Here Are The UWS 'Winners' Of The Worst Scaffolding Awards

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — It was a tough competition, but the scaffolding on the sidewalk outside of 51 West 86th Street — which has been there since 2006, with its metal poles and dark green-painted wood — has officially won the "honor" of being voted the worst overall scaffolding shed on the West Side.

The distinction was announced at the "Sheddies," a mock awards ceremony hosted by State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Micah Lasher, in front of the longstanding structure on Thursday, to bring attention to the scaffolding structures which have overstayed their welcome and blighted the neighborhood.

According to the officials, West Siders nominated more than 100 other sidewalk sheds, but the shed outside of 51 West 86th Street was nominated the most times. The shed also won for the residential category.

“Like so many New Yorkers, I simply hate sidewalk sheds, and have watched despondently as they’ve grown like weeds on the West Side," Lasher said. "Many of these sheds stay up way longer than necessary, and our neighborhood is darker and dirtier as a result."

As part of the ceremony, the two elected officials introduced the RESTORE (Reducing Excess Scaffolding and Timely Ongoing Repair Efforts) Act to address unwanted, unnecessary scaffolding across the city by creating a property tax abatement to reward landlords for the removal of sidewalk sheds and timely completion of building facade repairs, as well as a property tax penalty for failure to remove a shed within 18 months of installation.

"The RESTORE Act is meant to get sidewalk sheds removed more quickly by providing tax benefits to building owners who plan ahead and get work done efficiently, and by imposing penalties when sheds stay up for absurdly long periods of time," Lasher said.

Under the new legislation, if a property owner removes associated sidewalk sheds within four months of installation, they will be eligible for an abatement equal to 50 percent of their property tax burden or 50 percent of the cost of the project, whichever is less.

But, under the new legislation, if a property owner fails to remove the shed within 18 months, they will be subject to a penalty equal to 10 percent of property taxes due on the property, plus two percent for each additional month.

"With over 100 submissions to our Sheddies campaign, West Siders have made it clear that they have had enough of ugly scaffolding covering their buildings," Hoylman-Sigal said.

And now, without further ado... Put your hands together for this year's awardees:

Worst Shed on the West Side, Commercial: 698-700 Amsterdam Avenue

Worst Shed on the West Side, Residential: 51 West 86th Street

Worst Shed on the West Side, Public Facility: 148 West 78th Street (PS87)

Worst Shed, Hell’s Kitchen: 450 West 41st Street

Longest Standing Shed on the West Side: - West Park Presbyterian Church - 165 West 86th Street

Worst Shed on the West Side, Overall: 51 West 86th Street

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.