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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR-
304-10
July 8, 2010
MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES BOARD MEMBERS OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED TRUST FOR GOVERNORS ISLAND
New City-controlled Entity Will Guide the Future of One of New York City's Greatest Public Places
First Board Meeting to Take Place on July 13 on Governors Island
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the board
members of the Trust for Governors Island, the new City-controlled entity that
will guide the future of the island. Earlier this year, Mayor Bloomberg,
Governor David A. Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Senator
Daniel L. Squadron announced an agreement on the long-term development, funding
and governance of Governors Island, transferring from New York State to New York
City the responsibility to develop and operate 150 acres of the island.
"Governors Island can become one of the world's greatest
public places, and we're committed to making it happen," said Mayor Bloomberg.
"The new Trust for Governors Island will build on the success we've had on the
island so far and lead its historic transformation going forward. The new board,
a mix of public officials, non-profit and local leaders, and private sector
professionals, will bring experience in civic affairs, public design,
preservation and development, parks management, cultural programming and
philanthropy that will help us to create a world-class destination that New
Yorkers and visitors from around the world will enjoy for generations."
The Trust for Governors Island succeeds the Governors
Island Preservation and Education Corporation. The new City-controlled entity is
responsible for the planning, operation and redevelopment of 150 acres of
Governors Island. The new entity will implement a comprehensive strategy to
redevelop Governors Island, which includes the implementation of the Governors
Island Park and Public Space Master Plan. The park plan will transform 87 acres
of open green space on Governors Island, rejuvenating existing landscapes in the
National Historic District, revitalizing the southern half of the island with a
new 40 acre park and adding a 2.2-mile Great Promenade along the waterfront.
Governors Island is open every Friday to Sunday through
October 10 for a wide variety of free activities, performances and programs for
visitors of all ages to enjoy. Free ferries run to the island from the Battery
Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan and, this year for the first time, from
Brooklyn Bridge Park. In 2009, Governors Island welcomed a record 275,000
visitors over a 60 day public access season, and as many as 400,000 are expected
this summer. Earlier this year, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council opened
artist studios on the island and more than two dozen artists are currently at
work in studios open to the public. The Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, a
new public high school, will open in September with 400 students in
attendance.
The new Trust for Governors Island Board consists of 13
members, with nine designated by the Mayor and one each designated by the
Governor, the 64th District State Assembly Member, the 25th District State
Senator and Manhattan Community Board 1. Mayor Bloomberg appointed Phipps Houses
Chair Ronay Menschel as Board Chair. Leslie Koch, who served as President of the
Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, will continue as
President of the Trust.
The board's first meeting will be held on July 13, 2010
at 3:00 PM in Pershing Hall on Governors Island. At the meeting, the board is
expected to approve the transfer of Governors Island to City ownership, marking
the final public approval needed. The meeting is open to the public. Those who
wish to attend should arrive at the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street
in Lower Manhattan by 2:45 PM with photo ID to ride the ferry to Governors
Island. A ferry will return to Manhattan immediately following the meeting at
approximately 4:00 PM.
Designees of Mayor Bloomberg:
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Ronay Menschel (Chair) is Chair of
Phipps Houses, a non-profit owner and developer of housing for low- and
moderate-income families. Prior to joining Phipps Houses, Menschel served as
Deputy Mayor, and subsequently as Executive Administrator, of New York City
from 1978 to 1982. She is currently a director of the Museum of the City of
New York, Municipal Art Society, Center for NYC Neighborhoods and the Public
Art Fund. She is also a member of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell
Medical College. She served on the board of the former Governors Island
Preservation and Education Corporation.
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Elizabeth Berger is President of the
Alliance for Downtown New York, an organization dedicated to providing Lower
Manhattan with a premier physical and economic environment, advocating for its
businesses and property owners and promoting it as a world-class destination
for companies, workers, residents and visitors. She is a member of the
Municipal Art Society, The Battery Conservancy, Second Stage Theater, the New
York Building Congress, Film Forum and the American Museum of Natural History.
She served on the board of the former Governors Island Preservation and
Education Corporation.
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Douglas Blonsky is the President of
the Central Park Conservancy and Central Park Administrator. Under Blonsky's
leadership, the Conservancy has completed noteworthy restoration projects such
as the Great Lawn, Harlem Meer, and Merchants' Gate and Oak Bridge, and it has
developed and implemented the Neighborhood Parks Initiative, a program to
train and mentor NYC Parks Department gardeners from underserved parks in all
five boroughs.
