January 21st - January 25th, 2008

Pier A near Battery Park will finally be renovated

A City landmark, which has been closed for more than 20 years, will be getting a facelift. The New York Times reported on January 22 that the city will announce this week that the Battery Park City Authority will take over the renovation of the 122 year old Pier A. Under the plan, the three story Victorian building on the pier would be filled with shops and restaurants.  The City's Economic Development Corporation wants to use the pier as the centerpiece of their plan to unify various sites along the waterfront into the city's harbor district. The renovation could be completed in five years.

Reducing noise at the WTC site

Some relief is on the way for people who have endured many sleepless nights due to the construction at the WTC site. According to the January 22 issue of Crain's Insider, the Port Authority says it will reduce noise between 11pm and 7 am. The PA also promised to reimburse residents up to $1,200 to soundproof windows and it has limited rock breaking to daylight hours when possible.  The announcement came after numerous complaints from residents and City Councilman Alan Gerson.

Demolition of 130 Liberty Street expected to be completed this year

LMDC Chairman Avi Schick testified before the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Committee of the City Council January 23 that the former Deutsche bank building will be demolished by the end of 2008. However, he did not give a timetable for when the demolition work would begin, saying only, "I think it could be really, really soon."  Several concrete slabs damaged in the August 2007 fire have to be demolished and removed before demolition can begin. That phase of the work is expected to start Monday January 28^th on the south side of the building between the 15^th and 23^rd floors and will take between 8 and 10 weeks. Schick did say the building is now equipped with new safety measures including a system to detect gaps in the standpipe system. LMDC also built two fire-safe staircases from the basement to the 20^th floor.