Party down for new line!
THE INVITES for the inaugural Second Ave. subway ride on New Year’s Eve credit a cadre of cultural institutions — including The Met and the Mets — that are thrilled the new Q line is about to roll but have nothing to do with the project or the party as hosts.
The invitations to the subterranean soiree that Gov. Cuomo and his partner, Sandra Lee, are hosting, along with MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast and his wife, Christine, include a “host committee” of 18 high-profile organizations — a mix of unions, museums and business groups — that Cuomo hopes will help him ring in 2017.
But the committee never made a single group decision or even held a meeting. It’s actually more of an honored guests list that includes the Central Park Conservancy, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Mets.
The organizations lent their names to the event but did not contribute financially or to the planning of the New Year’s Eve bash, according to Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi.
“These are all organizations that have had an interest in the project over the years, and we’re proud to have them join us at this event,” Azzopardi said.
The invitation — “You’ve Waited ... Now Come Celebrate!” it reads — says the subway shindig will run Saturday from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. The celebratory inaugural ride on the new Q will leave the 72nd St. station at 10:30 p.m.
Fare-paying members of the public will have to wait for their debut rides until all four stations officially open Sunday at noon — with limited service the first week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Though the celebration Saturday night honors a transportation achievement that took 96 years to make a reality, some top names at the groups listed on the host committee will be missing the party of the (last) century.
The leadership at the Building and Construction Trades Council, including its president, Gary LaBarbera, won’t be there, though a spokesman said that the union was invited to join the committee because its members “built the Second Ave. subway.”
The Central Park Conservancy is also on the host committee, but CEO Doug Blonsky’s attendance has not been confirmed, according to the group’s spokesman. Blonsky, though, in a statement cheered for the opening of the subway.
“It will allow greater access to the north end of Central Park, where people can experience the beauty of less-frequented landscapes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mayor de Blasio is confirmed for the event, but his transportation commissioner and MTA board member Polly Trottenberg likely won’t because she’ll be out of town, according to a Transportation Department spokesman.
Joe Lhota, who was chairman and CEO of the MTA in 2012, confirmed he’ll be in attendance, calling the opening of new subway stations “a momentous occasion.”