Now, the community must juggle two disasters: the flood vulnerability that Superstorm Sandy revealed eight years ago and remains unchecked and the mounting concern for open park space that the COVID-19 pandemic has made urgent.

During Wednesday’s City Council executive budget hearing, Commissioner Lorraine Grillo, of the city’s Department of Design and Construction, said there will be a “shovel in the ground” in the fall, but that there may be some changes to the order of the phases and the numbers of areas that go under construction at a given time. The current timeline calls for completion by 2025. “We do not want to disturb social distancing in any way,” Grillo said.

“We worked very, very hard to make sure large portions will remain open during the project,” Grillo said in response to a question posed by Councilmember Carlina Rivera, who pushed the comprehensive East Side Coastal Resiliency Project through City Hall. Grillo said the department will make changes as needed, “but our goal is to maintain that timeline.”

Better quality of life and appropriate park access has been a core issue in community resistance to the resiliency plan since last August. Pat Arnow, founder of East River Park Action, one of the community groups rallying against the ESCR plan, said that she had been hoping the pandemic would strong-arm the city to put a pause on construction. Community activists have focused their dissent on sparing local residents from risk, whether it be from flooding, air pollution, or disease. 

“The situation is so dire with coronavirus that it makes our arguments even more urgent,” she said in a phone interview.

Arnow already had expressed displeasure with the idea of phased closures back when they were announced haphazardly in October, a day before an important community hearing. (During that meeting, Councilmember Rivera called the city’s decision to provide phasing information a day before the hearing as “unfair.”) Arnow, when told about Grillo’s announcement last week, said she had a knee-jerk reaction: “My first thought was just like whatever it is, it’s probably going to be bad for us.”

As the plan stands, it includes no provisions for interim flood protection measures during the construction period that is expected to last at least five years. And no one wants another Superstorm Sandy.

In 2012, Sandy ravaged the area with a 12-foot storm surge, snuffing out electricity and heat for thousands of people. Hospitals, severed from sources of power, had to evacuate. The trains, suspended since the day before, were inundated from track to ceiling. Over the course of a few hours, Sandy brought New York City to a halt. Those who heeded early warnings and had the privilege of having a car, a second house, a family friend with an apartment on higher elevation were lucky. But the poor, the working class, the elderly, and the disabled — like those who live in public housing in affected areas —  could not flee. And just like that, Sandy killed 43 people across New York City’s five boroughs. A similar story is unraveling now with the wealthy who have fled to vacation homes as the coronavirus takes hundreds of lives a day in the city alone, forcing officials to reckon with failures in its bureaucracy and infrastructure.

Superstorm Sandy is what inspired the city to elevate East River Park and its surroundings from East 25th Street to Montgomery Street. The ESCR is a much-altered portion of Rebuild by Design’s “The Big U,” a protective system proposed for the lower tip of Manhattan to safeguard the waterfront from sea level rise. The ESCR, which is the first of several “resiliency” projects, initially would have closed East River Park completely for three years. The plan called for the city to uproot 2.4 miles of coastline during that period, rework electricity, gas and plumbing, and pack fill. After community dissent  erupted from East River Park Action and East River Alliance, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last October that the project would be completed in two phases. 

This “phased” version of the ESCR announced in October still had the original goals: flood protections completed by 2023 and an elevation of the park by eight feet by 2025. In de Blasio’s press release at the time, he said the first phase of construction would take place from fall 2020 to spring 2023, during which the vast majority of the park areas from Delancey to Houston Streets would remain open, along with the amphitheater area in the south and the area to the north that runs from  from East 10th to East 12th Street. The second phase was to start shortly thereafter with an end goal of late 2025. Then, the press release said,  that the newly rebuilt portions of East River Park would open from Houston Street to approximately East 10th Street, as well as the vast majority of the park areas from Corlears Hook Bridge to Delancey Street. The Esplanade in the center of East River Park, is also scheduled for reconstruction, but on a separate schedule. 

“The community spoke and we listened,” de Blasio said at the time. “Nearly half of East River Park will remain open throughout construction – without compromising essential flood protections for 110,000 New Yorkers. We are building a more resilient city to meet the challenge of global warming head-on.”

