Saturday, October 13, 2007

Mike Luvs Govs Idea

By MAGGIE HABERMAN
October 13, 2007 -- Mayor Bloomberg yesterday revealed he's considering a new plan for the long-dormant Governors Island - a public health institute bankrolled by his private foundation that would be a draw for experts around the globe.

On his weekly WABC radio show, Bloomberg said it would "really put Governors Island on the map."

He estimated it would require about $100 million to fix up the landmarked buildings and then $20 million to $30 million a year to maintain it.

He acknowledged there would have to be a public process to award it to his own foundation, although he said that past requests for proposals yielded nothing appropriate.

A spokeswoman for the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corp., the entity that oversees the land, said it would be "well-suited" for a health center, and they'd be happy to meet with Bloomberg foundation officials.


Privatizing yet another city-owned island, eh?

Photo from Columbia University

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gee.....just a drop in the bucket
from Mike's private foundation could buy
Maspeth's most important historic
(though refused to be landmarked by the LPC)
St. Saviour's site !

What was the asking price from the developer........
wasn't it just a paultry $10,000,000 ?

Anonymous said...

turn the island into a penal colony for developers to be exiled to.

David M. Quintana said...

Mayor Bloomberg in his first campaign for Mayor six years ago promised that a much needed NYC High School campus would be built on Governors Island...

Recently, I was fortunate enough to take a tour of the island as a member of an independent NYC Public School Student parent's committee..the purpose was to observe possible site locations on the island for a school...

The island would be a great place for a school...it's a 3 minute ferry ride from Manhattan...the island would give NYC kids a real sense of the history of NYC...the spectacular views of downtown Manhattan would definitely inspire our students and aspire them to new heights...

This article and others makes it clear to me that this is no longer being considered by the Mayor and Chancellor Joel Klein now...

I now chalk this up as yet another broken promise to NYC public school students and their middle class parents from our mendacious billionaire mayor...

verdi said...

Nah....Ken....it's better than what they deserve.
The old French penal colony on Devil's Island
is much more suitable!

Anonymous said...

lol. I remember the place vividly from Papillion, especially the huge stinging centipedes that fell onto the prisoners from above. Wouldn't developers just love that, hee hee.