Governors Island is a small island in Upper New York Bay with a rich history. At a time reserved for use by colonial governors, it had been the site of various military posts prior to the closure of a US Coast Guard base there in 1996. Following many years of debate over the future use of the island (the market value of the island is estimated to be half a billion dollars), in April 2002 the Bush administration announced plans to give ownership of the island to New York State (President Clinton announced the same plan in 1995).