Sault Blog

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had the opportunity to join the TD FIVEBORO BIKE TOUR in NYC on May 5th, 2019. This fund-raising event attracts 30,000 cyclists by closing down major streets through the five boroughs of New York City, allowing cyclists to travel from Battery Park in Manhattan, up through Central Park, over to the Bronx, down through Queens, Brooklyn, and finally crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Stanton Island, safely and car-free for that event.

NYC is the most incredible bike City in the world, with hundreds of miles of dedicated bike lanes and multi-use paths. One of my favourite bike paths has to be the spectacular Hudson River Greenway, a dedicated multi-use trail that starts at Battery Park, follows the Hudson River to the top of Manhattan.
There are many free parks, plazas and attractions along the Hudson River Greenway for anyone to visit. I recommend the “High Line,” a 1.47-mile pedestrian elevated rail line transformed into an elevated park. The High Line is owned by the City of New York and maintained and operated by “Friends of the High Line.” Founded in 1999 by community residents, Friends of the High Line fought for the High Line’s preservation and transformation at a time when the historic structure was under threat of demolition. The High Line was funded through a combination of public and private sources, with the Friends of the High Line playing a critical role in fund-raising to complete the project, expand, and maintain yearly.

At the end of the High Line is the spectacular “Vessel.” The Vessel is the centerpiece structure and visitor attraction in the plaza at Hudson Yards, open to the public but privately built by Hudson Yard’s owners as an attraction to the area shops and massive condominium complex. The Vessel is one of the largest architectural projects in American history. At the heart of the $200 million building is a 16-floor circular stairway structure that has around 2500 steps. It offers visitors stunning views of the Hudson River and Manhattan on 80 viewing platforms. Built and paid for by the Hudson Yards developers for the citizens and visitors of New York, admission is free of charge.

At the other end of the High Line, at Pier 54 on the Hudson River, I was intrigued to find the beginning of the tulip-shaped concrete pilings being installed in the Hudson River. Curious, I investigated what was being built with such unique cement pilings and support systems. This was the beginning of the construction of “Little Island.” Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 caused significant damage to Pier 54’s superstructure, making it unusable. However, the remnants of Pier 54, particularly its original piles, were repurposed into the foundation for Little Island, the park that juts out into the Hudson River. Incorporating elements of the original pier, including the piles that remain visible at low tide, served as the foundation for the park’s unique new superstructure, which rises from the water like petals.

The Little Island was created by the vision and pocketbook of Mr. Barry Diller in partnership with the Hudson River Park Trust. The 2.4-acre Little Island is truly spectacular, even by NYC standards. But, even more spectacular was the Little Island Park ballooning cost from $130M to $260M, with Mr. Diller having to pay the lion’s share of the cost. Then-Mayor Bill De Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo, both very much in favor of the Little Island project, could only offer $18M to the project because the City of New York had other very pressing priorities like infrastructure upgrades, transit upgrades, affordable housing creation, etc., etc. The City of New York, so pressed with costs, also insisted that it did not have the money to maintain the Little Island Park. Therefore, Little Island’s maintenance is funded through a combination of philanthropic contributions, primarily by the Diller-Von Furstenberg Family Foundation. The foundation has committed to a significant portion of the maintenance and operational costs of $120M for ten years, ensuring everyone has free access to the park.

New York City is an oxymoron; there is this projection of incredible wealth and power with these gigantic buildings full of corporate head offices, Wall Street, and a population of eight million residents densely packed together; yet the Mayor and Governor telling special interest groups “we don’t have the money to built plazas and parks, and we don’t have the money to maintain them. If you want them, you have to fund them privately and pay to program, maintain, and secure them.”

New York City’s Administration respects the taxpayer and has their spending priorities right—our Sault Ste. Marie City Administration should learn a lesson from New York City’s Little Island. Any future parks, plazas, or tourist attractions built in the Sault must be wholly paid for by the private sector, including the future cost of programming, maintenance, and security.

Thank you:
New York Times articles
Vessel, http://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com
thehighline.org
littleisland.org

Mark Menean, http://www.saultblog.com