Battery Park Ticket Scalper Sentenced

Gregory Reddick 54, of Jamaica Queens was arrested on May 27, 2015 for allegedly selling tickets to tourists on Pier 15 - South Street Seaport illegally.  He ran to Battery Park after being questioned by park police. The issue attracted wide-spread media attention.  Reddick’s arrests date to the 80's and include six felony convictions,  multiple burglary and criminal possession of stolen property convictions. 

Vendors have no valid Parks Department permit to sell tickets on park property according to the city.  For years these vendors have been operating in broad daylight with little or sporadic enforcement from authorities. 

Manhattan/Queens

By Geoffrey Croft

The Queens resident arrested in 2015 for illegally selling tourists tickets in Battery Park was found guilty and sentenced NYC Park Advocates has learned.

On Friday Gregory Reddick of Jamaica Queens was sentenced to 45 days in jail after a jury recently found him guilty of Resisting Arrest following a jury trial. 

He rejected a plea deal and opted for a jury trial instead. 

Reddick was found not guilty of the other charges - Obstructing Governmental Administration, Unlawful Vending in a New York City Park, and Harassment.

His arrest in May 2015 garnered wide-spread media attention.

He was arrested on May 27, 2015 after leading park police on a wild chase in lower Manhattan. 

A Parks Enforcement Patrolman officer on Pier 15 (South Street Seaport) says he saw Reddick allegedly take cash from two customers according to the criminal complaint. 

When the officer asked Reddick to see an ID and Parks permit he responded, "F*ck off off,  I ain't givin' you shit,"  according to an officer at the scene.  

The officer called for back up.  

He shoved the officer in the chest and took off. The officers chased Reddick a half mile away to Battery Park where he and a half-dozen fellow officers surrounded the 200-pound suspect, subduing him with the help of pepper spray, the complaint says.

Illegal vendors swarm the subway exit in the Battery Park.   The proprietors of these businessed claim they are not required to have a Parks' permit because they are selling “entertainment” such as sightseeing tours and fall under "expressive matter" sales and therefor are protected under by the First Amendment. 

Reddick sued the city after his arrest.

Read More:

Update: Battery Park Tourist Scalper Scam - Queens Resident Arrested 
A Walk In The Park - May 30, 2015 - By Geoffrey Croft

Con man in $400 Staten Island ferry scam sues NYC after arrest
 New York Post -  June 5, 2015 - By Julia Marsh and Kevin Fasick

Ten Thousand Rally In Battery Park Against Trump's Immigration Ban - AG's Predict It Will Be Overturned By Courts

An estimated ten thousand people attended Sunday's rally Battery Park to protest Donald Trump's executive order .   (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to inlarge.

Manhattan

An estimated ten thousand people gathered in historic Battery Park to protest the President’s executive order that temporarily prohibits migrants from seven mostly Muslim countries from entering the United States. 

The demonstration featured people from all backgrounds, nationalities and ages. Chants “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,”  “Impeach, impeach, impeach,”  were heard throughout the event.

Thousands of people held signs with many slogans including “America was built by refugees,” and “Muslim ban is un-American,”  “Let them in, let them in.”

The protestors were joined by numerous elected officials  including Mayor Bill de Blasio, Senator Chuck Schumer, Sen. Jerry Nadler,  New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and other city and state officials who spoke on a small platform just west of Castle Clinton National Monument.  

Sen. Charles Schumer denounced President Donald Trump’s executive orders calling them bad for America.

 “We are here today to deliver a vociferous, a vociferous no to both the president and those horrible horrible executive orders,” a fired up Schumer told the crowd.  

“They are bad for America, They’re bad for humanity, they are bad for national security and they are bad for everything that is American," he said.

Sign of the Times. Thousands lined the park's pathways holding up hand made messages.

City Comptroller Scott Stringer mentioned the enormous economic value immigrates bring to the City. 

“I do the books,” he said.

Comptroller Stringer also inferred the possibility of Trump getting impeached which brought loud chants of, “impeach, impeach, impeach,” from the crowd.

At Saturday’s rally, organizers announced that Attorney Generals from sixteen states representing “over 130 million American’s” including New York and California signed a letter calling Trump’s order illegal.  

“We are confident that the Executive Order will ultimately be struck down by the courts,” the letter said.   (Full statement below) 

Protesters later marched a mile north through the streets to another Parks Department property, Foley Square, across the street from the Manhattan offices of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

Sunday’s protest at Battery Park was co-sponsored by 12 organizations including the New York Immigration Coalition and New York Civil Liberties Union.

