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Battery Park Playground Fails Safety Test, But Wins First Place for Mascot

NYPress — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:10:28 +0000

A recent report gives the park poor marks for safety but points for its unique character

By Nora Bosworth

Battery Park’s playground was one of the only in the city to receive a failing mark from the recent New Yorkers for Parks report, which surveyed 43 large parks throughout the five boroughs. But we think Zelda, the notorious wild turkey who has called the park her stomping ground for (at least) the last ten years, makes the space just perfect.

The organization’s report graded all its parks based on the following features: bathrooms, courts, drinking fountains, lawns, natural areas, pathways, playgrounds, sitting areas, trees, and water bodies. Each of the parts was judged for its maintenance, cleanliness, safety, and structural integrity. New Yorkers for Parks applied the same grading scale that is used in academia.

Battery Park, which is the 22-acre stretch of land that spans the coast of the Financial District, got an 89.

“The playground score decreased from 68 to 58 since 2010, due to persistent peeling paint on play equipment and aging, gap-laden safety surfacing,” the report explains. The study also lauds the park for its waterfront, which received a perfect score.

Yet it does not mention Zelda, who on Sunday was standing imperiously beneath one of the playground’s tables, daring the pigeons to approach. It’s not clear how long Zelda has reigned over Battery Park, though a New York Times’ article from 2003 may be her first recorded sighting.

“Few species would seem less likely inhabitants of an urban core, considering the wild turkey’s ungainly size, its native habitat in woods, mountains and swamps, and its diet of berries, nuts and insects,” the article reads.

A park worker, (who wished to go unnamed due to the Park Department’s policy forbidding employees to talk to the press), said they give her seeds, though he suspects her appetite is sated in other ways too.

“I think she gets some food off the tourists,” he explained, adding that visitors “seem to love her.”

It’s rumored that Zelda got her name from Zelda Fitzgerald, F. Scott’s wife. In the evenings the turkey roosts in the trees, and then comes down by day.

“We’ll come in the morning and see a blob up in the tree, and 9 times out of 10, that’s Zelda,” the employee said.

He is not sure how long she’s been around, but knows it’s been at least seven years. Wild turkeys, in their natural habitat, have an average life span of 3 or 4 years. But Zelda appears to have a survivor’s streak, reappearing after Sandy, to many people’s relief.

The playground, on the other hand, is still being reconstructed since the flooding. Despite its markedly low grade, the rest of the park compensated for the facility’s relative disrepair – which, the report explains, is exactly the problem: due to the Park Department’s limited resources, when one problem is solved, another pops up.

Holly Leicht, the Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks, calls it a “property management version of ‘Whac-A-Mole.’”

In fact, the report showed that overall New York City’s parks have improved since the last report, which they published two years ago. 88 percent of the parks received A or B ratings. Nonetheless, Leicht has reservations about the positive findings.

“Only by growing the budgetary pie can we expect NewYork’s park system to be maintained at the high level of care we’ve come to expect in the past two decades,” she concludes. Whether such a pie will grow amid the present economic conditions remains to be seen.

In any case, go bring your child to Battery Park’s playground — not to use the facilities, which are apparently unsafe, but to spot Zelda while she’s still in her prime.

PHOTOS: Downtown Manhattan Crushed by Hurricane Sandy

NY Press — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 23:14:53 +0000

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, downtown residents are still facing flooded streets and homes, no power and a devastating recovery that will likely take weeks if not months. Reporter Amy Eley ventured into Lower Manhattan to survey the damage. We’ll be updating with more photos and reports from the neighborhood.

Cars that once sat in a parking garage on South William Street in Manhattan's Financial District float along the entrance of the garage. Gas has leaked from the cars into the flood waters. Photo by Amy Eley.

The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel remains flooded after Hurricane Sandy slams Manhattan. Photo by Amy Eley.

Mannequins from the Superdry clothing store at South Street Seaport sit on the nearby Water Street. The store was flooded during Hurricane Sandy, causing the mannequins to drift to neighboring streets. Photo by Amy Eley.

Trees in Battery Park City are uprooted from the ground as a result of the strong winds from Hurricane Sandy. Photo by Amy Eley.

