It’s still five years away from opening, but the new Penn Park that straddles the border between Brooklyn and Queens represents a distinct about-face for an area that had long been used as a dumping ground.
The 90-acre park, which is located at Pennsylvania Avenue near the Belt Parkway, has been built by the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on top of the closed Pennsylvania Avenue landfill. As such, it represents a transformation for the area from hazardous waste site to ecological marvel.
Basically, according to Lee Shelley, the chairperson of the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) on the park, work on the park has been completed but additional supervision on the part of DEP is still in the offing.
“They want to make sure the trees take hold, the grass takes hold, on their own,” Shelley explained. “Then, the state will take a look and go through the process of declassification.” Only, then, after the park has been “Declared safe for public usage,” will Penn Park finally be open to the public.
However, those curious to take a look inside the park may have a rare opportunity on July 17th (raindate: July 24th) when the free annual public tour of the park will be held. The tour will leave from the Brooklyn Sports Club, 1540 Van Siclen Avenue, at 9:30 a.m., returning to the club at 12:30 p.m.
What can be seen inside the park is a result of the eight years of planning and seven years of construction, said Shelley. The park will give residents of southern Brooklyn and Queens access to Jamaica Bay from a vantage point located 90 feet above sea level.
Besides Penn Park, there is a second park, Fountain Park, that is now under construction on top of the old Fountain Avenue landfill. That park, which is the larger of the two, “Will hopefully be done sometime next year,” said Shelley.
According to a fact sheet provided by DEP, the “ecological restoration” of the two former landfills is intended to, “Complement and enhance the existing ecological features of Jamaica Bay… designed with coastal woodland/shrub land and grassland species.” The restoration of the two landfills, “Represents the largest environmental restoration ever undertaken in New York City,” according to DEP.
Among the highlights of the parks, said DEP, will be hiking and walking trails, as well as, “The re-introduction of rare or extirpated plants, the increase of genetic and biodiversity, improved wildlife habitat, food sources and shelter, the minimization of supplemental watering, fertilizers, herbicides, etc., and the reduction of soil erosion and sediment loading into local water bodies.”
Both parks, once they are open to the public, will become part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, which operates under the auspices of the federal National Park Service.
Besides the opportunity to enjoy the glories of nature, the two parks will also offer recreational opportunities to park-goers, said Shelley. though, he added, the exact nature of the recreation is yet to be determined.
“The committee and the community are in the process of ironing out with the National Park Service all the different types of recreation that will be there,” Shelley explained, adding, “The recreation at both parks will be quite different from what’s now offered at Gateway.”
The combined acreage of the two parks is 365 acres, and the two will represent, said Shelley, “The highest points on the bay. Once you’re on top of the park,” he added, “you can see all of Queens and Brooklyn, and you can see Manhattan.”
Reservations for the tour of Penn Park are required, and space is limited. Call Shelly at 347-446-8566or send an email to PennFountain@aol.com, and leave your name and a call-back number.
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