Coming your way: Governors Island events and meetings in Manhattan and Brooklyn

Posted on November 14, 2008 by Elizabeth

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Even though Governors Island is closed for the season, there is still a lot going on here. The design process for the future Governors Island Park and Great Promenade is underway, and we are updating the public about the Island’s progress and park plan. This week, we visited community board 2 in Brooklyn, community board 3 on the Lower East side, and next week you can see us at community board 1 in Manhattan. Check out our presentations to see for yourselves how the park design process is going and the many ways that the public has given us feedback and ideas so far. We still want your thoughts! Subscribe to our blog to stay informed or send us an email with your ideas.

You can also hear more about the future park and promenande from Adriaan Geuze, principal of West 8. Adriaan will present his work from around the world and his thoughts on these future open spaces in the middle of New York Harbor. Come learn more about their ideas on Tuesday evening at 7 PM in Cooper Union’s Great Hall. Tickets are only $10 and can be purchased here.

Stay updated on all that is happening here. We hope to see you at our public meetings in the next few weeks.

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We Hear You: Park Master Plan Public Outreach Presentations Round 1

Posted on November 10, 2008 by Ellen
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(L-R) Leslie Koch, President of GIPEC; Rob Pirani, Executive Director of GIA; Betty Chen, VP Planning and Design for GIPEC

On Thursday, November 6, 2008, Governors Island Alliance  convened their Advisory Commitee to view the results of GIPEC’s intensive Park Master Planning public outreach. Over the next several weeks, GIPEC and the West 8 Team will be reporting on their public outreach findings and planning progress to neighboring community boards. Take a look at the presentation now available online.

You may remember that in early September we announced that we were kicking off master planning for our new park and Great Promenade. We also promised to offer many many ways for people to give us thier thoughts and feedback. Well, five hands-on mobile workshop sessions, 400-odd photobooth  images, nearly 500 survey responses, and thousands of emotive Post-It notes, later . . . we think we’ve heard you.

You want us to “heighten experience of being in the middle of the harbor, create an “egalitarian playground” with adventures for all ages, and “care for the quiet places.”  And you REALLY want bikes and ice cream.

This series of ”report back” presentations is part of our ongoing dialog with you about the future park, Great Promenade, and historic district landscapes. GIPEC and West 8 will continue to reach out to our community board neighbors, GIA friends, Island visitors, arts and recreation programming partners, and the general public for feedback as the Park Master Plan takes shape. In the meantime, you’re always welcome to send us your comments via this blog or info-gipec@empire.state.ny.us. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

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Artist studios are coming to Governors Island!

Posted on October 28, 2008 by Elizabeth

Last week, we announced that the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) will bring artist studios and exhibition space to Governors Island.They will create studio space for visual and performing artists and program a schedule of exhibitions to draw new and diverse audiences here. They will be housed in Building 110, which you can see here. The Building is located right next to the ferry and provides unparalleled views of Lower Manhattan and New York Harbor.

We are thrilled that LMCC’s programs will bring artists to the Island and create these outstanding programs. It will also mark the first time that people will come to work on the Island each day who do not work for the Island itself. It is another incredible example of how the arts are bringing Governors Island back to life.

LMCC joins the New York Harbor School as the Island’s first tenants. The Harbor School will open in 2010 when 425 New York City public high school students will come to school each day here.

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Governors Island breaks records with number of visitors in 2008!

Posted on October 16, 2008 by Elizabeth

It’s official! Governors Island has ended the season with more visitors than ever. This year, more than 128,000 visitors came to the Island, compared to 56,000 last year and 26,000 the year before. Visitors came to enjoy more than four miles of car-free biking, concerts, performances, exhibitions, tours and more. The Island may now be closed to the public, but there is still a lot happening here. The design process for the future park and promenade got underway, and we want to hear what you think about these new open spaces on Governors Island. Be sure to mark your calendars for May 30, 2009 when we reopen to the public. And in the meantime, subscribe to our blog to get email updates about the design process and what is going on during our off-season. We look forward to seeing you back on the Island soon.

