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By Joe Danielewicz and Kaitlin Ugolik

The waterways around New York City used to be crowded with ferries. Fulton Street – both in Manhattan and in Brooklyn – was actually named for Robert Fulton, the man who made steam navigation practical. But everything changed when New Yorkers started tunneling under the rivers around Manhattan, according to Julie Golia of the Brooklyn Historical Society.

“When you have the rise of subways in the early twentieth century, that basically was the nail in the coffin of the ferry system in terms of efficiency for carrying people,” she said, sitting on a bench at the Fulton Ferry slip in Brooklyn Heights. “And you actually see in 1924 the end of Fulton Ferry leaving from where we’re sitting and going across the way.”

Now, ferry service is set to return to the East River. The city is subsidizing a three-year pilot program for a service along the East River, connecting Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. Recent service offerings on the river have not fared well, usually because of poor ridership. Reporter Joe Danielewicz and producer Kaitlin Ugolik explore the prospects of these new routes.

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Victor Tello is doing what 60,000 people do every day – using the ferry to commute between Staten Island and Manhattan.

“I’m going home now, I do the reverse commute,” he said after disembarking. Tello says the price can’t be beat – the ride is free. And the service is convenient; boats leave about every 15 minutes during rush hour.

“The schedule is pretty regular. It runs late sometimes, but for the most part it’s a pretty efficient system,” he said, adding that the ride’s relaxing and pleasant too. “I do like sitting on the southern side of the ferry and getting the view of the Statue of Liberty.”

The city hopes that the same things that make the Staten Island Ferry attractive will draw riders to a new and improved ferry service on the East River. Of course, Staten Island commuters don’t have the option of taking the subway to Manhattan. But subway lines that serve communities along the East River are increasingly crowded.

Along the East River waterfront where the new ferry will run, developers built 2,200 new housing units in 2008 alone. By 2014 there will be a total of 8,300 new units, all within a third of a mile of the ferry stops.

All that growth has put a lot of strain on subway stops like the one on the L line at Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. Ridership has doubled at the station, from 3.3 million in 1999 to 6.7 million in 2009. And during rush hour, the trains are packed. Sara Trigg works from home and tries to avoid the rush if she has to travel.

“To get somewhere by 9:00 or 9:30, it’s usually two or three trains that have to pass before you can get on,” she said, while waiting on the platform.

The city thinks adding the East River ferry service will take some of the strain off the L train. Paul Goodman is CEO of Billy Bey Ferry Company. His company will operate the new East River boats on behalf of New York Waterway.

“I don’t think people will want to get back on the crowded L train once they’ve tried our service,” he said. He hopes to attract riders who want to avoid crowded subways and enjoy a commute above ground, and the people who live close to the waterfront. “We’re really relying on people who live within walking distance or biking distance.” That would include many of the new developments in Brooklyn and Queens.

Based on a feasibility study, the city hopes the ferry will serve nearly 1,300 riders daily. If that happens, it would be a major improvement over previous attempts at ferry services in the 1990s, which attracted 150 or fewer riders a day.

That old service had a stop at the East 34th Street dock, just below FDR Drive. Towards the end of that service’s run, on an April afternoon, only a few passengers were around the dock, including Janet Cocchiarella, who commuted about three days a week from Sunnyside Queens.

“I drive from my home to the parking lot, which takes about ten minutes and then it’s a bout a five minute commute. I work at the medical center at NYU,” which is just a couple of blocks away. Cocchiarella said she was surprised more people didn’t use the ferry to get around. “It’s not full in the mornings and it’s not full in the evenings. I just think if more people were aware of it, it would get better ridership.”

But it wasn’t just awareness that killed the old service: it only ran every 60 minutes, and only during the morning and afternoon rush hours. And it only stopped at four locations aside from the one at 34th Street. City officials thought the service could be improved.

The city solicited bids on a three-year city contract for the new line. New York Water Taxi, which ran the old service, lost out to New York Waterways. The new operator already runs several Hudson River routes that serve 30,000 riders daily. The new service will bring riders to two extra stops – one more in Williamsburg and another in Greenpoint – bringing the total to seven. And boats will run more frequently: every 20 or 30 minutes throughout the day.

But the chance to operate the boats wouldn’t have been enough to attract ferry operators. The city also offered a $9.3 million subsidy over three years. Paul Goodman of Billy Bey Ferry says the subsidy is essential to the service.

“The subsidy enables us to offer this. The service wouldn’t exist without the city’s subsidy,” he said. “The subsidy enables us to price it attractively, and make the service accessible to all.” But some transportation experts wonder whether being accessible will be enough to make the service successful.

Richard Barone is director for transportation programs for the Regional Plan Association, a transportation think tank for the tri-state area. He says the subsidy is a good way to help launch the service.

