Governors Island Alliance

The newly appointed directors of the newly established Trust for Governors Island held their inaugural meeting on July 13 - appropriately on the Island in Pershing Hall. With the city now in control, nine of the new board's 13 members are Bloomberg appointees, including three holdovers from the previous GIPEC board and a high-powered selection of newcomers. The other four are named, one apiece, by Governor Paterson, Speaker Silver, State Senator Squadron and Manhattan Community Board 1.

Governors Island Alliance made the news in womanaroundtown.com! Check out the "Traveling Around" section for the article about GIA, the Summer Gala, and the LMCC artist studios.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

The event, which included a Tour of LMCC"s Artist Studios, a Silent Auction and outdoor dancing, took place on a picture perfect summer evening. Guests, representing environmental, architectural, preservation, museum and conservancy groups of every stripe, strolled from the ferry to one of the Island's most beautifully restored landmark buildings, The Commanding Officer's Quarters, with its gorgeous terrace views of Manhattan's bridges and downtown Brooklyn.

You can also see more photos of the event here.

The Governors Island Alliance welcomed the announcement on Sunday that the City will assume control of Governors Island and move forward with the planning of its park and historic buildings.

Read the full press release here.

You can also read about the City-State agreement in more detail in the NY Times or in the City's press release.

Also, the park master plan has been released! Check it out here.

The Governors Island Alliance made a statement on Friday opposing any proposal to hold the 9/11 terror trials on Governors Island. Read the press release here. 

Dear Friend of Governors Island,

It's no longer the Harbor's sleeping beauty: Governors Island has awakened. With over 275,000 visitors at the end of the summer, the Island has hit the tipping point as one of New York's newest and fastest-growing favorite public spaces. It's visible, it's popular, and, most importantly, it's yours!

So how did you enjoy your Island this year?

Did you ride your bike all the way around the waterfront promenade, or did you lounge in a hammock looking up at Lady Liberty? Maybe you and some friends saw Judy Collins sing on the lawn at Colonels' Row, or just grabbed a burger at Water Taxi Beach. Did you take your children to see the cannons at Fort Jay, play soccer, or challenge the mini golf course behind Liggett Hall?

Whatever your favorite part was, we are glad you were able to enjoy more of your Island than ever before, including the new round-Island esplanade, 8 more acres of park space at Picnic Point, and more creative, quality events.

But all this progress hasn't happened by accident. Support from our members this year has helped make great strides in the Island's progress. We write to you today to ask for your help. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to Governors Island Alliance in support of our advocacy and public programs.

Since 1995, Governors Island Alliance has worked to ensure that New Yorkers and their friends and family have the opportunity to visit this unique and wonderful place. We sponsor public programs like the Folks on the Island concerts and our opening day Family Festival. We reach out to Island visitors and use their feedback to help improve your Island experience year after year. We work with students and volunteers to improve the Island and stretch public resources, and to create public programs. Most importantly, we let City, State, and federal officials know how special Governors Island is to people like you.

Last year at this time, it was uncertain whether Governors Island would open at all due to the tough economic climate. But thanks to the Alliance's "Keep the Island Afloat" advocacy campaign, public officials recognized the many people who cared about the Island and its historic buildings, and 2009 became our most successful season ever - with more than double the number of visitors of 2008. The Alliance also helped secure the funding needed to rehabilitate and open key Island resources: Yankee Pier, a new destination for historic and other ships; and Castle Williams, the 1811 fort at the heart of the Island's National Park. We also joined with the Harbor School to celebrate the rehabilitation of the historic hospital building for their public high school - the Island's first tenant.

But in order to sustain this exciting momentum, we need your support. We encourage you to consider becoming a member of the Governors Island Alliance.

Members of the Alliance are invited to private on-Island events and receive special briefings on recent Island developments. There are opportunities for special acknowledgment on our website, annual report and all our summer Island materials.

Being a member of Governors Island Alliance means you are playing a vital role in the ongoing preservation of the National Monument and other nationally significant historic buildings, the creation of over 110 acres of parkland, and the renewal of one of New York's greatest public resources.

