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I don't know how many of you are weighted with the rather intricate. Range whence. Laws practices rules on the which we build these major arteries. A great bridge that you see just beyond us here in the shadow Sam. Would be an impossibility couldn't have been Finance could have been carried forward at all unless the approaches had been provided out of federal and state funds and with City cooperation. There is no US are they are full enough strong enough wealthy enough to build these things without the aid of these other agencies. The federal money. Of the major. Auto race. Is provided on the ninety and Tannen fifty and fifty system is not so mysterious ninety and ten means that they had world government puts up ninety in the ten and the ten comes from the state that means that they contribute equally This is on the ninety and ten system. All of the projects go through the State Superintendent of Public Works. Federal money goes through him yes to get federal consent he asked to get the consent of many local bodies but he is in the media. And for that reason we've asked Birch McMartin the superintendent to come here all this playground as provided by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel and argue comes exclusively on of those boxes of the other rights of way the landscaping. Edition of the work that. We hope to have done on the whole system. Depends on federal and state funds. I'm not going to repeat once in the introduction of my introduction to the program I only want to emphasize at this time the fact that we are celebrating here a practical application of the principle of charging to major auto aerial projects the cost of conservation of open lab. Neighborhood recreation and preservation of scenery. Without further introduction I present. Thanks to Moses. Reverend clergy. Honored guests. And ladies and gentlemen. It is always a pleasure for me to take part in ceremonies involving a public facility. Today my pleasure is even made more keen by the fact that this new Fort Hamilton playground we have source of recreation and relaxation for New Yorkers of all ages from toddlers to our senior citizens the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority deserves a hearty round of applause for its far sighted decision to provide this new park area for the residents of Brooklyn this is in line Moreover with the more recent national emphasis on scenic and recreational developments along our nation's highways whether in open rural areas or here in the world's greatest city. Only a few short years ago part of this area was covered with an attractive wooden building hastily erected during World War One. Today we see a net landscape park with up with four small youngsters ball fields and tennis courts for older children and the benches and chess tables for adults. In place of stark wooden barracks we now have the park's modern and I pleasing recreational building towering over this playground and above us is the awesome facility which in effect father to the Verizon I was now was bridge this park was built on land acquired by the authority from Ford Hamilton whether bridge approach and it is worth underlining the fact that the authorities saw fit. To include this playground and its thinking from the beginning when the bridge was being designed. At Verizon zero Narrows Bridge which which has been open only about seven months is one of the wonders of the world in terms of its size and its service. It is already exceeding expectations in easing and expediting the flow of traffic in the New York metropolitan area we in the State Department of Public Works are proud of our role in designing and supervising the construction of the major expressways linking the bridge with Brooklyn and Staten Island and the areas beyond. Just as this new bridge and its connecting expressways are helping the growth and development of New York City so perhaps a less dramatic but just as real a way this new playground area will help keep the growth and development of our citizens. It is in essence a direct investment and their personal well being. In closing therefore let me offer mother warm congratulations of the entire state Department of Public Works for the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority and its chairman Robert Moses for creating this facility with this playground under the capable operation of the parks department the residents and visitors here will enjoy the benefits of Triboro spot for this for many more years to come thank you. Thank you for. In the course of the. Last few years we raised consider in this area. Some of it outside of the for some inside. The people in the for. As well as those over on the other side Staten Island saw I. Had to live through this period it would take too long to. Tell you the story of a. Tunnel from Manhattan to Brooklyn they go on US expressway. About the Verrazano Narrows Bridge connections and approaches. I can well remember the thing the statement by governess may have. She issued when a. Repeal of the bill providing for a tunnel to Staten Island that's a long time ago. I can remember the decision we got we had to build a tunnel and not a bridge from the battery to Brooklyn. Because they auto us. That we could have no bridge say would have the Navy yard so that when we came along to bail this great great chassis would have the Navy Yard we're up against a very tough proposition not only in Washington but a great deal of local opposition which some of you will remember. People who want to run along the waterfront and have other ideas about approaches which are not practical and will for the unpopular for a while now we live through that one of our greatest friends at that time one of the man who stayed with us through all the arguments and disputes Bob seventh Avenue in the approaches to the bridge including this playground area was a stock present a Brooklyn home I present to you now. Thank you Mr Mars's Reverend perjury. President the city council. The Lawrence Rockefeller. Minority leader of the city council. The Keilar my dear friends all in. My pleasure in seeing what's taking place here not only on this side of the fence when a ceremony has taken place but especially on the other side of the fence and. Still arms rock follow so well said he calls this a bonus potty and it is a bonus potty when we see the children already as well as adults enjoying this most beautiful park in our borough of Brooklyn we're grateful to