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One more weekend to come out to Governors Island!

Posted on October 9, 2008 by Elizabeth

Don’t be left out of all the Governors Island fun this season! There are still three more days to come out and to the Island. This Friday, come out to enjoy one last day of Free Bike Fridays and borrow a bike for up to one hour entirely for free. From Friday - Sunday, you can rent a bike, or bring your own to enjoy four miles of car-free biking. You can also play a round of free artist designed mini-golf, kayak off one of our piers, see exhibits and more. It is also your last chance to see The New York CIty Waterfalls before it ends next week. So come on down, take the free seven minute ferry and experience all there is to do here before we close this Sunday!

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1000 Days on Governors Island

Posted on September 30, 2008 by Betty


The mobile park planning workshops this weekend were a big hit. They were a great opportunity for people to meet members of the design team and tell them their ideas for activities in the new park and great promenade. Six public workshops drew participants from a range of backgrounds - from people who have been thinking about Governors Island for years, to artists who have recently started mounting work out here, to curious folks for whom this weekend was a first visit.

We started with a tram tour of the Island, with an emphasis on the sites of the future 40-acre park and waterfront Great Promenade. We brought people to the southern part of the Island that is not yet open to the public. There they saw the decrepit barracks and warehouses left by the military, piles of demolition materials that contractors are sorting and recycling for reuse in the new park, majestic allees of London Plane trees, and - most surprising - sweeping harbor vistas and the best view of the Statue of Liberty anywhere. Since most people don’t have a sense of what an “acre” actually looks or feels like, the design team staked out a one-acre area in the future park site with orange construction flags to help people understand the scale of the project. 

After the tours, the participants split into smaller groups and were asked to talk about their first impressions of the South Island site of the new park. People were astonished by the expansive panoramic views and big sky.  They noted the wind and the sensations of being near water and the harbor. 

We then worked together to imagine a wonderful day in the new parks on Governors Island.  We talked about the variety of possible activities, what might you do on GI that you can’t do elsewhere in NYC, what’s the most delightful thing you can imagine doing with your family, your friends, your date?  What does the special setting of GI suggest to you about activities here?  We wove the ideas into storyboards.  Then we asked - What would bring you back again for another memorable day- what would you be doing?  what would you tell your friends to check out? 

We call this exercise “1000 Days on Governors Island” and heard wonderful stories - about family reunions, first dates, kids running free, and days packed with music, movement, good food, and good friends.  Stay tuned - in the coming weeks we will share some of these on the blog.

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Mobile Park Planning Workshops Rain or Shine

Posted on September 25, 2008 by Ellen
Artist Ian Berry re-imagines our gantry as a workshop after a recent visit to Governors Island.

Artist Ian Berry re-imagines our gantry as a workshop after a recent visit to Governors Island. After visiting the South Island site of the future park, particpants of this weekend's workshops will have a chance to re-imagine the space where broken and non-historic warehouses now sit empty. Sadly, our gantries will not be not part of the new park plan.

Governors Island is still lovely in the rain!

The Governors Island Mobile Park Planning Workshops scheduled for this weekend (Sept. 27 and Sept. 28) will be held rain or shine. In the event of rain, we will not lead a tour on bikes, however the tram will still run and there is space on the tram for those who signed up for the bike tour. If you have not signed up to participate, you have until 12 noon tomorrow. Act now!  If you can’t come out this weekend to a workshop, there will be many other ways to particpate. Have you taken our survey yet?

This weekend’s workshops include a bike or tram tour of the site of the future park and promenade, currently off limits to the general public, and a facilitated conversation with the design team about your feedback and impressions. 

The workshops will be offered at 10:15 AM, 12:45 PM and 3:15 PM on both days and will end in time for participants to take the 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM or 5:30 PM ferries, respectively.  Workshops begin in front of Building 110 on Governors Island. The entire workshop, including the tour, will last two hours. Attendance is limited. Members of the public who wish to participate in the workshop must make reservations in advance by emailing ecavanagh (at) empire.state.ny.us.

