A Plan to Save a Beloved Park From Flooding Has Angered Its Biggest Fans Climate Change - Global Warming HEAD TOPICS

A Plan to Save a Beloved Park From Flooding Has Angered Its Biggest Fans

10/21/2022 6:27:00 PM

A resiliency plan would tear down Wagner Park in Lower Manhattan and rebuild it on higher ground but some residents say it goes too far

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Wagner Park is to be demolished and then rebuilt on higher ground by the Battery Park City Authority , as part of a $221-million-plus resiliency plan to protect the south end of the neighborhood and Lower Manhattan from flooding. A resiliency plan would tear down Wagner Park in Lower Manhattan and rebuild it on higher ground but some residents say it goes too far Credit...Authority officials said they have repeatedly addressed such concerns in dozens of public meetings since 2016 and already incorporated community feedback into their plan. Making substantial changes now, they said, would result in years of delays that would set back their resiliency efforts. “There is an urgent need for us to act because the next catastrophe could come at any time,” said Mark Levine, the Manhattan borough president, who supports the Authority’s plan for Wagner Park.that cut down hundreds of trees in East River Park this year and last year drew fierce criticism from residents. (In Wagner Park, 48 trees will be removed, and 139 trees will be planted in the rebuilt park). Read more:
NYT Metro » H.S. football: Wagner 42, Buda Hays 21 Smart SA invites families to try new STEM activities at Pearsall Park Three Colorado men suspected of poaching big game in Park County JSO investigating woman’s death at Grand Park home near elementary schools

