Downtown Express, Feb. 26, 2015

VOLUME 27 NUMBER 19 FEBUARY 26-MARCH 11 2015

1 METROTECH bull NYC 11201 bull COPYRIGHT copy 2015 NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA LLC

Weill Cornell doctors are now your neighborsExpert care that you deserve on William StreetPrimary CareInternal Medicine Pulmonary Medicine CardiologyHematologyOncology Infectious Diseases amp Travel Medicine

Call For An Appointment Today (212) 312-5920

SILVER HOLDINGON DOWNTOWN

BY JOSH ROGERS

Assemblymember Sheldon Silver has been mostly quiet since he was arrested last month for illegally raking in $4 million

according to the US Attorney but he continues to send one message to the people of Lower Manhattan I still represent you

Thatrsquos essentially what he said in two prepared statements to this paper the first two weeks ago and then again Monday

The second one was a response that came only about an hour after Downtown Express posted an article about his appearance at Chinatownrsquos Lunar New Year parade Sunday

Right after he lost his speakerrsquos position four weeks ago it was unclear how he would continue to represent the district He did not send a representative to Community Board 1rsquos meeting Feb 5 but soon after he began making it clear that he planned to continue his work

A week later he said his Lower Manhattan School Overcrowding Task Force would keep going

ldquoSchool overcrowding and ensur-ing children are able to thrive in our schools remains a top priority and the Task Force will contin-ue its work under my leadershiprdquo Silver said in a Feb 12 statement ldquoI and my staff will continue to

Continued on page 3

Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess

Ram sheep or goat Whatever Lunar New Year rolls in with styleMany thousands came to celebrate the start of Lunar New Year 4713 in Chinatown with lion dragon dancers and at least one vintage car Itrsquos the Year of the Ram Sheep or Goat depending on the how the Chinese word ldquoyangrdquo is interpreted FYI Margaret Chin Chinatownrsquos councilmember is in the ram camp More photos P 8

2 February 26-March 11 2015 February 26-March 11 2015 3DowntownExpresscomDowntownExpresscom

SILVER SPECULATIONWith Shelly Silver out as Assembly

speaker and under indictment there natu-rally has been some scuttlebutt as to who might run for his Assembly seat if it opens up but not nearly as much as we would have guessed

Even if Silver beats the rap he could very well decide not to run for reelection next year and if he pleads or is convicted he would have no choice

Wersquore not surprised Democratic dis-trict leader Paul Newell told the New York Post he is considering a run In addi-tion to challenging Silver in 2008 Newell told UnderCover two years ago he was ready to run for state senate if Sen Daniel Squadron was successful in his run for public advocate He also told us then that rather than a run for the City Council Albany was the place he wanted to be

Jenifer Rajkumar the Democratic district leader who did run for the afore-mentioned City Council seat in 2013 has also been talked about as a Silver replace-ment but wersquore far less certain

She didnrsquot comment and Newell didnrsquot return our call mdash Paul wersquore wondering if it was something we said

Lastly therersquos Julie Menin the former Community Board 1 chairperson but thatrsquos another one wersquore doubtful about

As it turns out Menin swung by our offices last week to talk about what shersquos up to as the new commissioner of Consumer Affairs

We felt sure she wouldnrsquot want to talk about the Silver seat although we appreci-ated our friend for asking anyway mdash you never know We thought the old job interview question mdash where do you see yourself in 10 years mdash might get us some-thing since she wouldnrsquot have to undercut her boss Mayor Bill de Blasio and could assume his reelection but alas she told us she was focused on her current job

To be continued perhaps

SEAPORT TALKThe City Council confirmed

Wellington Chen to the Landmarks Preservation Commission two weeks ago although itrsquos still not clear if he will be able

to deliberate on the South Street Seaport development application when it reaches the commission

Chen executive director of the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corp has taken a strong interest in the Seaport and is friendly with some of the planrsquos opponents although it does not appear he has taken a position on the project

Chen told us hersquoll let lawyers with LPC and the Conflict of Interest board determine what he should do

Wersquore not sure when the Howard Hughes Corp plan will get to Landmarks The main reason for the holdup now appears to be that Hughes doesnrsquot know what the Pier 16 building for the South Street Seaport Museum will look like because the museum hasnrsquot told the firm what it wants

Captain Jonathan Boulware the museumrsquos interim president told us the museum is close to finalizing a ldquoconceptual designrdquo for the building but he wasnrsquot sure when that would be

UNDERCOVER

UNDERGROUNDIf yoursquove been wishing for an end to the

constant reminders from subway conduc-tors to move to the front of Downtown 1

trains file this one under be careful what you wish for

You see relief is in sight this year but not the sort you probably were hoping for You see the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to begin shutting down the 1 south of Chambers St in 2015 so it can finally begin renovating the Cortlandt St station under the World Trade Center

This work is not connected to reopen-ing the newer South Ferry station plat-form which is long enough to allow all subway cars to open That one was dam-aged almost three years ago as a result of Hurricane Sandy It could reopen in 2017

Cortlandt St severely damaged on 911 mdash 14 years ago mdash has been held up by WTC construction and a fund-ing dispute between the MTA and Port Authority

This week the dispute was resolved and the MTA tells us the 1 will have rdquointermittent closuresrdquo starting this year but the exact schedule is still to be deter-mined The closures could last until 2018 when Cortlandt is expected to open

We snark because we love mdash itrsquod be nice if something like the Move NY tolling plan by ldquoGridlock Samrdquo Schwartz aka our own Transit Sam moved across the finish line so the MTA would have money to do even better projects faster

serve our community providing high level constituent services and making sure we have the resources we need in order for our neighborhoods to remain vibrantrdquo

Silverrsquos task force which includes principals and Downtown school advo-cates generated citywide headlines four years ago as the setting of Schools Chancellor Cathie Blackrsquos infamous joke about birth control which led to her resignation soon after her hiring but it is better known to Downtown school advocates and parents as the place to get timely information about kindergarten waiting lists and to press the case to the Dept of Education to build more schools

The advocates and Silver played a leading role in finding the sites for the three Lower Manhattan ele-mentary schools that have opened in the last six years mdash PSIS 276 Spruce Street and Peck Slip schools mdash and got the DOE to open them early in ldquoincubatorrdquo space in its Tweed headquarters

So at least by appearances not a lot has changed yet in Lower Manhattan but in Albany where Silver was one of the powerful ldquothree men in a roomrdquo for two decades the difference has appar-ently been more obvious

ldquoSilver is now relegated to a desk in the back of the Assembly cham-

bers like a freshman Democrat in a new class of lawmakersrdquo Bob Hardt NY1rsquos political director wrote in a post calling for Silver to resign He ldquoremains a living object lesson to his colleagues about flying too close to a sun ndash if the sun was made of a big ball of moneyrdquo

For his part Silverrsquos district office director Paul Goldstein stayed on message Tuesday night telling CB 1 members ldquohe is still your Assemblymanhellip

ldquoOur office is open and opera-tional mdash and anyone who has any issues anyone who has any personal

concerns do not hesitate to contact me to contact our officerdquo

At the New Year parade Sunday Silver said ldquoIrsquom thrilled to be here with you here today to celebrate this occasionrdquo according to The Lo-Down a Lower East Side blog ldquoI am honored to continue to represent this Chinatown communityrdquo

Two parade attendees told Downtown Express that they did not hear any heckles or criticism directed at Silver One said he heard a few calls of ldquogood luckrdquo

The former speaker walked with other politicians waving to the crowd

as he does most years for Chinatownrsquos biggest event

This year the list marching with him included Letitia James the cityrsquos public advocate as well as two Downtown pols mdash State Sen Daniel Squadron and Councilmember Margaret Chin

Silver who was indicted last week and pleaded not guilty this main-tains he will be vindicated

One staff member has left but there appear to be no other departures so far

Jason Fink who was Silverrsquos com-munications coordinator started a new job as deputy press secretary with the cityrsquos Dept of Education this week

Fink will focus on some of the same education issues he had been handling under Silver

One source said the assumption is that Silver will be asked to downsize his office and move but itrsquos not clear when that will be Another source not connected to Silver said not sur-prisingly at least a few other Silver staffers are looking for new jobs

The parade was Silverrsquos second public event in his Lower Manhattan district since he lost his leadership post The first was last Thursday to celebrate the actual start of the Lunar New Year with the Chinese Consolidate Benevolent Association on Mott St

mdashWITH REPORTING BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVICphone (212) 334-0400 administrationmontessorimanhattancom wwwmontessorimanhattancom

OPEN HOUSE

Serving the Downtown Community for Over 10 years

Montessori Certified TeachersFull and Half Day Classes for Children 2-6 YearsYoga Art Spanish and Performing Arts for All AgesAfter School ProgramsTae Kwon Do Organic CookingMeditation amp MindfulnessLatin Dance amp RhythmSpanish

Wednesday March 4th530-630 pmWednesday March 4th530-630 pmFiDi CAMPUS2 Gold St NYC 100382 3 A C 4 5 J Z

Silver says his work for Lower Manhattan continuesContinued from page 1


Assemblymember Sheldon Silver center marching in Chinatownrsquos Lunar New Year parade Feb 22 At far left is Councilmember Margaret Chin and at far right is State Sen Daniel Squadron Leaning in Assemblymember David Weprin and at back left Public Advocate Letitia James

BY L INCOLN ANDERSONA 63-year-old Battery Park City woman was

struck by a van on Canal St on Wed Feb 18 shortly after 11 am and died from her injuries the next day police said

Following an investigation police reported that Yu-O Pan of 380 Rector Place was attempt-ing to cross Canal St midblock from south to north near Mott St when she was hit by a 1998 Ford van traveling eastbound on Canal St

Responding officers found Pan lying on the ground with body trauma An EMS ambulance transported her to Bellevue Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries on Feb 19

The vehiclersquos driver remained on the scene and the investigation is ongoing police said

The womanrsquos son Gary Pan 35 said his mother had been shopping for items for the Chinese Lunar New Year

ldquoShe was buying stuff like oranges chicken pork stuff like thatrdquo he said

He said she owned a restaurant in Brooklyn Heights though declined to name it

Originally from Taiwan she came to the US with her husband in the early 1970s She lived in various spots in Downtown Manhattan includ-ing Bayard St Broadway Bayard St again then

Brooklyn Heights before settling in Battery Park City where she lived with her son and husband They were a very close-knit family her son said They have no other relatives in America

No services have been held he said due to the ldquosurprising cost of funeralsrdquo

He said his family never really took photos of each other which he regrets now

ldquoI havenrsquot had time to digest itrdquo her son said of the tragedy ldquoThey said she was crossing on the green but that she was hit pretty hard They said she popped out between two cars mdash that was the account of the driverrdquo

Canal St is the deadliest major street per mile according to city statistics released last year when it was turned into an ldquoarterial slow zonerdquo Speed limit signs of 25 MPH went up soon after but they are unusually high and some drivers have said they do not notice them

mdashWITH REPORTING BY JOSH ROGERS

BPC woman killed by van on Canal St

Downtown Express photo by Tequila Minsky

Last weekrsquos accident scene


BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC

Thirty Park Place at 926 feet and 56 Leonard at 821 feet still may win as the tallest neighborhood buildings

At one time the building that will sprout up at the former St Johnrsquos University site was in the running for the tallest tower in Tribeca at a reportedly 850-950 feet but the building is now planned to be 740 feet according to the developer

