Report to Manhattan Community Board 1 – Battery Park City Committee

Monday, November 6, 2017

Presented by Nick Sbordone, BPCA (212) 417-3194 | nicholas.sbordone@bpca.ny.gov

NEIGHBORHOOD & PROJECT UPDATES:

I. BPC Safety o BPCA and its Allied Universal Ambassadors continue their close work with NYPD’s 1st

Precinct to keep BPC among City’s safest neighborhoods

o Coordinated with New York State DOT & NYPD to place barriers along the West Street /

Route 9A bike path and behind Stuyvesant High School

o Working with State & City DOT, NYPD and others to assess / implement both short and

long-term solutions to supplement these larger efforts with specific measures at

targeted locations within BPC

Allied Universal Ambassadors assist NYPD in staffing perimeter established around Stuyvesant High School and

the BPC Ball Fields on Tuesday, October 31.

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II. Empire State Relief & Recovery Effort for Puerto Rico o Neighborhood drop-off locations:

Rockefeller Park House (11am-6PM) Community Center at Stuyvesant HS (M-F, 7-10PM; Sat-Sun, 1-9PM)

o Only the following goods will be accepted: batteries, flashlights, portable lanterns, diapers, baby wipes, cases of water, and feminine hygiene products

o All items must be unopened and in their original packaging

BPC Parks staff readies the first truckload of donated supplies for delivery to the Jacob K. Javits Center on Friday,

October 27. Thank you, Battery Park City!

III. Pier A Art Installation – Sunrise, Sunset (Revolution)

o Free public art installation at Pier A Plaza o Site-specific work to be on view through Summer 2018

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ABOVE: Nearly two dozen members of the public helped assemble 9,000 glass prisms into 27 panels with visiting

artists Autumn Ewalt and Dharmesh Patel (waving in background) on Sunday, October 8. Volunteers included Brooklyn and Manhattan middle and high school students, Lehman College students, and adult artists from BPC

drop-in art programs. BELOW: Sunrise, Sunset (Revolution) featured on cover of the Downtown Express.

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IV. Superstorm Sandy: Five Years On

ONGOING PROJECTS:

BPCA undertook an overall resiliency study in 2015, which helped inform the following initiatives to harden and protect BPC’s 92 acres from storm surge, flooding, and sea level rise. These include projects1 at both the northern and southern ends of BPC – at Chambers Street and Wagner Park/Pier A Plaza, respectively – where portions of the neighborhood were inundated during Superstorm Sandy from water along West Street.

o Overall Battery Park City Resiliency Plan (based upon completed 2016 Battery Park City Resiliency Assessment) – Perimeter protection leveraging existing infrastructure elements from Chambers Street south to Museum of Jewish Heritage (where South Battery Park City Resiliency Project begins) and BPC Ball Fields flood barrier, to be performed in phases to include:

BPC Ball Fields

- Includes proposed permanent and deployable flood barriers at the BPC Ball Fields

- RFP being developed, to be completed by end of 2017 (approx.) - Design to be completed in 2018 - Construction to begin in 2019 (approx.)

North BPC Resiliency Project

- To cover the North Esplanade; w/deployable barrier crossing West Street - RFP by end of 2017 (approx.) - Conduct engineering design in 2018 - Construction TBD

Additional Phases – to entail western BPC Perimeter

- Employing garden / park walls to create new line of flood protection - Schedule TBD

o South Battery Park City Resiliency Project (Based upon completed 2017 Wagner

Park Assessment) – Including Wagner Park & Pier A Plaza (and potential Battery Place extension to State Street):

Conceptual design process 2016-2017 Design RFP Issued July 14, 2017; due October 4, 2017; multiple proposals

received Detailed design for South BPC Resiliency to commence early 2018 Work to begin mid-late 2019

1 Ongoing projects will continue to be closely integrated and coordinated with the City’s Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency (LMCR) planning processes through regular and active consultation and interface.