Currently, it’s unclear exactly how phasing will change, if it will at all, said Jeremy Unger, the spokesperson for Councilmember Rivera. Regardless of potential phase changes, the prospect of closing a park, even partially, during a pandemic in a city where fresh air is hard to come by has presented new concerns for the community. In the past few weeks alone, access to open spaces while social distancing in New York City has become a hot-button issue. While Governor Andrew Cuomo acknowledged that going outside is a necessity for mental and physical health, the city does not consider parks an essential service — leaving room for confusion. Either the  parks are packed (or are perceived to be) or heavily policed. Not to mention, the parks that are the most cramped tend to be in poorer areas with less access to open spaces and more air pollution. 

That fact is not lost on Arnow of East River Park Action. “You need to keep this park open for residents,” she said, “and you don’t need dirty air with construction during a pandemic.” 

It’s true — researchers at Harvard University’s School of Public Health found that higher levels of particulate matter called PM 2.5 were associated with higher COVID-19 death rates, the New York Times reported. The authors suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution increases vulnerability to the coronavirus; the research is currently going through peer review. 

Air pollution has been a concern for both Arnow and and Green Map System director Wendy Brawer, who has advocated for 1,000 trees to be planted in Community Board 3’s area (those trees are now split with Community Board 6). In a phone interview, Brawer mentioned that the removal of mature trees, whether in East River Park or on public housing campuses, presents a concern for air quality, especially now.

“Air quality is not just a nice thing,” Brawer said. “It’s actually a justice issue. It’s really important to slow down that destructiveness, whether it’s in the park or around the park and the work around the park has to do with.”

Arnow said that during the past few months of social distancing, it’s been hard to get an answer about the construction timeline. Initially, construction was supposed to start in the spring with conversion of  Lower East Side Ecology Center’s compost area into a rec space that would have been available for community use during construction in the fall.

Ian Michaels, the spokesperson for the design department said the community resistance to the project caused the delay, not the pandemic.

“There’s been no delay because of COVID,” Michaels said. “A few months ago, the local community asked that we push back the work at the Ecology Center so the compost area could stay open through the summer, and the City agreed. That’s all. The main work is still scheduled to proceed as planned in the fall.”

There had been hope that because of the pandemic, construction would be meaningfully delayed while groups like East River Park Action and Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens, known as LUNGS, push through with an alienation lawsuit that seeks to derail the project altogether or at least get more definitive interim flood protection while it is underway. Charles Krezell, president of LUNGS, voiced similar opinions and said in a phone interview that the lack of transparency or clarity about what’s going on is “such bad public policy.”

“It shows how much they don’t really care about the interests of the community,” Krezell said. “I don’t know what to think. We were hoping our lawsuit is going to put the kibosh on this thing anyway. So that’s that’s our hope right now. But right now, we need temporary storm protection immediately and there’s nothing like that in the offering. So whatever plan they come up with, we’re going to be unprotected for the next five, at least five years, of the community, and we’re having storms rolling in all summer.”

Izzie Ramirez is an NYU  undergraduate journalism student.

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Right now, there are over 550 official gardens in New York City, and of the 137 in Manhattan, 52 of them make up what is known as the Community Garden District. Scattered across the Lower East Side, these community gardens are teeming with culture and comradery. Each space is unique, and they are all managed and maintained by their own board of members.

The garden at the corner of 9th Street and Avenue C, or the 9th Street Community Garden is one of the oldest and largest in the neighborhood. Though it occupies a significant amount of space, an underground stream beneath the lot has kept it from attracting developers.

From April through October, the garden members organize a multitude of events to bring the surrounding community together. They throw holiday parties, host a summer concert series, and provide weekly gardening classes. 

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by Raz Robinson

A group of Lower East Side residents celebrated the first victory in the fight for a community’s rights to a building that has remained unoccupied for almost 15 years.