The residential building which will also have some retail space has a new address 111 Murray St not 101 said Alex Adams project executive for the Fisher Brothers one of the developers along with the Witkoff Group

At Community Board 1rsquos Tribeca Committee meet-ing on Feb 11 Adams stressed that it was a preliminary presentation and there are still no final renderings of the building he said

Adams was asked about renderings a few times at the meeting A rendering that was reported in some outlets early last year turned out to be false

ldquoAs soon as the plans are ready yoursquoll come and pres-ent themrdquo said Noah Pfefferblit district manager ldquoSo we get them direct from you and not in a blogrdquo

Adams said that he would He explained that while there is ldquoa very lengthy cast of folks designing itrdquo mdash includ-ing architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox and architect and designer David Rockwell doing a lot of interior work mdash the plan is close to completion They are still deciding on things such as the outer shape of the building

Plaza Construction is the construction manager and

Anthony DelGreco project executive talked about the buildingrsquos timeline

He said right now theyrsquore demolishing the existing building mdash a ten-story 160000 sq ft structure The developers bought the building from St Johnrsquos for $233 million in 2013

Demolition began a few weeks ago and should be finished sometime in April Once completed the work on the towerrsquos foundation will begin right away and take about another year to finish he said

Then the superstructure will be built which will also take a year explained DelGreco with the tower expect-ed to be finished in the summer of 2018

The site will actually have two buildings the 62-story tower and a much smaller four-story building that will

have some retail as well as mechanical equipment There will also be retail at the base of the tower for a total of 2500 sq ft

DelGreco said the hours of construction will be Monday through Friday from 7 am to 6 am Due to the use of cranes there will be work sometimes on the weekend

While the sidewalk on West St will stay open not so on the Murray St side which will close

Consideration has been paid to the noise and vibra-tion as acoustic blankets will be installed into the inside face of the construction fence the owner will hire a third party to monitor both and the foundation will be drilled with caissons which is quieter said DelGreco

Adams said that a website will be up soon that will provide information on upcoming construction and that a number and an email address for concerns will be set up

After the presentation Marc Ameruso a CB 1 member asked if there was ldquoanything about this project thatrsquos not as-of-right you need a variance forrdquo

Adams said no He made it clear at the start that while they were happy to answer questions and listen to suggestions ldquowersquore not seeking any approvals wersquore here for informational purposesrdquo

But later he did seem to acknowledge a larg-er building was under consideration in which case the developer would be more amenable to a public park rather than affordable housing because

an Episcopal parish in the city of New York

trinitywallstreetorg

All Are WelcomeAll events are free unless noted

2126020800

worshipSUNDAY 8am amp 10amSt Paulrsquos Chapel middot Holy Eucharist8pm middot Compline by Candlelight

SUNDAY 9am amp 1115am

Trinity Church middot Preaching music and Eucharist middot Sunday school and child care available

MONDAYmdashFRIDAY 1205pm

Trinity Church middot Holy Eucharist

MONDAYmdashFRIDAY 515pmAll Saintsrsquo Chapel in Trinity ChurchEvening Prayer

Watch online webcast

educationSUNDAY MARCH 1 amp 8 10amDiscovery Reflections on Race Our Stories

MARCH 1 Reading of the play

ldquoThe Crowley-Gates Affairrdquo by the

Rev Dr Eric HF Law

MARCH 8 ldquoSinging Freerdquo

An exploration of hymns amp songs

sung by oppressed Christians

Led by Marilyn Haskel

Trinity Church Manning Room

musicCONCERTS AT ONE AND BACH RETURN

WEDNESDAY MARCH 4 amp 11 1pmBach at One St Paulrsquos Chapel

The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and

Trinity Baroque Orchestra perform the

cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach

THURSDAY MARCH 5 amp 12 1pmConcerts at One Trinity Church

MARCH 5 Jonathan Woody

bass-baritone

MARCH 12 Jack Quartet featuring

Rachel Calloway mezzo-soprano

TRINITY CHURCH Broadway at Wall Street

ST PAULrsquoS CHAPEL Broadway and Fulton Street

Trinity Episcopal Church Parish Center 2 Rector Street

The Rev Dr William Lupfer Rector The Rev Phillip A Jackson Vicar

letrsquos dosomethingtogetherat TRINITY WALL STREET

communityFRIDAY FEBRUARY 27 7-9pmNeighborhood Movie Nights at St Paulrsquos

Watch favorite films on the big screen

with your neighbors Popcorn and drinks

will be served More information at

trinitywallstreetorgmovies

St Paulrsquos Chapel

Community Conversation Charette 1

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 28 10am-4pmShare ideas about creating a

mission-focused design for Trinityrsquos

redevelopment of the Parish building

at 6874 Trinity Place

Led by the Rev Dr William Lupfer

Rector and architects from Pelli Clarke

Pelli All are welcome

RSVP to 2126020736St Paulrsquos Chapel

DAYTIME KILLING AT WALDA 33-year-old man was fatally shot in

front of 20 Avenue D in the Lillian Wald Houses by an unknown suspect Monday afternoon at about 430 pm Police and EMS responded and the victim was transported to Beth Israel Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival No arrests have been made and the investi-gation is ongoing

Police identified the slain man as Shemrod Isaac a resident of the building where he was killed

The day of the killing Feb 23 Bedford + Bowery reported that two Wald Houses residents identified the victim as an aspir-ing rapper called Shamrock

ldquoI would always pass him [in the hall-way]rdquo one of them said ldquoHe always had Pampers and baby formulardquo

The two men were arguing right before the shooting witnesses told police according to the News

Isaac reportedly had a criminal record mostly for drugs and resisting arrest according to police sources

MOTORCYCLE STOLENIt is a game many New Yorkers have

to play to avoid tickets switching your parking spot to abide by alternate park-ing rules For a New Jersey man the game ended with his $6000 green 2014 Kawasaki motorcycle stolen

The man mdash police did not release an age mdash moved his bike to the corner of Hudson and Jay Sts in Tribeca at 3 pm on Wed Feb 11 When he came back the same day at 6 pm the motorcycle was gone He told police that the bike was not chained or locked and had no cover

A SUSPECT NAMED ALLIEIt is the case of the vanishing laptop

A male employee 26 was working a slow Sunday shift at Distilled a Tribeca eatery at 211 W Broadway and left his $1500 MacBook Air unattended for a few minutes around 140 pm on Feb 15 When he returned his com-puter was gone mdash and so was the only customer in the restaurant a woman known as Allie who is around 25 5rsquo9rdquo and 155 pounds police say

DOUGH TAKEN A thief left behind a telltale sign of

the time of his break-in mdash a receipt mdash

after he got away with almost a $1000 from a pizza joint in Tribeca last week-end police say

A male employee 28 told police he closed La Bellezza Pizza at 6 pm on Fri Feb 20 When he returned the next morning at 8 am the worker discovered the money was missing from the register and tip box

When police came and investigated they found the suspectrsquos point of entry into the building a busted sheet rock wall that is shared by several establishments at 315 Broadway where the pizzeria is located The police also found a receipt that showed that the register was opened at 211 am Saturday morning

RIPPED OFFA thief took advantage of man 30

who was inebriated and sleeping on a Downtown 1 train in the early morning hours on Wed Feb 18 mdash and got away with $600 a $120 green leather handmade wallet and a LG Android cellphone worth $200 police say

The man who lives in Brooklyn got on the train at 110th St at 2 am When he awoke at South Ferry his right front pocket

was sliced open mdash the typical modus ope-randi of what police call a lush worker mdash and his wallet and phone were gone

FRUGAL TRAVELSA thief who stole a wallet from

a BMCC student used the credit cards to make two purchases in Soho for almost $160 mdash but bought only a single $275 subway ride police say

The student a 23-year-old woman who lives in Brooklyn remembers using her ID card before attending class at the Borough of Manhattan Community College at 199 Chambers St on Wed Feb 18 at 930 am After class she went to get her wallet out of her purse and realized it was gone She told police that she does not remember being jostled or bumped

Before she was able to cancel her Capital One credit card someone made two purchases at the Zara at 580 Broadway The thief also got away with $300

ndash DUSICA SUE MALESEVICAND LINCOLN ANDERSON

Demolition begins on Murray St renderings to come

Downtown Express photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic

Demolition work at 101 Murray St

Continued on page 6

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A new girls volleyball club team mdash whose home court is in Battery Park City mdash won their first regional tournament this past weekend

The Asphalt Green Wave Volleyball Team which formed last year beat Sideout Sports from Fairfield NJ at an all-day tour-nament on Sat Feb 21 in Peekskill NY

It was the first regional tournament the 14U team had attended said Ben Freeman associate director of sports for Asphalt Green a nonprofit that provides sport instruction and programs for children and adults

Twelve teams of teens 14 and under from the New York and New Jersey area competed that day in the Garden Empire Volleyball Association tournament The teams were broken into three groups of four and the top two moved forward

Asphalt Green made up mostly of play-ers from Tribeca and Battery Park City won two of their three games in the first round They lost to Sideout Sports and had suffered another loss at Sideoutrsquos hands in Washington DC the previous weekend

ldquoThe girls were really excitedrdquo to play them again in the finals Freeman told Downtown Express

In the first set the Asphalt Greens beat Sideout 25 to 11 he said The girlsrsquo energy was high but Sideout came back to beat them 25 to 23 in the second set The girls regained their composure in the third set which is played to 15 points to win it 15 to 7 and nab the victory

ldquoIt was a great team effortrdquo said Freeman

The ten-member team is comprised of Julie Schoenmaker Maia Villalba and Anna Comitini from Tribeca Jamie Morrison Zoe Anderson and Cate Albright from Battery Park City and Sierra Good Carolyn Kavanagh Sophie Hart and Olivia Perlman from the Upper West Side

The team is off to two more tourna-ments and then will go to the regional play-offs in May If they win they will advance to nationals

The team was started last year said Freeman with a 13U and a 15U and then expanded to four this year 14U 15U and two 16 U teams Tryouts are held in the first week of November They practice at the Asphalt Green Battery Park City campus at 212 North End Ave

mdash DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC

The prestigious George Polk Awards are regarded among the most highly sought honors in journalism

Established at LIU Brooklyn in 1948 the Polk Awards have honored the journalistic elite in-cluding broadcasters Diane Saw-yer Walter Cronkite Christiane Amanpour and Edward R Mur-row as well as high-profi le jour-nalists like Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (The Washington Post) James Reston (The New York Times) and Pete Hamill (New York Daily News)

ldquoThe George Polk Awards rec-ognize outstanding contributions from the most respected com-municators of our timerdquo said Dr Kimberly R Cline president of LIU ldquoTheir standards are re-

fl ected in LIUrsquos journalism teach-ing and training that emphasize ethics journalistic inquiry en-trepreneurial skills and profes-sional practice in a fast-changing news mediardquo

