Arthur’s Finally Closes

Next week (November 7 to November 11), DOT approved street connections to underground utilities on Fifth Avenue and 13th street will continue. Superstructure work will continue at cellar, 1st, and 2nd floor levels. A sidewalk shed will be erected around the perimeter of the site.

The following week (November 14 to November 18), we will continue superstructure concrete and slabs. Street utility connection work will continue. A street crane will be moved into position on 13th street to place structural steel in the building.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, November 5th for superstructure related activities between the work hours of 9AM and 5PM as permitted by the City. To control noise levels within the site, work activities will be limited to the placement of formwork, plumbing and electrical work, and rebar for concrete placement and use of the crane and equipment to support all activities.

The NYPD 6th Precinct Community Council Meeting

will take place in-person Wednesday June 26^th, 7:00 PM

Location: Northwell Lenox Health Greenwich Village,

30 7^th Avenue at 13^th Street,

Conference Center Room 643

As part of the planned 2024 enhancements to our regular monthly meeting programs, this June meeting will include a panel of guest speakers from the NYC Department of Homeless Services and integral partner agencies: Chris Gonzalez, DSS Chief Strategy Officer, Kevin Perdomo, DHS Assistant Commissioner for Street Homeless Solutions, Tamara Felix, Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS) Community Outreach Coordinator. They will address the Homeless Crisis and how they are tackling this important issue in our neighborhood and what information our Community residents and businesses should know.

Join the leadership of the 6th Precinct, your neighbors and local businesses for an update on community affairs.  Take this opportunity to listen or to voice your thoughts in an open and informative session.  We encourage you to tell/bring a neighbor and be a part of your Community’s voice.

Coffee and treats to be provided by

Marie Blancère French Café & Bakery 301/303 6^th Ave., New York

Be sure to check out Num Pang, the tiny new Cambodian sandwich shop on 12th St. just around the corner from University Place. The sandwiches, prices around $7.50 are fresh, spicy, and unusual, very much like Vietnamese banh mi. Crowds have overwhelmed the place in its early days, and it’s been sold out a few times. Still, very much worth a visit, even if the prices are more than double what you would pay for something similar down in Chinatown.

On October 26, the owners of the upcoming Reyna restaurant, which is taking over the Le Midi space on 13th St., held an introductory Zoom call. Attendance was sparse, but it was interesting to hear their plans and to have the chance to voice concerns pre-emptively.

The restaurant will likely be open until 11 on weekdays and midnight on weekends. It is meant to be an upscale drinking/dining experience, not a noisy bar. They will also be using the Karaoke Cave space as a site for “French Karaoke” as well as sort of a holding space for people who may be waiting for a table (a problem Le Midi certainly never had).

They also plan to build a street-side dining shed, most of which will occupy the space now being used by Corkbuzz.

In general, they seemed quite eager to hear about any issues that nervous neighbors like us might have ahead of time, rather than deal with our anger later. They hope to open in the March/April time frame.

You can get an idea of what Reyna will be like by visiting the Web site for their two locations in Toronto:  www.barreyna.com 
If you have any questions, you can contact them directly:

Nicki at nicki@barreyna.com
Etienne at 646-421-4242.

Here’s the news: “The New York City Water Board voted on Friday morning to approve a 14.5 percent increase for water and sewer rates, the largest increase since 1992. When the new rate is in place on July 1, according to the city’s Independent Budget Office, water rates will have risen a cumulative 77 percent since 2001, and double-digit increases are expected to keep coming for at least a few more years.”

This is one of those uncontrollable costs that bedevil the co-op’s budget every year. The only thing we can do about it: use less water. We’ve already taken steps to examine our infrastructure and make sure we have discovered any sources of waste and leaks. Other than that, it’s all about less consumption.

Yum, a new French bakery on Broadway between 13th and 14th.