Previously Online News

Registration To Begin For EPA's Next Cleaning Posted Dec.18 Downtown residents who are worried about residual World Trade Center dust will get one last chance to have their homes tested and cleaned, the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced.

Community Speaks Out About Rector Street Bridge
Posted Dec. 11 Thirty percent of Battery Park City must remain open space, according to Battery Park City’s master plan. Yet threaten to remove a slice of greenery, as the state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) recently did, and the residents of Battery Park City will shoulder their gardening tools, leash their Labradors, and rally for every square inch.

Owners Flout Law With Sidewalk Shed Advertisements
Posted Dec. 4 Standing at Wall and Broad, shutterbug tourists have only to spin in place to capture some of the city’s most iconic images. There, in that landmark-rich vista, is Federal Hall, the New York Stock Exchange, Trinity Church... and an ad featuring giant cans of ice tea.

Tribeca Promenade to WTC Site Proposed Posted Dec.4 A group of green-minded Tribeca residents is proposing a bold new plan to turn Greenwich Street into a tree-lined pedestrian promenade, connecting Tribeca to the World Trade Center site.

Political Change Offers Hope For School in BPC
Posted Dec.4
Community Board 1 is looking for a few good sites—for more new Downtown schools. High on the list of candidates is a 135,000 square foot space adjacent to a 360-foot-tall residential building under development at the southern end of Battery Park City, known as Site 2B.

Buster's at Liquor Authority
Posted Dec. 4 The “500-foot-hearing”—so called because it is automatically triggered when three or more establishments with liquor licenses are within 500 feet of the applicant’s business—was a model of civility compared to previous encounters.

CB1 Okays License for a West Broadway Corner
Posted Dec. 4 The corner bar at West Broadway and White Street has sat empty for more than two years. Its presence is a reminder of the Liquor Store Bar’s noisy 10-year run there; its silence a relief to the neighbors. But Community Board 1 recently gave their stamp of approval for a beer and wine license for a new coffee shop there, despite the neighbors' opposition.

Planned Turn Lanes Are Focus Of Anger
Posted Dec. 4 Bob Townley and a task force of Community Board 1 members were collecting signatures and gathering political steam last month in an effort to block plans by the state’s Department of Transportation to install two turn lanes as part of the reconstruction of Route 9A (West Street).

An Artist's Litany Of Loft Misery
Posted Dec. 4 Betty Beaumont says she was told the renovation to her loft would take two to three weeks. It is now going on three years. It is a period she describes in almost Job-like proportions.

Soccer Collection For Africa Scores Big
Posted Dec. 4 After the final kick of the season last month on the muddy ballfields of Battery Park City, some Downtown Soccer League players changed out of their uniforms and tossed them into a box. The next kids who will wear those Bologna, Manchester and Dundee jerseys will be on fields in Africa.

Local Groups Share In Grants Posted Dec.4 Friends of Lower Manhattan chose eight Downtown non-profit groups from among 44 requests to share in $125,000 in grant awards.

Tribeca Deli Converted Into Light Opera Home
Posted Dec. 4 In its 70-year history, the Village Light Opera Guild has had many opening nights. But none was like the one staged last month at 65 Leonard Street, when there was no audience, but plenty to cheer.

Artist Brings Bird's Eye View To Security Booth
Posted Dec. 4 A new security booth will soon appear in Thomas Paine Park, the grassy wedge across from the court house. Hardly a newsworthy occasion, except that this booth - in place of a yawning police officer- will house a tree full of canaries. Sort of.

Forest City Ratner Unveils Beekman Plaza Design
Posted Nov. 16 The public recently got its first glimpse at a small portion of the plans for the elusive Forest City Ratner project on Beekman Street, the 76-story tower to be built next to the New York Downtown Hospital.

IN BRIEF

BEATRIX POTTER SHOW

WINTER COAT DRIVE

HOLIDAY LIGHTS

An upcoming exhibition will celebrate the life of Beatrix Potter, a children’s book author best known for creating the beloved Peter Rabbit. The exhibition will feature photographs of Potter and her home in England’s Lake District, as well as many of the illustrations from her books. A reading corner with an extensive collection of her books will be the stage for readings throughout the week. The exhibit will be at the Tribeca Cinemas Gallery, 13 Laight St., from Dec. 8 to Dec. 14. Hours are 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. during the week, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekend.

