fresh perspectives FreshkillsPark Newsletter — Winter/Spring 2013 Superstorm Sandy & Freshkills Park In This Issue The impacts of Superstorm Sandy, which struck the northeast in late October 2012, remain evident throughout New York City. Many families were permanently displaced, businesses 2-3 remain shuttered, and a herculean beach restoration effort is being led by the NYC Parks Department in Staten Island, the Rockaways, and Coney Island. Schmul Park opens to the public; features innovative design Though the storm surge washed a considerable amount of debris onto the shorelines of Freshkills Park's waterways, the infrastructure sustained essentially no damage. In a recent 4-5 interview, Ted Nabavi, Director of Solid Waste Management Engineering with the New York City Department of Sanitation, confirmed that, aside from a brief power outage, the site North Park wetland restoration weathered the storm just as it had been designed to: "Overall the landfill infrastructure and environmental control systems held up well because the Department's original site design 6 took the flood plain into account." LAGI 2012 winner announced Freshkills Park played an important role during and after Sandy. As architecture critic 7 Michael Kimmelman noted in the New York Times on December 17th, the hills and wetlands Nature Spotlight & Pollinator Quiz of Freshkills Park buffered neighboring communities from the effects of the storm surge. By blunting Sandy's impact on adjacent neighborhoods, Freshkills Park underscores the 8 importance of “soft” infrastructure solutions to creating a more resilient New York.Of equal import was Freshkills Park’s role as a temporary debris transfer station in the weeks and Fall 2012 recap months following the storm. The Department of Sanitation mobilized many of the same barges and cranes that once brought New York City’s trash to Fresh Kills Landfill. Debris Above: Freshkills Park as transfer location for brought to the site was sorted and what couldn’t be salvaged was trucked off site to landfills storm debris (Photo © Jonah Stern) throughout the country. http://www.nyc.gov/parks/freshkillspark 1 Schmul Park opens to the public; features innovative design Schmul Park, the first complete Freshkills beautiful trees and plantings. A lighted, Park project, opened to the public at a tree-lined pathway, dubbed “the Allee,” Freshkills Park Team ribbon-cutting on October 4th, 2012. will eventually lead visitors directly into Parks Commissioner Veronica White, the North Park section of Freshkills Park. Parks & Recreation Commissioner Staten Island Borough President James Veronica M. White Molinaro, Councilman James Oddo, The renovation was designed by the S.I. Borough Commissioner Assemblyman Michael Cusick and landscape architecture firm Field Adena Long several students from nearby school PS Operations - the same firm that produced 26, were among the many who came the Draft Master Plan in 2006. The Master Park Administrator out to mark the occasion. Significantly, Plan continues to serve a guiding vision Eloise Hirsh Schmul Park, located in the Travis for the entire Freshkills Park project. Field Capital Program Manager neighborhood on Staten Island, will serve Operations had several goals in mind Angelyn Chandler as a neighborhood entrance to Freshkills when designing the new park: to create once the development of North Park is a fun, safe, and interesting play area, Landscape Architect complete (estimated 2015). reduce paved surfaces, add amenities, Andrew Deer and make the park feel more open and Project Manager Schmul Park originally opened in 1939 on spacious. Jonah Stern 8.5 acres of farmland donated to the city by the Schmul family. In 2010, the much- As the first complete Freshkills Park Outreach Coordinator loved neighborhood park was closed for project, Schmul Park sends a strong Michael Callery a full renovation and the newly reopened message about the principles underlying Interns park is better than ever. While concrete Freshkills Park as a whole. It is first and Dora Blount (Newsletter Editor) and chain link fencing defined the park foremost about the local community – a Clare Buck before, Schmul now features a unique community no longer forced to contend Cary Fukui playground with brightly colored safety with the world’s largest landfill in their Grace Lee surfaces whose topography echoes backyards, and a community that can Shastine Van Vugt the hills of Freshkills, new handball and play an active role in the stewardship of basketball courts, additional seating Freshkills Park. But it’s also an opportunity areas, a modern comfort station, and to showcase creative, sustainable design an open grassy lawn - all surrounded by solutions. The stormwater management Mission CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE As Freshkills Park moves from the planning stages to implementation, we strive to keep community members informed of the progress in bringing this innovative project to reality. Building this park requires many coordinated activities, including the planning and design of the park, engineering for roads and other technical aspects of the park design, environmental assessment and regulatory permitting. The purpose of the Fresh Perspectives newsletter is to provide updates about the project’s progress as well as information about the site's history and some of its unique Students enjoy Schmul Park's sculpted safety surface (Photo © Danny Avila) features, resources and complexities. Fresh Perspectives Winter/Spring 2013 2 CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE best practices, reduced energy and water consumption, and commitment to community participation and stewardship will all be evident throughout Freshkills Park. Stormwater Management The need to reduce stormwater runoff is an important issue in New York City and is a key component of the City’s PlaNYC 2030 initiative to create a more sustainable city. The pervasive use of hard, impermeable paving surfaces, such as concrete, cement, and asphalt, in the urban environment prevents rainwater from being absorbed into the ground. During heavy storms, a lack of permeable ground cover contributes to urban flooding, pollution of nearby water bodies, and in many cases, to Combined Schmul Park's new comfort station designed by BKSK Architects (Photo © Angelyn Chandler) Sewer Overflows (CSOs). CSOs are the single largest source of point pollution runoff from the structure’s sloped roof. provide valuable habitat and require less in New York City’s waterways. Runoff As it rains, the water flows into a gutter water and maintenance because they from rainfall flows into the municipal that extends out over the rain garden are adapted to local conditions. Some sewer system, where it is combined with below. The rain garden is designed as a of the native species reintroduced at raw sewage headed for a wastewater shallow holding area for the water and is Schmul Park are butterfly weed, white treatment plant. During heavy rains, the planted with native species to filter and wood aster, bugbane, purple coneflower, sewer system becomes overwhelmed, absorb the water slowly. sensitive fern, switch grass, black-eyed and a mixture of stormwater runoff and susan, great coneflower, and goldenrod. untreated sewage is released into local Reduced Water & Energy Consumption waterways through overflow pipes. Community Stewardship Comfort Station Partnerships between the NYC Schmul Park’s new design directly Many aspects of the park are also Department of Parks & Recreation and addresses the importance of stormwater designed to reduce the use of water and community organizations like the Travis management in several ways. Permeable energy. The comfort station, by BKSK Civic Association and the Fourth of July and porous materials are used throughout Architects, utilizes many elements of Parade Committee are critical to the long- the park to allow more rainwater to green design. Much of the lighting in term success and upkeep of Schmul seep into the ground, thus slowing and the building is naturally provided by Park. The important work of building reducing the amount of stormwater that skylights. When additional lighting is community support among residents enters the sewer system. Permeable required, an occupancy sensor ensures of the Travis neighborhood has already and porous materials include stone that no electricity is wasted while the begun at Schmul. On October 28th, screening, a crushed rock surface used building is not in use. All toilets and mere hours before the onset of Hurricane for interior walkways, pervious concrete sinks are low-flow and the urinals are Sandy, the Freshkills Park Development for sidewalks, and flexi-pave, which completely waterless. Windows in the Team hosted a day-long cleanup of was used to pave the basketball courts. building are fully operable to provide debris in the woods surrounding Schmul Non-mortared sand joints on the Allee’s natural ventilation and climate control Park. Several volunteers from the local walkway and an overall increase in during good weather. The countertops community, a dozen middle schoolers planted areas also contribute to improved were constructed with recycled glass. from nearby IS 72’s Green Team, and New absorption of stormwater. York Cares volunteers from throughout the Native Species Five Boroughs showed up and pitched in. In addition, a rain garden was constructed Planting beds throughout the park utilize next to the comfort station to catch local, native plant species. Native species 3 http://www.nyc.gov/parks/freshkillspark North Park