all of you Mr Moses to you and all your associates and feel during this. This is a happy Kasia not just for this area itself but for all of Brooklyn and the whole city of New York. Here in the shadow of the great bridge we are proud of privilege to join and the opening of this newly completed Ford Hamilton playground as all of us can see it takes in seven entire blocks from ninety fourth Street to the north to one hundred forty five a one hundred first straight at the entrance to Fort Hamilton until the bridge was built most of this land was occupied by than one AMI building today they are gone. In their place we have this wonderful recreational center its equipment is for all seasons and for all groups of all ages little toddlers teenagers young adults and yes for the older folks we are not so much as our beloved senior citizens. Certainly we have to agree that in this setting coast to the way and the waters of the narrows it ranks as one of the very finest recreational developments anywhere in the city and right here with. The debt of gratitude Robert Moses and the tribe for having created it and paid for its construction and becomes a part of our great park system and it has one March even and one of a great many for which we have to thank the man who was rightfully. As the Master Builder of the Times Robert Moses. As it has been my pleasure to know Robert Moses and to work with him a number of these major undertakings on many occasions his way was blocked by all kinds of disagreements and opposition and there were times also when it took some courage to stand up publicly and be counted in order to get official approval for some of the vital projects he in the. Personally I have never regretted taking such positions and I'm happy that I did so and this is one of the many examples and today the fact is that many of the people who for him originally have now right come around to his way of thinking actually there are some who have thanked him for showing them how wrong they were in the first place so I say what. To Robert Moses to acknowledge our gratitude to him in his one. We can hardly repay in his brilliant career he has built almost every type of structure that has been devised by the mind and the hand of man he has created two world sparrows coordinated a billion dollar highway program he has built tunnels and bridges Express. Power developments and parks without number indeed he has built chapels and dispensary and even a nursery sewing causing we say. Thank you. And may the good Lord reward you with length of days to carry on and finish all the great work that still needs to be done in the. Thank you very much. Next speaker is a head of the city department park department a very old close friend of mine we date back to the. First Laguardia ministration here in the city and even earlier to the days of our smell. I don't know. Whether new ball knows a story but some fellow told me that he had seen no ball and I think it was a sail club and told him that he was going to have a hell of a time this fall commission of a cause he was succeeding a man whose actions were not even tainted with legality. I S. rather rough for him on the new ball this inherited this city park system it's going to be augmented and added to. Not only what city fathers enough already funds but with federal funds that are coming along now and. It's going to take a whole lot of doing this is a crowd of the whole community. And you're all right when you advocate things that are worthwhile to look to the future and tell you step on some authentic toes and antagonize people who have their own interests and then your troubles began and you either take those things on them fight them to a standstill or you don't make progress I'm sure that no ball is going to make progress this Maurice. Is the most. Sympathetic mind you can and make the. President stark and present. I come here like all of the city officials with a deep sense of gratitude and an almost almost emotional. Feeling about Robert Moses and he's passed. His figure. Has been seen all over the great state of New York. Is nominated built. And prepared park. But he's drawn legislation he's a past Pressman at Build ranching Curiously enough the first time I ever met Mr Moses was when I was sent over. As an assistant club ration council to pick up the final draft of the bill which would create a. Single centralized park department. Abolishing all of the Barra commissioners and creating one commissioner and Mr Moses has been that commission for twenty six years so somebody was very accurate when he introduced me the other day in the most expansive terms as the greatest price commissioner says Mr Moses. I think that. Mr Moses for thirty years ago might as then some was surprised to see some of the sculpture here and I have to congratulate. Ronald Vollmer and his associates because wage but these photographs I don't think you would have seen any of Mr Moses brochure as back in nineteen. Thirty four and since this will make some of my friends. Who have been pestering to what they call modern creative imaginative playground equipment and I'm going to tell you a secret lay between you and me. When you come out here. And observe the children at play you'll find them on the slides and the swings and the seesaw is I don't there any seesaws on. Undersea saws because we've tried these modern piece of equipment and presently it's seventy six feet and the other side dries and the first few days the kids love them and gradually that when it went back to the old standard well try to clip men which you can see them enjoying right now we have so much to say that has been said and I don't want to repeat except to express my personal joy that Mr Moses which I knew would happen. When he left a prop in a park. And somebody forgot to mention of all the things the buildings just built the greatest spare in the history of mankind out of Flushing Meadow which will be one of. Apart after the affair he's always thought in terms of Parks and I think it's a want very few people in the world today would have thought of excess condemnation as a means of using money fraud to real programs and for a great bridge like the Verizon bridge to use it for a project like this and landscaping the entire right of way not just with this park but all the way out and on the other side in Staten Island we appreciate Mr Moses and his courage it takes real courage for a man to go right through to military installations I never could figure out how he did