By Helaina Hovitz

If a hurricane didn’t kill this community’s spirit, a little rain wasn’t going to, either.

Determined to go on with the show — a show that ran past the event’s scheduled 9 p.m. end time — the first annual Spirit Festival commenced as planned on Thursday, April 18, on Front Street between Beekman and Fulton Streets, raising funds and moral support for South Street Seaport area businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Speaker Sheldon Silver presents a State Assembly proclamation to Ashley Duncan, president of the Spruce Street School PTA, along with a group of students.
Photo by Brook Altman

During the superstorm, the East River rushed through the storefronts of bars, shops and restaurants around the Seaport, tearing rooms apart and sending refrigerators floating down Front Street. Things went from bad to worse when 13 businesses around Front Street and Peck Slip operating under a lease with The Durst Organization were told that they couldn’t open for at least another six to eight months because Durst wanted to replace the geothermal unit (a boiler system), instead of just fixing it. While some business owners immediately picked up and left, others immediately reopened, and many are still waiting to do so.

Shortly after the storm, the ones who’ve made the decision to stay formed the Seaport Neighborhood Merchants’ Association, sponsored by the Downtown Alliance and initiated with the help of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. Their goal: to promote their businesses and let everyone know “they’re still here.”

On Thursday, the wet winds caused a slow-moving start to the festival, but people still showed; before long, the streets dried up and drew larger crowds. An estimated 500 people attended the event between the hours of 5 – 9:30 p.m.

“It was friendly and festive, but served as a reminder of how stark it is down there. Nothing is open,” said Ashley Duncan, President of the Spruce Street School PTA, who organized the event. “Everyone seemed ready for a night like this. The community came together in such a ginormous way.”

Jef Tuohy performs at The Spirit Project. Photo by Brook Altman

Of course, a steady stream of adorable dancing children continuously gathered in front of the bandstand, shaking it up with food smeared all over their faces.

All the right people showed up, too, including Manhattan Borough President candidate Julie Menin, current Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, City Council Member Margaret Chin, District Leader and City Council candidate Jennifer Rajkumar, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who presented the Spruce Street PTA with a state proclamation acknowledging the school for their support of the community.

Four food trucks, who each donated $250 for their place, flagged a stage that hosted musical performances by Jeff Touhy, The Hollows, and The Crusty Gentlemen. Parents and businesses donated everything from soundstage equipment to drinks, and sales from beer and wine tickets, as well as t-shirts, went to the Association.

“You bet I was there eating,” said Marco Pasanella, owner of Pasanella & Son Vintners at 115 South Street. “But not drinking too much, because it was our wine.”

Pasanella, who is also the acting director of the Association, said that seeing tons of kids on the block for the first time in “god knows how many months” made it feel like the neighborhood was alive again.

“We’re all here, it’s warm out, we’re back, and we’re happy,” he said. “I hope this is just the beginning.”

The Spirit Project’s donation lines will be kept open until May 1st (visit sprucestreetnyc.org and click on Spirit Project on the side panel), and the PTA plans to organize a new event each year to support a different cause.

By Helaina Hovitz

As suspected and outlined in last week’s article, March 20’s City Council “food market” victory announcement turned out to be a lot of smoke and mirrors.

In approving a Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) application with the Howard Hughes Corporation, the city has given the corporation the rights to redevelop  Pier 17. But Hughes also has options to redevelop areas surrounding the South Street Seaport, with the possibility of constructing hotels, condos and upscale retail stores, potentially turning the entire area in one big generic mall complex.

Initially, members of Community Board 1 received a Letter of Intent with a blacked-out “Mixed Use Project” section detailing the plans for the Fish Market area, in response to a Freedom of Information Law request filed with the city’s Economic Development Corporation. Nine days after the Land Use application was approved by city council vote, board members found an unredacted version, revealing the corporation’s true intentions. It turned out that the City Council did have that unredacted L.O.I. (Letter of Intent) in their possession, according to a firsthand account from East Village resident Robert LaValva, president of the New Amsterdam Market. LaValva saw the L.O.I. himself back in August of last year, but was told he couldn’t have or keep a copy. (A spokesperson for City Council Member Margaret Chin said that the letter was never hidden from the public, and that LaValva was shown the letter in an overture of transparency.)

