The Downtown Alliance on Monday honored six Lower Manhattan civic leaders with its Exceptional Service Award, which recognizes local luminaries for their contributions to quality of life Downtown.
This year’s recipients include the New York Police Department’s Deputy Inspector Mark Iocco and Sergeant Dennis Feldman, both assigned to the First Precinct, in Tribeca. NYPD Deputy Inspector Iocco is the commanding officer of that station house, and has grown the squad of officers assigned to duty around the State Island Ferry Terminal from two to six, while also expanding the patrol area to include Battery Park and Bowling Green. Sergeant Feldman oversees the Staten Island Ferry Terminal unit, where he has focused on enforcement on vendors and ticket sellers.
Also honored was Milton Eng, general superintendent of City’s Department of Sanitation. He has overseen a partnership with the Alliance that has supported local recycling efforts. This collaboration has included another honoree, Joseph Palazzola, project manager at the City’s Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Palazzola has been a key player not only in the Alliance’s efforts to pick up of tons of garbage from Lower Manhattan Streets every year, but has also worked with the organization on the rollout of 176 “Big Belly” solar-powered trash containers throughout the neighborhood. These units crush garbage using a compactor driven by a battery that is kept charged with a photovoltaic panel. Compacting the trash in this way means that the container has to be emptied only one-fifth as frequently as conventional trash cans, which results in lower costs and less pollution.
Another Exceptional Service Award recipient was Stephen Friedman, the president of Pace University, who is slated to retire later this year. During his tenure, Mr. Friedman began the project of revitalizing and redesigning Pace’s campus, while also serving on the boards of the Alliance, the National Museum of the American Indian, and New York Downtown Hospital.
Finally, the Alliance also honored John Haworth, former director of public programs for the National Museum of the American Indian. Before his recent retirement, Mr. Haworth was a passionate advocate not only for the Smithsonian’s Lower Manhattan outpost, but for museums and cultural institutions in Lower Manhattan generally.
Alliance president Jessica Lappin said at the Monday ceremony, “Lower Manhattan is thriving right now, thanks in large part to these extraordinary recipients and their hard work and passion for our community. From providing public safety and sanitation to enriching our cultural lives and educating the next generation of New Yorkers, they are a dedicated and remarkable group.”
The mission of the Downtown Alliance is to enhance Lower Manhattan for businesses, residents and visitors. The organization also provides local security and trash pickup, as well as operating the business improvement district, or BID, that covers the area south of Chambers Street. Among the services provided by the Alliance that Lower Manhattan residents especially prize is the Downtown Connection shuttle, which ferries passengers (free of charge) between more than 30 local stops that link residential areas with business and shopping districts, as part of a partnership with the Battery Park City Authority.