SUMMERFEST MOVIES AT THE PIER 2010
July 2010
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GLIMPSE OF MAN BY RYAN COLFORD
GLIMPSE OF MAN ARTIST STATEMENT:
Glimpse of Man series is an intimate and sensual look at the male form. There is an element of barriers removed and inhibitions cast aside. My focus on the male form is to expose the beauty of man without shame. Society and culture has de-sexualized the male form – from the clothing choices to interactions with other men. One of my main goals is to present a positive and acceptable image of male sexuality. The Glimpse of Man is an exploration both for the model and the viewer. Each image has its own context and story that can be felt and interpreted on various levels.
I invite the viewer to truly appreciate the life, sexuality and energy of man.
~Ryan Colford
St. George Ferry Terminal Ramp Facelift is Funded with Stimulus Dollars
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The city’s largest stimulus project will give Staten Island commuters a safer, more inviting, and more efficient gateway to the borough.
The rehabilitation of the St. George Ferry Terminal’s aging bus ramps, parking lot and access roads and walkways will begin next month. The ramps where riders wait for buses still bear their 30-plus-year-old dingy brick facades, but the structures will get new lighting, better seating, and an overall improved look.
The three-and-a-half-year project, which is paid for with $175 million in federal funding, includes a study of Richmond Terrace and Bay Street traffic near the terminal, to improve access to the ferry. The project was a main priority even before the stimulus program was announced, said city Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, and it is expected to be a major benefit for the ferry’s 65,000 daily riders.
While construction is under way, parking will be tougher than ever, and commuters will have to sidestep the work until the project wraps up in early 2013.
The initial preparation stage, scheduled to begin in May and expected to take about three months, will include the relocation of the ferry’s taxi stand to a new area at the base of the terminal steps on the ballpark side. The move coincides with the start of a new program to match commuters with dispatched car service cabs.
Modifications also will be made to the terminal’s passenger pickup and drop-off area below the ramps. Traffic islands on Richmond Terrace outside the terminal entrances will be removed, and temporary signals will go up to direct traffic.
In the next phases, the ramps will be reconstructed, and a new, straight, North Ramp will be built alongside the ballpark, to replace the existing curved ramp that leads to Wall Street.
A new elevator vestibule will be installed on the ballpark side of the terminal to improve accessibility, and an employee breezeway will also get a facelift.
PARKING LOT FIX
The municipal parking lot between the ferry and the ballpark lot will be repaved, and a new drainage system will be installed. The DOT promises to maintain at least 300 parking spaces at all times while the lot is under construction.
Ms. Sadik-Khan noted that the new St. George Parking Garage up the hill on Central Avenue has only been at about 30 percent capacity since it opened earlier this year, so there will be plenty of room for displaced commuters who can manage the hike.
Work will be done between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., with occasional night work, and measures will be taken to minimize construction noise, with sound mufflers added to equipment, she said.
As “the front door to Richmond Terrace,” the new ramps will incorporate “more light, more natural air, and furniture of a quality we can be proud of in a world-class city,” Ms. Sadik-Khan said.
Pigeon deterrents, like netting, will eventually be installed underneath the ramps to protect wary pedestrians passing below.
SAFETY MEASURES
Brighter lighting, and wider walkways with room set aside for both cyclists and pedestrians, will be a big improvement for public safety, said Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore).
“It really will be a boon to Staten Island,” she said, adding she hopes the improved access to the ballpark esplanade and Bay Street Landing corridor will tie into future development plans for the North Shore waterfront.
“It’s not an easy project, but it’s one that has to be done,” said Leticia Remauro, chairwoman of Community Board 1. “I think DOT is trying their best to do this quickly and to have a well-thought-out traffic plan,” she said.
Ms. Remauro said the project is an opportunity to improve safety for pedestrians, many of whom now cross in front of turning buses to get to the ramps and enter the terminal. Building a new North Ramp for vehicles, but maintaining the existing curved ramp for pedestrians only, would be safer for people walking, she said, and could open up space for vendors to set up carts with souvenirs or artwork for sale, and possibly a bike rental kiosk, to draw visitors out of the terminal and into the cultural offerings and restaurants of downtown St. George.
DOT has said the existing ramp, which has taken a beating from heavy truck and vehicle traffic over the years, cannot remain.
“With a little thought to the traffic pattern inside the terminal and with the proper signage, this project could be the catalyst to finally do what CB 1 has been trying to do for ages, get tourists off the ferry to spend money in our community,” Ms. Remauro said.
“One of the results of my fight to bring resources to our district was that we received the single, largest Recovery Act project in New York City — $175 million in funding to rehabilitate the Ferry’s ramps, said Rep. Michael McMahon. “Now that the project is getting under way, Staten Islanders will continue to see the full benefits of the Recovery Act — with new jobs being created and our aging transportation infrastructure being modernized. No longer is Staten Island the forgotten borough.”
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Tompkinsville Facade Improvement Program Overview
Downtown Staten Island’s New York Main Street Program
About New York Main Street
Throughout the country, Main Streets – the once thriving centers of commerce and social activity of most communities – have struggled to compete with shopping malls and experienced a period of decline. Realizing this underutilized potential, Governor George E. Pataki announced creation of the New York Main Street Program (NYMS), an innovative funding program that is designed to strengthen the economic vitality of the State’s traditionally designed central business districts or “Main Streets” and is alive and well under Governor David Paterson’s administration. The cornerstone of the NYMS Program is a multi-million dollar Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC) grant program administered by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to provide financial and technical resources to help New York communities with their Main Street revitalization efforts. The NYMS Program was established in 2004.
