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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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Albany Wants to Keelhaul Advertising Barges
State Lawmakers Bark ‘Belay That’ to Water-Borne Marketing Messages
The ubiquitous advertising barges that have become anathema for Lower Manhattan residents over the past year have attracted hostile attention from members of the State Senate and Assembly. Bills were enacted in the closing days of the legislative session that would ban the 60-foot catamaran — bearing an electronic sign capable of rendering high-definition, full-motion video, similar to the “jumbo-tron” panels that adorn multiple buildings in Times Square — from continuing to conduct its business in New York’s waters.
The new law mandates that, “all vessels shall be prohibited from operating, anchoring or mooring in the navigable waters of the State while equipped with a digital billboard that uses flashing, intermittent or moving lights.” The measure defines “digital billboard” as, “a one or two-sided outdoor advertising sign that displays digital images which are changed by a computer in intervals and are used for either advertising or public service purposes.” The same legislation makes violation of these rules a misdemeanor, “subject to a civil penalty of one thousand dollars for the first violation, and five thousand dollars for all subsequent violations.”
After passing both houses of the State legislature, the bill goes to Governor Cuomo’s desk, for his signature or veto.
If the Governor decides to approve the measure, it could mean the end of a lucrative business for Ballyhoo Media, which began several years ago by operating a fleet of advertising vessels in Miami, where it has inspired a similar response from the public and elected officials.
In 2018, the company set up shop in New York, where the service appears to have met a significant demand among marketers and carved out a lucrative niche for itself. According to Digiday, an online trade magazine for online media, Ballyhoo charges clients as much as $55,000 to insert a 30-second video message into a two-minute loop and keep it in rotation for one month.
When City officials filed suit in federal court in April, seeking in injunction that would bar Ballyhoo from continuing to conduct its business in New York’s waters, the firm responded by arguing in a brief that, “New York State has jurisdiction relative to the lands under the East and Hudson rivers,” and thus, “State legislation is required in order to authorize local legislative bodies to adopt and enforce laws that apply to these bodies of water. We are aware of no such legislation that would allow the City to apply its Zoning Resolution to these State-owned navigable waters.”
The measure recently passed by the State Senate and Assembly is exactly the sort of law that Ballyhoo’s attorneys were arguing would be needed to restrain them.
The April lawsuit followed a related development in January, in which the City’s Law Department served Ballyhoo with notice that it was violating several laws that ban marketing signage along New York’s waterfronts or within line of sight of a major highway. The notice from the City gave the firm two weeks to comply with the relevant statutes, but the barge remained in operation.
The company’s vessels travel a continuous circuit from the West Side of Midtown, past Hudson Yards, Chelsea, Tribeca, and Battery Park City, before turning into the East River and passing the Financial District, Brooklyn Heights, and Williamsburg.
If Governor Cuomo signs the measure, it may come just in time to head off a planned expansion by Ballyhoo, which has been mulling plans to add local beaches to its route this summer.
Matthew Fenton
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The Graduates
Class of 2019
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled. Plutarch
Buckle My Shoe
Congratulations to the Buckle My Shoe Pre-K Class of 2019.
It has been an amazing journey of great fun and learning. Many of the children have grown up in Buckle My Shoe from infants all the way to Pre-K.
This very special group of children have learned to be kind friends, independent thinkers, and responsible members of the greater community.
We wish them much success in kindergarten and beyond!
Genvieve Johnson
Buckle My Shoe
Operations Director & Environment Specialist
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Blue School
On Wednesday, June 12, 2019, Blue School eighth graders received their diplomas as the Class of 2019.
As the second graduating class of Blue School, our graduates impressively received acceptances from top independent schools, specialized high schools, and public schools across the city.
Blue School is proud of the brave leaders, inspiring role models, and passionate activists our Class of 2019 has become. We can’t wait to hear of their future successes!
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Masters in Emergency Management
Longtime Battery Park City resident and neighborhood activist Maria Smith was awarded her masters degree in emergency management from John Jay College in May.