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The Dutch return to Governors Island

Posted on September 25, 2008 by Elizabeth

The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, accompanied by the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of European Affairs, came to Governors Island on Tuesday to celebrate the Island’s unique connection to their country. Four centuries ago, when the Dutch first settled here, they named the Island ”Nut Island” after its abundant nut trees. During their visit earlier this week, the delegation recognized the Island’s past by planting a new nut tree.

The Dutch are not only connected to the Island’s past however, but also its future. The Dutch firm of West 8 has been selected to lead the team that will design the future Governors Island Park and Great Promenade. The photo above shows Prime Minister Balkenende riding West 8’s concept of what a free bike might look like in the future park.  Free bikes and other ideas will be explored more as the design process continues. Check back here for updates about the park planning process!

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Free Bike and Kite Weekend and the Fun We All Had

Posted on September 22, 2008 by Ellen

This past weekend, Transportation Alternatives  helped us extend the joys of their Free Bike Fridays to Saturday and Sunday, and folks took us up on the offer in droves. Thousands of visitors had the chance to ride bikes from the Bike and Roll bike rental stations for free for up to one hour, and the first 250 visitors to the Island each day were given free kites to fly on the Parade Grounds.

I’m posting some of our photographs of the fun we all had, but you should see what other people see (owls?) and do on the Island, too!




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Help Us Plan the New Park and Great Promenade on Governors Island

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Ellen

We’ve just announced that we’re kicking off the master planning phase for a new park and Great Promenade on Governors Island, and there are so many ways you can follow the process and get involved, both online and in person. This blog, of course, will be one way to keep in touch with us, but we are also conducting a survey, hosting facilitated public workshops, and hosting an interactive exhibition on Governors Island in Building 110.  We’ll be sharing all of your ideas with the design team as they craft the park master plan.

The Governors Island Park and Great Promenade is being designed by an acclaimed team, West 8 / Rogers Marvel Architects / Diller Scofidio + Renfro / SMWM. Over the next several months, Governors Island staff and members of the design team will be meeting with community boards and groups for their feedback as well.

The design team will create a park master plan for three new open spaces on Governors Island: a new 40 acre park on the Island’s southern end, a 2.2 mile Great Promenade around the Island, and rejuvenated areas in the Historic District. The park master plan will be a set of drawings, models and renderings that show the fundamental concepts for the design of the future park. It will illustrate what kinds of activities will take place in the park; the places, elements, and habitats of the park; their relative size, and their general look and feel. You should expect to see a draft of the master plan prior to the 2009 season on Governors Island.

Get Involved!

Picture Yourself on Governors Island (Sept. 20, and Oct. 4, from 12pm-3pm): We’re inviting visitors to the Island to tell us their ideas for our new 40-acre park and Great Promenade and have their picture taken in front of thier favorite conceptual vision for that new park. If you’ve had your photo taken at our photobooth in front of Building 110, visit our flickr page and download your picture!

Mobile Public Planning Workshops (Sept. 27 and Sept. 28): The workshop includes a bike or tram tour of the site of the future park, currently off limits to the general public, and a facilitated conversation with the design team about your feedback and impressions.  

The workshop will be offered at 10:15 AM, 12:45 PM and 3:15 PM on both days and will end in time for participants to take the 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM or 5:30 PM ferries, respectively.  Workshops begin in front of Building 110 on Governors Island. The entire workshop, including the tour, will last two hours. Attendance is limited. Members of the public who wish to participate in the workshop must make reservations in advance by emailing ecavanagh (at) empire.state.ny.us.

Interactive Exhibit (ongoing through Oct. 12): Since the end of May, we’ve been encoraging folks to post their ideas up in an exhibition entitled “What’s Happening on Governors Island” using Post It™ Notes. To make even kids who are too young to write thier thoughts have thier say, we’ve provided rubber stamps of popular activities like bikes and picnic baskets. To date, hundreds have provided their ideas for what they would like to see in the new park.

Stay Involved!

More opportunities for you to give your input will be scheduled over the next several months, and you can stay informed about the park design process by subscribing to www.govislandblog.com and leaving your email address at www.govisland.com.

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