Celebrate Riverfest all year long

To the editor:

Riverfest 2015 took place in the aftermath of two significant victories for Bronx civic activism:  the reopening of the High Bridge Aqueduct Trail and the announcement of funding for the Van Cortlandt Park pedestrian bridge. Together with Riverfest, they signify a growing borough-wide community-based initiative for recreational access to water and parks.  

Recreational access to water and parkland, we now know, is much more than an amenity. In the 21st century, it has become integral to urban design and urban policy that seeks to enhance health outcomes, quality of life, and community development for all citizens. How long can the Bronx thrive without recreational access to its waterfront? What major city does not have a waterfront access plan for all its waterfronts?

Here in the northwest Bronx, the Hudson River is off limits. But with Riverfest 2015, we celebrate growing and sustainable Greenway community initiatives. Community Board 8’s Special Greenway Committee picked up where 2014’s pro-Greenway resolution left off and spent a fruitful year planning next steps. 

KRVC’s Greenway: Build it Now has become a visible presence throughout our community and a focal point at Riverfest.  And our elected officials are united in their Greenway support, with state Sen. Jeff Klein generously supporting Riverfest’s activities.

We cannot contemplate a Bronx that does not have recreational access to water and parkland for everyone. We cannot be the waterfront community without waterfront access. After having enjoyed Riverfest, think of what your borough deserves, what our fellow citizens need, and what other communities have achieved on behalf of their parks and waterfronts.

Make the Greenway part of your civic life throughout the year. Turn next year’s Riverfest into your check-in.  Stay tuned to Greenway: Build it Now, Friends of Hudson River Greenway and CB 8 and show up at their meetings and events. Impossible things happen when you don’t listen to “no.”

Robert Fanuzzi