BroadsheetDAILY June 10, 2019

Cuomo Announces List of Possible Locations in Battery Park City for Hurricane Maria Memorial

Governor Andrew Cuomo at Sunday’s Puerto Rican Day Parade, where he announced that six sites within Battery Park City are being considered for a memorial to Hurricane Maria, which claimed more than 3,000 lives in Puerto Rico in 2017.

At Sunday’s Puerto Rican Day Parade, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that his administration is pushing ahead with plans for a memorial to Hurricane Maria — the cataclysmic storm that claimed more than 3,000 lives in Puerto Rico in September, 2017 — which will be located in Battery Park City.

At the parade, Mr. Cuomo said, “we are setting up a Commission that is going to commemorate Hurricane Maria and the victims. And this September, which is the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, they will announce the winning design for that memorial and where it’s going to be in Battery Park City.”

This was the first visible headway on the project since Mr. Cuomo made a similar announcement last September, on the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria. But there appears to have been movement behind the scenes in the intervening nine months. Mr. Cuomo’s office also announced Sunday that his administration has narrowed the potential sites for such a memorial within Battery Park City down to six possibilities.

These include two sites within parks and four sites surrounding North Cove Marina. The park locations are the northern Esplanade, just west of Stuyvesant High School, and the sliver of Wagner Park immediately adjacent to the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

The locations bordering North Cove Marina include the northern and southern edges of the yacht harbor, as well as the Belvedere Plaza (between the Marina and the ferry terminal) and the Esplanade Plaza, near the current location of the volleyball court.

This list of potential locations appears to have been developed without the participation of local leaders, such as members of Community Board 1 (CB1), which has not publicly discussed the matter since enacting a resolution last December, calling upon the Governor to set up, “a process [of] communication and transparency with the community prior to the placement of any new memorials in Battery Park City — or anywhere else in Lower Manhattan.”

North Cove Marina, where four of the locations for a possible Hurricane Maria monument are situated.

At the meeting during which this resolution was ratified, Tammy Meltzer, chair of CB1’s Battery Park City Committee, noted that, “Lower Manhattan has a higher density of memorials than anywhere else in five boroughs of New York City, with nine in Battery Park City alone.”

Tammy Meltzer

Within the community, these include memorials to the Holocaust, Ireland’s Great Famine, New York City police officers, the Berlin Wall, and rescue efforts by Battery Park City Authority employees during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as well as a tribute to employees to the American Express Corporation who perished on that day. Nearby, in the Financial District and surrounding neighborhoods, there are dozens more, including monuments to slavery, nearly every war from the American Revolution to Viet Nam, and the sinking of the Titanic.

Battery Park City activists and leaders have a record of opposing plans for additional memorials that they believed conflicted with the interests of the community. These include successfully derailing proposals to locate two relics of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 with the community: the so-called “Survivors Staircase” (a flight of 38 steps that once led from Vesey Street to the World Trade Center plaza above) and the Sphere (a metal globe sculpture originally located on plaza between the Twin Towers, and heavily damaged when they collapsed). Both were initially slated for relocation to sites within Battery Park City. But each was instead incorporated into plans for the new World Trade Center complex when the community objected to these proposals.

At the same meeting, Bruce Ehrmann, who serves as co-chair of CB1’s Landmarks Preservation Committee, observed that, “apparently we have no real say, but it’s a little odd to put a memorial to the deaths of almost 3,000 predominantly Puerto Rican people in the middle of maybe the whitest neighborhood in all of New York City. It makes no sense.”

	Bruce Ehrmann

Mr. Ehrmann’s point is borne out by statistical data. The Department of City Planning’s website estimates that Battery Park City has a total population of more than 15,000 residents, of whom fewer than 700 (or slightly fewer than five percent) are of Puerto Rican ancestry.

Demographically, the New York City neighborhood steeped most deeply in Puerto Rican culture is the area of the South Bronx between the Triborough and Whitestone Bridges. In this section, which includes the neighborhoods of Hunts Point, Soundview, and Castleton, residents who trace their ancestry to Puerto Rico comprise more than 40 percent of the local population.

