EDC destruction of park space for new ferry landing gets kiboshed by CB

Queens Post 

Community Board 2 has rejected a city plan to demolish the existing ferry terminal at Hunter Points South Park and build a new dock about 300 feet away in front of the main boardwalk by the Oval.

The board voted against the project, in a 20 to 8 vote, at its monthly meeting Thursday via Zoom following a presentation of the plan by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), which oversees the city’s ferry routes.

The plans call for the construction of a large floating barge about 100 feet out from the boardwalk. Two boats would be able to dock at the barge with the EDC looking to begin construction in the fall of 2023.

The CB2 vote is merely advisory but sends a clear message to the city that the local board opposes the plan.

The board said it rejected the overall plan and objected to a new ferry landing being placed in front of the Oval. The vote came after board members and residents voiced fears of increased pollution spewing onto the Oval and that the new ferry landing structure — and its docked boats — may block the waterfront views.

The board’s motion added that the EDC and Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) – which is responsible for approving a permit for the project – should consider all the concerns of the community and be more transparent about the process.

In rejecting the plan, many board members said they were unhappy about the conduct of the EDC, saying the plan was essentially finalized well in advance of Thursday’s meeting and that the EDC had sought to limit its public engagement.

“What do we have to contribute to this discussion because it seems like you have it all wrapped up already,” Lisa Deller, CB2 2nd Vice Chair, said to the EDC representatives. “This is kind of like window dressing to come to the Community Board because it’s not a real dialogue.”

Thursday’s presentation was the first time the EDC had presented its plans publicly, although it met with CB2’s Transportation Committee in June to discuss the project. It also notified Councilmember Julie Won about the plans in June – while Jimmy Van Bramer was also told about the project when he was in office.

The EDC then filed permits with the Army Corps of Engineers on Oct. 18 with the ACE issuing an initial deadline of Nov. 18 for public comments to be submitted.

Rockaway boardwalk stained with graffiti

 

 CBS New York

 Vandals went wild with spray paint over the weekend on a large section of the Rockaway boardwalk, and that had residents demanding an immediate cleanup.

On Wednesday, city crews were out in force with power washers, and as CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, they're promising a swift response to graffiti on the newly built boardwalk.

Far Rockaway resident Michael Blomquist sees the Rockaway boardwalk as his escape to natural beauty, but on Saturday he came upon gasp-worthy ugliness.

"I've never seen that much graffiti in one place, and this is such an important place for us, for the community," Blomquist said.

He and others took to social media to share a community outcry -- to not let what happened stand as the new normal on a five-mile boardwalk just rebuilt after Superstorm Sandy.

Graffiti tags, at least 100 of them, with profanity, were sprayed across the entire width of the concrete boardwalk, from Beach 54th Street to 55th Street.

"Someone else will say, 'That's a good idea,' and every block will be marked up like that," Far Rockaway resident Methun Singh said. "They hurt the whole family, the neighborhood, everybody who lives here."

"I don't know what they were thinking. Some people just don't like to see things looking nice," resident Helen Jackson added.

City officials say this was a job for a special detail, and on Wednesday morning sent in the big guns -- its borough-wide graffiti removal squad.

"This was a whole block of the boardwalk with spray paint, so it's that much more visible, that much more obnoxious, and that much more problematic and troublesome," NYC Parks administrator Eric Peterson said.

The quick and complete cleanup sends the message that graffiti will not be tolerated.

"If you know your work is going to be erased immediately, hopefully you'll be less inclined to do the graffiti and damage the park,"  Peterson said.

Failed Riis Park Beach Bazaar receives foul welcome to Rockaway Beach boardwalk.

  

NY Post

 The new operators of a Rockaway Beach snack bar found an unwelcome surprise when they unlocked the property last week and found it vandalized with rotting fish in the walls, noxious “food bombs” in the ducts and concrete in the drains.

