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Lower Manhattan’s Local News
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The Broadsheet Inc. | 212-912-1106 | editor@ebroadsheet.com| ebroadsheet.com
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Very Merry Skerry Ferry
Governors Island Passengers Are Going in Style with Launch of New Vessel
Visitors to Governors Island embarking from Lower Manhattan now have a new way to get to the beloved greensward that has become Downtown’s equivalent of Central Park.
The Trust for Governors Island has launched Governors 1, a 132-foot-long, 40-foot-wide ferry that has been custom-built to ply the waters between the Battery and the 172-acre island that has come to be regarded as one of the jewels among local public spaces.
The new vessel was over the last two years at a cost of $9.2 million in the Warren, Rhode Island shipyard of Blount Boats, from a design by Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group. The family-owned Blount firm has been a prolific contributor to the armada of ferry vessels that ply New York harbor, including Statue Cruises’ Miss Liberty, launched in 1954; the Michael Cosgrove (the smallest of the Staten Island Ferry fleet, at just 65 feet long), which dates from 1962, and the 1989 ferry Sensation, which now operates as a Hornblower party boat, based at Pier 40. The overall budget for the new Governors Island ferry project, including design and construction, was $11.5 million.
Michael Samuelian, the departing president and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island, said, “we have ambitious goals to make Governors Island a year-round hub for learning, innovation, arts and culture with a extraordinary car-free park that’s open, accessible and activated all four seasons. The state-of-the-art vessel will not just improve service to our growing visitor population, but it will greatly enhance access for our current and future tenants.”
The new ferry is not only larger, but also faster than its predecessors, which means that the capacity to shepherd visitors from the Battery Maritime Building to Soissons Landing, on Governors Island, will increase to 1,000 guests per hour. This will represent a significant improvement over the current limitations, which have sometimes led to hour-long waits on the Manhattan side.
Part of that extra capacity will likely be used to facilitate this year’s extended season and longer hours on Governors Island. For 2019, the park will be open a full six months (through October 31), and late-night weekend hours (now through Labor Day) will allow visitors to linger and watch the sunset until 10:00 pm.
Matthew Fenton
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Composting Takes Root
in Battery Park City
In a 2017 study of residential waste by the NYC Department of Sanitation, 21% of garbage was food scraps. Not only does food waste take up unnecessary space in landfill, it releases gas, which is detrimental to the environment.
If food waste is composted, the environment benefits. As The New York Times put it in this article, “The less the world wastes, the easier it will be to meet the food needs of the global population in coming years. Second, cutting back on waste could go a long way to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Thanks to the Battery Park City Authority, Battery Park City has always been at the forefront of green living, guided by BPCA’s pioneering green building guidelines and organic park maintenance. For the last couple years, there have been two community compost bins – one at BPC Parks headquarters on Battery Place and one on Chambers Street.
Now, with the encouragement of Gateway Plaza management and the support of the Battery Park City Authority, Gateway Plaza has established the neighborhood’s first building-specific composting program. In the program’s first month, 686 pounds of fruit and vegetable waste was diverted from landfill.
Robert Simko
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SailGP is this Friday and Saturday!
Arabella offers Best Seat in the House for Sailors
There are two days of racing, Friday and Saturday, June 21 and 22. SailGP will bring the world’s fastest on-water sail racing to the East Coast, introducing New Yorkers to the world of competitive sailing at never-before-seen speeds.
And you can watch this event from the beautiful mega yacht
Arabella!
Six national teams from the United States, Australia, China, France, Great Britain and Japan will be vying for the top position on the leaderboard and fighting for the right to race in the $1 million winner-takes-all match race later this year.
Racing will take place on the Hudson River, just off the Battery and north towards Rockefeller Park.
This is your opportunity to watch the SailGP Races from a beautiful and glamorous mega-yacht. This will be a significantly better experience than a normal dinner boat.
Arabella will board from 3 to 4 pm each day. Racing will take place from 5 pm to 6:30 pm. Guests will be able to disembark beginning at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $190 and include premium open bar and buffet food catered by Whole Foods.