that but he did it and I believe the armed forces are happier with what he turned over to them and what what they were before in any event the bridge is one of the great sights of the world and I want to congratulate Mr Moses too and the other members of the authority on all of their bridges which were lit up at night when one of the great shows all of the city that tried to bridge authority bridges magnificent at night particularly the Triborough as you see that all the way up the. Roosevelt Franklin Roosevelt drive on this to Moses we congratulate you the children here will remember you and will tell their children about this day when this park was turned over to the city by your authority over which you preside thank you very much. And here's a man who knows the town I present calls prevailing. Like you very much Bob Moses rubbering clergy Mr Burrage McMartin to Lawrence Rockefeller. Great borrow president named stark distinguished commissioner of parks new bald Mars. Very wonderful councilman representing this area handle oracularly Oh attending the dedication of New York City improvements as one of the most pleasant duties a public official can have I am doubly pleased to join you today in dedicating this unusual playground because we are dedicating it to the enjoyment of children of all ages as you look around you you will see why this is an unusual playground this is a new concept in the design of park playgrounds in New York City to those of you who are familiar with the many types of playgrounds we have the most obvious change is the beautifully designed building which sets a trend for a neighborhood playground recreation buildings during inclement weather the children of this community will be able to enjoy recreational programs and the game room out here in addition to the time tested swings and slides and seesaws that provided fun and games for most of us when we were young the children will now enjoy playing on the new types of plate weapon the wingding the squirrel cage the arcade climber the spiral slide the spiral climber and some tunnel bridges these incidentally do not come under the jurisdiction of the tribe Bridge and Tunnel Authority so they are off limits to toll collectors. New Yorkers can feel great satisfaction in their park system it is the largest in the world no other city can boast of as many playgrounds or other as great a number and variety of recreational facilities no where else can residents and tourists enjoy as much free entertainment as in The New York City parks over six hundred special events are scheduled in the five boroughs there is something to appeal to everyone from the marionette shows and storytelling hours for young children to Shakespearean drama and concerts for the by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra for people of more sophisticated tastes between these two experience is a diversified summer long program name band dancing chamber music pop concerts square and folk dancing sports events and even fireworks the city of ours and the entire metropolitan area Oh much to an outstanding public servant Robert Moses he is president of the New York World slick operation and more importantly to Milly he is the city's construction coordinator and also chairman of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority he has been a moving figure in building recreational facilities and border parks in conjunction with the parkways and expressways throughout the city the playground we are dedicating today was made possible because of the cooperation and foresight of Bob Moses. President Johnson urges us to see America first I urge you to see your city parks very first you could spend a whole summer in them and not be bored I now declare this new playground a forerunner of others planned for the five boroughs open to the children anyone for the wingding like you. Next speaker. Is closely identified. With. The entire. Federal and state program all box and Recreation is a playground that represents something to the neighborhood it represents something for people who may not even have cars but in any event they expect to get something out of these great public improvements except the gasoline dollar. Was dropped Well I can tell you what he's driving at in the federal on the state program Lawrence Rockwell. Back thank you to Mr Moses Reverend fledging honored guests night isn't gentleman it's a real pleasure to possess a paid in the opening of thought Hamilton playground the opening of the new recreation facility is always a happy occasion but this is particularly so because this is in a way a bonus bought. By good planning and good sense the tribe are all authority has created a new risottos a new recreation reso us but the people of New Yawk while it is carrying out its principal mission of building the magnificent that is and I'll now Rose bridge. At the White House Conference on natural beauty last month's time and time again it was pointed out that consent for the environment cannot be considered in a vacuum it must be a vital pot of the way we build our cities our highways and suburbs. True to this tradition while others were talking a misnomer Moses was doing something this playground may be small by comparison to some of the other wonders he has brought about but I think it is extremely significant it is an outstanding example of building recreation and beauty into the environment where people are this playground also represents Komisarek of Moses is a great tradition of cutting across all been ization barriers to get things done. Some would have said that a bridge authority concreate Apoc but here it has been done and done well there is an important lesson here. If we are going to make this country and ever better place to live bridge authorities housing authorities highway engineers and private developers all must create recreation opportunities and beauty as they build concern for the environment and for the recreation of people must be pot of the concrete we pour and the steel we raise for every purpose it can't be an afterthought left for the pox people to worry about alone it should be noted that Commissioner Moses and those associated with him have been doing just this for forty years. We simply have to do more and get the word to others that it can be done so we congratulate the Triborough authority on another achievement and we offer our particular appreciation for an imaginative and timely example for the city the state and the entire country thank you very much.