May 7, 2015, MWA Waterfront Conference: "Preserving 'Blue Collar' Jobs at the Working Waterfront" was the title of this particular conference panel. Left to right: moderator Chris Ward, MWA Chair; Kevin S. Corbett, AECOM; Hon. Jerrold Nadler, U.S. House of Representatives (blocked by camera); Clay Maitland, International Registries; Capt. Anthony DiLernia, Kingsborough Community College; Hon. Carlos Menchaca, NYC Council.
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WITH HUNDREDS IN ATTENDANCE, #MWACONFERENCE2015 ECLIPSES EXPECTATIONS
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MWA's 2015 Waterfront Conference -- Shaping Your 21st Century Waterfront -- exceeded all expectations on May 7, as more than 600 waterfront advocates, policy-makers, professionals, and journalists walked the gangplank onto the Hornblower Infinity and spent the day exchanging ideas. Below are just a few highlights: NYC Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez Calls for West Side Ferry Service
As conference panelists discussed how to knit Mayor de Blasio's five-borough ferry service plan into the city's existing transit network, NYC Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez took the opportunity to rise from his seat and call for new West Side ferry service. "My plan for the Dyckman ferry stop is not only to have a West Side ferry, but to connect farmers to Washington Heights and Inwood," he elucidated later that morning in a Facebook post. Heroes of the Harbor Lauded
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Ellen Polivy, co-chair and organizer of the Roosevelt Island Community Coalition, accepts a Hero of the Harbor award from MWA Board Member Steve Wilson.
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Every year at the Waterfront Conference we honor those who have contributed to the revitalization of the waterfront. This year we singled out ferry service activists. Those accepting the traditional Heroes of the Harbor ring buoys included Laura Deckelman on behalf of Rockaway United, Joe Hartigan, June Johnson on behalf of Brooklyn Community Board 10, Nancy Key on behalf of Bronx Community Board 9's Ferry Service Committee, Ellen Polivy on behalf of the Roosevelt Island Community Coalition, and the Hon. Ydanis Rodriguez.
Flanked by MWA board members Steve Wilson and Kathy Robb, Nancy Key accepts the Hero of the Harbor award on behalf of Bronx Community Board 9's Ferry Service Committee.
ARCADIS Says Sign Us Up for 2016!
The premier sponsor of this year's Waterfront Conference was ARCADIS, an international engineering and design firm. Delighted by the buzz leading up to, during, and after the conference, ARCADIS representatives committed enthusiastically at this year's conference to sponsor next year's conference.
"We were overjoyed by the standing-room only participation at the 2015 annual Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Conference and are pleased to maintain our commitment as the primary sponsor for next year," said Peter Glus, city executive in New York City for ARCADIS. "The presentations and breakout sessions are instrumental in bringing the city's best minds together and understanding the complexities of building a sustainable New York City with a resilient coastline, harbor, and waterfront." MWA Unveils its New Logo
The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance will become the Waterfront Alliance this summer when we roll out our new brand, including a stellar new website and WaterWire design. During the conference's welcoming remarks, board chairman Chris Ward announced the exciting news, and president and CEO Roland Lewis and board members offered a peek at the elegant lines of the organization's new logo when they unfurled a large banner. At the end of the day, attendees left with tote bags sporting the new logo, offering the rest of the world a glimpse of what is still to come. Stay tuned for the launch of our new website in mid-June and join us at City of Water Day on July 18 for the official roll-out of our new brand.