Only 90 tickets are available for each day. Buy your tickets now before they sell out!
sponsored content
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Not Ferry Nice
Concerns about Crowding and Noise Surround City Hall Plan for New Staten Island Route to Battery Park City
The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio is planning to launch in 2020 a new ferry service from Staten Island that will bring to the Battery Park City ferry terminal more than 60 new vessels each day, carrying as many as 2,500 passengers.
In a June 5 presentation to the Battery Park City Committee of Community Board 1 (CB1), Megan Quirk, an assistant vice president for the City’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC), said, “the service will run from 6:30 am to 10:00 pm, seven days a week, and will cost the same as a subway ride. It will start in Staten Island, come to Battery Park City, and then continue to the western side Midtown.”
Matthew Fenton
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Security, in More Than One Sense of the World
Back-to-Back Public Meetings Tonight Will Focus on Safety, Resiliency, and Vision
The Battery Park City Authority hosts a public meeting that will invite participants to help shape the community’s future.
The discussion, billed as a “collaborative resilience assessment workshop,” will be held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (36 Battery Place), in partnership with 100 Resilient Cities.
Matthew Fenton
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Today’s Calendar
Friday June 21, 2019
8:30AM
Tai Chi
Battery Park City Parks
Build muscle and strength, improve flexibility and balance, and increase aerobic conditioning. Tai Chi results in strength and focus of body and mind. Esplanade Plaza.
12NOON
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House Tour
Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
Tour highlights include a discussion of the history of the site, architect Cass Gilbert, viewing the Collectors office; Tiffany woodwork; Reginald Marsh murals; and the 140 ton rotunda dome by Raphael Gustavino. One Bowling Green
4PM
Fix It Friday
Good Stuff
Join Remade in Brooklyn and Fixup to learn how to fix small appliances like fans and blenders. 205 Front Street
5PM
Swedish Midsummer Festival
Battery Park City Parks
Enjoy this unique celebration of the summer solstice. Learn traditional Swedish folk dances from Barnklubben Elsa Rix and join in lively dance around the Midsummer pole.
Make wreaths from beautiful flowers representing those in bloom on the solstice in Sweden. Enjoy a parade, children’s games, and Swedish delicacies. Traditional music by Paul Dahlin and fiddlers from the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Dances led by Ross Sutter, a Scandinavian folklorist. Swedish Midsummer Festival is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Sweden, New York. Wagner Park.
6PM
Open Studios
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
As part of the River To River Festival, LMCC invites the public to go behind the scenes and meet its artists-in-residence in their studios at 101 Greenwich Street. Over the course of two days, audiences learn about the practices and processes of multi-disciplinary artists working in the transformed office spaces of 101 Greenwich, and experience a wide range of artwork from live performance and theater to poetry and fiction to painting and sculpture. 101 Greenwich Street, 15th floor. RSVP recommended.
6PM
At the Movies 2019: Falls Around Her
Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
Falls Around Her follows Mary Birchbark (Tantoo Cardinal [Cree and Métis]), a legendary Anishinaabe singer who returns to the vast wilderness of her reserve to reconnect with the land and her community. A discussion with director Darlene Naponse (Ojibway) and Tantoo Cardinal (Cree and Métis) follows the screening. One Bowling Green
7:30PM
The Lonely Island
Rooftop at Pier 17
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Letters
To Broadsheet Editor;
I received the attached map from the US Coast Guard recently. It shows the area of the Hudson River that is closed for the Sail GP races on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.
What is interesting is that the ferries going from Jersey City to the WTC terminal on Saturday that replace the closed PATH system will have to go north to Pier 26, then cross the river, then head south. This may slow them down quite a bit.
The races are only for a couple of hours on each day, so there may be no major impact. Just food for thought.
Here is the race website:
Graeme
President, Downtown Boathouse
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Ground Swell
Scant Information about Radical Changes Contemplated for the Battery
City Hall is keeping mum about plans resiliency plans for the Battery, the historic park at the southern tip of Manhattan, according to a recent discussion at Community Board 1(CB1).
At a May 28 meeting, Alice Blank, who chairs that panel’s Environmental Protection Committee, recapped a recent presentation by the City’s Economic Development Corporation(EDC) by saying, “the only interesting thing about these slides was how few there were of them.”
