Soggy Bagel
With summer just a few months away, a debate over a proposed water park is heating up. At issue is a $168 million dollar Six Flags-style outdoor water park and indoor beach club on Randall's Island – a city-owned park across the river from my East Harlem neighborhood. If built, it would be the first such theme park in a major U.S. city.
Opponents are challenging NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to lease the 26 acres of land. One point of contention is the admission price to the park that could run as high as $37 dollars for adults and $27 dollars for children. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer noted that many residents of East Harlem and the Bronx, the two neighborhoods nearest to the proposed park, won't be able to afford going there. In an interview with the NY Daily News, Stringer said:
"How will an East Harlem family of four pay $150 dollars for a day in that park? Or do East Harlem kids just watch the water rides through binoculars on a hot summer day?"Parks Department officials and the upstate firm chosen to build the theme park say it will create hundreds of new jobs and produce millions of dollars in new revenue for the city. This bagel sounds familiar…
posted by Rachel Natalie Klein at 12:36 AM
4 Comments:
Hey that reminds me--whatever happened to the community group that bid a dollar to purchase the Willis Avenue bridge and move it downstream to connect 116 Street and Randall's Island?
I have a call in to the city... Will let you know when I hear.
I think one of the issues also at stake is that that area of the Bronx has few parks, no real access to the waterfront, and has the highest asthma instances in the city. In addition to the admission price, the locals are asking that Randall's Island actually be used for a city park that is freely accessible to people in the area that could benefit the most from it. Mott Haven on the Bronx side is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country.
I just moved to the area, at the Clock Tower, in the South Bronx. Very interesting place, indeed.
Anyway, combined with the water park is the fact that Yankee Stadium would take park area away also, which isn't that far from Randall's Island. I've just moved in this area, and I can see that the neighborhood is in dire need of greenery and recreation space, among other things, like jobs and income. Yes, the park would bring in needed jobs, so in that regard, I hope this happens, but it would also be nice if the entire island wouldn't be turned into a playland at a high price.
Ugh - isn't Icahn Stadium enough?
On another note, I so wanted the last line of the post to say "this sounds bagely familiar..."
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