IT’S GROUNDHOG DAY, AGAIN
The Friends of Duane Park will host its annual Groundhog Day celebration on Tuesday, Feb. 2, from 4 to 6p. The ice sculpting of the little rodent will start at 4, and there will be cookies from Duane Park Patisserie and hot chocolate from Laughing Man — while supplies last. Tribeca Wine Merchants will also be pouring something festive to celebrate the occasion. “While you watch, snow will fall and bubbles will blow. Not going out? Look for our mascot at local establishments; stop by or order something in.”

NEW C.O. FOR THE 1ST PRECINCT
Captain Thomas Smith was named the commanding officer of the 1st Precinct, coming to the neighborhood via Manhattan South Inspections Unit, the 17th in Midtown East and Midtown North. He graduated from the academy in 2006. Meet him on Zoom at the upcoming meeting of the Community Council today, Jan. 28, at 6p. (And hopefully I can speak with him soon.)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 913 9768 9742
Passcode: w7GcGM

ECCO! OWNER TO OPEN SPOT IN GREENWICH
I am not entirely confident of the lineage here, but figured I’d put it out there and see if someone can clarify. It seems the owner of the 20-year-old Greenwich mainstay hotspot Polpo is Ron Rosa, and the “about” page there says he opened Ecco! but the numbers don’t seem to fully add up to me — he seems too young. Either way, the news is he’s opening a new place in Greenwich called The Lion at the former location of Centro at The Mill in Glenville. The 4,000-square-foot space is scheduled to open this summer. So if you need an Ecco! fix, it may be just 30 miles away.