“It was a surprisingly lean presentation,” she added. To read more…
Matthew Fenton
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CLASSIFIEDS & PERSONALS
Swaps & Trades Respectable Employment
Lost and Found 212-912-1106
$99 Hypnosis Session
($247 value) Smoking Cessation, Weight Loss, Motivation, Sports Performance, Confidence, Stress, Insomnia…
Call Janine Today. Limited time offer! 917-830-6127
Situation Wanted:
Experienced Elder Care (12 years)
Able to prepare nutritious meals and light housekeeping
Excellent references 347 898 5804 Hope
NOTARY PUBLIC IN BPC
$2 per notarized signature
Text Paula at 917-836-8802
CLEANING SERVICES
Dishes, windows, floors, laundry, bathrooms.
You name it – I will clean it.
Call Elle at 929-600-4520
IT AND SECURITY SUPPORT
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
ELDER COMPANION
Experienced with BPC residents. Available nights, days, and weekends. Will cook, clean and administer medicine on time. Speaks French and English. Can start immediately. Please call or text 929-600-4520.
OLD WATCHES SOUGHT
PREFER NON-WORKING
Mechanical pocket and wristwatches sought and
sometimes repaired
212-912-1106
If you would like to place a listing, please contact editor@ebroadsheet.com
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Bionomics Begins at Home
BPCA Seeks Green Bond Designation for Upcoming Debt Issue and Plans for Carbon-Neutral Future
The Battery Park City Authority(BPCA) is beginning to formulate a roadmap for shrinking the community’s environmental impact. At the May 21 meeting of the agency’s board of directors, Authority president Benjamin Jones explained that, “we’re now making a concerted effort, which we talked a little bit about at our last meeting, to further advance sustainable practices, both in our operations and throughout the neighborhood.”
He noted, “we are committing to having a formal sustainability plan,” which will be announced on the next Earth Day (in April, 2020), “which will provide a road map to get us closer to a carbon-neutral Battery Park City.”
Matthew Fenton
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36 Ebony, 52 Ivory, 28 Liberty
Sing for Hope Makes Music for the Eyes, Colors for the Ears
On June 3, the much-lauded public art project, Sing for Hope Pianos, returned to the streets as 50 artist-designed pianos were arrayed on Fosun Plaza, outside 28 Liberty Street.
Robert Simko
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Today in History
Friday June 21
1529 – French forces are driven out of northern Italy by Spain at the Battle of Landriano during the War of the League of Cognac.
1621 – Execution of 27 Czech noblemen on the Old Town Square in Prague as a consequence of the Battle of White Mountain.
1788 – New Hampshire ratifies the Constitution and is admitted as the ninth state in the United States.
1898 – The United States captures Guam from Spain.
1942 – World War II: A Japanese submarine surfaces near the Columbia River in Oregon, firing 17 shells at Fort Stevens in one of only a handful of attacks by Japan against the United States mainland.
1964 – Three civil rights workers, Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Mickey Schwerner, are murdered in Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States, by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
1970 – Penn Central declares Section 77 bankruptcy, largest ever US corporate bankruptcy up to this date.
1982 – John Hinckley is found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted assassination of U.S. President Ronald Reagan. 1989 – The Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. Johnson that American flag-burning was a form of political protest protected by the First Amendment.
2004 – SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.
2006 – Pluto’s newly discovered moons are officially named Nix and Hydra.
Births
1535 – Leonhard Rauwolf, German physician and botanist (d. 1596)
1732 – Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German pianist and composer (d. 1791)
1882 – Rockwell Kent, American painter and illustrator (d. 1971)
1903 – Al Hirschfeld, American caricaturist, painter and illustrator (d. 2003)
1905 – Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher and author (d. 1980)
1953 – Benazir Bhutto, 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 2007)
1967 – Pierre Omidyar, French-American businessman, founded eBay
Deaths
870 – Al-Muhtadi, Muslim caliph
1954 – Gideon Sundback, Swedish-American engineer, developed the zipper (b. 1880)
2003 – Leon Uris, American soldier and author (b. 1924)
Edited from various internet sources
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Free Will
Shakespeare Downtown will stage an open-air production of “Hamlet” at Castle Clinton National Monument in the Battery, June 21 to 23 starting at 6:30 pm.