“It might make sense to give it a shot, see if it helps at all, provide a boost in development,” he said. “In the long run, it’s questionable whether services will survive.” But Barone says, in the long run, it’s a matter of numbers. “Unfortunately there’s a question of whether there’s enough people to justify the cost of the service. The fact that so many have failed in the recent past…will this one really be successful? I don’t know.”

There’s also the matter of the fares. It’ll cost $3 to $5 to ride the ferry each way.

At the Bedford Avenue platform, Sarah Trigg says even with the crowded train, she doesn’t think a ferry service would change her travel habits.

“Economics are a factor,” she said. “But also it would depend on…for me to walk to the river, if it’s a longer commute, is it really worth it?”

It’s a similar story for commuter Jessica Ray. She thinks it will be difficult to change people’s behavior.

“It’s kind of like the iPhone – are you going to leave AT&T? Well, probably not,” she said. “I have a routine and I’m going to stick with it.” Both Trigg and Ray say it’s possible that people living right on the waterfront might use the ferry because it will be closer.

New York Waterway launches its new service in early June. For the first two weeks, passengers can ride for free. Three years down the line, if enough are willing to pay, the city could expand the service further.

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Most years, April 15 is tax day. But if you still haven’t filed, don’t worry. You have until midnight Monday. Today is a holiday in Washington D.C. – Emancipation Day, and federal law says if they can’t file taxes, no one can. Kaitlin Ugolik has more.

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It’s usually a lot busier outside the main post office on 33rd street in Manhattan on April 15^th. People rush in throughout the day to mail their taxes by the deadline.

A middle-aged man named Charlie is pretending to rush his mom, Janice, up the stairs to mail her forms. They didn’t want to give their last name. They know the deadline isn’t today, but they’re used to their April 15 post office visit being a frantic one.

JANICE: It’s usually much busier on tax day, people know.

What people don’t know, though, is what emancipation day is.

JANICE: Emancipation proclamation, from the Civil War, right?

Actually, Emancipation Day celebrates the day nine months BEFORE Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. On April 16, 1862, he ended slavery just in Washington, D.C. Since it’s a legal holiday, it has to be observed on a weekday, and by law if D.C. is celebrating a holiday on tax day, everyone gets a break.

But the benefit of the delay has been lost on many filers and tax preparers in New York.

Fallou  Ndaw  does tax preparation in the back room of his business consulting firm on St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem. He says he doesn’t think any of his clients know the date has been moved, and most of them have been filing normally, which for him means 75 percent have already gotten their returns.

FALLOU: I think it’s something that is already in our mind that taxes end on April 15.

He says it’s unfortunate some people rushed to get their taxes finished by today, but he’s looking forward to the possible business the delay will bring him over the weekend.

FALLOU: I will take the chances to open Saturday and Sunday – and Monday also, to see if there is savvy people that know that they want to do their taxes on those days.

Marc Freedman runs an accounting firm out of a small apartment on West 95^th street. The promise of three extra days has not made his job any less stressful.

He says many of HIS clients didn’t know the date had changed either. But for him that meant the deadline day rush came early.

FREEDMAN: We have a certain number of clients who wait til the final day. Some of them are confused and they think today’s the final day, so we’ve been hearing from people a couple of days early.

His wife and colleague, Lois Freedman, is across the office surrounded by piles of folders on her desk. She isn’t looking forward to three more days of this.

LOIS: We have not been sure all season whether or not this is a benefit or a detriment. As things get more intense we say it’s just one more weekend to be tortured.

Marc Freedman says he needs the extra time.

FREEDMAN: We still have an enormous amount of work to do, and I’m sure glad that today is not the final day.

Tax preparers and individuals have until midnight on Monday to file their taxes. That’s Monday, April 18^th. The main post office at on 33^rd street will stay open until the deadline.

Kaitlin Ugolik, Columbia Radio News.t

Walmart might be coming to Brooklyn. Photo courtesy of Timothy Kincaid

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By Kaitin Ugolik

When Alap Vora opened Concord Market near the Brooklyn Bridge last year, he envisioned a sleek, gourmet store that would cater to health-conscious Dumbo residents.

Some of his regulars did want gluten-free pasta. But a lot of them also wanted Cheerios and cheap soft drinks. So, he adjusted quickly–an advantage he says his little store has over a national chain like Walmart. He also says he’s created 20 full-time jobs in the past year—and questions what kind of work Walmart will offer.

“They’re gonna create hundreds of jobs – but at what level? At what rate?” asked Vora. ” How much is that family or that individual employee gonna take home?  I think that’s what’s more important.”

Walmart is one of this country’s biggest employers—and one in Brooklyn will likely attract job seekers from all over the city: the unemployment rate is now around eight percent. Walmart polled small business owners in all five boroughs and found two-thirds of them approved of the plan to move in. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce did its own poll: and found two thirds of participating small businesses did not want Walmart as a neighbor.