Another section of the Bronx, Morris Heights, also boasts a large Puerto Rican population, as well as a State park named after Puerto Rican immigrant Roberto Clemente, who gained fame as a legendary right-fielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Roberto Clemente State Park, located on the east bank of the Harlem River, covers 25 acres, making it nearly one-third as large as Battery Park City in its entirety. But while locating a memorial to Hurricane Maria in either of these Bronx communities might mean more to their large Puerto Rican populations, it would almost certainly attract less national media attention than a parcel in Lower Manhattan. Whether this is a factor in deliberations by Mr. Cuomo, who is widely believed to harbor presidential ambitions, remains unclear.

	Anthony Notaro

CB1 chairman Anthony Notaroresponded to Mr. Ehrmann’s observation by saying, “Battery Park City is State-owned land, so Cuomo can put this here without anyone saying anything.” This was a reference to the fact that the Governor controls the Battery Park City Authority, which governs the community. For this reason, the community is one of the few sections of Manhattan that is directly managed by Albany, rather than by City Hall.

The resolution also observed that, “all public land within Battery Park City has already been designated for uses on which the community relies;” that, “Battery Park City has more memorials per square foot than any other neighborhood in New York City;” and that, “there are numerous locations within the State that could be better suited to locate the Hurricane Maria Memorial than Battery Park City.”

The measure continued, “CB1 insists on appointing a local Battery Park City resident to participate on the commission regarding the siting of the proposed memorial in Lower Manhattan;” and “CB1 requires a commitment from Governor Cuomo to allow meaningful participation by residents and community leaders in all phases of decision-making related to this project, including (but not limited to): voting membership on the commission that would determine final location, design and budget for the memorial.”

On this point, the Governor appears to have accommodated the wishes of CB1. His office announced Sunday the appointment of ten members of the advisory commission that will make recommendations about the final design and location of the Hurricane Maria Memorial. One of these is construction executive Elizabeth Velez, a trusted confidante of the Governor’s.

Ms. Velez served on the board of the Committee to Save New York, a controversial and secretive organization started by Mr. Cuomo in 2010, which was comprised mainly of real estate developers, bankers and lobbyists. The group was the State’s top lobbying spender in 2011 and 2012, but Mr. Cuomo shut it down the following year, after critics pointed to close ties between donors and State government.

According the multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation, Mr. Cuomo promised Ms. Velez a seat on the board of the Battery Park City Authority in 2016, but her appointment did not go through, for reasons that never became public.

To the editor,

I really appreciate Gail Brewer and Margaret Chin for standing up for the people of my community. We are hard working people that don’t deserve to be crunched out by high rise buildings that no one will be able to afford to live in.

Don’t we deserve space, sunlights and a say as to what our community should look like?

June 10 – 23, 2019

Jupiter shines all night. Sun’s longest day

A pivotal celestial event occurs this evening, June 10: Planet Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, rises in the southeast opposite the setting Sun in the northwest. The king of the planets, a brilliant star-like light, will be visible all night. Now at magnitude -2.61, it is the brightest celestial body in the night sky second only to the moon (-12.23m).

This evening, Jupiter climbs above the horizon at 8:14pm as the sun sets opposite at 8:26pm. In the morning, the planet sets in the southwest as the Sun rises in the northeast. Tomorrow morning, the 11th, Jupiter sets at 5:32am; sunrise is at 5:24am. Jupiter and Sun are positioned on either side of Earth. The astronomical term for this phenomenon is “opposition”.

It will be about an hour after sunset, when the sky darkens, that unaided eyes will first observe the great planet above the southeastern skyline. The planet’s arc is rather low to the horizon. Go to a location with an unobstructed view where you may have observed Scorpius the Scorpion’s heart star, Antares. Jupiter appears to the left of red Antares all night.

The Full Strawberry or Honey Moon follows Jupiter into the sky in the southeast on June 17. Jupiter comes up at 7:44pm, moon at 8:54pm. Moon, Jupiter and red Antares form a splendid diagonal. The Full Moon will be visible approaching the southwest horizon at dawn on both the 17th and 18th .