Rockaway Beach Bazaar took over the lease on the Beach 97th Street concession on the boardwalk this year after outbidding the prior occupant, Rockaway Beach Club.

“It stings that somebody is going to come in and reap the benefits of all our hard work,” Rockaway Beach Club’s Andrew Field griped to Gothamist in January when the Parks Department, which owns the property, announced its decision to change vendor groups.

Police are now investigating the May 13 criminal mischief incident that caused $10,000 of damage and threatens the shack’s planned opening over Memorial Day weekend.

 A copy of a 15-page document obtained by The Post details the destruction in photos — fish carcasses found atop old air ducts that created a “pungent stench” throughout the premises, as well as mayonnaise jars filled with condensed milk and raw fish.

These “food bombs” were supposed to stay hidden inside air ducts until the extreme heat of the summer — when they would pressurize and pop, releasing a noxious odor, according to the document that was provided to the NYPD and Parks Department by the new operators.

Summer is coming. 

 

NYC Parks awards 15-year contract to failed Riis Park Beach Bazaar to run concessions on Rockaway Beach boardwalk

 

Queens Eagle

 A decision to award a 15-year Rockaway Beach Boardwalk concession contract to a new company could result in the eviction of a handful of beloved boardwalk businesses, say worried beachgoers and eatery owners.

The New York City Parks Department has contracted with Rockaway Beach Bazaar LLC, a company formed by the owners of Brooklyn Bazaar and nearby Riis Park Beach Bazaar, to renovate, operate and maintain three beachfront cafes, one shop and 20 additional units for the next decade and a half. The properties include the popular bars and restaurants Rippers, Low Tide and Caracas.

The LLC outbid Rockaway Beach Club, a coalition of local business owners that won the contract to operate concessions at Beach 106th, Beach 97th and Beach 86th Street in 2011. The Rockaway Times first reported on the contract.

The longtime tenants and many of their customers say they worry the new operator will evict the eateries or raise rents.

“The Rockaway Beach club has been the umbrella of love, hard work and fostered the CULTURE of the Rockaway we all know today,” the Rockaway Beach shop Zingara Vintage wrote on Instagram Friday. 

The store is located on Beach 91st Street, about two blocks from the boardwalk, and opens occasional pop-up shops outside Rippers. “It’s because of them that so many of us have had the times of our lives on the Rockaway Boardwalk,” Zingara said.

Zingara’s post also described a concern among many boardwalk businesses: even those offered leases to remain in their beachfront buildings may lose control of bar sales, a crucial moneymaker.

“This would crush their business,” Zingara said. “And what about the dozen or so other small businesses that operate in the concessions ? Where will they go?”

The businesses in place have weathered COVID-19 and helped restore the boardwalk in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, said Rockaway resident Sarina Parachini, whose husband owns Rippers, located near Beach 86th Street. 

“These are all Rockaway businesses owned by people from the Rockaways,” Parachini said. “We just got through COVID. We were on the boardwalk for Sandy, we rebuilt after Sandy in a huge way.”

Impunity City 

 

To quote a scene from the surreal suspense series Twin Peaks; “It’s happening again.”

As I documented here for a few years now this LLC, which has had almost as many name changes as Eric Prince’s war mercenary corporation Blackwater to adapt to the times and also to cover for their past failures from their own bottom line decisions, got tasked by NYC Parks and National Parks Service to “revitalize” Riis Park with their annual summer event of upscale foodie and leisure lifestyle culture consumerism. And as I observed and reported, while it did much to rejunivate the boardwalk with new concessions which included the restoration of the Riis Park Bathhouse, there was absolutely no improvements to infrastructure or even basic environmental maintenance like a sufficient amount of garbage cans or even intermittent collection of trash which piled up like sand dunes at the end of the night.

 

And after all that prospective allure the concept of the Riis Bazaar LLC conveyed, many areas and public amenities remained in ruins during their time here.

