Part of a smaller metering and regulating station in an industrial park not a recreational park
Parkland is “not the only thing people need,” Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday as he defended plans to build a soccer stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. “It’s not irreplaceable.” I get a real kick out of Boss Bloomberg's statements on parks. But this quote from the NY post gets even better. “In fact, there’s an old airport, Flushing Airport, which is going to be turned into a park. So the total parkland would be the same,” added the mayor. “On balance there’s an enormous amount of new park land,” he said. “But it’s not the only thing people need. A lot of people want a stadium to enjoy soccer.” This is a 2013 quote. I don't know what the ratio is of people who want to enjoy soccer is versus the people who use parks is, but I think what the mayor actually means is there is some money to be made by some people by building a stadium.
Back in 2011 --“Here in New York, we feel such a strong sense of pride for our parks, I want to thank Secretary Salazar and the rest of the Obama administration for their ongoing support of the city’s parks and other national jewels within the five boroughs,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “As part of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, we look forward to working with the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service to enhance the largely undiscovered beauty of the Gateway National Recreation Area.” http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Bloomberg-Launch-Great-Urban-Park-Vision-for-New-York-City.cfm
One of my favorite parts of that DOI press release is this whopper: "The National Park Service will undertake urban design plans for Floyd Bennett Field on Jamaica Bay that is surrounded by the most dense and diverse population in any national park area. NPS will also work to revitalize the community gardens at Floyd Bennett Field as a tool to increase urban residents’ access to fresh vegetables, and to the outdoor gardening experience." And by that I think what was really meant was that they were getting ready to push a bill through Congress to build a pipeline through the park and place a metering and regulating facility in Floyd Bennett Field next to a community garden that seems pretty vital all on its own.
Meanwhile over at the Rockawave they have taken to giving Gateway a new nickname, Gateway National Disgrace Area, which I like, but they seem to think that the city is actually going to be an improvement over NPS, which I think might mean that they are dreaming. The park is for sale.
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