LaValva tried to warn everyone about the developer’s plans at March 14’s City Council Hearing.

“By voting to approve this ULURP, you will be approving a rezoning not only of the Pier 17 mall, but of the entire waterfront. What is troubling about this is that E.D.C. and Howard Hughes have a Letter of Intent to redevelop the Fulton Fish Market site as a luxury residential high rise, hotel and retail complex,” he said.

The latest news to unfold is that the South Street Seaport Museum, also under Howard Hughes Corporation control, is facing an 18-month deadline to get back on solid financial footing, a deadline that’s up on April 5th. Rescued from going under by the Museum of the City of New York back in 2011, the Seaport museum estimates it would cost $22 million in repairs and renovations to upgrade after Hurricane Sandy (a figure that includes the cost of recovery as well as the costs to move the building’s electrical systems to a higher floor to prevent damage from future flooding).

In a newsletter that Margaret Chin’s office handed out at the monthly Community Board 1 meeting on March 26, Hughes offered to provide the Seaport Museum with $250,000 over the next three months, followed by $100,000 a month for five months. Hughes has made no commitment to give up lease options to former Museum properties now under first option as per the 12.12.11 Letter of Intent depriving the Museum of a steady source of lease revenues.

If the museum goes under, the Howard Hughes Corporation will gain all of its property. Additionally, the letter reveals that they are not providing any new docking berths for the Seaport’s historic vessels, and are allowing the AMBROSE to stay where it is until they decide otherwise.

The Howard Hughes Corporation has repeatedly declined to comment, just as they have refused to put forth a “Master Plan,” prior to the mandatory deadline of August 30 of this year. They technically don’t have to. But what’s happening before everyone’s eyes is the master plan, and it’s unfolding with the help of the city, the Economic Development Corporation, and others.

It is no surprise that the South Street Seaport is still heavily feeling the effects of Superstorm Sandy. At a recent legal clinic aimed at helping small business owners in the area, several owners spoke about the difficulties they are facing.

“The whole neighborhood, which to me is the most important neighborhood in New York City, is dark” said Amanda Byron Zink, owner of the Salty Paw, a South Street dog grooming business.

Issues of damage repair, applying for grants, paying back loans and qualifying for insurance are just a few of the challenges these small business owners face. Not to mention the question of when, if ever, they can put that “open” sign back on their front doors.

Amanda Byron Zink has lived in the South Street Seaport neighborhood for 17 years, with 6 of those years dedicated to running The Salty Paw along historic Front Street.

“I am raising my family here so this is personal,” Zink said. “It’s not just about getting my business up and running again, which is still closed along with 13 other storefronts in long historic Front Street.”

Even businesses that know they will be re-opening soon have found little cause for celebration just yet.

Stella was, and will be again, a Front Street neighborhood bistro owned by Fernando Dallorso. He appears to be better off than many with his restaurant ready to re-open, but as any true South Street Seaport patron knows, true success will only be established in numbers. These small businesses have an unparalleled sense of camaraderie and pride in diversity that has made them historic, and will keep that history alive.

“It’s all hands on deck, or it’s not going to happen,” said Dallorso.

Linda Marini, co-owner of the Italian restaurant Barbarini, intends to re-open as well, though unfortunately it will not be in South Street Seaport. As one of the first storefronts to open on Front Street seven years ago, it will be hard for her to leave this neighborhood. Where does Barbarini go from here?

“I don’t know, right now it’s a lot of question marks,” said Marini.

But in the midst of this four-month haze of uneasiness and uncertainty, there appears to be a little glimmer of hope and help.

Last Thursday, local business owners participated in the first 100 percent pro-bono legal clinic intended specifically for those in the Seaport neighborhood, hosted by Senator Daniel Squadron,  law firm Proskauer Rose LLP, Manhattan Community Board 1, and the City Bar Justice Center.

On the third floor of the Seaport Museum, numerous business owners and lawyers gathered to discuss both the challenges and possible solutions for these local businesses.