Street Scene: Theater in the Park

NYPress — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:51:42 +0000

New York Classical Theatre staged a roving outdoor performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in Battery Park on July 20.

Photos by James Kelleher

City Looks to Close the Book on More Funding

Megan Finnegan Bungeroth — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:12:16 +0000

By Megan Bungeroth
with additional reporting by
Andrew Rice
When people think of libraries, they think of taciturn old librarians, stacks of musty books and repressive quiet zones where the smallest sound is met with a harsh shush! The reality couldn’t be further from this image. Walking into the Battery Park City Library on North End Avenue, the first thing you notice is that it’s bright and sunny, with large open windows. Dozens of kids are playing quietly in a children’s area. Adults are sitting at computers doing research alongside young students doing their homework. It certainly isn’t filled with an oppressive air of silence—the library is a surprisingly vibrant community center.
Library usage in the city keeps going up—in the last fiscal year, the St. Agnes branch on the Upper West Side had nearly 300,000 visits and the entire NYPL system had 15.1 million—but funding continues to drop precipitously. Now the NYPL system is facing severe budget cuts again; the proposed 2013 budget slashes $36 million, a 32 percent decrease that, if implemented in the executive budget, would surely mean reduced hours, staff and services all around Manhattan.
“More patrons than ever are coming through our doors, checking out more materials, attending more programs and accessing more information,” said Dr. Anthony Marx, president of the NYPL, at a City Council hearing last month. “This cumulative cut means that [fiscal year] ’13 funding, excluding inflationary reimbursements, would be a full 44 percent lower than the FY ’08 adopted budget.”
It’s a particularly cruel irony that the same economic crisis that squeezes the library budget is the same force sending New Yorkers into those libraries in droves. Library advocates point out that the loss of hours and staff would mean fewer librarians to help people find and fill out job applications, fewer free activities for cash-strapped parents to bring their kids to and fewer English as a Second Language courses, one of the many types of free class the NYPL provides.
“Especially in an economic downturn, libraries just become more necessary,” said Lauren Comito, a librarian who runs the organization Urban Librarians Unite. She said she has probably helped over 1,000 people in the past six months search for jobs, write résumés and apply to positions online. Last year, 440,500 people attended job-related classes at the city libraries.
The steady decline in funding has forced libraries to get by on shoestring budgets and operate with military-like efficiency to avoid cutting services.
“The cuts have definitely been tough,” Angela Montefinise, director of public relations and marketing at the NYPL, wrote in an email. “We’re down 500 employees since [2008], and yet we still manage to have an average of six-day service around our system. We have worked extremely hard…to ensure that public service is not impacted by these cuts, but there’s only so far we can push to maintain that level of service as resources continue to decline.”
According to the NYPL, about $100 million of their $259 million adopted budget for FY 2012 comes from private donations, a number they say remains consistent. It’s the city money that fluctuates and that the system is constantly negotiating.
“I call it, in the words of Yogi Berra, ‘Déjà vu all over again,’” said Council Member Vincent Gentile, chair of the Libraries Committee. “It seems like every 10 months or so, we’re back to where we started.
“Last year, we had to close a gap of $3 million [after larger cuts were restored to the budget],” he said. “Now it’s come to the point that we’re looking at a gap of $96 million,” the total combined amount for the NYPL, which covers Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island as well as the research libraries, and cuts to the Queens and Brooklyn library systems.
Gentile said that the libraries should receive a baseline budget—something they can count on every year—but that he doesn’t see that happening in this administration.
“The fact that we haven’t baselined it really leaves everybody with no ability to plan and no ability to have some sense of security,” he said.
Maureen Sullivan, president-elect of the American Libraries Association, said that urban libraries around the country are suffering similar budget restraints and that lawmakers need to be made aware of the tremendous return on investment that libraries offer in terms of public services and community benefit.
“I think there’s really a need for the financial people, the policy makers to understand what people who work in libraries do and how people in the community use libraries,” Sullivan said. “It’s critical to recognize that the public library is often the only resource available for those in our communities who are not yet using the technology or don’t have the ability to get the information,” for things like online employment resources.
While job search resources are critical, local libraries also serve as cultural and social havens for Downtown residents. On a recent weekday afternoon at Battery Park City, a mother played with her young child in a foam play area. Behind her, several nannies talked amongst themselves as their charges read books or used computers. On the other side of the library, teens surfed the Internet or read books. A quick jog upstairs brings you to the library’s quiet area, where Tammy Keller helped her daughter go over her homework.
“I bring my daughter Olivia and her friends here, and it’s a bright, wonderful space. We do homework here, go to story time and check out books. If anything happened, we’d still come here, but we wouldn’t be as happy.”
Back downstairs, Lolita Atilola organizes a Spanish story time with two dozen infants and their parents. Through song, dance and puppets, Atilola immerses these young children in the Spanish language.
“Some parents take their kids here because they want them to learn about their roots or their culture. Others do this because they want their children to have an early exposure to another language,” said Francesca Coraggio, who manages the library.
Liza Polanco, 50, is a nanny for two children who are here for the Spanish story time. “If they closed the library or cut its hours, I don’t know what we’d do. Lots of children come here. We come here every week for the readalongs, the story times and all the other activities. They had animals at the library once,” said Polanco, as the children piped up their experiences with the animals.
“They had an owl here and it was the coolest thing ever!” said the little boy with Polanco.
“They talk about basically cutting the most vulnerable folks in this city who depend on us for access to ideas—the bedrock of democracy, the bedrock of an economy,” Marx said in his Council testimony. “That would demonstrate fewer items being circulated, libraries being closed, youngsters being deprived of access to books and programs. It really is a horror show.”

