City in NY uncovering buried river for new park

Deseret News ^ | Nov. 13, 2011 | Jim Fitzgerald

[skully]

YONKERS, N.Y. — A struggling city is trying to transform a featureless downtown parking lot into an edenic park, principally by uncovering and rechanneling part of a river that had been paved over for nearly a century.

The "daylighting" of the Saw Mill River in Yonkers involves diverting part of its underground flow into a newly dug riverbed carefully designed to teem with fish and vegetation.

Around it will be a tree- and flower-filled park that officials say will pulse with poetry readings, jazz concerts and sculptures that children can climb. It will be dotted with kiosks offering interactive lessons on the environment and will be brightly lit to encourage nighttime use.

[StAnDeliver]

"Saunta Williams, 52, who has custody of four grandchildren, looked at a rendering of the park-to-be last week. "It's beautiful," she said, "but it won't help the poor."

Oh, I dunno, they could Occupy it as soon as it's finished...

[maine-iac7]

wouldn’t help the poor?

Guess not - unless they want to work.

Ever been to the River Walk in San Antonio. It’s beautiful. and because it is, it brings a steady stream of tourists - that leaves lots of money in all the shops, restaurants and such.

And all those shops and restaurants EMPLOY people. And then there’s the grounds to maintain, etc..

click through

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-471&sz=all&va=river+walk+san+antonio

[SES1066]

Saunta Williams, 52, who has custody of four grandchildren, looked at a rendering of the park-to-be last week.

"It's beautiful," she said, "but it won't help the poor."

I'd like to ask Ms Williams about where her children are who have left her custodian of 4 grand-kids! Does she have a husband or is she the earlier generation of welfare single mothers? Stopping poverty STARTS with individual choices, not government handouts!

[COBOL2Java]

I feel sorry for all these old, dying upstate towns.

I hear ya, but I don't think Yonkers could be considered as "upstate"...

[Mears]

Thank you Buddy Cianci. :-)

[okie01]

Ever been to the River Walk in San Antonio.

Live in Texas. My daughter and her family live in San Antonio. I love the Riverwalk.

[RedMDer]

[Verginius Rufus]

Likewise I have a hard time considering suburbs of New York City as "upstate." I had a great-aunt who referred to her nephew who lived in Bronxville, NY, which is also in Westchester Co., as living in "upstate New York." She had lived in New York City for a while, decades earlier, so perhaps she was reflecting an attitude of that period.

I had an ancestor who lived in Westchester County but had the good sense to high-tail it out of there and move to Virginia. That was in the 1780s so he died before I was born and I never had the chance to ask him if he thought of Westchester Co. as "upstate."

[Verginius Rufus]

A couple of days ago there was a thread about “recently retired porn star” Sasha Grey wanting to read books to children. Maybe Yonkers can invite her to come do poetry readings at the park.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I read about that Sasha Grey event.

I read an article, in which the writer sounded liberal, saying that we should be tolerant of her, put the past behind us since she’s “retired” from that business. And anyway, said the writer, elementary age kids wouldn’t know who she is anyway.

I wonder what that same liberal sounding writer would think of a Catholic priest coming to school to read to the kids. How tolerant would liberals be of someone with that background reading to the kids. But the porn star thing is okay, gotta be liberal about that.

[COBOL2Java]

I had a great-aunt who referred to her nephew who lived in Bronxville, NY, which is also in Westchester Co., as living in "upstate New York." She had lived in New York City for a while, decades earlier, so perhaps she was reflecting an attitude of that period.

Same with a friend of mine from Tarrytown. He always told us he lived "upstate".