General Theological Seminary: Bad Neighbor
Observed by freshness on Wed, Sep 03 2008
GTS, you've blocked the bike lanes on West 20th and West 21st Street for weeks now with your construction project. Problem is, you only have permits to block the sidewalks, not the bike lanes. This morning your foreman parked his white Saab in the bike lane on West 20th, where you simultaneously and illegally took delivery of a load of dirt. Dirt should be unloaded on your site, not in the bike lane. Those who practice and teach future theologians should first look in their own backyard by exploring the ethical dilemmas of a large construction project that illegally and unfairly absorbs public space designed to allow carbon-neutral bicyclists a safe commute. By the way, I earlier watched one of your contractors explode at a delicatessen owner on Ninth Avenue at 6:55 am and demand the owner sell him chewing tobacco at a price way below what it sells for; this guy in a blue bandanna verbally abused the hard-working store owner with numerous profanities. Last week I observed two contractors smoking on the site 15 feet behind the "no smoking on this site" sign. Time to clean up your act, GTS:
1. Contractors who drive need to find LEGAL parking spaces just like normal humans
2. Take deliveries inside, not outside your construction site
3. Move all your orange-and-white striped barriers OUT of the bike lanes
4. Practice the ethical values you teach your seminary students by having an admirable construction site
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Posted on Tue, Oct 28 2008 at 10:03 PM
Freshness: Just so you know, the General Theological sold the space between the eastern third of 20th and 21st Street to the mega-developer Brodsky, for a 99 year lease. So I am afraid the ship has long ago sailed on offering advice to those who should, by their own spiritual and teaching avocations, be the ethical center of the community, but are in fact a an organization whose administration seems to be incapable of ever telling the truth to its neighbors, let alone serve as role models of ethical, neighborly behavior. They sold half their property for 99 years to a greedy developer so the super rich can have nice view of the Empire State Building, and on the other side, they converted much of their historic building campus to a hefty profit-making jllegal hotel, flagrantly in violation of the law, and of their own agreement with the city to only rent rooms for ecumenical conference purposes. So don't expect these fine folks to give a hoot about a bunch of bike riders, or most anyone else who exists outside their ivory tower. They are too busily engaged in their good, theological work, oh - and also turning West Chelsea into the upper east side.
Posted on Thu, Oct 30 2008 at 10:37 AM
At least the developer has now posted "construction in bike lane—proceed with caution" signs.