Pelham Bay Park

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, August 20, 2003

PARKS BLACKOUT HEROES

As yesterday’s Daily Plant noted, many Parks & Recreation staff members played an important role during the city’s dramatic blackout. Below are just some of the pool and recreation staff who looked after children, kept our facilities safe, and enabled the pools to reopen quickly when power was restored.

Brooklyn Electrician Brian Buchrieser inquired on Thursday whether he was needed, though he was still settling the details of his father-in-law's funeral. On Friday, he reported in early to help get generators up at Coney Island pumps and lowering the electric gates to secure the comfort stations there. He stayed for an additional 6 hours to help repair the burnt out sump pumps bailing out 16" of water flooding the filter plant at Red Hook Pool. He was assisted by Maintenance Worker John Curry during all these tasks.

Plumber's Helper Decker Lewis reported in and went beyond the call at the Red Hook flood. He worked by himself and later with the pool staff to identify the leaks and to begin pumping out the water.

SPMO Sal Becker, Auto Mechanic Charles Kingly and Crew Chief Adolf Delgado were essential in helping Staten Island during the first night of the blackout. Before and after dark they were issuing flashlights and other emergency equipment, coordinating communications and setting up generators to supply power for Ranaqua and fueling stations at Van Cortlandt and Orchard Beach.

SPMOs Dawn LouAllen and Rory McEvoy worked many extra hours (overnight shifts) on Thursday and Friday nights and were able to have the filter system and water ready for when power came back on Friday evening. Rory was at Asser Levy Pool for about 30 hours.

At Asser Levy Pool FPOs Thomas Muriel, Kevin Canton and Mark Williams, JTP David Wilson and CSA PEP Andre Cloud were instrumental in getting the pool ready for its 11 a.m. opening on Friday.

At Highbridge Pool, SPMO's Ben Lopez and Jaime Perez were able to calmly close the pool to the public when the power went out. FPO's Samuel Lindsay and Eric Schuller were able to get water ready by 2 p.m. the following day.

After power was restored at Carmine Pool on Friday, SPMO Larry Stedley and Lifeguard John Silvers were able to open it by 5 p.m. so that New Yorkers could cool off.

At Carmine Recreation Center, pool staff members Ray Pagan, Herofilio Pena, and Booker Brunson remained at the center until the children from Camp Carmine were picked up. Ruth Hernandez, Camp Coordinator, walked seven children over the Williamsburg Bridge to Brooklyn so their parents could meet them.

The following people were instrumental to in keeping John Jay and Thomas Jefferson pools secure: SPMO Lisa Henry and SPMO Rory Campbell, CSA Glen Jones, CSA Mildred Thompson, FPO Tuwann Workman, FPO Don Sinisi, SPMO Alisa Brogdon, SPMO Duvall Drummond, Center Manager Tony Rosa, FPO Rosalyn Underwood, and Lifeguard Harry Ketchell (who walked up 25 flights of stairs to his apartment to get a flashlight to help out.)

At Thomas Jefferson Recreation Center, Abraham Rosado, Alisa Brogdon and Duval Drummond stayed overnight to look after the property. On Friday morning it was evident that few incidents had occurred, thanks to the hard work of these individuals.

At Lasker Pool, two previously scheduled events, Dash & Splash and a Thriathlon, were both able to occur successfully with the help of SPMOs Larry Durante, Lillie Peppers and Andre Davis.

During the blackout, FPO Leon Taylor was able to drain the Fred Douglass mini-pool to fix structural problem and return chlorine and ph levels to normal so that the pool could reopen on Saturday.

The Summer Day Camp staff at Hansborough Recreation Center stayed hours after the blackout until every child was picked up by their parents. The staff consist of Deputy Manager Troy Basso, Summer Day Camp Coordinator Deborah Edwards, Summer Day Camp staffers, Anthony Burton, Rashid Rozier and CPW Walter Brissett.

"People are able to wonder at the height of mountains,

and the huge waves of the sea, the vast compass of the ocean,

at the circular motion of the stars,

and then pass by themselves without wondering at all."

(354–430)

Know Before You Go

Pelham Bay Nature Center

Pelham Bay Park