A survivor of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Ms.Smith began researching emergency management to learn what to do when a catastrophic event occurs. What began as an informal interest lead Ms. Smith to find John Jay’s unique graduate program.
Often the oldest person in her classes (except for retired cops and firemen), Ms. Smith was able to share her real-life experiences of 9/11; her evacuation and the long rebuilding process of Battery Park City and downtown.
It took Ms. Smith, a state employee, six years to obtain her masters degree but she’s glad she stuck with it. “I’d like to take this to the next level so if anyone has any ideas out there, I’m all ears!” she said.
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We congratulate this year’s graduates and encourage all to send a photo and a few words about your achievements. Submissions of all age groups welcome at: editor@ebroadsheet.com
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Sunset Tour of Ambrose Channel
Friday, June 28, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM
Popularly regarded as National Lighthouse Museum’s “Signature Tour” this exciting boat tour familiarizes passengers with key lighthouses that facilitate safe passage from the Atlantic Ocean into Lower New York Harbor.
We explore a total of nine lighthouses on this boat tour: the Battery Weed Light at Fort Wadsworth, the Coney Island, West Bank, Romer Shoals, Sandy Hook and Twin Lighthouse of Navesink at the Atlantic Highlands, the Staten Island Rear Range at Richmond Hill, the New Dorp Light, and the Elm Tree Beacon at Miller Field, also located in New Dorp.
Treat yourself and your guest to a memorable evening cruise.
Refreshments are available on board.
Don’t forget your cameras. The views are incredible!
The boat leaves promptly at 6:30 pm, rain or shine, from Pier 1, adjacent to the National Lighthouse Museum located on Staten Island
Tickets are $62 Adults, $42, Children (10 & under), $52 Military
and Seniors (62+).
The Staten Island Ferry takes 25 minutes to cross from Lower Manhattan to St. George, Staten Island
Please plan accordingly.
National Lighthouse Museum
200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point
718-390-0040 info@lighthousemuseum.org
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EYES TO THE SKY
June 24 -July 7, 2019
Country nightlife, fleeting Mercury, celestial triangle
Stargazing begins about 4 hours later at summer solstice time than around the winter solstice! Sunset, now the latest of the year, 8:31pm in our locale, is followed by a long, lingering twilight. Nightfall is not until about 10:35. In between, an hour to an hour and a quarter after sundown, the brightest stars and planets are visible.
Judy Isacoff
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Today’s Calendar
Tuesday June 25, 2019
10:30AM
Zumba Jumpstart
Battery Park City Parks
Join a fitness dance party with upbeat Latin music of salsa, merengue, hip-hop, and more! Enthusiastic instruction creates a fun community of dancers who learn new steps each week. Bring your friends and share in this fit and fun dancing community. 6 River Terrace. 11:30AM
The Listening School
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
Social Choreographer Ernesto Pujol brings his multi-year Listening School project to the festival in the form of a public performative research process and a silent durational performance: The Listeners. The project was created in response to the urgent need to listen empathically in order to support democracy in America and abroad. Pujol’s Listening School will seek performative engagement for three days across Lower Manhattan’s urban riverbeds of listening flow. Dressed in Indigo Blues, thirteen artists will pursue the public’s roadside discourse on listening. Their open process will culminate in The Listeners, a performance as a formal listening vessel embodying stillness in the midst of flow. Liberty Park, 155 Cedar Street. 12:30PM
Blitz Chess
Battery Park City Parks
A lunch time program for passers-by on their lunch break to play chess. Actually, not just chess…Blitz chess! Blitz chess is a form of speed chess played on a clock where each opponent gets 5 minutes. It is fast, furious and fun. Rockefeller Park House. 3:30PM
Drop In Chess
Battery Park City Parks
Play the popular strategy game while getting pointers and advice from an expert. Chess improves concentration, problem-solving, and strategic planning – plus it’s fun! For ages 5 and up (adults welcome). Rockefeller Park. 4PM
Sarah’s Fire
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
Black Gotham Experience was founded in 2010 by artist/historian Kamau Ware in New York City. This project celebrates the impact of the African Diaspora with historic walks, media and signature events. Sarah’s Fire is the second of five core stories that make up the Black Gotham Experience. The tale takes place on day two of British New York in 1664 on the southern tip of the island of Manhattan (a place home to both free and enslaved Black people), in the small town known as Land of the Blacks. This walking tour illustrates the peculiar universe of urban slavery in a port city with deep ties to the sugar plantations of the West Indies. A key persona in this story is an enslaved woman named Sarah who is one of 29 people that participate in the first militarized Black rebellion on the island of Manhattan that took place April 6, 1712. Tours begin at 192 Front Street. Tours repeat at 5pm and 6pm.