LIU Brooklyn Sits in the Media Capital of the World

Independent research dis-covery and impeccable com-munications defi ne the George Polk Awards and LIU Brook-lynrsquos Department of Journalism and Communications Studies LIU Brooklynrsquos faculty of award-winning journalists and media leaders bring their experience and expertise from the news-room into the classroom prepar-ing students to become industry leaders Among them

bull Julia Talanova associate producer at CNN As journalism major Julia received a scholar-ship to intern at the Moscow bu-reau of The New York Times

bull Justin Grant digital content editor at Fidelity Investments Grant has reported for ABC Newsrsquo investigative unit Good Morning America National Public Radio and Reuters as well as The New York Times and Washington Post He was editor of the campus news-paper Seawanhaka

bull Debra Lewis-Boothman re-ported and wrote for People maga-zine where she interviewed celeb-rities and politicians and covered the music beat She now teaches a course in entertainment journal-ism at LIU Brooklyn

bull Curtis Stephen adjunct pro-

fessor for news reporting and advi-sor to the campus newspaper Sea-wanhaka is a regular contributor to the urban affairs magazine City Limits and has worked for News-day Newsweek CNN in Atlanta and WNBC-TV in New York

bull Rocco Parascondola police bureau chief at the New York Daily News is one of New York Cityrsquos top crime reporters

Educators and communica-tions professionals who are mem-bers of LIUrsquos faculty and alumni comprise the Polk Awards Ad-visory Committee Winners are named each year from among hundreds of entries

The 2014 awards will be con-ferred at a luncheon held in spring 2015 For more information visit polkliuedu

LIUrsquos Esteemed Polk Awards for Journalism Centered in Brooklyn


COVER THE WORLD AROUND YOU

LIU Brooklynrsquos Department of Journalism and Communications Studies emphasizes ethics journalistic inquiry entrepreneurial skills and professional practice while a faculty of award-winning journalists and media leaders bring their experience and expertise from the newsroom into the classroom preparing students to become leaders in the industry LIU Brooklyn students graduate ready for the fast changing news media ahead of them

Apply today liuedubkjournalism

Polk AwardsFor more than 60 years Long Island University has proudly presented the George Polk Awards in Journalism the rst major award of its kind to recognize reporting across all mediapolkawardsorg

AnnuAl ConferenCe on TwiCe exCepTionAl Children

As the first and only New York City conference focusing exclusively on Twice Exceptional children this national conference hosted by the Quad Preparatory

School in partnership with The Cooper Union will bring together cutting-edge Twice Exceptional providers mdash including physicians educators psychologists and advocates mdash with children who are gifted and learn differently and their parents Collectively we aim to return education to the transformative experience every child deserves

Save the dateSaturday March 7th 2015

900 am ndash 500 pm

BreAking Through wAllSBreakthroughs in Twice exceptional educationThe Cooper Union The Great Hall 7 East 7th Street NYC 10003

for furTher inforMATion pleASe ConTACTAlana greenberg at agreenbergquadpreporg or 646-649-3913

Sponsored by

the housing would be a much more complicated process

Several committee members wanted to know if there could be community space within the tower

ldquoThis is a very large residen-tial tower and it would be nice to sort of provide something for the communityrdquo said Elizabeth Lewinsohn co-chairperson

ldquoRight now wersquore not planning on anythingrdquo said Adams ldquoI think wersquore interested and happy to be good neigh-bors and work with the communityrdquo

DelGreco had said ldquotherersquos going to be a public parkrdquo but later Adams backed away from that statement saying that it is some-thing they are considering and ldquothat we are still working through

ldquoYou can see we have a sub-stantial amount of open space between the footprint of the tower building and the retail building So wersquore trying to figure out the best way to kind of integrate that into the overall site plan hellip so I think wersquoll know shortly what we would like to do but wersquore just not there yetrdquo

Continued from page 5

Murray Street construction


The address of the main building to rise at the St Johnrsquos University site will be 111 Murray St

Photo courtesy of Asphalt Green

New girls volleyball team wins tournament


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For more information please call 646-754-4831

Downtown Express photos by Milo Hess

Fun at the Lunar New Year ParadeChinatown visitors celebrated the start of the New Lunar Year Sunday One class of youngsters came dressed as sheep but because the Chinese word ldquoyangrdquo is open to other translations others say it is the Year of the Ram or Goat

BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVICThe city is seeking proposals to

develop a Civic Center site mdash with a preference for 7000 square feet of space for a pre-K center

The classes at 137 Centre St could potentially add 72 full-day pre-K seats in Lower Manhattan which largely missed out on Mayor Bill de Blasiorsquos pre-K expansion last year because of a dearth of kindergarten spaces

It would likely take a few years to devel-op 137 Centre but Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina told Downtown Express last year that pre-K seats will be added Downtown this September at Tweed the temporary home of Peck Slip School as well as other Lower Manhattan schools She was not more specific but the new Peck Slip building seems to be a likely location

The New York City Economic Development Corporation announced its request for proposals or RFP for 137 Centre St in a press release last week

In the RFP the city says it would prefer a proposal that had space dedicated to a universal pre-K facility Using School Construction Authority requirements the 7 275 sq ft of space could be divided into four classrooms around 900 sq ft each a 375 sq ft resource room a 1200 sq ft multi-purpose room a 500 sq ft pantry and 1600 sq ft of lobby storage custodial and administration space

It further states that the facilities should not be higher than the third floor with ground floor space preferred

Pre-K has been a priority for Mayor Bill de Blasiorsquos administration and a concern for Downtown school advocates

The nine-story municipal office building at 137 Centre St which houses sanitation as well as other departments is 45000 sq ft Included in the RFP is the over 70000 sq ft of air rights owned by Downtown Community Television Center which are behind the building and above the non-profitrsquos firehouse at 87 Lafayette St There is a total of around 125000 sq ft for as-of-right development

ldquoThis is a win-win-win for the city the neighborhood and for one of the cityrsquos pre-mier community resources DCTVrdquo said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer in the press release

Brewer said her office worked with EDC to include a preference for ldquopre-K school seats in any proposal and afford-able housing in residential proposals Those components will enhance the Downtown communityrdquo

The sale of the nonprofitrsquos air rights ldquowill fund an endowment that should ensure DCTVrsquos survival for decades to comerdquo she said

Councilmember Margaret Chin concurred saying ldquoThis RFP will go a long way toward helping the Downtown Community Television Center mdash an outstanding local non-profit mdashraise crucial funds and secure its long term financial health

ldquoIrsquom also very pleased that EDC has included a preference for pre-K school seats in this RFPrdquo

City looks to add pre-K center Downtown

Community Board 1 is popular The number of new applicants for

the Lower Manhattan board jumped from 25 in 2014 to 49 in 2015 according to Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewerrsquos office

Nine out of Manhattanrsquos 12 com-munity boards saw a spike in appli-cations with CB 11 mdash East Harlem mdash and CB 12 mdash Washington Heights and Inwood mdash leading the pack with more than double the number of appli-cants according to Brewer

Overall there was a 21 percent increase in applications from last year with 722 and out of those 470 were new hopefuls a 43 percent boost from 2014

For the first time 16- and 17-year-olds were able to legally vie for a

community board spot after state leg-islation pushed by Brewer passed last summer She has since made a con-certed effort to encourage teenagers to apply

Three teens tossed their hat into the ring for CB 1 which has 50 slots Twenty-five 16- and 17-year-olds applied in Manhattan with an addi-tional 10 adult teens applying as well

Also a first was that the application was available online with 87 per-cent of applicants using that medium instead of paper

Citywide there are 55 communi-ty boards Brewer appoints all 300 unpaid members in Manhattan but local councilmembers recommend half Each memberrsquos term is two years

Applications to join CB 1 double


BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVICLower Manhattan residents will be hit

with yet another street construction proj-ect this time on Worth St from Hudson St to Park Row

The $90 million project is slated to begin this fall and will take five years to complete but other specifics are not yet available

Norberto Acevedo of the city Dept of Design and Construction told members of Community Board 1rsquos Tribeca Committee Feb 11 meeting that the focus will be underground infrastructure such as water mains and sewers that are extremely old he said Work will also be done on ancillary

streets at the east end of the project mdash Mulberry and Mosco which is a small alley

While the committee was glad that the DDC came to them early in the process the hours of construction was a source of contention The city plans to allow con-struction Monday through Friday from 7 am to 10 pm and 9 pm to 5 am and on the weekends Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm

The city Dept of Transportation sets the hours of construction and when many members expressed concern and suggested that they be truncated and no weekends Luis Sanchez DOTrsquos Lower Manhattan Borough commissioner said that would

take much longer and add to the costsldquoLetrsquos say we made it a straight 7 am

to 7 pm hoursrdquo he explained ldquoThe proj-ect gets elongated in terms of years The more restrictive [the hours are] that $90 million also goes up in price to $100 mil-lion That means $10 million comes from some other part of the city budgetrdquo

Sanchez said it was a balance between reducing costs and lessening community disruption

Committee member Bruce Ehrmann who has lived on Worth St for 27 years said that he has suffered through Hudson St reconstruction ldquoand many of us here suffered through Chambers St which is

not done after all these years Some of us who are younger adults have never lived here without construction on Houston St And wersquore all very concernedrdquo

Ehrmann said that Chambers St was to be finished by last month but has since heard that it will be another five months

ldquoI donrsquot think any of us plans or intends to go through the kinds of reconstruction scenarios that have been going on with Chambers and Hudsonrdquo he said

A week later John DeLucia director of street reconstruction for the DOT said that Chambers St should be done in

Same great programs with new options for preschool and pre-kindergarten classes

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CALL FOR A VISIT212-945-0088

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For more information or to register your childplease call 212-945-0088

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Music with Lou Gallo

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Mar 10 Mar 24 Apr 7 Apr 21 1000 am

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Aging and Clutter How to Make space to Age with GraceMar 30 12pm

NYC McSilver Institute 41 E 11th St 7th flr

Making Sense of Estate Planning amp Medicaid Join us for coffee and conversation

For what itrsquos Worth street construction to go lsquotil 10

April He also told the boardrsquos Quality of Life meeting that Hudson St should be completed in June

Trying to get in front of the Worth St construction instead of behind it Ehrmann said that a small citizen advisory committee would be formed

Parking traffic loading and unloading will be affected and bus stops may need to be closed or relocated Water service will be shut off for up to eight hours said Acevedo

ldquoTrash Thatrsquos a big issue anywhere is the city and especially Lower Manhattanrdquo said Acevedo ldquoWersquove been on Chambers St for quite some time Itrsquos always an ongoing process for the coordination of trash pick uprdquo

The community construction liaison he said will work with the community mdash giving construction information in advance and fielding complaints

Jeff Ehrlich committee member said that the liaison for Chambers St project was helpful with issues such as trash but that later on it was hard to get accurate information

ldquoOne of the problems is the communi-cationrdquo he continued ldquoFor instance I went to the DDC site today to check on whatrsquos the new deadline for Chamberrsquos St It says I believe either June or July of 2013rdquo

Acevedo blamed it on the web devel-oper

Ehrmann also asked about the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center

ldquoWe lost the LMCCC now itrsquos the Lower Manhattan DOTrdquo said Ehrmann ldquoItrsquos [CB 1rsquos] understanding that will be folded into another division come July or Augustrdquo

The center which closed in early 2014 had been coordinating the many construc-tion projects that were happening south

of Canal St The board and residents were concerned when it was shut down Its duties were transferred to Sanchezrsquos office

Ehrmann wanted to know whether it was true and if so who will be communi-cating with the board

ldquoRight now our current funding extends to the end of Septemberrdquo said Sanchez ldquoWe are going back to state DOT for initial fundingrdquo but donrsquot know if it will be approved until later this year

ldquoWorse case scenario is some of the staff who will handle Lower Manhattan would just get absorbed into the Manhattan bor-oughrdquo he said ldquoObviously there will still be staff involved down here in terms of projects so nothing really would change itrsquos just that different units now will be more involved rather than anything centrally located in my officerdquo