 The only revitalization that occurred in Riis Park only happened where the Bazaar’s concessions were set up and it was never more pronounced than this year of the pandemic.

  

Rockaway getting a funding boost

From the Daily News:

On the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, Mayor de Blasio announced plans to spend $145 million on seven park projects to help protect the Rockaways from future floods.

The city will launch the projects – with federal approval – starting with rebuilding Bayswater Park. The work includes installing a berm along the waterfront, plus building sports fields, play areas and a kayaking spot.

The cash comes from $120 million left over from the $480 million the feds earmarked for rebuilding the Rockaway Boardwalk, which Sandy destroyed. The money can be moved to other resiliency projects in the neighborhood.

The city is kicking in another $25 million.

Council Member wants Coney Island Boardwalk landmarked

From the Daily News:

The City Council threw its support behind landmarking the Coney Island Boardwalk on Thursday, passing a resolution urging the city to protect the iconic stretch.

Councilman Mark Treyger (D-Brooklyn) got unanimous support for his resolution, although the Landmarks Preservation Commission has balked at making the move.

Treyger wants the landmark status in part to stop plans to convert much of the boardwalk from traditional wood planks into concrete and fake wood.

New lifeguard stations stand unused

DNA Info/Katie Honan

From DNA Info:

A multimillion-dollar lifeguard shack installed after Hurricane Sandy on one of the peninsula's most popular beaches remains shuttered — nearly two months into summer.

The pair of buildings — which were part of a controversial project after Hurricane Sandy that has cost the city more than $121 million so far — have been standing empty at beach 97th Street and the waterfront since Memorial Day, officials admitted.

"Though lifeguards are staffing the beach in this area, they haven’t yet moved into the 97th Street building," Parks Department spokeswoman Meghan Lalor wrote in an email to DNAinfo New York.

"They will be in the building within the week."

A Parks Department spokeswoman said the shacks were closed while the city completed the second phase of the boardwalk, which opened July 3. However, the lifeguard shack is on a portion of the boardwalk that has been open since Memorial Day.

Coney Island's wooden boardwalk is now in Italy

From Brooklyn Daily:

Wood from the Riegelmann Boardwalk that was supposedly damaged during Superstorm Sandy is being reused in Italy — as a boardwalk.

In a classic case of one city’s trash being another’s tesaro, architects who designed the U.S.A. Pavilion at Milan’s Expo 2015 used lumber from Brooklyn’s Boardwalk to build an indoor boardwalk at the Italian World’s Fair. The city has for years been trying to convince residents that concrete and synthetic boards are better suited for beachfront walkways — and has routinely replaced portions of the wooden Boardwalk, which stretches from Coney Island to the edge of Manhattan Beach, with non-wood options — upsetting old-school Boardwalk advocates who say it is the wood that makes it good.

Lublin Dental Center
And to them, the ironic move to repurpose Boardwalk wood to make a boardwalk could be the last straw.

“What a travesty — shipping our Boardwalk’s wood off to another country to be re-purposed and enjoyed there, while we have plastic and concrete shoved down our throats,” wrote Coney–Brighton Boardwalk Alliance president Rob Burstein in a letter to us when he heard of the Italian job.

Biber Architects designed the Milan boardwalk and purchased the timber from salvagers Sawkill Lumber, who harvested the historic planks for the city after Sandy “wrecked” the wooden walkway in 2012, a Biber spokeswoman said.

Feds to pay for Rockaway boardwalk rebuild

From the Daily News:

The city is poised to snag $480 million in federal funds for a storm-proof boardwalk in Rockaway, officials said on Wednesday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency signed off on a deal to repair or replace more than 1 million square feet of boardwalk beams ravaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

“It's great news that FEMA has green-lighted this massive federal grant,” said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, who lobbied for the funds.The new boardwalk is scheduled to be completed by Memorial Day 2017. Sections will remain open while work continues.

City and state officials still need to approve the deal, but it isn’t expected to hit any major roadblocks.

