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August 8, 2014- By Steven E. Greer
Two years ago, when residents affected by the nonstop noise from the tourist helicopters appealed to BatteryPark.TV for help, we began to reach out to Congressman Nadler. BP.TV had already contacted his staff for the ferry boat noise problem. The two problems were similar in that they involved federal agencies (i.e. the FAA and Homeland Security’s Coast Guard).
The helicopter noise problem is not a new one, and not specific to just Battery Park City. Brooklyn and New Jersey groups have also appealed to the electeds.
One of the BPC residents affected by the helicopters was Delia von Neuschatz who lives in South BPC near the Hudson River shore. With help from BP.TV, she started the activist website called StopTheChopNYNJ.
The elected officials are listening, and have sized up the helicopter industry as being too small of a special interest to allow a populist stance to go wasted. Therefore, most of the local and federal officials of the area have made public comments against the heliports.
Yesterday, in the strongest rebuke yet, 20 of those elected officials sent Mayor de Blasio a letter urging that the tourist heliport in the South Street Seaport area be shut down. Rep. Nadler was the lead author. Recall, it is the Mayor’s head of the EDC, Kyle Kimball, a holdover from the Bloomberg administration, who is supporting the helicopter companies.
Essay: Mr. Mayor, It is time to give the EDC’s Kyle Kimball the boot
Helicopter noise to be addressed soon by federal electeds
Letter: Our federal elected officials should address noise pollution of ferry boats
Letter: Help. I am in helicopter hell!
Letter to Rep. Nadler about ferry boat horn problem
Rep. Nadler reaches out to Coast Guard about ferry boat noise
Letter: Sick and tired of the unending helicopter noise
The medical consequences of ferry boat diesel exhaust pollution to children’s lungs
Dr. Greer,
Thank you for your tireless advocacy of noise abatement which I believe benefits not just battery park, but the entire city. Simply put, tens or even hundreds of thousands of people don’t need to suffer so that a few tourists can sightsee, or the “hypothetical insomniac kayaker” can feel safe or the city can earn more in its “general fund.”
Any who, I live on the far west side (by 42nd) and am facing similar, but less severe, issues including helicopters, ferry horns and worst of all, an awful establishment called Mako which bills itself “NYC’s first outdoor nightclub” and hosts parties until 4am in Pier 79.
In just six weeks of operation, I have filed 5 311 complaints which have resulted in the police showing up and telling them to lower the volume.
Upon investigating further, I have also found that their liquor license stipulation agreement specified that they would operate as restaurant, and not having dancing or bottle service and close earlier. I have raised this with the Community Board 4 which seemed generally supportive and is calling them to testify at the Business Licenses Committee this Tuesday.
I am reaching out to you to ask for any advice or suggestions you may have in dealing with this matter and in stamping out this severe nuisance to the community. It does appear to be small enough that there aren’t ingrained vested interests ala Pier A or La Marina.
Thank you
Michael