Julie Menin is push- ing the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. to use a recently revealed pot of money to build the perform- ing arts center at the World Trade Center site.

Menin, an L.M.D.C. board member and chair- person of Community Board 1, spoke out about the PAC after the L.M.D.C. acknowl- edged last week that it had at least $150 million left over in a fund designed to help utility companies recover from 9/11. The utility com- panies have already received hundreds of millions of dol-

lars in federal money, and they are seeking hundreds of millions more. Downtown Express first reported March 12 that the utility fund had about $150 remaining.

Although the entire $750 million utility fund was sup- posed to go to utility compa- nies, the L.M.D.C. realized recently that the utilities do not have a claim on this $150 million, which is left over from early stages of the program. The L.M.D.C. could still give the $150 mil- lion to utility companies, as they are demanding, but the state-city agency could also direct it toward other 9/11

Push to use
$150 million
in leftover money
for W.T.C. arts building

The Lower East Side doesn’t often get the chance to beat Battery Park City — but that’s just what’s happening in the race to return census forms.

As of last week, only 47.6 percent of Battery Park City and Financial District residents had filled out their census forms, one of the lowest response rates in Manhattan. The Lower East Side, on the other hand, weighed in with over 57 percent responding, ranking near

With a 52.6 percent response rate, Chinatown did better than Soho, Tribeca and Little Italy, where 49 per- cent responded, according to the City Planning Dept.’s analysis of census responses.

Councilmember Margaret Chin, who represents all of those Downtown neighborhoods, said she was at fi rst surprised to see the lower-income East Side out-performing the wealthier West

“Usually those are the hard-to-reach areas, because of language and cul- ture,” Chin said of Chinatown and the Lower East Side.

For that reason, Chin, a former community organizer, and other politi- cians focused their outreach on those neighborhoods, using churches, com- munity groups and family associations

Dowtown Express recently spoke with the Tribeca Film Festival’s Nancy Schafer (executive director) and Geoffrey Gilmore (chief creative offi cer of Tribeca Enterprises, former longtime Sundance Film Festival director and a native of Huntington, Long Island).

Although the April 21-May 2 festival will screen 85 fi lms at locations throughout Tribeca, the Village and Chelsea, Gilmore and Schafer are focused on the debut of Tribeca Film Festival Virtual — a multi-platform expansion into the digital realm meant to provide video on demand and interactive web opportunities

Beyond Tribeca,
screenings in homes
around the world

EDITORIAL PAGES. . . . . . . . . .14-15 YOUTH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18-20 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. .21-31 CLASSIFIEDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

The upcoming week’s schedule of Community Board 1 committee meetings is below. Unless other- wise noted, all committee meetings are held at the board office, located at 49-51 Chambers St., room 709 at 6 p.m.

Committee will meet, and the joint Planning and Seaport Committees will meet at P.S. 130, 143 Baxter St. at Hester St. at 6 p.m.

Park. Gregory, longtime Lower Manhattan resident and small business activist, moved over the weekend to the town Bruce Springsteen made famous.

His sister, chef Marilyn Schlossbach (“the Tom Keller of New Jersey”), has hired Gregory to help her run five restaurants and catering places on the Jersey Shore includ- ing Langosta Lounge. (Darn, we forgot to ask ifS n o o k i ever eats there.)

“The city has become too tough,” Gregory, told us. After he lost his bid for the City Council last year, he had trouble opening a new business or getting hired as a cater- ing consultant. Gregory’s rent dropped by more than half with his move.

He said he is going to keep his hands in the fire helping small businesses in the city, and may also look to reenter the Jersey political arena, where he started a few decades ago.

Since he is “56 going on 14,” maybe he should visit the high school slated to open in the old Sports Museum space next year. As far as we know, Gregory, a former Community Board 1 member, was the first to suggest building a public school in the FiDi space after time ran out for the museum.

The city may grant at least a partial reprieve to the Brooklyn Banks skate park, which was supposed to close soon for the four-year renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge.

“We’re working very hard not to have a full closure of the Banks,” Joannene Kidder, with the city Dept. of Transportation’s division of bridges, told UnderCover this week.

The city is defi nitely closing at least part of the interna- tionally known skateboard park to use it for construction staging on the Brooklyn Bridge project. But Kidder said the city might move some of the park’s obstacles farther inland to what is now a little-used seating area and give that area to the skateboarders and BMX bikers.

“I can’t guarantee it,” Kidder said, but she offered more hope than the D.O.T. has in the past, when spokespeople said the entire skate park would have to close.

“That’d be awesome,” said Steve Rodriguez, the owner of 5boro Skateboards and a longtime Banks advocate, when told of Kidder’s comments.

Local parents are launching a children’s thrift shop as a fundraiser for the Church St. School of Music and Art, which is struggling with debt after attempting an expansion.

Called Rondo, the thrift shop will sell gently used children’s clothing, sports equipment, furniture and toys, with all proceeds going to the school. People can drop items off at the school at 74 Warren St. in advance of the April 26 opening. Starting April 26, the shop will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon for four weeks. For more information, or to volunteer, con- tact the Church St. School at 212-571-7293.

he left it to V.P. Joe Biden to cushion the blow), but he’s more than okay with Maloney running for reelection to Congress. He endorsed her Tuesday in her primary race against Reshma Saujani. Maloney thanked Obama in a press release and said she looks forward to working with the president on the Second Ave. subway and the 9/11 health bill.

If Obama were to be so inclined, we’d love to live to someday tag along with him and Maloney on the first subway line trip to Lower Manhattan, although given the provi- sions of the Constitution and the realities of transit budgets, that trip would undoubtedly be made by former President Obama.

P.T.A. president; Lewis Gross, who founded Downtown Little League in 1991; and Paul Hovitz, an education activist who has been a Community Board 1 member for 17 years. Bob Townley, Manhattan Youth’s execu- tive director, hosted the celebration, and many local pols attended.

From beautifully packaged candles, room
fragrances, frames and accesories to gorgeous table
and bed linens, this is the perfect shopping destination.

88 Fulton Street
(Corner of 33 Gold St.)
New York, NY 10038
212.587.8930
212.587.8935

This summer at Six Flags Great
Adventure (NJ)
& Amici III Restaurant, Linden NJ