Sanchez was asked again about the changes this time by Catherine McVay Hughes Board 1rsquos chairperson at the Seaport Committee meeting last week Hughes asked him who will be coordinat-ing the 95 major construction projects in Lower Manhattan

ldquoTherersquoll still be coordination itrsquos just not going to be to the same level of detail thatrsquos happening right nowrdquo said Sanchez

Meanwhile at the Tribeca Committee meeting since it is not known where on Worth St construction will begin some business owners are concerned

Scott Ramsey and his partner Michael Barrow have owned Xeno Lights at 1 Worth St since 1993 and wanted to know if they would still be able to use the curb cut for moving heavy equipment in and out during construction mdash but the DDC doesnrsquot know yet

Ramsey told the Downtown Express after ldquoIf we canrsquot get trucks in there wersquoll be out of businessrdquo

WITH REPORTING BY JOSH ROGERS


Continued on page 11

Image courtesy of Google Images

The construction work to start this year will run the entire length of Worth St

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Must mention community media when calling


BY JEFFERSON SIEGELCivilizationrsquos oldest form of artis-

tic expression sketching is thriving in 21st-century federal courthouses

As part of a year-long series of events celebrating the 225th anniversary of the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse at 40 Foley Square is hosting an exhibit ldquoCourtroom Art Eyewitness for the Public 1972-2011rdquo

Twenty-one examples of artwork from notable court cases are on display in the courthousersquos main lobby Among the individuals illustrated are Imelda Marcos Leona Helmsley Martha Stewart and Bernard Madoff Art from the criminal trial against former US Attorney General John Mitchell the trial of General William Westmoreland against CBS and the trial of Ariel Sharon against Time Inc as well as several high-profile organized crime and terrorism cases offer the public a rare glimpse inside the rarefied precincts of federal justice

Despite advanced technology and a voracious 24-hour news cycle photogra-phy is still prohibited in federal courthous-es Thus courtroom artists who capture the daily drama of trials do become the

eyewitnesses for the publicDowntown resident Elizabeth

Williams an artist for the Associated Press and other news organizations drew the ldquoSomali Piraterdquo ldquoPizza Connectionrdquo and ldquo42nd Street Bomberrdquo trials among countless others

ldquoThe art is the harmony to the report-errsquos wordsrdquo said Williams a former mem-ber of Community Board 1 ldquoIn court they donrsquot smile for the camerasrdquo she added

Williams praised the news media as the true patrons of courtroom art

ldquoIf a picture is worth a thousand words yoursquove just added a thousand more words to your storyrdquo she said

Chief Judge Loretta A Preska joined several of the artists at a recent reception in the courthousersquos soaring lobby for the exhibitrsquos opening

ldquoThrough their great talent court-room artists animate the range of emo-tions that are so frequently evoked in the courtroom and they do so in a far more intense way than a mere photograph couldrdquo Preska said ldquoTheir ability to capture the emotions in such a vivid way makes their drawings much more evoca-tive than a mere photographrdquo

Another federal Judge P Kevin Castel reflected on the historical signifi-cance of courtroom sketches

ldquoThink about a drawing of Aaron Burr who swore his oath of office in the first Federal Court in 1789rdquo Castel said recalling Americarsquos third vice president ldquoWhat was on Aaron Burrrsquos face that day Courtroom art is historyrdquo

Judge Deborah Batts noted ldquoWhile the courts are always open to the pub-lic we have more public than capacity Our courtroom artists provide access

to significant and poignant aspects of the trialsrdquo

Jane Rosenberg draws regularly for the New York Daily News and others She sketched the trials of Leona Helmsley and Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff

ldquoI love to study human naturerdquo Rosenberg said ldquothe facial expressions and gestures of people who tell the truth or lie Some people try to mask their emotions others canrsquot hold them backrdquo

Christine Cornell was only 21 and on spring break when she accompanied her sister WCBS Newsradio 88 reporter Irene Cornell to a trial

ldquoI can do thisrdquo she thought and enrolled in fine-art courses at Pratt

After art school Cornell went to a Long Island trial and pitched her sketch-es to CBS News Soon she would be drawing for CNN and NBC

ldquoNothing beats it for the excitement for observing and being part of the storyrdquo she said

These historical works by artists Rosenberg Williams and Cornell as well as Aggie Kenny and Richard Tomlinson are on display in the courthouse lobby until May 4 The exhibit is free

Drawing for history amp the 247 news cycle

Downtown Express photo by Jefferson Siegel

At the opening of ldquoCourtroom Art Eyewitness for the Public 1972-2011rdquo from left courtroom sketch artist Elizabeth Williams Judge P Kevin Castel artist Jane Rosenberg artist Aggie Kenny Chief Judge Loretta A Preska artist Christine Cornell and Judge Deborah Batts

Christine Cornellrsquos sketch of Martha Stewartrsquos securities-fraud trial Stewart mdash shown at left as her attorney looks on with his hand to his head mdash was sentenced to five months behind bars

copy 2015 DFO LLC At participating restaurants for a limited time only Selection and prices may vary Jalapentildeo Bottle Caps is a registered trademark of McCain Foods USA Inc

NEW LOOK GREAT CLASSIC TASTECome see our fresh modern look and enjoy a variety of menu options Whether yoursquore hungry for breakfast lunch dinner or a late night bite

wersquore always cooking up something

Visit your local Dennyrsquos at150 Nassau St bull New York NY

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Spruce St

Beekman St

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One coupon per table per visit Not valid with any other coupons or promotional offers Coupon has no cash value No change returned Taxes and gratuity not included Alcoholic beverages not included Valid at participating Dennyrsquos restaurants Selection and prices may vary Only original coupon accepted Photocopied and Internet printed or purchased coupons are not valid No substitutions copy 2015 DFO LLC Printed in the USA Offer ends 4215

20 OFFENTIRE GUEST CHECK

500 Keegan Ale Pints400 Bud Bud Light Modelo Especial

700 Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir800 Cocktail of the day

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Thurs Feb 26 ndash Wed March 4ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING

IS IN EFFECT ALL WEEK Lunar New Year celebrations con-

tinue in Lower Manhattan A Chinese Lunar Festival will close Market St between East Broadway and Division St 1 pm to 5 pm Sunday

Both Hudson River tunnels will be impacted by maintenance this coming week causing late-night gridlock in the vicinity of the Holland Tunnel In the Lincoln Tunnel one New York-bound tube will be closed 11 pm Thursday to 5 am Friday This will send driv-ers south to the Holland Tunnel where one New York-bound lane and one New Jersey-bound lane will be closed during the same period Expect late night delays and extra traffic on Canal and Varick Sts

All Manhattan-bound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge will close 11 pm Thursday to 6 am Friday midnight Friday to 7 am Saturday midnight

Saturday to 9 am Sunday and 11 pm to 6 am Monday through Wednesday nights During these overnight closures inbound traffic will be rerouted to the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges as well as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel That means more traffic on Canal Delancey and West Sts

On West St Route 9A one southbound lane from Vesey St to West Thames St will be closed 10 am to 3 pm both Thursday and Friday Also on West St during the weekdays one north-bound lane from West Thames St to Chambers St will be closed 10 am to 3 pm and 10 pm to 5 am and one southbound lane will be closed 10 am to 2 pm and 7 pm to 5 am

FROM THE MAILBAG

Dear Transit Sam

I saw you on a morning news

show talking about your tolling plan ldquoMove NYrdquo Will the plan undo the horrific impacts that one-way tolling has on Canal St

Linda Tribeca

Dear Linda

It will do a lot to take cars and trucks off Lower Manhattan streets like Canal Broome Delancey Chambers and others that connect with the Brooklyn Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridge by correcting Gaynorrsquos Goof William Gaynor is the mayor who removed tolls from the East River Bridges in 1911

The one-way tolls at the Verrazano Bridge were introduced by federal legislation in 1986 over my objections as a city official I predicted it would wreak havoc on Lower Manhattan which it has with at least several score dead from rerouted vehicles [Read about the

latest death on Canal St P 3] While MOVE NY does not call

for a return to one-way tolls which I support it does slash tolls at the Verrazano Bridge making it much less expensive to drive through Staten Island and more expensive to drive through Manhattan This will sharply reduce truckers and others who have been getting a free ride through our streets

The entire plan is available for you to read on the website wwwiheartmovenyorg and you can show your support for the plan there by signing the petition to get New York moving again

Transit Sam

Email your traffic and transit questions to transitsamdown-townexpresscom For the most up-to-date traffic news follow me on Twitter GridlockSam and be sure to check the website wwwGridlockSamcom

TRANSIT SAM


Downtown Notebook

Letters to the Editor

Member of theNational

NewspaperAssociation

Member of theNew York Press

Association

copy 2015 Community Media LLC

PUBLISHED BY

NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA LLCONE METROTECH CENTERNEW YORK NY 11201PHONE (212) 229-1890 FAX (212) 229-2790WWWDOWNTOWNEXPRESSCOMNEWSDOWNTOWNEXPRESSCOM

Downtown Express is published every week by NYC Community Media LLC One Metrotech Center North 10th Floor Brooklyn NY 11201 (212) 229-1890 The entire contents of the newspaper including advertising are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - copy 2015 Community Media LLC

PUBLISHERrsquoS LIABILITY FOR ERRORThe Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement The publisherrsquos liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue

PUBLISHER Jennifer Goodstein

EDITORJosh Rogers

REPORTERDusica Sue Malesevic

ARTS EDITORScott Stiffler

SENIOR VP OF SALES amp MARKETINGFrancesco Regini

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVESJack AgliataAllison GreakerJennifer HollandJulio Tumbaco

ART DIRECTORMichael Shirey

GRAPHIC DESIGNERSAndrew GoossChris Ortiz

WEB MASTERTroy Masters

PHOTOGRAPHERSMilo Hess Jefferson Siegel

PUBLISHER EMERITUSJohn W Sutter

BY TROY MASTERSAs a crimson tide of same-sex marriage rolls across

Alabama lives are being transformed right before our eyes mdash the latest huge stage in the paradigm shift that has remade that state in the past 50 years And if racial progress upended a way of life in Alabama centuries old gay marriage manages to go beyond race straight to the core of every family black and white

I was raised in 1960s Nashville where my stepfather mdash originally from Dothan Alabama mdash was a prominent musician From a very early age I had a deep sense of pride in the privilege I enjoyed with chances to tour the country with him meeting thousands of people I met people I was in awe of mdash musicians with great skill and extraordinary ambition who taught me a lot about having a mission in life

My sister and I would travel to Dothan to spend summers there and those childhood memories mdash good and bad mdash have shaped us throughout our lives Getting in the car to leave Nashville I would always say ldquoLet us go to Dothanrdquo the tag line of the local newspaper the Dothan Eagle that was borrowed from the Bible My sister and I would always laugh at our silly inside jokes as we counted and categorized cars and read billboards that were the basis of crazy narratives we would invent

We were always excited to see Granny Alabama Shersquod cook for a week before we arrived and no mat-ter what hour we showed up we were showered with buttered biscuits red-eye gravy black-eyed peas collard greens red velvet cakes banana pudding and countless other treats all cooked up with love

Papa would always be there stoic wearing his over-alls showing his love in playful glances

The cotton fields surrounding their home were like endless rows of dreams In my youngest years Alabama seemed to be a place of infinite love and security Summers there seemed so alive

