.jpg)
Governors Island is a 172 acre island in the heart of New York Harbor, only 800 yards from Lower Manhattan and closer to Brooklyn. For almost 200 years Governors Island was a military base, home to the US Army and later the Coast Guard and was not open to the public. In 2003, the island transferred into public ownership and 150 acres of the island is now managed by the Trust for Governors Island. It is accessible only by ferry from either Battery Park in Lower Manhattan or Brooklyn.
Governors Island attracts summer visitors who come to relax, bike, attend concerts, visit the historic homes and enjoy unique views of the Statue of Liberty, Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
A recently announced Park and Public Space Master Plan will completely transform Governors Island by redeveloping 87 acres of open spaces. Dutch architect Adriaan Geuze and his firm West 8, who won the contract, have spent several years observing the habits of summertime visitors. Their design changes the topography of the southern end of the island, replacing much of the flat landscape with a hilly one that compliments the skyscrapers of Manhattan. The first phase of park construction, which creates a new 30 acre park, including lively plazas, a Hammock Grove, play areas and ball fields cost $70 million. The observations made by the architects will lead to features such as a Hammock Grove full of hammocks, recliners, picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. There will be curved bike paths, designed to prevent bikers from riding too quickly, Frisbee areas and a gathering of food trucks and stands instead of a permanent cafeteria.
Phase I of this project began in March 2012 and is due to be complete in October 2013. Tilcon will be supplying significant amounts of material for the redesign including 250,000 tons of a blend of sand and ¾ inch stone from Clinton Point which will be transported by barge to the island over the course of the year. The general contractor for the project is Turner Construction and the earthwork sub-contractor is D'Onofrio Contracting. Mike DiRenzo, NY Sales, spent over a year working with both contractors to get Tilcon material approved for this project and to secure the order.
In addition, we will be transporting 70,000 tons of engineered topsoil, also required for the earthworks, from our Port Washington terminal to the island. This material is produced by another supplier who is unable to transport it. Mike has worked with the supplier and D'Onofrio to ensure that the material is delivered to Port Washington for us to handle the barge transportation to the island.
In the future, additional phases of the project will be announced and bid. Future phases include a new 2.2 mile Great Promenade along the waterfront and other new areas. We are hopeful that our work to date and during 2012/13 will put us in a strong position to supply additional materials in the future.
Congratulations to Mike for his hard work and success on this project.
For more information on Governors Island please visit the park website at www.govisland.com and to see architectural drawings of how the island will look after the redevelopment, visit www.govislandpark.com.