His bid for HRP NID
To The Editor,
I am a residential property owner in Chelsea and a board member of the Caledonia. I am writing to support the proposed Hudson River Park Neighborhood Improvement District (NID). The Park is a significant neighborhood asset for all of us to enjoy: for exercise, play or relaxation. It is important to quality of life and neighborhood values, and I want to make sure it is maintained.
Many people in the neighborhood do not realize that Hudson River Park is neither a city nor state park, and receives no government money for its operations and maintenance. I have become aware of its serious financial situation and believe something must be done to help immediately. None of us want a park with deferred maintenance and the inevitable deterioration of conditions and safety.
The proposed NID is a creative solution to a very serious problem and I feel the assessment is fair, and relatively modest — a good investment in our quality of life in Chelsea and the surrounding area.
I am also very pleased that the NID proposal includes projects in our neighborhood and adjacent ones. These include the maintenance of the 9A (West Side Highway) landscaping. The medians and bikeway are seen by thousands every day and are the face to the world of our neighborhood. It pained me to see how decrepit they looked this year. In contrast to previous years there were weeds six feet high and uncollected trash everywhere. The HRP NID will maintain this corridor so that it is the beautiful park boulevard it was intended to be.
I am a gardener and I know it’s hard or impossible to bring a garden back once maintenance has been ignored or deferred too long. With the Hudson River Park the hard work is done already. The park EXISTS. It is beautiful and just needs to be maintained. The people living around Central Park know how important their park’s maintenance is to their quality of life and property values. We have the same type of asset on our shores. Please, let’s make sure we support the Hudson River Park Neighborhood Improvement District so we don’t lose our Park!
Adam Derrick
