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WEEK OF OCTOBER
13-19 2016
CITY PREPARING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE But with worries about what could happen in ‘the near term’ BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
As Hurricane Matthew battered Haiti and parts of Florida on Oct. 6, roughly 50 concerned citizens gathered in Lower Manhattan to discuss protecting their city from climate change. Superstorm Sandy’s considerable impact on the area in 2012 shone a spotlight on the lack of adequate planning for severe flooding and damage. In an effort to avoid being caught unaware in the future, the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency project has been hosting workshops for residents and experts. The goal: to collaborate on new and improved protection methods that are expected to
begin construction in 2018. “What about the fact that in the near term, before 2018, there’s a darn good chance that we could get hit with something?” asked a Lower Manhattan resident and attendee at last week’s workshop. “Is anything being done to help us in the near term?” In response, Michael Shaikh, deputy director for external affairs at the Office of Recovery and Resiliency, assured her that some measures had already been taken, like updating the city’s evacuation plan and updating building codes. In August 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced OneNYC, his vision for addressing issues of growth, equity, sustainability and resiliency. The Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency project,
which is sponsored by groups such as the Office of Recovery and Resiliency and the Economic Development Corporation, was outlined as a priority of OneNYC. After Sheikh’s presentation, attendees at the workshop split into small groups to discuss possible protection measures and brainstorm various priorities. Mat Staudt, an architect at One Architecture, explained to the group he was facilitating that environmental change “is a moving target.” “The design team has to approach it understanding that there’s a high degree of uncertainty,” he said. Teresa Llorente, vice president of Haks civil engineering, participated
Participants at a workshop of the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency project on Oct. 6. Photo: Madeleine Thompson
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FAITH LEADERS ADDRESS GUNS At Riverside Church, ‘sense of relief’ just in tackling topic together BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
Within the cavernous nave of Riverside Church, Lucy McBath recounted the story of how her 17-year-old son was shot to death by a white man for playing music too loud. “After Jordan died, I questioned the absence of the faith community in addressing the proliferation of guns,” she said. “The silence troubled my spirit, and I began to look for congregations that engaged themselves in raising questions about the unethi-
cal gun violence spreading across the nation.” Her keynote speech Friday morning was the first event in a daylong training program held by Riverside Church to educate faith leaders in dealing with the topic of gun violence in their communities. Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, the church’s senior minister, had the idea for the conference at the Aspen Ideas Festival this summer. “This is an issue that a lot of faith leaders are addressing in their congregations,” she said. “It’s almost like people are feeling a sense
The Rev. Amy Butler, senior minister at Riverside Church, right, and the Rev. Dr. Lisa Thompson, a professor a Union Theological seminary, during a plenary session on gun violence at Riverside Church last week. Photo: Helena Kincaid
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FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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