Superstorm Sandy & Freshkills Park

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 wetland restoration

The disappearance of wetland habitat in and around New York is an issue with regional implications. In just the last century, it is estimated that roughly 85% of coastal wetlands and 90% of freshwater wetlands in the New York- New Jersey Harbor Estuary have been lost. Until fairly recently, wetlands were considered valueless because they are not well-suited to construction or farming, leading to major land filling, or “reclamation” efforts throughout the early and mid-twentieth century. This is certainly evident at Freshkills Park, where thousands of acres of wetland were filled by Robert Moses to create the Fresh Kills Landfill.

What Moses and others didn’t foresee is that, along with providing unique habitat for a variety of plants, birds, fish, and mammals, wetlands are critical to ensuring urban resiliency in the face of climate change. As major storm events like the recent Hurricane Sandy A view of the 2.1 acre North Park wetland restoration along Main Creek (Photo © Andrew Deer) are expected to increase in frequency and severity, wetlands can buffer is consistent with the New York City water’s edge to prevent erosion and vulnerable communities from potentially Wetlands Strategy to create a more bags of mussel shells will be placed on catastrophic storm surges. When Sandy sustainable New York City, released the water-side of the coir fiber logs to hit, Freshkills Park blunted the storm’s in May 2012 as a part of PlaNYC. The dissipate wave energy, provide aquatic impact on a number of residential wetland restoration is expected to be habitat, and additional erosion control. neighborhoods along Staten Island’s completed in the summer of 2013. Finally, a specific combination of plants, western shore. including spartina grass and other native The first step of the wetland restoration wetland species, will be seeded along North Park Wetland Restoration began in June 2012 and focused on the shoreline to restore the upland removing debris from the project wetland vegetation. After the project A 2.1 acre wetland restoration is site. Shortly thereafter, a herd of is complete, the site will be closely currently underway along Main Creek. twenty goats from upstate New monitored for five years to ensure the The project will restore the wetland York spent seven weeks on the site successful establishment of the salt area to its historical extent within grazing on invasive species, especially marsh habitat. the project area and reestablish salt phragmites, essentially acting as “living marsh and coastal habitats including lawnmowers.” Thanks to the goats’ hard The expected ecological benefits of low- and high-tidal marsh, salt panne, work, the site was cleared without the this wetland restoration project include coastal grassland, and coastal scrub/ use of fossil fuels or disruptive heavy an improved fish and wildlife habitat, shrub. In addition to these ecological equipment. An herbicide treatment was erosion control, stabilized sediment, and objectives, the wetland restoration later applied to kill the remaining root improved water quality in Main Creek. at Freshkills Park is providing an systems. It will also demonstrate the successful opportunity to demonstrate innovative application of new wetland restoration new techniques that can be replicated Having cleared the phragmites, this techniques while attracting new wildlife in other wetland locations. The project spring a “living shoreline” will be to Freshkills Park and creating a more is funded by a grant from the New installed along the edge of Main Creek to interesting, diverse, and beautiful York State Department of State with rebuild the wetland and provide habitat. landscape for Park visitors. funds provided under Title 11 of the Coir fiber “logs” made of biodegradable Environmental Protection Fund and coconut fiber will be placed along the

Fresh Perspectives Winter/Spring 2013 4 A diagram of the many plant zones comprising the rich wetland habitat.

Clockwise from top left: The goats settling into their temporary home at Freshkills Park; a couple of our four-legged friends grazing on phragmites; the goats taking a shady break from their grazing; the wetland restoration site towards the end of the goats' stay. (Photos © Andrew Deer)

5 http://www.nyc.gov/parks/freshkillspark A rendering of Scene Sensor // Crossing Social and Ecological Flows installed over Freshkills Park's Main Creek. LAGI 2012 winner announced

The Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI), Scene Sensor features two planes provided the design teams with rich sponsored by the Society for Cultural formed by a grid of reflective mesh cultural, historical, and conceptual terrain Exchange, announced the winner of its panels interwoven with piezoelectric within which to develop their proposals. 2012 international ideas competition for wires. Piezoelectricity is technology that We hope that providing a platform for Freshkills Park on October 25th. The converts motion into an electric charge. creative inquiry into the aesthetics of winning entry, Scene Sensor // Crossing The panels, which bend as wind flows renewable energy infrastructures can Social and Ecological Flows, was through the structure, also function as a help lead to their greater proliferation produced by Georgia Tech architecture screen, displaying shifting and changing into public spaces and urban parks. The students James Murray and Shota wind movements in real time while breadth of creative results from LAGI 2012 Vashakmadze, and beautifully addresses mapping fluctuations in the collection of point to the amazing opportunity that the competition requirements for site- energy. At night the screen would be lit landfill sites offer cities around the world specific public art installations that by LED lights showing the wind map in to create new energy parks, celebrating produce utility-scale renewable energy. color. As designed, the structure would sustainable urban development.” be located next to an existing bridge over As the second LAGI competition (the Freshkills Park’s Main Creek to highlight This spring, Prestel is publishing a new first was held in Dubai in 2010), the the intersection of two paths - one book, Regenerative Infrastructures, that reclaimed landscape and urban setting of social (people moving through the Park includes all 250 entries to the 2012 LAGI Freshkills Park, itself a symbol of renewal and over the Creek) and one ecological competition along with several original and sustainability, offered an ideal (wind moving through the Park and the essays (including one by Freshkills Park environment to showcase the exciting tidal movements of the Creek). This Administrator, Eloise Hirsh). In addition, potential of aesthetically interesting duality reveals both the tensions and Scene Sensor, the LAGI 2012 runners-up, renewable energy installations. interconnectedness of man and nature and all of the shortlisted entries will be Scene Sensor, selected from over in the landscape of Freshkills Park. At on view this summer in an exhibition at 250 submissions from international, this intersection of flows, the structure the New York City Department of Parks & interdisciplinary teams, proposes simultaneously functions as a mirror and Recreation Arsenal Gallery. creating renewable energy by harnessing a window- revealing both the visible and the flow of wind through a “tidal artery.” the invisible, showing us how nature Murray and Vashakmadze estimate that moves and how we ourselves move their proposal could generate as much through the landscape. as 5,500 mega-watt hours of electricity annually. On a spring day, the electricity Reflecting on the competition, LAGI generated would be enough to power founders Elizabeth Monoian and Robert approximately 1,200 homes. Ferry, noted that: “Freshkills Park

