Harvey Park

The Daily Plant : Tuesday, March 6, 2001

THOROUGH CLEAN-UP IN HARVEY PARK

On February 21, 2001, crews from the In-house Restoration Program (IHRP), Parks Career Training (PACT), the Garage and District 7 completed an intensive clean-up in Harvey Park, bounded by 144th Street, the Whitestone Expressway service road, and 20th Avenue in Queens. Richard (Ricardo) Murphy, Queens Borough Commissioner; Eric (Clouseau) Goetz, PRM; Parks Inspectors; and neighbors cited litter and bulk debris as mounting problems along the steep embankments that border 144th Street and the service road.

Over 30 people joined forces to address the problems of litter and dumping. From 8:30 a.m. on, the crew, supervised by Warren (Orchard) Deitz, SPMO; Barry Viuker, SPMO; Yvonne Esposito, SPMO; Kenneth (Norwood) Hopkins; PPS, Vincent (Chevalier) Cerroni, SPMO; Roberto Reyes, SPMO; and Philip (G-Man) Sparacio, Deputy Chief of Operations cleared everything from Burger King packaging to kitchen chairs. Tires, tree limbs, and branches were taken away. The last inspection, conducted in January 2001 had noted three bags of leaves as well as planks of wood, some of them with protruding nails. The report characterized the litter as localized in the natural and horticultural areas of the park, and judged the lawn area "extremely clean." One super packer, a 16 cubic yard packer, one dump truck, and one chip-box truck with a chipper helped with the clean-up job. By 2:00 p.m. the crew had eliminated 20 cubic yards of debris. The brisk weather on February 21 insured that parks were relatively depopulated, and crews could be diverted to a special assignment.

Eric Goetz described the park as located in the bottom of a bowl. The hills that form the bowl's steep sides, he explained, are the site of the problem. Drivers who stop for a fast food picnic on the service road toss their litter out car windows, and some homeowners perceive the 144th Street embankment as a convenient repository for bulk trash.

This year, the embankments along Harvey Park will remain under close watch in order to control the condition, and broadcast the message to neighbors and drivers that neither litter nor dumping will be tolerated. Follow-up work at Harvey Park will also include the removal of additional wood debris and cribbing work. PACT will install guardrail along 144th Street and repair the curbing there to stave off erosion.

Harvey Park is a 9.47-acre playground, named for the man who served as Queens Borough President from 1928 to 1941. The site includes a playground, roller hockey rink and two baseball fields, as well as a six-foot tall rabbit, inspired by the 1950-movie Harvey.

Congratulations and thanks to the crews who brought their energy and skills to the clean-up.

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT
(Tuesday, March 15, 1988)

AMBASSADORS IN GREEN SAY "CIAO" N.Y.; ROGERS AND BENEPE TO SPEAK IN MILAN

Central Park Administrator Elizabeth Barlow Rogers and Director of Art & Antiquity Adrian Benepe will speak at a national conference in Milan, Italy next Sunday, March 20. Italia Nostra, the environmental organization that invited them asked the two Parks officials to bring the Big Apple urban greening message to the fashionable, but grey city.

The two speakers will be guests of Italia Nostra, a cross between the Sierra Club and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Rogers will present a one-hour slide presentation on private sector involvement in greening efforts and Benepe will present a one-hour slide presentation on how to create "The Country in the City."

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"Order is not an end in itself. Order is whatever helps you to function
effectively-nothing more and nothing less."

Stephanie Winston