5:30PM
Battery Park City Book Club
New York Public Library
Join the Battery Park Book Club for a lively discussion of a great book. This month’s book is The Sellout by Paul Beattie. Battery Park City branch of the New York Public Library. North End Avenue. 6PM
CB 1 Monthly Meeting
Downtown Boathouse Pier 26
6:30PM
Say Goodbye to Stuff Sustainably
Good Stuff
Where does our stuff go when we get rid of it? Join Good Stuff and Zach Cohen, Founder and CEO of The Junkluggers, for a discussion on proper disposal of our unwanted things. 205 Front Street 7PM
“The Volunteer” With Author Jack Fairweather
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Very Merry Skerry Ferry
Governors Island Passengers Are Going in Style with Launch of New Vessel
Visitors to Governors Islandembarking from Lower Manhattan now have a new way to get to the beloved greensward that has become Downtown’s equivalent of Central Park.
The new vessel, Governors 1, a 132-foot-long, 40-foot-wide ferry was built 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.
Matthew Fenton
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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.
Matthew Fenton
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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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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.
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.
Robert Simko
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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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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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Today in History
Tuesday June 25
1630 – Fork introduced to American dining by Governor Winthrop
1638 – Lunar eclipse is first astronomical event recorded in the American Colonies 1672 – First recorded Quaker meeting in US held in Sandwich, Massaxhusetts 1798 – US passes Alien Act allowing president to deport dangerous aliens 1868 – President Andrew Johnson passes a law that government workers would work 8 hour day 1876 – Battle of the Little Bighorn: 7th Cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne, Custer killed
1910 – Mann Act passed (no women across state lines for immoral purposes) Birthdays
1865 – Robert Henri, US painter, leader of Ashcan school The Ashcan School, also called the Ash Can School, was an artistic movement in the US during the early twentieth century that is best known for works portraying scenes of daily life in New York, often in the city’s poorer neighborhoods.
1903 – George Orwell, [Eric A Blair], Bihar, British India, British writer (Animal Farm, 1984), (d. 1950) 1924 – Sidney Lumet, Phila, director (Group, Pawnbroker, Fail Safe) 1925 – June Lockhart, NYC, actr (Lassie, Lost in Space, Petticoat Junction) 1945 – Carly Simon, NYC, singer (Anticipation, You’re So Vain
Deaths
1767 – Georg Philipp Telemann, German late-barok composer, dies at 86 Edited from various internet sources
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RiverWatch
Cruise Ships in the Harbor
Arrivals and Departures
Thursday, June 27
Celebrity Summit
Inbound 7:30 am (Bayonne); 4:00 pm; New England/Canadian Maritimes
Friday, June 28
Adventure of the Seas
Inbound 6:30 am (Bayonne); outbound 3:00 pm; Bermuda/Bahamas
Saturday, June 29
Anthem of the Seas
Inbound 6:30 am (Bayonne); outbound 4:00 pm; Bermuda
Norwegian Dawn
Inbound 7:15 am; outbound 3:30 pm; Port Canaveral, FL/Bahamas
Sunday, June 30
Norwegian Escape
Inbound 6:15 am; outbound 4:30 pm; Bermuda
Queen Mary 2
Inbound 6:00 am (Brooklyn); outbound 5:00 pm; Halifax, NS/Boston, MA/Newport, RI
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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‘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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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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