Don't Miss This Boat, Ms. Koch Says

The free trips to Governors Island this summer, which begin Saturday, may be the last chance for New Yorkers to see it in its abandoned, time-stands-still state.

By the end of the year, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation expects to announce the winning bids for development of the island from among the 25 proposals that arrived May 10. Then the real journey begins for reshaping the 172-acre island, transferred to the city and state in 2003 after the Coast Guard vacated it in 1996 following more than 200 years of continuous military use.

For now, New Yorkers can partake in a mix of recreation (a stroll through Nolan Park or a picnic in the parade grounds), historic tourism (guided National Park Service tours of two forts), and captivating views of the New York harbor, all within a five-minute ferry ride from the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan.

"One thing I've learned so far is, 'Don't miss the boat,'" the newly installed president of the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, Leslie Koch, said yesterday on her one-month anniversary on the job.

Ms. Koch has advice on how to begin the trip from "the mainland," as she calls it, which she takes daily after a subway ride from her home in Boerum Hill.

"First, make sure you're on the top deck of the ferry and look back at Manhattan. Secondly, breathe, because the air smells differently. You smell green and you smell harbor, and those are important things you don't get to smell together in New York City. And third, once you're there, just experience the sense of space - this is uninhabited land in the middle of New York City," Ms. Koch said.

Governors Island is largely unprepared to offer the usual amenities of a destination attraction. There's no snack bar, just a few vending machines. There's no concession offering Governors Island T-shirts or hats. So, bring your own food, water, and an umbrella. Only one building, Pershing Hall, is open to the public for indoor shelter. And be prepared for Port-O-Sans.

"It's important to have the right expectations," Ms. Koch said.

The corporation seems to understand that this is an important year to encourage visitation, as the development process will include public participation (the shape of which is yet decided). Last year, attendance dropped 16%, to 8,000 visitors. To turn that number around, the corporation has eliminated the fees on the ferry, formerly $6 for adults and $3 for children; added access on Fridays in addition to Saturdays, and spent more money on advertising, with a campaign running in the subways in May and June and on bus shelters in July and August. The slogan: "Discover Where History Meets the Future."

Most of the land where the development would take place - the 152-acre southern section - is off-limits during the summer visiting season, which runs through September 2. So it's not possible to see the monument to President Reagan's rededication of the Statue of Liberty, or the swimming pool, school, bowling alley, or commissary.

However, the part of the island that is open is that with the most charm and sense of history: the northern historic district, which includes the 22-acre Governors Island National Monument operated by the National Park Service. The draws here are the forts that helped protect America in the War of 1812; Castle Williams, a circular red sandstone building completed in 1811, and Fort Jay, whose ornamental eagle perched atop a cannon is currently being restored.

Activities have been planned for throughout the summer, including a family festival Saturday between noon and 4 p.m. and a music festival curated by downtown music host Julian Fleisher on June 17. Later in the summer are kayak excursions offered by the Gowanus Dredgers and the Downtown Boat House, as well as re enactments of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

One will also see the signs of a $52.5 million program to secure the 62 landmark buildings owned by the corporation. These buildings have sat virtually untouched for 10 years. "We have a moral and legal obligation to preserve these," Ms. Koch said.

As for what's in store for Governors Island, Ms. Koch described the 25 proposals as a "healthy mix" of projects for the whole island and for components of it (the corporation gets to mix and match the ideas it likes). The process of vetting will be "very deliberative," she said.

Time is of the essence. "We're committed to a very aggressive time-frame this calendar year," Ms. Koch said. "As we think about the future of the island without yet knowing the specifics, what we want is to make sure that what we do makes it accessible to many New Yorkers, and preserves not just the history in the traditional sense but the sense of being on an island."