City pumping $110M into climate change
resiliency project for Seaport District
BY MARK HALLUM
The de Blasio administration is allocating
$110 million protect the
South Street Seaport District from
the effects of climate change by increasing
the height of the bulkhead, pending public
review.
The city Economic Development Corporation
will oversee the project which, like
the East Side Coastal Resiliency project,
will protect vulnerable neighborhoods from
sea level rise – which the government says
could be subject to fl ooding every month
in the next 25 years.
“As we approach the nine year anniversary
of Superstorm Sandy we must ensure
that families, businesses, and communities
in Lower Manhattan, one of the most
densely populated parts of our city, are
protected from the accelerating effects of
climate change,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
“This project does just that, guaranteeing
that some of the most vulnerable areas can
continue to thrive for generations to come.”
Not only will the bulkhead be raised to
fend off higher tides in the low elevation
section of waterfront, it will run from
A jogger near the South Street Seaport.
Brooklyn Bridge to Pier 17 and protect
about 15 acres of historic Lower Manhattan
before sea levels rise an estimated 2.5
feet by the year 2050, according to the city.
“This investment by the Administration
is a good start, but Hurricane Ida reminded
us that we must act boldly and quickly to
protect our city from the effects of climate
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
change,” said Manhattan Borough President
Gale A. Brewer. “Lower Manhattan
is home to hundreds of thousands of New
Yorkers and is a critical economic engine,
and the Seaport District is a historic and
cultural treasure. We need action from all
levels of government to keep our city safe
from storm surge and sea level rise.”
The city expects this to save $400 million
in damages from chronic fl ooding in
the future, improve drainage and give New
Yorkers better access to the waterfront.
“Climate Change is causing stronger and
more devastating storms, and we must take
action to protect our coastline and lessen
severe impact,” said NYCEDC President
& CEO Rachel Loeb. “This project to safeguard
one of the most low-lying, vulnerable
areas, the Seaport District, is a fi rst step
in better protecting residents, business
owners, and infrastructure from fl ooding.
NYCEDC is focused on this work with
Mayor’s Offi ce of Climate Resiliency, and
we thank the Mayor for his support of this
critical project and our efforts to unlock
federal funding to support our long-term
coastal resiliency efforts.”
But this will be only one facet in the
city’s larger plan, yet to be released by
NYCEDC and Mayor’s Offi ce of Climate
Resiliency, called the Financial District and
Seaport Climate Resilience Master Plan.
The scope of the Lower Manhattan Coastal
Resiliency (LMCR) will cover over a mile
with $800 million and should be released
by the end of the year.
Early voters sound off on crime, homelessness in casting ballots
BY DEAN MOSES
As early voting began this past weekend
in the 2021 mayoral election,
voters are considering the issues
that are important to them in deciding the
future of the Five Boroughs.
Hundreds of Manhattanites took to the
polls on Oct. 23-24 to choose a new mayor,
borough president, district attorney, and
more. As new faces are ushered into offi ce,
many New Yorkers are refl ecting on the last
several years.
Patricia D. says she came to vote early
avoiding procrastination, so she made sure
cast her ballot at the Hunter College site on
Sunday and said the process was seamless.
“I do like the idea of early voting because
you never know on that specifi c day what
might occur, so you do it ahead of time with
no worries,” Patricia D. said. She noticed
that this year’s election was not as busy as
the presidential one but believes later at
night it may pick up for those leaving work.
The vote for mayor was the most pressing
matter for Patricia D., who says that the
issues she was most concerned with is the
rights of those incarcerated and the infl ux
of homelessness.
Tom Mcloughlin said the process to vote was quick and easy.
“I think there needs to be a new process
in order. Homelessness is just incredibly
sad. I actually carry several dollar bills
in my pocket now because I see so many
homeless people on the street. The homeless
issue is, to me, something of the heart.
In the last two years it’s been far worse,”
Patricia D. added.
Similar issues plague the minds of those
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
further downtown at Campos Plaza Community
Center at 611 East 13th St. Here,
earlier voters followed the red and blue
arrows ushering them to the polls, where
they hope their collective voice is heard
when it comes to crime.
Sixto Gonzalez, says this election is important
to him after witnessing the many
issues New Yorkers have been facing over
the past 19 months, especially crime.
“I see all the issues going on in society
as a whole, and I wanted to take the opportunity
to vote early so I made sure I didn’t
miss it,” Gonzalez said, expressing his love
for New York and the need for things to be
made better and safer.
Gonzalez was also surprised that there
was no line to get into vote, and the entire
process was signifi cantly less busy in comparison
to last year.
For Tom McLoughlin, on the other hand,
voting is a right he exercises every opportunity
he gets. He proudly shared that he is
a registered democrat and he felt that early
voting this year was extremely easy since
there was nobody on line when he arrived.
“It was easy last election as well, but
it was much more crowded,” McLoughlin
said, believing that more voters will
be heading to the sites as election day
approaches.
While McLoughlin says the issues themselves
are not on the ballot, he believes it is
up to voters to choose a candidate that would
be able to best address their concerns.
“I think that the democratic candidate,
an ex-cop will look at that problem —
crime,” McLoughlin said.
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