Monday Bulletin: Squatter Won’t Leave UWS Condo; Men Climb Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument; Coveted UWS Housing Lottery Nears Close; Remembering a Longtime UWSer

Monday, August 26, 2024
Sunny. High 86 degrees.

It looks like another nice week of weather, but temperatures will get back into the low 90s on Wednesday.

Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.

Monday is Women’s Equality Day.

In 1971, West Side member of Congress and lifelong advocate for women’s rights Bella Abzug introduced a bill designating August 26th as Women’s Equality Day. Councilmember Gale Brewer’s office will be honoring the day with tables placed throughout the Upper West Side offering free vintage suffrage buttons, information about important upcoming election dates, voter registration help, and details on the New York State Equal Rights Amendment, which will be on the ballot this November.

The tables will be at the following outdoor locations on Monday from noon to 2 p.m.

• Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center: 250 West 65th Street
• National Council of Jewish Women: 241 West 72nd Street
• Verdi Square Park: 72 Street and Broadway
• Brewer’s District Office: 563 Columbus Avenue (between 87th and 88th streets)
• Goddard Riverside: 593 Columbus Avenue (between 88th and 89th streets)
• 96th Street Subway Station: 96th Street and Broadway
• 104th Street and Broadway

Upper West Side News
By Gus Saltonstall

An accused serial squatter is refusing to leave an Upper West Side couple’s apartment, after what was only supposed to be a short stay, according to a new lawsuit and as first reported by the New York Post.

Nancy Hament and Richard Scarola agreed to allow Celeste Champoux, who was a friend of a friend, to stay in their apartment at West 81st Street and Columbus Avenue for a short time, before she was then expected to move to Hawaii, according to the suit. But, more than a year after Champoux first moved in, she is still there.

The couple sued Champoux last week, along with the friend who introduced them, in an effort to get the woman to leave their apartment. Champoux has also been sued two other times in the last decade in relation to eviction proceedings.

Champoux’s lawyer pushed back in the Post against the suit, calling the couple “nasty.”

You can read the full story — HERE.

Your eyes were not deceiving you if earlier this week you spotted workers rappelling up and down the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Riverside Park near West 89th Street.

Workers going up and down the 20,000-square-foot monument were spotted on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of last week.

In January 2023, $62.3 million in funding was awarded for the complete restoration of the monument, along with providing ADA accessibility to all exterior levels. The site has been closed to the public since 2017, when inspectors found water drainage issues. The longtime New York City landmark has not had a major restoration since 1962.

This May, the first design renderings for the restored monument were presented to Community Board 7, but the final design won’t be completed until next summer, and the project as a whole has an estimated end date of 2027.

The project remains in the design assessment period.

You can see the new design and read more about the project — HERE.

You have until Tuesday to send an application in for a housing lottery at 165 West 80th Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues.

The price of the apartments, just a short walk from Central Park? $173,000 to $184,000.

As West Side Rag reported when the lottery for the apartments went live at the beginning of July, to qualify you need to make 120 percent of the area median income (AMI), which ranges from $73,319 to $149,160.

Lottery winners will then have the option to purchase the units at $173,801 to $184,990, with a monthly payment in the range of $994 to $1,003.

There are only two apartments still available, down from the 17 at the beginning of the process, a studio and a one-bedroom.

You can find more of the details on how to apply — HERE.

We end Monday Bulletin with a tribute. Longtime Upper West Sider Thomas E. Siracuse passed away last month at the age of 86. He had told his family that he would like his obituary posted in an Upper West Side newspaper, and his friends recommended the Rag.

So, we will do exactly that.

As submitted by the family:

Thomas E. Siracuse, a revered educator and civic leader, passed away on July 6, 2024, at the age of 86. A longtime resident of the West Side, Tom lived in the same apartment on W. 74th Street for 60 years, becoming a beloved neighborhood figure. He was born in New York City on June 22, 1938, to Frank Thomas Siracuse and Agnes Elvira Martinson. Tom spent his formative years in New Haven and Milford, Connecticut, and graduated from Milford High School in 1956.

Following high school, Mr. Siracuse served honorably in the United States Navy and later in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica. Fluent in Spanish and Italian, he pursued higher education at the University of Connecticut in Storrs and Columbia University in New York City. His dedication to education was evident throughout his career, during which he taught English as a second language at George Washington High School until his retirement in 1996. Even in retirement, he continued teaching at Hostos College and Manhattan Community College.

Outside the classroom, Tom was an avid traveler, exploring North America, Europe, North Africa, and South America. His travels enriched his teaching and broadened his worldview, which he shared generously with those around him.

Tom’s commitment to social justice and environmental advocacy was reflected in his active involvement with the United Federation of Teachers and his leadership roles within the Manhattan Green Party. He even ran for office, standing as a candidate for both the New York City Council and the state legislature.

He is survived by his beloved family, dear friends, and many associates. Donations in his memory will be directed to the Broadway Mall Adopt-a-Bench Association, fulfilling his wish to have a nameplate placed on his favorite bench. For mailing instructions, please contact Connie at conmla@msn.com.

Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here.