News and stories about the waterways of
New York and New Jersey, from the
Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance

MAY 16, 2015

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.

CONTENTS
WITH HUNDREDS IN ATTENDANCE,
#MWACONFERENCE2015 conference2015ECLIPSES EXPECTATIONS
 
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
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.
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 Ward
May 6, AdaptNY: Resiliency Front-and-Center for NY's Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance
May 7, WNBC: West Side Ferry Proposal
May 8, UR New York News: City-Wide Ferry Service for New Yorkers Starting in 2017
May 12, Next City: How a Bigger Ferry System Fits Into NYC Public Transit

What 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.
_____________________________________________________ 
SOUTH STREET SEAPORT SSSM
MUSEUM LAUNCHES NEW SEASON 
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.
_____________________________________________________ 
INWOOD COMMUNITY cataldi       
STEPS UP TO CARE FOR ITS COVE 
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.

______________________________________________________ 

BY & LARGE
 galaxy
MWA Board Members
in the News
 
Christopher Ward, chairman of the board of trustees of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, has been named AECOM's new Senior Vice President for the New York Region and the East Coast.

John Atkins and Global Terminals of Bayonne have won this year's World Trade Week's International Trade Global Logistics  Award.

"The MWA galaxy of stars continues to shine!" says MWA president and CEO Roland Lewis.
_______________________
breakwater
Gov. Cuomo Kicks Off Staten Island's Living Breakwaters Project  
Governor Cuomo officially launched the $60 million Living Breakwaters design for coastal resilience on April 30, saying "This project will make Staten Island the model for resiliency and innovation, using state-of-the-art techniques to keep communities safer and better prepared for the next extreme weather event."

Created by SCAPE/Landscape Architecture and multiple partners, this design is one of the winners of last year's federal Rebuild By Design
competition. The plan is based around a series of in-water concrete and recycled glass barriers off Staten Island's South Shore that will lessen the force of damaging waves while providing new marine habitat. The barriers will be seeded with oysters, which will form new reefs that will physically expand the breakwater over time while filtering pollutants from harbor waters.

One of SCAPE's collaborators is the Billion Oyster Project (BOP), a project of the New York Harbor School. BOP Director Pete Malinowski said, "At the Billion Oyster Project, we are thrilled to see this effort get underway. The Living Breakwaters mark an important shift in the way we think about coastal armament. These breakwaters will not only reduce wave heights and protect our shores but will also serve as a refuge for dozens of local species and a platform for engaging local school children in the science and history of New York Harbor.

Over the next few weeks, vessels will be mapping the underwater surface, sampling sediment, and identifying obstructions. Reports will be compiled in early June and shared with the public through a newly formed Citizen's Advisory Committee (CAC). Apply online to join the CAC. 
__________________________
 gatewaynat
Sen. Schumer Urges Funding for Better Access to Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area is a farflung 26,000-acre national park that comprises Sandy Hook, New Jersey; Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Fort Tilden, and Riis Park in Queens; Floyd Bennett Field and Canarsie Pier in Brooklyn; and Great Kills Park, Miller Field, and Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. Visited by more than seven million people each year, Gateway still remains largely isolated from its urban surroundings. Senator Charles Schumer is trying to change that.

Sen. Schumer is urging the Department of the Interior (DOI) to work with the MTA and NYC to create a plan that would link existing subway stops with new bus routes to better connect with the national park. He is also asking the DOI to expand access to Gateway for after school programs and youth groups.

Separately, the National Park Service is proposing to rehabilitate the historic Art Deco Riis Bathhouse (on the Rockaway beach and part of Gateway National Recreation Area) to incorporate flow-through design, including roll-up doors on the beach pavilion, in an effort to make it more resilient to storm surge and sea-level rise.

The bathhouse was damaged nearly three years ago during Hurricane Sandy. Since the bathhouse complex cannot be returned to its historic state, the rehabilitation is subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which "requires federal agencies to consider the effects of their actions on historic properties." The public may comment online until May 27.
 _________________________
exxon
Convenient Way to Comment on Gov. Christie's Deal with Exxon
Environmental damage caused through the decades by Exxon in northern New Jersey has been estimated to total $8.9 billion -- and yet Governor Christie recently proposed a settlement of $225 million, just three percent of the cost. "Even more crooked," posts NY/NJ Baykeeper, "is that only the first $50 million out of the $225 million proposed settlement would go towards site restoration due to appropriation language the Christie administration inserted in the FY2014-15 budget. Monies exceeding the initial $50 million would go into New Jersey's General Fund to be used for any purpose."

Before this deal can be finalized, it must go through a public comment process. Join Baykeeper in demanding that Gov. Christie's proposed settlement be rejected.
Add your comments to the docket.
__________________________
lilac
Lilac Steamship to Host Art Series
The Lilac Preservation Project and MW Projects are launching Lilac Arts Series, a contemporary art exhibition with events and activities aboard the historic ship Lilac.

The free art exhibitions and accompanying events will take place between May 19 and August 15, 2015 and will focus on three themes: Steam, Work + Labor and Restoration/Reinvention. The exhibition will feature the work of over 25 artists tucked into the ship's unique spaces, including several site-specific installations.  Performances, artist talks, film screenings, readings, community activities and educational events will accompany the exhibition.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Lilac was built in 1933 and is America's only surviving steam-powered lighthouse tender. The Lilac is currently being restored as a unique vehicle for maritime education and community activities and is berthed at Hudson River Park's Pier 25.
________________________

shoutout
ALLIANCE PARTNER SHOUT-OUT
Expanding every week, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is more than a coalition; it's a force. We are ferry captains, shipping executives, park directors, scientists, sailors, paddlers, swimmers, teachers, urban planners, and architects. Together, we advocate for the best possible waterfront in the best possible city, a waterfront that is clean and accessible to all, with a robust maritime workforce and efficient, affordable waterborne transportation. Join us! Contact Louis Kleinman.

MEET MWA PARTNERS 
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Providing strategic consulting, planning, engineering, and program and construction management services.
Passaic River Boat Club
Bringing recreational boating back to the Passaic River.
Pier 66 Maritime
Former car float now used as a public access pier at the foot of West 26th Street in Hudson River Park.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Conceiving, building, operating and maintaining infrastructure critical to the New York/New Jersey region's trade and transportation network.
___________________________

EVENTS

 

May 20   

Fleet Week Parade 

New York Harbor and Hudson River. Check website for time. 

     


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
______________________________________________________________________________________