A group of citizens will protest sale of Governors Island to the highest bidder for fear of improper development.
A flotilla of an estimated 1,000 vessels of all sizes will attempt to call attention to the sale of Governors Island in New York City to the highest bidder. Organized by the Governors Island Group and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, Governors Island for the People! will converge at Governors Island on June 2, "celýbrating the National Monument and dramatizing the urgency of action needed to save the rest of the island." Twenty acres of the island were designated as a National Monument by President Clinton in the final days of his Administration. Much of the remaýning 150 acres could be cleared for private development, according to the group, as proposed by Congress. The group supports a plan that was scrapped for funding reasons that would advance public uses, like a waterfront park and use of the historic buildings for educational and cultural programs. Congress recently opposed returning Governors to the State of New York for the sum of $1 to pursue these potential options. The flotilla will be led by the Hudson River sloop Clearwater, the historic fireboat John J. Harvey, and Riverkeeper. Visit www.reclaimgovernorsisland.org for more information.
