Make it Better July 26 was our first general meeting of East River Park Action in almost two years. The last time was in October 2021 at the still-existing amphitheater. The unrevised East Side Coastal Resiliency project is now under construction. Do not despair! There is much we can do to improve our health and…
Tag: ESCR
Make Parkland and Public Transit
Not More Emissions from the FDR In 2019, when the City Council approved the East Side Coastal Resiliency project that would create a levee alongside the East River, the city promised to study the viability of covering the six-lane FDR Drive. It would add parkland and additional flood control and also stem emissions and noise…
Appeal to Gov. Hochul
On September 20, 2021, East River Park Action formally asked the Governor of the State of New York, the Honorable Kathy Hochul, to convene an investigation into the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project immediately, especially the sewer infrastructure alterations, given that the tragic removal of nearly 1,000 drainage – and air quality – critical trees…
Stringer Declines to Sign Contract
Park Destruction Stalls for a Possible 60 days On Wednesday, July 28, news broke that Comproller Scott Stringer did not sign the IPC Partners contract at hand, but instead sent it back to the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) to address concerns. This came after Christopher Marte, winner of the Democratic primary race for…
Lawsuit Filed for Unredacted Value Engineering Report
What’s wrong with the flood control plan for the Lower East Side? Let’s see the report and find out, says a new lawsuit. NYC may have to reveal the contents of a hidden study that supposedly justified the complete destruction of East River Park and the building of a giant levee at double the cost…
Over Budget
The CONSTRUCTION BIDS are in, and they are off-the-charts. Not in a good way. The lowest bids for the East Side Coastal Resiliency project will cost $73 million more than the $1.45 billion budget… and they’ve barely started. These bids do not include the new ‘parallel conveyance’ for the enhanced sewer system, or other major components of the plan. Where…
A Student’s View
This letter is from Lower East side eighth grader Amalia H. She tells Gov. Cuomo how East River Park is her refuge and gives a cogent argument for a change in plans to demolish the park. The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of New York StateNYS State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224 RE: East River…
No Value
City Admits THERE IS NO VALUE ENGINEERING STUDY—Mayor Bill de Blasio cited this study in 2018 as the reason to demolish East River Park New York, January 9, 2021— In a reply Friday to a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request, NYC’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) stated that the City’s Value Engineering Report on the East…
Unanswered
I asked questions in July. It’s September. We need action. “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” –Shirley Chisholm City Council Member Carlina Rivera and I (along with Rivera’s staffer Ivy Rosado) Zoomed on July 21. We went over many vital questions about the East Side Coastal Resiliency…
Goodbye Promenade
Hello Ruthless Closing Plan for East River Park The city promised it would leave 40 percent of the park open throughout construction. Here is their draft map for the 60 percent they will fence off in November. The rust-colored sections on the map will be closed and under construction for two years minimum. The recently…