The crowd bellowed, “No lease. No Dorms” as Councilwoman Rosie Mendez took to the steps of the apartment building across from the abandoned CHARAS Cultural Community Center at 605 East Ninth St., yesterday. Mendez then announced that the Department of Buildings (D.O.B) has issued a Stop Work Order stopping land developer Gregg Singer, from turning CHARAS into a 200 bed dorm for Cooper Union and The Joffery Ballet.

“This building should be returned to the people of the Lower East Side and East Village,” said Mendez. “We will continue our struggle to keep that hope alive.”

Community organizers are now looking for a way that the building can be entirely given to the residents.
The building was originally erected as a public school in 1904. In 1977, four year after the school’s closing, various East Village and Lower East Side community organizations re-appropriated the building and turned it into a community center. Hundred of theater groups used the space.

In 1998 the Giuliani administration decided, after 34 years, to close the community center and put the building up for sale. Development was stopped as a result of discoveries made by the DOB regarding discrepancies between building codes and the agreement between Singer and the schools outlined in the lease.

A theme of yesterday’s event was discussing the difficulty of fighting back against the changes that hurt the neighborhood while embracing the ones that help it.

“The site of the former CHARAS facility was always intended for the public,” said New York State Senator Brad Hoylman. “We can’t allow developers to do end-runs around agreements put in place to ensure community use.”

Ralliers said the dorms would not contribute anything to the community, but rather open the door for development and further displacement of residents.

“We do not need for this to be a dormitory,” said Christian Valerio, a housing specialist with the Cooper Square Committee. “We don’t need some major institution to open up a center and start something. What we need is a grassroots based community center that’s open to the entire community.”

The CHARAS center for years before its closing served as an open space for the community to come together creatively as well as a space for discussion surrounding problems inside of the community.
“It was such an important part of the community’s vibrance and development,” said Sally Lelong, an artist and more than 30 year resident of the Lower East Side.“ In the 70’s and 80’s the city was in economic collapse, it was about to be torn apart by poverty, and this [CHARAS] created a means for people to sit, find common ground, and resist the destruction.”

Though the recent turn of events has temporarily kept the building from being developed further, Mendez and supporters of the rebuilding of the community center acknowledge that there is still more work to be done.

“We need to capitalize on this moment and ensure that we work even harder to bring a community center back,” said Anthony Feliciano a Lower East Side District Leader. CHARAS is more than just a building, it’s an institution that represents the Loisaida community.”

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“One world, one taste, one knish.” from Pavement Pieces on Vimeo.

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Joseph Menchetti, reigning champion of the 8th Annual Chef One Dumpling Eating Contest, rejoices after devouring 69 dumplings Sept. 17 at The 3RD Annual Tang’s Natural NYC Dumpling Festival. Photo by Alexa Mae Asperin.

It really seemed as if everyone at The 3rd Annual Tang’s Natural NYC Dumpling Festival had died and gone to heaven. A succulent, sweet and spicy heaven.

The event, held at Sara D. Roosevelt Park Sept. 17 in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, featured a variety of foods such as lamb and potato dumplings from Elsewhere, the spiced apple dumplings of Ivy Bakery and Mediterranean inspired chicken liver ravioli via Bistro de la Gare.

“My favorite was the chicken momo,” said Leanne Bui, 24, of Bayside, Queens. “Everything here tastes phenomenal and inspires me to try and make my own dumplings at home.”

Terry Tang, CEO of TMI Food Group, and Debbie Kellogg, director of business development for the Food Bank For New York City, made opening remarks before the official dumpling-slicing ceremony kicked off the festivities, including two very steamy eating contests that put both contenders and the crowd in a frenzy.

An adjudicator from Guinness World Records attended to preside over attempts to set the “Most Dumplings Eaten in 2 Minutes” record. Contest rules were simple enough: no water, no condiments and competitors were to only eat one dumpling at a time, showing judges an empty mouth after each bite.

One eater used the strategy of time. Placing one dumpling in his mouth, rapidly chewing, then showing the judge he had swallowed was the key to his success.

“It was definitely difficult, but I am beyond happy that I got to set the new world record,” said 39-year-old champion Seth Grudberg, of Riverdale in the Bronx. “It pales a little in comparison to the other contest but it feels great.”

