We got the following notice from Barbara Adler, the director of the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District:
“A few years ago, after saving our proceeds from our New Taste of the Upper West Side events for five years, we were finally able to build our streetscape block (in front of the schoolyard between W. 76th & W.77th Streets). The block went from being very barren, to creating a much-appreciated place. [The week starting Aug. 31], someone stole two of our in-ground solar lights, which cost $600 each. They were gouged out of the sidewalk, leaving two gaping holes that are horrifying and very upsetting. We are a small BID, with limited resources, and finding a vendor to replace two lights only is extremely difficult. See below for a photo of the streetscape with the in-ground lights intact, and the photo below, of one of the stolen lights. If anyone has any idea how this happened, please let us know.”
It is these quality of life crimes that make my blood boil.
Upsetting, but How old are they? Maybe they are a lot cheaper these days. And can’t you find a handy volunteer? I assume since they are solar powered there is no wiring involved.
It doesn’t have to be a crime or major disaster, it’s just plain wrong. They try to make our neighborhood better and this is what happens. Money is super tight these days especially in NYC. Hope they are able find a volunteer.
Business improvement district, I have to laugh. That’s Columbus avenue, you should have known better. The only thing you’re going to improve is the success rate of crime in the area. Quality of life crimes don’t exist, except for the quality of the person complaining. Money talks.
Yes – the crime in that area!
You should SEE what the racks at Eileen Fischer look like these days. It’s like a war zone.
You sir, are a fool.
Re: “The only thing you’re going to improve is the success rate of crime in the area.
Quality of life crimes don’t exist, except for the quality of the person complaining. Money talks”
HUH???? What the heck is this gibberish supposed to mean? Since WHEN is this stretch of Columbus Ave. a haven for crime?? Got any real statistics…or just paranoid fantasies?
The only complaints most often heard about Columbus Ave. is that it is too gentrified, expensive, fancy-shmancy, etc. Shake Shack is one block north of this area and Isabella’s is across the avenue.
Get real!
This is more than annoying – it is actual vandalism and petty theft. What possible use could anyone have for the stolen units? What’s next – a bench? a bush?
Hopefully some commercial entity will step forward and fix this.
It reminds me of the 1980s, when the city attempted to repair many of the broken benches in the parks and vandals literally ripped off and stole the slats. I have no clue what purpose a few pieces of wood would do for them. Plain vandalism. Giuliani had it right about putting an end to quality of life crimes.
And so it begins..would you New Yorkers please do me a favor. The next time there is an election, would you please put aside the sex obsessed 60’s hippy abortion, gay marriage and pot nonsense aside and vote for a Mayor and City Counsel based on the ability to keep our streets safe and clean so the Middle Class people who actually work and pay taxes will want to live here.
Actually, last I checked, one of the minimum requirements for even standing a chance of getting elected to any citywide office in these parts was being fully in-step with the Cultural Marxist agenda in at least such fundamental areas as the first two that you mentioned. (Thereby making any such candidate here a non-starter for traditionalist anachronisms like me.) This has been true for even the toughest law and order candidates, case-in-point being Rudolph Giuliani. One would have to go pretty far back to find an exception. As far as I can tell, formidable opposition to the abortion or “LGBTQ” lobbies has been practically non-existent in New York City (or at least in Manhattan and certainly on the UWS) for many years now.
Drug policy is another matter but even there, the overall trend tends to be toward liberalization.
Nah.
I know, just kidding, what was I thinking. We need pot so we will be to high to know how bad things are getting in the city.
I’m sorry, no offense meant, but what do you mean by all these pot references? I didn’t vote for DeBlasio and think he’s a clown, but I don’t know that he has anything to do with pot. There are a lot of libertarians (the Koch brothers for two) who believe in legalizing pot, but I don’t think this city council or mayor ran on that platform, did they?
Besides, the Middle Class aren’t welcome here anymore.
Why would those lights cost $600? You can get them for @$20 online. This might be a good time to retrofit them with cheaper lights and then spend what you saved on closed-circuit video to monitor that area.
Honestly, if it was up to me I would have this entire city setup with CCTV cameras outsourced for the NYPD.
Might want to reach out to Lowe’s. New to the community, seem to be itching for community outreach and exposure as witnessed by their opening event in conjunction with their block association.
Couldn’t hurt…
That is the most sensible idea that I have read on this blog in a long time. I am going to put that on their Facebook page.
agreed on so many levels!
I guess they didn’t want to walk down to Lowe’s.
This sort of damage makes me angry. I think the idea of asking Lowes is a great one.
Whoever did this should be ashamed. And arrested.
I just got a reply to my message on Facebook. They gave me a case number and asked me to reply to lowescares.com. I sent them a link to this story with a request to replace the two lights.
Here is the response I got from Lowe’s. Can we get in contact with the BID?
Good Evening Jeffrey,
Thank you for contacting me in regard to our new New York stores helping out with the replacement of sidewalk solar lights that were vandalized. What I can offer is the following information that may be helpful. I hope you are doing well today and we appreciate you thinking of Lowe’s for your Home Improvement and project needs.
Lowe’s is committed to giving back to the communities where we do business; please see the following link to view more information: http://responsibility.lowes.com/
There are some simple guidelines we ask our customers to follow when making requests for contributions or donations. Any organization seeking contribution of money or merchandise from Lowe’s must submit a written request to the Lowe’s Store Manager, who is the primary contact for charitable and community requests. (www.lowes.com/storelocator )
To ensure a timely reply, the written request must:
Be typed or printed on letterhead of the requesting charitable organization
Be accompanied by a copy of the organization’s IRS 501(c)(3) certificate
Contain a brief explanation of purpose of request
Specify the amount of the request
List the primary contact and the contact’s address and phone number
Specify the date the contribution is needed
Jeff, do you think that you might possibly circumvent all this red tape by contacting the 68th street Lowe’s directly — possibly coming in in person?
payments for slavery.
Thank you for all your comments. The Columbus Avenue BID, despite being in an upscale neighborhood, has a very small budget. Although it may seem obvious to replace our stolen lights with replacements from Lowe’s, there are several reasons why this won’t work. Our size is not standard, and holes are already in the sidewalk to accommodate the lights DOT chose for us three years ago. They must be commercial grade to withstand the wear and tear of being on a city sidewalk. The original company has gone out of business, so we are looking for the right solution. As all lights are a different “color,” we will likely have to replace all thirty of them. Please know that we are committed to keeping our streetscape block in beautiful condition.
Barbara, for a BID that has limited funding, your decision to replace all thirty lights seems pretty nuts.
Having worked on several civic projects in the past, it sounds to me that Columbus Avenue BID is being stolen from not once but twice. Simply replace the two missing lights, a difference in color is no reason to replace all thirty lights. I would suggest you work with Lowes and see if they can connect you with the right provider. Some of their providers have commercial products as well. They could be a powerful ally. DOT has not stepped up to help you out, you have to ask why?
It is in everyone’s interest to make this project a success. I also think cameras, especially in new installations, should be used.
I’m sorry to hear about this. It is a lovely renovation you’ve done on that block (although I always wondered why it was in front of a school on a busy busy street. I wouldn’t want to sit on a bench there myself…). but perhaps you can put grates on top of the lights to protect them from theft? It’s not the ideal solution, but one way to make sure they stay there.
I hope these criminals are caught. The UWS is a real neighborhood. This is not trivial; it affects all our lives.