BY ALINE REYNOLDS
Members of the New YorkCongressional delegation are desper-ately trying to secure the passage of the 9/11 Health and CompensationAct before the New Year, when themake-up of Congress will change andRepublicans will gain control of theHouse. Their desperation is due to lastweek’s move by Republican senatorswho chose to enact a filibuster untilthe Bush tax cuts were extended acrossthe board.The bill, named after New YorkPolice Department detective James R.Zadroga, is designed to provide con-tinued annual funding to health carecenters for sick 9/11 workers, as wellas those who lived and worked in thecontaminated area for months after theattacks. The bill passed the House floorlast September.Last Friday, hordes of reporters and9/11 workers huddled around a podiumacross from 7 World Trade Center tohear Congresswoman Carolyn Maloneyand Congressman Jerrold Nadler, co-sponsors of the House version of thebill, speak out in support of the bill’spassage. Maloney and other Democratsperceive the Republicans’ oppositionto the bill as a treacherous act towardsthose who sacrificed their lives andhealth on 9/11.Sixty-two-year-old Bill Ferraro wasalso present at the press conference.Prior to 9/11, he had a clean bill of health. On the day of the attacks, theunion ironworker, who helped buildthe Twin Towers in the 1960s, rushedto the site of the attacks to help. He hassince been diagnosed with silicosis andasbestosis, respiratory diseases causedby inhaling silica dust and asbestosfibers.“This is my new friend,” saidFerraro, pulling out an inhaler fromhis pocket.Ferraro still works, but his limited
BY ALINE REYNOLDS
Community Board 1member Catherine McVay-Hughes, a stalwart advo-cate and resident of LowerManhattan for over a decade,could soon be looking for anew place to call home.She and other communi-ty members are distressed bythe possibility that the LowerManhattan ConstructionCommand Center couldsoon cease to exist. Thecity-state agency, whichoversees all Downtown con-struction projects with aprice tag of over $25,000, isdue to expire on December31, unless Mayor MichaelBloomberg and GovernorDavid Paterson both sign off on its renewal by that date.“We’re waiting anxious-ly, but we’re still not quitethere,” explained RobertHarvey, executive directorof the L.M.C.C.C. at theC.B. 1 World Trade CenterRedevelopment Committeemeeting on Monday.Bloomberg plans to signthe executive order, N.Y.C.Deputy Mayor StephenGoldsmith told Harvey onMonday, but Paterson must
BY JOHN BAYLES
David Emil was think-ing of stepping down asPresident of the LowerManhattan DevelopmentCorporation last summer,but he didn’t. He did, how-ever, announce his depar-ture, at least as the presi-dent, two weeks ago.“The reason I am leavingis because my father diedin the summer,” said Emil.“I am the executor of hisestate, and it requires that Idevote a substantial amountof time to the work.”Emil said he decided tostay on board over the sum-mer because he wanted tosee the demolition of 130Liberty, the former site of the Deutsche Bank building,through to completion. Andthat is why he will remain,although in a part-time man-ner with part-time pay andpart-time responsibilities,until the project is finished.“My goal is to help theagency to do what’s nec-essary to the very end of completion of 130 Liberty,”said Emil.The building, barringunforeseen circumstancessuch as inclement weath-er, is scheduled to be fullydemolished by mid-January.Emil was the owner of the Windows of the World res-taurant in the North Towerbefore the 9/11 attacks. Andaccording to Emil, the sole
Construction commandcenter’s end worriesresidentsEmil’s exit a signal for L.M.D.C.’s future
G.O.P. move to block 9/11bill angers NY pols
Continued on
page 12
Continued on
page 12
Continued on
page 17
do
w
nto
w
n
express
®
VOLUME 23, NUMBER 31 THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN
DECEMBER 15 - 21, 2010
NOVEL CHOICESFOR HOLIDAY READING,PG. 23
Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess
Would the real Santa please stand up?
On Saturday, the city’s annual “Santacon” event began at City Hall Park, made a stop at Biddy Early’s Pub onMurray Street and finally ended in Central Park.
December 15 - 21, 2010
2
downtown express
Customers of J&R Music and Computer World and otherstores along Park Row as well as tourists and locals lookingfor a taxi, will no longer have to loiter on the sidewalk forminutes on end attempting to waive down a cab.That’s thanks to a new taxi relief stand located betweenAnn and Beekman Streets, the result of a joint effort betweenJ&R, the New York City Department of Transportation andthe Downtown Alliance.“Introducing the second taxi relief stand in LowerManhattan will not only give drivers a place to take a breakand get a free cup of coffee, but it will also bring morecabs Downtown,” said Elizabeth Berger, president of theDowntown Alliance.J&R customers often rely on taxi service to get home,since many of them are transporting heavy appliances theypurchased in the store. They previously had trouble findingcabs, often having to rely on car service or public transpor-tation. “Park Row where J&R is situated is very difficult,”said Abe Brown, one of the managers at J&R. “[The cabs]are like, stuck in a maze.”After years of futile requests to various city agencies,according to Brown, the Taxi and Limousine Commissionagreed last spring to implement the service. The relief standwas installed on November 1.Brown and the other store managers offer the cab driversfree coffee at the café during their breaks, along with use of the store’s facilities.The stand will “provide a respite for our hardworkingtaxi drivers citywide,” according to J&R President RachelleFriedman.“They can’t thank us enough – they’re so happy and soexcited that somebody cares for them,” Brown said.The Park Row stand is the 43rd taxi relief stand inManhattan, and the second one in the Downtown area. Theother stand is on South Street, between Wall Street andGouverneur Lane.
