Mayor's Only Waterfront Initiative in First Term,
Restricts Access to Waterfront.
Restricts Access to Waterfront.
It has been one year since Mayor Hallenbeck evicted the members of the Fugary Boat Club in the dead of night with a S.W.A.T. team. Since then, the North Bay has been surrounded by fencing and police tape.
From a Register-Star article this week marking the one year anniversary.
Asked what plans the city has for the property after it’s been vacant a year, Hallenbeck said a committee had been formed.
“It’s in the Common Council’s hands to determine what the schedule will be,” he said. “I brought to their attention that the council should act expeditiously to save a couple of the shacks for historic purposes, to remember the historic significance of the shacks. They are still out, considering that at this time.”However, there is no public record indicating the formation of such a Committee, or a list of individuals on said Committee, nor records of when this supposed Committee has met. Shouldn't a Committee formed to help solve one of the more controversial moves made by the Mayor, be a public affair, with open meetings?
While the Mayor tries to deflect responsibility for limiting Waterfront access instead of expanding it, the fact remains that the Mayor has not put forward one proposal in the 1 1/2 years he has served as Mayor, which would enhance or expand the public's access to the river. Not one.
The Mayor made the decision to evict the people who had used the shacks for decades. But failed to champion or steer a plan for the area after the eviction. The Mayor sets the agenda for Hudson, but there seems to be no agenda and no plan for our Waterfront. If the Mayor truly has a vision for the city, he should bring it forward.
The place he should start is the North Bay. Secure the buildings and any dangerous walkways, take down the fencing and reopen access to the river and the North Bay for everyone now.
