Reply
  2. Robert Ripps
    September 21, 2019 • 10:53 am

    It’s been up for several years. You could probably ask someone who works at 234 and get a better answer.

    Reply
  3. Nicholas Paul de Seve
    September 23, 2019 • 9:01 am

    Coincidentally I made the same inquiry both in person at the school, and in an email to the principal, Dana Rappaport, over a week ago: my email to her, and her response follows:
    Message: Dana,
    “My son, Gregory, graduated from 234 years ago (we had moved down here in 2003 so that he could attend a very good public school). We have lived across the street from the school since then.
    As a resident of Tribeca, and a real estate broker who works mainly in the neighborhood, I’ve been active in the past in local school activities including leading the fight against the rezoning plan that the Dept. of Education proposed a number of years ago that would have effectively cut my condominium in half (Greenwich Court Condominium, 275 & 295 Greenwich Street), by excluding 275 Greenwich from one of the proposed new zones, and leaving 295 in another one (the plan was, thankfully, defeated).
    I’m reaching out to you as a concerned resident regarding the scaffolding along the south side of PS-234, which has been standing there for approximately four years. In addition to being a truly egregious eyesore, it’s a very dark corridor that can be potentially dangerous for a student; a truly welcoming environment for rats and mice; and, worst of all, there has been literally no sign of any construction activity on this “shed” since it’s inception.
    I’ve gone on the NYCSCA site to find some info on the status of the construction, but their search engine doesn’t function, and there is no mention of the progress of repair on the school’s wall (a gentleman in the school, custodian?, informed me that they haven’t even begun repair work and that there was nothing the school could do).
    I find that hard to believe, given the fact that – in addition to the above problems I mention that the shed presents – the whole bottom floor of the school, including the offices and the cafeteria have to be in a constant state of darkness.
    Surely there must be some course of action that can be taken by your administration in this regard; I would be happy to add my voice – and action – to any plan that you might have to solve this problem,”
    Thanks,
    NdS

    Her response:
    “Hi Nicholas,
    I forwarded your concern to the School Construction Authority. They will be in touch with you soon.”
    Best,
    Dana

    Reply

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