Thankful for new boardwalk

From the Forum:

The final steps of the new Hamilton Beach boardwalk are being constructed and it could be opening up soon.

The “boardwalk,” which will now be a cement path connecting Hamilton Beach to Old Howard Beach, has been fully paved and railings have been installed, according to Councilman Eric Ulrich’s office, which is overseeing the plans.

The main portion of the project has been done by the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). The last remaining portion of it, which is to add the ramp connecting the train station to the boardwalk, has to be done in partnership with the MTA since they own that portion of the land.

Work started on the path in May and was scheduled to finish by the end of September, but building the ramp has prolonged this process.

Sandy-damaged Hamilton Beach walkway repaired

From the Queens Courier:

The first 500 feet of the Hamilton Beach “boardwalk” has been built.

The repair work on the Hamilton Beach walkway connecting the town to the Coleman Square train station is making strides.

The first 500 feet of the now-concrete walkway has been built and officials hope the nearly 2,000-foot path will be fully constructed by the end of September, said Sal Simonetti, chief of staff for Councilman Eric Ulrich, at the Hamilton Beach Civic Association meeting on Aug. 14.

The concrete walkway is expected to be a bit wider than the original wooden boardwalk and will have handrails and lighting, according to Roger Gendron, president of the Hamilton Beach Civic Association.

Work began on May 17, nearly two and a half years after the bridge was rendered too dangerous to use because of damage from Superstorm Sandy.

Sand unswept in Far Rockaway

"Today, went to Beach 20th Street in Far Rockaway. Was oddly amused with the amount of sand on the boardwalk. As a lifelong resident of the Rockaways, I am acutely aware that at this point in time we have nothing else going for us except the beach. As you know, the city keeps dumping everything thay can imagine in the Rockaways. This particluar mound, which is one of four, is the largest and has been growing for the past two months. It's located nearby to senior buldings. The old folks have to navigate around the mounds along with the cyclists, joggers and beachgoers. I guess the parks department is too busy harassing beachgoers walking dogs and enjoying themselves than to sweep up the mess." - anonymous

Rockaway still a hot mess

From NY1:

The mayor stayed away as city officials announced beaches are open.

In the Rockaways, long stretches of sand are less weekend paradise and more construction zone. Forget your sun visor. This is hard-hat territory.

"It looks like hell," said Kevin Boyle, a Rockaway community activist. "It's not exactly ready for the top 10 list anywhere, but it's coming along. I'm pretty sure by 2020, the boardwalk will be there and the beach will look good."

Now, bulldozer tracks are everywhere. The Army Corps of engineers is dredging sand to lengthen beaches, which will soften waves.

Ongoing work means spots will open and shut at times, though new Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver can't say exactly where and when.

But hey, don't despair! You're getting WiFi!

Boardwalk finally being rebuilt

From DNA Info:

Construction on the first phase of the multimillion dollar Rockaway Beach boardwalk project began Monday, more than a year after it was partially destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, city officials said.

The first phase of the $274 million project began on Beach 86th Street with the removal of some concrete pilings that had held up the historic boardwalk for decades, according to a Parks Department spokesman.

Crews will remove the pilings — which officials had determined in December couldn't hold the new boardwalk, further delaying it — and rebuild the thoroughfare on steel beams instead.

Years of exposure to salt water had gotten into the concrete, officials said, and began to corrode the steel inside.

The first phase of the project runs from Beach 86th Street to Beach 97th Street and is expected to be completed by Memorial Day 2015, the Parks Department said.

Better get up early if you want to visit

"Spotted on the boardwalk south from Mets/Willets Point 7 subway heading into Flushing Meadows-Corona Park:

"This Park Closes at 9AM"

I guess no one ever actually reads these things."

-- Nick Normal

New pilings needed for new boardwalk

From the Daily News:

The 90-year-old concrete and steel pilings that once held the Rockaway Boardwalk survived Hurricane Sandy only to be done in by decades of salt.