“They are going to provide hundreds of hours of pro bono legal services not once, not twice, but on an ongoing basis to those who are affected down here,” explained Senator Squadron in a press conference shortly following this first session.

On the city, the state, and federal level, Senator Squadron acknowledged that there is a lot that still needs to be done. The senator himself, along with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, are sponsoring tax relief legislation for businesses and residents affected by Sandy.

There’s also a simple way for residents to help these businesses.

“One of the most important things is to walk with your feet and your pocketbook and support the businesses that have re-opened, and encourage them to stay open,” said CB1 Chair Catherine McVay Hughes.

By Caroline Lewis

Council Member Diana Reyna listens to a South Street Seaport small business owner talk about rebuilding her business after Hurricane Sandy. Photo by Aaron Adler

Made Fresh Daily, an all-natural café in the once-bustling South Street Seaport neighborhood, enjoyed a buzzing lunch hour on a recent Monday afternoon, seven weeks after Hurricane Sandy left a high-water mark halfway up the large window that looks out on historic Front Street. 
The triumphant café is the first to be profiled for the “Support NYC Small Businesses” campaign, centered around an interactive map of shops that are “Back in Business,” created in partnership with Yelp. But the view from owner Jacqueline Goewey’s café window is still bleak. Fourteen of her Front Street neighbors are shuttered.

“Our furniture was completely tossed around like rag dolls. There was nothing to repair,” said Fernando Dallorso, the owner of Stella Restaurant on Front Street.

The old landmark buildings in the Seaport District housed more than 100 small businesses before the storm: coffee shops, pet grooming, restaurants, retail stores. Many of their fates remain uncertain. Before he can think about reopening, Dallorso needs to appeal denied insurance claims and to figure out when—if—he will be able to return to his old building. He is banding together with other small business owners in the neighborhood, not just to seek legal and financial support, but also to bring back the concentration of diverse shops that make the Seaport an attraction.

“This has set the neighborhood 10 years back into history,” Dallorso said. “I don’t want to be the one guy, if I’m lucky and get power, to be standing in 10 blocks that are decimated.”

Last year, Lower Manhattan was one of New York’s fastest-growing communities, according to a report by New York City Small Business Services, but many residents and corporate employees have moved their homes and offices following the storm. Robert LaValva hosts a seasonal open-air market in the Seaport with 150 small entrepreneurs.

“It’s the small, independent local businesses that make [this neighborhood] an interesting place to come to and spend time in, so we very much see the whole neighborhood as interconnected,” he said.

“We’re really hoping that whatever solutions are worked out by various levels of government are very small-business focused,” LaValva said.

Mayor Bloomberg announced multiple initiatives to speed along the recovery process for small businesses this month, including individualized help for those in Business Recovery Zones like the Seaport District.

“Let’s get to the bottom of why we’ve been closed so long, why we’re going to continue to be closed,” said Amanda Byron, owner of a dog spa called the Salty Paw. “I can’t afford to take out any more loans. I’ve been in this neighborhood 17 years. I went through 9/11. Lots of us are paying back those loans from 9/11. We need grants.”

Low-interest loans are available from both city and federal agencies for small businesses impacted by the storm. So far, SBS has issued $4.2 million in loans to small businesses and has hundreds of applications pending. The loans must be paid back within two years, but the mayor also created a fund to offer matching grants of up to $10,000.

Grants with no strings attached are harder to come by. The Downtown Alliance closed the application window for its Back to Business Grant after being flooded with applications. The organization awarded the first grants to Lower Manhattan businesses this week and set aside $120,000 in deferred grants to be held for six applicants in South Street Seaport until they reopen.
Byron submitted her application, but said that even if she gets a grant from the Downtown Alliance, she may not be able to reopen by their April 30, 2013, deadline.

“We need grants that can help us rebuild,” Byron said.

Matthew Young, who helps to administer federal loans, now shares an office with SBS in order to streamline the loan application process.

“Some people are waiting on their insurance, they’re waiting on their grant money. We don’t need all that other information to get the process started,” Young said. “Get that application in so we can see if we can approve that loan.”

Dallorso is skeptical.

