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Outside Whole Foods in Tribeca on Tuesday, Dec. 16, a man and a woman were collecting signatures on a petition. They said it was to support the "historic Seaport district." I asked them if it was for the historic preservation of the Seaport and if they had a brochure. The man handed me one and I said, 'But this is for the Howard Hughes Corporation and the new tower they want to put up and not for historic Seaport preservation!' He took the brochure back and walked away from me. When I asked why he was not telling people that this was for the HHC plan, he said he didn't have any information and turned to the next person. I went over to the woman and asked her for a brochure to take with me.

My husband met me a half hour later and also was told the petition was to support the "historic Seaport." He asked if it was to preserve the historic area and was told "the Seaport is historic and this petition is to support it." When he asked who sponsored the petition, the woman said she didn't know and had no other information. This was clearly a lie as she had the brochures hidden.

I do not know the law but I do know the workers were misrepresenting the contents of the petition and refusing to let signers read the details in the brochure - all definitely unethical.

When HHC presents and grandly announces that they have so many supporters, it will be part of a sham as the people they employed were misleading the public. Most, if not all, who signed that petition did so under false pretenses.

T. Meltzer

We welcome letters to the editor. Email them to editor@downtownpostnyc.com. We reserve the right to edit them for clarity and length.

In the 12/17/14 issue of Downtown Post NYC, we published some statements from members of the public regarding The Howard Hughes Corporation's development proposals for the South Street Seaport. If any additional Downtown Post NYC readers want to share their comments to Community Board 1 for publication here, email them to editor@downtownpostnyc.com.

"Court ruling helps Mitchell-Lama owners take complex private without paying tax," Daily News, 12/17/14. "It just got more profitable for owners of some of the city's subsidized apartments to bail on a successful affordable housing program," says the Daily News. "A state court ruled Wednesday that coop owners at a Coney Island complex don't have to pay a city tax levied when they took their 1960s-era buildings out of the Mitchell-Lama program in 2007. The state Court of Appeals ruling saves the 1,600 apartment owners $21 million - but will have far-reaching consequences for the 70,000 remaining Mitchell-Lama coop units in the city." One of those directly affected will be Southbridge Towers, a 1,651-unit Mitchell-Lama co-op in the South Street Seaport, which voted in September to privatize. The Daily News article quoted Stuart Saft, an attorney for the Southbridge Towers co-op owners, as saying, "Residents will be dancing in the street." For the complete article, click here.
 
"Troubled Chinatown bus service to resume trips to Boston," New York Post, 12/17/14. "The dirt-cheap but dangerous Chinatown bus service to Boston that was shut down by the feds is set to come back early next year," says the New York Post. "The lawyer for troubled bus line Fung Wah, Alex Linzer, said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had restored its operating authority."  For the complete article, click here.

"Mideast buyer grabs second hotel in a year," Crain's New York Business, 12/17/14. "The Bahrain-based investment group that purchased the Four Seasons Hotel in lower Manhattan earlier this year has struck again, snapping up a second hostelry in the neighborhood for nearly $150 million," says Crain's New York Business. "The Premier Group has purchased 170 Broadway, a 111-year-old, 18-story building that was recently converted from office use into a 228-room Marriott Residence Inn scheduled to open its doors in January." For the complete article, click here.

"Mondrian Soho headed for the auction block," The Real Deal, 12/17/14. "The Mondrian Soho - the trendy, 270-room hotel in Tribeca frequented by A-listers - is going to be auctioned off," says The Real Deal. "Following foreclosure proceedings launched in January 2013 by lender German American Capital Corporation, the hotel will be sold at a sale scheduled for January 7, 2015, according to court records." For the complete article, click here.

"She Really Likes It Here: How 'Annie' Wound Up at the World Trade Center," The New York Times, 12/17/14. "The contemporary version of 'Annie,' the 1982 film about a precocious orphan, opens nationwide on Friday with Quvenzhan� Wallis in the title role and Jamie Foxx playing Will Stacks, the man who gives her a home," says The New York Times. "Like Oliver Warbucks before him, Stacks is a successful businessman, but his residence is nothing like Warbucks's 130-room Versailles-inspired limestone palace in the first film. Instead he lives in a power penthouse with 360-degree views of Manhattan. Marcia Hinds, the film's production designer, created the set on the 47th floor of the glass office tower at 4 World Trade Center - while it was still under construction. She recently explained to a reporter how her team managed to pull that off." For the complete article, click here.