Great Media Coverage
| MWA Chairman Chris Ward is interviewed on WNBC. |
Reporters and bloggers love the annual Waterfront Conference. Teeming with waterfront news, stories, and ideas -- and VIPs in close proximity to nab for comments -- the conference each year spawns a rich array of media hits. Here are highlights of this year's coverage: May 6, WNBC: MWA Chair Chris WardMay 6, AdaptNY: Resiliency Front-and-Center for NY's Metropolitan Waterfront AllianceMay 7, WNBC: West Side Ferry ProposalMay 8, UR New York News: City-Wide Ferry Service for New Yorkers Starting in 2017May 12, Next City: How a Bigger Ferry System Fits Into NYC Public TransitWhat a great day it was! View photographs of the Waterfront Conference on Flickr, and views videos of the conference on Youtube:
Additional panel videos will be uploaded shortly. Please check our YouTube channel for updates. _____________________________________________________
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SOUTH STREET SEAPORT MUSEUM LAUNCHES NEW SEASON
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The 2015 season of the South Street Seaport Museum begins May 18 with the opening of a new exhibition, Seaport Stories, which coincides with the start of a weeklong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, during which South Street Seaport Museum and Schermerhorn Row are featured landmarks. On May 21 at 12:30pm, the public is invited to join museum staff at Pier 15 to bid farewell to the Wavertree, a cargo ship built in 1885 and crown jewel of the Museum's fleet. Wavertree will leave for Cadell Dry Dock to undergo a major stabilization and restoration project. The 130-year-old ship, built of riveted wrought iron, is archetypal of the sailing cargo ships of the latter half of the 19th century that lined South Street and gave it the moniker "the Street of Ships." The Wavetree's $10.6 million stabilization and restoration project "is a key part of South Street Seaport Museum's plan to revitalize the Lower Manhattan waterfront and highlight the meaningful historic connections of this important part of New York," wrote museum executive director Jonathan Boulware in an email to supporters. Two days later, on May 23, the historic Pioneer commences its sailing schedule for the 2015 season. More upcoming events at the Seaport Museum include workshops at Bowne Printers, a theatrical production from Naked Angels, and a free concert by the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra. _____________________________________________________
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INWOOD COMMUNITY STEPS UP TO CARE FOR ITS COVE
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Every now and then an individual will come forward to take on a big project. One person to plan and obsess. One person who decides he just might have to break the rules in order to go forward. One person to lead the way.
| Jim Cataldi watches a flock of birds at North Cove on May 9, 2015. |
A couple years ago, Jim Cataldi made the cleanup of a small cove on the Harlem River his project. Alone, trespassing behind a parking lot near the intersection of 207th Street and Ninth Avenue, he made his way down to the water nearly every day, picking endless shards of glass from the polluted wetland, concerned for the waterfowl who touched down on the mud flats. Today, Mr. Cataldi continues to clean North Cove, but now he has civic partners and the attention of elected officials. Most important, the Inwood community has joined him to care for this beautiful little curve of shoreline. On May 9, the Manhattan Wetlands and Wildlife Association (Mr. Cataldi's organization) in partnership with Conservancy North, hosted one of the many Riverkeeper Sweep waterfront cleanups. While the point, of course, was to clean North Cove, there were oyster farming and citizen science exhibits, a barbecue lunch donated by a neighborhood business, and a couple of bands to encourage dancing after the work was done. More than 50 people arrived ready to muck around, and hundreds more came later to dance. MTA workers provided a large dumpster, which they helped fill with, literally, tons of debris. With his small daughter next to him and staff members nearby, NYC Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez rolled up his sleeves and got his hands dirty. Holding onto his daughter, NYC Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez takes a break from cleaning North Cove to chat with Jim Cataldi.Roger Meyer of Conservancy North, another trailblazer who seeks a healthier, more accessible waterfront for all (see recent WaterWire story), helped plan the event and participated in the cleanup. He noted with pleasure "the growing confluence of care coming from all different types of people." "[It was] a great day for the cove and the community, made possible by a truly unique set of partnerships," said Dan Shapley, water quality control manager for Riverkeeper. Top photo by Adam Stoltman, bottom two photos by Kerrie Sansky.
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WATERFRONT NEWSLINKS
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Defending and Building New York for Over 200 Years "...New York became a great city because of its harbor," explained John Boule, retired colonel of the United States Army..." UR New York News, May 15, 2015
Unsinkable Red Hook: Brooklyn's Forgotten Waterfront May Finally Be Getting Some Love "...A one-square-mile, shark-fin peninsula bounded by the Gowanus Canal to the south and Buttermilk Channel to the north-everything about the place has a raffish ring to it-Red Hook was a core economic engine of the city for several centuries after Dutch settlers in the 1600s first named it Roode Hoek..." New York Observer, May 13, 2015
Huge Great White Shark Swimming Toward New York "..."If she continues on the path, there's a good possibility she'll pass by New York," said Chris Berger, President of OCEARCH, which tracks the shark via an interactive online map..." New York Post, May 10, 2015
Nuclear Plant Owners to Clean Up Oil Spill in Hudson River "The owners of Indian Point are planning to clean up several thousand gallons of oil that potentially spilled into the Hudson River after a Saturday night transformer explosion and fire..." USA Today, May 10, 2015
'Living dock' Seeks to Aid Struggling species "...Members of the Newtown Creek Alliance say they built the dock so struggling species like shrimp and oysters could have a new place to grow...." News 12 Brooklyn, May 6, 2015 ______________________________________________________________________________________
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