No Progress

It seems like almost a year and a month ago, to the day, that I first wrote about the unsightly brown spot that mars the otherwise-pleasant open area on the South side of Tompkins Square Park.

In all this time, no progress has been made:

No progress made.

It's like a big, ugly stain on a carpet, that you never clean.

I think it's time to make another call to 311!

#eastvillage #311 #tompkinssquarepark

Online Petition to Fix Elm Tree Enclosure

Back in January, I made a request to 311 to fix the area around where the gimpy elm used to be:

My proposal.

I received the response:

Work to correct the reported condition has been deferred because of seasonal considerations and will be corrected as soon as possible.

I'm sure with the many important jobs the Parks Department has, this might have slipped under their radar, so I reminded them today!

I also started an online petition, so others can show their love for the beloved Tompkins Square Park elm tree enclosure!

Finding closure in the enclosure… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #311

Runaway Fire Hydrant

No one knows how it happened, but a fire hydrant on East 4th Street between Avenue C and D malfunctioned last night, spewing water across the street and resulting in the street being blocked to traffic.


The Fire Department was called, but they were not able to stop the water. According to the 311 operator, the Department of Environmental Protection is charged with the responsibility of shutting off fire hydrants, and they would respond to the notice within 24 hours!

It went on late into the night, and by morning… it was fixed!

It would have been more exciting if this had been part of a movie or TV show — super hero by day, Department of Environmental Protection fire hydrant responder by night!

#eastvillage #311 4thstreet #departmentofenvironmentalprotection #firedepartment #firehydrants

311 Emergency

I was walking up Second Avenue yesterday morning, when I saw this:

Wastewater dumped onto the sidewalk.

In New York City, it's against the law to dump wastewater "directly or indirectly … into a street that drains into a sewer or catch basin".

The East Village is like the Wild West: anything goes, pardner!

#eastvillage #bhrestaurant #dumping #secondavenue #311

Remove the Brown Spot

I had this idea back in October, and I had it again today, while passing through Tompkins Square Park: I'm going to send a request to the Parks Department to remove the stones from where the gimpy elm used to be, to make a circular area around the existing tree, instead of the ovular area that exists around the remaining tree and a brown spot on the ground.

Here are pictures of the area in question:

The brown spot is the area where the gimpy elm used to be.

Here it is from another angle:

Another angle.

January 26

I sent a suggestion to the Parks Department to do this, with a modified version of the picture above:

Ring around the elm tree.

I'll let you know what they say!

#eastvillage #gimpy #elm #tompkinssquarepark #311 #parksdepartment

New Gimpy Tree Update

It's been a couple of weeks since I called 311 regarding the new gimpy tree in Tompkins Square Park, on the East 7th Street side. I received an email saying "The Department of Parks and Recreation has reviewed this request and will visit the location to investigate the condition".

Tonight, I passed by and noticed something I hadn't before: many of the branches are dead.

Many branches are dead.

This tree is worse off than I thought! I have to call 311 again and alert them of this new finding.

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #gimpyelm #7thstreet #311

311 Emergency

Last night, as I was passing through Tompkins Square Park, I noticed the backside of the new gimpy elm. By backside, I mean the side that faces into the park. This is what I saw:

New gimpy elm backside.

What might look like a hole in the tree is actually sap leaking out from a split:

Sap leaking from split.

This tree is splitting down the middle. There's a good chance it will fall before the Parks Department is able to cut it down.

People should call 311 before this tree splits open completely. I hope it's not too late!