Fresh Perspectives Winter/Spring 2013 6 Freshkills Park Nature Spotlight

Metallic Green Sweat Bee Agapostemon virescens

Range: Found across the United States, British Columbia, Southern Quebec, and Mexico.

Size: About 10 mm long

Preferred habitat: Agapostemon virescens at work Sweat bees nest in the soil and can be found across the New York City area The metallic green sweat bee is native to North America and can be distinguished from during the summer, especially near other species of bees by their characteristic metallic green head and abdomen. Sweat gardens and meadows where flowering bees get their name from their attraction to the moisture and salt in human and animal plants are abundant. sweat. Sweat bees and other wild native pollinator insects such as butterflies, moths, flies, wasps, and beetles are important pollinators for both wildflowers andmany Diet: food crops. Though much attention has been given to the decline of domesticated Adults feed on flower nectar and pollen. honeybee colonies which were imported from Europe, at least 80% of the world’s food supply crops are pollinated by wild bees, such as Agapostemon virescens, and other wildlife. Like the honeybee, wild insect pollinator populations, including sweat bees, are threatened by habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation; non-native species and diseases; pollution, including pesticides; and climate change.

Pollinator Quiz

How many of these pollinators can you

identify?

Sphynx Moth, Yellowjacket Wasp Yellowjacket Moth, Sphynx

Bottom row (left to right): to (left row Bottom Hummingbird, Hummingbird,

Green Bottle Fly Bottle Green

Top row (left to right): right): to (left row Top Ant, Blister Beetle, Beetle, Blister Ant,

7 http://www.nyc.gov/parks/freshkillspark Fall 2012 recap The fall of 2012 was a busy, exciting time for Freshkills Park!

The new Freshkills Park Visitor Center opened in an artfully refurbished construction trailer on-site and is now a popular stop on the free tours of Freshkills Park. The Visitor Center was designed by New York-based design firm, Project Projects, and features a green roof, bright graphics, and creative displays detailing the past, present, and future of Freshkills Park.

A major exhibition on the history of Staten Island, From Farm to City: Staten Island 1661-2012, opened on September 13 at the Museum of the City of New York. The midcentury creation of the Fresh Kills Landfill by Robert Moses and the site’s ongoing redevelopment into Freshkills Park Record crowds enjoyed a beautiful late September day at are prominently featured. Sneak Peak. (Photo © Michael Anton)

On September 20, The Freshkills Story, a new documentary about the transformation of Fresh Kills Landfill into Freshkills Park, premiered at the historic St. George Theater on Staten Island. The event was hosted by Staten Island Borough President Molinaro, whose office sponsored the film’s production. The film is available for viewing on YouTube.

On September 23, the Freshkills Park Development Team hosted the biggest Sneak Peak to date. The third annual Sneak Peak drew over 2,500 visitors from New York’s five boroughs and New Jersey. Over 50 volunteers worked to help manage the day’s free activities included kite-flying, kayaking, hiking, biking, performances, giveaways, and arts and crafts. The Freshkills Team is already hard at work planning 2013’s Sneak Peak.

The Schmul Park ribbon cutting was held on October 4 in the Travis neighborhood of Staten Island. This newly renovated neighborhood park is the first Freshkills Park project to open to the public and is described in detail in this issue’s cover story.

The winning entries in the 2012 Land Art Generator Initiative were revealed at an exhibit opening on October 25 at the SoHo Gallery for Digital Art in Manhattan. Guests viewed innovative design solutions for clean-energy-generating artworks, learned a bit about renewable energy technologies, and met many of the participating design teams! The competition’s winning entry is described on page 6.

On October 29 members of the local Travis Civic Association, along with New York Cares volunteers from throughout the Five Boroughs, and even middle schoolers from IS 72's Green Team program, came out for a successful Schmul Park Clean-up.

Superstorm Sandy hit New York City on October 30, leaving a trail of devastation from which many of our friends and neighbors on Staten Island are still recovering. The storm’s impact on Freshkills Park, and the Park’s role in the recovery effort are chronicled on the cover page of this newsletter.

The role Freshkills Park played in absorbing and slowing Superstorm Sandy’s devastating surge from was featured in a New York Times profile by architecture critic Michael Kimmelman on December 17, 2012. The article, “Staten Island Landfill Park Proves Savior in Hurricane,” and an accompanying video, are available online at www.nytimes.com.

City of New York This newsletter was prepared for the New York Department of State with Parks & Recreation funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor Veronica M. White, Commissioner Project Partners Related City Initiatives Freshkills Park Office Department of Sanitation PlaNYC 2030 51 Chambers Street, Room 100 www.nyc.gov/dsny www.nyc.gov/planyc2030 New York, NY 10007 www.nyc.gov/parks/freshkillspark Department of City Planning MillionTreesNYC www.freshkillspark.wordpress.com www.nyc.gov/dcp www.milliontreesnyc.org

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