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That's right - my man Moses Fried is once again in my (figurative) cross-hairs.
Today I called Melissa at Salvati Architects, the firm hired by Fried to do the build-out at 205 Parkside. I explained that community members are understandably ticked off that there seems to be no work being done. I met Melissa last October at Community Board headquarters, and back then she seemed confident that Fried was in a hurry to finish his SRO/Long-Stay-Hotel project. Today she sounded a different note - she has no idea when Fried plans to resume work, and suspects that it could take some time (forever?) before he puts resources into fixing it up.
I'm beginning to think the time for patience is through. It's time to start calling 311 like crazy - each complaint (supposedly) has to be investigated. The building is unsafe, has a number of squatters, has unused scaffolding and should be deemed condemned or worse. We may need to call another Community Board meeting to discuss options - but please, if you're looking to be a neighborhood hero, call 311 and complain about the building. They'll probably give you to the Department of Buildings, who have jurisdiction over both public and private buildings. If you're not a convert to 311, times a-wastin'!
Also, Monday night's meeting was a step in the right direction for Rudy and his Parkside Project. Interested residents met at State Senator Eric Adams' office, and after Rudy's slick slide presentation, the conversation centered on a whole host of issues related to the sad state of affairs on Parkside. I'll have more to say on the issue as things progress, but for now Rudy's focus is on getting together the resources and partners to make the Parkside Project CONTEST a reality. By posting a $1,000 (or so) prize for best re-envisioning of the block, The PP hopes to inspire and kickstart meaningful change in both the public and private aspects of the WORLD'S MOST POORLY UTILIZED PIECE OF PARKSIDE PROPERTY. Maybe Detroit has worse, I wouldn't know, but if you've been fortunate enough to travel to the any of the world's great urban centers, you'll concur wholeheartedly. Our hometrain's block needs a serious nip 'n' tuck.
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