Neighborhood Chatter

By Adel Manoukian Squadron Opens Mobile District Offices When covering a district that includes two boroughs, it can be helpful to load up the staff, hop in a bus (we're imagining) and meet with constituents. Instead of the bus route, State Sen. Daniel Squadron will open four mobile district offices this month in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn in an attempt to get closer to residents and speak directly with community members. The offices will be located around the 25th District, which he serves. Locations will be located in Tribeca, at Brooklyn Borough Hall, the Lower East Side and Chinatown. For more info on these mobile locations, visit the senator's website at www.nysenate.gov/senator/daniel-l-squadron. Federal Government Makes a Return to World Trade Center The U.S. General Services Agency (GSA) signed a lease last week to rent space in One World Trade Center, the soon-to-be-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The administration will occupy about 270,000 square feet of space on six floors starting in 2015; with the signing of this agreement, more than 55 percent of the building has been leased. "This reaffirms the federal government's commitment to the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site and to this project that demonstrates the undaunted resilience of the American people," said GSA Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini. "There will once again be a federal presence in the World Trade Center, as there was from its beginning. We worked closely with the Port Authority and the Durst Organization to negotiate a lease that will result in the best value for taxpayers, the federal government and the City of New York." Lower Manhattan M9 Bus Changes Route for the Better Transportation headaches for those living in Battery Park City might soon be soothed as the MTA is set to restore M9 bus service in January 2013. A large section of this particular bus route was forgone two years ago in order to close a gap of nearly $900 million in the MTA's budget, to the dismay of residents. Once the full route is reinstated, it will include stops in the East Village, the Lower East Side, Chinatown and City Hall, saving residents from wasting time taking multiple buses. The route will also extend northward, providing stops at Bellevue Hospital Center and the NYU Medical Center. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver applauded the news last Tuesday, saying the restored service will help rebuild the Lower Manhattan community. "I recently approached MTA Chair Joseph Lhota to discuss the importance of restoring this service for the residents, workers and visitors to Battery Park City," said Silver. "Enhancing important transportation links for residents, workers and students as well as visitors to my Lower Manhattan community is critical as we continue to grow and renew our neighborhoods." Senator Squadron Welcomes New Beer Production Tax Credit It's good news for breweries. Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently signed legislation to reinstate a beer production tax credit. New York breweries that produce less than 60 million gallons of beer will utilize the tax credit of 14 cents per gallon of beer sold in the state and 12 more cents per gallon of beer sold in the city for the first 200,000 barrels of beer. This came after State Sens. Squadron and Lee Zeldin, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Assemblyman Joe Lentol met with local brewers to announce a bipartisan plan to reinstate the credit and protect New York's small brewers. Such brewers include the local Brooklyn Brewery, which is in Squadron's district, Kelso in Clinton Hill and about 90 others in parts of Long Island and New York. "From the good jobs they create to the great beer they produce, New York's brewers are key to New York's economy," said Squadron in a statement. "By reinstating the beer production credit, we're serving New York's brewers, consumers and economy alike, allowing our small businesses to keep growing while keeping their brews affordable," he said. Attack of the Bubbles at Union Square Kids and parents alike were bubbling over The Gazillion Bubble Show at Union Square last week. The performance, which has been popular at New World Stages since 2007, was part of the Union Square Partnership's 2012 Summer in the Square series that holds events every Thursday from morning to evening. Bubbles of all shapes and sizes floated through the air at the bubble-making demonstration and performance, all to the delight of the young children in attendance.