The High Line's best Use?

If any of you have ever been along the West Side of Manhattan between 14th & 30th Street, you may have walked under a tressle and not thought much of it. Queens and Brooklyn residents certainly wouldn't. Well, that tressel is for train tracks of the old High Line that used to transport freight along 1.6 miles of track.

On August 4, Sen. Hillary Clinton joined Rep Jerrold Nadler in pushing for federal funding to convert the strip of elevated rail into a Park.

There's been a major movement to prevent the demolition of the tressel and convert it all into a Park. The organization, Friends of the High Line was organized to do just that. This is a great idea and I am open to creating as much park space on this rock known as Manhattan, but has it ever been suggested to renovate the elvated track into an Air Tram?

There's been much talk about extending the No. 7 train from 42nd St down along the West Side and terminate where a sports facility would be constructed over the Pennsylvania rail yard. But that's roughly down to 32nd Street. What about a train extending further down? Politicians say they want to develop the West Side of Manhattan and make it easily accesible, but what are they really doing to provide such accessibility?

It appears we are getting pieces from our politicians that simply do not fit together. Let's do this, then do this, then do this. Use tax payers money and not have anything make sense. In the end, someone will say, "I regret we didn't consider utilizing what we had and done it this way." But I'm just bloggin here and not at any of these meetings, so who am I to say my thoughts on this issue haven't been suggested.

Here are my proposals on the High Line use.

1. Renovate the High Line into an Air Tram that runs from Ganesvoort St & Ninth Ave up along the existing track to Eleventh Ave & 30th St and the Jacob Javits Center. This would improve West Side commuting and do it in a way that provides beautiful scenary of our piers and the Hudson River.

2. Renovate the High Line into a promenade as suggested, but secure funds to extend the L Train under 14th Street to reach 10th Avenue, then dig a track underground running up 10th Ave to connect to the proposed No. 7 line extension. You have to have a transfer point for the 7 extension. It would be useless to have a track terminate in the middle of the West Side without a connection point.

Where are our councilors on this? The High Line is something our city government should be talking to the people about. Wouldn't you feel more connected with your City Council if they discussed matters such as the High Line, instead of passing legislation that has nothing to do with City legislating?

If you live in Manhattan, remember your Councilor is a Democrat. Rather than finding out if you want the High Line as a Park or an Air Tram, they pass Resolutions that mean nothing, do nothing. They punch the clock in the morning, earn a salary paid by our tax dollars, pass Resolutions and then punch out at the end of the day. Not one Republican candidate campaigns on passing useless Resolutions lke the above. They are running issues campaigns and want to work with the communities on issues like the High Line. And keep your taxes down. So remember this when you vote in November.