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Feb. 10, 2009

Welcome to the Broadsheet DAILY,

a bulletin of information about Downtown news, people and events that lands in your Inbox from
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Terese Loeb Kreuzer
 Broadsheet Daily Editor

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Evan Simko-Bednarski


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Today's Weather:  High: 49�. Low: 45�. Chance of rain.

Pier A seeks tenants
National Park Service bows out

Pier A

Poems and old photos around Pier A decorate a landmark in search of a future. (Photo: Robert Simko)

The National Park Service has dropped the idea of relocating the ferry operations that serve Ellis and Liberty Islands to the historic Pier A that the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) is restoring, and the Authority is inviting members of the Lower Manhattan community to suggest how best to use the space.

"The Park Service has abandoned the idea," BPCA vice president Leticia Remauro explained at the Feb. 3 meeting of Community Board 1's Battery Park City Committee. "We've hired a retail consultant to help us figure out what kind of business would work best there." The consultant, Jeanne Giordano, oversaw the renovation of the once-blighted Grand Central Terminal into a vibrant, upscale destination in the 1990s, and more recently worked on Times Square and the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. "While she develops a plan," Ms. Remauro continued, "we are continuing to talk with all the proper agencies for permits to do the work that will be necessary to get the structure in a a condition to have a tenant in there." She noted that some underwater structural rehabilitation work has begun, and said "you'll be seeing work on the core, the shell and the pier deck in the near future."

BPC Committee member Jeff Mihoc questioned whether "a certain percentage of the pier's space, a modest amount, can be set aside for non-profit organizations and community groups." Ms. Remauro explained that the BPCA's mandate from the City's Economic Development Corporation (from whom the Authority has a long-term lease on the pier) "is to generate jobs and generate tax dollars."

She added that the BPCA's mission for Pier A does include a public service component, in the form of open space. "We want the plaza and the exterior deck always to be be kept open, to give people access to the water," she said.

But Ms. Remauro didn't rule out the possibility of other public-service uses for Pier A, and urged "anybody who has an idea for a use or a tenant to contact me." Speaking later to the Broadsheet, Ms. Remauro asked that suggestions be sent to her via e-mail at [email protected]

Separately, on Monday, the BPCA began posting historic photos of Pier A and other "environmental graphics" on the outside of the construction fence that surrounds the site. Images depicting the Pier and the Hudson River since 1884 are juxtaposed with poetry and writings that are meant to evoke the essence of New York City in the 124 years since the pier was built, and tell the story of the historic site in visual form. BPCA chairman James Gill told the Broadsheet that "Pier A is a true gem at the tip of New York. This historical display will provide passersby with a better understanding of the pier's history and the beauty it will be returned to upon completion of the restoration."

Ms. Remauro added, "this is a way to begin providing a public amenity. We wanted at least to have an aesthetically pleasing facade for the construction site while work is continuing."

- Matthew Fenton


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Letters to the editor
West Street

Albany and West Streets

West and Albany Streets: Slowed down by a suitcase and shopping bags, two people make it part way across the West Street/Albany intersection where Marilyn Feng was killed on Saturday as the light changes from "Walk" to "Don't Walk." (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

To the editor:
(Re "Battery Park City resident killed on West Street," Broadsheet DAILY, Feb. 9): This is so so sad. West Street needs strong police supervision for drunks and speeding cars at night. They need to have random drunk driving tests and ticket speeders. It is a war on West Street. People talk about congestion pricing! Give me a break. West Street is a freeway. The number of cars going over 35 mph would amaze you. - Bob Townley

To the editor:
I cross here every morning and evening and it is a nightmare.  I am a very fast walker and I have problems getting across before the light changes.

Another real danger there is when you are actually waiting to cross (going east), the cars coming south on West Street are so close to the edge of the road on the right, someone could easily get knocked down if they are not really looking north.

I am not surprised there has been a death there. - Eileen Sheffield

To the editor:

 My daughter and I power walk along West Street and the Hudson River and we hardly ever have been able to cross any West Street intersection - even with the light on our side - without  it quickly flashing STOP, leaving us stranded midway clinging to the cement island or making a mad dash before the cars begin to race by.  Those in wheelchairs or parents with small children must be at double or triple risk.
 
Even when we have the time to cross, we still fear for our lives from the cars making left- or right-hand turns, who show no inclination not to hit us despite our having the right of way.
 