Lights On…In Lower Manhattan

admin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:43:25 +0000

Downtown Alliance’s Kelly Rush lets us know what’s opening and closing

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, one of my favorite days of the year, an Irish blessing for you: May the wind always be at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, may your teenagers stay busy, may the road rise up to meet you and may you always find parking when you reach your destination. As usual, if you see any new retailers or spot changes to a longtime friend, please email me at tre@downtownny.com and I’ll check them out.
Openings
7eventytwo
72 Warren St. (betw. W. Broadway & Greenwich St.),7eventytwo.org
Teenagers are known for a few things, and boredom is one of them. The Church Street School for Music and Art is taking that untapped energy and channeling it into creative endeavors that promise to enrich and enliven teens’ free hours. 7eventytwo is a drug- and alcohol-free zone that offers a variety of activities that promote learning and creative
expression in a fun, safe environment.

Events include battles of the bands, film screenings, figure drawing and open-studio Saturdays. Workshops provide instruction on everything from digital cameras and music video production to fiber sculpture.

Woodrow’s
43 Murray St. (betw. W. Broadway & Church Sts.), woodrowsnyc.com
Glenn Garmont has got a good thing going. He and his wife Erin, who own Woodrow’s, are exactly where they want to be: in the middle of a neighborhood poised for growth with a bar whose popularity is already exceeding their hopes. “We haven’t been open even two weeks and things are better than expected,” Garmont said.

Woodrow’s fills a void in the area for a casual, homey watering hole that offers great food without being too expensive. The owners have completed extensive renovations on the space to include a downstairs whiskey bar with comfortable couches and decorative touches that make you feel like you’ve come home—except nicer and with the option of your own personal bartender.

Come for an after-work drink or make it your home for St. Patrick’s Day; on offer is an Irish breakfast with black and white pudding, Irish bacon, eggs and toast, or enjoy an entrée like corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, Guinness beef stew or a corned beef sandwich.

Europan Diner Café
125 Fulton St. (betw. Nassau & Williams Sts.), europandiner.com
Europan has several locations throughout the city, but now we only have to travel to Fulton to get a taste of variety on a budget. The selection here is huge, but don’t be daunted by all your choices. To ease navigation, the choices at Europan Diner Café are split into several (OK, more than several) categories: egg platters, omelet options, breads and bagels, appetizers, salads, sandwiches, vegetarian wraps, regular wraps, paninis, sauté dishes, risotto dishes, “quesadilla corner” and cakes, pies and pastries.

If those choices aren’t enough, a few other options are available, such as shakes, smoothies and gourmet coffees.

