By Joy Bergmann
Mark your kebabs calendar: Community Board 7 approved the 2016 street fair roster at its Tuesday night meeting.
George Zeppenfeldt-Cestero, co-chair of CB7’s Business & Consumer Issues Committee, said the number of UWS permits was the same as in prior years and that free space would be available to neighborhood non-profits in addition to net proceeds being donated to local charities. The Board is considering modifying how those proceeds get divvied up among sponsoring groups and other organizations. The first 20 percent of fair revenues goes directly to the City; organizers must also pay security and sanitation fees.
“The day after a fair is the cleanest these avenues ever are,” said Board member Andrew Albert, noting that UWS restaurant owners have told him that fairs improve business. “Their best days are festival days and Mother’s Day.”
Local resident Richard Barr expressed exasperation with fair-related traffic issues and homogeneity of offerings, “It’s the same vendors all the time,” he said. “I wish non-profits would think more creatively about fundraising instead of street fairs and souvlaki.”
Fair producer Mort Berkowitz of Mort & Ray said his group had canvassed local merchants in the past, offering free space. Only a handful of merchants accepted.
In other CB7 business:
- Gebhard’s Beer Culture got the go-ahead on its liquor license application, with stipulations that the craft beer emporium and restaurant seeking to open at 228 West 72nd Street, close by 2am daily, serve food, monitor smokers and install security cameras. Liquor licenses need to get final approval from the state liquor authority.
- Greenmarket/GrowNYC’s year-round Friday market on 97th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam is permitted to continue its operations through 2016.
I appreciate Richard Barr speaking his mind.
New street fair dates – best news of the New Year by far!! I was just thinking I needed some new 300 count sheets, tube socks, pictures of John Lennon in his New York City t-shirt, lemonade and grilled corn.
Very funny sarcasm Big Earl. You made me laugh out loud. But John Lennon in his NYC t-shirt
is still cool after all these years.
Per other WSR article, MTA planning to close some subway stations for months for repair.
Worth noting that street fairs mean street closures and impact bus service.
So theoretically, in some areas on some weekends, there won’t be subway access and due to street fair/street closing there won’t be access to bus service either and there will be more street congestion due to re-routed traffic….
2am daily? How the heck did that happen? Are the people that live above this place somehow better or more important than those that live above all the other bars that are open until 4am? Not to be a whiner, but I am really looking forward to this place and this just put a bit of a damper on it….
I agree. Sometimes it’s nice to have a late night drink and not be forced to leave arbitrarily at 2am. That block is usually pretty quiet at night and their is no noise that comes from the Emerald Inn that I have seen.
Conflict of Interest Alert!!
Andrew Albert is also the Executive Director of an organization that produces two street fairs on the UWS:
https://www.westmanhattanchamber.org/home.html
Another self-serving, duplicitous, sneak. WSR, are you going to expose this or just allow this blatant hijacking of your media?
Applications are open until 1/29/16 for those who would like to serve on CB7.
https://manhattanbp.nyc.gov/html/community-boards/community-boards.shtml