“None of us who already lost an average of three, four, five hundred thousand dollars, wants to get any further in debt by borrowing any money,” Dallorso said. “And the application, no matter what they say, is not that easy. It’s not that simple and it’s depending on your own capability to repay. I just lost my shop, I just lost my income,” Dallorso said. “What is my capability to repay? I have no idea.”

His uncertainty has a lot to do with the state of the building to which he is trying to return.

“Besides destroying all the retail spaces, [Hurricane Sandy] also destroyed all the building’s mechanical systems, meaning the heating, the cooling, the electrical systems, the light safety, all the pumps,” explained Jordan Barowitz, a representative of the Durst Fetner development company, which owns the property where Stella Restaurant and a dozen or so other businesses were located.

“They’re old buildings. It’s a landmark project, they’re 200 years old.”

In addition to replacing floors and walls, Barowitz said the company plans to install a modern mechanical system that would be more resilient in the case of future disasters; one that would not be located in the basement. He could not yet give a timeline for completing all the work that has to be done.

“There’s also tremendous stress on the contractor and mechanical supply community and that’s making it even more difficult,” said Barowitz.

Mayor Bloomberg and Community Board 1 are pushing the approval of a new development for the undamaged Pier 17, featuring a multi-use glass structure, according to schedule.

“We just want to make sure that it’s done as quickly as possible with as much consideration for the individual businesses as possible,” said Michael Levine, director of planning and land use on Community Board 1.

For small-business owners, time is money.

“It’s great that we can open Wednesday,” said Sara Williams, co-owner of Fresh Salt on Beekman Street. Two days before re-opening, Williams stood amid frantic construction on the still-unfinished bar. Her building owner was able to agree to a rush re-construction job and had some friends who were contractors.

“But we’re going to be in trouble if we can’t get them back with us,” Williams said, looking toward empty storefronts across the street. “They have a whole other host of issues that I feel very lucky that we don’t, but at the same time, we are all together in this area and that’s how people’s perception of us is. We do need them open.”

Surely, seeing really is believing and is bound to generate more empathy and tangible help. And just being there helps the tens of thousands afflicted, literally in our own backyard, know they are not forgotten and it’s not business as usual elsewhere. It’s up to the media, especially, to keep showing the ongoing devastation and telling the heartbreaking stories.

Before my dinner companion made this most telling remark, the column in progress began with the televised Rockefeller Center tree lighting extravaganza and how I thought calls for Hurricane Sandy aid should have been center-staged and not occasional, relatively low-key requests. And before they performed, the featured artists could have showed some sympathy and brought attention to the massive hardship and loss in places only a few miles away.

But mostly it was showbiz as usual, with too much spectacular background décor. The magnificent tree is all we need, and indeed less is more when it comes to its lighting. As always, I wished the performers had asked the adoring crowd there to sing along, but with fewer ho-ho-ho songs and no “can’t live without you” lyrics. Include family, close friends and good neighbors in the lyrics of the wildly popular “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” And “a home” is what tens of thousands in the tri-state area now most desperately need.

On a closing note, the Park Avenue memorial trees are the most meaningful and serenely lovely of all the city’s December traditions. Once again, this parade of illuminated fir trees are in hallowed memory of those who gave their lives in this nation’s wars. This blessed tradition was started in 1945 by several Manhattan mothers whose sons perished in that war, which so tragically was only a taste of more to come. As the holiday season hits full swing, don’t forget that above all, we must pray and work to prevent this most awful of all human-made disasters!
Dewingbetter@aol.com

Pier 17. Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

By Paul Bisceglio

After a small fire engulfed the South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 in mid-July, a representative for the pier’s owner, the Howard Hughes Corp., was on hand at a recent community meeting to address safety concerns and future development plans for the site.

Michael Piazzola, the senior general manager for Hughes Corp., told members of the Community Board 1 Seaport/Civic Center Committee that no alarm was pulled during the blaze because staff are trained to report fires to supervisors, who then report the emergency directly to FDNY. The three-story building has no electronic public address system, so warning was spread by word of mouth.
Committee members expressed concern that such notification would be insufficient in more severe incidents.

