As City planners and waterfront leaders hoped, opinionated and impassioned NYC residents turned out to participate in the first two public workshops to update the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. Bronx residents gathered on May 12 (see photo above) and Brooklynites on May 17.

"I was delighted to see close to 100 members of the public attend the Bronx workshop," said Dept. of City Planning (DCP) Commissioner Amanda Burden, who was reached before the Brooklyn workshop took place. "In each of the four discussion groups, I was struck by the high level of knowledge not only about the opportunities that each of the Bronx waterways offers, but also about the challenges associated with each site. Their passion and interest was remarkable. It was rewarding to see how each group worked collectively to establish a set of priorities for each neighborhood's waterfront."

At the workshops, Dept.of City Planning project director Michael Marrella began by describing each borough's areas of focus, known as "reaches." In the Bronx there are four reaches: the area of the Hudson River, Harlem River and western Bronx; Randall's Island and the East River area of the Hunts Point Market; both sides of the Bronx River up to the Westchester border; and the area of Pelham Bay Park, Orchard Beach, Hutchinson River, Eastchester Bay and northeast Bronx.

A snapshot of the activity at one Bronx workshop table provides a sense of the ambitious program. Here, residents of Co-Op City discussed their concerns and hopes for the waterfront with City planners, members of the Hutchinson River Restoration Project, representatives from the office of City Council member Annabel Palma, a member of the City Island Civic Association, and others.

One of the largest housing developments in the world with 50,000 residents, Co-Op City lies at the shores of the Hutchinson River (see photo below) but people are kept from the water by a fence. Residents implored the City for waterfront access.

 

Addressing the same waterway from another angle, representatives of the Hutchinson River Restoration Project (HRRP) emphasized the need for environmental clean-up, which should start with identification of the river on city maps where it is often left unnamed. Eleanor Raye, president of the HRRP, later reported a very positive experience. "Usually I come home from meetings like this and crawl in the door because I'm so discouraged, but this time I can't tell you how positive I feel," she said. "We were able to say something that was meaningful and people were able to hear us."

In Brooklyn, which was divided into six reaches, discussions centered around maintaining industrial and business activity, increasing access and public open space, and environmental improvement. One table discussed remediation and better boat access for Coney Island Creek, along with better transportation to and opportunities for parking. Another table explored better water accessibility near the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges and at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. A third table debated what has sometimes been a clash between maritime-dependent job retention and greater public access to the waterfront. For a NY1 piece on the Brooklyn workshop, click here.

See the box at left for dates and information on the remaining Comprehensive Waterfront Plan workshops. (back to top)

Long a garbage dump, the shores of Lincoln Park in Jersey City are being restored to 35 acres of vital wetlands with a new public trail and bridge. Waterfront advocates and agency heads are hailing the project, saying it represents creative thinking and outstanding collaboration between federal, state and local partners.

As seen in the photo above, with the Pulaski Skyway crossing the Hackensack River in the distance, officials gathered at Lincoln Park on Earth Day, April 22, to celebrate the project.

"As many of you know, we have been working with the Port Authority in the deepening of the channels into the Port of New York and Jersey," said Colonel John Boul�, District Commander for the Army Corps of Engineers' New York District, as he explained the project's history. "The Port is of critical economic importance to the regional economy. But the Port is also located within the Hudson-Raritan estuary, which has very important ecological value. During the planning for the project, the project partners, which included both shipping and environmental interests, developed a vision of what became known as a 'World Class Harbor Estuary.' The concept is that a world-class port, world-class navigation channels and a world-class sustainable estuary are compatible and interdependent."

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection was awarded $10.6 million to rehabilitate Lincoln Park in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Working with government agencies, the contractor Green Construction and the Port Authority of NY and NJ to coordinate funding and wetlands design, the Army Corps delivered 350,000 cubic yards of clean sand dredged from Anchorage Channel in the Upper Bay to Lincoln Park. Col. Boul� reminded his audience that the Corps has promised to utilize all of the 42 million cubic yards of dredged material in environmentally beneficial ways.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke (the man in the blue shirt at left walking with Hudson County's Ken Jennings and NJDEP's David Bean across the clean sand that will form the base of the new Lincoln Park wetland) was another featured speaker at the event. "This project is of course about conservation and preserving America's environment. But it also gives us a glimpse into our possible economic future as well," he said. "This past summer President Obama noted that there is a lot of misinformation out there that there's somehow a contradiction between a clean economy and economic growth. There is no contradiction, and this wetlands project proves this very point. This funding will enable an ecological oasis to be created right outside New York City. It will benefit a wide variety of fish and wildlife. And it will also benefit people right here in New Jersey. This project will have created 40 full-time jobs for workers who had previously been unemployed." (back to top)

On May 1, the women of the Empire Dragon Boat Team gathered friends, family and fellow rowers and paddlers who practice at the World's Fair Marina and cleaned the Flushing Bay waterfront. Some picked up trash along the shore and some skimmed garbage from the water by boat.



"This was a great way to do something for the community, for the environment and for our health," said Jennifer Wise Merendino, who, with Donna Wilson, founded the dragon boat team last year. "There's a lot of run-off there, so a lot of trash gets washed up on the side. We wanted to be a part of making it a better place."

Formed of women who have survived cancer, the Empire Dragon Boat Team members are a special crew. "The Chinese dragon boat tradition is one in which all team members work together, each pair of paddlers representing part of the dragon's body -- the head, the heart, the muscles -- paddling in synchronicity and perfect balance to make progress. That is what the Empire Dragon Boat team of women's cancer survivors do -- work together, rely on each other, support each other, share the ups and downs of living with cancer, and recognize from hard experience that exercise is crucial to our physical and emotional balance," explains Diane Miller on the group's web site.

This year, the Empire Dragon Boat team will be competing in three races, two in New Jersey and one -- the annual huge, colorful Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival -- in Flushing Meadows Park on August 7 and 8. Every week they practice and get stronger and fiercer. But they keep a balanced perspective, which includes attention to their environment.

"Our environment is important to our health," said Ms. Merendino. "We really try to make sure we're doing the best we can for the environment. Our racing shirts are made of recycled materials. Our fundraisers support environmental groups. It feels really good."

Click here to see the Empire Dragon Boat Team in action. (back to top)