School Zoning
To The Editor: I am the co-president of the Spruce Street School P.T.A., Core S.L.T. member, South Financial District homeowner and one of the speakers at last week’s C.E.C. hearing.
School zoning
The coverage in the Downtown Express and the Tribeca Trib continues to misrepresent this zoning debate as primarily concerning Tribeca residents and P.S. 234.
The reality is, however, that this debate concerns all Lower Manhattan zoning, as depicted in the maps you have published. Proposal 2 threatens to rip apart two cohesive neighborhoods: the Financial District and South Battery Park City.
By continuing to frame this as “Northeast” vs. “Southwest” Tribeca, you completely minimize that 3 neighborhoods — the majority of Tribeca, Battery Park City, and the Financial District have joined in their support of Proposal 3.
I strongly urge you to take the opportunity to remedy this misrepresentation in your publications.
Kimberly Busi
To The Editor: Please help us tell the entire story. It is all of Lower Manhattan against three buildings. (Not Tribeca vs. Tribeca). Safety is their only measure. Let’s fix the safety issue so the rest of Lower Manhattan can continue to build the communities we are so passionate about. We have had a high school for a decade and children going back and forth all fall, spring, and summer long. Let’s add speed bumps, let’s add stop signs, crossing guards, etc. All of us are paying enough in taxes. And maybe put some blame on the city for allowing Battery Park City to be developed without addressing the West St. safety issue.
I am reminding you it is only about 3 buildings, think about it, determining the rest of Lower Manhattan’s life. It is not only about Tribeca, please remind everyone about residents of B.P.C., FiDi, Seaport, etc. We need your support. Do not forget about us. We have not been heard and need you to share our voice.
Peter Rosenthal
To The Editor:
Barry Skolnick’s folly for Gateway? The community is sad to see one of Battery Park City’s outspoken residents leave the community and Community Board 1 but perhaps his timing is really better than we think (news article, Dec. 11 – 17, “Quality of life gadfly leaving B.P.C. for better…”). I am sure it would really be a knife in his heart to fight so hard to get a new school in Battery Park City and Lower Manhattan (P.S. 276) only to have his neighbors and residents of Gateway denied access to it. At the meeting last week of the Comm-unity Education Council the members who voted against option 3R stated that they did not care about “proximity” for northern Tribeca or Gateway children and that safety was their concern. Never mind when any type of security issue, terrorism drill or real attacks at Goldman, World Financial Center or World Trade Center, seals off Gateway parents from access to their children at P.S. 89. Never mind the 9/11 trials for the next few years at the Federal Court house will affect access for northern Tribeca families to their children. Safety — ah yes — apparently the thought of crossing West St. is too much for those members against Option 3R for school zoning. Then I guess the thousands of residents in B.P.C. should be screaming daily because they ALL have to cross West St. to get to a subway of any kind. Certainly it brings to question the thousands of people (children and adults alike) who go to the movies, use Rockefeller Park, Teardrop Park, the ballfields, the ferries, etc. Back to Barry. Barry was an ardent fighter for the quality of life issues small or large and was quoted in this paper as saying that “The bigger picture is made up of details.” Perhaps people forgot that when they ignore the fact that the city, state, B.P.C. Authority and numerous amazing business people have all looked at the same issue of crossing West St. and still decided to build, invest, preserve and expand the area west of West St. and simultaneously encourage MILLIONS of people to do just what those opposed to option 3R have said they no one should do…cross West St. Preserving communities and the overall safety of everyone which is supported in Option 3R should be best choice as it best reflects the big picture here.
Tammy A. Meltzer
To The Editor:
I am a great admirer of Tequila Minsky’s photography. Ms. Minsky has been a frequent visitor to Haiti and has compiled an outstanding body of work on the subject. Therefore when I first heard of the earthquake in Haiti I immediately wondered if she was there, and if so, was she alright. Naturally I was extremely happy to see her brilliant photography and front line reporting from Haiti in your Jan 15 – 21 issue (photos and caption, “Local eye on Haiti”). She is a sharp photographer with an inquisitive lens, an educated eye and an uncanny ability to be in the right position when something happens. The Downtown Express and Villager are fortunate to have a relationship with a pro like Ms. Minsky. Lawrence White
“Late night school meeting ends in no decision” (news article, posted, Jan. 15):
As a fidi parent on Broad Street, I can’t imagine dragging our son across the highway, rather than a more appropriate walk in the neighborhood we moved to specifically to avoid traffic. If FiDi is to become a cohesive neighborhood, we need a school — OUR school, to bring downtown together. Spruce is that school. BPC is a great community and deserves their own schools as does Tribeca. Isnt there a combination of 2 & 3 that allow for that? Splitting the financial district is simply ridiculous and favors the whims of a few wealthy parents who have treated PS234 as a private school for years, and who are more than willing to have some other kids cross the street . . . where there arent even ANY BRIDGES NEAR THE SCHOOL! FiDi parents speak up. We need a compromise here that will deal with ALL kids. fidi dad
After witnessing two people get hit by cars while they were crossing with the lights on West St. at Murray St. at 8:30AM, the less children that have to make that trip the better. It is in no way comparable to crossing Broadway where the cars obey the signals and don’t go 50 MPH. I am surprised that 3R is even an option. If I was a parent of a child entering kindergarten, I would much rather have them at 234, 150 or Spruce than have them make that awful crossing. S May
Letters policy
Downtown Express welcomes letters to The Editor. They must include the writer’s first and last name, a phone number for confirmation purposes only, and any affiliation that relates directly to the letter’s subject matter. Letters should be less than 300 words. Downtown Express reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity, civility or libel reasons. Letters should be e-mailed to news@DowntownExpress.com or can be mailed to 145 Sixth Ave., N.Y., N.Y. 10013.Haiti experience