Japanese Fusion Waterfront Restaurant and Lounge
Battery Park City, 21 South End Ave
HAPPY HOUR
$4 Rail Cocktails
Host your company party here!
KaijouNewYork.com
Specializing in luxury condominium sales,rentals, and property management.
Margaret H Liu,
President
21 South End Ave, Battery Park City
212-786-1789 www.batteryparkrealty.com
B
ATTERY
P
ARK
R
EALTY
, I
NC
Number 1 selling broker for the all new Green Building,Visionaire, River House & Millennium Tower
Taxi relief arrives on Park Row
Photo courtesy of the Downtown Alliance
NEWS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-9, 12-19
EDITORIAL PAGES
. . . . . . . . . . 10-11
YOUTH
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
ARTS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21-27
CLASSIFIEDS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
C.B. 1
M
EETINGS
The upcoming week’s schedule of CommunityBoard 1 committee meetings is below. Unless other-wise noted, all committee meetings are held at theboard office, located at 49-51 Chambers St., room709 at 6 p.m.
ON WED., DEC 15:
C.B. 1’s Seaport Committeewill meet.
ON THURS.,DEC 16:
C.B. 1’s full board will meetat St. John’s University, 101 Murray Street at 6 p.m.
Read the Archives
www.
DOWNTOWNEXPRESS
.com
downtown express
December 15 - 21, 2010
3
TUNNEL RENAMED AFTER FORMER GOV
The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel will be renamed the HughL. Carey Tunnel after former New York Governor, whoheld office from 1975 to 1982.Carey is credited for rescuing the state from civic andfinancial collapse, particularly during the fiscal crisis of 1975. “Governor Carey laid the foundation for New YorkCity’s revitalization, and for the development of LowerManhattan and the outer boroughs that accompanied it,”according to the memo of the bill, which was passed in theState Senate on December 7. “It is fitting that this crucialartery to the life of the city is named in his honor.”Carey is credited for rescuing the city from insolvencyin the mid-1970s, and for securing its revival thereafter.He also spearheaded several economic development proj-ects, including the South Street Seaport and Battery ParkCity, and improved public transportation.The tunnel, which opened in 1950, connects WallStreet with southwestern Brooklyn, and is accessible fromLower Manhattan via the F.D.R. Drive. It is the longestcontinuous underwater tunnel in North America, accord-ing to the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s website. It gotits claim to fame in the 1997 film, “Men in Black,” as theagent’s headquarters.N.Y. State Senator Daniel Squadron said the renamingof the tunnel is an appropriate tribute to his achievements,and praised the former governor for his strong leadershipskills. “Governor Carey rose above those things that sooften divide us – Republican and Democrat, upstate anddownstate — to craft a solution that kept the whole statestrong, and [that] allowed the state to rise, and the cityto rise, from what looked like dark days that might neverend,” Squadron recently said on the Senate floor.
NEW LANDMARK IN TRIBECA
Tribeca inherited yet another landmark on Tuesday,at 258 Broadway (at Warren Street). For 70 years, thebuilding housed Rogers, Peet and Company, a men’s retailclothing store. The building’s ground floor is now occu-pied by a bank, and its top floors consist of apartmentunits.Erected in 1900, it is exemplary of a steel skeleton-framed skyscraper, and was built with the latest in fire-proofing technologies. It is clad in stone and brick, andcrowned by a deep molded and finely shaped coppercornice.“It’s a handsome building… that reflects the evolu-tion of commercial architecture in New York City andhoused a well-respected business for decades,” said L.P.C.Chairman Robert Tierney. “I can testify, personally, to thequality and the longevity of Rogers, Peet Clothing, havingowned one of its jackets for at least 20 years.”Rogers, Peet & Co., founded in 1874, was one of the first clothing merchants to publicize the quality andappearance of its goods, and was famous for its big inven-tory and modest prices. The Warren Street branch closedin 1976, and the remaining three closed in 1978.
DT GIANTS BLANK THE RAVENS; WIN NYC SUPER BOWL
Lower Manhattan’s Downtown Giants football team wonthe New York City Championship Super Bowl against theRockaway Ravens by a score of 32-0 last week.
The game’sMost Valuable Player award went to quarterback/safetyAaron Alers, who threw for two touchdown passes and alsorushed for two scores.Now, we’ll see if the N.F.L. NY Giants can follow suit.
• Dry Cleaners• Evening Formal• Wedding Gowns• Launder & Press• Wash & Fold Laundry• Alterations• Patches & Repairs• Carpet & Rug Cleaning
D
OWNTOWN
DIGEST
Search History:
Result 00 of 00
00 results for result for
p.
More From This User
Notes
Load more