Support from Island friends like you is more important than ever in difficult economic times like these, when parks and historic buildings are most often left out of City, State, and federal budgets. We need your help to keep our elected officials on track, to run our volunteer and intern programs, and to produce the free public programs that bring so many faces to Governors Island in the summer.

That's why we hope you'll lend your support by joining the Governors Island Alliance today. Simply mail or fax us our membership card or contribute online through our secure website.

One of things we enjoy most is taking first-time visitors out to the Island. The most jaded New Yorker is taken aback by the Island's beauty, history, and incredible potential. We know that you too appreciate Governors Island for all these qualities. Please take the time to make it truly yours by joining the Alliance as a contributing member. You will be a wonderful addition to our family at a time when we need your help most. We hope to hear from you soon.

See you on the Island,

Ken Fisher            Robert Pirani
Chair                    Executive Director

Check out the coverage from today's run-in (swim-in?) with a deer.

MyFoxNY.com

The Jersey Journal

New York Times

Governors Island is still only 172 acres. But it continues to get bigger and bigger on the New York scene.

Big Apple Greeter - the organization's volunteer Greeters bring visitors to neighborhoods throughout the city. The Island is now included on their list of Neighborhood Cultural Attractions.

Eyewitness News has named the Island one of the city's best 'daycations' in their Summer Savings series. They particularly liked Free Bike Fridays, FIGMENT's tantalizing miniature golf course and incredible views from the promenade.

New York magazine's annual "Best of New York" issue featured the Island again, naming it the best day trip in New York City.

Albany finally came through with the funds to keep the Island in business next year, thanks mainly to three leaders -- Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senator Daniel Squadron and Governor David Paterson. The final State budget, released earlier this month, has $7 million for the Island's operations and re-appropriates $22.5 million in capital funds previously allocated. The Mayor and City Council have indicated that they are likely to match these numbers in the City budget due July 1.

GIA is happy to announce that the Island will open on May 30th as planned!

The Alliance would like to thank our members for helping make this possible - over 1000 individuals signed out "Keep the Island Afloat!" campaign and sent postcards to Governor Paterson, over 75 supporters came out to our rally at City Hall, and many Island lovers wrote personalized letters to Speaker Silver, Senator Squadron and Governor Paterson.

Read Governor Paterson's press release announcing his commitment of $7 million in operating funds for Governors Island.

The 14 city firefighters based on the Island are gone, extinguished by budget cuts. The Fire Department says that this and reduced hours at four downtown Manhattan firehouses, will save $8.9 million a year.

The Alliance, in a January 7 letter to Mayor Bloomberg, called it "a shortsighted move that may place [Island] workers, public visitors and recently rehabilitated historic landmarks at risk." Moreover, the letter said, it may violate the responsible stewardship that the city and state pledged when they took back the Island from Washington's control.

The Alliance and a star cast of public officials rallied on the steps of City Hall last Friday to "Keep the Island Afloat!" - an appeal to Albany to kick in its share of funds for Island operations.

Sporting orange life jackets loaned by New York Water Taxi and the New York Yacht Club, standing inside a huge pink inner tube from FIGMENT, the demonstration was infinitely more colorful than most that take place on those steps. For most of an hour, speakers and sign-bearers deplored the absence of operating funding in Governor Paterson's proposed budget for the 2010 fiscal year. Absent those funds - for summer programs, upkeep, mundane housekeeping and, not least, the ferry - the Island might have to be closed to visitors.

Your help is needed to keep Governors Island afloat in the economic storm.

Now is your time to speak out. Send the Governor a postcard asking him to keep the Island open to the public and maintain its historic buildings. Without Albany's commitment by April 1, the Island may be shut down. The Governor and other elected leaders need to know that Governors Island is your Island, and that you care.

Here is what's happening:

GIPEC depends on matching operating funds from the State and the City. The Alliance requested $7.4 million from each for the 2009-2010 fiscal year that starts July 1, 2009 - money to run the ferry, open the Island to the public, pay contractors to tend the buildings and maintain the landscape. The combined $14.8 million would be about 10 percent less than the Island got this year.

The Governor's proposed state budget includes no operating money at all. Without it, the City will not provide a match in its own budget. The State budget is due April 1; the City's is not due until July 1.