The New York Main Street program provides financial resources and technical assistance to communities to strengthen the economic vitality of the State’s traditional Main Streets and neighborhoods. The New York Main Street grant program provides funds from HTFC to business improvement districts and other not-for-profit organizations that are committed to revitalizing historic downtowns, mixed-use neighborhood commercial districts, and village centers. New York’s Main Streets are in transition. While many downtown and neighborhood retail districts have seen new life, with significant investment in the development of civic, commercial and residential projects, others have not yet experienced this trend. Many of these communities can once again thrive with proper management and strategic investment of public and private resources.
Main Street grants are revitalizing our downtowns through targeted commercial/residential improvements such as facade renovations, interior residential building upgrades and streetscape enhancements. Cultural anchors, such as theatres or museums, have also been renovated with Main Street funds. Funds are not available for new construction.
Availability of Funds for Tompkinsville Property and Business Owners:
The Office of Community Renewal (OCR) has awarded $200,000 to the Downtown Staten Island Council, LDC (DSIC) in August 2009; the DSIC received these funds to help subsidize costs for the much needed streetscape enhancement and façade improvement in the Tompkinsville area of Downtown Staten Island.
The DSIC will receive $175,000 in matching grants for property and store owners who wish to participate in the program, and $25,000 in streetscape enhancement funds for town center signage, outdoor art and plantings. These streetscape and building improvements will challenge the poor perception of the area and encourage residents and tourist to shop or reside within the neighborhood of Tompkinsville and will seek to connect shoppers, tourists and residents to the commercial district and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the neighborhood, and complement a newly renovated Tompkinsville park.
Funds are to be allocated as $10,000 matching grants to property owners that choose to rehabilitate their entire building facades, or to property owners or merchants interested in renovating both their storefront interiors and exteriors. The match is a 1:1 grant up to $10,000, meaning that if you spend up to $20,000 you will be reimbursed for 50% of your expenditures; expenses over $20,000 will still only be matched at $10,000.
Due to limited funds and strict program guidelines, DSIC will choose those proposals that best comply with the NYMS Grant Program vision: To respect the original design of the buildings, and to be consistent with the Tompkinsville main street commercial corridor.
Target Area and Boundaries:
The boundaries that are eligible for NYMS funding include Victory Blvd beginning at the intersection of Bay Street to 84 Victory Blvd; Corsen Avenue; from 3 Corsen Avenue to 15 Corsen Avenue; 2 St. Pauls Avenue to 16 St. Paul’s Avenue beginning at Victory Blvd; and even numbered street addresses from 206 to 220 Bay Street off Victory Blvd.
Priority Areas:
- Immediate health and safety concerns and the correction of Code violations
- Buildings where immediate action will stop deterioration of a significant façade
- Historic properties in danger of being lost to disrepair
- Vacant properties where façade improvement or retail space renovation would reduce blight and improve commercial activity
- Building that will undergo substantial façade renovation
Note: DSIC encourages you to discuss your proposed plans at the earliest stages of planning and to begin construction once your proposal has been approved for funding.
Application Documents:
Please submit the following documents to the DSIC at 63 Montgomery Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301:
- A completed application form
- An historic photo of the building (A high-quality photocopy is fine). Between 1939 and 1941, the city photographed every house and building in the five Boroughs. Copies of these images are available for purchase online for about $35 at http://www.nyc.gov/dorforms/photoform.jsp or by mail (see the attached form: 1940 Tax Photos Order Form).
- Exhibit F. This form allows the NYS Housing Trust Fund Corporation to have use of the photo.
Project Selection Guidelines
- Applicants will be notified of their status within 30 days of application submission.
- Attention will be given to those projects that address the priority areas (mentioned above) and the Design Criteria.
- The DSIC will focus on projects that have the greatest potential to positively impact the Tompkinsville Improvement corridor. Namely, buildings that need significant amounts of repair to be brought up to code or address immediate health and safety concerns.
- The DSIC will distribute available funds as equitably as possible. Therefore, no one property shall receive more than one grant before other candidates are reviewed. Nevertheless, buildings with more than one façade are eligible to receive two grants ($20,000); this is generally the case for large, corner-lot buildings.
- Projects selected to be funded are determined by the NYMS-DSIC Advisory Committee and DSIC staff according to previously mentioned program principles and guidelines.
- Applicants must consent to sign Exhibit E upon project completion. This is a maintenance agreement which requires that improvements be maintained for a period of a minimum of 7 years (“Regulatory Period”). Improvements that are removed or altered during the Regulatory Period shall be recaptured on a pro rata basis to the HTFC. The amount to be recaptured shall be determined by reducing the original grant amount by one seventh (1/7) for each year of the Regulatory Period that the Recipient was in compliance with the Agreement.
For more information go to:
Tompkinsville Facade Improvement Program Fact Sheet
New York Main Street Grant Program: Design Criteria
FERRY RETAIL LEASING
Explore Downtown Staten Island
The Downtown Staten Island Council is a non-profit organization is dedicated to continued community development and commercial revitalization of the Downtown Business District and surrounding neighborhoods in St. George, Tompkinsville, Stapleton and Clifton.
RETHINK Downtown Staten Island!
Viewed as one of New York City’s best kept secrets, Downtown Staten Island’s North Shore is an interesting, yet often overlooked place for people to live and visit. Just minutes from Manhattan and New Jersey, the downtown Staten Island area is a walkable community offering amazing scenic stretches of waterfront, a unique variety of affordable residential options, and a rich mixture of cultural destinations, businesses, restaurants and shops.
Come and discover all the Downtown Staten Island has to offer, all just a short walk or ferry ride away, a wonderful place to live, work and play!