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COMPLETED PROJECTS:

o NYC Police Memorial Electrical Vaults Relocation of electrical equipment housing above flood zone

o BPC Ball Fields

Replacement of Ball Fields surface with heavier, more resilient turf material less prone to lifting when flooded

Relocation of electrical equipment above flood zone

o Pier A Harbor House Rehabilitation Wet flood proofing of historic structure

o BPC Streetlights

Upgraded all lighting components to be water resistant

V. North Neighborhood Crosswalks

o In October BPCA completed repainting of all pedestrian crosswalks in the north neighborhood of Battery Park City.

o Effort included the crosswalks up and down both River Terrace and North End Avenue, as well as mid-block crossings on Vesey Street (between Brookfield Place & North End Way) and Murray Street (between North End Way & BPC Ball Fields)

o New York City DOT in process of completing repainting south neighborhood crosswalks

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North neighborhood’s new crosswalks includes that at North End Avenue and Vesey Street.

VI. “Bed A” Property Line Wall Project

o Ongoing work to restore the planting bed and repair portion of damaged property line wall between Gateway Plaza and BPC Esplanade

o Ground settlement over years has affected roughly 50-foot section of the wall o Currently scheduled for completion by year-end.

VII. 200 Rector Place Interior Fit Out

o New community space and Allied Universal Command Center, replacing space @ The Regatta

o Currently scheduled for February 2018 completion

VIII. Irish Hunger Memorial – Reopened to Public o Temporarily closed in September for installation of final, permanent plantings o Reopened to the public on Friday, October 20

IX. Pile Remediation & Caisson Repair

o Pile Remediation (Phase 5) and Caisson Repair work at Esplanade Plaza & South Cove complete; associated barges removed from neighborhood

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X. New Tree Plantings o BPCA in process of replanting nine (9) trees in front of Goldman Sachs, between West

Street and North End Way/Goldman Alley. o Trees will be Gleditsia triacanthos species (Honey Locust) o Part of larger, 32-tree planting that will occur across BPC this fall, whereby older trees

will be replaced with younger and healthier ones

XI. BPCA Wayfinding Initiative o Project to kick off next week; consultant to meet with BPC Committee in early

2018 as part of formulation of wayfinding strategy o Design process throughout 2018, installation to begin (roughly) by end of next

year PROGRAM & STATUS UPDATES

I. BPC Ball Fields o Remain closed due to construction accident on Sunday, November 4 o Incident occurred outside BPC as part of 111 Murray Street construction;

showered debris onto surrounding areas – including SE portion of Ball Fields o Department of Buildings has issued a partial Stop Work order for the

building; glass installation not to resume until contractor demonstrates to DOB’s satisfaction that the public and property will be safeguarded

o BPCA currently in process of scheduling a full sweep of the fields to ensure all glass is removed prior to reopening

II. BPC Fall Events

o 2017 Fall Events Calendar includes more than 400 programs and events open to all, including these and many more:

Holiday Lights – Thursday, December 7, 5:45PM @ South Cove

III. Community Center at Stuyvesant High School | 345 Chambers Street

o Hours (Sept.-June): M–F., 7pm – 10pm; Sat. – Sun., 1pm – 9pm o Annual Full Access Membership Rates:

Adults (18+): $199 Adult Battery Park City Residents: $179 Youth, Seniors (62+), Military: $79 Battery Park City Resident Youths, Seniors & Military: $59 Day passes also available and are $15 for adults and $10 for youth,

seniors, military and Battery Park City residents

IV. BPC Seniors Working Group o Next meeting Wednesday, November 15 @ 10:00am as part of regularly-

scheduled check-ins

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V. Museum of Jewish Heritage – Free Membership for BPC Residents (REMINDER) o Running through June 30, 2018, MJH Community Membership Program

provides free Museum membership (proof of residency required) o Includes free Museum admission, discounted or free program tickets & more o Program Commemorates MJH’s 20th Anniversary