Dothan located in Houston County at the statersquos border with Georgia and Florida is denying marriage to all couples rather than issue licenses to same-sex couples

But as I grew to understand more about adult conversation mdash often filled with derogatory expletives about blacks and Jews mdash I came to feel my safety there was fragile During one of those summers I was exposed to the first evidence that others could see what was so different about me

ldquoTroy is a queerrdquo I overheard my stepfather say with energetic disgust to another family member Even at 13 I understood that my feelings for other boys were sup-posed to be secret Now I knew terror What my step-father said humiliated me sending an icy panic through my body that changed my demeanor and ruined my confidence For the first time in my life I felt depression and I became painfully shy

Alabama became a place not of love not of shelter not of the magic of family but of fear

I wanted somebody to turn to for understanding

One of my stepfatherrsquos band members that summer was blind and in those days it didnrsquot seem strange that he was nicknamed Blind Jack But he was also called a ldquohomordquo by almost everyone Jack was the object of unending ridicule and I instinctively knew to avoid him I was also desperate to know him

One day Jack and I were alone at the dinner table and he asked me to read the newspaper to him After I read to him for a while from the Eagle he asked me if there was anything wrong if there was something I wanted to talk about Jack never denied he was a ldquohomordquo and he had overheard gossip about me

I burst into tears and told him what I had overheard my stepfather say I wanted to run away I said and I wished I had never been born Assuring me that every-body is different in some way and that sometimes other

people just canrsquot understand he told me that I was a good boy and that he loved me that even my stepfather loved me and that one day I would be happy At some point he said people just wouldnrsquot care

Shortly after that conversation my stepfather fired Jack and I always imagined it was my fault

The secret that I had associated with Blind Jack was out and some of the adults who had taunted Jack began to say ldquoTroy is a homordquo Their kids said it too At the public pool kids would scream ldquofaggotrdquo ldquoqueerrdquo ldquochick-enrdquo ldquohomordquo as they tried to dunk my head under the water At one point a big crowd joined in mdash including kids I had known all my life mdash and I was terrified they were trying to drown me

My depression became dangerous and I remember thinking of ways to hurt myself Alabama now seemed

like a hostile hell full of hate I gave up going there in the summer even though that meant missing out on the love of Granny Alabama and Papa

And in time I began to associate my experiences there with what I learned about Alabamarsquos recent past the church bombings the police dogs attacking black people The slurs I heard about blacks Jews and Yankees now seemed pretty much the same as my stepfatherrsquos ugly phrase ldquoTroy is a queerrdquo

But that Alabama is not the Alabama of tomorrow The night before a federal ruling legalizing marriage equality went into effect Roy Moore the chief justice of the State Supreme Court ordered county probate judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples But as of now with further action by the federal court 50 of the statersquos 67 counties are complying with the mandate for equality

The Dothan Eagle ran an editorial criticizing the chief justice and the probate judges following his lead Like George Wallace before him history will judge Moore as the personification of a fading legacy of bigotry a gasping mouse one of the last of his kind a dema-gogue taking his last Rebel stand in order to pander to a mob

Still as I watched counties in Alabama gradually fall in line my jaw dropped as I recalled the way my summer dreams were crushed there decades before Had all this happened when I was 13 so much would have been different for me I hope that for every LGBT 13-year-old in Alabama today mdash many of them still feeling isolated and perhaps even more in danger mdash this monthrsquos events boisterous and contentious as they are in many parts of the state can also make a big difference

Jack was right

Troy Masters is associate publisher of Gay City News a sister paper of Downtown Express

The pain of Alabama and the hope for tomorrow

lsquoKids would scream ldquofaggotrdquo ldquoqueerrdquo ldquochickenrdquo ldquohomordquo as they tried to dunk my head under the waterrsquo

BY MICHELLE K REAWe are strongly opposed to the governorrsquos proposal

to eliminate newspaper public notice of proposed con-stitutional amendments

Instead of publishing public notices the board of elections would post an abstract and brief description of the proposed amendment somewhere on its website for three days in the week prior to the election The secretary of state would also post a notice somewhere on its website once per month for three months

At a time when there is general agreement that there is a need to increase transparency and accountability in state government it is astounding that this provision is included in a budget bill Among the many reasons this is a very bad idea are

This proposal disenfranchises voters who cannot afford a home computer with broadband access

It assumes that New York voters sift through state agency websites when looking for news that affects them They do not They turn to a local newspaper

This proposal will not save money Time after time when advocating for legislation that would require gov-ernment agencies to post information on their websites we have been told it is too difficult or expensive

Newspaper publication provides a historic record Government websites may not be maintained long term Newspapers are preserved in libraries and news-paper archives for posterity

The governor has called for a constitutional amend-ment to strip public pensions from legislators convicted of crimes and yet this bill supports making the pro-posed language available only on obscure websites few voters will ever see

The proposed legislation says it will save $342000 There are more than 10 million registered voters in New York State so the proposal saves about three pennies per voter

Michelle K Rea is executive director of the New York Press Association and New York Press Service

Cuomo idea would bury the news

Move over teddy therersquos new art in town ldquoBearlike Constructionrdquo a bronze teddy bear that looks as if it is made of trash bags will be replaced by ldquoHead of Goliathrdquo Jennifer Lantzas public art coordinator for the Parks Department told the Tribeca Committee on Feb 11 The teddy bear has been installed at the center of Tribeca Park a misshapen

triangle situated between Walker St W Broadway and Sixth Ave for almost a year but the new piece will be there from May until July

ldquoHead of Goliathrdquo which is six feet wide and roughly three to four feet tall is the work of artist Nicolas Holiber An interpretation of the bib-lical story of David and Goliath the

massive sculpture will be made with multiple repurposed materials and will rest on a base similar to the one the bear is now on said Lantzas Committee members asked if people would be able to touch the art

ldquoAny of our public artworks we assume people will be putting it to the testrdquo she said to laughs

NO DEFENSE FOR lsquoSHADYrsquo POLITICS

To The Editor Re ldquoTrumped up case against

Silverrdquo (Talking Point by Ken Paskar Feb 12 - 25 2015)

It hardly inspires faith in our local political organizations in this case the Lower Manhattan Democrats rep-resented by Ken Paskar to attempt to refute the charges made by US Attorney Preet Bharara against Sheldon Silver Perhaps it is oxymo-ronic to assume that politics can ever be objective even where ethics are concerned

While Sheldon Silver did remark-able good for us his constituents as our representative in Albany ldquoone hand does not wash the otherrdquo as the saying goes It is naiumlve to pretend that the climate in Albany is the best that our democracy can offer

It is the role of local political groups to make it better and not

attempt to justify the shady climate that our state capital is well known for where Silver was one of ldquothree men in a roomrdquo making deals for everyone in the state Making deals gets to be a way of life

Dolores DrsquoAgostino

A WORLD TRADE MISTAKETo The Editor

Although I do give my condolenc-es for the death of John Whitehead I donrsquot believe he did the right thing for the W T C site (Obituary Feb 12 ndash 25ldquoWhiteheadrsquos Downtown leg-acyrdquo) Like the rest of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp he just followed whatever then-Gov George E Pataki wanted rather than actually listen to the public

As a person who has attended just about every hearing or other events involving the process on the W T C site I have never heard anyone

outside the panel ever support what was planned If Whitehead really did want to be a hero for Downtown Manhattan he should have agreed to go with what the public wanted and have the Twin Towers back rather than just go with some different plan that was mostly supported in a back-room by an elite group

I suggest reading some books such as ldquoSixteen Acresrdquo and the ldquoOutrageous Struggle for Ground Zerordquo by Phillip Nobel or even the more recently published ldquoDebacle Failing to Rebuild the Twin Towersrdquo by Joe Wright to find out what really happened

More importantly Whitehead should have known that rebuilding the Twin Towers wouldnrsquot just cost less than building what was being planned but it could have even been done faster as well

Tal Barzilai

A rendering courtesy of the Parks Dept

Rendering of what the art will look like in Tribeca Park

lsquoHead of Goliathrsquo coming to Tribeca Park


THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH175 North End Ave 212-790-3499 nyplorglocationsbattery-park-city Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers Enjoy sim-ple stories lively songs and rhymes and meet other babies in the neighborhood Limited to 50 babies and their caregivers first-come first-served Ages 0-18 months | Free | 1130 am Crafternoon Listen to Peanut Butter and Jellyfish by Jarrett Krosoczka and create a fishy craft All ages | Free | 400 pm

Teen Volunteer Time Teens can meet new friends and earn community service credit by volunteering at the library Ages 14-18 | Free | 400 pm FRIDAY FEBRUARY 27 COMMUNITY CUBE South Street Seaport 14 Fulton Street southstreetseaportcomevents Language Beans Language Beans is an art- and play-based Mandarin program All ages | Free | 1000 am WINTER AFTERSCHOOL SPORTS AND GAMESBattery Park City Ball Fields West Street between Murray and Warren Kids can

come play soccer flag-football hockey and more at the Battery Park City Ball Fields Find winter activities organized by parks programming leaders or play independent-ly Equipment will be providedAges 7+ | Free | 330 pm - 500 pm NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015Various Theaters throughout Manhattan including Tribeca Cinemas PS 89 Scholastic Theater and other venues gkidscomfest2015 (212) 349-0330 This festival includes a wide variety of childrenrsquos films from around the globe at theaters throughout Manhattan New screenings are continually being added to the roster See the website for further details and the up-to-date scheduleAges 3+ | $13-$16 per screening | various times runs from 227 to 322 NEIGHBORHOOD MOVIE NIGHTS AT ST PAULrsquoSSt Paulrsquos Chapel Broadway and Fulton St trinitywallstreetorgmovies Liz Stonehill lstonehilllakprcom 212-575-4545 Give Netflix Hulu and Amazon a break and head to St Paulrsquos Chapel for Neighborhood Movie Nights on the fourth Friday of each month Doors open at 630 pm the movie begins at 7 pm Most films are PG13 February 27 West Side StoryAll ages | Free | 700 pm - 900 pm SATURDAY FEBRUARY 28 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info THE SATURDAY MORNING SHOWHudson Eats at Brookfield Place 200 Vesey Street in the back seating area brookfieldplacenycomA six-week variety showcase in Hudson Eats that features a combination of interac-tive live music games story time puppetry magic and more Lloyd H Miller leads the Deedle Deedle Dees educational band At noon the WonderSpark Puppets perform Ages eight and under | Free | Performances at 11 am and 12 pm lsquoTHE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR amp OTHER ERIC CARLE FAVORITESrsquoBMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center 199 Chambers St tribecapacorgthe-very-hungry-caterpil-lar infotribecapacorg ldquoThe Very Hungry Caterpillarrdquo by award-winning childrenrsquos book illustrator and writer Eric Carle is retold on stage in black light Performed by the Mermaid Theater of Nova Scotia Ages 3+ | $25 | 130 pm

