9/27/01: ORGANIZING

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I spent the day at the NYC Office of Emergency Management Command Center in Midtown at Pier 92 today.  Very busy (and heavily guarded!) place; they have dozens of City, State, Federal and other organizations set up in temporary booths with desks, maps, computers, etc.  They have taken over the huge floorspace of the cruise ship dock.  (There are no cruise ships entering NY water space, and the USS Comfort ship is docked at Pier 92.)  They gave me an OEM visitor pass to enter.  It felt like a trading floor, with people calling out for reps to step up from various organizations:  "FBI, please report to the podium."  "Will the highest-ranking military officer present please report to the podium..." 

The OEM is working on a jitney solution for us with the MTA to service both North and South BPC to open train stations, which we should see implemented within a few days.   They are also working on reducing the space required for the clean-up effort to give more room for life to resume around the area.  Private vehicle access has yet to be determined.  There are concerns about traffic congestion and parking when cabs and citizen vehicles re-enter the area.   And we will be living with security checkpoints for an indeterminate amount of time (anywhere from two weeks to.... I don't even want to think about how long.)  I did not get info about non-resident access, sorry.

While I was there Mayor Giuliani came for his daily update and press conference.   The Mayor is updated by the same OEM Inspector that I talked to.  Though, as pleasant and helpful as the Inspector was, I doubt I got the same exact update that Giuliani did!

The BPCA and Lefrack Management were there, too -- talking to them about transportation for BPC residents.   Verizon and Time Warner Cable were there -- looking for access for their employees.  I was treated equally to these "larger concerns."  Maybe it doesn't make it more bearable,  but after seeing everyone in action, it really does not appear that we are being singled out for shabby treatment as residents.  They are simply dealing with more issues at once than they ever have.  And I hadn't realized that the OEM office was located in the WTC.  Many of the City's emergency response employees were killed in the Attack.

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So the good news is that the OEM, MTA and Battery Park City Authority are all now working on various solutions for us.   I know it is hard, but in the past few days I really have seen a shift from "You're telling me there are people living down here?" to "Yes, we are working on a plan for you."  It's about progress, not perfection.

Even if we never get all the answers, everything will change drastically in the next two weeks as the operation moves completely into clean-up mode and the rescue workers and firemen are released.  So, we should keep asking questions and proposing solutions, but try to hold out a little longer without complete meltdown. 

In other news, the Deputy Counsel for BPCA called me tonight, I will talk to her tomorrow.  She might have more information for us.

And I've been receiving lots of emails and calls from residents with concerns about and possible solutions for transportation for disabled, kids, the problems of having South and North BPC inaccessible to each other, ferry / water taxi solutions, jitneys that are being set up by various groups, etc. 

To sum up, there won't be many answers by tomorrow night, but we should continue to consolidate our concerns and brainstorm solutions.  We are being heard.

See you tomorrow!

best,

Mary

The flyer I took to OEM:

BATTERY PARK CITY RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

9-26-2001

TRANSPORTATION & ACCESS

·         Control of Pedestrian Traffic: Safety.

·         Ped crossing Westside Hwy at Chambers is dangerous.  Suggest stationing NYPD traffic officers and that vehicles obey traffic lights.

·         Create safe walkway on west side of West side Hwy.

·         Clear vehicles from sidewalk on Chambers.

·         Clear A-frame barricades from sidewalks in entire area.

·         Vehicle Access: Buses, Cabs, Private cars, Work & Moving Trucks, Delivery Services.

·         Open Westside Highway below Canal à  Chambers west for vehicle access to North BPC.  (or Church & Hudson, or Broadway)

·         Open FDR à Battery Place for vehicle access to South BPC.

·         Street Parking issues?

·         Checkpoint Strategy:

·         On what timeline will checkpoints be eradicated? 

·         If we're going to be living with them for a while how can we manage them more efficiently?  (neighborhood IDs;  points managed by NYPD only)

·         Public Transportation:  New bus routes, jitneys.

·         Immediate temporary transportation is necessary as long as stores and pharmacies remain closed in BPC.

·         New service is required indefinitely to compensate for closed train stations.

PROPOSED STOPS

1.    Pier 11  [ferry]

2.    Bowling Green (or Fulton Street Station) [4/5]

3.    South End & Albany [South BPC]

4.    Chambers & River Terrace (or Chambers & Westside Hwy) [North BPC]

5.    Greenwich & Harrison * [stores]

6.    Franklin Street Station ** [1/2]

7.    Canal & Broadway *** [Q/W, N/R]

* As stores and pharmacies re-open in BPC and vehicle access is allowed, this

 stop can be removed.

** If Chambers St. Station opens, this stop can be removed.

*** If City Hall Station opens, this stop can be removed.

·         WFC & South Cove Docks:  Access allowed for new Ferry / Water taxi services  Employ tourist boats to ferry people around Southern Manhattan up the West side.  (good for commuters, good for boat businesses)

OTHER CONCERNS

·        PROPERTY SECURITY: Confirm rumors of looting, deter future occurrences.

·        HEALTH HAZARDS:  Air and dust toxicity, threats of diseases.

·        Rockefeller Park Helicopter Landing Pad: Return to kids?

·        BPC LAND LEASE FEES reduce so that Landlords can charge less rent and we can stem the mass exodus. 

PLEASE ATTEND THE

BATTERY PARK CITY RESIDENTS ASSOC.

TOWN HALL MEETING:

WHEN:             FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 at 6pm

WHERE:          SCHIMMEL HALL (Pace University across from

City Hall)

Thank you for helping us rebuild our neighborhood!

 

Contact:

Mary Bourke

Transportation & Access Committee Chair

Battery Park City Residents Association

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The OEM visitor’s badge from my meeting at Pier 92 Command Center.