Wils to run
Madelyn Wils will run for reelection as chairperson of Community Board 1 in June and pledged that if she wins, she will step down at the end of the two-year term.
“This absolutely will be my last term,” Wils, a Tribeca resident who recently became president and C.E.O. of the Tribeca Film Institute, said in a telephone interview. “I could run for one more, but I won’t.”
She did not talk about her candidacy at the full board meeting Tuesday, but Tim Lannan, chairperson of the nominating committee, told fellow members that Wils was planning to run.
Wils said there are a lot of good candidates interested in running once she steps down and she wants to give someone else a chance in 2006. She said she wants to run again because there are big decisions coming on allocation of post-9/11 funds, development at the World Trade Center site, and development of Sites 5B and 5C in Tribeca and Site 26 in Battery Park City.
She is also a member of the board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., the Hudson River Park Trust and the Downtown Alliance.
So far no other candidates have emerged for the June election. Had Wils decided not to run, speculation was that several candidates would consider running including Richard Kennedy, C.B. 1 vice chairperson, Anthony Notaro, chairperson of the board’s Battery Park City committee, Paul Hovitz, chairperson of the Youth and Education committee, and Julie Menin, co-chairperson of the W.T.C. Redevelopment committee and a former W.T.C. memorial juror.
Moon river art
On Friday, April 23, workers will drop tubes into the Hudson River in preparation for the Blue Moon sound sculpture that will be installed from May 4 through August 20 at the North Cove Marina.
Workers will place three U-shaped tuning tubes, from eight to 18 feet in overall length, into the Hudson River on April 23, from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. As the tubes collect and filter ambient noise—from docking commuter ferries, helicopter and jet traffic to waves, birds and breezes off the Hudson—they convert them simultaneously into music by generating harmonic overtones. The sound will change with the tide.
Five custom-designed cube loudspeakers will mix the sounds in real-time and radiate them in all directions.
Soho in brief
Sean Sweeney of the Soho Alliance appeared on New York 1 to sound off on the impact of the new Soho Bloomingdale’s, which opens this Saturday on Broadway near Broome St. Sweeney also said that he was inspired by Dara Lehon’s Talking Point article on the new suburban-style traffic signage on Houston St., published in last week’s issue, and he plans to raise the question with the Landmarks Preservation Commission as to whether such jumbo signs are appropriate or legal in a historic district, such as the Soho Cast-Iron Historic District.
False diesel alarm
Oil and water don’t mix, so it’s no surprise that it caused a bit of a ruckus when some Tribeca residents recently mistook one for the other.
At the April 20 monthly meeting of Community Board 1, board members said that a 20,000-gallon tank of diesel fuel had been spotted along with a crane on the street near 60 Hudson St. over the weekend. That address, home to telecommunications firms that store fuel for backup generators, has long been a focus of community concern.
Neighbors Against NOISE — a community group fighting “noxious odors, incessant sounds and emissions”— has been preparing to file a lawsuit against the city Department of Buildings for allowing excess fuel storage. So when it appeared that more oil would be installed without neighborhood input, C.B. 1 members drafted an emergency resolution denouncing the action at the board meeting.
It became clear the following day that the alleged 20,000-gallon diesel fuel tank was actually a 5,000-gallon water tank destined for the neighboring 86 Thomas St.
“It was the wrong size and the wrong substance,” said Judy Duffy, assistant district manager of Community Board 1.
Talking suspense
A suspense author, Judith McNaught, will be talking about her new book and writing career, for the first of the New York Police Museum’s author series.
McNaughts’ new book, “Someone to Watch Over Me” is a suspense romance set in New York City. The author series is being held at the museum, 100 Old Slip, between Water and South Sts., starting this Thursday April 29, from 6 p.m. through 8 p.m. For more information go to www.nycpolicemusem.org or call 212-480-3100.
Meetings
The upcoming week’s schedule of Community Board 1 meetings is as follows. Unless otherwise noted, meetings will be held in room 709 of 49-51 Chambers St.
On Tuesday, April 27, the youth and education committee will meet at 6 p.m. to discuss a proposed new child care center for ages 3 months through 5 years in Lower Manhattan, a recap of the youth fair, and the proposed creation of a feeder school on Site 5C sin Tribeca.
On Tuesday, April 27, the waterfront committee will meet at 6 p.m. in room 501 of 49-51 Chambers St. to hear a presentation on the Hudson River Park.
On Thursday, April 29, the art and entertainment task force will meet at 6 p.m. to hear a presentation by Design Rebuild on the designer house show tour.
Keeping score
Want to read about who’s playing the field, who’s scoring, and who’s just having fun? Downtown Little League coaches, please e-mail highlights of your games every Monday to news@DowntownExpress.com.
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