City Manager Chuck Strome has responded to City Council Member Richard St. Paul’s declaration of war of the New Rochelle train station bathrooms by directing George Ranione of the Development department to rip down a notice posted on one of the bathroom doors. Yesterday, St. Paul posted a notice encouraging those unhappy with the decision to close the bathroom to contact Strome and attend a public hearing on February 8th at City Hall.
Standard Parking, which has a contract to maintain the bathrooms, is still cleaning them each day. Use of the bathrooms is limited to those with keys, which includes several people who work in the building.
The New Rochelle Potty Wars continue to get media coverage. The topic was a hot subject on WVOX all week. The Journals News has written about it and Channel 2 and Channel 12 have done stories.
St. Paul has been leading the call to re-open the bathrooms. The train station is in his Council district.
New Rochelle to re-open station bathroom
Council member Richard St. Paul has posted signs on the shuttered facilities saying that he’s “directed” City Manager Charles Strome III to include a discussion of the issue in the agenda for the council’s Feb. 8 meeting.
“You’re waiting for Amtrak or Metro-North, you should have a place to relieve yourself,” St. Paul, a Republican whose district includes the station, said Friday afternoon.
St. Paul says he was not notified of the decision to close the bathrooms. City Manager Chuck Strome says he notified all members of Council in a memo date December 29th and that the bathroom was closed on January 15th, giving St. Paul and other members of Council ample time to make their objections known. Metro-North says they were notified by the City of the intention to close the bathrooms a month earlier, on December 1st at which time Council Members were informed that staff was “considering” closing the bathrooms. St. Paul says he first learned of the closing at a town hall meeting held at Trinity School a week ago Wednesday when he received a question from a resident.
bathrooms
Give me a break already! These bathrooms are a horror and they always have being. How much money does the city need to spend on them. If you get a so called bathroom attendant you need two one lady one man so that’s out. You have people hanging out at the station all night long you no longer can move them along thanks to our courts. The city mgr. did the right move and now everyone is crying foul. To damn bad!! Move on already or maybe we can have metro-north add a bathroom fee on all tickets bought in New Rochelle? Then you will see how much pressure is put on to close them.
Restrooms
Our tax money is paying for this station. What right has the city manager to take down a notice put up by Councilmen St. Paul to let the citizens know that a meeting is scheduled for Feb.8 to discuss this matter.
What else is the city hiding? What we need now is a strong mayor. City management type of government is not working. Why are we allowing someone we do not vote for have so much power?
Also, the train station has signs stating no loitering. Why is this not being enforced?
Why is the city manager saying we will be loosing police and firemen because of the restrooms, that is an insult to the police and firemen. Will he next blame the city workers and unions?
Let’s see if I understand: NR
Let’s see if I understand: NR has a fancy intermodal center, an historic train station, and luxury high rise buildings but it can’t supply people with two public restrooms.
What’s wrong with this picture.
City Manager
Dec. 1-City Officials notified Metro North of intention to close rest rooms.
Dec.15-Representatives of Metro North urge city officials not to close rest rooms.
Dec. 29-City Manager sends a memo to members of council that rest rooms will be closed. Did all members receive this memo?
What is missing is what the citizens of New Rochelle want. Our tax money is paying for cleaning, etc. Who are the city officials? Is our city manager representing the city? Did I vote for him?
We should be thanking Mr. St.Paul for being his own person and taking action and standing up for the citizens of New Rochelle. Perhaps Mr. Strome should learn from this and start doing his job.
Another example of malfeasance
This is another glaring example of the administration’s malfeasance concerning real estate. The simple solution would be to include bathroom maintenance and repair in all tenant leases of the train station who benefit from restroom availability.
It’s not a matter of quality of life, it’s a matter of commonly accepted practices by landlords. The City leaves much to be desired when negotiating with developers and tenants that’s why there is a possibility of 6 firefighters being terminated in June if New Rochelle does not receive the Safer Grant!
Potty wars
Have to love the City Managers management skills. Get another employee
to take the sign down. I don’t think he wants to show his face at the
station.