Dear Boathouse Volunteer.


Thanks for all those who signed-up for the Paddlesport Show
in NJ. We only get a few free tickets, and might have to pay for
the others, so if you decide you can't make it, be sure to let
us know.
The details, and directions are here:
http://www.jerseypaddler.com/paddlesport/index.html

Jim Wetteroth, our president, made a presentation to the Community
Board about the HRPT design for the new boathouse at Pier 26.
We have a number of changes and improvements we would like the
Park to make to save costs, make the boathouse work better, and
be a better facility for everyone.

One of our volunteers found this mock-up of the design on the web:
http://www.wystudio.com/hrpt/hudsonriver.htm

Jim's written testimony is below:
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Comments on the Hudson River Park Trust.s Final Design
for the Boathouse on Pier 26

Meeting of Community Board 1 Pier 26 Committee
February 21, 2007

In the Hudson River Park Act, Pier 26 is designated as a Park use,
non-revenue generating. pier for public recreational access. The
Final Design (.the Design.) for the Cafe & Boathouse facility at
Pier 26 delivered to Community Board 1 consists of a boathouse with
a plan area of approximately 5,000 square feet and a restaurant of
10,000 square feet, including its (exclusive) outside tables, and
the overlook, which, with its elevators, and elaborate construction,
is the most expensive item in both the proposed construction and the
long-term maintenance. This is clearly a revenue-generating,
destination restaurant. in direct contravention of the legislation,
and the expressed request of the community for ancillary food service,
only, at this location. The restaurant should be replaced with a
variety of food carts and a picnic area or eliminated in light of
the snack bar proposed for Pier 25.


In addition to the disproportion of space allocated to the boathouse
as against the restaurant, the footprint of the boathouse itself is
30% smaller than the original Boathouse. Given the growing popularity
of this form of recreation, the footprint of the new boathouse should
increase, rather than decrease, by 30%.

The boathouse is intended to house boats and equipment to afford to the
public access to the 80% of this park that is water, as well as the
public trust that is New York Harbor. This human-powered boating
brings its participants into a closer contact with our environment,
and a building intended to support this activity should not insult
that environment.

Materials used to construct this building should be durable and
suit its purpose, and withstand the conditions the building will
endure over its proposed, minimum fifty-year, lifespan. Systems
within the building should also reflect an awareness of this
lifespan and growing purpose. The boathouse should be built to serve
its purpose: supporting responsible public access to our public waterways.
The construction as drawn seems needlessly complex for a seasonal
storage building, while the exterior materials proposed are susceptible
to corrosion in this semi-marine environment; moreover, the interior
is likely to make the structure a total loss in the event of almost
any fire.

The roof should be configured to allow for solar collectors because,
as a public entity, the Trust should display leadership in responsible
energy use. The roof should extend as far as practical to the North to
provide some shade for the participants in the public boating program.

The dimensions set forth in this design of the boathouse are inadequate
for the storage and movement of kayaks averaging 16ft, the most common
length used in the River. The designers have drawn a boathouse full of
14ft boats, in an area which only marginally works for even 14ft, or
shorter boats. The former Boathouse was 52ft wide and allowed the
double-row storage of full-size boats, while the new boathouse, as
drawn, is 43ft wide and will not.

There is no indication of the width of the promenade on the north and
west sides of the boathouse, but this space will be critical to the
operation of our free public programs. It is difficult to judge the
adequacy of the promenades for foot traffic without their dimensions
and those of the pier itself.

The main door does not line up with the head of the ramp to the dock.
Since it will be impossible for any door in the west side to line up
with the ramp, a larger door should be located where the outdoor
showers and lockers are now indicated.

The lockers and a hose should be moved to where the office is now
located, eliminating the outside showers. The office should be
moved to where the toilets and showers are now proposed, and these
should be eliminated. The public restrooms which were formerly
adjacent to the estuarium should be replaced. Eliminating the complex
plumbing associated with the toilets and showers will allow draining
the building in winter instead of heating it. Heating the boathouse
over the winter is an unnecessary operational expense.

We believe in light of the above that the design requirements should be
revisited and the proposed construction redrawn to more properly meet them.

Other aspects of the Design work counter to the efficient operation of
a volunteer-run public facility that will provide public access to
hand-powered boating. The Design should be improved in the
following ways:
- the boathouse should be a fireproof structure;
-it should function simply as a warehouse for boats, and in that
regard, should be configured to enhance the perception of the
public versus the private area, such that public activity is
focused in one area and the facility can be operated with a
minimum of volunteers;
- showers should not be enclosed, and should consist of simple
spray nozzles;
- toilet facilities should be relocated outside of the boathouse and
over or near sewerage lines;
- shaded areas should to the extent possible be incorporated into the
Design;
- and the office booth where the public will be received should be
eliminated.

The Downtown Boathouse urges reconsideration and a redrawing of the
Design that will result in the construction of a less costly, permanent,
more efficient and more welcoming facility.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You are receiving this email because you asked to be placed on the
email mailing list for the Downtown Boathouse. If you no longer wish to
receive these emails please send a note to volunteer@...

Tim Gamble