As I noted in the earlier post about Collect Pond Park, I attended the CB1 Seaport/Civic Center Committee last night even though I tell myself I never have to go to any besides the Tribeca one. They can be dispiriting. But last night’s agenda had too many items that are on my personal radar, so I steeled myself….

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FOLEY SQUARE WAYFINDING SIGNAGE
Elizabeth Williams from CB1 has evidently long wanted to install map-based signage in Foley Square to help those on jury duty (and, to a lesser extent, tourists) figure out where they’re going. Downtown Alliance’s Connie Chung—the chair interrupted to ask if she was related to “CBS’s Kaity Chung,” apparently confusing the famous Connie Chung and local newscaster Kaity Tong—presented the plan, which is to sew fabric panels to the construction fence that’s around 26 Federal Plaza (the plaza where those serpentine green benches used to be). The panels will have maps annotated with notable buildings and arrows to the subway station. It’s a no-brainer, really, but the signage is only temporary because the Downtown Alliance charter prohibits the organization from making capital investments north of Chambers; the committee seemed to feel it might be worked out. The panels will go up in the next four weeks; the fences are expected to come down at the end of 2012. (If Downtown Alliance comes through with an image, I’ll add it.)

SAVE OUR SEAPORT UPDATE
As has been reported, the pro–Seaport Museum group met with the Museum of the City of New York to discuss a partnership, and it was deemed productive. The committee passed a motion to hold a public hearing, possibly with the City Council.

J&R’S STREET-NAMING REQUEST
Common sense prevailed: The application has been withdrawn!

BIKE PATH IN CITY HALL PARK
The committee joined the Youth & Education Committee in supporting a resolution requesting that the Department of Transportation remove the dangerous and ill-conceived bike path that runs through City Hall Park. The signs currently requesting cyclists to dismount will be removed when the construction in the park is completed.

LIQUOR-LICENSE APPLICATION: MIKA JAPANESE CUISINE & BAR (150 CENTRE)
I didn’t listen to this, but I think it passed. The owner has a restaurant in Staten Island, and restaurants with “cuisine” in the name tend to be ones I don’t patronize.

LIQUOR-LICENSE APPLICATION: SAMSARA CAFÉ (277 WATER)
This restaurant (on Water next to Bridge Café) has been in the works for a long time—so long that it had to reapply for its liquor license, which the committee had previously approved. A committee member who lives on that block was concerned that the closing hours (midnight and 1 a.m., I think) would be later than the street’s other establishments, but he wasn’t concerned enough to look up their hours beforehand. Samsara did make one fundamental change to its application: No live music.