The local paper for the Upper East Side FROM JULLIARD TO THE MET, < Q&A, P.21
WEEK OF JUNE/JULY
25-1 2015
TAKING SIDES ON THE SECOND AVENUE SUBWAY NEWS The state and federal governments have cited different deadlines for finishing the first phase of the project
THE HOUSE ON 86TH STREET INVESTIGATION In a neighborhood of affluence, an East Side townhouse -- and its eccentric owner -- stand out as the exception BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO
Amid dueling state and federal deadlines for the phase one completion of the 2nd Avenue Subway, Upper East Siders expressed skepticism it would be completed on time while local pols lauded the progress that has been made and urged the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to keep hitting their targets. On time, in this case, means Dec. 31, 2016, the MTA’s self-imposed deadline by which paying customers could swipe through the turnstiles and ride a subway line that was first conceived in the 1920s. But the Federal Transit Administration, which provided $1.3 billion for phase one, puts the project’s estimated date of completion at over a year later, on Feb. 28, 2018. In a federal oversight committee hearing this past June, Matthew Welbes, the executive director of the FTA, said a revised funding agreement reached in March with the MTA includes a completion date of Feb. 28, 2018. “And that was based on what we agreed to with the MTA. If the MTA can deliver the project sooner, we would be proud to see that happen, right? It looks like the project is trending, based on our data, toward an opening of closer to, maybe early in, sometime in 2017,” said Welbes.
Some people on the gentle block of E. 86th Street know the building, with its peeling tan paint, gated windows and tightly drawn curtains. Some even have passing knowledge of the owner, a woman in her late 70s who’s lived on the block for decades and is sometimes spotted on her stoop shooing dogs away from her property. But most everyone knows the mess at 312 E. 86th St., the hoarder-style clutter on the front stoop and entryway: broken flower pots, plastic bins of assorted sizes, cleaning supplies, the occasional solitary flower in bloom, and large, obscured items covered in thick plastic trash bags. “I say hello to her once a month,” said David Stahlberg, who’s lived nearby for 40 years. “I have a feeling she’s been here for a while, but I’ve never heard anything about her.” Her name is Phyllis Battista, and people on this upscale slice of the Upper East Side are drawn to her, out of curiosity as well as out of concern about the ramshackle appearance of her home. Such fascinations are a natural part of living in New York, a byproduct of our close proximity to total strangers and perhaps the ubiquity of reality television.
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BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
Fabulous upcoming New York State events and must-sees at ILoveNY.com/summer15 and inside!
Our Take EARLY DAYS IN THE CAPITAL Amid everything else going on in Albany, some good news to report. Freshman Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright, who represents the Upper East Side, has passed five pieces of legislation through the assembly in her first months in office, an unusually prolific early showing. Seawright’s legislation spans a wide range, including a bill that provides financing for new initiatives to clean up the city’s waterways; protection for people receiving spousal maintenance and child support; funding for community programs on Roosevelt Island; and healthinsurance safety nets for the city’s small businesses. It’s easy to let Albany’s dysfunction, and the ongoing squabbles between the mayor and the governor, distract us from the fact that real work continues in the capital. It’s not all federal investigations and gridlock. (Unfortunately, nothing is happpening on rent laws or school control, both critically important to the city.) In the bruising primary battle for Seawright’s seat, other candidates criticized her for not presenting a clear plan for what she would focus on when she arrived in the capital. In an impressive opening salvo, Seawright has answered their concerns. Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday June 26 – 8:13 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.
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