NYCkayaker NYTimes Editorial on Randall's Island!

[Harry J. Bubbins]

Any news is good news!

We are winning!

See the editorial at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/21/opinion/CIrandalls.html?ref=nyregionopinio
ns 

And my letter in reply below.

 Email The Mayor and tell him:

"Preserve Randall's Island.  Terminate the Aquatic Development Contract.
Protect the wetlands and shoreline.  No exclusive use deals for public ball
fields.  Open the 103rd Street Ped/Bike Bridge.  Community representation on
the Sports Foundation."


Email the Mayor here:

http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.bd08ee7c7c1ffec87c4b36d501c78
9a0/index.jsp?doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fmail%2Fhtml%2Fmayor
.html


The City
Public Parks and Private Schools


Published: January 21, 2007
In a city of gaping economic disparities, public parks have long been the
great equalizer. New Yorkers take pride in their egalitarian green spaces,
which are open to everyone. But acreage has always been at a premium, and
public money cannot keep pace with the costs of upkeep and improvements.
Over the years, the city has thus come to depend on private donations to
fill the gaps.

Public-private partnerships can reap great benefits, as long as private
interests don¹t overtake the public¹s right of access. The city will have to
work hard not to tip that balance the wrong way on Randall¹s Island, a
480-acre public park that sits in the waters separating East Harlem, the
South Bronx and Astoria, Queens.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe want to enter
into a contract that would allow students at 20 of Manhattan¹s wealthiest
private schools exclusive use of most of the island¹s playing fields during
prime after-school hours for the next 20 years. In return, the city would
get a real prize: upgraded and repaired fields which those schools have
already been using for soccer, softball and other sports for 15 years, along
with dozens of new fields, all financed by the private schools. Their total
investment could be more than $80 million.

The schools had originally wanted a 30-year contract and exclusive rights to
80 percent of the fields during prime time. They¹ve scaled that back to 20
years and two-thirds of the fields, leaving public schools and community
groups with access to one-third of the space after school hours. The city
should claim a larger share of prime time for public schools ‹ perhaps 40
percent to start, with a possible increase to 50 percent if demand
materializes.

There are also objections in principle. New Yorkers for Parks, an
independent monitor, warns the deal could set a dangerous precedent, in
effect selling off public parkland to the wealthy and giving a new twist to
the words ³pay to play.²

There¹s another very important point here, lost in the back-and-forth over
contractual details. For people without private transportation ‹ and that
means public school children ‹ Randall¹s Island is reachable only by a
footbridge or the Triborough Bridge, with ferry service added for special
events, like concerts. The Randall¹s Island Sports Foundation transports
children from disadvantaged neighborhoods on the weekend. But public bus
service is virtually nonexistent.

This explains why private schools have so far had the place mostly to
themselves on weekdays. City Comptroller Bill Thompson and Manhattan Borough
President Scott Stringer insist that as part of any new contract the city
should guarantee better public transportation. It¹s an excellent idea.

The contract is to be voted on soon by the Franchise and Concession Review
Committee, a little-known panel with six votes ‹ four controlled by the
mayor. This is the committee that approved the contract for Snapple soft
drinks in public schools as well as the contract with a private company to
build a 26-acre water park on Randall¹s Island, drawing an objection from
Mr. Stringer over a projected $40 ticket price.

Mayor Bloomberg, who has often shown impatience with government process,
wants to change the committee rules to expedite its work. But in making
decisions about the use of Randall¹s Island and other public spaces, the
city needs more deliberation and transparency, not less.

-----------------

To the Editor:
Re:
Public Parks and Private Schools

Allow me to point out one fact that was missed when you indicated correctly
that for local public school students, and adults,  without private
transportation Randall¹s Island is reachable only by a pedestrian and bike
bridge.  Unfortunately the East 103rd Street crossing is for some reason
closed for four months of the year.  The Mayor and the Randall's Island
Sports Foundation could build confidence in their intentions by opening it
up immediately. Also, the combined admission to the sinking "waterpark"
would be over $60, not $40 as you indicated, and the Manhattan Borough
President voted to support it anyway.


Harry J. Bubbins
11 Bruckner Boulevard
The South Bronx, NY 10454
646 206 5288