Bowne Park pond is getting a million dollar makeover

 

QNS

 

A northeast Queens lawmaker announced the launch of a project that would bring significant improvements to Bowne Park Pond.

On Monday, March 22, work began on a $1.45 million contract for the pond’s upgrades, allocated by Councilman Paul Vallone’s office. Parks awarded the project contract for improvements to the nearly 12-acre park, which includes removing sediments from the bottom of Bowne Park Pond and installing a new aeration system to improve water quality.

This new project is part of Vallone’s allocation of $3.5 million to upgrade Bowne Parks playground bocce courts and pond in partnership with the mayor and Queens borough president.

“I’m very proud that the latest capital project is about to begin at Bowne Park. The renovations to our iconic pond will add to the serene beauty that is unique to this park. These projects along with the upcoming bocce court beautification community project will total over 3.5 million dollars and complete our promise to renovate and preserve the beauty of Bowne Park,” said Vallone.

Additional work on the current project includes repairing the connection from the pond to a nearby well so the groundwater, rather than city water, can be used to refill the pond; replacing stone on the pond’s edge; and clearing catch basins and storm sewer lines that empty into the pond. Work will also be done to reconstruct the existing asphalt path, and new plantings will be installed.

To ensure that wildlife remains undisturbed, the project will occur in phases so that animals can benefit from the freshwater retained in one portion of the pond.

Bowne Park is a disaster

Hello Crapunzel,

It’s been awhile since I’ve felt the need to contact you. Recently in the blog you’ve mentioned North Flushing, sidewalks and street digging, and since I am a resident of the Bowne Park area of NF I figured you might have an interest in this.

The Department of Parks and Councilman Paul Vallone in their infinite wisdom have determined that Bowne Park should be ignored. We have made several requests for more trash cans on the 159th street side of the park, by the playground, where ice cream vendors ply their trade and parents allow their issue to drop litter, to no avail. Attached are photos of their solution, black plastic bags hung over fences.

We’ve also complained to Vallone about the pond. For OVER TWO weeks the fountains have been shut off leading to an algae bloom that is not only unhealthy for the fish and turtles in the pond but to the olfactory senses of the local residents. See attached photos.

Repeated calls to Vallone’s office have not alleviated this problem. Contacting the Parks department at the Overlook is a total waste of time, they do not care about one of their park “Jewels”.

Also, take a gander of the bocce court that the department added a couple of years ago for about $500,000...no one uses it.

Thanks for your attention.

Sincerely,

Philipe the pissed

Staten Island homeowner has pipe problem that DEP won't fix

From CBS 2:

A Staten Island man said a sinkhole caused by a broken pipe is threatening his home, but the city said it is not their problem.

The man, Morris Indig, has been left fighting to figure out who is going to fix the sinkhole, and CBS2’s Tracee Carrasco was demanding answers Thursday night.

Water has been gushing through Indig’s backyard in the Grasmere section of Staten Island. It has caused the pavement to crumble and has created a sinkhole nearly 15 feet long – creeping dangerously close to his home.

“It’s eroding the soil all around here, including near my foundation wall,” Indig said. “This slab is starting to tip towards the hole already, and I’m really nervous that something is going to happen to the house.”

The problem started weeks ago after heavy rain. Indig believes the pipe carrying water from nearby Brady’s Pond to Cameron Lake, located next to his house, caused the massive hole.

Bowne Park set for upgrade

From the Queens Courier:

After years of issues with garbage, dead wildlife and a lack of maintenance in Bowne Park, the green space in Flushing is set to receive a $2.45 million facelift.

Councilman Paul Vallone, whose district oversees the park, allocated $1.45 million in discretionary funds to upgrade the water fountains and filtration system in the pond of the nearly 12-acre park.

Residents complained in the past of the grimy pond, in which dead turtles reportedly have been found. The funds will also go to restore the asphalt pathways and lawn areas.

Borough President Melinda Katz will allocate an additional $1 million from her budget to the park to upgrade the playground, installing new play equipment with safety surfaces and benches.

“$2.45 million dollars will go a long way to restoring the natural resources of our precious park for wildlife, residents and neighborhood children alike,” said Robert Hanophy Jr., president of the Broadway-Flushing Homeowners Association.

New pond forms at Bowne Park

"Hi Crappy –

As you can see in the images below, Bowne Park has a new pond! It’s a good thing as the old one is a neglected, decayed disaster area. The stone facing on the interior walls has continued to break into the pond, probably crushing hundreds of turtles. There are numerous pieces of junk in the pond, including several garbage pails (metal and plastic) and a chair from the bocce court, which should never have been allowed in the park to begin with! Bowne Park should not be a drop-off site for the goombahs’ shitty, broke-down, plastic outdoor furniture. The DOS should cart it off immediately!

Most of the birds have migrated to the new pond – the water’s probably cleaner. The old pond needs to be emptied and repaired – without killing the wildlife within it. But that’s probably way beyond the capabilities of the Dept. of Parks (DOPes).

The entire park has a forlorn, neglected feel – much like the rest of Queens!"

