Battery Park Residents Frustrated With Goldman Sachs Ferries
NEW YORK (1010 WINS/CBS 2) -- Goldman Sachs is under fire again from the public.
Residents in Battery Park City are tired of the noise emanating from ferries being used by the Wall Street giant to shuttle its employees back and forth across the Hudson River.
"It's the horn that makes the most noise," resident Eddie Lee told 1010 WINS reporter Steve Sandberg.
The complaints have created friction between The Battery Park City Authority, which is seeking some measure of quiet, and the Port Authority which operates the 50 million dollars floating terminal.
The Port Authority issued a statement stating, "We will continue to meet with any resident who has concerns and work to mitigate any issues that arise."
Even as a noise was heard overhead, resident Robin Bernstein told CBS 2' s John Slattery "I don't know if that's the helicopter or the ferry boat."
Others believe the engine exhaust is the real offender.
"It's not so much the noise, it's the incredible smoke they produce," said resident John Ryan.
The two older boats, dubbed the "Frank Sinatra" and the "Yogi Berra," run 16 hours a day every seven to eight minutes between Battery Park City and Goldman's office tower in Jersey City.
"At nighttime it's ridiculous and especially weekends," another resident said. "The noise is a lot."
Julian, a Goldman Sachs employee who takes the shuttle several times a day, says the service is vital for business.
"They invested too much money for it to go down the drain," he said.
Goldman Sachs -- which issued a statement saying it was aware of the complaints -- is planning on resolving the issues by having two new luxurious ferry boats built, according to a New York Times report.