VI. Lost & Found Contact Information o Allied Universal Command Center 211 North End Avenue

(212) 945-7233 | bpcallied@bpca.ny.gov

ANNOUNCEMENTS / UPCOMING:

I. BPC Open Community Meeting o Tuesday, November 14, 2017, 6:30PM @ 6 River Terrace

II. BPCA Board Meeting o TBD in December 2017

III. WTC Pump House Work at Kowksy Plaza o Through Friday, November 17, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey

(PANYNJ) conducting maintenance work on its water pumps under Kowsky Plaza that feed the World Trade Center site

o Work to proceed during regular citywide construction hours (Monday-Friday, 7:00am-6:00PM)

o PANYNJ anticipates all work to be completed by the close of November 17 o Glenn Guzi, WTC Public Affairs to be reached with any comments / questions

/ concerns as this work proceeds: gguzi@panynj.gov

IV. Statement of BPCA Chairman Dennis Mehiel on the Passing of Former Chairman James F. Gill

“For a decade and a half James Gill led the Battery Park City Authority with wisdom, wit, and panache. It was his BPCA that created comprehensive environmental guidelines, and aggressively drove our master plan to completion with construction of sustainable residential, commercial, and school buildings. The Irish Hunger Memorial, Teardrop Park, the Skyscraper Museum, an expanded Museum of Jewish Heritage, and more – all a result of his vision for what Battery Park City could be.

“Beyond our 92 acres, across a longer tenure in public service, he advised governors, senators, and mayors, served as a Marine Corps lawyer and assistant district attorney, worked on education reform, led charitable organizations, among so much else.

“That James Gill stands like a colossus in the Irish-American community is without doubt; that his impact on our small corner of New York City is lasting and profound is equally so. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones – his was a life well-lived, and we are grateful for his many years of service.”

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James Gill served as BPCA Chairman from 1996-2010.

V. Permitted Walks / Runs o Schedule of remaining 2017 Runs / Walkathons in Battery Park City as

follows:

2017 Walkathons / Runs in Battery Park City (Tentative)

All walks/runs begin originate from the north or south of Battery Park City. From the south, walkers/runners will begin @ Robert F. Wagner Park Plaza, either on the sidewalk or in the street on Battery Place between Little West Street & 1st Place. Participants will proceed on Battery Place to 3rd Place and make a left turn to the South Cove Esplanade, make a right turn, proceed north toward the North Cove Marina, make a right and then a left turn, passing the Waterfront at Brookfield Place (formerly the WFC Plaza), make a left turn below Belvedere Park to the north Esplanade, and continue north on the Esplanade. Circling around Rockefeller Park to SHS Plaza, participants make a right turn on Chambers Street and continue bearing right on River Terrace passing, the IHM to the Esplanade by the Ferry Terminal, reversing same route back south to the finish line at Wagner Park. Some events may require a set up and some may be a “pass through only.” Events begin as early as 7:00am and breakdown/clean up by 1:00PM, unless otherwise specified. The Hudson River Greenway is now an alternative option for walks/runs as well.

The above route is the STANDARD route for all walks/runs set forth by BPCA, with the exception of the National September 11th Memorial walk and the BPC schools, which utilize the waterfront from start to finish. Any changes to the above route would be at the discretion of the Authority based on the number of participants and/or public safety. Please note that the NYPD may change a route at any time due to highly secured reasons if they deem it necessary. BPCA will notify the Community Board of any changes.

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Organization / Event Event Date(s) & Approx. Time

Attendance (Est.)

Street Closures?

Notes

American Brain Tumor Association

Sat – November 11 7:00am – 1:00pm

1,800 N/A Wagner Park to Rockefeller Park

Lead The Way Foundation Sun – November 12 7:00am – 1:00pm

2,300 N/A Pass thru only

200 Liberty Street, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10281, Tel.: 212-417-2000 VISIT US AT www.bpca.ny.gov