It was the second day in a row of large protests. Thousands demonstrated at John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal 4 on Saturday.  

On Friday Donald, “grab them by the p***y” Trump signed an Executive Order banning refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days and prohibit ones coming from war-torn Syria indefinitely. 

On Saturday night a federal judge in Brooklyn granted an emergency nationwide stay preventing the deportation of immigrants detained at U.S. airports and citizens from the seven countries already in transit to America. 

Her ruling was followed by similar federal judges decisions in California,  Boston, Virginia, and Seattle

U.S House and Senate Democrats will rally on the front steps of the Supreme Court today at 6:00 to protest Trump’s immigration order House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic colleagues.  (Full statement below) 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo offered legal assistance to anyone detained at New York airports,  and vowing to ensure the rights of refugees are protected under the law.

 “We have directed the Port Authority and my counsel’s office to make sure we are protecting the legal rights of any person detained at any of our airports, period,” the governor said at a news conference.

 “We will serve as counsel for any detainee who needs legal assistance,” he said.

Yesterday the Governor also announced the creation of a toll-free, 24 hours a day hotline to offer assistance to refugees left in vulnerable situations at New York area airports.   Loved ones  can report passengers on Incoming flights believed to be missing or detained  

Hotline #  1-888-769-7243

The large crowd making thier way out of the park to head north to Foley Square. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to inlarge.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi letter to Democratic colleagues.  

Attorney General Statement

NYPD Target Battery Park Ticket Scammers Preying On Tourists

The NYPD and the Parks Department police have dramatically stepped up their enforcement efforts in Battery Park and Peter Minuit Plaza adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry to combat illegal ticket sales of local attractions that target tourists.  The shady business took off in the summer of 2015. Authorities have made numerous arrests and issued hundreds of summons during the crackdown. 

Manhattan

The NYPD carried out a series of raids on aggressive Battery Park ticket scammers early Wednesday, nabbing them in their homes, police officials said.

Twelve suspected scammers, most with prior criminal records, were picked up by police across the city on charges of fraudulent accosting, police said. Two others were busted for parole violations.

Seven more people were still being sought as part of “Operation Tour de Force” late Wednesday for peddling unauthorized trips to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

The raids signaled that the NYPD is now determined to enforce the law against con artists who use misleading sales pitches to sell tickets to some of the city’s most high-profile tourist attractions.

The focus on fraudsters started in February, after Arkansas tourist Jeff White, 33, suffered a fractured skull at Battery Park when he was punched in the face by an illegal vendor irate White wouldn’t buy a Liberty Island ticket. 

“We learned that a number of complaints were coming in from citizens about aggressive ticket sellers … other acts of violence and assaults and began to dig into this,” said John Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counter-terrorism.

Investigators learned that of the 106 vendors they identified, about half are parolees, officials said.

Eighteen of them were convicted sex offenders, about half of those on rape charges, police said. Others had been convicted on assault, drugs and robbery charges.

Typically, the aggressive dealers will claim the tours they are hawking allow people to disembark at the statue and at the famed immigration depot. In reality, the tours merely go close to the attractions but never dock.

A company that runs these tours contracts with five firms that hire the ticket sellers, police said. Those firms frequently hire parolees, Miller said.

“It's almost like a day laborer situation,” NYPD Inspector Matthew Whelan said. “If you need work, this is a place where you can go to work.”

To build their case, cops sent undercovers in to pose as tourists. State parole officials assisted by identifying the ticket sellers who had been in prison.

Miller questioned whether parolees should be in this line of work, which involves face-to-face encounters with tourists, often with children in tow.

Early Wednesday, warrant squad cops walked suspects into the 7th Precinct.

Several of them denied the allegations. “Ain't nobody scamming nobody in Battery Park,” one handcuffed man said.

Rafael Abreu, marketing director for Statue Cruises, the only licensed carrier for trips from Battery Park to the Statue of Liberty, said Wednesday there’s been a marked improvement in police enforcement of illegal ticket vendors over the past month.

“There’s been much heavier enforcement throughout the area,” he said. 