On June days and into mid-July we find the king of the sky, our Sun, present for over 15 hours. The summer solstice occurs on June 21 at 11:54am. Sunset on the solstice is 8:30pm. Study the illustration for more about summer solstice.

New Installation at World Trade Center Cultivates Symbols of Remembrance and Renewal

	The Rice Paddy installation at the Oculus Plaza of the World Trade Center complex

A bit of wisdom often attributed to Confucius holds that, “if your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children.” By this yardstick, Lower Manhattan, where half a dozen high-performing schools have opened in recent years, has the century plan covered, and is doing reasonably well in the decennial stakes, with hundreds of trees flourishing along the Esplanade, in the Battery, and around the World Trade Center campus. But Downtown has been woefully deficient on a per-annum basis — until now.

On Thursday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (which manages the World Trade Center complex) unveiled Rice Paddy — a living, growing installation that will incubate five varieties of rice between now and the Harvest Moon Festival in late September, when dozens of chefs will gather at the site to create unique, original dishes designed to be  an homage to rice.

Tribeca Traffic Island Remains Forlorn,

Despite Developer Promises in Exchange for Zoning Variance

The Tribeca building now nearing completion on Sixth Avenue, between Franklin and White Streets, was made possible only after the City granted a zoning variance, allowing a larger (and therefore more valuable) structure on the site than would have been possible under prevailing regulations.

Community Board 1 is trying to hold a developer to a bargain made five years ago, but never memorialized in writing. The deal committed builder DDG, which is erecting a large new residential and retail structure on a tiny former parking lot in Tribeca, to refurbish a nearby traffic island into a small park.To read more…

Borough President and City Council Member  Hold Rally to Underscore Objections to Planned Development at Two Bridges

	The four towers proposed by developers (visible on the right) as described by the de Blasio administration as “minor modifications” to nearby (and much smaller) existing structures.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council Margaret Chin  held a rally outside the Municipal Building to build support for their ongoing lawsuit against the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio, over City Hall’s plans to erect a string of super-tall towers along the East River waterfront in Lower Manhattan.

SMS Szent Istvan in 1918. Click here to watch footage of her sinking

To the Editor,

Since the GPTA Rally for Rent Stabilization ended abruptly when the skies opened up, I did not get the chance to express my gratitude to many and to convey some important information.

On behalf of GPTA and all of Gateway, I want to express our sincere gratitude to Congressman Nadler, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and Council Member Margaret Chin for joining us at the rally and standing with us in solidarity (and in the rain).

I would also like to acknowledge the GPTA Board.  We all we are all so fortunate to have an Executive Committee with vast knowledge and expertise working for us…

Without the help of the Battery Park City Authority, BJ Jones, Eric Munson, Nick Sbordone, Nidia Reeder, and the wonderful staff at BPCParks, this rally would not have been possible. Thank you.

If you want to stay up-to-date on what is happening, please take a moment and email the words, “I’M IN” to stabilization@gpta.org.  We will keep you informed of any updates and let you know what you can do to help.

Thank you all… let’s keep up the fight!!!

To the Editor:

The article, “Pupil Protection,” published April 1, 2019, notes the unfortunate shortage of School Crossing Guards (SCGs) in our area, especially at and around PS89 in Battery Park City.  It’s been two months since the article appeared, and there seem to still be no “permanent” crossing guards for PS89.

As a parent, every day I see the dangers to our kids posed by irresponsible drivers creeping into crosswalks at red lights, blocking crosswalks with their vehicles, out-of-state cars illegally turning right-on-red, and others speeding to make green or yellow lights; that’s in addition to equally irresponsible bicycle riders heading the wrong way on streets, careening through red lights, riding on sidewalks, and speeding recklessly along the West Street bikeway.  I would love to see multiple SCGs posted at the intersections around PS89 (and other schools).  It would especially be nice to have local residents as crossing guards since they would have a familiarity with the neighborhood, and also have a more heightened and direct interest in its safety.

