This is an important meeting here in Manhattan regarding the issue of paddling access to the Hudson between the Battery and 59th Street. I urge all who can to attend. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." -----------------------------------------------------------------------
attached mail follows:
Sorry to be this late with this:
I am contacting you because you used the Downtown Boathouse to access the
river last year. Our objective at the boathouse is to create legal public
access to the river by getting people onto the river so they can see for
themselves the possible recreation there.
Legislation is being brought forward for the Hudson River Park which we feel
threatens future legal public access to the river.
The Gottfried-Leichter bill has come forward with support from many quarters,
but this support has come with a price. The public’s explicit right to access
the water seems to be part of that price.
We have been told that is just an oversight and that if there seems to be
enough public interest it will be corrected.
The Gottfried-Leichter bill can be fixed, but people must come forward now
and tell Assemblyman Gottfried and Senator Leichter that they want a public
park with a public waterfront.
You can do this Thursday night at the Community Board 2 meeting, 6:30 PM,
Cronin Auditorium, St. Vincent’s Hospital. Enter on West 12th Street just
East of 7th Ave. Sign up to speak for Public Access. You may be told that
you must be either for or against the bill. But the Board will be given an
amendment to add public access when they discuss the bill after the public
testimony. The sign up period will end at 7:30.
One speaker in five will be selected to actually speak, but the total number
of people to come and sign up will be the strongest argument.
There has been much controversy and many changes to this bill. There will be
more changes before it becomes law, if it ever does.
We feel that our legislators must be told that this or any other law must
provide explicitly the right of public access onto the water.
Jim Wetteroth
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