Read More:

EXCLUSIVE: NYPD cracks down on ticket scammers peddling fake trips

to Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island

New York Daily News - May 18, 2016 - By Ryan Sit 

Undercover cops bust ex-cons for selling fake tickets to tourists

New York Post - May 18, 2016 - By Tina Moore

Another Ticket Vendor Arrested in Battery Park
A Walk In The Park  - June 6, 2015 

Update: Battery Park Tourist Scalper Scam - Queens Resident Arrested

A Walk In The Park  - May 30, 2015 

Another Ticket Vendor Arrested in Battery Park

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

A Staten Island man was busted in Battery Park for trying to sell tickets to tourists, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

Macedon Ahmad, 25 was arrested yesterday by Park Enforcement Patrol officers who observed him offering bus and boat tickets to passerby.

Defendant Ahmad repeatedly refused to show identification when approached by PEP officers. 

According to law enforcement sources he became combative when authorities attempted to place him under arrest.

Ahmad was charged with Resisting Arrest, Unlicensed Vending, Obstruction of Governmental Administration,  and Disorderly Conduct.

The incident occurred yesterday at 3:30 in the park near Bridge and State streets. 

Ahmad has been arrested four times for possession of drugs.

In 2007 he was arrested for destroying property in his mothers house. 

He also has a juvenile history which is sealed. 

Yesterday's arrest comes on heels of last week's widely publicized incident  when officers observed Gregory Reddick, 54,  exchanging tickets for cash on Pier 15  near the South Street Seaport.  

Reddick refused to produce identification and asked repeatedly and pushed an officer several times before walking away. Officers tracked him down a half mile away in Battery Park. 

Yesterday Reddick's company, Sales Justify Quota,  filed a Civil Rights suit against the city, individually naming eleven police and PEP officers.  

Gregory Reddick has been summoned seven times since June 1, 2014 according to the suit. 

Update: Battery Park Tourist Scalper Scam - Queens Resident Arrested

Yesterday close to a dozen SJQ  Sightseeing Tours personnel worked in front of the Bowling Green subway station soliciting customers.  The group, Sales Justify Quota Tours LLC, is listed as a business working out of an apartment on Mexico Street in Queens,  they have no valid Parks Department permit to sell tickets.  The tourist scam has been operating in broad daylight  for years ripping off customers with little or no interference from authorities. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

A team of illegal ticket sellers has been preying on unsuspecting tourists for years, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

The ticket scalpers are working in some of the most heavily visited downtown tourist destinations -  Statue of Liberty,  Staten Island Ferry, and Pier 15, (South Street Seaport) 

The unscrupulous scammers sell Statue of Liberty tickets for between $ 80 - 100 dollars: re-sell used Statue of Liberty tickets:  Sell people tickets to the Staten Island Ferry and charge people $ 20 just to enter Battery Park, a public park on the tip of Manhattan.

   

The group wear dark blue official looking tourist operator vests that say, SJQ  Sightseeing Tours.

Depending on who you speak with SJQ stands for South Jamaica Queens, or Sales Justify Quota Tour.    

On the Look Out.   The ubiquitous SJQ  Sightseeing Tour group has been a fixture since at least 2014 working in lower Manhattan.

They have been a fixture in lower Manhattan operating in broad daylight since at least last year. 

On Wednesday one of their employees,  career criminal Gregory Reddick, 54,  of 118 Road  in Jamaica  Queens,  was busted after leading park police on a wild chase in lower Manhattan.

Parks Enforcement Patrol officer Jean-Baptist Joseph, 33, saw Reddick on Pier 15 as he was allegedly in the act of conning tourists out of cash.

The PEP officer approached Reddick and asked him for ID. He refused cursed at him and ran away.

The officer called for back up.  PEP officers tracked him down a half mile away in Battery Park. 

Another officer approached the con and asked him for ID.

"F*ck off off,  I ain't givin you shit," he responded, according to an officer at the scene.

He ran, and the officers caught up to him. He resisted arrest and officers maced him twice in order to get him to comply.  

A large group of Reddick's associates formed during the arrest,  yelling and screaming. 

An NYPD officer in the park said that on Monday - two days before Reddick's arrest  - he had received a compliant that Reddick had sold two tickets to the Statue of Liberty to a Virginia couple for $ 409  dollars. 

"The US Park police also told us they have also been getting a lot of complaints that these SJQ guys are getting aggressive and forcing people to buy tickets," a PEP officer said. 

Reddick told law-enforcement sources he made $ 3000 the day he was caught. He had 
$ 400 cash on him at the time of his arrest.

