October 13th - October 17th, 2003

Tragedy Strikes at Staten Island Ferry Pier

Wednesday, Oct. 15: Ten people were killed and more than three dozen injured when a Staten Island Ferry boat slammed into a pier at the St. George terminal in Staten Island at 3:20 p.m. Ferry service was suspended overnight but returned to its normal schedule Thursday morning.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation of the accident, the exact cause of which is unknown. Mayor Michael Bloomberg met with NTSB Chairwoman Ellen Engleman on Thursday.

For more information and updates, visit www.nyc.gov.

Port Authority Increases WTC Payment, Agrees to Fund Airport Studies

Wednesday, Oct. 15: Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the Port Authority will make higher annual payments to the city in place of property taxes at the World Trade Center site. The Authority, which owns the site, is exempt from city property taxes and instead pays a negotiated amount known as a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT.

The current PILOT for the WTC site is $1.7 million per year. Under the new agreement, the Port Authority will pay the city an amount equal to 12 percent of annual rents received on the WTC property. This figure is estimated to start at $14 million and will rise to about $55 million when the site is fully developed. The agreement also includes provisions if the WTC site is expanded to incorporate adjacent parcels, such as the site of the Deutsche Bank building.

The Port Authority also agreed to study transit projects that would provide direct links from Lower Manhattan to both Kennedy and Newark Liberty Airports. The Authority will allocate $90 million to study the issue and agreed to contribute as much as $1 billion to the construction of such links if they prove to be feasible.

Downtown for Dinner Returns Nov. 3-9

Wednesday, Oct. 15: The Alliance for Downtown New York announced the return of its Downtown for Dinner program. Almost 50 Lower Manhattan restaurants will offer prix-fixe dinners for $20.03 from Monday, Nov. 3 through Sunday, Nov. 9. For a list of participating restaurants, click here; for more information, visit the Alliance's website. Make your reservations now!