ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE URGES PUBLIC ACCESS TO GOVS. ISLAND

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE URGES PUBLIC ACCESS TO GOVS. ISLAND
In Testimony Before City Council, Group Praises Plan To Reclaim Island For NYers

(9 April, 2002 — New York)  Environmental Defense today praised plans to reclaim Governors Island for use by New Yorkers, and, in testimony before the City Council, called on state and city officials to commit to ensuring that public access and parks are an integral part of island plans.  Environmental Defense urged officials to open parts of the island now for interim recreational uses, such as walking tours and waterfront recreation. 

“Governors Island represents over 100 acres of open space waiting to be reintegrated into the city’s recreational and economic life,” said Environmental Defense Living Cities director Andrew Darrell.  “Governors Island lies a stone’s throw from communities in desperate need for parks and open space, including Red Hook, where residents have among the lowest per capita access to parkland in the city, and downtown Manhattan, where access to parks and open space is essential to restoring quality of life and attracting businesses and residents.

“Recent steps taken by Governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg and President Bush to return the island to New York provide a fresh sense of direction for the future,” said Darrell.  “Models for a mixed-use waterfront that accommodates recreational, educational, commercial and other uses have been successfully developed elsewhere in the city, including at Hudson River Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park.  In the future, families, Little League teams, kayakers, students, tourists and many others could come together to celebrate the harbor and bring Governors Island to life.

“As the last large unused island of New York harbor, Governors Island could become a waterfront centerpiece, linking waterfront sites from Brooklyn Bridge Park to lower Manhattan’s Castle Clinton, Sunset Park Waterfront Park, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Integrating the historic island into this network could create a true Central Park-type oasis in New York harbor,” said Darrell.