TEMPORARY ART INSTALLATION AT ALBERT CAPSOUTO PARK
Artist Curtis Wallin showed a rendering (above) of the sculpture(s) that will be installed at Albert Capsouto Park (at Canal/Varick/Laight) in April for a year-long residency. The arrows—aluminum tubes over steel shanks—refer to Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s statue of Diana that was atop Madison Square Garden when MSG was on Madison Square Park; they’ll be positioned as if the goddess herself shot them.

APPLICATION FOR A NEWSSTAND AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF GREENWICH AND CHAMBERS
The applicant didn’t show, so the committee voted against it, citing the foot traffic at that intersection.

PRESENTATION BY ANN BENEDETTO ABOUT THE TRIBECA ALLIANCE
As you’ve read here before, Ann Benedetto of A Uno clothing boutique is rallying local businesses owners to form the Tribeca Alliance, in order to get some relief, somehow, from all of the trials and tribulations that make running a store or restaurant in the city such a pain. (High rents, scaffolding, taxes, and so on.) They’re at around 70 members and canvassing the neighborhood to get even more. Some of the goals include a website about Tribeca, an app, an event calendar, and a directory of stores.

UPDATE ON THE NOISY VENT AT 105 DUANE
Related Companies, which owns Tribeca Tower (105 Duane), made unapproved design changes to the privately owned public plaza outside the building. The aesthetic changes were enough to get the city to look into it, because that violates the rules on these plazas, but what’s driving neighbors nuts is the new exhaust vent for the boiler. (It’s the kind of low drone that isn’t so maddening if you’re walking by, but after a few minutes it would make you insane—and those noises are often much worse above street level.) Matthew Garten of Related said that the company is working on a plan to diminish the noise, and it should be ready in the next few weeks. Neighbor Jean Grillo pointed out that Related really should shoot for 100% noise abatement, since this same issue came up with the AT&T Long Lines Building in 1975 and the problem was able to be solved then. Also, Related intends to put a screen in front of the ugly exhaust pipe, but it needs the City Planning Commission to OK it first (along with the changes that have already been made). The committee wasn’t worried about the design changes, and it did support reducing the noise, but there was a surprising amount of praise for Related and its efforts to keep the plaza clean and policed.