More than 10 years ago, Children’s Aid agreed to a plan with New York City to sell 38 of the original 42 acres of the Goodhue estate. It would—and still will be—a win-win for the Staten Island community. The people will get parkland that would be preserved forever and a brand-new Goodhue Center.

At no time did we expect the process to take 10 years. We had hoped that the coming fiscal year would finally bring funding for purchase of the final parcel. And we still hope that’s true. That’s why we brought out more than 200 people to Goodhue Center this week.

Goodhue kids young and old, parents, neighbors, staff members, and key elected officials who have always been friends of Goodhue. With their sheer numbers, they showed how important this parkland is. They signed petitions and posted on social media, asking Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city asking Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city to fulfill its commitment to the people of Staten Island.

Borough President James Oddo has been a proponent of the project since the beginning, and said, “Children’s Aid has made a commitment to put this money into building a community center which will help kids on the North Shore, how can we wait another day?” He committed $6 million of the money he has at his disposal to help finance the sale.

His enthusiasm and energy is matched by City Council Member Debi Rose, who called Goodhue part of the “fabric of West Brighton.”

It was a great evening, and real show of what Staten Island is made of. We hope to see positive results in the coming weeks.