letters to the editor

Letters to the editor

Operator’s spin on copters

To The Editor:
Re “Helicopters are hellish, plus illegal, suit charges” (news article, Jan. 4):

It’s difficult to know where to begin when it comes to the numerous inaccuracies in Chelsea Now’s article concerning the frivolous lawsuit brought against the Hudson River Park Trust, Air Pegasus and Liberty Helicopters, relating to the heliport that my family has had the privilege to operate for nearly three decades.

First, to repeat the claim that outgoing Friends of Hudson River Park Trust Chairman Al Butzel made about my purported financial relationship and friendship with James Ortenzio — who recently pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges — without even checking with me is simply irresponsible journalism.

For the record, neither Air Pegasus nor the Trenks ever paid James Ortenzio a dime to settle a dispute between Air Pegasus and Liberty Helicopters. The $80,000 (and it is reported to be substantially more) that passed hands was paid by Liberty Helicopters directly to Ortenzio. Ortenzio’s resolution of that suit was so skewed in Liberty’s favor that the New York State courts reversed his findings and removed him as arbitrator.

Second, Mr. Ortenzio and I hardly have a “close relationship,” as Mr. Butzel said and Chelsea Now repeated. Quite the contrary, Ortenzio and I have never been friends. Again, a simple phone call could have cleared up this misinformation.

Last, though the Friends of Hudson River Park would like to engage in linguistic tap dancing about the Hudson River Park Act, the facts are clear: The heliport is mandated to remain at its current location until a suitable alternative is found and operational. The Trust and the city are vigorously pursuing alternative sights.

Indeed, my daughter Abigail and I met with Butzel and offered him a viable plan to relocate the heliport west of the bulkhead as the act mandates, and he refused to listen to it, because, as it is now clear, he was intent on pursuing the headline-grabbing lawsuit.

Why must the heliport remain open?

First, because emergency services personnel need a heliport for public safety; the security of the city demands it. In the days and months after Sept. 11, 2001, W. 30th St. was a major staging point for federal, state and city relief and security groups.

Also, news copters need a heliport from which to disseminate information to the public.

Last, the Hudson River Park itself needs a heliport for the $1 million a year that we provide that helps to maintain the park.

Alvin Trenk
Trenk is president, Air Pegasus Manhattan

Critical Pier 40 decision

To The Editor:
As the Hudson River Park board of directors, chaired by Diana Taylor, prepares for an imminent vote on the development of Pier 40, the West Village must prepare itself against the possibility of a decision that will drastically alter the space we call home.

The private development of Pier 40 will send ripple effects throughout the West Village. The Pier 40 Working Group hit it on the head in their recommendation: putting the needs of our community at the center will do far more for our quality of life than private development will. The Trust stands at the crossroads of an important decision where they can say no to both proposals before them and say yes to the residents, business owners, families, L.G.BT. youth and parkgoers who make up the very fabric of the West Village.

The stage is set: Related Company’s Performing Arts Center, which includes Cirque de Soleil as a main tenant, and Camp Group/Urban Dove’s “People’s Pier” stand lurking above a Village that harbors a strong history of community involvement.
These last few weeks before us provide a unique opportunity to urge the Trust to vote no to private development — a finale that represents a promising opening act of a community-centered development initiative.

Let the Trust know how important the West Village and community-centered development is to you via e-mail: comments@hrpt.state.ny.us.

Glo Ross

Uniting on Pier 40

To The Editor:
As a Downtown resident whose children play sports at Pier 40 and the athletic director of a school whose students utilize this wonderful athletic facility, I was heartened by recent suggestions that The People’s Pier and The Pier 40 Partnership join forces to offer the Hudson River Park Trust a development plan that is both financially viable and enthusiastically supported by neighborhood residents. A union of The People’s Pier and The Pier 40 Partnership is a logical and exciting proposal.

Throughout this process, the community’s unwavering goal has been to provide the Trust with an alternative to Related’s development plan, an alternative that acknowledges Pier 40’s extraordinary value as a premier athletic facility not only for our community, but also for athletic leagues and clubs, public and independent schools, colleges and universities city-wide. The Pier 40 Partnership study confirms that the community can support the uses proposed by The People’s Pier, reassuring the Trust that it can live up to its revenue mandate while respecting the community’s need for safe, open public space.

The Partnership study and The People’s Pier are nearly identical in their uses and architectural elements. The only major difference seems to be how each plan combines its for-profit and non-profit elements. Even in this regard there seems to be enough common ground for compromise. Together these two groups can create an extremely strong plan with tremendous community support. How can the Trust ignore a plan that satisfies its revenue mandate and upholds the desires of the community at the same time?

A divided community only benefits Related. Dismissing the RFP and starting over creates tremendous uncertainty and will only further delay Pier 40’s development. A union of The People’s Pier and The Pier 40 Partnership is the best way for us to get a well-financed, low-impact development that will rehabilitate and protect Pier 40 for years to come. I urge these two civic-minded groups to join forces and bring a plan to the table that will benefit the community, the Trust, the Park and the City.

Charles Sewell
Sewell is athletic director at the Rudolf Steiner School

E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to news@thevillager.com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to The Villager, Letters to the Editor, 145 Sixth Ave., ground floor, NY, NY 10013. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. The Villager reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel.