See You in 18 Months?

May 20, 2011 Community News

The mounted officers of the 1st Precinct sure don’t want to leave Tribeca, because they have a bit of a whisper campaign going on. I just got this email from reader Suellen Epstein: “A neighbor just called me to report that this evening she spoke to (an anonymous) officer at the stables and they are told they are moving out in two days. It will get a renovation in the hundreds of thousands and then they will come back after 18 months. Another couple called this woman and said the officers were told they’re moving out on Monday because the NYPD looked at other proposed sites and passed on them.” (No word yet from CB1’s Julie Menin, who had been promised another meeting before anything was decided.) If the stables really do come back in 18 months, we can certainly cope. But does anyone out there trust the NYPD? So far they haven’t exactly been forthcoming.
UPDATE 5/21: Julie Menin had a conference call yesterday with the NYPD, followed by “additional discussions.” She’s expecting a letter from Ray Kelly late Monday or early Tuesday morning. “I will give an update to the community then,” she emailed.
UPDATE 5/24: At the CB1 meeting, Julie Menin announces that the stables will indeed be moving away for 18 months. She has it in writing from the NYPD that the stables will come back….
Here’s a report from someone who attended the meeting:
Three individual women, immediate residents, spoke against the stable transfer—Prudence Carlson, Patricia Acree, Cindy Wenig. Matt Viggiano and Peter Gleason also. Peter Gleason remarking also about the fire houses pointing out that when a Firehouse is decommissioned it never comes back—Franklin Street 1975, Chambers Street…. Can’t you just hear the gears of the real estate brokers working to get their hands on Ladder 8 building for a private house or exclusive condo!

Captain Yaskovinich (made that name up but some of the same letters are in his) was there to respond to Board members remarks and questions during Chairperson Menin’s report. He admitted, and took full responsibility, to having just put this space in planning/search for “locker room and changing facility.” Also said the reason the press (Wall Street Journal) got ahold of it before CB1 was that the day before the article Com. Kelly told him to get in touch with Julie Menin but he had not acted immediately and called her as soon a the article was out. So he got Com Kelly off the hook. Anyway, Julie and community has the assurance of this Captain and Com. Kelly that IT IS TEMPORARY and the horse stables will be back. And our need for the mounted unit will not be compromised. The reason—after the stupid fact that they have know for 4 years that they would need a facility for this purpose and just two months ago started looking—also has to do with the review process to make a lease agreement and the time constraints that exist now (URLAP ?)

So the resolution was written with the words TEMPORARY and RESTORE in it. But we all left bummed out.

P.S. Julie Menin said that 166 people had sent in emails about the stables.

 
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10 Comments

  1. Kerry F.
    May 20, 2011 • 9:30 pm

    Who are they kidding? Once they are gone, they ain’t coming back. Why do they even bother with the lies? You think they are going to put all that money and effort into the building to house the horses?

  2. Elle
    May 21, 2011 • 8:12 am

    They’re saying it because (if you believe it) – then the WTC Security is only temporary too.

  3. Carol Tanenbaum
    May 23, 2011 • 7:57 am

    I’d LIKE to believe it, but must admit, I don’t. And now they want to close the Firehouse? Is there more here than we’re being told?

  4. Jim Smithers
    May 23, 2011 • 1:31 pm

    Yup, it’s a big conspiracy. Bloomberg hates firemen, police horses and ghosts. I just can’t believe how obvious he is being about it. We’re not stoopid people.

  5. Carol Tanenbaum
    May 24, 2011 • 9:10 pm

    How long has the “renovation” for the police precinct building on the 86th St transverse been going on? Eighteen months? Right. If ever.

    Does this mean WTC security is not moving in?

  6. Jim Smithers
    May 25, 2011 • 8:32 am

    From the Trib article – “Why don’t we have a command center 120 days out?” Julie Menin said. “It’s very alarming that we are so close and we don’t have a permanent command center.”…so that’s why CB1 & some members of the community are holding up the NYPD’s WTCC plan even longer. Brilliant.

  7. Patricia Aakre
    May 30, 2011 • 12:21 pm

    This delay in the NYPD’s command center has nothing to do with CB1 and local residents being upset that it is being stationed in the stable. The command center needs to be built permanently somewhere where a decision was made not in a panic. It is highly unlikely and a waste of money to relocate a well functioning stable twice and a command center too. I admire Julie Menin for questioning the timing of this move. The bigger issue is how the money for all this is being spent when neither building is permanent. It would be good to know where the money is coming from and if there is a deadline to spend it.

  8. Jim Smithers
    May 30, 2011 • 3:54 pm

    @Patricia – You’re right, the NYPD, the finest police force in the world, cannot be trusted with the planning and budgeting that it takes to insure the City’s security. These types of decisions and planning would be far better left to CB1’s monthly meetings and their ability to pass weighty resolutions. I for one, call for Police Commissioner Kelly to get off of his high-horse and relinquish his duties to Julie Menin forthwith. Or does that require a resolution?

  9. Rachel T
    May 31, 2011 • 9:46 am

    @Jim – pun intended?

  10. Jim Smithers
    May 31, 2011 • 7:26 pm

    Oh, Rachel, you with your delicious treats are the only one that understands me….truly understands me. Of horse, it’s a pun.