The ramp to the barge, Stad Amsterdam in background, April 2006
Thanks for the link, BlogChelsea!
That meeting, again, is at 5:30 tonight, 8/30, at the Hudson River Park Trust offices. This is an Advisory Council meeting which had been scheduled before all of this blew up - the paddler who works with the Trust as the metropolitan rep for the Hudson River Watertrail Association asked to have the pending events at the barge added to the agenda to allow the people who are affected to at least get some firsthand information. It's just one of a number of agenda items & although the public is welcome to attend, there won't necessarily be a chance to speak. The kayakers who stand to lose our storage have one guy who's going to say a few words; I believe Manhattan Kayak,New York Outrigger, and the New York Kayak Polo Club will also have representatives there. We're all just looking at this as a first step, too - we are not going in there expecting miracles (in fact at this point we'd consider a couple more weeks to figure out where to move our boats a reasonably good miracle), this isn't a meeting where decisions can be made or current plans can be changed.
But at least it's a chance to hear the people in charge's take firsthand. This is especially important to me now that the grapevine I've been stupid enough to trust all along turned out to be totally wrong.
As I said in a comment to Larry of yesterday, "Can't promise excitement or any useful outcome but at least people being there says that people - ordinary people, taxpaying people, voting people, park-using members of the public - care". It just isn't going to be one of those public-commentary type meetings where you can sign up to say your piece.
BTW the shutdown, in and of itself, is absolutely not a surprise. It's the timing - the aforementioned grapevine had spoken of being in place until Fall, and then a brief interruption of water access while the barge was moved to Pier 66A - and the fact that once the barge moves, paddling ends. For those who aren't familiar with the background of the case, here's a writeup I did back in June when there was the big eviction-notice scare.
Man, I hope I am not turning into the frog who cried wolf...
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