Some powerful New York City politicians agree. Here’s City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

“Study after study has shown that Walmart’s business practices are in a word, predatory,” said Quinn.

Quinn was speaking at a hearing in February. At the same meeting, Brooklyn Councilmember Charles Barron used even stronger language.

“We will not be your slave workers in your plantation, cause that’s what Walmart is, it’s nothing but a plantation, and we’re not accepting it,” said Barron.

Walmart is fully aware of this terrible press, and has adjusted some of its best known rules –promising to work with a construction union, for example, when building a New York store.

In lieu of attending this hearing, Walmart’s community affairs department issued a letter requesting City Council look into how stores like Target and Home Depot have affected small business here.

Walmart also launched a promotional website–WalmartNYC-dot-com. It features a news reporter character who asks people on the street what they think about the City Council’s objections.

So do you think it’s fair that Target has been allowed to build in New York but Walmart hasn’t?

“Really? I didn’t know that. – Yeah, it’s been blocked,” wrote one visitor.

“I don’t even understand why because Walmart is like – we as consumers and people, that’s where all the deals are, and in this recession, we need to save money,” another visitor commented.

But it’s not clear who is going to shop at Walmart in New York City.

Sean Crockett is a behavioral economist at Baruch College in Manhattan. He says Walmart’s New York clientele will probably skew wealthier than the average big box customer.

“It’ll be people with a car, that are willing to drive, you know because they have a car they’re willing to drive to get savings, and maybe some of those people are already driving out of the city to a Walmart,” said Crockett.

New Yorkers are already driving to the suburbs and spending millions at Walmart.

So Crockett says, if anything, a Walmart in the city or one of the outer boroughs might bring money back in. He also says a lot of New York City stores rely on foot traffic, which isn’t something Walmart will be able to take away easily.

Alap Vora of Concord Market says there’s room Walmart and small businesses in Brooklyn. He’s confident that he’ll keep being able to offer things they can’t.

Walmart isn’t on City Council’s March calendar, but a Council press officer says she expects there will be a special meeting before the end of the month.

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Kaitlin Ugolik speaks with Robert Boland, a sports business professor at New York University.

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The Lincoln Square BID encouraged local restaurants to create special menus for Fashion Week. Photo Courtesy of Lincoln Square Business Improvement District

Spring Fashion Week ended yesterday. It was its second run at Lincoln Center. Here’s a look at whether the influx of fashionistas helped local small businesses.

It’s a little after eleven on a Wednesday morning, and Sushi A Go-Go on Broadway near 63^rd Street, doesn’t open until 11:30. But it’s not an average Wednesday – it’s the middle of Fashion Week at Lincoln Center – and people dressed in sleek black coats and designer eyeglasses keep trying to come in and order.

Carissa is a manager at Sushi A Go-Go. She didn’t want to give her last name. She tells the impatient diners to come back and try the special Fashion Week only prix fixe menu.

“When they wear the little Mercedes Benz badges, we show them our lunch specials, our menus, and I think fashion week has just almost tripled our business,” said Carissa.

The city estimates that about 230,000 people attend the biannual event and spend about $770 million. Monica Blum is president of the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District. She doesn’t have numbers for how much visitors spend at small businesses, but…

“It’s not bad for business, let’s put it that way,” Blum said.

She says that as she visited restaurants around Lincoln Center this week, they seemed packed…at least during lunch. But that might not be enough. After September’s Fashion Week, many restaurants complained that lunch rushes did not lead to dinner rushes. Blum says they learned that most people at fashion shows are there for work, not play, so when they’re done, they go home.

Carissa says things are better this time around.

“Dinner rush around, in this area, starts at about six o’clock, maybe even at six-thirty, but now we’ve had to tell people to come earlier, as early as even five o’clock or five-thirty if they wanted to get like a better choice table,” said Carissa.

Restaurants are one thing, but other stores s ay they haven’t seen much of a bump in business. Oscar Garcia is the wine buyer at 67 Wine on Columbus near 67^th Street. He says he doesn’t think Fashion Week patrons are interested in anything very farm from the catwalk.

“It seems to be pretty enclosed within the premises of Lincoln Center. I don’t think they wander around in the neighborhood,” said Garcia.

Blum, of the business improvement district, says Garcia is mostly right. She’s racked her brain trying to think of ways to bring Fashion Week visitors to businesses other than restaurants.

Said Kasami runs a coffee cart at the corner of Columbus and 65^th street, right across from Lincoln Center. He didn’t even know it was Fashion Week, although he did notice some different faces.

“I see new people only for a couple days or one week, that’s it,” said Kasami. “After that, they gone.”

But businesses here are generally doing fine, and for most, Fashion Week is just a bonus. Blum is convinced that all the visitors this week had some kind of impact.

“The streets were mobbed during Fashion Week and I just can’t believe that some of those people didn’t go into the shops,” said Blum.