Grudberg triumphed over 11 other contestants in the race, indulging in 18 steamed pork dumplings to set the record.

“I don’t know how he did it,” said Brenda Oliveras, 45, of Austin, Texas. “It looks easy when you watch, but I’m sure if I was up there, I wouldn’t have done so well.”

The Chef One Dumpling Contest followed, and was divided into two separate challenges: one for men and another for women, bringing together a total of 50 competitors ready to devour and defeat. Some entered as a challenge brought upon them by friends and others just for fun and a free meal. But only one could leave full, satisfied and with the $1,000 check.

For the men’s division, 42-year-old Joseph Menchetti reigned supreme, breaking his record last year and winning with an astonishing 69 dumplings.

“I didn’t eat for 18 hours straight to prep for this,” said Menchetti of Cheshire, Connecticut. “It’s a speed contest that requires mostly natural talent and unfortunately this is my specialty.”

The champion added that although he has taken the lead for the past six years, he was a bit wary this time due to a sudden change in the menu.

“Last year we had regular dumplings and this year they switched to whole wheat, which is harder to chew, so I was a little anxious.”

Representing the women, six-time champion Floria Lee of Woodside, Queens defeated 20 other ladies and also held on to her title with a record 38 dumplings.

Second and third-place winners in both divisions each received $400 and $300, respectively.

The festival continued with Polynesian dancing by Lei Pasifika and festivalgoers continued to sample dumplings and mingle before calling it a day.

“This is my first time here,” said 30-year-old Sarah Nguyen of Harlem, Manhattan. “I love that there are different restaurants, not just Asian ones, that put their own spin on dumplings.”

She said that the festival’s good cause of benefiting the food bank also prompted her to attend.

“You don’t only get to feel physically satisfied in the end, but mentally and emotionally too knowing that your money is going to others that are hungry too and more in need,” she said. “That’s what is so great about this, everyone helps each other.”

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Hard-court bike polo players engage in a match at The Pit on the Lower East Side. Photo by Alexandra DiPalma

Bike polo mp3

Each Sunday in Sara D. Roosevelt Park in the Lower East Side, six athletes ride small bicycles, racing back and forth over a blacktop surface about the size of a tennis court. They are divided into teams, and most wear helmets, padding and hockey gloves. Each player wields a mallet, attempting to hit a small plastic ball into a goal while biking without crashing, falling or putting a foot to the ground.

They are playing hard-court bike polo, a variation on traditional horse polo. And while the sport is usually associated with high society and royalty, bike polo matches in Manhattan’s Lower East Side draw a more diverse following.

According to Doug Dalrymple, the unofficial promoter of New York City bike polo, interest in the sport has steadily increased in recent years. But despite its growing popularity, many New Yorkers still know little about hard-court bike polo.

“If I had to describe the game to someone who knew nothing about it, I’d say that it’s something like horse polo, with the feel of street hockey,” Dalrymple said. “On bikes.”

Dalrymple has been playing for more than five years. Now, he helps to organize league play and is responsible for running the club Web site.

“We have about 40 people who play regularly,” said Dalrymple. “But it’s not like we’re a legit club — you don’t have to pay to play with us; you don’t have to be a member. All you have to do is show up.”

The community’s loose attitude makes the sport accessible to newcomers, and the nature of the game attracts young players who cannot necessarily afford a horse. Players ride on souped-up bicycles and use homemade mallets. Rather than a 300-yard grass field at an exclusive polo club, hard-court bike polo is played on parking lots or basketball courts.

In New York, enthusiasts gather at an asphalt court called The Pit, between Chrystie and Grand streets. Large crowds come out every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday to watch pick-up games played by bike polo veterans and rookies alike.

The Pit has been the location of several high-profile bike polo tournaments and is a well-known venue throughout the national bike-polo community. Just last week, a two-day tournament at The Pit drew bike polo teams from France, England, Germany, Switzerland, and all over the U.S. and Canada.

While the game might sound like some new-fangled extreme sport invented by urban youth, there is a great deal of history behind it.

