Table of Contents 2019 Highlights .............................................................................................................................. 6 1. Public Programming and Community Engagement ...................................................... 6 2. Governance & Community Engagement ....................................................................... 15 3. Key Projects ...................................................................................................................... 18 4. Resiliency .......................................................................................................................... 22 5. Sustainability .................................................................................................................... 24 6. Financial Highlights ......................................................................................................... 26 Operations ................................................................................................................................... 28 1. Mission Statement and Performance Measures ............................................................ 28 2. Assessment of the Effectiveness of Internal Controls ................................................... 33 3. Material Changes in Operations ..................................................................................... 34 4. Property Acquisition and Disposal Summary ............................................................... 35 5. Material Pending Litigation ............................................................................................ 36 Financials ..................................................................................................................................... 38 1. Financial Reports ............................................................................................................. 38 2. Debt Administration ........................................................................................................ 49 3. Four Year Financial Plan ................................................................................................ 57 4. Assets and Services Procured Without Competitive Bidding ...................................... 58 Historical Information ................................................................................................................ 69 1. Statutory Basis ................................................................................................................. 69 2. Code of Ethics ................................................................................................................... 96 3. Charter and By-Laws .................................................................................................... 106 Authority Leadership ............................................................................................................... 121 1. Description of the Authority and Its Board Structure ............................................... 121 2. Compensation Schedule................................................................................................. 126 3. Board Performance Self Evaluations ........................................................................... 135 On the following pages, you’ll find highlights from the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority’s 2019 Fiscal Year (November 1, 2018 to October 31, 2019), including the initiation of the design and engineering components of our ambitious resiliency plan as well as a range of engaging programs for a growing diverse audience. There is also a variety of financial and operational information in keeping with transparency requirements of New York State. You can find this report and more information about the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority (“the Authority”) and the Battery Park City neighborhood at www.bpca.ny.gov. This Annual Report and appendices are presented in accordance with Sections 2800 and 2802 of New York Public Authorities Law. 2019 Highlights 1. Public Programming and Community Engagement In 2019 the Battery Park City Authority further diversified its wide-ranging parks programming efforts and strengthened its foundational relationships with local residents, elected officials, and community and civic partners as it both planned and executed on a number of key agency initiatives. 1.1 Parks Programming: Guided by staples like Holiday Lights, Dockappella, and the River & Blues live outdoor concert series—celebrating its 20th year in 2019—our parks programming saw over 70,000 attendees to 1,373 program and events in 2019. These included: BPC Annual Art Exhibition This free exhibit, running from January through March, featured work by artists from across the hundreds art classes the Authority offers each year. A selection of these works were also put on display at the Authority’s new Community Room at 200 Rector Place. Tuesday Talks The popular lecture series continued in 2019 with lunchtime and, for the first time, evening sessions on select Tuesdays in January, February, and April. Talks commemorated Lunar New Year, Black History Month, and women entrepreneurs, and one also chronicled the history of Lower Manhattan from the European ages of exploration to the present. Live Music Thursdays Local resident and history enthusiast Fred Bivetto gives a Tuesday Talk on the Age of Exploration Thursday night was live music night in Battery Park City in June, July, and August, with free outdoor concerts showcasing a range of artists and styles from around the world: o In June, Interludes at the Irish Hunger Memorial featured a series of blues, cabaret, swing and opera as well as contemporary dance vignettes In July and August River & Blues at Wagner Park celebrated 20 years of world- 6 class blues music and summer sunsets on the Hudson with a quartet of stirring performances o In August, Strings-on-Hudson, Battery Park City’s al fresco classical music series at Belvedere Plaza, marked its third season on the waterfront with a trio of shows. Battery Park City Community Field Day This community favorite in Rockefeller Park marked the end of the school year with music, ice cream, and a trick shot show featuring NYC’s own Harlem Wizards. Classic field day games for all included potato-sack races, relays and tug-of-war, with face painting, giant lawn games, water play, and spins the BPC Big Wheel for prizes rounding out a rousing start to summer. Migration Celebration The autumn programming season kicked off in Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra performs classical music at Strings-on-Hudson. early September with a celebration of all the creatures that migrate through Battery Park City and the surrounding environment. Activities included art projects, birdwatching and nature observing, plus a live performance by Lard Dog and the Band of Shy. Wings, Feathers and Fins! Autumn in Battery Park City is a fascinating time for naturalists. While the season is most known for the changing colors of leaves, we can also observe the full lifecycle of migratory monarch butterflies, the southward journey of hummingbirds and wood warblers, and our neighboring Hudson River’s fish returning to the Atlantic before winter. Participants tried their hands at bird watching, fishing, and raising butterflies. Relational Meditation This inclusive set of classes that weaved together gentle yoga/chi kung and guided relational meditation exercises, using mindfulness of breathing, eye-contact, and compassion meditation to help people connect, promoting deep listening, presence and open heartedness. 7 Swedish Midsummer Festival: Presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Sweden in New York, this Battery Park City summer classic celebrated the solstice with traditional Swedish folk dances from Barnklubben Elsa Rix. Thousands of attendees joined in lively dances around the Midsummer pole, made wreaths from beautiful flowers representing those in bloom on the solstice in Sweden, and enjoyed a parade, children’s games, Swedish delicacies, and traditional music by Paul Dahlin and fiddlers from the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Thousands come to Battery Park City to Outdoor Ed-Ventures Series celebrate the Swedish Midsummer Festival. The Authority’s new Outdoor “Ed-Venture” Series is a combination of active outdoor skill building experiences. Participants were introduced to the basics of hiking, camping, rock climbing, knot tying and orienteering in an urban context. Climate Week Events In keeping with Battery Park City’s legacy of environmental leadership, and on the heels of climate change activist Greta Thunberg’s arrival in Battery Park City’s North Cove Marina, the The Ed-Venture series is a popular new Authority announced its lineup of programs and program for kids. events in celebration of Climate Week NYC 2019. These included composting tours, drawing and nature classes, panel discussions, as well as Go Fish!, Battery Park City’s annual celebration of life in the Hudson Estuary. The Authority’s art programs regularly use recycled materials such as plant clippings from the parks and re-purpose discarded newspapers, scrap paper, and boxes from deliveries. Chef Talks Chef Juliet Masters of The Edge Harlem, a trend-setting eatery that pays homage to the Battery Park City was proud to host climate activist Greta Thunberg during Climate Week Harlem Renaissance, shared family stories and NYC 2019. 8 offered a small taste of her unique culinary point of view