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Amanda M. Burden is Chair of the New
York City Planning Commission and Director of the Department of City
Planning. Since her appointment by Mayor Bloomberg in 2002, Burden has
spearheaded the largest planning effort in the city since 1961, setting the
stage for sustainable development, reclaiming New York's waterfront, designing
new parkland and public spaces such as the High Line and promoting great
architecture and urban design in all five boroughs.
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Patricia E. Harris is First Deputy
Mayor of New York City. She oversees the Departments of Parks &
Recreation, Cultural Affairs, Design and Construction and Consumer Affairs,
the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York
City, the Mayor's Office of Special Projects and Community Events, the Public
Design Commission, and NYC Service.
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Seth W. Pinsky is President of the
New York City Economic Development Corporation. Appointed in 2008, Pinsky has
helped spearhead the City's five borough economic development strategy,
including oversight of $2.5 billion in capital investments and implementation
of several of the Bloomberg Administration's most ambitious area-wide
redevelopment projects, bringing new housing, infrastructure, and job
opportunities to underserved neighborhoods throughout New York City.
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David Saltzman is Executive Director
of the Robin Hood Foundation, a philanthropic organization that targets
poverty in New York City. He was one of Robin Hood's five founding board
members, and under his leadership, the organization has raised more than $1.1
billion to fight poverty in New York City. Previously, he served as Special
Assistant to the President of the Board of Education of the City of New
York.
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Dennis M. Walcott is Deputy Mayor
for Education and Community Development. He oversees and coordinates the
operations of the Department of Education, the New York City Housing
Authority, the Department of Youth and Community Development, the Mayor's
Office of Adult Education, as well as reviews the activities of the New York
City School Construction Authority, City University of New York, and the City
University Construction Fund. Deputy Mayor Walcott is also responsible for
collaborating with community-based organizations citywide and coordinating
policies concerning youth programs and adult education. Previously, he was
President and CEO of the New York Urban League. He served on the board of the
former Governors Island Preservation and Education
Corporation.
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Carl Weisbrod is President of the
Real Estate Division for Trinity Church and Executive Vice-President of
Trinity Church-St. Paul's Chapel, an Episcopal parish. He manages and develops
Trinity's real estate holdings in Manhattan, which total approximately six
million square feet across 28 sites. Previously, he was the founding President
of the Alliance for Downtown New York, Executive Director of the New York City
Planning Commission, President of the 42nd Street Development Project and
President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
Designee of Governor Paterson:
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Jeffrey Lynford is Co-managing
Member of Wellsford Strategic Partners LLC, a private equity investment firm,
and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Reis, Inc., an internet-based
business information firm that provides real estate data and analytics to
commercial and investment banks and other financial institutions. He is the
Vice Chair of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and the Global
Heritage Fund, a trustee of New York University and Lynford Family Charitable
Trust, and a member of the New York State Council on the Arts.
Designee of Assembly Speaker Silver:
Designee of State Senator Squadron:
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Mark Costello is a lawyer and is
currently an Adjunct Instructor of Legal Writing and Appellate Advocacy at
Fordham University Law School. Previously, he served as an Assistant U.S.
Attorney in the District of New Jersey. Costello is a member of Manhattan
Community Board 1 and the Downtown Manhattan Little League.
Designee of Manhattan Community Board 1
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Julie Menin is Chair of Manhattan
Community Board 1, a position she has held since 2005. She has worked on
numerous land use and zoning issues and has spearheaded a successful campaign
to build new schools in Lower Manhattan, including New York's first "green"
school. Previously, she was a regulatory attorney. She currently serves on
seven government and civic boards including the Municipal Art Society, the
Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and Citizens Union.
Governors Island is one of the nine waterfront
destinations that comprise NYHarborWay, an initiative of the Bloomberg
Administration to make the New York Harbor a major recreational destination for
New Yorkers and visitors. Spearheaded by NYC & Company, the initiative
eventually will connect the nine major waterfront points of interest by ferry or
bike greenways. In addition, NYHarborWay will develop a cohesive programming,
marketing and communications platform which will drive visitation to the nine
waterfront sites. In addition to Governors Island, the destinations are Brooklyn
Bridge Park, Hudson River Park, The Battery, Ellis Island, Statue Liberty
Island, Atlantic Basin, the East River Esplanade and Liberty State
Park.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Stu Loeser/Andrew Brent
(212) 788-2958
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