The City of New York is only REQUIRED to fund 20% of a 1,450,000 Federal Earmark to improve a bucolic and historic nature trail in Van Cortlandt Park.
NYC Parks plans to pave the Putnam nature trail with asphalt and increase the width from 8ft to 15ft. Because of the excessive and irresponsible proposal by NYC Parks Dept. the proposed costs of this project have gone from $1,740,000 up to $2,419,000.
Guess who has to pay for this added cost of asphalt pavement and excessive 15ft width? You, the NYC taxpayer! You have to pay an extra $679,000 so that the NYC Parks Dept can pave asphalt and double the width of a historic nature trail in Van Cortlandt Park.
Mayor Bloomberg is only required by the federal government to fund (20% of $1,450,000) $290,000 for the Putnam Trail improvements but the City has now allocated a total of $969,000 towards paving and widening the Putnam Trail!
The NYC Parks Department plans on using a $500,000 Federal Earmark secured in 2005 by Congressman Eliot Engel and a $950,000 Federal Earmark secured by Congressman Anthony Weiner to fund this project. Mayor Bloomberg has also committed an additional $969,000 directly from NYC taxpayers for this project. The total cost of NYC Parks current proposal will be at least $2,419,000.
Please tell the Mayor and the NYC Parks Dept. to stop the madness! Keep the Putnam trail at an 8ft width and to resurface it with stone dust NOT asphalt pavement! Our tax money should be spent to keep teachers, firefighters and police; and not be wasted on paving asphalt on a historic nature trail!
Here is the contact info for:
Mayor Bloomberg http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html