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August 9, 2012,
By Gregory Tumminia, General Manager, Gateway Plaza
I have been forwarded your e-mails and would like to provide what is accurate information in reference to sidewalk cleaning at and around Gateway Residential. Since May of 2012, we have increased sidewalk cleanings substantially from previous years. We are not on a five-day-a-week schedule but we try to clean sidewalks at least three days a week. As you can assume, the process is time consuming and requires additional labor.
This summer we have added additional labor to work on such items as sidewalk cleaning and other exterior maintenance. In addition we have purchased additional pressure washing equipment, added additional hose cocks to provide us with more access points to obtain water, and posted permanent signs throughout Ring Road in Gateway in reference to dog owners properly curbing their dogs. One piece of equipment that we have uses hot water in the pressure washing. That machine will be back on site next week. In addition, on a monthly basis, we post memos and distribute handouts to the Gateway tenants with different items pertaining to Gateway.
Over the past six months there has been a minimum of 8 handouts that made reference to dog etiquette. For the record, your comments yesterday as per your conversation with one of the Gateway employees was totally untrue. Be advised that the that particular worker just returned from a 3 month absence due to injury. He personally has not worked for three months but there are a number of other Gateway employees that have been assigned sidewalk cleaning and have completed the cleaning as per the frequencies mentioned above.
I agree that posting signage on South End Ave may help in addition to a possible uniformed presence of some sort at random times policing the area by Chase Bank and Café’ Express. We all know this is a Battery-Park-wide problem and not only in the front of Café’ Express. Being in the middle of the hottest summer on record, we feel that the conditions have been improved compared to previous years based on the increased frequencies of cleaning. We are willing to do our part and work with others to better improve this long standing issue. That being said, if there are no consequences for dog owners and dog walkers it is a difficult problem to eliminate.
Regards,
Gregory Tumminia
General Manager, Gateway Plaza
We agree
Editor
It may be a BPC problem, but the stench is not as strong in ANY other location in the neighborhood as it is here. Happy to hear action is finally being taken.
Agreed. The stench is rampant in many areas around Battery Park City. While I am unfamiliar with the specifics, in some places/cities there are designated areas allocated for this purpose. Water is a precious resource and needs to be used wisely. Cleaning after one’s own dog is the owner’s reesponsibility first. Everyone must do their part. Thanks for helping to raise awareness and keep our neighborhood clean.
Almost all Gateway dogs are relieved in front of Cafe Express/Chase, so obviously it is bad. Many owners take their dogs across the street, where the foot traffic is much lower, which is really so thoughtful. If those dog owners would use a little common sense and either takes their dogs to the east side of the street, or take their dogs to the curb, that high traffic sidewalk would be much cleaner. The sidewalk slopes so when someone lets their dog urinate at the top of the slope, it just runs the full length of the sidewalk, making it impossible to avoid stepping on urine. Maybe gateway can ask its residents to cross the street, and if their dog can’t wait, to at least take them to the edge of the sidewalk, which will at least ensure that hundreds of people do not have to walk on dog waste daily.
Agree
Editor