I recently visited this park and I have to agree that the site is coming along great...I particularly liked the exclusive use of the native grasses and vegetation...
Courier-Life Publications - Sneak peek inside new Penn Park - Site goes from landfill to green spot:
Sneak peek inside new Penn Park - Site goes from landfill to green spot
By Lesley Grimm 07/27/2007
Can something so disgusting be transformed into idyllic parkland?
The answer, it appears, is yes.
Two giant mountains of rotting garbage in Brooklyn are being converted into remarkably beautiful public parks.
The former Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue landfills, just south of the Belt Parkway near Starrett City, are the subjects of a $230 million makeover.
Recently, neighborhood residents and stakeholders were given a rare “sneak peak” at the two colossal sites.
“It’s fantastic! Absolutely mind-boggling!” exclaimed Lee Shelley, chairperson of the project’s Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), as he inspected the progress.
Shelley was one of more than 100 people that took part in the July 17 public tour.
“Unbelievable — it’s been an amazing transformation,” said Ida Sanoff of the Natural Resources Protective Association. “What a difference!”
“I’m very impressed,” said Don Riepe of the American Littoral Society. “This is a great addition to the ecology of the Jamaica Bay ecosystem.”
To the amazement and delight of those who surveyed the adjoining properties, the two sites are looking much less like dumps these days and much more like attractive parks.
And that is precisely the goal.
According to construction manager Nayan Shah of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, the 100-acre Penn Park is on track to open in the fall of 2009.
Its big sister, the sprawling 300-acre Fountain Park, is a year behind and could be unveiled to the public in the fall of 2010, pending state approval.
The parks will become part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, which is managed by the National Parks Service.
The Department of Environmental Protection is describing the project as “ecological restoration.”
It is the largest and most-complex restoration ever completed in New York City.
Before the tour, consultant George Leahy from design and construction firm URS described the process.
“It was a very laborious project,” Leahy said, describing the remediation work that began in 2002. “We did it step by step by step.”
Leahy explained how the landfills were “capped”: the first step in the process was to cover the landfills with a layer of heavy-duty plastic.
This was critical to prevent rain from leaking down through the garbage and waste.
The liquid that is produced when this happens is called “leachate” and can harm the environment.
Now that the flow of that ammonia-rich leachate has been stemmed, scientists are already seeing marked improvements in Jamaica Bay with the return of tiny invertebrate creatures. They are a key component in the natural food chain.
After the plastic liner, the entire area was then covered in a five-foot layer of dirt.
About three million cubic yards of sand and soil was brought to the site by barge.
“You could fill the Empire State Building with that much material,” Leahy stated.
Then the “green” phase began. When this stage is complete, between 30-40,000 trees and shrubs will have been planted.
Planting at Pennsylvania Avenue is complete, with native prairie grasses and wild flowers now covering the site.
Hundreds of small trees have also been planted. While they still need stakes for support, it’s hoped that one day they will grow strong and tall and become a bayside forest.
Planting at Fountain Avenue should be finished next year.
The plant species were carefully selected and then planted in designated “communities” to replicate the way the plants would grow together in nature.
DEP restoration ecologist John McLaughlin said many of the trees, shrubs and grasses are rare and endangered species. In some cases, the species have been wiped from the area and are now being reintroduced.
While the facilities will likely open in coming years, McLaughlin said the true beauty of the parks will be enjoyed by future generations when the woodlands and wetlands become well established.
“It’s just a good thing to do, and it’s the right thing to do,” McLaughlin said. “We have to be responsible stewards of the land.”
The parks are expected to include biking and hiking trails, and there is also talk of boat launches and a band-shell-type outdoor concert facility.
But the biggest draw to these parks may simply be the view.
The top of Pennsylvania Avenue is 90 feet above sea level, while the peak of Fountain Avenue is 120 feet high.
“No other park in the city has this kind of view,” CAC’s Shelley said. “On a clear day, you can see forever.”
Visitors can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of every borough in New York City, as well as sweeping views of Jamaica Bay.
The property was originally low-lying wetlands, but “grew” taller through decades of dumping.
While the landfills were closed in 1985, they continue to generate methane gas as the buried waste decomposes.
At both sites engineers have installed a network of underground pipes to collect the gas.
Each of the two sites then uses a “flare” to burn off the methane.
The Fountain Avenue landfill produces a significant amount of methane. It took in more residential waste, and rotting food produces the methane gas.
In the future, that gas from Fountain may be harvested and used to generate electricity or steam.
