A Tern photographed near the nature center by PhotoJeff via Flickr
…and you should answer! The Parks Department is having two local events this Saturday that you should consider attending with your family.
If you’re into bird watching then head over to the Salt Marsh Nature Center (Avenue U and East 33rd Street, directly across from Marine Park) at 8 a.m. The Park Rangers will be holding a “Birding Event“. Don’t ask me what that means but you’ll learn everything you need to know about birds!
After you’re done learning all about the birds (I wonder if they’ll teach you anything about bees too?), head over to the Coney Island Boardwalk (West 10th Street entrance) for a Marine Mammal Watch. You’ll be looking for seals, whales, and dolphins. Don’t expect any people in the water unless the Polar Bears are out and about!
Both events are courtesy of the City Parks Deparment and provide a perfect way to spend a Saturday morning. If you need any more information then call (718) 421-2021.
If you’re still looking for more to do, the Salt Marsh Nature Center will also hold a Book Blitz on Sunday at 3 p.m. and a Nature Lecture with Dr Judith Weiss on Monday @ 7 p.m.
City cleans up fallen tree at East 19th and Gravesend Neck Rd (Courtesy of Arthur Borko)
Well, the city has finally gotten around to removing that fallen branch we reported on last week, a full two and a half weeks after it first fell. As you can see they are also trimming the rest of the tree to prevent future incidents.
It’s not quite a Christmas miracle, but it does appear to be another victory for Arthur Borko, following his reports that got a trouble-making sign near Bassett’s Deli removed, and a fallen sign at Cass Place fixed.
Meanwhile, I’m still holding my breath for a few victories of my own. Better transit service, anyone? Repairs to Plumb Beach? Cleaner streets?
I must have been naughty.
Despite numerous complaints and pleas from local leadership, a two year battle to remove concrete planters in Manhattan Beach has culminated in a dismissive letter from the Brooklyn chief of the Parks Department.
Community Board 15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo received a letter from Parks Department Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Julius Spiegel claiming that neighbor’s worries were exaggerated and that the concrete planters pose no risk at all. Scavo read the letter at last week’s Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association meeting.
“I understand the issues you raise concerning traffic crossing over the boulevard from both directions,” wrote Spiegel. “The Park Avenue Malls, near Union Square, are lushly planted with high shrubs in containers, much like those on Oriental Boulevard, but still allow for the safe flow of traffic,” he added.
Continue Reading »
The silver lining in the recent devastation of Plumb Beach is that community leaders, and city, state, and federal agencies are finally considering long term solutions to erosion issues at Plumb Beach.
Congressman Anthony Weiner once again brought together officials from Department of Transportation, Parks Department, National Parks Service, Community Board 15, and Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic on Tuesday, December 1, to survey erosion’s threat to the important ecological zone and the Belt Parkway.
After surveying the damage, all came to a consensus: more needs to be done to protect the beach and highway. Continue Reading »
Frustration over massive concrete planters along Oriental Boulevard’s median is riding high for Manhattan Beach Community Group, which put the Parks Department “on notice” during their November meeting.
MBCG’s traffic committee chairperson, Judy Baron, read a letter sent to Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe into the group’s record Wednesday. The letter put the blame for future accidents squarely on the shoulders of the city agency and was written after the group was advised that it would make the city accountable in future lawsuits. Continue Reading »
The devastation caused to Plumb Beach this weekend by the remnants of Hurricane Ida was “No surprise,” according to members of Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic Association and experts. As recently as January, officials from the community, city, state, and federal agencies convened at the Plumb Beach bathhouse to discuss protection of the increasingly dangerous bike path and the threatened Belt Parkway. The problem is greater, though, affecting the ecology and wildlife of the entire area.
The meeting, called by Congressman Anthony Weiner to survey nature’s threat, ended with calls for solutions. At the time, the surging waters appeared to be passing underneath the bike path. Water soaked the grass adjacent to the highway, suggesting that erosion was occurring beneath the Belt Parkway as well, undermining its stability. While SBPB Civic proposed a plan to shore up the coast and add more sand and rocks underneath the bike path to strengthen it, nothing has happened. Continue Reading »
Courtesy of vampirebird via Flickr
We noted yesterday that, as part of the city’s rehabilitation plans, the Coney Island boardwalk will be rebuilt… soon. Well, we didn’t realize how soon. Giddy to play with its new toy, New York City Parks and Recreation Department quickly awarded the $13.7 million, two-year construction contract to T.B. Penick & Sons, Inc., through its affiliate Triton Structural Concrete.
According to the San Diego, CA,-based company’s press release:
Work will begin immediately to demolish portions of the existing damaged wooden boardwalk; precast concrete slab units will be installed as the foundation of the 2.7-mile boardwalk to strengthen and stabilize it. The boardwalk’s existing hardwood timbers will be replaced by a combination of colored and textured pre-cast concrete slabs, custom exposed aggregate and sustainably harvested hardwood wood decking. The project duration is two years, however, Triton anticipates completing early in approximately fall 2010, dependent upon the weather and summer tourism.
First, we have to wonder whether this $13.7 million project could’ve waited until after we got ourselves out of the current financial boondoggle. Next, we ask why would you go with a company based outside of New York? Granted, sending taxpayer money off to California is a bit like charity these days, but we can put that to good use here at home.
This weekend’s storms sparked by Hurricane Ida battered the Plumb Beach coastline, leaving a trail of destruction and providing fuel for a new wave of jurisdictional battles between NYC Parks Department and the U.S. National Parks Service.
The tale of devastation was drawn in the sand, as rubble from the bike path dotted the shore, carving lines to the water. Trees lay like fallen solders, their sides partially submerged and their roots reaching into the air. The water clawed sand out from under roots and rock, leaving everything without ground to stand on. In all, as the hurricane swept up the northeastern coast, it pushed back Plumb Beach’s protective break-line several feet, felling dozens of trees, and crumbling about 100 yards of the bike path. Continue Reading »
When we heard that the Kings Bay Youth Organization’s fence was repaired just days after a car slammed through it last week, we said to ourselves, “Well, that’s a triumph of efficiency.” Even though it turns out it’s more of a makeshift repair with wire mesh holding everything together, we figured it must be miles ahead of where the Parks Department would be with the marina’s railing after a car took a dive four days before the Coyle Street/Kings Bay field incident. Afterall, a set of concrete planters has baffled the department for a couple of years now. Well, we were wrong. When we went to go snag a comparison shot of the fence as it sits now, well, lo’ and behold, it was repaired!
We actually walked past the spot two or three times trying to remember where the damage occurred, since it blended in so seamlessly that we couldn’t spot it offhand. The concrete looked fresh, but no one in the area could tell us when the department came to do repairs, and many were surprised when we pointed out it was fixed. We can’t tell for sure, but it looks like they recycled at least one of the fences damaged in the accident and put it back into position. The wood board is to hold the concrete while it sets, since the gate ripped a chunk off when the car plowed into it. Good job, Parks Department. We’ll try to be a little less cynical next time.
(Image courtesy of Colin Purrington via Flickr)
It’s summertime, and that means backyard BBQs, ragin’ block parties and little-’uns running amok. But nothing puts a damper on things like those little-’uns – or you – running into a patch of Toxicodendron, better known as Poison Ivy. The three-leafed scourge takes root all over New York’s grassy areas if not treated, and can be responsible for itchy rashes, nasty eye infections and even worse for those particularly sensitive to the green menace’s toxins.
That’s why when we heard that it was running rampant in public places, with little bits of the leaves torn off by children passing by, we thought we’d hit up the local authorities to find out how you can have the city root out the problem. Continue Reading »