Two Park Enforcement Patrol officers were assigned to the area after an SJQ  Sightseeing Tours employee was arrested.

Reddick’s arrests date to the 80's and include six felony convictions,  multiple burglary and criminal possession of stolen property convictions, law-enforcement sources said.

On Wednesday he was charged with Obstructing Governmental Administration In The Second Degree, Resisting Arrest, Unlawful Vending in a New York City Park, and Disorderly Conduct.

SJQ  Sightseeing Tours, AKA  Sales Justify Quota Tours LLC,  has no valid Parks Department permit to sell tickets. 

Read More:

MAN FACES CHARGES AFTER SELLING TOURISTS FAKE STATEN ISLAND FERRY TICKETS
http://7online.com/news/man-under-arrest-after-selling-tourists-fake-staten-island-ferry-tickets/756942/

Man Arrested For Allegedly Selling Tourists $400 Tickets For Free Staten Island Ferry Ride
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/30/man-arrested-for-allegedly-selling-tourists-400-tickets-for-free-staten-island-ferry-ride/

Park advocates call for crackdown on illegal tour vendors targeting tourists
May 30, 2015 - By ELLYN MARKS
http://pix11.com/2015/05/30/park-advocates-call-for-crackdown-on-illegal-tour-vendors-targeting-tourists/

Man scams tourists on Staten Island Ferry
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/29197947/man-scams-tourists-on-staten-island-ferry

Tourists tricked into paying $200 for free Staten Island Ferry ride

 New York Post - May 30, 2015 -  By Rich Calder

Officials Blast NPS Plan To Move Security Screenings To Ellis Island

With the Statue of Liberty scheduled to reopen on July 4, New York officials are pressing the parks department to reconsider new security procedures that they believe put the monument at "greater risk" for a terrorist attack, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

At issue is the point where visitors are screened for Statue of Liberty tours. The National Park Service has said it plans to move security screenings to Ellis Island, after visitors have taken ferry rides from New Jersey and Manhattan. Those wanting to visit the statue will undergo a second screening.

On Monday, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer called on the park service to revert to the procedure that was in place before the park had to be closed for repairs following superstorm Sandy: screening visitors at Battery Park and New Jersey before they board ferries.

That security strategy, which involved having visitors go through the same detectors used at airports, has been in place since after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"The NYPD and the National Park Service have differences when it comes to protecting visitors from a terrorist attack," Mr. Kelly said.

"I believe this change can cause serious problems and make those who travel there at greater risk than they are now," Mr. Schumer said.

A National Park Service spokesman, Mike Litterst, said via email: "The National Park Service provides security at national icons across America and has done so successfully for decades. Safety...will continue to be our number one priority."

The statue and Liberty and Ellis islands have been closed since Sandy battered the region in October. The statue, which sits elevated on Liberty Island, was left unscathed by the storm, which flooded the island and destroyed infrastructure.

Park officials said the Battery Park and New Jersey screening sites were always meant to be a temporary solution. The storm damage accelerated the construction of the Ellis Island screening facility.

Mr. Kelly said there is no immediate threat to the statue, but said there remains an overall threat to key monuments. "In our judgment the threat has not abated," he said.

Messrs. Kelly and Schumer said they have had discussions with the parks service, which they said so far has resisted their overtures. Both recently sent letters to Sally Jewell, the department's newly appointed secretary, in hopes she will reconsider.

If money is the issue, they said, the additional costs could be offset by a "nominal" increase in the price of tickets, which now run from $9 to $20.

"They have talked to both of us repeatedly," Mr. Schumer said. "Thus far, they have resisted. With a new commissioner, hopefully they will change their mind....Right now the park service is not showing that carefulness we need."

Read More:

Officials See Risk in Statue Security Plan
Parks Department Asked to Reconsider New Security Procedures
The Wall Street Journal - May 27, 2013 - By Pervaiz Shallwani

Woman Fights Off Sexual Attacker In Battery Park

Manhattan

Police are investigating a sexual assault incident early Thursday morning about 12:15 am in Battery Park, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

A female 40, was walking in the park not far from the Bowling Green subway station when she claims she was grabbed from behind and held in a choke hold. The attacker pulled at her pants.  She fought back, screaming and punching the man. 

She kicked the assailant in the groin. He fled.

The victim was taken to Beth Israel hospital to be examined.  She was not seriously physically injured. 

