THE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN


Downtown Express photo by Elisabeth Robert Cool relief A happy Bob Townley finally took the plunge Tuesday at the Downtown Community Center’s official opening on Warren St. Seniors and young families were the first to take a dip in the pool on a day of record-breaking heat. Townley, executive director of Manhattan Youth, which runs the center, was on the verge of opening for weeks but kept getting held up by the city’s red tape. Deutsche demo on hold, but contractor talks cranes, safety & morale By Julie Shapiro Ray Master, the person charged with bringing the Deutsche Bank building down safely, said his colleagues constantly tell him two things. Saturdays will be greenway days in August By Julie Shapiro The Department of Transportation and Community Board 1 are often at odds, but in a “Twilight Zone” moment Tuesday night, the D.O.T. was advocating for pedestrians while C.B. 1 advocated for cars. Parents find holes in Pearl St. playground plans By Laura Latzko Ocean Kai Degraaf smiled mischievously as he ran around Pearl Street Park last week with a piece of sidewalk chalk that he took from another child’s bucket. His mother, Natashia Degraaf, chased after the curly haired 18-month boy, catching up to him when he stopped to draw on the blacktop.	NEWS Parents scramble as middle school decisions are announced late By Julie Shapiro The letter announcing a fifth grader’s middle school placement has the power to reduce both child and parent to tears. Seniors say city is playing roulette with centers By Lesley Sussman and Lucas Mann Just a few days after the New York City Housing Authority announced it might have to shut down many of its senior centers because of a lack of funding, news of the proposed closures spread like wildfire among the elderly poor, evoking sentiments of shock, sadness, dismay and anger. Baseball team helps start rally for a gym By Laura Latzko Millenium High School students and Councilmember Alan Gerson held a rally outside the school Wednesday to protest the lack of a gymnasium. C.B. 1 just says no to wine at hotel eatery By Julie Shapiro The past came back to haunt the Duane Street Hotel last month. TimeBank users give as good as they get on Lower East Side By Julie Shapiro Volunteering is usually a one-way street, with one group of people donating their time and another group receiving the services. City treating children for possible 9/11 ailments By Julie Shapiro New voices are echoing in the hallways of Bellevue Hospital’s W.T.C. Environmental Health Center, and they belong to children.
ARTS DOWNTOWN Hot town, summer in the city By Lee Ann Westover Though all of New York City seems to ring with music in the summertime, Downtown is fast becoming the epicenter of a varied and vibrant outdoor concert scene.	Loisaida artists find inspiration close to home By Bonnie Rosenstock When one conjures images of the Lower East Side, wildlife probably isn’t the first picture that springs to mind. But for the Artistas de Loisaida, or the Artists of the Lower East Side, the neighborhood flora and fauna offer endless inspiration. Here, the LES encompasses the East Village, which was part of the original area. From the community gardens that founding members helped to create and save, to the vitality of Tompkins Square Park and the energy of surrounding environs, all is manna for the urban artists.

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