Quik Park
95 Wall St. (betw. Water & Front Sts.), www.quikparkgarages.com
Finding a parking space in Lower Manhattan—really, in any part of the city—can be a quest even Odysseus would find challenging. This lot is open 24 hours a day and conveniently located at Wall and Water, within easy walking distance of the South Street
Seaport, Staten Island Ferry, Battery Park and the shopping and commercial centers around Wall Street.

Anne Frank Center USA
44 Park Pl. (at Church St.), annefrank.com
The museum honoring one of the most recognizable and influential Holocaust victims, Anne Frank, officially opened its doors and held an opening celebration March 15. The center promotes a message of tolerance and respect and uses Anne Frank’s diary and life to share her legacy with the world.
Closings
Icon Parking, 95 Wall St.
Digi Prints Inc. 176 Broadway
The Bread Factory Café, 125 Fulton St.
Sunny’s Deli, 11 Park Pl.

Billy Parrott: Library Manager for the New York City Public Library, Battery City Park

admin — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:36:55 +0000

By Penny Grey

Battery Park becomes an increasingly vibrant neighborhood every day. Billy Parrott, library manager of the Battery Park City Library, discusses the importance of the library to the community and the joys of being a librarian.

How long has the Battery Park branch been open?

We opened on March 15, 2010, so just about a year and a half ago now.

This is a green LEED-certified building; is it the first such branch in the New York City Public Library system?

It’s the first green library in Manhattan. In 2007, the Bronx library center was built, and that’s a LEED silver building. But this is a great facility. We’ve got 26 desktop computers and 10 laptop computers for patron use. When we first opened, I thought we might have more supply than demand, but these days, everything is occupied. We have really become a destination branch. Some people will come from across town just to work and enjoy the space. One patron wrote an entire book upstairs.

Being a green library, is there an effort to move to more electronic publications rather than paper?

Regardless of being green, the world is moving that way in general. With e-books and the ease of access to electronic material, a lot of what we do here at the library has nothing to do with paper. But going green doesn’t hurt.

Does being green affect the mood and atmosphere of the space?

A lot of thought went into the design of the building. We wanted to create a bright, big, open space. The light here is beautiful, particularly in the upstairs reading area. Often people have an idea of green architecture and how that might translate visually, but [the library] doesn’t scream “recycled” by any means.

Who has made the most use of the library since its opening last March?

It’s definitely the community using the library, no doubt about it. This is a residential neighborhood, so we have families in here all day long. But we’re also a business neighborhood, so we get the World Financial Center crowd, and lots of people use the space from noon to two on their lunch breaks. Stuyvesant High School is just up the street, so we get lots of students and young people. And Hallmark Assisted Living is just around the corner, so we also attract the senior population.

What sort of programming have you generated to meet the needs of such a diverse group of patrons?

Our children’s programming is definitely the most popular. Baby Story Time for newborns to 18-month-olds is such a hit that we continue to add new days and times. We also have Toddler Story Time for 18-month-olds to 3-year-olds and Regular Story Time for 5- to 12-year-olds, as well as crafts, puppet shows and other outside programming. We’ve also got a Teen Advisory Program, which gives teens a chance to provide input and generate programming. And then we offer adult programming as well, most notably computer classes and author readings. Recently, we hosted a talk on journalism in the world post-9/11. So we stay pretty busy.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Probably the teaching moments, when you can really guide someone to something they’ll love and remember. It’s not that people aren’t expecting to get answers, but when you can really help them in that way, it’s incredibly rewarding.

And the worst thing about your job?

There’s nothing bad about libraries! I really can’t think of anything I don’t love about my job. After all, people love to read—and anyone who comes to the library is sort of self-selecting, aren’t they? They’re here because they love the idea of a place where reading and learning is possible.

What’s the difference between being a librarian now and being a librarian in, say, 1950?

The ease of access to information, most definitely. It used to be that there were three encyclopedias to search, but now a good librarian really needs to be aware of all the possible sources, and of those sources, the best possible resources.

That must be pretty overwhelming.

It’s not overwhelming at all, actually. The Internet has changed the way people think and the way people read, but librarians still help people to get to the bottom of it and find what they need.

