With half of East River Park’s once verdant space now a barren construction zone, the vegetation— that formerly filtered emissions from the FDR Drive, the Williamsburg Bridge and Con Edison — is gone. How will the quality of the air be affected as a result? And what can we do about it? We’re wondering as well,…
Tag: Lower East Side
FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES AND CLIMATE
Deconstruct the video of the “Frontline Communities Coalition” rally on December 18th https://thevillagesun.com/you-dont-speak-for-us-pro-resiliency-plan-rally-slams-park-defenders and what you see is an image makeover for supporters of the De Blasio plan that is now obliterating East River Park despite wide community opposition. It is certainly interesting how speakers at the rally evade the history of this controversy with…
Hear Us, See Us
A podcast and a video tell the story of the opposition to the destruction of East River Park with diverse voices of passionate neighborhood advocates. For more compelling videos filled with facts about the fatal flaws in the East Side Coastal Resiliency plan to raze East River Park, visit our video page:
Don’t Sign, Scott
East River Park Action rallied July 27, 2021, to urge NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer to withhold approval for the controversial low-bid contract that will destroy East River Park. Construction for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project at East River Park could start once approved. Nearly 100 people came with creative signs and chants and solid…
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…
Open Air Quality
How we can get the information we need to breathe free LES Breathe took part in a fascinating panel during Open Data Week, an annual knowledge-sharing event sponsored by NYC Open Data. That’s the agency that provides access to the free public data published by New York City and partners, and the nonprofit BetaNYC, which…
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…
Resolved: No Value No Plan
The Grand Street Democrats passed a resolution Jan. 27 decrying the destruction of East River Park despite the recently discovered lack of a Value Engineering report or study. Such a document is needed for large complicated projects such as the East Side Coastal Resiliency flood control plan. The Grand Street Dems are building a new…