Today the New York Times ran an article glossing over the terms of the settlement cut between Friends of Hudson River Park and Air Pegasus in the West 30th Street Heliport Suit. The Settlement will be submitted to the judge for signature next week. At that point we will publish a post that lays out the terms of the settlement in more detail.The title of PATRICK McGEEHAN's article in the Times today is "Tourist Helicopter Rides Are Set to Be Phased Out." Which is accurate, when modified with "at the West 30th Street Heliport." Although this article does mention the fact that Alvin Trenk and co. are poised to take over the South Street Heliport under the contract recently awarded to FirstFlight by the EDC, it fails to mention that Trenk Moving to South Street makes the title of the article a misnomer. It does not require any in depth analysis to see that the awarding of the contract, and the settlement have very serendipitous timing. Trenk should have no problem moving his entire operation over to South Street by 2010, where he can comfortably operate under the new FirstFlight management. This article also fails to mention that by moving the heliport 2 blocks to the north, it would fall under the "permitted uses" category, in the rules governing Hudson River Park.
When the judge signs the settlement next week, it will be a victory for the residents of the LWS and Friends of the Hudson River Park. But in reality, tourist flights are far from being phased out in NYC. When addressing the full scope of the tourist flight issue, the settlement will merely be a bandaid and a PR crutch for those on the side of the City and State who have been fielding complaints relating to this issue.
Labels: 30th Street Heliport, Articles, south street heliport, Trenk