The New York City Public Library system has been a cornerstone of New York City culture for such a long time. How do you see yourself shaping that cornerstone in the Downtown area with the Battery Park branch?

First, I don’t really do anything individually. It’s really a team effort. There are seven full-time and two part-time staff members here at the branch, and I encourage everyone to come up with ideas. When there’s one idea, we all work to implement it.

Just to give you an example, in the last four months we’ve been working on a paper crane project. Every Friday, we held workshops to teach kids how to make origami peace cranes in honor of September 11. The community participation was so positive; kids would bring the supplies home and teach their neighbors, the security guards, you name it. So this project that started out just for kids turned into something for our entire community. The paper cranes started out as a display for September 11, but I think we’ll keep them up. Having those paper cranes suspended from the ceilings is a great reminder of what we’re doing in the community.

Photos by Penny Grey

Making Strides Against Lung Cancer

NY Press — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:51:59 +0000

NYCs largest lung cancer event kicks off in Battery Park with event goodies galore.

On Sunday, October 23 LUNGevity will host its fifth annual Breathe Deep NYC 5K walk to raise money in the fight against lung cancer. Over 1,000 survivors, family members, doctors, and supporters will take part in the event that includes live entertainment, children’s activities, photo booths, a silent auction and donated raffle prizes prior to the start of the walk.

Co-spokespersons, Heather Geraghty and Jess Trovato are personally committed to the cause.

Geraghty, a 25 year-old who was diagnosed with lung cancer at 24, joined the cause after having 2/3 of her lung removed. She will speak at the event to raise awareness among young people.

Trovato joined the cause in 2007 when her father was diagnosed with stave four lung cancer. In 2011 she joined the staff of LUNGevity in order to devote all her efforts to ending the disease.

Lung cancer is the nations number one cancer killer, impacting 1 in 14 Americans. LUNGevity’s Breathe Deep NYC walk along with dozens of other Breathe Deep walks taking place around the nation, will help raise money for research, treatments and cures for lung cancer through the LUNGevity Foundation, the nation’s largest lung cancer nonprofit funder of research.

Registration for the walk begins at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K Walk begins at 10:30 a.m., leaving from Battery Park.

By McCamey Lynn

The Urban Farm Experience

Annie Lubin — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:56:50 +0000

If it was ever a secret that the downtown area is leading the pack in turning the concrete jungle a little more green, the Parks Department’s announcement back in April that they would devote an entire acre at Battery Park to an urban farm really let the cat out of the bag.

Urban Farming. Photo by Caitlyn Bierman

Community gardens and rooftop farms have been popping up all over the city for years, but the Battery Park plots are the first of their kind—in fact, it’s the first public farm to grace the soil of Manhattan since 1625.

The 80 plots along State and Pearl streets are being used by students from eight city schools (including nearby Millennium High School, whose environmental club set the plan in motion with a request to plant a vegetable garden in the park) and various community groups. A few park food vendors will even incorporate vegetables and herbs from the farm into their dishes.

Unfortunately, the Urban Farm at the Battery will only be around for two years—but the closing of the farm will usher in construction on the Battery Garden Bikeway, connecting the east and west sides of Manhattan, giving us yet another reason to love the area.

Holding Hands to Memorialize 9/11

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:00:34 +0000

Looking for a way to actively participate in a 9/11 commemoration ceremony? RSVP for the “Hand in Hand, Remembering 9/11” event on September 10, 2011. In a letter on the “Hand in Hand” website, Community Board 1 Chairperson Julie Menin outlines the details of the event:

“On Saturday, September 10th, 2011 at 8:46 a.m., we will commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the September 11th attacks, when thousands of people will grasp hands to form a human chain along the waterfront from the tip of Lower Manhattan heading north. We then encourage you to visit historic Battery Park where you can post a message or memento on our Wall of Remembrance, portions of which will be displayed at the 9/11 Memorial Museum for years to come. In addition, downtown non-profits will be hosting special community service projects throughout our neighborhood and we invite you to get involved and volunteer in the community.”

While participation is free, pre-registration here is required. Participants will be contacted via email prior to the event with check-in instructions.