HOLIDAY ART MARKET

The National Museum of the American Indian will host an art market featuring traditional Native American arts and crafts from Dec. 8 through Dec. 10. Silver and semi-precious jewelry will be available, as will baskets, beadwork, apparel, prints and drawings, and dolls in traditional regalia. Thirty-five Native American artists contributed their wares for the market, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is free. For more information, go to www.AmericanIndian.si.edu.

As the weather turns cold, there’s no more basic n ecessity than a coat. The 18th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive collects adults’ and children’s coats and distributes them to over 300 New York homeless shelters and other aid agencies. Each year over 70,000 coats are donated to people in need. Downtown donors can bring their new or gently used coats to the 1st Precinct, 16 Ericsson Place, throughout the month of December.

TOYS FOR TOTS

For the fourth year in a row, Wall Street Rising is collecting new, unwrapped toys for needy children in the city. Donations are being accepted at the Downtown Information Center, 55 Exchange Place, between Broad and Williams St, Suite 401. Hours of operation are between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The drive ends Dec. 15. Call 212-425-INFO or got to www.downtowninfocenter.org for more information.

The Battery Park City Conservancy presents "Holiday Lights at BPC Parks" on Dec. 7 at 5:45 in the South Cove. A musical quartet called The Biddies will provide seasonal music and carols, and hot cider and hot chocolate will be on hand, as will Santa Claus. The tree lighting will take place at 6:15 p.m. A Menorah will be lit in South Cove starting at sundown on Dec. !5. Please bring a new unwrapped gift or article of clothing for distribution to children and teens living in city shelters.

RECORD AND CD SALE

Over 20,000 CDs, collectible LPs, tapes, music books, and videos will be selling for as little as $1 at the ARChive of Contemporary Music’s Holiday Record & CD Sale, Dec. 9 through Dec. 17. The CDs are brand-new donations from record companies. The selection includes rock and pop, classical, world music, vintage punk, and more. Proceeds will benefit the ARChive, a not-for-profit archive and research center on 54 White St. that collects and preserves popular music from 1950 to the present. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the days of the sale.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

WHY WAS RIVER PROJECT NOT ALLOWED TO COMPETE FOR PIER 26 ESTUARIUM?

WHO WILL SIFT THE SOIL AS DEVELOPERS REBUILD TRIBECA'S SURFACE?

TRIBECA'S OLDEST ADVERTISING SIGN IS ALSO ITS MOST PAINTERLY

To the Editor:
We are writing in regard to the proposed development of the estuarium on Pier 26 by the Hudson River Park Trust as reported in the November Trib.

Tribeca Organization has long supported the redevelopment of Hudson River Park. However, we have also strongly supported maintaining the strong community presence and involvement that made the Tribeca piers so important to our neighborhood.

EVEN IN THE PARK, GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS
To the Editor: There I was, walking down the stairs from Borough of Manhattan Community College, when I saw the Washington Market Park staff doing all sorts of renovations. One of them: Taking down the the fence along the northern edge of the lawn. Wide open spaces! Quite a pleasant surprise. Or, so it seemed. MORE

To the Editor:
With building construction going on all over Tribeca, either by digging up parking lots or tearing down nineteenth-century buildings, I wonder if any thought has been given toward urban archeology?

DOCTOR RESPONDS TO KIDS' HEALTH STORY
To the Editor: I was very surprised to read the headline of the article in which I was quoted. In my discussion with Ms. Etta Sanders, I thought I had made it clear that I strongly believe that there will surely be health repurcussions for children in the downtown area secondary to the dust and debris created by the 9/11 tragedy. MORE

To the Editor:
I was very interested in your story about the “old style” advertisement on 155 Duane Street (November Trib).In the center of the large photo of Patty Cazoria and Alexis Duque you can see what is undeniably Tribeca’s best preserved, largest and most painterly of the original 1920’s outdoor advertisements.

Between the three rows of windows on 111 West Broadway are two three story panels. The one on the left says “Brush Up Business with Paint, Paste, Paper and Push.” The panel on the right is a very “Michelangelo style” hand holding a brush.



			December 2006