For anyone interested, our NYPD Neighborhood Coordination Officers can be contacted with questions at 212-334-6462, or dinah.bodden@nypd.org (Officer Bodden) and arif.tasoren@nypd.org (Officer Tasoren).  A

lso, there is an online registration at:  https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/careers/civilians/school-crossing-guard.page.

To the Editor:

I watched the transfer of the bridge spans in person on Wednesday, but seeing your video was AWESOME!

Thanks for sharing that!

A Stele for Survivors Honors Those Who Came Back, and Those Who Chose to Settle Downtown After the Dust Settled

On Thursday morning, the World Trade Center complex unveiled a new monument: the Memorial Glade, which honors people whose health (or whose lives) were taken from them not on September 11, 2001, but in the years that followed, because they were exposed to toxins in the aftermath of the Twin Towers’ collapse.

Chin Pushes to Renew Victim Compensation Fund

City Council member Margaret Chin is mobilizing local support for an effort at the federal level to restore funding and make permanent the Victim Compensation Fund, which offers financial awards to responders and survivors of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

This proposed federal measure would renew and make permanent the Victim Compensation Fund that was created by a 2011 law, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which was renewed in 2015.

Many ships pass Lower Manhattan on their way to and from the Midtown Passenger Ship Terminal.  Others may be seen on their way to or from piers in Brooklyn and Bayonne.  Stated times, when appropriate, are for passing the Colgate clock in Jersey City, NJ, and are based on sighting histories, published schedules and intuition. They are also subject to tides, fog, winds, freak waves, hurricanes and the whims of upper management.

Governors Island Trust Considers a Plan to Activate the Island’s Perimeter

Local Elected Officials Say ‘Avast’ to Water-Borne Ads, But Company Claims City Is Out of Its Depth

The advertising barges operated by Ballyhoo Media have become the focus of stepped-up enforcement efforts by City officials in recent weeks.

The advertising barges that have become a pet bête noire for Lower Manhattan residents were the focus of a discussion at the April 23 meeting of Community Board 1 , where Paul Goldstein, who chairs that panel’s Waterfront, Parks, & Cultural Committee, offered an update, saying, “those floating billboards that you’ve seen on both the east and west sides — the  good news is that the City is cracking down on them. Both the Mayor and the Council say they find it unacceptable. So they are imposing fines and enacting laws to restrict it.”  To read more…

City Plans Temporary Flood Protection Measures for Downtown

An illustration of the short-term solutions during storm conditions that include  ‘tiger dams’ deployed to supplement Hesco barriers.

The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio is formulating short-term strategies to protect the South Street Seaport and the Financial District from sea-level rise and future extreme-weather events.

Although Not Yet a Shore Thing, Proposal for Brooklyn Bridge Beach Takes a Step Forward

	A rendering of the proposed  Brooklyn Bridge Beach

After multiple rounds of funding since 2013, the proposed Brooklyn Bridge Beach — a project supported by elected officials, community leaders, and the public — may be inching closer to reality.

The plan, backed by all of these constituencies, aims to create a crescent-shaped wedge of sand along the East River waterfront, just north of the South Street Seaport, where park-goers could wade knee deep in tide. If built, it would become the sole access point at which Lower Manhattan residents could step into the water that surrounds them, rather than merely looking at it.

Hudson River Park Trust Seeks Development on Pier 40

	The 14-acre former cruise ship terminal situated along the Hudson River waterfront, near West Houston Street.

The Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT), in collaboration with local elected officials, is seeking to revise its enabling legislation to allow for commercial development at Pier 40.

“The major issue is that there need to be changes to the legislation that created the Hudson River Park, because Pier 40 is sinking,” explained Anthony Notaro, chair of Community Board 1 (CB1) at an April 26 meeting.

PART TIME SALES POSITION

High commission.  B to B sales

Our office is located in FIDI.

 Call me at 646-729-7142.  Barry Silverberg, Principal

Call Elle at 929-600-4520

 Experienced IT technician.  Expertise in 1-on-1 tutoring for all ages.Computer upgrading & troubleshooting.

 Knowledgeable in all software programs. James Kierstead james.f.kierstead@gmail.com 347-933-1362. Refs available

	John Watts     Why isn’t he smiling?