billyblancoNYC
July 30th, 2003, 07:51 AM
Dump may grow up to be park
*
By BILL FARRELL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Pennsylvania and Fountain Aves. landfill is covered with plastic liner in preparation for planting. *
The malodorous, toxic and visual nightmare reviled by drivers along the Belt Parkway will soon be transformed into 400 acres of parkland along Jamaica Bay.
The city's Department of Environmental Protection has moved into the final stages of remediation for the Pennsylvania Ave. and Fountain Ave. landfills.
The two landfills are bordered by the Belt Parkway on the north; Jamaica Bay on the south; Fresh Creek on the west; and Spring Creek on the east. Already, the land has been turned over to the National Park Service.
"This is the last element in the process," explained Lee Shelley, chairman of the citizens advisory committee for the project. "This is the culmination of 10 years of hard work."
It also is the start of another 10 to 15 years before the site has been determined safe for use as a park.
"The day is coming when this will be a beautiful park, with hiking and biking trails and a place for people to come and enjoy nature," Shelley said.
"It's taken a while, but we have finally gone from looking at this site [as going] from a landfill to parkland," said Benjamin Gabriel, 71, of Community Board 5. "Some people look out and don't know what's going on out here. The whole idea is to give the community a park and access to the bay."
But before those hills - which rise as high as 90 feet at Pennsylvania Ave. and more than 125 feet at Fountain Ave. - become part of the park, there is still work to be done.
About 40 acres of the Pennsylvania Ave. site already have been covered in plastic. Work crews will start placing the plastic membrane over the Fountain Ave. Landfill next week.
"The name Pennsylvania Avenue Landfill itself is obsolete," DEP project manager Patrick O'Connor said yesterday as he led a tour of nearly 40 community leaders and others through the sites. "The plastic will be covered with topsoil and 75 different species of trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses will be planted."
According to O'Connor, the capping of Pennsylvania Ave. will be finished by spring 2005, and the planting will be completed two years later. Capping and planting at the Fountain Ave. site on the other side of Hendrix Creek will be done one year later, he said.
O'Connor said the Environmental Superfund will pay 75% of the $220 million-plus costs, with the city picking up the remaining 25% of the tab.
The 120-foot-high mountain of what was once garbage offers spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, Jamaica Bay and the Verrazano Bridge.
"I'm glad I came," said Barbara Tillman. "I have a difficult time picturing these things. This was very informative."
On Aug. 11, officials from the National Park Service will meet with the same tour group to unveil the model for the park.
Originally published on July 30, 2003
*
By BILL FARRELL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Pennsylvania and Fountain Aves. landfill is covered with plastic liner in preparation for planting. *
The malodorous, toxic and visual nightmare reviled by drivers along the Belt Parkway will soon be transformed into 400 acres of parkland along Jamaica Bay.
The city's Department of Environmental Protection has moved into the final stages of remediation for the Pennsylvania Ave. and Fountain Ave. landfills.
The two landfills are bordered by the Belt Parkway on the north; Jamaica Bay on the south; Fresh Creek on the west; and Spring Creek on the east. Already, the land has been turned over to the National Park Service.
"This is the last element in the process," explained Lee Shelley, chairman of the citizens advisory committee for the project. "This is the culmination of 10 years of hard work."
It also is the start of another 10 to 15 years before the site has been determined safe for use as a park.
"The day is coming when this will be a beautiful park, with hiking and biking trails and a place for people to come and enjoy nature," Shelley said.
"It's taken a while, but we have finally gone from looking at this site [as going] from a landfill to parkland," said Benjamin Gabriel, 71, of Community Board 5. "Some people look out and don't know what's going on out here. The whole idea is to give the community a park and access to the bay."
But before those hills - which rise as high as 90 feet at Pennsylvania Ave. and more than 125 feet at Fountain Ave. - become part of the park, there is still work to be done.
About 40 acres of the Pennsylvania Ave. site already have been covered in plastic. Work crews will start placing the plastic membrane over the Fountain Ave. Landfill next week.
"The name Pennsylvania Avenue Landfill itself is obsolete," DEP project manager Patrick O'Connor said yesterday as he led a tour of nearly 40 community leaders and others through the sites. "The plastic will be covered with topsoil and 75 different species of trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses will be planted."
According to O'Connor, the capping of Pennsylvania Ave. will be finished by spring 2005, and the planting will be completed two years later. Capping and planting at the Fountain Ave. site on the other side of Hendrix Creek will be done one year later, he said.
O'Connor said the Environmental Superfund will pay 75% of the $220 million-plus costs, with the city picking up the remaining 25% of the tab.
The 120-foot-high mountain of what was once garbage offers spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, Jamaica Bay and the Verrazano Bridge.
"I'm glad I came," said Barbara Tillman. "I have a difficult time picturing these things. This was very informative."
On Aug. 11, officials from the National Park Service will meet with the same tour group to unveil the model for the park.
Originally published on July 30, 2003