“A lot of people think it’s a new thing, but bike polo has been around almost has long as bikes,” Dalrymple said. “It probably looked a lot different than this, considering bikes had just been invented, but the idea is still the same.”

First played in Ireland in 1891, traditional bicycle polo was played on a rectangular grass field and was included as a demonstration sport in the 1908 London Olympics.

Hard-court bike polo is different from the original game in that the rules are less formal and can be played in a wider variety of spaces, making it popular in urban environments where large grass fields don’t exist.

Most of the New York regular bike-polo players are men in their 20s and 30s, but there are a few die-hard players who are exceptions.

“We have college students and young people, but we’ve also got a few women, and our most senior player, Frank.” Dalrymple said. “I’m not sure anyone really knows how old he is.”

Frank Marcus, a middle-aged man who jokingly claims to be 25 years old, comes from his home in Long Island to practice each week. Like Dalrymple, he’s been playing for about five years and has no plans of stopping anytime soon.

“I just like to come out and enjoy the game,” Marcus said. “But sometimes I get in trouble for it. I got a few drinking tickets from the cops for having beer during the games.”

Marcus’ teammates tease him about the incident, and one of them caught the exchange on video and posted it to YouTube. Now Marcus is well known throughout the bike polo community for his run-ins with police.

“At the tournament last week, guys kept coming up to me and saying ‘You’re that guy who got the drinking ticket! You’re famous!’ ” Marcus said. “I still haven’t seen the video.”

Marcus and many of the other regular players have been dedicated to the game for several years, and they have the scars to show for it.

Ethan Benton, left, looks on as Phil 'Ram Man' Miarmi exposes his customized T-shirt. Photo by Alexandra DiPalma

Phil “Ram Man” Miarmi, 34, moved to New York in 2007 and first saw a bike polo match at The Pit within his first few days in the city. He immediately was hooked.

“I started playing right away,” Miarmi said, unzipping his jacket to reveal a custom-made T-shirt with “Ram Man” emblazoned across the front. “And it’s been painful ever since.”

Miarmi is notorious for his countless injuries, and his tendency to cause them on the court.

“The first time I was out there, I just remember smashing into everyone, going full speed into the wall and pieces of my bike flying in the air,” he recalled. “I just don’t care.”

He has marks from several injuries, including cuts, scrapes, blackened nails and even a bruise that he had to “drill a hole in to get the blood out.”

Miarmi is not the only one with battle scars. Ethan Benton, 33, from Brooklyn, has been on hiatus since his shoulder injury.

“I fell off my bike, then my arm fell out of the socket, then I moved my arm and nothing went back the way it was supposed to,” Benton said. “So I’ve been taking a little break.”

Phil 'Ram Man' Miarmi shows off one of his many bike-polo-related injuries. Photo by Alexandra DiPalma

Even the newcomers seem immune to the roughness of the game. Sara Wojcik, originally from New York, started playing bike polo in Poland a few months ago while she was living abroad. Wojcik and a few friends started a club in Warsaw when her mother agreed to sponsor them, providing mallet head material and balls.

“I came back to New York for a vacation, then I intentionally missed my flight back to Poland and went to my first polo tournament in Richmond, Virginia,” Wojcik said. “It was totally worth it, but it was very, very ‘bro.’ ”

Wojcik doesn’t mind being one of the only women in the scene. In New York, she has helped to organize a women’s bike polo night, or as they refer to it, “no bro polo.” Since skipping her flight back to Poland, Wojcik has had a lot of time to focus on the game.

“I’m still unemployed at the moment, so polo kind of rules my life,” Wojcik said, while bandaging her knuckles to cover a fresh cut. “It’s awesome and awful at the same time.”

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Paul Brainard stands among the “Vaga Lume" exhibition in Eleven Rivington, an art gallery in the Lower East Side. Photo by Alexandra DiPalma

On a recent Saturday, the Lower East Side buzzed as crowds of people went from restaurant to boutique to gallery, taking advantage of the long-awaited taste of spring.

One gallery, Eleven Rivington, has attracted an impressive amount of visitors throughout its short existence. Although the storefront is small and inconspicuous, passersby constantly stop for a closer look. “Vaga Lume,” the current exhibit by Brazilian artist Valeska Soares, is especially eye-catching.

