Farewell foe
Hudson River Park Trust board member Henry Stern never seemed to like Marc Ameruso leading the Trust’s advisory council. Once he accused Ameruso of espousing socialist views. Another time, Stern dismissed Ameruso’s rhetoric as lacking poetry, adding it paled in comparison to the words of Jane Jacobs, the Village’s late and legendary urban planning activist.
For his part, Ameruso mostly kept his cool — he challenged the socialist accusation, but he later said he was flattered even to be mentioned in the same sentence with Jacobs.
But it was Stern who was the first and one of the few Trust board members to thank Ameruso for his service last week. Ameruso, Community Board 1’s rep on the council, will be turning the reins over to John Lamb of C.B. 4 as Ameruso’s one-year term is about to expire.
Although he sometimes seemed to get on some Trust board members nerves, Ameruso was effective in engaging the board in dialogue. His simple strategy: Ask the board if they had any questions or comments about his points. Sometimes they did. And some on the board did like Ameruso’s input.
Suzanne Mattei, who usually sits in for Dept. of Envronmental Conservation commissioner Pete Grannis, defended Ameruso against the socialism charge. Last week she thanked Ameruso for bringing clarity to the park’s issues.
Auction
If you’re in the market for an autographed Beastie Boys keyboard or a trip to the Gucci fashion show in Milan, look no further. P.S. 234 is holding its Spring Auction Saturday from 6:30 to 11 p.m. and the hundreds of items up for bid range from pricey to priceless.
There literally is something for everyone at the auction. Sports fans can bid on a four-pack of Yankees tickets or a range of autographed sports memorabilia. Those who like jewelry will have options in gold, silver, pearl, sapphire, and, of course, diamond. There are children-centered items, like birthday parties and face painting, and plenty of things that would be more suitable to an adults-only night out, like private wine tastings and rare bottles of champagne.
Supporters of P.S. 234 who are seeking immortality can bid on one of the odder items: Author Mark Shulman, a 234 parent, is offering to name a character after one lucky bidder in his next book. The winner will get to decide if the character is good or evil.
Tickets are $25 in advance or $35 at the door. The auction is at P.S. 234, at 292 Greenwich St.
Greenmarket Vendors along Cedar St. nervously awaited the arrival of the Greenmarket this week, but the Greenmarket never came. The vendors were up in arms at the last Community Board 1 meeting, complaining that the Greenmarket’s tents left them with no place to do business last year. The board was sympathetic and urged the city to help the parties find a compromise.
The Greenmarket didn’t open April 1, as it was planning to, because C.B. 1’s approval came later than expected, said Michael Hurwitz, director of the greenmarket. The market now hopes to open April 15.
The Financial District Committee approved the Greenmarket early in March but the full board did not meet until March 25, which did not give the Greenmarket enough time, Hurwitz said.
Hurwitz was optimistic he’d be able to squeeze the vendors and Greenmarket into the block of Cedar St. between Trinity Place and Broadway, but Sean Basinski, director of the Street Vendor Project, said he hadn’t heard of that plan.