The new boardwalk that’s going to be built in coming years will have to be supported by new steel pilings, officials said Wednesday.

Tests show the existing pilings are saturated with salt and would likely need pricey maintenance or repairs within the next 20 to 40 years, said Greg Clancy of the city’s Economic Development Corp.

“It would be bad practice to build a new several-hundred-million-dollar boardwalk and know it’s only going to last 20 or 40 years,” he said during a briefing at the office of Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski in Forest Park.

Reusing the pilings would cost anywhere from $30 to $60 million, depending on damage. Building new steel, epoxy-covered pilings will cost between $35 to $45 million.

Parks officials are hoping they can just build on top of the old piles. Removing them would be a costly and time-consuming process.

Replacing the Rockaway boardwalk a huge undertaking

From the NY Times:

Replacing it will be hugely expensive, with a tentative price tag of $200 million. It will involve 4.7 miles of new decking and about 50,000 linear feet of railing. And though work could start by the end of the year, the Boardwalk will take years to rebuild; just how many is unclear.

What is certain, however, is that it will not be made of wood. Soon after the hurricane, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that the storm had laid to rest the debate over wood versus concrete as the preferred material for boardwalks. He pointed to the few concrete sections that had come through in relatively good shape.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which pumped nearly 600,000 cubic yards of sand onto the beach this summer, will eventually build whatever storm protections are chosen, but that will not happen for years, given the Corps’ lengthy technical and economic reviews. The Corps plans to share draft alternatives for the Rockaways with the public early next year, said Chris Gardner, a spokesman for the agency.

In the meantime, parks officials and engineers reassured the residents that the Boardwalk would be rebuilt to withstand future monster storms.

Not only will it be raised along its entire length, but the decking will be securely fastened to concrete pilings. The old Boardwalk had simply rested on the pilings, making it vulnerable to the storm surge.

Promised seawall not part of the plans in Rockaway

From DNA Info:

Newly released plans for the rebuilt Rockaway Beach boardwalk do not include a protective seawall and have no timetable for completion, angering residents of the Hurricane Sandy-damaged peninsula who say they're being left vulnerable to future storms.

The plans for the boardwalk reconstruction, which is slated to begin by the end of the year and estimated to cost $200 million, were discussed Tuesday night at a community board meeting in Rockaway Beach. It included a presentation from the designers of the new boardwalk, CH2M Hill.

Though the plans are still being finalized, a seawall wasn't included in the preliminary design, according to Deputy Parks Commissioner Liam Kavanagh.

At least it's not gunshots...

From CBS New York:

Construction crews are working around the clock to get the Rockaway boardwalk reconstructed in time for the start of summer.

But some neighbors have complained that the noise is out of hand.

Cement pilings are being pounded into the sand. Arverne by the Sea homeowner Vincent Castellano said the constant thumping has kept him up at night.

“The couch shakes, the bed shakes,” Castellano told WCBS 880′s Monica Miller. “You leave the TV on to drown out the noise. The lights shine into the apartment.”

Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanaugh with the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation said they’re trying to get life back on track at the beach by Memorial Day.

Beach islands coming to Rockaway

From the Daily News:

The beaches in storm-battered Rockaway will be dotted with a series of new and revamped bathrooms, lifeguard facilities and concession areas this summer, city officials said Thursday.

The new landscape includes modernistic comfort stations, raised high off the sand to ward off future damage from raging storm waters.

Decades-old concession buildings that weathered Superstorm Sandy will be freshened up with shaded outdoor seating areas.

And food vendors are planning to create pop-up sites in shore-front areas, including the iconic concrete bus shelters on Shore Front Parkway, to feed hungry beachgoers until the buildings are up and running.

But three miles of boardwalk, destroyed by the storm, remain missing until longer-term plans are hashed out.

Meanwhile, boardwalk “islands” will be built around the bathrooms and concession areas.