“Had this been a more extensive fire that engulfed more of the wooden decking around the pier, this could have been a lot more catastrophic,” said Committee member Paul Hovitz.

The Committee asked Piazzola to change company policy to require workers to pull a fire alarm as well as report to their supervisors in the event of a fire, and suggested that they install a PA system in the building.

Pier 17 is scheduled to undergo an extensive two-year construction project next year that will transform the current mall structure, built in 1980, into a modern glass shopping plaza. The Committee expressed enthusiasm for this project when it was revealed in March, but Hughes Corp. must still seek the approval of CB1 and three other city organizations to proceed.

Piazzola assured that the new building would meet CB1 and the Committee’s safety demands. According to Michael Levine, CB1’s director of land use and planning, though, CB1 has a “shopping list” of additional mini projects they would like the construction proposal to include that would benefit community, such as a community center. They are also asking Piazzola to produce a more detailed financial plan for the new building.

Howard Hughes Corp. will meet with CB1 in August to discuss the construction project.

Key local and state officials and prominent waterfront activists got a splash as they celebrated the fifth annual City of Water Day Festival on Governors Island this past Saturday.

The festival included a dockside press conference at South Street Seaport’s Pier 17, followed by a launch event on Manhattan by Sail’s Clipper City where Council member Margaret Chin presented a city Proclamation to the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (MWA) in honor of the festival. Many adventurous attendees chose to reach Governers Island using human-powered water vessels, like the New York City Downtown boathouse which used a series of kayaks. While others already on the island were treated to a tour of an historic tugboat and paddleboarding demonstrations.

For the past five years, the festival has drawn over 20,000 people. Past celebrations have taken place at Liberty State Park and other sites around the harbor. Organizers of the festival, MWA, would like to show residents and officials alike the potential increased uses of the harbor. The festival is also part of the growing “Blue Movement” to revitalize the waterfront so it may be accessible to all.

Council member Margaret Chin presents a representative
from the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance with a
proclamation honoring the City of Water Day festival
aboard Clipper City.The historic tugboat Urger.

FDNY fireboat Bravest.

The historic tugboat Urger.

“Let me be clear: Your actions do not have my support,” wrote Quinn. “Con Edison’s decision to unilaterally impose a lockout during a heat wave, after 30 years of no job disruptions, was an escalation of management/labor tensions to an unprecedented degree, placing many New Yorkers’ lives in danger.”

Downtown Alliance Honored for Its Tracking System
The Downtown Alliance was honored with the Business Improvement District (BID) Innovation Award last week by Deputy Mayor Robert K. Steel and Small Business Services Commissioner Robert E. Walsh. The Alliance was one of 17 organizations and individuals who were awarded as a part of the annual Neighborhood Achievement Awards.

The award was presented to the Alliance for its handheld infrastructure tracking system, which it released in 2009. The system is an electronic survey method that produces maps and readily provides data about Lower Manhattan’s streetscape.

“The Downtown Alliance handheld infrastructure tracking system has streamlined our infrastructure maintenance and enhanced our survey data, resulting in a lower overall cost of maintaining Lower Manhattan’s distinctive streetscape,” said Joe Timpone, senior vice president of operations, in a statement.

Since 2002, the Neighborhood Achievement Awards have honored organizations that work to better New York City communities while fostering economic opportunity.

Downtown Day Camps Put On Their Crazy Hats
Downtown Day Camps held their 21st annual Crazy Hat Day last week at the P.S. 234 schoolyard at 292 Greenwich St. in Tribeca.
Since the camp’s start in 1992, campers get to use their imagination and create funky, interesting headgear on this day. They wear their creations all day for anyone to come observe.

Manhattan Youth Downtown Day Camps, which includes junior and senior divisions, is directed by Dr. Russ Schulman and serves children from K to 8th grade throughout the summer.

Pier 17. Photo by James Kelleher

South Street Seaport Fire Put Out
A fire that broke out at the South Street Seaport on Saturday was caused by faulty electrical wiring, reported the Huffington Post.
The fire started under Pier 17 and grew to engulf about 100 square feet, but was tamed in under two hours. Pictures of the blaze show onlookers photographing and gawking at immense clouds of black smoke over Lower Manhattan.