LUNAR NEW YEAR FAMILY FESTIVALMuseum of Chinese in America 215 Centre StreetAt this festival families will enjoy an awe-inspiring lion dance try their hand at traditional folk arts participate in zodi-ac-themed arts and crafts embark on sto-rytelling journeys and sway along with Chinatownrsquos Red Silk DancersAll ages | $10 free for children under 2 | 1100 am - 400 pm ULTIMATE FRISBEEBattery Park City Ball Fields West Street between Murray and Warren bpcparksorgCome to the BPC Ball Fields for a game of Ultimate Frisbee The game is great fun for novices and experts alike Newcomers are welcome Co-edPick-up Discs are provided All ages | Free | 300 pm - 500 pm SUNDAY MARCH 1 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info FILM FORUM JR SUNDAY MATINEE SERIES lsquoThe Princess BridersquoFilm Forum 209 West Houston St filmforumorgA weekly Sunday matinee series for kids and families through 329Age 5+ | $750 | 1100 am

NYC AUDUBONrsquoS WINTER SEALS AND WATERBIRDS OF NEW YORK HARBOR ECOCRUISESPier 16 at 89 South Street nycaudubonorgThe winter ecocruises depart from South Street Seaportrsquos Pier 16 aboard NY Water Taxirsquos eco-friendly vessels A NYC Audubon naturalist provides a narrated tour of the surprising wildlife of the harbor Look for harbor seals All ages | $35 for adults $25 for children 3-12 | 1200 pm - 200 pm JAZZ FOR KIDSJazz Standard 116 East 27th Street (between Park amp Lexington) jazzstandardcomThe weekly session draws family and friends grooving to music by the Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra (JSYO) and eating ribs from Blue SmokeAll ages | Free suggested $5 donation | 200 pm ndash 300 pm (doors open at 100 pm) MONDAY MARCH 2 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info

ActivitiesTHURSDAY FEBRUARY 26ndashWEDNESDAY MARCH 11

BY VICTORIA GRANTHAM The harsh weather continues

Wersquoll just have to stay indoors and entertain ourselves with a little escapism in the form of a movie Therersquos ample opportunity for that given the International Childrenrsquos Film Festival which kicks off Feb 27 and runs through March 22 The fest will be held at various locations throughout Manhattan including Tribeca Cinemas PS 89 and the Scholastic Theater The Film Forum Jr Sunday matinee series is also continuing with ldquoThe Princess Briderdquo and therersquos a family movie night at St Paulrsquos Chapel

Other entertainment options include live shows Therersquos ldquoThe Very Hungry Caterpillarrdquo at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center (I took my kids to this troupersquos show last year at another venue I highly recommend it) Therersquos also a show called ldquoThe Magic Garden or the Princess Who Grew Antlersrdquo at Theater for the New City based on Czech fairy tales

If yoursquore saving up for a flight out of dodge (like me) there are also free entertainment choic-es like Brookfieldrsquos Saturday Morning show at Hudson Eats Itrsquos an Ed Sullivan-esque variety show with magicians musicians

and other assorted performers We went recently and participated in a dance party with a great DJ There was also a hilarious magician who was mostly about being silly which the kids loved Another variety show Kiddie Kabaret is at the Metropolitan Room That show is not free but at $2250 per person it wonrsquot break the bank

For dramatic international fun consider the Lunar New Year Family Festival at the Museum of Chinese in America on Centre St The show includes a lion dance traditional folk arts zodi-ac-themed arts and crafts and a performance by Chinatownrsquos Red Silk Dancers

If all else fails therersquos the old standby of the library In addition to the usual story times therersquos also some teen programming including a college admissions essay workshop

Finally for those of us fan-tasizing about warmer weather (are you picking up on a theme) therersquos a New York Family Camp Fair at BMCC which will intro-duce families to camp options and undoubtedly feature pictures of summer fun Irsquom thinking of going to bask in the photos of sun and fun even though Irsquom not sending my kids to camp yet

Stay warm

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH175 North End Ave 212-790-3499 nyplorglocationsbattery-park-city Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers Enjoy sim-ple stories lively songs and rhymes and meet other babies in the neighborhood Limited to 50 babies and their caregivers first-come first-served Ages 0-18 months | Free | 930 am Toddler Story TimeA librarian shares lively picture books finger plays and action songs with toddlers and their caregivers For ages 12-36 months All ages | Free 400 pm TUESDAY MARCH 3 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH175 North End Ave 212-790-3499 nyplorglocationsbattery-park-city Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers Enjoy simple stories lively songs and rhymes and meet other babies in the neighbor-hood Limited to 25 babies and their caregivers first-come first-served Ages 0-18 months | Free | 1130 am College Admissions Essay At this workshop teens will learn how to choose a meaningful topic and write a great college essay Presented by Laurel Haines For ages 13 to 18 years oldAll ages | Free | 400 pm Picture Book Time A librarian will share classic picture books and new stories All ages | Free | 400 pm WEDNESDAY MARCH 4 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH175 North End Ave 212-790-3499 nyplorglocationsbattery-park-city Toddler Story Time A librarian will share lively picture books finger plays and action songs with toddlers and their caregivers Ages 12-36 months | Free | 1030 am | EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 1030 AM

Crafternoon Family Tree Edition Read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and then create family trees All ages | Free | 400 pm

THURSDAY MARCH 5NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH175 North End Ave 212-790-3499 nyplorglocationsbattery-park-city Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers See 226 for info

Gross Biology Through the Gross Biology class students discover whatrsquos inside of them how their body works hard to keep them healthy Presented by Childrenrsquos Museum of Manhattan First come first served to the first 25 children with an adult Ages 5-12| Free | 400 pm lsquoTHE MAGIC GARDEN OR THE PRINCESS WHO GREW ANTLERSrsquoTheater for the New City 155 First Ave (at E 10th Street) jsnyccomChechoslovak-American Marionette Theater will perform its newest work ldquoThe Magic Garden or The Princess Who Grew Antlersrdquo an ensemble cre-ation that is concocted from Czech fairy talesAges 5+ | $15 for adults $8 for children Thursdays through Saturdays at 800 pm Saturdays and Sundays at 300 pm FRIDAY MARCH 6 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info lsquoTHE MAGIC GARDEN OR THE PRINCESS WHO GREW ANTLERSrsquoSee 35 for info SATURDAY MARCH 7 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info THE SATURDAY MORNING SHOWHudson Eats at Brookfield Place 200 Vesey Street in the back seating area brookfieldplacenycomAt 1100 am Vered and the Babes brings a variety of instruments including pots and pans french-horn and trumpet to get the kids and parents jumping and singing along At noon Bill Gordh an award winning storyteller banjoist and author performs Ages eight and under | Free Performances at 1100 am and 1200 pmlsquoTHE MAGIC GARDEN OR THE PRINCESS WHO GREW ANTLERSrsquoSee 35 for info

NEW YORK FAMILY CAMP FAIRSBorough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) 199 Chambers Street newyorkfamilycom eblockmanhat-tanmediacom Parents and children can discover a wide variety of day camps (in and out of NYC) and sleep-away camps from across the region With many great options parents learn about the kind of camp experience that would be right for your child Sponsored by the American Camp Association-NY amp NJAges 3-13 | Free | 1200 pm - 300 pm

SUNDAY MARCH 8 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info FILM FORUM JR SUNDAY MATINEE SERIES lsquoThe Music ManrsquoFilm Forum 209 West Houston St A weekly Sunday matinee series for kids and families March 8 The Music ManAge 5+ | $750 | 1100 am JAZZ FOR KIDSSee 31 for info lsquoTHE MAGIC GARDEN OR THE PRINCESS WHO GREW ANTLERSrsquoSee 35 for info MONDAY MARCH 9 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH175 North End Ave 212-790-3499 nyplorglocationsbattery-park-city

Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers Enjoy simple stories lively songs and rhymes and meet other babies in the neighbor-hood Limited to 50 babies and their caregivers first-come first-served Ages 0-18 months | Free | 930 am

Toddler Story Time A librarian will share lively picture books finger plays and action songs with toddlers and their caregivers Ages 12-36 months | Free | 400 pm

TUESDAY MARCH 10 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH175 North End Ave 212-790-3499 nyplorglocationsbattery-park-city Baby Laptime for Pre-Walkers Enjoy simple stories lively songs and rhymes and meet other babies in the neighbor-hood Limited to 25 babies and their caregivers first-come first-served Ages 0-18 months | Free |1130 am

Picture Book TimeA librarian will share classic picture books and new storiesAll ages | Free | 400 pm WEDNESDAY MARCH 11 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENrsquoS FILM FESTIVAL 2015See 227 for info NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BATTERY PARK CITY BRANCH175 North End Ave 212-790-3499 nyplorglocationsbattery-park-cityToddler Story Time See 34 for info

Lloyd H Miller will of course be inside with his Deedle Dees band for The Saturday Morning Show Feb 28 at Hudson Eats Feb 28 at 11 am


Private Pool bull Field Sports bull Pier 25 bull Karate bull Tennis Arts amp Crafts bull Music amp Drumming bull Movement

Story Pirates bull Song Shows bull Weekly Field Trips bull Choice Time For Senior Division Campers

wwwdowntowndaycampscom

Tribeca | Battery Park City | Lower Manhattan

BUSING AVAILABLE

SENIOR DIVISION Grades 4-8

JUNIOR DIVISON Grades K-3

Camp Ad Broadsheet Size875 x 569 INCHES

Color Color

DOWNTOWN DAY CAMPSAges 4-13

OPEN HOUSEFEBRUARY 4TH 6PM

AT OURDowntown

Community Center

Monday through Friday 830 AM ndash 900 PMSaturday 830 AM ndash 530 PM

235 East 11th StreetNew York NY 10003

(212) 777-3240wwwthirdstreetmusicschoolorg

COME EXPLORE WITH USwersquore your community music school

Beginner group classes

Individual or partner lessons

Free trial lessons

Weekly music and danceinstruction for all ages andlevels after school and onSaturday afternoons

Third Street Preschool fulland half-day programs

Daytime ToddlerEarly Childhooddance and movement classes

BR INGING THE ARTS TO L IFESINCE 1894

Summertime will soon be here and itrsquos never too early to start thinking about activities for your children We all want our children to have happy enjoyable summer experiences that are appropriate for their needs and inter-ests

Though February does not often elicit images of youngsters building campfires or playing games in the pool the month more synonymous with the Super Bowl and Valentinersquos Day is a great time for parents to start thinking about summer camps for their kids

Summer camp is often something kids look forward to and something they will fondly recall long after they reach adulthood

There are other options just for teens such as counselor-in-training programs where 14 to 17 year olds can

gain leadership skills while assisting with younger campers

Teens can also take advantage of wilderness programs cross-country travel bike trips and adventure pro-grams as well as international travel or summer school programs

As an alternative to a typical day or residential camp other summer activities for children can be found at local community centers neighbor-hood playgrounds Scout programs and public libraries These options can include arts and crafts classes swimming lessons and other recre-ational programs

Good camps do fill up early So it behooves parents to start thinking about camps for their kids in winter before camps start filling out their rosters in early spring

Winter is the season to look for summer camps

CAMP GUIDEJ


BY SCOTT STIFFLERWhether brightening local burlesque stages

as her slinky and sweet alter ego Cherry Pitz or exposing her true self on the storytelling circuit Cyndi Freeman has an uncanny knack for coaxing epic images from intimate moments The two-time NY Fringe Festival award-winning solo performer mdash whose work as an instructor with The Moth Community Outreach Program has empowered disabled adults nurses and the incarcerated tell their stories mdash has a brand new tale of her own based on old wounds and earned wisdom

A world premiere in Horse Trade Theater Grouprsquos annual Frigid Festival ldquoI Was a Sixth Grade Bigfootrdquo charts the myths and misunder-standings that define an 11-year-oldrsquos shattered public image

