Page 6 - Spring 2013

Page 6

Spring 2013

NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION

confident that thousands of residents

and tourists will visit the 625-foot

wheel and its related components. A

hotel, retail center, restaurants, mov-

ie theaters, and more are planned.

NRPA and NSWCI submitted com-

ments noting the flood plain dangers,

and requesting more community in-

put. Let's hope the developers and

EDC seek more input and listen to

the open space needs of the com-

munity.

Then there is the proposal to raise

the height of the Bayonne Bridge.

The US Coast Guard and Port Au-

thority held a hearing on a Mid Feb-

ruary afternoon and evening at Snug

Harbor to present the 7,000 page

environmental assessment for the

proposal to lift the road an additional

seventy feet so large mammoth su-

per freighters could pass through the

Kill Van Kull. US EPA and many

others are very concerned about the

impacts of this proposed project.

Why can't the PA be smart and use

the Military Ocean Terminal in Ba-

yonne? It’s already a deep water

facility. This would save millions of

dollars, and provide jobs, without

damaging the North Shore and the

city of Bayonne. Stay tuned…

Also, mark your calendars for St.

George Day, Saturday, April 20 at

the Park of the intersection of Bay

Street and Victory Boulevard. It’s a

celebration of the diverse community

with fun, games, music, food, learn-

ing, and much more. Event spon-

sored by Everything Goes and the

community of

St

George/

Tompkinsville.

Crooke's Point, the most remote

area of Great Kills Park

By Jim Scarcella

Follow the road past Nichols Marina

and Great Kills Beach to this penin-

sula at the mouth of Great Kills Har-

bor. Environmentalists continue to

object to the destructive, wasteful

and dangerous project of the Nation-

al Park Service and City Park's Mil-

lion Trees Program. It attempts to

remove native and invasive vines

and shrubs, dreaming of planting

surviving Maritime Forest with native

plants.

In early 2012, NPS removed two

acres of rich bird habitat, which had

survived in this all-sand terrain. City

Parks attempted to use herbicides to

poison their deep roots, instead only

poisoning groundwater, which drains

into the rich fisheries of Great Kills

Harbor. During Sandy, when surge

waters breached the point and erod-

ed and reshaped the loose sand at

the edges of The Point, roots of

shrubs, vines and plants held the

sand in the vegetated areas in place,

protecting the integrity of Crooke's

Point.

Natural Resources Protective Asso-

ciation insists it is time to REEVALU-

ATE THIS PROJECT. Let Nature

reestablish itself to protect the diver-

sity and stability of this man made

peninsula.

Stop now!

No more

deadly herbicides and NO EXPAN-

SION of this stupid, unnecessary,

expensive adventure!

Sullivan Marina Park

(

aka Blissenbach Marina, West

Brighton Marina)

By Tony Rose

A park is on the way! The site of the

former Marine Power and Light oper-

ation owned by Walter Blissenbach

is currently under construction. The

site has been dormant since being

turned over to the NYC Parks Dept.

years ago.

In brief, the history of the site has

been a series of roller coaster dips

and turns. Mr Blissenbach was retir-

ing from his shorefront service oper-

ation anticipating spending his gold-

en years in retirement in Florida.

The site, somewhat in disrepair had

been certified for 400 marina slips.

Boats from a marine clean-up re-

sponse were moored there until the

closing, but it had not been an active

operation.

Mr Blissenbach had hoped to sell his

property to the city or the state in

hopes of having it turned into a wa-

terfront park.

The Parks Department stated they

would welcome the property and

would run it, but they had no money

for acquisition. Word of the owner’s

imminent departure made it out to

the neighborhood where it was wel-

comed by Linda Eskinaze who had

long admired the site as a compo-

nent of her proposed North Shore

Waterfront Greenway; a chain of

sites running from Arlington Marsh,

Mariner’s Marsh, the Van Pelt/Van

Name site, through Faber Park and

Snug Harbor to the St George Espla-

nade.

The West Brighton site had long

been an access point to the water-

front, back to the Lenape, here be-

fore Henry Hudson cruised up the

river that would later bear his name.

Archaeological artifacts had borne

this out and developers had broken

her heart by laying foundations in the

neighborhood before the sites could

be examined for their hidden treas-

ures.

Preservationists, waterfront access

enthusiasts and community activists

joined environmentalists in seeking

to acquire the property. Politicians

agreed the cause was just and

joined in a search for money. None

was found. The site sat. Time

passed. Mr Blissenbach continued

to age and developers hovered like

vultures circling the carcass. It was

feared the site would fall to condo-

miniums like the SS White site.

Beryl Thurman and the nascent

North Shore Waterfront Conservancy

became involved and petitioned

Councilman Mike McMahon. The

borough president agreed with eve-

ryone that it would be a good idea,

but he had no money either. As time

moved forward, the initial request for

four million had ballooned to five.

Ellen Pratt brought the Protectors of

the Pine Oak Woods to the discus-

sion. More press followed and oth-

ers in the community sought to have

this potential jewel added to the

Park’s Department inventory.

The NYS Environmental Trust was

eyed as a potential source of fund-

ing, but had recently purchased the

Mount Loretto property on the south

shore and was not looking to spend