The fire could have been building under the dock for some time, according to the New York Times.

Fire Department spokesman Jim Long called the fire an averted disaster in the tourist-heavy area—no one was hurt and no shops were damaged. The pier was open again to activity Saturday evening, including the planned Seaport Music festival.

Fire marshals began looking into any possible structural damage on Sunday, reported the Huffington Post. Parts of the pier will remain closed for some time as stability in the area is assessed.

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

A fire that broke out at the South Street Seaport on Saturday was caused by faulty electrical wiring, reports the Huffington Post. 

The fire started under Pier 17 and grew to engulf about 100 square feet, but was tamed in under two hours. Pictures of the blaze show onlookers photographing and gawking at immense clouds of black smoke over Lower Manhattan.

The fire could have been building under the dock for some time, according to the New York Times.

Fire Department spokesman Jim Long called the fire an averted disaster in the tourist-heavy area—no one was hurt and no shops were damaged. The pier was opened back up to activity Saturday evening, including a planned Seaport music festival.

Fire marshals looked into any possible structural damage on Sunday, reports the Huffington Post. Parts of the pier will remain closed for some time as stability in the area is assessed.

—Alissa Fleck

Thief Bikes Away
Vehicle theft—from bicycles to cars—is fairly common in the city, and mopeds, it turns out, are no exception. A 27-year-old man recently reported to police that his motorized bicycle was stolen from in front of a store on Church Street. Luckily, the building’s property manager caught the theft on tape. Police described the perp as in his thirties and bald. On the tape, you can clearly see him making off with the $1,268 bike and its pricy $112 battery, but an arrest has yet to be made in the case.

Swift Car Sweep
As Nicholas Cage proved in his flick Gone in Sixty Seconds, it can take only a minute for a seasoned thief to nab a car. In the case of a 53-year-old man who parked his on Sixth Avenue, the thief only needed 12 minutes to steal his 1999 Infiniti. While the theft was caught on a surveillance tape posted at a nearby building, police have not yet arrested anyone or recovered the car.

Right Under Her Shoulder
In these crime blotter pages, we often report on wallet thefts in which the victim has left their bag slung over a chair or underneath their seat. Perhaps you have scoffed at these individuals, thinking, “I always keep my bag on me”—as it turns out, your wallet isn’t immune to theft, even if you carry it on you.

A 33-year-old Swedish woman was recently out at a nightclub on Mercer Street when her driver’s license, debit card and credit card were stolen out of her purse, which she had been carrying on her shoulder, say police. While her cards were charged in unauthorized purchases, she quickly canceled them.

Don’t Buy One, Get Them All Free
Criminals in the city are becoming more and more daring, as one recent case in Soho shows. A thief stepped into a store on Prince Street and, in plain view of an employee, grabbed a bundle of clothes and ran out. The stolen items, say police, included a $596 tank top, a $339 skirt, a $698 vest and a $357 top.

Dressing Room Dash
While trying on clothes at a chain store by the South Street Seaport complex, a 37-year-old woman briefly stepped out of her dressing room to find a shirt in another size. The woman left her belongings in the changing room, and other patrons saw a man, roughly in his fifties, go in and leave with the woman’s wallet. After the woman discovered the wallet was gone, her bank called to report unauthorized charges at a nearby supermarket on Cherry Street. The woman’s $200 Dooney & Burke wallet, $18 MetroCard and $70 in cash were also taken.

(Odd) Handbag Heist
Sometimes that customer who seems a little odd is actually a common thief. An employee at a designer store on Greene Street in Soho recently reported to police that a 40-year-old man entered her shop walked into the middle of the store, looked around and promptly left. While it didn’t appear the thief had much time to steal, the employee later noticed a $2,151 handbag was gone.

Case of the Disappearing Belongings on City Benches
Though this should go without saying, in New York City it’s pretty unwise to leave your belongings unattended on a park bench. Two young men learned this lesson the hard way. After leaving their stuff on a bench to play a few rounds of basketball, they returned to find their wallets and phones had been taken. Collectively, $310 in cash was taken.