Police describe the suspect as a male Hispanic 20 to 25 years old. 

- Geoffrey Croft

Bloomberg Confused Over Responsibly Of 9/11 Sphere Relocation Project

“It’s up to the Port Authority," he said. "I’ll support whatever they decide to do." - Mayor Bloomberg

The sphere was surrounded by construction fencing Friday. The Mayor had another Bloomberg Moment today as he apparently forgot who was responsible for the controversial plan to move the iconic Sphere. The Sphere, along with Eternal Flame are being moved as part of a controversial $18 million Battery Park & Perimeter Bikeway - Parks Department/DOT/EDC/ Battery Park Conservancy-redesign project.

The Mayor said the Sphere should remain in Battery Park but supported "whatever" the Port Authority decided to do. The Port Authority however is not involved with the redesign project other than it has to find another location for it's sphere now that it is being being kicked out of the park.

After news broke in April 2011 of the Battery Park bicycle path project administration officials have refused to comment on it. The plan also calls for relocating twelve monuments to along the perimeter of the park.

The .3 mile portion of the Manhattan Greenway will connect with the Hudson River Park bikeway to the west and the bikeway built as part of Peter Minuit Plaza to the east. The $18 million project was funded through State and Federal grants and over $10 million in MTA mitigation funding, and $300,000 in design fees contributed by the LMDC.

The Sphere, the Fritz Koenig bronze sculpture had stood between the two Twin Tower buildings as a symbol of world peace. The sphere and the Eternal Flame were installed in Battery Park shortly after the horrific World Trade Center tragedy and became symbols of hope and resilience for visitors and 9/11 families.

Despite being in the works for years a new location for the sphere has yet to be found. (Photos: Julie Shapiro/DNAinfo) - Geoffrey Croft

Manhattan

Despite Port Authority opposition, Mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks the iconic 9/11 sphere should remain in Battery Park, he said Monday, according to DNAinfo.

Bloomberg lent his voice to the wave of critics who have decried the Port Authority's plan to move the Fritz Koenig Sphere — the dented, bronze sculpture that was pulled from the wreckage of the World Trade Center and became a symbol of hope and resilience following the 9/11 attacks — out of Battery Park.

"I think it’s beautiful where it is,” Bloomberg told reporters at an unrelated press conference in West Chelsea, explaining that leaving the sphere in its current location helps visitors understand the scope of the impact of the attacks.

"You have people going elsewhere to understand this is something that affected the whole city, not just on the World Trade Center Site," he said.

Still, Bloomberg said that, once a new location is chosen, he won't interfere.

World Trade Center Sphere Leaving Battery Park By End of April. Rosemary Cain, whose firefighter son George Cain was killed on 9/11, is shown after a 2011 meeting where she advocated for the sphere to return to the rebuilt World Trade Center.

“It’s up to the Port Authority," he said. "I’ll support whatever they decide to do."

The agency had originally said it would haul the 25-foot sphere to a storage hangar at JFK Airport's Hangar where it stores other large 9/11 artifacts by the end of April — but reversed course following a public outcry from many 9/11 families, who feel the sculpture should be returned to its original home, between the Twin Towers, inside what is now the 9/11 Memorial.

The Port Authority released a statement on May 11 saying that it would announce a new, temporary home for the sculpture last week — but has yet to make an announcement about its fate.

“We believe this sculpture should continue to reside in a location where New Yorkers and people from around the region, nation and the world can view this important reminder of survival and resilience,” Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye said in a statement at the time.

The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but spokesman Steve Coleman has said that the park was never meant to be a permanent home for the sphere, which was moved to Battery Park in 2002 after being pulled from the rubble at Ground Zero.

On Friday, the sculpture was surrounded by construction fencing, suggesting the move will be happening soon.

One possibility the Port Authority privately floated last year was to put the sphere in the future Liberty Park, just south of the 9/11 Memorial, but that won't be open for another couple of years.

Koenig's bronze sphere was originally installed in Battery Park during an emotional ceremony on the six-month anniversary of the attacks, and became a symbol of hope and resilience for many visitors and 9/11 families.