Now we have a tragic, tragic death.  Will this bring about some thoughtful analysis? Some careful second look from the DOT? Sad to say,  I doubt it.  After 30 years downtown,  I have absolutely no faith in the Department of Transportation responding  to neighborhood feedback (whether it's poorly placed or badly designed bike paths, longtime requests for a Greenwich/Duane Street traffic light, or badly timed red lights).
 
I truly hope I'm wrong. I doubt it. - Jean Grillo

From the editor:
Actually, there are two Departments of Transportation - one run by the City and the other by the State. The City would have jurisdiction over a proposed traffic light at Greenwich and Duane Street, for instance, but the State DOT has jurisdiction over Route 9A - aka West Street.

Adam Levine, Public Information Officer for the State DOT, yesterday told the Broadsheet, "I know that our project staff walks the intersections just about every day to make sure that they're safe and to make sure that people can get across. I know that some improvements were made at that particular intersection [Albany and West Street] just to make sure that pedestrians could get across." He added that additional opportunities for improvements would be discussed in the next few days.

"I do understand that people get frustrated with bureaucracies, but I know that the Route 9A project has open lines of communication with the Community Boards, so it certainly did not take a tragedy like this to get our attention."

Mr. Levine said that he gets phone calls from the community all the time. "If any issues come up with the project, we are well known in the area. Everyone has the phone numbers for the press office," he said.

Mr. Levine said that he was surprised at complaints about poorly timed red lights. "That's the first I've heard of that particular complaint," he said. He also said that if people couldn't make it all the way across the highway, they had a "refuge" because the highway is divided. "They can stop in the middle," he observed.

Then he admitted, regarding the brief time available to pedestrians to cross the highway, that he himself had been obliged to wait in the middle of West Street for the light to change again.  "In fact, I've spent quite a few times crossing that [intersection], so I know what you're talking about," he said, "but I also recognize that there is that capability for a refuge."

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Calendar of events
Feb. 10-11

Tuesday, Feb. 10


Undercurrents & Exchange at the Winter Garden, World Financial Center
Undercurrents & Exchange is a month-long engagement with the employees and visitors of the World Financial Center. During February, artists will present a new dance every workday during the lunch hour, unearthing the hidden, interpersonal undercurrents of our daily routines. Each short dance will be a world unto itself but also accumulate meaning over the course of the month as the performances reveal the often veiled, but perpetually possible connections within the transitional spaces of the Winter Garden. Coupled with the performances are four displays located throughout the WFC that further explore hidden and improbable pairings. By Zach Morris and Tom Pearson, also featuring choreography by Marissa Nielsen-Pincus and Tara O'Con. Through Feb. 27. Free. 1 p.m.-1:10 p.m. Winter Garden. 212-945-5050. www.worldfinancialcenter.com

Animation Celebration, Part 1 at the Museum of the American Indian
Short, animated films by Native directors in the United States and Canada. Through March 1. Free. 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. (and 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays). Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, One Bowling Green. 212-514-3716. www.americanindian.si.edu
 

Talks on Globetrotting: The Concierge's Travel Tips
Andrew Mersmann shares tips to help you stretch your vacation satisfaction in a tough economy and discusses smart traveling trends, including the increasingly popular "staycation" - stay-at-home vacation. $16. 12 p.m.-1 p.m. 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. 212-601-1000. www.92YTribeca.org/daytime

Pen Parentis After-Work Reading Series at the Libertine restaurant, Gild Hall Hotel
Lower Manhattan authors read from their work. Tonight hear Darin Strauss, the author of the international bestseller "Chang and Eng" and "The Real McCoy." Also hear Michael Dahlie, who will read from "A Gentleman's Guide to Graceful Living," his first novel. He is also a popular YA writer under the name Michael Simmons. Free. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Libertine restaurant, Gild Hall Hotel, 15 Gold St. (at Platt). 212-501-2031

Jazz on Film: The Art of the Jazz Singer at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center
This is a film retrospective focusing on the performing arts such as jazz, dance or musical theatre, curated by Krin Gabbard. What is the difference between a pop singer and a jazz singer? We'll look at new as well as classic footage of the great performers who were true jazz artists as well as singers. Billie Holiday, Betty Carter, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Anita O'Day, and Louis Armstrong will be featured along with other singers who have defined the art of the jazz song. Free. 7:30 p.m. Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers St. 212-220-1460. www.tribecapac.org
 
doorman and dogs at 15broad
Life on Broad Street. (Photo: Robert Simko)

