Bill Text: NY A00254 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Dedicates and designates Jerome Park as parklands of the city of New York and establishes a working group for such park to enhance the use thereof.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-05-30 - held for consideration in tourism, parks, arts and sports development [A00254 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A00254-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           254
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                     January 5, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
        AN  ACT to dedicate and designate Jerome Park as parkland of the city of
          New York, and to establish a working group for such  park  to  enhance
          use thereof
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Legislative  intent.  The  legislature  hereby  finds  that
     2  Jerome  Park,  located around the Jerome Park reservoir, that is located
     3  in the borough of the Bronx in the city of New York, has been  used  for
     4  numerous  outdoor recreational and open space purposes for over a centu-
     5  ry. Furthermore, such park has the potential to  incorporate  additional
     6  urban  wildlife  sanctuary, outdoor recreational and open space uses for
     7  the betterment of the local community. Through the  auspices  of  master
     8  plans  authorized and approved by the parks and recreation department of
     9  the city of New York and work by community groups  such  as  the  Jerome
    10  Park  Conservancy  and  the Friends of Jerome Park, it is a sound public
    11  policy and community benefit to advance the increased use of Jerome Park
    12  for additional outdoor recreational and open space uses and to integrate
    13  such park functions with the adjacently located Fort Independence  Park.
    14  Going forward, key elements of the future design of the park should help
    15  to  preserve its historic essence, reveal its potential as public space,
    16  and link places and events with the park to the  surrounding  community.
    17  Finally,  such future development of Jerome Park should frame the beauty
    18  of the reservoir with a new layer of landscape and purpose.
    19    § 2. To achieve the legislative intent articulated in section  one  of
    20  this act, all lands that are contained in Jerome Park, which are located
    21  in  or adjacent to block 3246, section 12 of the land map of the borough
    22  of the Bronx, city of New York,  excluding  those  lands  that  are  the
    23  reservoir  itself and lands bordering such reservoir shore line that are
    24  a distance of ten feet from the outside border of such  reservoir  shore
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03437-01-7
        A. 254                              2
     1  line  shall  be  dedicated and designated as parkland of the city of New
     2  York.
     3    §  3.  The borough president of the borough of the Bronx may assist in
     4  convening a working group for Jerome Park that shall consist of communi-
     5  ty stakeholders to establish an action plan  for  Jerome  Park  to  help
     6  foster  increased  outdoor  recreational  uses,  such as hiking, biking,
     7  nature studies, bird  watching  and  other  outdoor  recreational  uses;
     8  enhance  community  enjoyment  of such park; and to preserve and enhance
     9  open spaces contained within the park.  The working group may  identify,
    10  recommend the design of and financing of capital projects to advance the
    11  increased use of Jerome Park for increased outdoor recreational uses and
    12  to  enhance  open spaces. Such capital projects may include, but are not
    13  limited to, walking and bicycle  pathways;  athletic  fields  and  play-
    14  grounds;  basketball  and  handball  courts;  table,  seating and picnic
    15  areas; establishment of vista seating and viewing areas; related parking
    16  areas for bicycles; and nature trails. Membership of such working  group
    17  shall  consist of representatives of local civic and community organiza-
    18  tions, Lehman College, local high schools, the state senator, member  of
    19  assembly  and  city  councilman  representing  senate, assembly and city
    20  council districts in which such park is located, the  parks  and  recre-
    21  ation  department  of  the  city of New York, the department of environ-
    22  mental protection of the city of New York, and other  community  leaders
    23  and stakeholders such as youth, parent and senior citizen organizations.
    24    § 4. The working group for Jerome Park shall issue, on or before Janu-
    25  ary 1, 2019, a report and findings to satisfy its charge to establish an
    26  action plan for Jerome Park to help foster increased outdoor recreation-
    27  al uses and community enjoyment of such park and to preserve and enhance
    28  open spaces contained within the park. Such report and findings shall be
    29  submitted  to  the Bronx borough president, the mayor of the city of New
    30  York, the parks and recreation department of the city of New  York,  and
    31  the  department  of environmental protection of the city of New York and
    32  to the state senator and member of assembly who represent the senate and
    33  assembly districts within which such park is located.
    34    § 5. After the issuance of such  report  and  findings,  such  working
    35  group  shall remain in existence until January 1, 2024 to help implement
    36  such action plan.  During this period of time, the working  group  shall
    37  work with the state and city agencies to implement such action plan.
    38    §  6.  This act shall take effect immediately, except that section two
    39  of this act shall take effect January 1, 2022.