Central Park

The Daily Plant : Tuesday, March 13, 2001

SHOPPING FOR TRASH IN THE EAST RIVER

It remains a mystery where the 50 shopping carts, 30 bicycle frames, and 20 bicycle wheels came from. They were extracted from the East River along the ¼ acre of parkland that is part of Hallet's Cove in Queens on March 1, 2001. They might have floated down from Roosevelt Island, 125th Street, or Ditmars. Some of their labels read Cosco, others Pathway or Gristedes, and like SOS bottles, they floated up on Parks' shoreline, probably carried on the tumultuous current of the Hell's Gate Breakwater. Or, they may have been dumped by local residents.

Like other industrial items that are illegally dumped in natural areas, the shopping carts became a home for living things, in this case a cover of barnacles which weighed them down, and made their removal an even heavier job than it might otherwise have been. From 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on March 1, Michael (Sooter) Rizzuto, SPMO for District 2; Julio Escarela, APSW, and Charles Tusa, CPW hauled out the garbage with a grappling hook and a chain. They were joined by Frank (Music Man) Ricotta, SPMO for In-House Crew; Robert Marshall, CPW; Major Tobin, CPW; and Walter Klink, CPW. Several men tugged at a particularly difficult piece of wrought iron fencing, a catch so heavy the crew eventually used a winch to remove it.

All of the waste was trapped above the rip rap and beneath the 10 foot high promenade that runs along the cove and playground. An extreme low tide enabled the crew to reach the shopping carts and bicycle parts that are normally obscured from view. Queens Operations will continue to monitor the site for incoming tides bearing trash.

THE MOST EMERALD OF THE EMERALD EMPIRE CELEBRATE

Commissioner Henry J. (StarQuest) Stern took part in the Emerald Society's 16th annual dinner dance on Thursday, March 8, 2001. The Emerald Society holds five board meetings and two major community building events during the month of March, which is Irish Heritage Month as well as Women's History Month. The dinner dance is a celebration of Irish culture and its impact on Parks and also an opportunity to honor exemplary citizens. The society recognizes dedicated public servants from Parks and the local community. This year, Council Member Martin J. (Marigold) Golden received the President's Award, and Dennis Keene was named Person of the Year.

The Emerald Society, like other fraternal organizations at Parks, creates a charitable community within the professional community of Parks. Through their activities, relationships are forged and friendships solidified. They'll be marching under the Parks banner in the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 17th, 2001, decked out in uniforms and new jackets, led by Grand Marshall Jack Holler. Present at the dinner dance were 135 guests including board members The board members present at the festivities were: Edward (Seaside) Raarsch, Martin (Eagle Scout) Maher, Greg (Castle Keeper) Monaghan, Chris (Mariposa) Rumpf, William (Yankee 1) Martin, Nancy (Blue Bay) Quilty, Mary (Sandpiper) Purcell, John (Red Oak) Fitzgerald, Tom Dicks, Kathleen (Goldenrod) Holler, Barbara Buckley, Bill Dowling, Thomas Galvin, Terence (Shamrock) Meehan, and Bill (Hot Stuff) Rumpf in the room tonight. Over 50 Parkies are members of the Emerald Society.

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT
(Tuesday, March 22, 1988)

SNOWY SPRING SLINKS INTO CENTRAL PARK

Brisk winds whipped across the Great Lawn on Sunday, carrying with them an occasional snowflake. At times, a whole flurry of winter flakes fell. But winter was not the key word for Sunday's event. Sunday was a celebration of spring!

At 4:39 a.m. Sunday morning, March 20, the "Vernal Equinox" occurred, officially marking the start of spring. It is only one of two times a year when the sun crosses the equator, and day and night are of equal length.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in."

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center