The City needs more facilities for recreation and Ferry Point Park one of the largest pieces of vacant parkland in New York City is a terrific piece of property well suited for a golf course, said Mayor Bloomberg. Leaving this land fallow doesnt serve anyone. Instead, the City will hire a team to design and construct the course on top of the foundation already in place. This will cost less than other alternatives, and once the course is built, the City will collect revenue from the operator, over time recouping our investment.

I commend Mayor Bloomberg for taking this action to bring this world-class facility to the Bronx, said Comptroller Thompson. Our collective hope is that this land will become a recreational destination for not just residents of the Bronx, but for all New Yorkers. As my office has done over the last several years, we will continue to monitor the progress of any work at this site.

The process announced today, awarding separate RFPs for a designer and an operator of a golf course, has been successfully used by the City in the past for projects that involve large capital expenditures. Once the designer has been selected and construction is underway, the course operator will be selected and asked to make a capital investment, such as the construction of a clubhouse and restaurant. Most of the Citys golf courses operate on this model, and City courses and driving ranges generated $8.4 million in revenue last fiscal year, an amount that has nearly doubled compared to six years ago.

Ferry Point Park, built upon a discontinued landfill, is near the Whitestone Bridge and bounded by the Hutchison River Parkway, the East River, Schley Avenue, Emerson Avenue and Balcon Avenue. The City will continue remediation efforts in accordance with its existing permit from the State Department of Environmental Conservation. The site features impressive views of the East River, Manhattan skyline, and of the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges. In addition to the golf course, Ferry Point will include two parks currently being designed with community input. A new 7-acre community park will include a little league and a junior baseball field, basketball courts, a play area for children and a pedestrian trail. Construction on the community park is expected to begin in the Summer of 2008 and be completed in the Summer of 2009. A separate 20-acre waterfront promenade will convert undeveloped parkland into a waterfront park with views of the Long Island Sound, paths with seating, educational signage and access to the water.

For more information or a copy of the RFP, visit here.

"With its action today, the FCRC has allowed Parks to restart the phased development of Ferry Point Park in the Bronx," said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "We look forward to providing a premier golf course and two new public parks to realize the long-envisioned plans for this new park development."

The Parks Department will begin designing and developing two new parks at Ferry Point to open in 2009. The first phase will include a 7.5-acre community park on the eastern end of Ferry Point Park that will likely include a new ball field, tot lot, playground, basketball court and nature trail. Next, Parks will develop a 19-acre waterfront park on the southern edge of the property that will feature a promenade with breathtaking views of the East River, city skylines and the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges.

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The event took place just nine days after the World Cup championships so the enthusiasm for soccer was high. The Eastern New York Soccer Association played a key role in obtaining the grants from the United States Soccer Foundation by appealing to organization on behalf of FMCP and Parks. The U.S. Soccer Foundation aims to enhance, assist, and grow the sport of soccer in the United States.

There are six soccer fields in FMCO and three new ones to begin construction this fall. Over 2,000 kids with World Cup dreams will benefit from the new fields and the $91,000 which will be used for soccer programming. Park officials will look at the needs of FMCP soccer and determine exactly where the funds should be distributed.

Commissioner Benepe said "Soccer is a great way to stay healthy and fit. We believe that the healthy behaviors we teach our children will have a tremendous impact on their adult lives." About 30 children from the MetroKids Soccer League in there bright red uniforms posed for pictures before they took off onto the field, dribbling the ball and passing it back and forth. Even on a hot and humid day, the kids had lots of energy, demonstrating the positive effects of sports such as soccer. Park patrons can play a host of other sports in the Queens park, including tennis, volleyball, and basketball, all overseen by Miguel Cueller, the Sports Coordinator of FMCP.

Shortly after taking office, Mayor Bloomberg announced his support for plans creating a greenway ringing the 36-mile perimeter of Manhattan. Ultimately, Parks goal is to reclaim the citys waterfront for public use to develop 350 miles of greenways free from vehicular traffic to walk, run, skate, bike, or just sit and enjoy the view across all five boroughs. Senator Charles Schumer recently pledged funds to finance projects that will bridge a critical gap in Lower Manhattan, a space stretching from East River Park along FDR Drive around the tip of the island to The Battery. The greenway project in Manhattan is moving closer to completion by the day.

Now the Bronx is reaching for the same goal. At a press conference held by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Erin Crotty on July 12, Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined State Senator Pedro Espada and representatives from the New York State Department of Transportation, the Bronx River Alliance, and the Trust For Public Land to announce the acquisition of a small strip of land adjacent to Soundview Park in the Bronx. Although it might not look like much in terms of acreage, the land represents another step that the City, State, and Bronx River Alliance partners have taken toward their goal of completing the Bronx River Greenway.

The Greenway is currently seven miles long, stretching from the City's border with Westchester County to Soundview Park. Another eight miles of greenway stretches from Soundview Park to Ferry Point Park. Parks is currently working on a 4-mile portion of the Hutchinson River Greenway using funds obtained through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) which will connect these paths to the Mosholu-Pelham Greenway at Pelham Parkway, creating a direct connection from this park to the citys largest, Pelham Bay Park. This project will create a consistent loop of greenway reaching from Ferry Point Park to Pelham Bay an outstanding improvement on existent waterfront greenspace.

"With silent lips. Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

(July 22, 18491887)

The sediment will travel through 3,800 feet of aboveground pipe to the Parade Grounds 1.4 miles away and will not interrupt any of the walkways or cross-country trails. Nearly 50,000 cubic yards of sediment are expected to travel that route.

The project is being funded with $8.8 million from the Department of Environmental Protection and funds from the Intermodal Surface Transit Enhancement Act. It will include not only the dredging and field reconstruction, but also an extension of the Mosholu Greenway such that the trail leads directly into the park. The design for the dredging was named Project of the Week by Capital Projects the week of December 4, 2000. On October 22, 2001, work began. In this exciting reconstruction, Parks employs new, environmentally responsible technology and common sense re-use of materials. Wait till you see it when its finished.

June (Mainland) Eisland, Council Member; State Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz; Commissioner Henry J. (StarQuest) Stern; Bill (Zorro) Castro, Bronx Borough Commissioner; Mary (Catalyst) Pazan, Chief of Management Services; Linda (Hickory) Dockeray, Van Cortlandt and Pelham Bay Park Administrator; Warren Kurtz, Deputy Director of Facilities, Planning at DEP; Jane (Catskill) Sokolow, Member of the Board of the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park; Mike Browne, Deputy Director of Design; and Steven DesNoyer, Project Manager were among those who assembled at the lakeside to flip the switch and start the dredging.

Golf has come of age in New York City and in the Bronx, and the Pelham Golf Course, a founding father, continues to flourish. On October 24, 2001 Parkies and friends wished this remarkable course a happy 100^th birthday.

When it opened, the Pelham Golf Course was one of the first public golf courses in the country. The Van Cortlandt Golf Course, established six years earlier, was the first. These facilities helped alter the role of golf in New York City from an elite sport played only on private grounds to an accessible activity that can be enjoyed on public property. For the last two summers, Parks and the City Parks Foundation have administered free golf camps in which PGA professionals lead golf instruction at neighborhood parks in every borough. Through these camps, lessons and equipment were provided for thousands of New York City children.

Today, New York Citys twelve golf courses are receiving renovations that total $26 million. New irrigation systems, including 14 miles of pipe, are being added to every course. Revenue is now building a $35 million course in the Bronxs Ferry Point Park. The 18-hole course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, will feature a driving range, a catering hall, and a restaurant, too.