Robin Forst makes community involvement her career

Robin Forst has been a resident of Battery Park City since the 1980s. After years of volunteering with local neighborhood groups, she decided to put her dedication to improving the community to work for Councilman Alan Gerson, who represents Lower Manhattan's District One. Now serving as Gerson's deputy chief of staff, she took a few minutes to speak with LowerManhattan.info:

After September 11, 2001, Robin Forst and her family were displaced from their apartment in Gateway Plaza. They lived out of hotel rooms and friends' homes for five months.

The tremendous circumstances of that time period led many residents to choose to leave the neighborhood, but Forst was undeterred. In fact, it made her grew more determined to strengthen and help revitalize the Battery Park City (BPC) community. "I had escaped that day and it made me want to work on creating something or recreating something. That was the appeal," she says.

Getting involved was nothing new for Forst. She had volunteered for years on community and school boards, and she worked closely with other BPC residents to establish a local elementary school for neighborhood children, among other accomplishments. In January 2002, she decided to step up her commitment to the community by joining Councilman Gerson in his efforts to strengthen Lower Manhattan. "Slowly we've come back," Forst says. "I think we are better than ever."

As Gerson's deputy chief of staff, Forst is involved in a variety of issues related to Lower Manhattan, such as the environment, health and safety, transportation, and economic revitalization. For example, she has worked closely with city and state officials to ensure that the deconstruction of Deutsche Bank proceeds in an environmentally sound manner. "We are gratified to see that the LMDC is taking a very aggressive role in ensuring, in my opinion, that the safety and welfare of people who work in the vicinity of that building will be protected," she says.

In addition to working with rebuilding officials on ongoing projects, Forst has also spearheaded several initiatives herself, including expanding street parking in Battery Park City. "It was an amenity that we needed," Forst says. "And it's nice to see the fruits of your labor."

Forst has made a career of giving back to the place where she enjoys living so much. "I love it here," she says. "It's a wonderful community. Battery Park City has a lot of green and open space. There's a feeling of something like an oasis here. And it has the feel of a small town in an urban setting."

Forst's kids (not pictured) took their first steps along the esplanade

Forst also likes to revel in the "unusual gardens and majestic waterfront" that are part of Wagner  Park. "We feel privileged to have water outside of our door," she says. And when it's raining, she brings her children to spend time in the Winter Garden.

She is looking forward to taking her dog, a Lhasa Apso named Valentine, to a new dog run in  Monsignor Kowsky Plaza, scheduled to open this winter.

Steamers Landing is a neighborhood favorite

And there's no schlepping of grocery bags for this Battery Park City resident. Forst does her food shopping through the click of a mouse on www.freshdirect.com but admits that she does look forward to new markets and additional retail stores opening up in Tribeca. For all their electronic needs, the Forsts depend on J&R.

Forst says that her family spends most of their leisure time downtown. "It is rare for us travel farther than 14^th Street." Lower Manhattan is "our home and our local world," she says.

"My life is rooted in Lower Manhattan," she adds. "I consider myself a Lower Manhattanite."