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Second Phase Of Canarsie Park Restoration Discussed
The second phase of the Canarsie Park Restoration project was discussed in detail during a community meeting at St. Jude’s school on Monday evening. The gathering shed light on plans that will make the park safer, more attractive and more entertaining, according to city Parks Depart-ment officials. New York City Parks Department architects Katherine Bridges and Emanuel Thingue are overseeing the design, and presented several sketches of Phases One and Two. They presented an outline of how Canarsie Park, along Seaview Avenue west from East 80 Street to the Paedergats, will be renovated. City Councilman Lew Fidler recapped the items of Phase One, which were presented last October, that amounted to $2.3 million. Among them were: natural drain-age systems, to connect low points of land so water flows out of basin areas; clearing woodlands for a better view; improved light-ing on walking paths and a music pavilion facing Sea-view Avenue. Thingue presented a sketch of the music pavilion that, he explained, will be "ecologically sensitive" and appear to be "growing out of the ground." The pavilion will be available for community use when it is not booked for concerts. Bridges presented Phase Two items, including nature portions and scenic paths, cricket fields and a nature trail along Jamaica Bay at the south. Fidler says the second phase is budgeted at $3.3-$3.4 million. He anticipates federal and local funding assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers and He reminded those at the meeting "this is not a one or two year project and it’s going to take a long time." Bridges said construction should begin next spring and could be finished by early 2006. Officer Danny MacBride from the 69th Precinct voiced his concern about wrought iron fencing will He asked, "Will the breaks in the fences be narrow enough for pedestrians to pass through and still keep motor bikes out?" Bridges replied, "There will be rolling guard rails – so you can still have the maintenance and equipment trucks come in. The fencing will be the same as what already exists at the Joseph DiNapoli playground." Another concern was public parking spaces. "People will be parking along Seaview Avenue – we do not provide parking in parks to the public," said Bridges. The three top priorities addressed by the community at the last meeting, according to Fidler, are athletic facilities and nature preservation. Fidler said both phases appeal to these concerns and Fidler hopes to fund the project in this year’s budget. Fidler said, "The point is to get this done in our lifetime so that we can all enjoy this park."
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