Victimized by an elaborate homeroom smear campaign and regarded as a violent pathological liar by teachers young Cyndi draws strength from research books and ldquoSix Million Dollar Manrdquo epi-sodes about a reclusive Pacific Northwest monster that lashes out only when attacked But therersquos no retreating to the forest during a school assembly at which classmates weigh in on the emotional cost of bullying mdash while the target of their wrath sits on display like a captured creature

Joined on stage by a tiny Sasquatch action figure Freemanrsquos heartbreaking anecdotes (filled

with wry impressions of her cruel tormenters) often end with the performer out of breath and scanning the horizon for some sense of justice in the universe mdash or just going silent letting us fill that momentary blank space with our own empathetic image of a friendless little girl who instinctively knows that oddball traits have a way of becoming great strengths It helps a little that her engineering genius dad declares ldquoWe Freemans are differentrdquo mdash while her mama grizzly makes a trip to principalrsquos office and growls ldquoI will tell you what I tell herShe is honest honest to a faultrdquo

Freeman peppers her quest to expose grade school falsehoods with accounts of hoaxes perpe-trated by major players in ldquoAmerican Bigfooteryrdquo Making some disturbing observations about the ease with which we check our skepticism at the door when therersquos a juicy tale to help spread she nonetheless musters a bit of admiration for the conspirators who pulled their stunts more out of opportunism and boredom than a malicious desire to destroy another human being

Revelations about the true nature of those much-hyped Sasquatch sightings are every bit as

surprising as the ldquoWhere are they nowrdquo tidbits during which Freeman recalls accepting a string of emotional apologies that will one day enable her to reassure a troubled young girl that things change for the better mdash and sometimes so do people

Occasional basketball columnist and burlesque performer Sara Peters directs making sure the potentially depressing story moves at a brisk pace towards its hopeful and wonderfully well-adjusted conclusion And thatrsquos the truth

Of Bullies Bigfoot Haters and Hope Freeman spins a ripping yarn about rumors and reality

Photo by Ben Trivet

Elusive truths and hidden agendas abound in Cyndi Freemanrsquos look back on the high price of tall tales ldquoI Was a Sixth Grade Bigfootrdquo plays the Frigid Festival through March 8

Freeman peppers her quest to expose grade school falsehoods

with accounts of hoaxes perpetrated by major players in ldquoAmerican Bigfooteryrdquo

BY SCOTT STIFFLER

RUBIN MUSEUM OF ARTrsquoS BRAINWAVE FESTIVAL

Say what you will about Taylor Swift mdash but even haters have to admit her ldquoShake It Offrdquo song has planted in tween hearts and minds the notion that the path to inner peace begins at the point where we let go of toxic thoughts Whether yoursquore still in your juice box years or a jaded adult in need of a phil-osophical reboot the Rubin Museum of Art is the place to expand your mind and satisfy your soul

Now through April their Brainwave Festival is exploring the Buddhist notion of attachment ldquoWersquore looking at the basic idea of where satisfaction existshellipthrough a diversity of perspectives on the very human tendency to cling to the things that we think will make us happyrdquo says RMA Director of Public Programs Tim McHenry who has filled the festival with on-stage conversations films and art that further the museumrsquos overall mission to ldquobreak down the ego-driven behavior that we have and recognize that we are just one element of many that are connectedrdquo

Upcoming installments of their ldquoConversationrdquo series which pairs art-ists with scientists include an April 8 event at which Shaolin Master Shi Yan Ming and neuropsychologist Tracy Dennis discuss ldquoDiscipline as an Artrdquo Curated by Oscar-nominated writer-di-rector Guillermo Arriaga the ldquoWords with Godsrdquo series (March 4ndashApril 22) screens short cinematic meditations on faith and consciousness followed by dia-logues between faith practitioners and scientists who study the mind A Friday night film series addressing the theme of ldquofixationrdquo includes Hal Ashbyrsquos 1971 romp between a very young Bud Cort and a very old Ruth Gordon (ldquoHarold and Mauderdquo on April 17) A Wednesday lunchtime series (ldquoLunch Mattersrdquo) screens past recorded Brainwave events On March 4 a 2014 conversation between Hunter College neuropsychol-ogist Tracy Dennis and former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski has the duo discussing the mindset required to endure extreme space missions

Brainwave Festival events take place through April 22 at the Rubin Museum of Art (150 W 17th St at Seventh Ave) Ticket prices vary Museum Hours Mon amp Thurs 11 amndash5 pm Wed 11 amndash9 pm Fri 11 amndash10 pm Sat Sun 11 amndash6 pm Call 212-620-5000 or visit RubinMuseumorgbrainwave

FROM SILVER APPLES OF THE MOON TO A SKY

OF CLOUDLESS SULPHUR VThis latest installment in The Kitchenrsquos

long-running Synth Nights series mdash devoted to the live performance of elec-tronic music mdash brings a genre pioneer to the iconic Chelsea performance venue An extension of Morton Subotnickrsquos ldquoSilver Apples of the Moonrdquo (a 1967 work widely acknowledged as the first large-scale electronic work created for the record medium) this new multi-me-dia piece pairs the perennial innovator with Berlin-based visual artist Lillevan Musical resources from Subotnickrsquos ana-log recordings are combined with recent electronic patches and techniques to cre-ate a virtual instrument mdash while Lillevan similarly spontaneously draws from old and new visual resources

Wed March 4 at 8 pm At The Kitchen (512 W 19th St btw 10th amp 11th Aves) For tickets ($15) visit thek-itchenorg or call 212-255-6793 x 11 Like facebookcomTheKitchenNYC Follow TheKitchen_NYC

GREENWICH VILLAGE ORCHESTRA PRESENTS

ldquoMOMENTOUS MAHLERrdquoItrsquos a case of the Fifth on the first

when Greenwich Village Orchestrarsquos March 1 ldquoMomentous Mahlerrdquo program comes in like a lion and never goes the way of the lamb ldquoFrom the opening fanfare to the closing chords through marches dances storms and the famous Adagietto a love song to his wiferdquo prom-ises the GVO ldquoMahlerrsquos Fifth Symphony will envelop you in an intense musical world filled with humanity spirituality and emotion The classy cultural venue has yet to ban selfie sticks so bring them to post-concert reception in anticipation

of mingling with Music Director Barbara Yahr and the musicians

GVOrsquos 12th season continues on April 12 when they return to Washington Irving Auditorium for an all-Tchaikovsky pro-gram led by guest conductor Pierre Vallet (from the Metropolitan Opera) and fea-turing young virtuoso Siwoo Kim May 17rsquos ldquoSummer in the Cityrdquo program has favorites by Gershwin and Rossini with

mezzo-soprano Naomie OrsquoConnell singing Berliozrsquos song cycle ldquoLes nuits drsquoeacuteteacuterdquo mdash and ldquoSymphonie Fantastiquerdquo anchors the orchestrarsquos first-ever music video

ldquoMomentous Mahlerrdquo is per-formed on Sun March 1 3ndash5 pm at Washington Irving Auditorium (40 Irving Place at 17th St) Suggested donation $20 ($10 for studentsseniors) Visit gvoorg or call 212-932-0732

Just Do Art

Courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art

Monkey see monkey wanthellipbut what happens when monkey gets Rubin Museum of Artrsquos Brainwave Festival contemplates attachment and happiness

Courtesy of The Kitchen

Electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick (left) and Berlin-based visual artist Lillevan collaborate at the March 4 installment of The Kitchenrsquos Synth Nights series

Photo by Da Ping Luo

The Greenwich Village Orchestra returns to Washington Irving Auditorium for three Sunday afternoon concerts on March 1 April 12 and May 17


BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN (stephaniebuhmanncom)

In the past Lee has recast com-ponents of painting through a vari-ety of experiments such as cutting dismantling slicing and sculpting Testing the surface and structure of his canvases to the extreme he questions their traditional physi-cality and the general sense of pre-ciousness that can be associated

with the medium Stapled seams and stacked canvases seen from the back as one sculptural piece for example reflect Leersquos talent in finding beauty in what many would consider mundane

In order to experience his works fully one has to look at it closely from various angles and while con-sidering all perspectives

In Lee the viewer joins the art-istrsquos exploration of what distinguish-

es image and object surface and interior or the visual and physical for that matter Devoid of one-sid-ed distinctions this work disobeys categorization and finds its own niche somewhere between drawing painting and sculpture In his new exhibition we can expect Lee to con-tinue to astonish startle and amaze us He will draw from the lexicon of art history without overt references to any one specific source

Courtesy of Nicelle Beauchene Gallery

Installation view of ldquoand the Cream Tonesrdquo (2015)


Untitled (Cream Tone 14) 2015 Oil acrylic and flashe paint on linen with staples 69 x 48 inches

88 Fulton Street (Corner of 33 Gold St)New York NY 100382125878930 | 2125878935

Authentic Thaiamp Vegetarian

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South Street Local ArtistsWhisper Editions


SILVER SPECULATIONWith Shelly Silver out as Assembly

speaker and under indictment there natu-rally has been some scuttlebutt as to who might run for his Assembly seat if it opens up but not nearly as much as we would have guessed

Even if Silver beats the rap he could very well decide not to run for reelection next year and if he pleads or is convicted he would have no choice

Wersquore not surprised Democratic dis-trict leader Paul Newell told the New York Post he is considering a run In addi-tion to challenging Silver in 2008 Newell told UnderCover two years ago he was ready to run for state senate if Sen Daniel Squadron was successful in his run for public advocate He also told us then that rather than a run for the City Council Albany was the place he wanted to be

Jenifer Rajkumar the Democratic district leader who did run for the afore-mentioned City Council seat in 2013 has also been talked about as a Silver replace-ment but wersquore far less certain

She didnrsquot comment and Newell didnrsquot return our call mdash Paul wersquore wondering if it was something we said

Lastly therersquos Julie Menin the former Community Board 1 chairperson but thatrsquos another one wersquore doubtful about

As it turns out Menin swung by our offices last week to talk about what shersquos up to as the new commissioner of Consumer Affairs

We felt sure she wouldnrsquot want to talk about the Silver seat although we appreci-ated our friend for asking anyway mdash you never know We thought the old job interview question mdash where do you see yourself in 10 years mdash might get us some-thing since she wouldnrsquot have to undercut her boss Mayor Bill de Blasio and could assume his reelection but alas she told us she was focused on her current job

To be continued perhaps

SEAPORT TALKThe City Council confirmed

Wellington Chen to the Landmarks Preservation Commission two weeks ago although itrsquos still not clear if he will be able

to deliberate on the South Street Seaport development application when it reaches the commission

Chen executive director of the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corp has taken a strong interest in the Seaport and is friendly with some of the planrsquos opponents although it does not appear he has taken a position on the project

Chen told us hersquoll let lawyers with LPC and the Conflict of Interest board determine what he should do

Wersquore not sure when the Howard Hughes Corp plan will get to Landmarks The main reason for the holdup now appears to be that Hughes doesnrsquot know what the Pier 16 building for the South Street Seaport Museum will look like because the museum hasnrsquot told the firm what it wants

Captain Jonathan Boulware the museumrsquos interim president told us the museum is close to finalizing a ldquoconceptual designrdquo for the building but he wasnrsquot sure when that would be