Wednesday, Feb. 11


Marathon Reading of 'Bartleby the Scrivener' at the South Street Seaport Museum
Join us for an afternoon with Herman Melville's story about the man who "would prefer not to." $5. 2 p.m. Bowne & Co., Stationers, 211 Water St. 212-748-8786 www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org

The Ethicist at the Museum of Jewish Heritage
Join New York Times columnist Randy Cohen for a conversation about his unique job. Cohen will discuss the process of responding to ethical dilemmas. Are those letters real?  Does he ever get one wrong? (Or, depending on your perspective, right?) Here's your chance to pose your own ethical dilemma or comment. Come prepared! $10, $7, $5. 7 p.m. Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Place. 646-437-4337. www.mjhnyc.com

Speaking of Food: Swearing by the Flavor Bible at 92YTribeca
Great cooking means knowing how to season ingredients to coax the greatest possible flavor from them. Drawing on the experiences of dozens of chefs across the country, authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg discuss some guidelines for working with compatible flavors, to create new dishes or cocktails. $16. 12 p.m.-1 p.m. 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. 212-601-1000.
www.92YTribeca.org/daytime
 
Music and Talk: Noisemakers featuring Questlove with Peter Rosenberg at 92YTribeca
Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg hosts a night of music and conversation featuring famed hip-hop musician, journalist and producer Questlove, drummer for the legendary crew The Roots. DJ Quiz will be spinning throughout the night, and jazz hip-hop fusion band Igmar Thomas and The Cypher will also perform, paying tribute to Questlove's music. $15. Doors open at 7 p.m. 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. 212-601-1000. www.92YTribeca.org/talk
 
Fillm: You're Doing it Wrong: Creative Misuse of Technology at 92YTribeca
Dorkbot presents a selection of short videos featuring inappropriate, inadvisable and occasionally disastrous creative uses of technology. Live performances include Jeremy Bailey: SOS, who will show off his latest ill-conceived homebrew software, and The Draftmasters and Daniel Iglesia, who create music using old electro-mechanical pen plotters while video of what they're drawing is turned into anaglyphic 3D and projected on screen. 3-D glasses provided! $10. 8 p.m. 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. 212-601-1000. www.92YTribeca.org/film


Cadence
Downtown bulletin board
Hearing on the redevelopment of Pier 57; Tribeca 'Meet and Greet'; School information; Taste of Tribeca, Ballroom Dancing

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING on Feb. 12:
Pier 57 in Hudson River Park

Please take notice that the Hudson River Park Trust ("Trust"), in conjunction with the Hudson River Park Advisory Council and Manhattan Community Board 4, will hold a Public Meeting and Hearing regarding the proposals for the redevelopment of Pier 57.

TIME:
5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.: Informal Display of Proposals
6:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: Introductions and Overview
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Presentations by Development Teams
7:30 p.m.: Start of Public Hearing

PLACE: Hudson Guild Auditorium at Fulton Center
119 Ninth Ave. between 17th-18th Streets

Proposals for the redevelopment of Pier 57, which is generally located on the Hudson River between 14th and 16th Streets, were received in response to a Request for Proposals ("RFP") initiated by the Trust in June 2008. Responses were received on Oct. 17, 2008 and are posted on the Trust's Web site: www.hudsonriverpark.org. A copy of the RFP, along with a description of the Pier 57 selection process to date, is also available on the Trust's Web site. Written comments may be submitted to the Hudson River Park Trust through April 14, 2009. Comments should be sent to Noreen Doyle, Hudson River Park Trust, Pier 40, 353 West St. at West Houston Street, New York, NY 10014. Comments may also be emailed to [email protected] through April 14, 2009. The Pier 57 Public Hearing is being conducted in compliance with
the requirements of the Hudson River Park Act with respect to significant actions.

Tribeca 'Meet and Greet' on Feb. 10 at Calypso

The monthly Tribeca "Meet and Greet" gathering will take place on Feb. 10 at Calypso, 137 West Broadway.
 
The informal gathering takes place in a Tribeca business, with "a little wine and lots of good cheer," according to David Cleaver, organizer of the events. "Stop by Tuesday, Feb. 10, anytime between 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.," he writes. "As an added treat (and just in time for Valentine's Day) Calypso will be doing a special Mimosa Package Give Away with a candle, lotion and EDT spray so bring your business cards to drop in the bowl."
 
For those who have not attended a Tribeca "Meet and Greet," Mr. Cleaver explains that "we have been meeting in a different Tribeca restaurant or business about once a month. We've been able to exchange some ideas, do some networking and have a drink with the neighbors. Just drop by and chat for a while. Some people show up for the full evening, some just drop by to say hello. The important thing is to make an appearance."
 
