Tag Archives: parks

News

Update on East River storm surge protection

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Thanks to cooperator Susan Levinson for attending last week’s community meeting and providing us with her notes for this post.

The federal government is responding to Sandy with a bag of cash that in the next few years will transform East River Park. The East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) — or the Big U, or the Dryline — will reshape the landscape of the waterfront in order to stop any future storm surge from damaging property and casting lower Manhattan in darkness as happened in October 2012.

bridging-berm-r-800x0Last Thursday and Monday, two community forums were held to discuss the project. Representatives from the mayor’s office, the Parks Department, and the Department of Design and Construction gave presentations and answered questions (along with Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish interpreters).

The project area is 23rd Street to Montgomery and is intended to protect naturally low-lying areas of the East Village and Lower East Side, as well as, crucially, the Con Ed station at 14th. For areas west of Montgomery, similar plans are expected later this year, and Mayor de Blasio has announced that city funds will be made available to areas outside the ESCR.

The goal is to protect lower Manhattan from floods without walling the waterfront off from the city. Landscaped berms will be constructed between the East River Park playing fields and the FDR. Imagine rolling hills that complement the park but are tall enough to keep the river from spilling over during a storm. (Watch this concept video.)

Not every stretch of the waterfront has the width to accommodate a full berm, notably right around Con Ed. In some places a simpler flood wall will be built, and in others a deployable surge barrier can be installed, though a berm, it was explained, is the most effective protection.

Several studies of the area have already been completed, including tree inventory, bridge inspection, and underwater structural survey of the waterfront. A preliminary design is expected to be completed by October 2015. The goal is to begin construction by mid-2017 with construction lasting 2-4 years.

News

Friends of Corlears Hook Park planning meeting: 3/18 at 6 pm

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CHPFriends of Corlears Hook Park will be meeting this Wednesday to discuss various issues including leadership of the group moving forward, possible spring and summer programs, and an update on some of the behind-the-scenes work that has been occurring over the cold winter months.

Wednesday, March 18
6:00 p.m.
East River Fireboat House
(If you could follow Grand Street straight across the FDR, this is the building you’d hit right before the river. You’ll need to use the pedestrian bridge at Delancey or Corlears Hook to get there.)

If you are not able to make this meeting but are interested in being part of the leadership of the group and/or have some programming ideas and connections please email Michael Marino at friendsofcorlears@gmail.com.

Also, save the date: Sunday May 3, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. — Spring Clean-up at Corlears Hook Park.

News

Dryline community meetings — March 19 & 23

Flyer_ESCR_MarchMtgs_EngSpanish

The Dryline — or Big U, or East Side Coastal Resiliency Project — will make a tremendous impact on our relationship with the East River.

If you have questions, or want to be involved in the planning, you can attend one of two upcoming public meetings:

Thursday, March 19

Bard High School
525 East Houston Street

Monday, March 23

Washington Irving High School
40 Irving Place

Both nights, doors open at 6:30 p.m.; presentation begins at 7:00 p.m.; engagement exercise and Q&A will follow.

News

LESEC Winter Warmup Sunday at 1 pm

The Lower East Side Ecology Center runs several worthwhile programs, including composting workshops and e-waste recycling events, through the city. We’re lucky that they are located nearby, in the East River Fireboat House located at what would be Grand Street and the East River.

If you’d like to learn more about their programs, or just would like to meet some neighbors and see photography by local artist Daniel Root, consider yourself invited to LESEC’s “Winter Warmup” on Sunday, March 8, at 1:00 pm. (They would appreciate if you would RSVP to info@lesecologycenter.org.)

Winter_Party_LESEC

News

DOT will consider pedestrian safety on Cherry Street

Cherry Street crossingsThe Lo-Down reports that NYC Department of Transportation has agreed to look into measures to increase pedestrian safety on Cherry Street between our coop and Corlears Hook Park.

