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for larger version       Ads have a Patent Pending. Click Here for More Information Major Changes Proposed For Gateway
In May, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the organization running the competition to redesign the park, issued a report that said that Gateway was in poor condition, receiving a rating of 53 out of a possible 100, the lowest rating of the 27 other national parks rated recently by the association. According to that report, when Gateway was created 34 years ago, more than $92 million was authorized for its restoration, but none of those funds were ever appropriated. In January, with funds from several large philanthropic corporations such as Tiffany & Co., the organization launched the competition that was whittled down to five finalists this week.
That prize went to Ashley Scott Kelly and Rikako Wakabayashi for "Mapping the Ecotone." According to the NPCA, the winning design "creates a microcosm of shifting habitats and landforms to capture the diversity of Gateway's 'ecotones,' or zones of ecological tension. The design suggests forming a new park at Floyd Bennett Field that would dramatically reintroduce water into the site by creating a new series of jetties and piers that would bring park visitors into direct contact with marshlands, tides and fluctuating sea levels and educate visitors about the tension that occurs when ecological and human environments intersect."
There were several honorable mentions, as well. All of the designs are posted at www.npca.org/gateway and the public is invited to visit the site and vote for their favorite design. "The designers have had their shot, the jury has narrowed the field and now it is up to the American public to vote. We need public input on which designs and ideas should be chosen to make Gateway an iconic national park," said Alexander Brash, the NAPC's regional director. "We hope that a transparent process, followed by extensive public input, will engage New Yorkers, regional residents and all Americans to ponder the park as it is, consider what it might be, and encourage our elected officials to support a new vision for Gateway." The support of public officials such as Congressman Anthony Weiner, is critical to the design plan, because there is no obligation for National Park officials to accept or implement the plan.
Sullivan added, "We appreciate all the NPCA and their supporters have done to generate new ideas about Gateway and its important role as the nation's first urban National Park." All of the plans for the park include ecological education and experimentation as well as recreation. Portions of the park such as Fort Tilden, Riis Park, the Wildlife Refuge and Floyd Bennett Field, have long been thought of as local venues by Rockaway residents and local arts organizations who use the park as a headquarters.
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