UNDERCOVER

UNDERGROUNDIf yoursquove been wishing for an end to the

constant reminders from subway conduc-tors to move to the front of Downtown 1

trains file this one under be careful what you wish for

You see relief is in sight this year but not the sort you probably were hoping for You see the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to begin shutting down the 1 south of Chambers St in 2015 so it can finally begin renovating the Cortlandt St station under the World Trade Center

This work is not connected to reopen-ing the newer South Ferry station plat-form which is long enough to allow all subway cars to open That one was dam-aged almost three years ago as a result of Hurricane Sandy It could reopen in 2017

Cortlandt St severely damaged on 911 mdash 14 years ago mdash has been held up by WTC construction and a fund-ing dispute between the MTA and Port Authority

This week the dispute was resolved and the MTA tells us the 1 will have rdquointermittent closuresrdquo starting this year but the exact schedule is still to be deter-mined The closures could last until 2018 when Cortlandt is expected to open

We snark because we love mdash itrsquod be nice if something like the Move NY tolling plan by ldquoGridlock Samrdquo Schwartz aka our own Transit Sam moved across the finish line so the MTA would have money to do even better projects faster

serve our community providing high level constituent services and making sure we have the resources we need in order for our neighborhoods to remain vibrantrdquo

Silverrsquos task force which includes principals and Downtown school advo-cates generated citywide headlines four years ago as the setting of Schools Chancellor Cathie Blackrsquos infamous joke about birth control which led to her resignation soon after her hiring but it is better known to Downtown school advocates and parents as the place to get timely information about kindergarten waiting lists and to press the case to the Dept of Education to build more schools

The advocates and Silver played a leading role in finding the sites for the three Lower Manhattan ele-mentary schools that have opened in the last six years mdash PSIS 276 Spruce Street and Peck Slip schools mdash and got the DOE to open them early in ldquoincubatorrdquo space in its Tweed headquarters

So at least by appearances not a lot has changed yet in Lower Manhattan but in Albany where Silver was one of the powerful ldquothree men in a roomrdquo for two decades the difference has appar-ently been more obvious

ldquoSilver is now relegated to a desk in the back of the Assembly cham-

bers like a freshman Democrat in a new class of lawmakersrdquo Bob Hardt NY1rsquos political director wrote in a post calling for Silver to resign He ldquoremains a living object lesson to his colleagues about flying too close to a sun ndash if the sun was made of a big ball of moneyrdquo

For his part Silverrsquos district office director Paul Goldstein stayed on message Tuesday night telling CB 1 members ldquohe is still your Assemblymanhellip

ldquoOur office is open and opera-tional mdash and anyone who has any issues anyone who has any personal

concerns do not hesitate to contact me to contact our officerdquo

At the New Year parade Sunday Silver said ldquoIrsquom thrilled to be here with you here today to celebrate this occasionrdquo according to The Lo-Down a Lower East Side blog ldquoI am honored to continue to represent this Chinatown communityrdquo

Two parade attendees told Downtown Express that they did not hear any heckles or criticism directed at Silver One said he heard a few calls of ldquogood luckrdquo

The former speaker walked with other politicians waving to the crowd

as he does most years for Chinatownrsquos biggest event

This year the list marching with him included Letitia James the cityrsquos public advocate as well as two Downtown pols mdash State Sen Daniel Squadron and Councilmember Margaret Chin

Silver who was indicted last week and pleaded not guilty this main-tains he will be vindicated

One staff member has left but there appear to be no other departures so far

Jason Fink who was Silverrsquos com-munications coordinator started a new job as deputy press secretary with the cityrsquos Dept of Education this week

Fink will focus on some of the same education issues he had been handling under Silver

One source said the assumption is that Silver will be asked to downsize his office and move but itrsquos not clear when that will be Another source not connected to Silver said not sur-prisingly at least a few other Silver staffers are looking for new jobs

The parade was Silverrsquos second public event in his Lower Manhattan district since he lost his leadership post The first was last Thursday to celebrate the actual start of the Lunar New Year with the Chinese Consolidate Benevolent Association on Mott St

mdashWITH REPORTING BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVICphone (212) 334-0400 administrationmontessorimanhattancom wwwmontessorimanhattancom

OPEN HOUSE

Serving the Downtown Community for Over 10 years

Montessori Certified TeachersFull and Half Day Classes for Children 2-6 YearsYoga Art Spanish and Performing Arts for All AgesAfter School ProgramsTae Kwon Do Organic CookingMeditation amp MindfulnessLatin Dance amp RhythmSpanish

Wednesday March 4th530-630 pmWednesday March 4th530-630 pmFiDi CAMPUS2 Gold St NYC 100382 3 A C 4 5 J Z

Silver says his work for Lower Manhattan continuesContinued from page 1


Assemblymember Sheldon Silver center marching in Chinatownrsquos Lunar New Year parade Feb 22 At far left is Councilmember Margaret Chin and at far right is State Sen Daniel Squadron Leaning in Assemblymember David Weprin and at back left Public Advocate Letitia James

BY L INCOLN ANDERSONA 63-year-old Battery Park City woman was

struck by a van on Canal St on Wed Feb 18 shortly after 11 am and died from her injuries the next day police said

Following an investigation police reported that Yu-O Pan of 380 Rector Place was attempt-ing to cross Canal St midblock from south to north near Mott St when she was hit by a 1998 Ford van traveling eastbound on Canal St

Responding officers found Pan lying on the ground with body trauma An EMS ambulance transported her to Bellevue Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries on Feb 19

The vehiclersquos driver remained on the scene and the investigation is ongoing police said

The womanrsquos son Gary Pan 35 said his mother had been shopping for items for the Chinese Lunar New Year

ldquoShe was buying stuff like oranges chicken pork stuff like thatrdquo he said

He said she owned a restaurant in Brooklyn Heights though declined to name it

Originally from Taiwan she came to the US with her husband in the early 1970s She lived in various spots in Downtown Manhattan includ-ing Bayard St Broadway Bayard St again then

Brooklyn Heights before settling in Battery Park City where she lived with her son and husband They were a very close-knit family her son said They have no other relatives in America

No services have been held he said due to the ldquosurprising cost of funeralsrdquo

He said his family never really took photos of each other which he regrets now

ldquoI havenrsquot had time to digest itrdquo her son said of the tragedy ldquoThey said she was crossing on the green but that she was hit pretty hard They said she popped out between two cars mdash that was the account of the driverrdquo

Canal St is the deadliest major street per mile according to city statistics released last year when it was turned into an ldquoarterial slow zonerdquo Speed limit signs of 25 MPH went up soon after but they are unusually high and some drivers have said they do not notice them

mdashWITH REPORTING BY JOSH ROGERS

BPC woman killed by van on Canal St

Downtown Express photo by Tequila Minsky

Last weekrsquos accident scene



























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212-566-5500

Spruce St

Beekman St

Park Row

Park Row

Nassau

St








$4 APPETIZERS








FROM THE MAILBAG

Dear Transit Sam



Linda Tribeca

Dear Linda






Transit Sam


TRANSIT SAM


Downtown Notebook





Association


PUBLISHED BY





EDITORJosh Rogers


































Jack was right



































Tal Barzilai



















Stay warm

















BUSING AVAILABLE




Color Color



AT OURDowntown

Community Center







Free trial lessons














CAMP GUIDEJ













Photo by Ben Trivet




BY SCOTT STIFFLER

















Just Do Art




















Free

Delivery

Min $10






Only At Seaport


Whisper

Editi

ons

Rialto Jean Project

Brother Vellies











































900 am ndash 500 pm



Sponsored by














medical research

guide





















































































































































212-566-5500

Spruce St

Beekman St

Park Row

Park Row

Nassau

St








$4 APPETIZERS








FROM THE MAILBAG

Dear Transit Sam



Linda Tribeca

Dear Linda






Transit Sam


TRANSIT SAM


Downtown Notebook





Association


PUBLISHED BY





EDITORJosh Rogers


































Jack was right



































Tal Barzilai



















Stay warm

















BUSING AVAILABLE




Color Color



AT OURDowntown

Community Center







Free trial lessons














CAMP GUIDEJ













Photo by Ben Trivet




BY SCOTT STIFFLER

















Just Do Art




















Free

Delivery

Min $10






Only At Seaport


Whisper

Editi

ons

Rialto Jean Project

Brother Vellies







medical research

guide





















































































































































212-566-5500

Spruce St

Beekman St

Park Row

Park Row

Nassau

St








$4 APPETIZERS








FROM THE MAILBAG

Dear Transit Sam



Linda Tribeca

Dear Linda






Transit Sam


TRANSIT SAM


Downtown Notebook





Association


PUBLISHED BY





EDITORJosh Rogers


































Jack was right



































Tal Barzilai



















Stay warm

















BUSING AVAILABLE




Color Color



AT OURDowntown

Community Center







Free trial lessons














CAMP GUIDEJ













Photo by Ben Trivet




BY SCOTT STIFFLER

















Just Do Art




















Free

Delivery

Min $10






Only At Seaport


Whisper

Editi

ons

Rialto Jean Project

Brother Vellies


















































































































212-566-5500

Spruce St

Beekman St

Park Row

Park Row

Nassau

St








$4 APPETIZERS








FROM THE MAILBAG

Dear Transit Sam



Linda Tribeca

Dear Linda






Transit Sam


TRANSIT SAM


Downtown Notebook





Association


PUBLISHED BY





EDITORJosh Rogers


































Jack was right



































Tal Barzilai



















Stay warm

















BUSING AVAILABLE




Color Color



AT OURDowntown

Community Center







Free trial lessons














CAMP GUIDEJ













Photo by Ben Trivet




BY SCOTT STIFFLER

















Just Do Art




















Free

Delivery

Min $10






Only At Seaport


Whisper

Editi

ons

Rialto Jean Project

Brother Vellies







Downtown Notebook





Association


PUBLISHED BY





EDITORJosh Rogers


































Jack was right



































Tal Barzilai



















Stay warm

















BUSING AVAILABLE




Color Color



AT OURDowntown

Community Center







Free trial lessons














CAMP GUIDEJ













Photo by Ben Trivet




BY SCOTT STIFFLER

















Just Do Art




















Free

Delivery

Min $10






Only At Seaport


Whisper

Editi

ons

Rialto Jean Project

Brother Vellies





















Stay warm

















BUSING AVAILABLE




Color Color



AT OURDowntown

Community Center







Free trial lessons














CAMP GUIDEJ













Photo by Ben Trivet




BY SCOTT STIFFLER

















Just Do Art




















Free

Delivery

Min $10






Only At Seaport


Whisper

Editi

ons

Rialto Jean Project

Brother Vellies











BUSING AVAILABLE




Color Color



AT OURDowntown

Community Center







Free trial lessons














CAMP GUIDEJ













Photo by Ben Trivet




BY SCOTT STIFFLER

















Just Do Art




















Free

Delivery

Min $10






Only At Seaport


Whisper

Editi

ons

Rialto Jean Project

Brother Vellies


















Photo by Ben Trivet




BY SCOTT STIFFLER

















Just Do Art




















Free

Delivery

Min $10






Only At Seaport


Whisper

Editi

ons

Rialto Jean Project

Brother Vellies



















Free

Delivery

Min $10






Only At Seaport


Whisper

Editi

ons

Rialto Jean Project

Brother Vellies







Only At Seaport


Whisper

Editi

ons

Rialto Jean Project

Brother Vellies






Downtown Express, Feb. 26, 2015

Documents

Transcript of Downtown Express, Feb. 26, 2015