Jamaica Bay and the Rockaways

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Building Parks’ First Green Building

New York City’s commitment to a sustainable 21st century is evident in many visionary projects but last Friday, we broke ground on what will be the Parks Department’s first state-of-the-art “green building” – the Carmine Carro Community Center in Marine Park, Brooklyn.

On June 13, Commissioner Benepe joined Borough President Marty Markowitz, City Council Member Lewis Fidler, State Senator Martin Golden, State Assembly Members Alan Maisel and Helene Weinstein and many local students and seniors to break ground on the Center.

The ceremony featured performances from the Marine Park Junior High School Band, the P.S. 222 Chorus and Band and the Midwood Active Adults Chorus Group. Alexandra Pettas, a student from P.S. 207, performed a rousing rendition of the National Anthem. Members of the Marine Park Adult Advisory Board presented the officials with t-shirts celebrating this momentous occasion.

Solar panels at this Center will collect the sun's energy and convert it to electricity. Geo-thermal wells will provide heating and cooling by pumping water from the aquifer through the building. A planted roof will insulate the building and absorb rainwater. This building is an example of the City's commitment to an environmentally-friendly 21st century and Parks is seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification for the design.

The future Community Center will be named after Carmine Carro, the late President of the Marine Park Civic Association. It will feature multi-purpose rooms for recreation and community programs to serve people of all ages. It will also include fully-accessible bathrooms, a kitchen, skylights and administrative offices and storage space.

The Center is funded in the amount of $11 million with $8 million from Mayor Bloomberg, $1.4 million from Council Member Fidler, $1.1 million from Senator Golden, $500,000 from Assembly Member Maisel and $30,000 from Assembly Member Weinstein.

GO GREEN!

Eco-Friendly Fact of the Day

“It is estimated that 17 trees are cut down for every ton of non-recycled paper.”

“Pack a Waste-Free Lunch,” www.globalstewards.org

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“On the whole human beings want to be good,
but not too good, and not quite all the time.”

George Orwell
(1903 - 1950)

Know Before You Go

Paerdegat Basin Park