Fort Washington Park

The Daily Plant : Monday, November 20, 2000

THE RIVERSIDE/FORT WASHINGTON LINK: A WHOLE GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARKS

Photo by Malcolm (Cinema) Pinkney

It was a simple idea: join two separate stretches of trail to create unprecedented public access to the waterfront. In a unification worthy of Berlin, a link was created along the bikepath from Riverside Park and Fort Washington Park. On Saturday, Commissioner Henry J. (StarQuest) Stern, Former State Senator Franz S. (Maverick) Leichter, Department of Transportation Manhattan Borough Commissioner Joe (White Knight) Albano, and Councilman, Stanley E. (Falcon) Michels drove a golden spike into the path to mark the occasion.

The land was once a dirt road with patches of broken pavement and flooding from the highway above. Toxic materials, floatable debris, and water-borne bacteria would wash off the roadway threatening what little wildlife there was below. The innovative new design incorporates an underground trench that will catch downspouting water and direct it through layers of porous materials including activated charcoal. This will remove pollution before releasing water into the Hudson.

Another innovation: Parks landscaped the riverbank to mimic the ecosystem Henry Hudson would have found. Meadow grasses and wildflowers, native trees and shrubs will form a hospitable passageway for the butterflies on their trip south to Mexico.

New York State Parks funded the Link with $2 million, and DCAS matched that with a land transfer. Parks played matchmaker as well, joining the two long lost bike paths to create a greenway from 145th street to the northern tip of Manhattan, part of the Hudson River Valley Greenway that will stretch from Battery Park, Manhattan to Battery Park in Watervliet, Upstate New York. It's also 600 feet in the right direction toward the city's goal of 350 miles of greenway in all 5 boroughs.

As bikers cycle through the seasons they'll be able to enjoy a magnificently changing landscape with varied views. That's more biking for them and more parkland for the city.

A CHARITABLE OPPORTUNITY FOR NYC EMPLOYEES

Parkies who wish to donate a small portion of their salary to charity may do so through the city's Combined Municipal Campaign, a program designed to facilitate charitable giving for city employees. Participants can contribute as little as a dollar a month to an array of charities that focus on health care, literacy instruction, youth recreation, drug counseling, job training and other issue areas. 93% of each dollar goes directly to the nonprofit. Choice runs high as far as how much money can be spent and where that money is channeled. For the answers to your questions, please call Tarice Harris, Benefits Coordinator at (212) 830-7814.

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT
(Monday, November 23, 1987)

GREENER PASTURES IN QUEENS: NEW LOOK FOR FLUSHING MEADOWS

Flushing Meadow-Corona Park in Queens has launched many an historic event-including the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. But last Thursday it served as a landing field.

Mayor Koch, keeping pace with his usually hectic schedule managed to literally "drop in"-via helicopter-to break ground for a 10-year, $80 million reconstruction of Queens' largest park.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"Your hair may brushed, but your mind's untidy, You've had about seven hours' sleep since Friday, No wonder you feel that lost sensation; You're sunk from a riot of relaxation."

Ogden Nash (1902-1971)