"Larry Silverstein Feels 'Pretty Damn Good' About Downtown," Commercial Observer, 12/17/14. "Few people can sit in their office, crane their head slightly, and point out the window to the nearby skyscrapers they own. Larry Silverstein can," says Commercial Observer. "The 83-year-old chairman of Silverstein Properties and master leaseholder and developer of the World Trade Center site invited Commercial Observer into his office on the 38th floor of 7 World Trade Center, motioning both in the direction of the existing and rising towers on the Trade Center site and the almost-topped out condo and Four Seasons hotel by Robert A.M. Stern at 30 Park Place. 'It's exciting as hell,' Mr. Silverstein said with his signature enthusiasm." For the complete article, click here.

"Trinity Place Development Site Could Sprout This Tower," Curbed.com, 12/17/14. "Here's a blast from the past: the former Syms store at 42 Trinity Place - once described as 'comically depressing' - is being shopped around as a development site that could potentially birth the FXFOWLE-designed tower rendered above," says Curbed.com. "But no matter what rises, it will be better than the fugly bunker that currently exists." For the complete article, click here.

"Urban Muse buys FiDi development site for $52M," The Real Deal, 12/16/14. "Glauco Lolli-Ghetti's Urban Muse bought 1 Beekman Street on the border of Tribeca and the Financial District for $52 million, according to property records filed with the city today," says The Real Deal. "This is the first trade of the development site in more than 40 years. Two low-rise buildings, together totaling roughly 25,000 square feet, currently occupy the location, also known as 33-34 Park Row." For the complete article, click here.

Downtown bulletin board

Community Board seeks new members: Community Board 1 has been much in the news lately because of the negotiations with The Howard Hughes Corporation over South Street Seaport development. CB1 is one of 12 community boards in Manhattan. Each is composed of 50 volunteer members serving staggered two-year terms. For anyone wishing to serve on the community board, now is the time to apply.

Planning and reviewing land use applications such as those affecting the South Street Seaport are among a community board's most important responsibilities, but community boards are also responsible for monitoring the delivery of city services such as sanitation and street maintenance and for making recommendations for each year's city budget.

Community Board 1 has played a major role in advocating for more school seats, for monitoring the incessant construction in Lower Manhattan with its attendant problems, and for making recommendations to the Landmarks Preservation Commission on proposed changes affecting Lower Manhattan's many historic buildings.

Community Board members are officially appointed by the Manhattan Borough President. Half of the board members are selected unilaterally by the Borough President, and half with the nomination of the City Council members who represent the district. In Community District 1, that would be Councilmember Margaret Chin.

The Borough President must ensure adequate representation from different geographic neighborhoods in the district and must consider whether each community's constituencies are represented.

Applications to serve on the community board must be received at the Manhattan Borough President's office before 5 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2015 or postmarked with that date. The address is Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer, ATT: Paola Liriano, 1 Centre St. South, 19th floor, New York, NY 10007.

For more information, and to apply, click here.

Battery Park City CERT: The Battery Park City Emergency Response Team (CERT) will offer a new series of training classes starting on Monday, Jan. 5. The BPC CERT was the first FEMA-trained team in New York City and now has more than 500 trained responders.

The CERT team is seeking new members who are interested in learning important skills to help in an emergency. The 10-week course covers subjects such as search and rescue, fire suppression, medical triage and first aid, traffic and crowd control, radio communication and more.

Each class meets for three hours once a week. Classes are held in the Community Room at West Thames Street and the esplanade starting at 6:30 p.m.

If interested in participating, call Sidney Baumgarten at (212) 432-2428 or email him at sidbaumgarten@aol.com.

Boot Camp: The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy is offering Boot Camp fitness classes, one in the morning from 6:15 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. and the other, in the evening from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both are taught by Alan Courtenay, a Certified Personal Trainer and weight management coach. Classes are for all fitness levels. They utilize bands, ropes, ladders, trx, viper and kettle-bells. The morning sessions meet on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 River Terrace. The evening sessions meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Community Center at Stuyvesant High School. Fee: $176 for eight sessions (discounted to $150 for members of the Community Center who attend the evening sessions). For more information and to register, call (212) 267-9700, ext. 363 or email registration@bpcparks.org.

Lifeguard certification training: Teens can sign up now for American Red Cross Lifeguard Certification Training sponsored by the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy. The 40-hour course meets New York State Health Department standards for lifeguards and includes CPR/AED and first-aid skills. This would qualify a graduate of the course to prevent and respond to aquatic emergencies at swimming pools, open water and non-surf facilities. The course takes place at the Community Center at Stuyvesant High School, 345 Chambers St., on Saturdays from Jan. 10 to Feb. 7, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The fee for the course is $425; $400 (Community Center members. Youth memberships cost $75.) Applicants must be at least 15 years old by Jan. 10, 2015. For other requirements and for more information call (646) 210-4292 or click here.