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CNN News, delivered. Select from our newsletters below and enter your email to subscribe. Read more >> H.S. football: Wagner 42, Buda Hays 21Quick Take: Wagner scored twice on big plays late in the first half to take control en... Smart SA invites families to try new STEM activities at Pearsall ParkThe City of San Antonio’s SmartSA is hosting a free STEM technology event this weekend! Three Colorado men suspected of poaching big game in Park CountyThree Colorado men suspected of poaching wildlife in the state have been arrested and are facing felony charges. We need to severely increase the penalties for this shit… JSO investigating woman’s death at Grand Park home near elementary schoolsPolice said it’s unknown if foul play is expected. A medical examiner is looking into the cause of death. Orange Park tackle Roderick Kearney earns spot in Under Armour All-America gameSince 2006, only two players from Clay County high schools had earned a spot in the Under Armour All-America game. Now, add Orange Park offensive tackle Roderick Kearney to the list. Chicago shooting caught on ambulance dashcam video near Jackson ParkA Chicago shooting was caught on an ambulance dashcam video near Jackson Park on the city's South Side. Pritzker 's Illinois making this normal. What is this a scene from a movie?These two have to be actors or pranksters or something 😂 Let’s pitch in to get them a new and coolest looking ambulance 🚑 Too chill… ice in the veins. .of 10 Wagner coaches look on at a play against Hays on Thursday, Oct.SmartSA is hosting a free STEM technology event this weekend.On Tuesday, Colorado Park and Wildlife investigators served search warrants at residences in Colorado Springs and Fremont County, arresting three suspects in the case, according to a CPW news release. The project would have taken away a large chunk of green space in Rockefeller Park at the north end of the neighborhood. Image Wagner Park is popular among young residents, like Zahra Kumar, left, and Kaiya Stanton, who are also active in the debate over its fate. The Thunderbirds scored on plays covering 48, 63 and 89 yards in the opening two quarters to take a 28-7 lead into halftime before holding off the Hawks for the win, the fourth in a row for Wagner (5-3, 4-1). Credit. to 2 p.. Highlights: The turning point in the game came late in the second quarter with Wagner holding a 14-7 lead, but being pinned deep in its own territory following a Hays punt.. Related Articles. Ahmed Gaber for The New York Times Now, they have mobilized to save Wagner Park. A quick three-and-out by the Hawks was followed by a 63-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Smith to Gary Smith with 26 seconds to go before halftime and Wagner was able to take a tidy 21-point lead into the locker room at halftime. “The SmartSA Sandbox event is a great opportunity for families—especially kids—to experience innovative ideas and technologies firsthand,” said City of San Antonio Chief Innovation Officer Brian Dillard. They have held rallies, consulted resiliency experts, and enlisted OLIN and Machado Silvetti, the design firms that helped create Wagner Park in 1996, to come up with an alternative. Authority officials said they have repeatedly addressed such concerns in dozens of public meetings since 2016 and already incorporated community feedback into their plan. What it means: Wagner stays near the top of the district standings and can be no worse than fourth after this week, regardless of what happens in the district games on Friday night. Making substantial changes now, they said, would result in years of delays that would set back their resiliency efforts. Those interested in attending are encouraged to register. “The cost of inaction — or significant delays to action — is really consequential,” said B. Quotable: “These kids play like family. J. Jones, the president and chief executive officer of the Authority. We’re glad we’ve gotten to four district wins and now we want to keep moving up the ladder, but we know (Seguin) has a good team. “That’s why moving forward is really important.” The fight over Wagner Park offers a glimpse of the challenges ahead as New York City tries to protect its shoreline from flooding. Game balls: Chery led the Wagner offensive attack with 18 carries for 149 yards and three touchdowns as the Thunderbirds rolled up 296 rushing yards (and 407 yards of total offense) against the Hawks. City officials, scientists and environmental experts have increasingly warned that the city has not done enough even as climate-change projections have grown more dire. “There is an urgent need for us to act because the next catastrophe could come at any time,” said Mark Levine, the Manhattan borough president, who supports the Authority’s plan for Wagner Park. For Hays, Zach Obara had 17 carries for 72 yards and two scores along with two catches for 29 yards. For many New Yorkers, however, the way forward has been uncertain, confusing and acrimonious. A resiliency plan that cut down hundreds of trees in East River Park this year and last year drew fierce criticism from residents. Up next: Things don’t get any easier for either team, as they face the top two teams in the District 12-5A-I standings next week. (In Wagner Park, 48 trees will be removed, and 139 trees will be planted in the rebuilt park). Such neighborhood conflicts are likely to become more common as resiliency plans are carried out by various city, state and federal agencies, which may take different approaches and not necessarily coordinate closely with one another or communicate effectively with residents. 28 for a 7 p. “What the government is missing is a unified approach and a sole entity that is accountable to answer all the questions,” said Amy Chester, the managing director of Rebuild by Design, a nonprofit that works on making infrastructure more resilient. Image Britni Erez, a member of the Battery Park City Neighborhood Association, said that Wagner Park was too important to families like hers to demolish without carefully considering every possible option. kickoff against the Matadors, while Hays hosts Smithson Valley on Oct. Credit..m.. Ahmed Gaber for The New York Times Flooding is a particular threat to Battery Park City, a 92-acre planned community in Lower Manhattan that was built on landfill with construction debris from the original World Trade Center. Still, Wagner Park did not flood during Hurricane Sandy because it sits at a relative high point, with an elevation ranging from 10 to 11.5 feet above sea level. Authority officials emphasized that they are preparing for future storms, which are projected to bring worse flooding. Under their plan, the park would be rebuilt about 10 feet higher — at roughly 20 feet above sea level — and a flood wall would be buried underneath the lawns over the next two years. A pavilion that housed a small restaurant would be replaced by a pavilion that would take up a slightly smaller footprint at ground level, but have additional space below for park and restaurant operations. “I do believe that we have — through the process of extensive dialogue and analysis — arrived at the best possible and really the only truly viable option.” said Gwen Dawson, a vice president at the Authority. But the neighborhood association has not accepted that. Residents sought out Lucinda Sanders, the chief executive of OLIN, who was the lead project manager on the original Wagner Park. Ms. Sanders, who is not being paid, suggested another option: Keep the existing park and build a permanent wall behind the lawns and gardens. The wall would have openings that could be manually closed up during storms, Ms. Sanders said. Since the back edge of the park already rises about 11. 5 feet above sea level, the wall would only have to go up to about 7 feet, and could potentially be integrated with the back wall of the pavilion. “The current plan is one solution to the problem,” Ms. Sanders said. There is likely another way to do this that preserves the overall integrity of the park as we know it today.” Authority officials, who have not seen Ms. Sanders’ plan, said they had previously considered an option to install flip-up barriers along the back of the park, and rejected it. Residents will unveil the alternative plan at a virtual public meeting on Oct. 27 . Tensions have flared in recent months as Authority officials have refused to delay their plan. The neighborhood association has called on Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, to intervene. Ms. Hochul has not responded, but her Republican challenger, Lee Zeldin, has spoken against the Authority’s plan. He also appeared at a recent rally against it. Chris Ward, a former city environmental protection commissioner and chairman of the Waterfront Alliance, a nonprofit, said the Authority’s plan should not be held up by residents who do not want to see their park torn up. “It is inconceivable that we allow these parochial self interests — after all of the community meetings, process and science,” he said. “The future of New York as a harbor city will be deeply threatened.” The neighborhood association said that the Authority’s plan was pushed through during the pandemic, when many people were distracted or living elsewhere, and that residents did not learn crucial details about the redesign of Wagner Park until earlier this year. Residents after realizing there would be a significant reduction in lawn space from the existing park. Image The area, with its views of the Statue of Liberty, is a big draw for tourists. Credit. .. Ahmed Gaber for The New York Times In response, Authority officials said they cut back on the gardens and pathways to increase lawn space , though it is still 10 percent less than the existing park. The changes cost several hundred thousand dollars, they said. Mr. Jones said they have been transparent in developing their plan, including posting information online. “It wasn’t a big reveal in May what the design was going to be, this has been a process that everyone has had the opportunity to be part of along the way,” he said. Not all residents are against the demolition and rebuilding of the park. Jeff Galloway, 68, a litigation finance consultant, said that elevating the park was the best option “out of a bunch of bad alternatives” that would be more disruptive to the community. “If you could keep the park as it is, that would be great,” he said. “That does not seem to be physically possible if you accept the climate change projections.” But Britni Erez, 40, a member of the neighborhood association, said that Wagner Park was too important to families like hers to demolish without carefully considering every possible option. When her husband, who is a doctor, was based at a Brooklyn hospital during a peak in the pandemic, their family would reconnect in their neighborhood parks. “They should have dug deeper on an alternative,” she said. “We’re not climate deniers, we’re not saying ‘Don’t do anything. ’ We want a better resiliency project.” Advertisement .