“Good Morning.  This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

“The hallmark of great cities like New York is that they grow and change. A key element is supporting the exciting public, non-profit and private sector projects that spur the economic growth and jobs our city needs.  We saw three good examples of that last week:  The start of construction on the third and final section of the High Line; the opening of the “Discovering Columbus” art exhibition; and the opening of the long-awaited Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“The High Line is the once-abandoned elevated rail line along Manhattan’s West Side that is now world-famous.  On Thursday, I helped break ground on the final phase of its construction.  Since the High Line’s first section opened in 2009, the park has welcomed more than 10 million people.  And it’s already proven to be a powerful catalyst for community development.  In fact, in the first five years after park construction began in 2006, new building permits in the immediate vicinity doubled, bringing more than $2 billion in private investment and 12,000 jobs – 8,000 of them construction jobs.  To see it now, it’d be easy to forget that just a decade ago, the High Line was under threat of demolition.  But thanks to our work with community leaders, the City Council and CSX Transportation, which donated the tracks to the City, we’ve not only saved the High Line, we’ve revitalized the entire area surrounding it.

“Then there’s Columbus.  For the next eight weeks, New Yorkers are welcome to visit an ‘open house’ unlike any you’ve ever seen.  Thanks to the Public Art Fund and renowned artist Tatzu Nishi, the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle is now the centerpiece of a free exhibition – a contemporary living room that’s been constructed atop the statue’s column.  I visited it last Wednesday, and the artwork and views of Central Park and Midtown Manhattan are breathtaking.  Almost half of the more than 50 million people who visit New York each year come here for our cultural attractions – contributing $21 billion to our economy.  ‘Discovering Columbus’ is sure to be on many tourists’ site-seeing lists this fall.  And I hope it’s on yours, too.

“Finally, last week we saw the culmination of years of planning and partnership when we opened the Barclays Center, the new home of the Brooklyn Nets.  The arena is the first of its kind built in New York since 1968, and the first ever built outside Manhattan.  The project created thousands of construction jobs.  In fact, during the last year alone, there was an average of more than 840 construction workers on site every working day.  Now that it’s ready for concert goers and sports fans, staffing it will mean 2,000 permanent jobs.  So far, the Barclays Center has hired nearly 1,700 people, including more than 1,300 from Brooklyn, many of whom were hired through the City’s Workforce One Career Centers.  And thanks to our outreach efforts in surrounding communities, 550 of those jobs have gone to public housing residents.

“Long term planning, partnership and staying ahead of the curve continues to be our winning formula for jobs and growth in New York City.

“This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.  Thanks for listening.”