Michael Marino and Friends of Corlears Hook Park have led the way, bringing suggestions to our community board and starting a petition to bring support to the measures. Consideration will go to removing parking spaces that block sightlines at the corner of Cherry Street and FDR Drive, installing a traffic light at that intersection, and creating a mid-block crosswalk right at the entrance to Corlears Hook Park.

Check out the Lo-Down for the full story.

News

The Dryline — watch a green flood barrier grow in East River Park

Last summer, the feds announced a huge $335 million grant for a storm surge barrier running from East 23rd Street to Montgomery — the first phase of what was dubbed the “Big U” to protect all of lower Manhattan from another storm surge like the one in 2012.

Now the project has been rebranded the “Dryline,” and this brief video has been released to describe its philosophy and ambition. Also, for the first time, you can see renderings of what this barrier might look like — and the cool animation lets you see it rise up before your very eyes:

News

CB3 parks committee update

Cooperator Michael Marino — of Friends of Corlears Hook Park — sent in the following notes from last night’s CB3 parks committee meeting:

Jackson Playground presentation: Initial plans were presented which pretty much kept the layout of the playground as is but included refurbishing and resurfacing existing play areas, new water fountain and seating, new fencing and upgraded lighting. Some questions were asked about the possibility of including a storage shed for sports supplies and painting track lines around the basketball courts to add another track to the lower east side (there is currently only one, located in East River Park).

Presentation of design for the renovation of the East River Park – East 6th Street soccer field and track: During the presentation is was noted that many of the teams that currently play on this field will be displaced while it undergoes a renovation (that could last a year). Some of those teams may be relocated to the field at Corlears Hook Park to which I commented that if that were to happen Parks needed to refurbish and reopen our comfort station. Parks commented that that hope to present something about that at the next parks cmt meeting.

Stay tuned!

News

Jackson Playground on CB3 parks agenda, Feb 12 at 6:30

Henry Jackson Playground — just across from Fine Fare — is due for a renovation with funds from the mayor’s Community Parks initiative. The Parks Department will be presenting initial plans for the redesign at next month’s meeting of  CB3’s  Parks, Recreation, Cultural Affairs, & Waterfront Committee:

Thursday, February 12 at 6:30pm
BRC Senior Services Center
30 Delancey Street (btwn Chrystie & Forsyth Sts)

  1. Approval of previous month’s minutes
  2. Parks presentation: Henry Jackson Playground design concept plan
  3. Parks presentation: ESHS: Soccer field design
  4. Parks presentation of public art exhibits at Ahearn Park
  5. Presentation of design for the renovation of the East River Park – East 6th Street soccer field and track
  6. Requested support for 9th Annual Dance Parade, 5/6, 8th Street / Saint Marks, culminates at Tompkins Square Park (3-7 pm)
  7. Discussion of vice chair
  8. Report from Arts Subcommittee
News

NYC Parks accepting comments on Jackson Playground through Wednesday

Last week’s community meeting on the Jackson Playground redesign was just the first step in the process to renovate that park with funds from  the Community Parks Initiative.

If you were not able to make the meeting but would still like to offer your comments, you may do so online through Wednesday, January 14.

Next steps: NYC Parks will develop a plan and schematic that will be shared at a CB3 meeting this spring; later in the spring will be another  meeting about how community members might collaborate to program events and activities at the park.

Thanks to Michael Marino of Friends of Corlears Hook Park for keeping us abreast of these developments.

News

Community input sought for Jackson Playground redesign, January 7 at 6:00 p.m.

Click for larger view.
Click for larger view.

The Henry M. Jackson Playground sits just barely outside our coop’s boundary, across Jackson Street from Fine Fare and behind the old public school-turned-upscale condos (someday) on Madison Street.

There’s a wide-open space for basketball, a great urban mural, handball, and other playground equipment — all of which, apparently, due for an upgrade as part of the Community Parks initiative recently announced by the de Blasio administration.

The NYC Parks Department is looking for community input to help redesign and renovate the playground and facilities; an open meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 7 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Manny Cantor Center, 197 East Broadway, 6th floor.