Adams Administration Breaks Ground on New York Harbor School Expansion on Governors Island

November 7, 2024

Major Expansion of Harbor School Will Prepare Young New Yorkers for Good-Paying Green Jobs in City's "Harbor of the Future"

Doubles Campus Size and Adds New Facilities to Enhance Maritime and Environmental Education

Design Plan Includes Additional Classroom Space, Competition-Sized Pool and Gymnasium, and New Specialty Lab Facilities

New York - New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) President and CEO Nina Kubota, New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, and Trust for Governors Island President and CEO Clare Newman today broke ground on a major expansion of the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School on Governors Island. The expansion will allow the school to better prepare young New Yorkers for good-paying green jobs by doubling the school's campus from two to four buildings and adding new classrooms, a competition-sized pool and gymnasium, and laboratories designed to support the school's distinctive maritime and environmental curriculum. The announcement builds on Mayor Adams' efforts to develop a "Harbor of the Future" - a multifaceted initiative announced by Mayor Adams in his State of the City this year to reimagine New York City's waterfront to fuel 21st-century growth and innovation.

"We're laser-focused on preparing young New Yorkers for good-paying jobs of the future, and this historic expansion of the Harbor School will allow us to do just that," said Mayor Adams. "The additional classroom and training space will help us ensure that our kids benefit from the 400,000 green jobs our city will host by 2040. Harbor School graduates will work on the wind turbines that will power 500,000 homes in our city, invent green technologies that we can't even imagine yet, and more."

"From the New York Climate Exchange to the expansion of the Harbor School, Governors Island is proof of New York City's leadership in climate technology and education," said First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer. "The Harbor School's new facilities - and Governors Island more broadly - continue to showcase how education, research, and industrial development function together to bring good jobs to the five boroughs for the expanding climate tech industry."

"We say kids are 'internet natives' - smarter and better versed than the rest of us on the way modern technology works," said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. "Well, they're going to be 'climate change natives' too - better prepared than any generation prior to take on the realities and challenges of climate change with the urgency it requires. That is in part thanks to innovative partnerships like the Harbor School, which will soon accommodate more kids to learn in nature's classroom. Thanks to the School Construction Authority, the Trust For Governors Island, and all our partners for making a high-quality education centering this vital life skill a reality."

"The expansion of the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School represents a bold step forward in our mission to provide students with unique, hands-on educational experiences that prepare them for successful futures," said New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. "By doubling the campus size and enhancing the school's facilities, we are not only enriching the academic journey but also fostering the next generation of environmental leaders and maritime experts right here in New York City."

"We're proud to improve and build on the original vision for the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School and look forward to seeing how the expanded campus will empower these exceptional students to learn and expand their environmental stewardship," said SCA President and CEO Kubota. "Thanks to a strong collaboration between the SCA, New York City Public Schools, and the Trust for Governors Island, this expansion will enable the school to serve even more students while becoming a valuable resource for the broader community."

"The Harbor School is one of the gems of New York City, providing top notch education and preparing our next generation of New Yorkers in important industries like maritime and the green economy," said New York City Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Andrew Kimball. "This expanded campus will build on the ongoing success of the Harbor School, and we look forward to these young people joining the workforce that will power our 'Harbor of the Future' and careers across the five boroughs."

"Today marks a truly exciting moment in New York City's growth as a leader in climate solutions - over the past 14 years, thousands of young New Yorkers have had transformational educational experiences on Governors Island, using the Harbor as a living classroom and receiving high-quality career training in maritime and environmental fields," said Trust for Governors Island President and CEO Clare Newman. "We are proud to collaborate with our partners at the School Construction Authority and New York City Public Schools to develop these new, state-of-the-art facilities, which will serve to expand opportunities for students and empower the environmental leaders of tomorrow."

The Harbor School provides a college preparatory education built upon New York City's maritime experience with a focus on environmental stewardship. With its partners - including the Billion Oyster Project - the school develops authentic activities for its students on, around, and related to the water that creates a sense of responsibility to New York Harbor and develop a new generation of maritime advocates, enthusiasts, workers, and decision-makers. The expansion includes the construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility that will feature a pool, gymnasium, and additional lab space dedicated to career-technical training and research. The SCA will also renovate Building 555 - a designated landmark structure built in 1938 - to create 32,000 square feet of additional classroom space. Together, these projects will expand the school's facilities from two to four buildings and add 445 new seats, supported by funding from the New York City Council and the Manhattan Borough President's Office.

Today's announcement builds on the Adams administration's ongoing efforts to develop New York Harbor as the heart of the city's green economy. In April 2023, Mayor Adams and the Trust for Governors Island unveiled the New York Climate Exchange, a transformative vision for a first-in-the-nation climate research, education, and jobs hub on Governors Island that will create thousands of permanent jobs and $1 billion in economic impact for the city. A cross-sector consortium led by Stony Brook University, the Exchange will create a state-of-the-art, $700-million, 400,000-square-foot campus dedicated to researching and developing innovative climate solutions that will be scaled across New York City and the world and that will equip New Yorkers to hold the green jobs of the future. Opening in 2028, the New York Climate Exchange will be dedicated to educational programming, research, climate tech incubation, and policy work aimed at advancing climate action in New York City and elsewhere around the world.

Additionally, in February 2024, Mayor Adams announced an up to $100 million investment in the Climate Innovation Hub at Brooklyn Army Terminal, part of the administration's Green Economy Action Plan designed to help New York City host nearly 400,000 green jobs by 2040. This new space will accelerate commercialization pathways for climate tech startups and other green economy businesses. It will serve 150 startups over 10 years - generating $2.6 billion in economic impact and creating 600 jobs - while providing local workforce training and job placement, particularly for the local Sunset Park community.

Furthermore, in June 2024, Mayor Adams broke ground on what will be the nation's largest dedicated offshore wind port at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The project will accelerate the clean energy transition, make New York City synonymous with offshore wind, advance progress toward the state's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035, and create a new industry with thousands of 'green-collar' jobs on site and in the supply chain. 

"The Harbor School is a resource as unique and special as Governors Island itself," said New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes. "This new expansion gives students even more opportunities to learn, play sports, and study our city's natural ecosystems in a one-of-kind environment. I'm glad to see opportunities for young people grow on Governors Island, and I'm grateful to Mayor Adams and the Trust for Governors Island for making this possible."

"We are committed to opening all career paths for our children, and our historic expansion of the New York Harbor School will give us a new arsenal of tools to prepare them for good-paying maritime careers," said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. "New class space, laboratories, and other facilities will allow students to immerse themselves in this unique and exciting field. The expansion is part of our 'Harbor of the Future' plan, which will transform our waterfront into a modern hub of economic growth and innovation, generating $95 billion in economic activity. We are charting a course to sustainable, innovative waterways addressing the needs of New Yorkers."

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