For breaking news, go to www.DowntownPostNYC.com.

All ads in Downtown Post NYC have clickable links. Click on an ad for more information.

"Mapping New York City's First 38 Landmarks," Curbed.com, 1/15/15. "In April of 1965, Mayor Robert F. Wagner signed into law legislation that would give way to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, an entity that has diligently served to protect the city's historically significant structures - or, depending on how it's looked at, thwart new development - since its formation," says Curbed.com. "In the 50 years since its founding, the LPC has ruled on thousands of buildings and historic districts; in its first year alone it designated 38 structures and the Brooklyn Heights Historic District." Curbed.com looks back at "the landmarking decisions the commission made immediately following one of the city's great losses: the demolition of Penn Station." Interestingly - but not surprisingly - 13 of the 38 landmarks designated in the LPC's first year were in Lower Manhattan. They included Castle Clinton, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Federal Hall National Monument, the National City Bank Building, Fraunces Tavern, India House, the J.P. Morgan Building, the James Watson House, the John Street United Methodist Church, the New York County Lawyers' Association, the old New York Evening Post building (on Vesey Street), the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House (now occupied by the National Museum of the American Indian), and St. Peter's Church. For the complete article, click here.

"Envisioned for Decades, a Revival of a Manhattan Pier Is Complete," New York Times, 1/14/15. "Battery Park City was supposed to have obliterated the picturesque Pier A at the tip of Manhattan, whose clock tower - pealing the time in ship's bells - is believed to have been the first permanent World War I memorial erected in the United States," says The New York Times. "Instead, the Battery Park City Authority wound up rehabilitating the structure as part of a 25-year deal with Peter Poulakakos, a prominent downtown restaurateur. Now, for the first time in many years, the public is welcome on the pier. Less than 300 feet out on the water, it feels as if you are in the middle of New York Harbor, aboard a vessel with a keel of solid granite that has been anchored in bedrock for 130 years." For the complete article, click here.

"Proposal to Eliminate Overnight PATH Service Dropped," Wall Street Journal, 1/14/15. "Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials have dropped a proposal to eliminate overnight PATH service," says the Wall Street Journal. "In a letter released by New Jersey Democrats, Port Authority Chair John Degnan wrote that the proposal to replace overnight PATH service with buses had been tabled, and any further discussions of the proposed service reduction would only be done with 'detailed study' and consultation with local officials. Mr. Degnan confirmed Wednesday morning the cuts weren't being considered at this time, and never moved beyond the concept phase." For the complete article, click here.

I just wanted to tell you how much I loved your coverage of the Audubon cruise, including the excellent pictures of the long-tailed ducks, the great blue heron, and the seals. In addition to having the smartest coverage of the serious issues downtown, you continue to enlarge our sense of New York waterways as an awesome environment, so easily taken for granted.

Caroline Miller

To the editor:
You got some wonderful pictures on the Audubon boat tour the other day. The seals at the water line and the birds moving fast seemed hard to get, but it was a pleasure seeing them on your Downtown Post yesterday. Thanks for sharing them.

Joyce Gold

Downtown bulletin board

Community Board applications: Manhattan has 12 community boards, each with 50 volunteer members who serve staggered two-year terms. Community boards represent their neighborhoods on issues such as development, land use, historic preservation, liquor license applications and quality of life. The Office of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer is currently accepting applications for Manhattan Community Board membership. This year, for the first time, 16- and 17-year-olds are eligible to join community boards. There will be a community board information session just for teens on Friday, Jan. 23, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building Mezzanine, 1 Centre St., North Entrance. Registration is required at teenboards.eventbrite.com.
All applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2015. For more information and to apply, click here.
 
Tribeca Greenmarket news: "We have two new farmers for the winter months," says Jay Ledoux, manager of the Tribeca Greenmarket at Greenwich and Chambers Streets. "American Seafood provides fresh, wild-caught fish and shellfish from Suffolk County, N.Y.," he says. "Jersey Farm, who our Wednesday shoppers will know well, has now started coming on Saturdays. They bring pesticide-free kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, onions, carrots, beets and turnips. Aside from these two, not a lot has changed at the market. We still have two apple producers, chicken, pork, beef, lamb, duck, turkey, dairy, eggs and plenty of baked goods to choose from. We still collect compost and textiles for recycling from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m." The Tribeca Greenmarket is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, click here.

Lower Manhattan Shop Dine Guide (and location of public restrooms): The 2015 edition of the Lower Manhattan guide to shopping and dining published by the Alliance for Downtown New York has been mailed to many Lower Manhattan residents and is also available by request from the Downtown Alliance's website. The guide is packed with useful information including, among other things, the location of public restrooms. These are located at 60 Wall St. in the atrium; in the Battery Park City library at 175 North End Ave.; in Castle Clinton National Monument in historic Battery Park; at Federal Hall National Monument, 26 Wall St.; at the New Amsterdam Library, 9 Murray St.; in the Solaire on the periphery of Teardrop Park, 20 River Terrace; in the Staten Island Ferry Terminal at South and Whitehall Streets; and in Wagner Park in Battery Park City. For information about how to order the free guide, click here.

Electronics recycling: As of this year (2015) it is illegal to discard electronics in the trash. New York City apartment buildings are eligible to participate in a program that provides them with a free service to pick up and recycle unwanted electronics. Click here for more information. Alternatively, electronics can be dropped off at Goodwill, the Salvation Army, Best Buy, Staples (no TVs) or the Lower East Side Ecology Center. For more information, click here. Working electronics can be donated for reuse at the New York City Stuff Exchange. For more information, click here.

Christmas tree heaven: Through Jan. 26, the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy is collecting Christmas trees to turn into compost. Battery Park City residents are invited to bring their trees (minus all decorations and stands) to their street corner where BPCPC staff will pick them up daily. Trees will then be taken to Esplanade Plaza to be fed through a chipper.

"Recycling your tree is a great way to help your community by reducing waste, lowering carbon emissions and helping to keep the plants healthy," says the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy on its website. For more information about the tree chipping program, click here. For more information about BPCPC's sustainable composting practices, click here.