Jim Tampakis works for Red Hook’s future

As Red Hook awaits news on UPS’ plans for truck routes as they build a massive distribution center spanning from Valentino Park to the Cruise Terminal, multiple large construction projects are also under way in the neighborhood.

One will be a large parking lot for Verizon across the street from IKEA.

Another will be a three-story logistics facility at 640 Columbia St. According to the property owner the facility “features ramp access to the loading docks on the second floor.” That one, next to IKEA, is schedule for completion next fall.

A third will be at 537 Columbia St. and was leased to Dov Hertz for $280 million. His company, a property development company plans (according to their literature) an “industrial building which includes warehouse and office space as well as a parking garage and bay area for up to eighteen semi-tractor trailer trucks.” The construction is expected to be finished by this winter.

Last month, I spoke to Jim Tampakis of Marine Spares International and Tamco Mechanical about his ideas regarding the expected excess truck traffic throughout Red Hook. Tampakis has been in Red Hook for 46 years operating his two businesses which deal with the maritime industry.  He spoke about the changes he’s seen over that time and his hopes for the future of the neighborhood.

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“When I first came to Red Hook, it was primarily shipping and manufacturing,” said Tampakis. “We would bring in ships 1,000 feet long for $200 or $300 and could do welding for $25. You never really had to leave the neighborhood for anything like repairs. It was all here.”

Having so many businesses rely on each other also instilled a sense of community. They needed each other to get business and be successful, but business started dwindling in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s and there are now hardly any remaining. While it was sad to see businesses fail, Tampakis said there were plenty of issues in Red Hook when he began working here.

“It was a rough neighborhood,” said Tampakis. “You couldn’t leave your car on the street at night. We had to leave ours in our garage and the alarm used to go off three or four times a week for break ins. My brothers and I had to grab bats to scare off burglars.”

He recounted going up on his roof once, to watch fireworks for a few hours. There were 15 cars on the street when he went on his roof and by the time the fireworks were over, every single car had been robbed.

“It’s cleaned up but it’s cleaned up differently,” said Tampakis. There are new problems to worry about.

He hopes that big companies like UPS will work with their new neighbors in Red Hook and listen to their input.

“There always seem to be big construction projects for last mile places, and I’m interested to hear their plans for traffic routes,” said Tampakis. “I know politicians are always trying to get our voices heard but lets see what the companies say.”

Tampakis has made real suggestions to UPS, involving the utilization of a truck corridor through the Cruise Terminal, as well as using the waterfront for barging product over to Manhattan. This would most likely avoid a large number of trucks clogging up Van Brunt and Bay Streets, to the detriment of the health and safety of the local residents.

As of now, neither UPS or the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), have yet come up with a response for Tampakis, who has been waiting for months now, with Amanda Kawn of the DOT saying, “the UPS project is in very early stages and we have no comment on it at this time.”

It’s important for everyone in Red Hook to make their voices heard, so companies like UPS are aware of the issues that matter to the community before they make important decisions. For now, Tampakis hopes that UPS will make compromises and find resolutions that take into account the input of the community when they respond to his questions.

Brian Abate