Downer and Thayer assisted the BPC in assessing the survey bids and tentatively selecting the contractors. Thayer analyzed the contractor’s experience, the types of records and information available in the applicant’s office, and whether the surveyors had experience in the parkway area. He emphasized that contractors would be responsible for corrections, verifications, and other contingencies. Thayer rejected one proposal because the applicant planned on using assessment maps rather than detailed fieldwork.(61) Bids for the survey work totaled $11,220, which was less than half the $25,000 budget. Six surveyors were chosen from the Bronx and Westchester County. The contracts specified that surveys include the location of all parcels, dimensions, ownership, buildings and improvements, and rights-of-way, easements, and other conditions that might affect titles. Surveyors were to prepare maps measuring approximately 24" x 36", with a scale of not less than 50'/inch and not greater than 100'/inch. The maps were to identify each parcel by number, with a table that showed areas, tax numbers, assessments, owners’ names, improvements, and easements. To assist with the field surveys, the BPC accepted the proposal of the Westchester and Bronx Title and Mortgage Company to provide owner names, parcel descriptions, and tax numbers. The surveys were to be completed by January 1, 1912.(62) In April 1912, the BPC reported that the surveys had been completed well within the budget appropriated for the work. The commission expressed confidence that it had a "fairly complete" record of property owners, together with detailed property descriptions and valuations. Survey results indicated that the parkway reservation would be approximately 15.5 miles long, encompassing 17.8 miles of river and 1,200 individual private parcels exclusive of railroad lands. The BPC had already acquired a continuous strip of parkway measuring more than 4.5 miles by donation. It concluded that the cost of land acquisition would be well within the figures originally presented to the NYC-BEA and asserted that most of the land could be acquired by purchase or donation.(63) After reviewing the survey and map, the NYC-BEA suggested that the BRP reduce the parkway area in order to save money on land acquisition. The commissioners were not pleased with this request, but they agreed that it would be possible to trim down the size of the reservation to comply with the NYC-BEA’s directive. Desirable park features would be sacrificed, but the parkway would still fulfill the primary goal of protecting and improving the Bronx River. The BPC pointed out that considerable saving had already been realized by appropriating land acquired by other public agencies, such as the Kensico aqueduct and Bronx Valley Sewer Commission. Of the 1,130-acres sought by the BPC, 620 acres, or more than half the land, consisted of roads, water supply lands, the sewer, the aqueduct, land donated to the commission, and land available at favorable options. Some land designated for parkway development had already been lost due to railroad expansion and relocation. The BPC would have to purchase less than half the proposed reservation. Nevertheless, the commission acquiesced to the NYC-BEA and identified parcels that could be omitted from the parkway "without totally destroying the project." The BPC submitted its revised map in April 1912. By eliminating 130 acres deemed desirable for park purposes but not absolutely essential for pollution abatement, the commission was able to reduced the cost of land acquisition by 25 percent.(64) Final Approval for the Parkway ProjectHaving complied with the NYC-BEA request to reduce costs, in July 1912 the BPC requested the NYC-BEA’s formal approval of the parkway project. The proposed reservation would consist of 1,130 acres, of which 472 acres were either public lands or lands already promised for park purposes. Another 148 acres were under option at reasonable costs, which left 510 acres to be purchased or condemned. The BPC estimated that the remaining land would cost $4 million. Although the NYC-BEA finally approved the BPC request, the decision was not without debate. Board members argued over who should pay for the project, with some members emphasizing that the project benefited the Bronx and therefor should be paid for by the Bronx, not the other boroughs. One member insisted that there were other projects such as schools that needed city funding more urgently. This critic also claimed that the pollution of the Bronx River was not the menace it was reported to be. The city’s comptroller, supported by the president of the Borough of Manhattan, maintained that the Bronx River improvements were a sanitary measure rather than a park project, and should be charged against the entire city as were other sanitary measures of general benefit. He reiterated that the parkway project was the most feasible means by which to deal with the problem. The measure to approve the parkway and land acquisition finally passed by twelve votes to four.(65) The final decision was based on the understanding that the city needed to shoulder the primary burden for the project because the Bronx was the main recipient of the Bronx River pollution. The reduced parkway area and official consent of the NYC-BEA was put into effect through a 1913 amendment to the 1907 Parkway Law, which allowed the BPC to begin negotiations for parkway lands and accept gifts of land.(66) The authority to acquire land allowed the BPC to actively moving forward on the parkway project. Without the authority to acquire land, no substantial progress could be achieved on the parkway. |
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