The event is not just for Tribeca residents. "I would also like to make a special invitation to our neighbors over in Battery Park City," Mr. Cleaver says. "Please come and share your concerns, needs and ideas."
 
Upcoming Meet and Greets will be at The Palm Tribeca on Wednesday, March 11 and at Soho Photo Gallery and 92YTribeca in future months.

For more information, contact David Cleaver, BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St., 212-220-1459.

School information sessions for parents of incoming kindergarten students

As a follow-up to a recent Open House at the Tweed Courthouse where two kindergarten programs will be housed in the fall, Assemblyman Sheldon Silver's office has set up additional information sessions for Downtown parents whose children will start school in September.

During these sessions, parents will be able to meet with the principals of the two schools (PS 276 and the Spruce Street School) and Department of Education staff who can answer questions about the schools and the application process.
 
The sessions are scheduled as follows:
Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Manhattan Youth Community Center, 120 Warren St.
Thursday, Feb. 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Tweed Courthouse, 52 Chambers St.
Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Tweed Courthouse, 52 Chambers St.
Thursday, Feb. 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Manhattan Youth Community Center, 120 Warren St.
 
In addition, Speaker Silver's staff is available to answer questions about the new schools.  Call 212-312-1420 or e-mail [email protected] for additional information.

taste of tribeca

The Taste of Tribeca  (Photo:Robert Simko)



Taste of Tribeca seeks volunteers

Taste of Tribeca is an annual spring fundraiser for PS 150 and PS 234, this year on May 16. The PS 150 contingent is looking for volunteers as follows:

Public Relations/Media Committee. Volunteering for this committee does not require any in-person meetings. All you need is a few hours to volunteer, a phone and a PC. To join this committee, e-mail Neeta Vallab at [email protected]

Marketing Materials Coordinator. Seeking someone with a graphic background to help create  materials (such as newspaper ads or backpack flyers) in partnership with Taste of Tribeca designers. This person will help the Taste Co-Chairs and PR team to maintain consistency in  look and feel especially when communicating with the community.  Must be available Thursday mornings for meetings. Contact Wendy Chapman or Sarah Reetz

Volunteer Coordinator at PS 150. PS 150 needs a Day of the Event Volunteer Scheduler/Coordinator.  This person must be detail oriented and outgoing. You will work with parent volunteers and your counterpart at PS 234 to line up the 350 jobs that we need to fill on May 16. E-mail Lisa Gilroy for more information.

For more information about Taste of Tribeca, go to www.tasteoftribeca.org/

Ballroom dance class (for beginners)
Led by 'Doctor Dance' and sponsored by Mosaic Manhattan Church.
Thursdays, 7-8:30p.m. February 19 through April 23 in the PS 89 cafeteria.
$195 per couple. To register or ask questions call Gregg at 646-335-3342 or [email protected]

Ciao Bow Wow
CB1 meetings tonight and tomorrow
Seaport/Civic Center; Tribeca Committees

The Seaport/Civic Center Committee meets tonight, Feb. 10.

The agenda includes consideration of a Summer Vessel Liquor License for Nautical Gourmet Inc. vessel "Clipper City" at the South Street Seaport - Pier 17. The committee will also hear a request for a special permit to operate a physical culture establishment at 125 Fulton St. Several liquor licenses up for renewal, upgrade or transfer will also be discussed.

PLACE: Community Board 1 office, 49-51 Chambers St., Room 709
TIME: 6 p.m.
All are welcome to attend. Bring photo ID to enter the building.

Combined Tribeca and Seaport/Civic Center Committees meet tomorrow night, Feb. 11.

The agenda includes street permit applications affecting Lafayette Street between Walker and Leonard Streets; Church Street between Canal and Franklin Streets;  Greenwich Street between Hubert and Chambers Streets; and Duane Street between Greenwich and Hudson Streets.

The committee will also discuss 11 Hubert St.'s application for authorization pursuant to section 111-02 of the Zoning Resolution to allow conversion from office and storage use to residential use on the second and third floors and a proposed street co-naming  of the southeast corner of Canal Street and Cortland Alley for Dr. Thomas Tam by the Chinatown Health Clinic Foundation. Several liquor license applications will also be considered.

PLACE: Community Board 1 office, 49-51 Chambers St., Room 709
TIME: 6 p.m.
All are welcome to attend. Bring photo ID to enter the building.

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