GIPEC has indicated that without substantial operating money, they will shut down the Island - leaving public programs adrift and historic buildings at risk.

While we are still early in the budget process, and nothing has been decided, it's imperative that those of us who care about the Island let our elected officials know how important it is: its public parks and programs, its historic buildings and its current value and potential as an educational center and tourist destination.

The Alliance, working together with our civic coalition, has been meeting with State officials since the fall. Community Board 1 in Manhattan and Board's 2 and 6 in Brooklyn have passed resolutions supporting the requested funding. Speaker Sheldon Silver, whose lower Manhattan district includes the Island, has made strong public statements in support of the Island. We have received private indications of support from other legislators around the state as well.

Please add your voice to our efforts by sending a postcard to the Governor. You can also see our Campaign Statement for more information.

If you're in need of a reminder of what summer is like on the Island, pay a visit to the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation site, where you can watch WNYC's five-minute video program, "It's My Park." Highlights include comments from Rob Pirani, GIA Executive Director, Leslie Koch, GIPEC President and a number of visitors on the Island.

Read the editorial by Downtown Express.

Read the Letter to the Editor from GIA.

The Island played a major role in the premiere of Bravo's Top Chef last week. Check out the views from the contestants' tables on the island!

President Bush brought 13 special guests to the Island in September for a photo-op heavy with symbolism. They were political dissidents from 13 foreign countries - Garry Kasparov, Natan Sharansky and others less well known here. It made a dramatic photo, good politics for the President and great advertising for the Island as photo-prop.

Liberty Village is no more. Mayor Bloomberg supervised on a sunny Friday in early October while a giant grapple ripped into the former Coast Guard housing at the southern end of the Island and started to truck it away. Their removal makes room for eight new acres of open green space with a spectacular close-up view of the Statue of Liberty from the waterfront promenade that circles the Island.

The Alliance has posted three short videos about Island activity on the Streetfilms website. You can also catch FIGMENT's mini-golf course on Channel 13's "SundayArts" August 3 at noon.

You can't beat the upper deck of the Governors Island ferry for viewing Olafur Elliasson's Waterfalls, and you certainly can't beat the price. (It's free.) You can see all four installations, coming and going--Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Piers, Pier 35 Manhattan and, of course, Governors Island--and pack in an outing on the Island as well.
    Note, too, that the New York Times art critic Roberta Smith wrote in her review, "The falls on Governors Island are especially beautiful. Rising above the relatively low lying profile like a tropical vision, they seem to be waiting for the jungle to grow up around them."

Public access to Castle Williams and its rooftop views has inched closer to reality with the inclusion of $1.35 million in the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee's draft for fiscal 2009. It's a first step toward a $5.8 million project to remove hazardous asbestos and lead paint from the Castle's interior and to open the historic prison cells and dramatic roof for the general public. Currently the public is limited to visiting the courtyard.

    One of the most common requests was for more places to sit. There are new picnic tables, mostly in Nolan Park and Colonel's Row, and more benches. Long bathroom lines stretching out the door of "Louie's Deli"--the waiting room with vending machines at the top of the ferry ramp--have been reduced by opening the facilities in Building 140 across the way.
    The Island is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays - versus just two days last year--and stays open later in the day. The season also runs a month longer, into early October.

Continuing its efforts to make Governors Island a haven for the arts, GIPEC has issued two separate Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for temporary arts and entertainment venues on the island.
    One RFP describes an entertainment and dining space in the parking lot just west of the ferry slip. The temporary venue will have seated and staged areas under cover. The performance space will have 500-800 seats. With its unmatched views of the harbor and Lower Manhattan, this venue will operate for five years, after which GIPEC can choose whether to renew the permit.
    The second RFP seeks to transform nearby Building 110 into a base for artists' studios and exhibition space. GIPEC hopes to attract arts organizations that wish to develop a lasting year-round presence on the island. GIPEC noted that the program will not permit residence on the Island nor overnight use of the studios.
    These RFPs mark an important step in expanding the Island's early use, said GIPEC Chair Avi Schick. GIPEC anticipates that the arts program will begin next year.
    Responses to both RFP's are due by 3 p.m. August 28. To download either one, click here.

