On a blustery night last November, North Brooklyn Parks Alliance (NBPA, previously known as Open Space Alliance) hosted their recurring Community Committee Meeting, or “Comm Comm”. Moderated by Ward Dennis, NBPA Board Director, community leaders from various North Brooklyn park friends groups, Newtown Creek Alliance, The North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, and NYC Department of Parks shared ongoing and new park developments across Greenpoint and the greater North Brooklyn Area.
Katherine Thompson, Co-Chair of Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park (FBIP) and recently hired Greenpoint Coordinator of NBPA, presented an update on the new FBIP Gardening Committee and FBIP end of the year party.
Willis Elkins, Executive Director of Newtown Creek Alliance reviewed plans for a number of ever-developing spaces, including the currently unused lot dubbed the “Gateway to Greenpoint.” The 13,000 square foot space meets at the crossroad of at Kingsland and Greenpoint Avenue. As the name suggests, it will serve as a sort of gateway towards the neighborhood’s other green zones and will lead towards Kingsland Wildflowers, which runs parallel and adjacent to North Henry Street and the Nature Walk.
Stephen Chesler, Chair of Friends of Transmitter Park, provided an update on this beautiful little gem of a park. Katie Naplatarski, also with Friends of Transmitter Park, spoke about the need for coordinated community input in the design of the waterfront open spaces.
Susan Anderson of Town Square’s Go Green BK applauded the presenting groups for their efforts. She spoke about the Go Green BK digital hub resource and how parks groups can use this free and easy to use resource to promote their programs and events.
Mary Salig, Director of North Brooklyn Parks, of NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, was also in attendance, discussing upcoming developments in the area: the Sgt. William Dougherty Playground opening; the McGolrick Park walkways, the Newtown Barge Playground, and lastly, the McCarren Park soccer field. It will be an exciting spring for community members. For specific updates about the parks and playgrounds, contact Mary Salig at Mary.Salig@nyc.parks.gov.
Salig also reminded the audience of upcoming and ongoing park events, including the “It’s My Park” event series, which invites community members to lend a hand tending to community parks and gardens.
Although there are no additional plans in the works, short mention was made on the previous considerations for continuing the Summer Concert Series in 2018. Although murmurs and letter drafts have floated around proposing the continuation, the “plan” is currently little more than an idea. “There is no concrete plan on the table,” said Joe Mayock, then-Executive Director of the North Brooklyn Parks Association (NBPA.)
Still, Mayock mentioned that the series was an important revenue source during its run. According to the NBPA, the concert series garnered a total of $238,000 during its last run, which provided for $68,000 worth of equipment purchases, two full-time employees, and one grounds gardener for the park.
While we’re always happy to see new green spaces growing, some concerns remained on the minds of some guests, including the length of time for development, construction, and redesign of many North Brooklyn’s Parks. In addition, some expressed disappointment with the vision for some not always falling in line with design aspirations. For some, the long-promised Box Street Park sprang to the forefront of the conversation as an example.
“This neighborhood has been through so much,” said one guest, while mentioning the wait time between Bushwick Inlet Park and Box Street Park. “It’s not fair.”
Another attendee also mentioned their hope for more ambitious project planning by the New York City Parks Department. “Advocacy is great, but the city should be doing their job.”
NYC Parks, Friends Groups, and community members verbally agreed to increase annual meetings, especially before crucial funding periods.
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