Admission is free, on a first-come, first-served basis. Shows starts at 6:30 pm, but anyone wishing to attend should arrive by 6:00 pm, for the best chance of getting tickets. For more information, please browse: ShakespeareDowntown.org.
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RiverWatch
Cruise Ships in the Harbor
Arrivals and Departures
Saturday, June 22
Adventure of the Seas
Inbound 6:30 am (Bayonne); outbound 3:00 pm;
Bar Harbor, ME/Canadian Maritimes
Norwegian Dawn
Inbound 7:15 am; outbound 3:30 pm; Port Canaveral, FL/Bahamas
Sunday, June 23
Norwegian Escape
Inbound 6:15 am; outbound 4:30 pm; Bermuda
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, New Jersey, 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.
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CB1 Wants to Contravene Convene
Local Leaders Raise Concerns about Traffic and Crowding from Planned Events Venue at Brookfield
The owners of Brookfield Place, are planning to launch an events venue that will host up to 1,000 people at a time, which has sparked concerns about traffic and crowding from community leaders. At the June 5 meeting of the Battery Park City Committee of Community Board 1 (CB1), Mark Kostic, Brookfield’s Vice President for Asset Management, explained that Convene, a firm that develops and markets meeting rooms, event venues and flexible workspaces (and is partially owned by Brookfield) will be taking over the 86,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by Saks Fifth Avenue, at 225 Liberty Street. Matthew Fenton
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Radical Cheek
Subvertising Campaign Shocks the Conscience, But Not for Long
On Wednesday morning, two dozen cages fashioned from chain-link fencing appeared on sidewalks at strategic locations around Manhattan and Brooklyn. A pair of these were placed in Lower Manhattan: one on Centre Street, opposite the Municipal Building and close by the Brooklyn Bridge; the other about two blocks away, near the intersection of Broadway and Vesey Streets.
Each one contained a lifelike mannequin, the size of a small child, wrapped in a foil blanket, which bore a disturbing resemblance to a shroud. From around the edges of these blankets, locks of hair and smalls pair of shoes were visible. Concealed within every cage was also a rudimentary audio system that repeatedly played a track of a small child sobbing. This was interspersed with the sound of a heartbeat.
Matthew Fenton
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A Cenotaph for the Esplanade
Cuomo Announces List of Possible Locations in Battery Park City for Hurricane Maria Memorial
At Sunday’s Puerto Rican Day Parade, Governor Andrew Cuomoannounced 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.
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.
Matthew Fenton
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Let’s celebrate our graduates during the month of June.
Send us a picture and 100 words about your graduate or your own achievement.Pre-K through Ph.D
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‘A Thumb in the Eye’
Local Leaders Don’t Want One Broadway to Get Any Bigger
Community Board 1 (CB1) is resisting plans to add two floors to a landmarked building in the Financial District. In a resolution laced with unusually harsh language, enacted at its May 28 meeting, the Board called upon the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) — which can veto alterations to legally protected historic structures — to reject a proposal by the building’s owner, Midtown Equities, to build a glass pavilion on top of One Broadway (also known as the International Mercantile Marine Company Building), located at the corner of Broadway and Battery Place, directly adjacent to Bowling Green. The resolution summarizes the developer’s proposal with the words, “to distill the very convoluted design’s description, and despite all the narrative hoopla, it is really a preposterous glass box with a mansard surround.” Matthew Fenton
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Menhir for the Men and Women Who Came Here
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.
Matthew Fenton
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‘To Make the Wounded Whole…’
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.
Matthew Fenton
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Letters
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!
Maryanne P. Braverman
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Anthem of the Seas Spins About
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Barging In
Local Elected Officials Say ‘Avast’ to Water-Borne Ads, But Company Claims City Is Out of Its Depth
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…
Matthew Fenton
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This Sand Is Your Sand, This Sand Is Our Sand…
Although Not Yet a Shore Thing, Proposal for Brooklyn Bridge Beach Takes a Step Forward
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.
Matthew Fenton
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Cass Gilbert and the Evolution of the New York Skyscraper
by John Simko
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The Broadsheet Inc. | 212-912-1106 | editor@ebroadsheet.com| ebroadsheet.com
No part of this document may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher
© 2019
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