Flooshing Rezident

Bowne Park update

From 10am until sundown on Friday after the original Bowne Park post was put up, I received reports that parks workers were there in droves addressing the nasty conditions present. Here is an update:

Hi Crappy –

Well – they’ve mowed the lawn and emptied the trash.

Here are some pix.

Decaying tree branches providing a much-needed tripping hazard – check!

Inaccessible garbage pail out of reach within the fenced-off area, surrounded by garbage chucked over the fence – check!

Unnecessary second bocce court construction project on target for mid-2014 completion – check!

Scummy, dirty broke-down pond – check!

Gee - mowing the lawn did not entirely eliminate the neglected, sorry atmosphere at Bowne Park – go figure!

To Quote Bette Davis (and Elizabeth Taylor) - "What a Dump!"

Regards,

Flooshing Rezident

Broken pipe threatens Jamaica Bay environment

From the Daily News:

A busted drain pipe and valve system is slowly ruining the ecology of Jamaica Bay, driving away birds that usually breed along two freshwater ponds.

The freshwater ponds, located in Broad Channel near the entrance to the Gateway National Recreation Area, are filling up with salt water from Jamaica Bay.

Local environmentalists are calling on the National Park Service to move quickly on a project that would replace the decades-old drainage and valve systems on the ponds.

“It cannot be overstated how critical this is to the ecology of the bay,” said Dan Mundy Jr. of the Jamaica Bay Eco-Watchers. “This is such a unique area because it includes wetlands and freshwater ponds.”

Mundy pointed out the ponds were part of a master vision and design by then-Parks Commissioner Robert Moses for the Jamaica Bay area.

The mix of freshwater and wetlands draws a large number of wildlife and the site is a haven for bird watchers.

Bowne Park pond turns toxic

From the Queens Chronicle:

Area resident Sharon Wohlgemuth and her friends noticed the red-colored algae around June 13 and called 311. It took over the pond and emitted a foul odor. “I come here everyday,” Wohlgemuth said. “I visit with friends, walk and read. Nothing like this ever happened here before.”

She called state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who reached out to the Parks Department. When contacted by the Queens Chronicle, the agency sent the following statement: “After noticing the presence of red algae in the Bowne Park pond, we consulted with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to advise on a course of treatment. A NYS DEC biologist and environmental engineer visited the site and recommended flushing the system with fresh, cool water. We have been following these recommendations and will continue to monitor the site. In addition, our plumbers will soon make repairs to the pond’s aeration system.”

But James Cervino, a marine biologist and environmental chairman of Community Board 7, said he was very concerned about the condition. “Red algae can be toxic and dangerous to humans and animals,” Cervino said. “I need to know more specifics like what the species is and other technical data.”

DEC officials said Tuesday the state Department of Health has not completed its testings, but warned residents there may be some toxicity associated with it. “The state DOH would like to advise the public to avoid direct contact with the bloom,” officials said.

Cervino, who is also affiliated with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, said it is probably one of two species of red algae that can cause liver damage or paralysis in severe cases.

He indicated the red algae condition is caused by excessive nutrients in the water, low oxygen, high temperatures and lack of water circulation. “As the algae grows, it produces a toxin to kill each other off,” he added. “Parks needs to clean out the pond.”

The marine biologist, who said he is “very passionate” about the topic, said it’s necessary to stop the source of pollution, which is probably a combination of sewage, plant nutrients and animal waste.

DOT creates DOH problem

A while back NYC decided to repave 5th avenue in Whitestone Queens to make it a smoother, faster ride for all the speeding cars and trucks that use our street as a race track into our community. Well, as par for course (just like they overshot the 3rd avenue exit, causing a traffic nightmare for our residential community, back in 1939), they did such a wonderful job that this lake is forming with all types of green algae, and larvae, and possibly West Nile mosquitos.

Alfredo Centola
President
Malba Gardens Civic Association

Hidden pond has weird name

Goodbye trees, hello crap!

From the NY Times:

There is an idyllic little pond in the Bronx that might make any newcomer stop and stare and say, “Say, just what is that pond doing in the Bronx?”

The answer is that this is Fieldston, the section of Riverdale that resembles an English garden district. Indian Pond has been a park for residents for nearly a century.

But now the pond is threatened, many residents fear, by the proposed development of an adjacent parcel of land. The developer says he plans to cut down many of the majestic trees around the pond and build a driveway near it.

A lawyer for the owners says a consultant will be hired to ensure that the pond is not damaged, but many neighbors worry, nonetheless, that the removal of the trees would cause runoff and disturb the fragile environment around the pond.

The property, 1.3 acres at 4680 Fieldston Road, is owned by three brothers — Matthew, Edward and Marshall Bloomfield — who plan on subdividing and building three additional houses. The project would require the removal of 50 of the 81 trees on the property, many of them more than a century old.

The loss of the trees and the development of the property could disturb the already delicate ecology of the pond, said one resident, Peter Mott.

“It’s in trouble, and I worry very much that adding three new houses will add more runoff into the pond,” he said. “It certainly won’t be the same place it is now.”

The owners must apply to the board, and also to the city’s Planning Commission and Landmarks Preservation Commission for approval.