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WEEK OF JANUARY CHELSEA’S VANISHING RESTAURANTS ◄ P.16
24-30 2019
Guests of Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, at the November “den.” Photo: Jill Higson
THE WRITING DEN HELPS PEOPLE IN NEED CONNECT NEIGHBORHOOD Handwriting project in NYC provides a personal touch BY SCOTT STIFFLER
The unexpected arrival of a heartfelt, handwritten note from a distant friend or relative carries with it the power to rekindle a lost relationship, or reaffirm a bond. For that priceless gift, the cost of a pen, a piece of paper, a stamp and an envelope seems very small, indeed — yet for some, the absence of those materials might prevent them from reaching out. Two years ago, Jill Higson and her boyfriend, Christian Michaels, then living in San Diego, recognized this dilemma among their local homeless population, and created The Writing Den in response. A den in name only (it’s actually a table and some chairs), the project came about when the couple attended an August
Handwriting ... is a lost art these days. So we come to these places, and provide people with a postcard, or a birthday, holiday or special occasion card, to send to loved ones.” Jill Higson, co-founder, The Writing Den
Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer (center) with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney and other elected officials in Brooklyn on Sunday, Jan. 6 to call for greater transparency in new L train plans. Photo courtesy of Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer
THE L-TRAIN UN-SHUTDOWN VIEWPOINT The Manhattan Borough President calls for an independent review of “a Pandora’s box of outstanding questions” BY GALE A. BREWER
2017 neighborhood meeting about volunteer opportunities to help the homeless, which led to a partnership with the First Presbyterian Church of San Diego. The following month, The Writing Den made its debut, as part of the church’s weekly feeding of over 250 guests.
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The L-train un-shutdown has been a particularly gripping early story of 2019, one that’s brought more intrigue than an episode of “Law and Order.” (If you haven’t heard, Gov. Cuomo called in academic engineering experts late last year and settled on an alternate rehabilitation plan for the L train Canarsie tunnels, one that won’t necessitate a full shutdown of those tunnels
— which had been deemed essential by the MTA and its engineers and consultants for years, and whose effects had been debated and planned for during untold hours of community meetings. Using the new strategy, imposed by the Governor and his experts, rehabilitation will move forward with a partial, 15-20-month nights-and-weekends reconstruction.) While avoiding a full shutdown — that would inconvenience 275,000 daily commuters — is welcome news, there is still a Pandora’s box of outstanding questions: • Will commuters traveling on Monday mornings after a weekend of work be safe from the hazardous chemicals — most importantly silica — from that work? Downtowner
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WEEK OF APRIL
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12
FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
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• Is the new plan better for the longterm stability of the damaged tunnel than the old one? • How many years will this new approach last? Are we just kicking the rehab can down the road for a decade? • What will become of the mitigation transportation options that the city Department of Transportation (DOT) and MTA jointly planned? With such a fast, 180-degree change of plans, it’s no wonder that the public might be confused about who to trust — even as those who use or otherwise depend on the L train are relieved that an un-shutdown is happening. That’s why we need an independent evaluation of this new plan before
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