The white-walled main room is completely empty. Thousands of beaded metal chains hang from ceiling to floor, filling the space. Each of the chains is attached to individual light bulbs that cover the ceiling. The piece is interactive, so a steady flow of people comes in to navigate the space and turn the bulbs on and off.

Eleven Rivington is only one of several new galleries in the area. As restaurants and retail shops throughout Manhattan close their doors for good, art galleries in the Lower East Side are thriving. In the past year, eight new galleries have opened, adding to the more than 50 that already exist.

David Suarez, executive director of the Lower East Side Business Improvement District, views the trend as a welcome surprise considering the tough economic climate. He says the number of galleries has increased by almost 65 percent since 2006.

“The increase in art galleries throughout the area is remarkable,” Suarez said. “It signifies one of the many changes in the neighborhood; this change is certainly positive.”

To assist emerging art galleries in the area, the BID works directly with local artists and gallery owners to organize “Every Last Sunday” on the Lower East Side, a free guided tour of up to 16 galleries.

“When we first started offering the tours, there weren’t nearly as many galleries,” Suarez said.

Ryan Steadman stands in Anastasia Photo in the Lower East Side. Photo by Alexandra DiPalma

According to some gallery owners and employees, the reasons for the massive influx are several and varied. Ryan Steadman, 36, of Brooklyn, is an artist and employee at Anastasia Photo on Orchard Street. The gallery, specializing in documentary photography and photojournalism, opened in April 2009.

“Rent prices are one of the main attractions to opening in this neighborhood,” Steadman said. “It’s cheaper than Chelsea or the West Village, and there is still a great art community.”

Rent in the Lower East Side typically runs from $5 to $15 per square foot, while rent in Chelsea can be anywhere from $20 to $60 per square foot, depending on the floor number and condition of the space.

Anastasia’s current exhibit features work from young artist David Wright, whose photos depict a school in northern Uganda. Although the pieces are considered affordable, starting at $2,000, Steadman classifies most customers as “people with money.” And even they haven’t been buying much.

“The dead of winter was really bad this year,” he said. “Luckily, the owner is more than comfortable. She was in the position to weather the storm.”

Of course, not every gallery owner is in such a position. According to Paul Brainard of Eleven Rivington, which features contemporary works in various forms, his gallery has survived the old-fashioned way.

“All things considered, we’ve been doing really well this year,” said Brainard. “We depend on ‘established clients,’ but we make money by selling things for as little as $600.”

Brainard agrees that rent prices in the Lower East Side are a major draw but cites other advantages of the location that have benefited the galleries.

“In Chelsea, you’re not only paying more, but you’re stuffed into the eighth floor of some massive building,” Brainard said. “Here, we’re right on a busy street. People come in because they like what they see from the window.”

At Eleven Rivington, those who stumble upon the gallery unintentionally drive much of the visitor traffic. In the case of the current Soares exhibit, people come in to snap photos and play with the hanging chains.

And just as street performers are more likely to collect donations in a hat that is already full of money, a crowded gallery attracts more people.

“None of these people would be coming in if we didn’t have the exposure,” Brainard said. “In other areas, it’s impossible.”

Still, non-paying visitors do not produce profit, no matter how many stop by. Potential customers are few and far between.

“Selling art is always very sporadic — you sell a few pieces here and there,” Brainard said. “It has become even more sporadic in the past year, but things seem to be turning around.”

During the first weekend in March, Eleven Rivington joined hundreds of galleries, artists, collectors and critics from all over the world to exhibit work at the annual Armory Show, a leading international art fair. Brainard and gallery co-owner Augusto Arbizo were pleased with the results.

“The show was really great for us,” Brainard said. “It was a good indicator of what’s to come this year.”

Sitting at his desk in Anastasia Photo on the first warm Saturday of winter, Steadman is also optimistic about the upcoming months. As the weather improves, more people will be out and about, taking advantage of tours and spending money.

“We made it through the hard part. … I think the worst is over,” he said. “At least I hope so.”

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