A Tale Of Two Potential Parks

With the culminating announcement this past June of just under $1M in 15 grants, to 10 existing and 5 new environmental projects, GCEF, Greenpoint’s dedicated environmental fund, now enters its final act.

The new projects funded include some tried-and-true endeavors, such as supercharging the Lentol Gardens, expanding capacity at the Newtown Creek Wildflower Roof, and furthering environmental education for local youth.

In addition, the fund launched several ambitious new projects in this final stage, including a Phase II feasibility study for new parkland and open space underneath the new Kosciuszko Bridge, and a major green overhaul of the playground at PS110.

KOSCIUSZKO BRIDGE PARK
With open space at a premium in North Brooklyn, park developers seek all the help they can get. No space is too small to be considered; no location is too far gone to reject salvage. Such is one article of faith at the Open Space Alliance, North Brooklyn’s go-to advocate for new open space. With this tenet foremost in mind, the OSA last spring took on a leadership role in a proposed new park, requesting (and receiving) $100K from GCEF to fund the second part of a 4-part development process to convert a 4-acre parcel of land underneath the new Kosciuszko Bridge into new waterfront parkland.

The city-owned parcel abuts Newtown Creek on one side, and is bounded by Stewart and Thomas St. to the west and south. When — if? — completed, the Brooklyn park wil mirror a similar Queens-side park under the bridge just across the Newtown Creek, currently slated to open in 2020.

"It is extremely rare to find land to create new park space, notes OSA's Joe Vance. "We are extremely grateful to New York State DOT for providing this opportunity and to GCEF for providing the grant funding for this phase."

PS110 PLAYGROUND PARK
A similar carving-out of parkland to recently receive GCEF funding is the “Pollinator Garden” at PS110. Repurposing an decidedly under-utilized concrete play space adjacent to the elementary school’s building on Monitor Street, this project will implant trees, flowers, and other amenities for local insect and pollinator populations, along with multi-purpose raised beds, and community seating.

An initiative of the PS110 PTA, under the leadership of Tiffany McCannon, the garden renovation is being overseen byAlive Structures’ Marni Marjorelle, who comes to this project well-seasoned in repurposing local spaces: Alive Structures was the principal designer behind Kingsland Wildflowers’green roof, just North of the school. With her own child a student at 110, teh Garden Renovation will be something of a labor of love.

“We are planting eight large pine trees, twenty four shrubs (including Highbush Blueberries!), flowering perennials, and have installed about thirty tree stump seats for full classes to take place outside,” notes Marni. The effect of her efforts will be felt almost immediately, with plantings set to go in in the coming weeks, and a full bloom on tap for the spring. With “green recess,” migrating Monarchs, and even movies under the stars all in the works, the renovated playground promises to render inviting what was (ahem!) a forlorn patch of concrete -- albeit painted a pleasing green.

“I’m so excited about this project and to see it evolve,” says Marjorelle. “It’s been such an honor and pleasure to be able to work in my own community and where my daughter and her friends go to school.”

OPEN HOUSE THIS SATURDAY
These projects are but two of the 15 funded by GCEF in its final round, as part of that fund’s unique civic experiment underway to transform a formerly maligned industrial neighborhood into the nation’s preeminent poster-child for urban environmental remediation. The legacy of dirty oil, transmuted into a significant $19.5M fund expressly dedicated to "support projects that address the community's environmental priorities, such as improving water quality, groundwater, open space, toxic pollution, and air quality," GCEF has to date funded 41 local projects, and claims nearly $67M in investments into the local community.

You can learn more about these projects this Saturday, when GCEF hosts its third and final open-house in McGolrick Park. Representatives from both projects will be on hand to answer questions and offer tours, as will representatives of the other 13 funded projects, and GCEF itself.