The sphere in Battery Park in the spring of 2010. It has to move for the $ 18 million dollar Battery Park & Perimeter Bikeway construction. (Photos: Julie Shapiro/DNAinfo)

Read More:

Mayor Bloomberg Says 9/11 Sphere Should Remain in Battery Park

DNAinfo - May 21, 2012 - By Jill Colvin

Battery Park Bicycle Path Plan Orphans "The Sphere" - 9/11 Symbol

A Walk In The Park - May 14, 2012

Battery Park Bicycle Path Plan Orphans "The Sphere" - 9/11 Symbol

"It simply cannot be mothballed in some musty hangar at JFK," Schumer said. "It must remain, like now, accessible as a public touchstone for New Yorkers and the visitors from the four corners of the globe." - Senator Charles Schumer.

The Sphere, the Fritz Koenig designed sculpture had stood between the two Twin Tower buildings as a symbol of world peace. It was moved to Battery Park after the destruction of the World Trade Center. A controversial $18 million Battery Park & Perimeter Bikeway project moves will move the sculpture to an unknown location. The eternal flame was dedicated on September 11, 2002.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

The Sphere "endures as an icon of hope and the indestructible spirit of this country," and was placed in Battery Park as a temporary memorial to all who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, according to the city's dedication plaque.

However plans for a Battery Park bicycle path call for restoring and relocating twelve monuments to along the perimeter of the park. Despite being in the works for years a new location has yet to be found.

The Port Authority and Parks Department initially planned to store the now ionic sphere at a storage hanger at Kennedy Airport - which many found to be is unacceptable including Senator Charles Schumer who recently weighed in on the subject. Some Sept. 11 victims' family members have been pushing officials to return it to its original spot and incorporate it into the National September Memorial at the World Trade Center or the yet to be built Liberty Park, south of the World Trade Center site.

Over 7,200 hundred people have signed an on-line petition demanding its relocation to the 9/11 Memorial site.

PEDAL TO MEDDLE: Plans for a Battery Park bicycle path call for relocating several monuments, including "The Sphere." The sphere from the original World Trade Center was moved south to Battery Park. The 22.5 ton sculpture was rededicated with an eternal flame as a memorial to the victims of 9/11. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Photo: Chad Rachman/NY Post)

"The designers of the memorial have ruled that it CANNOT be returned. In order, they said, to protect the integrity of the design," the petition states.

"The memorial design will include over 500 trees. Mayor Bloomberg and his deputy mayor, Patricia Harris, will not permit any of those trees to be cleared to create a proper space that allows the return of the Sphere and respects its history and significance."

After a barrage on new negative publicity last week on Friday the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said they were close to finding a temporary new home that will keep it in the public eye but they wouldn't say where. The agency is continuing to look for a permanent place for the sphere.

The approximately. .3 mile portion of the Manhattan Greenway will connect with the Hudson River Park bikeway to the west and the bikeway built as part of Peter Minuit Plaza to the east.

The $18 million Battery Park & Perimeter Bikeway project was funded through State and Federal grants and over $10 million in MTA mitigation funding, and $300,000 in design fees contributed by the LMDC.

The project was supposed to break ground in 2011 and construction expected to last eighteen months.

Dedication Plaque - Battery Park.

The cash-strapped Parks Department will spend millions of dollars to dig up and move more than 10 Battery Park memorials, statues and sculptures -- including "The Sphere," which has stood as a tribute to 9/11 victims – to gussy up a new bicycle path, the New York Post wrote last year.

Even as Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe is threatening to raise fees and lay off groundskeepers, he allocated $4.75 million for the project that would relocate the memorials -- many unmoved for decades -- along an expanded 600-yard Battery Park bikeway and "monument walk."

The change "will result in improved, dignified settings for each of the monuments, as well as creating more open, uninterrupted green space," say planning documents for the Battery Park & Bikeway Perimeter.

The expanded bikeway along Battery Place and State Street is scheduled to be completed in 2012. It will eventually link the Hudson River Park Bikeway to the East River Esplanade.

It is part of an $11.8 million "master plan" by the nonprofit Battery Park Conservancy to overhaul much of the park.

The 25-foot bronze Fritz Koenig designed sculpture stood between the two Twin Tower buildings for thirty years as a symbol of world peace.

Read More:

Sen. Schumer: Move World Trade Center sphere to somewhere prominent!

New York Daily News - May 12, 2012 - By Jonathan Lemire

World Trade Center Sphere Being Moved From Battery Park To Storage

WCBS 880 - April 6, 2012 - Sean Adams

An assault on Battery Bike path to uproot park monuments

New York Post - April 2, 2011 - By John Doyle and Chuck Bennett