Groundbreaking for the Four Freedoms Park accessibility makeover finally kicked in after dodging late winter weather delays. Crews are now racing to meet a summer deadline for reopening.
Stairs and lawn area fenced off for lift construction on the east side.
New York State Parks, overseeing construction, vows completing the project by summer, although off to a slow start. Snow and rain delayed work for two weeks.
Four Freedoms Park Conservancy plans kicking off a slate of activities as soon as construction and post COVID reopening rules allow.
Just down the road, RIOC has completed work on the FDR Hope Memorial, but coronavirus limitations prevent an official opening.
With a plan finally close to approval for securing the Smallpox Hospital ruins, a corridor of historic sites is taking shape.
After years of fits and starts, the FDR Hope Memorial in Southpoint got a jump start when RIOC agreed to take responsibility for funding and completion. Coupled with the Four Freedoms Park accessibility makeover, it creates a gateway for visitors.
Once the sculptures are unveiled, the memorial will become a destination in its own right.
Staging area for wok on the Four Freedoms Park accessibility makeover.
On a sunny afternoon, last week, a crew was at work, setting up a foundation for a lift that will ease entry to the meadow for physically challenged visitors.
With accessibility awareness heightened decades after Lewis Kahn designed Four Freedoms Park, the the space evolves into the 21st Century.
Christina Veiga, Chalkbeat New York Apr 8, 5:52pm EDT This story was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Sign up for their newsletters here: ckbe.at/newsletters davidstone1313 See author's posts
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