High Line Blog

 

 

Working with our volunteers is one of my favorite parts of my job.  Friends of the High Line has about 115 active volunteers, all of them dynamic individuals who care about the future of New York City.

Last month, we held a volunteer orientation for current and prospective volunteers at the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea.  The beginning of the year is a good time to bring everyone together for an update on where we are in the construction process, as well as give a heads-up as to what events and projects are coming down the pike in 2008.  There are lots of ways to get involved, including staffing special events, working in our office helping to get out big mailings, or serving as a volunteer docent on the High Line during openhousenewyork.  And with the High Line's opening scheduled to take place before the end of the year, there will be a huge need for volunteer support going forward.

If you're interested in becoming a Friends of the High Line volunteer, please e-mail volunteer@thehighline.org.

More photos of our awesome volunteers in action after the jump.

Unsurprisingly in the wake of the subprime crisis and general market shakiness, much of the Rail Yards dialogue has turned away from design and towards financials.

Of course, guessing is a bit tough, given the MTA's refusal to make the financial bids public (which the HYCAC called for as part of its summary of top community concerns).

Background on the financial situations of each of the developers has led to a lot of speculation over which one would be the surest bet for the MTA, an agency that knows its way around fiscal headache.

A Crain's editorial recently endorsed Related and Tishman Speyer for the site, pointing to anchor tenants to add heft to the deal:
"There are no more resourceful, experienced or financially solid real estate companies in New York. Their tenants, News Corp. for Related, and Morgan Stanley for Tishman, offer a strong likelihood the project will get off the ground."
The Crain's site is for subscribers only, but the complete editorial is after the jump.

The MTA still plans to announce a decision by the end of March.

Become a Friend of the High Line and receive our e-mail newsletter now. It's the best way to stay up to date on everything that's happening with Friends of the High Line and the High Line project. You'll receive breaking news, invitations to great events, announcements about volunteer opportunities, and other items of interest to the greater High Line community. Many important announcements are only made via the e-mail newsletter, you won't hear about them in any other way.