To the Editor,
There are still some good things in life for free. Consider visiting the New York Transit Museum Gallery and Store at Grand Central Terminal. It is located on the shuttle passageway next to the Station Master’s Office. Explore the latest new exhibit “Building The Bronx.” Learn how extending various subway lines to the Bronx more than 100 years ago contributed to economic prosperity, growth and also what could have been.
For example, the 1968 $2.9 billion bond act supported by the late Mayor John V. Lindsay and Gov. Nelson Rockefeller was also known as the New Routes Program or Program for Action. It included funding for construction of a spur off of the Pelham Bay subway line directly into Co-op City. It could have been up and running by the early 1970s.
Did you know that Co-op City was built on what was known as the Freedom Land Amusement Park? The Freedom Land theme park was a 60’s Big Apple slice of America. It was a great place to learn about past history of our nation. As a child, I remember that admission to the Freedom Land Amusement Park required use of a pure silver dollar. I managed to save several not knowing at the time what a great investment they would make decades later.
One reason the Freedom Land Amusement Park went out of business was the lack of public transportation access. The second was that it was only able to be open May through October. Thousands of Co-op City residents would have benefited by a direct one-trip subway ride versus having to a take a bus before transferring to the subway. Imagine 50 years later, how much more it would cost if built today.
Larry Penner