The ferry line to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island now offers a separate Liberty Harbor Cruise stopping at Governors Island. While it doesn't connect with the other islands--a link that could be established in the future--it is nonetheless welcome new exposure.
    The new cruise loops around Lower Manhattan and the other two islands and makes just one stop--at Governors Island. It departs Gangway 3 in Battery Park on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11 and 12:30, and stops at the island 45 minutes later. Passengers may return to Manhattan anytime on the free ferry.
    Cruise tickets at Castle Clinton and dockside or online at www.statuecruises.com.

Skippers of boats large and small know there's a premium on space to dock in New York Harbor. Thanks to a $500,000 grant from Borough President Scott Stringer, Governors Island will soon offer a new safe berth.
    The BP's funding will pay will pay for installing fenders on part of Yankee Pier on Buttermilk Channel. This protective covering will allow large boats to tie up safely without damaging themselves or the pier. Fulfilling a regional need, Governors Island will be able to handle historic sailing ships, research vessels and naval craft from the rest of the harbor and around the world.

Exploring the Island and taking in the spectacular views offshore just became easier. Bikes are in. For the first time there will be free loaners on Fridays - and, of course, free anytime if you bring your own. On weekends there will be bikes for rent, big ones for grown-ups, little ones for kids and Quadracyles for four or more. More than a mile of paved pathways are open for car-free cycling on the Promenade and inside the historic district.

Want to spend the summer on a beautiful island - in New York Harbor? The National Park Service seeks students to work as summer rangers guiding walking tours and helping with special events during the four months that the Island will be open to the public. There are also openings for staff at the visitors' center information desk and in the bookstore. Starting pay is $14.21 an hour.
    Applicants must have a high school degree or a GED and must currently be enrolled in a degree or certificate program. The workweek is Wednesday through Sunday, beginning in mid-May.
 
To apply, send resumés to:
Summer Jobs
Governors Island National Monument
10 South Street--Slip 7, New York, NY 10004

To view the full job description click here here. For more information, call 212-825-3044 or email ilyse_goldman@nps.gov

GIPEC announced the winner of the design competition for Governors Island on December 20th.

Read the New York Times article about the park plan here.

Nicolai Ouroussoff reviews the winning proposal and makes the case for public-first planning.

Read the Downtown Express's article, "Governor, mayor spin new idea on Governors"

The Daily News presents the new view of Governors Island.

Read Gabe Pressman of WNBC's view on the design competition winner.

Listen to Rob Pirani, the Executive Director of the Governors Island Alliance, talk about Governors Island and the design competition on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show here.

The 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage up the Hudson River will be in 2009. The New York Times describes the types of festivities we should be looking forward to as well as the necessary steps to making this a celebration to remember.

The New York Times Editorial November 4.pdf

Place Matters, a program that highlights noteworthy but lesser known corners of our town, cited Governors Island again this year as a place that matters - "one of the most important and exciting public spaces being developed in the city." Time Out magazine featured the Island in a summer story about where to find solitude in this busy busy city. While the magazine's notion of solitude contradicts the Island's increasing popularity - "You're seeking tranquility and don't want to see another soul" - the item itself was a nice boost. Governors Island was the first place cited, and the citation said "Optimal time: Saturday 11 a.m. This oasis practically mandates peaceful contemplation.... Be sure to bring your own food, though. There are more dining options on Survivor than on this isolated isle."

The New York Times reviews the five proposals for the Island's parks and open spaces.

The Downtown Express highlights the Folks on the Island! concerts as New York City's first formal folk festival.

The New York Post fills everyone in on the opening of the Island for the summer season.

AM New York talks about the Island weloming cyclists for the first time ever.

For the first time, Brooklynites can visit Governors Island directly from their home borough, reports the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Governors Island willbe open to visitors on Sundays this year for the first time, starting the first weekend in June. In the past few years it has been open on Fridays and Saturdays. Now it will be open Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Long advocated by public officials and theAlliance, the new schedule opens the island to even more visitors. Concerts, workshops and festivals, starting with the Alliance's Family Festival on Saturday, June 2, are scheduled throughout the summer. See you then!