Whitestone Bayside fields neglected for too long

By Connor Adams Sheets


Thursday, September 22, 2011 11:09 AM EDT

Community leaders and elected officials are working through a number of avenues to improve Little Bay Park in Bayside, saying the park has been neglected for too long.

Located in the shadow of the Throgs Neck Bridge, the 55-acre beachside greenspace offers sports fields, a bike path and a roller hockey rink, but it has seen little in the way of improvements since 1999, when $1.2 million in city money funded the creation of the path and rink.

On Monday afternoon, City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Malba Gardens Civic Association President Al Centola met with representatives of the city Parks Department at the park — bounded by the beach, Cross Island Parkway, Utopia Parkway and Totten Avenue — to discuss ways to fix the soccer fields, which suffer from poor drainage and other woes because of their location near the salty waters of Little Bay.

Centola hopes at least one of the park’s two soccer fields can be fixed in time for next year’s season, but the cost to do the needed work is proving prohibitive. Halloran said it costs $2.3 million per field to outfit them with artificial turf, or $1.5 million for sod. The price tags are so high because of the need to do extensive drainage upgrades before undertaking such work.

“We’re trying to get that redone because the field is a mess there. There’s no real field, there’s dust and dirt that turns into mud when it rains,” Centola said. “We’re pushing for turf but it’s more expensive, so we’ll settle for sod if it’s done right.”

Halloran’s office allocated $300,000 in city funds last year that can be used to pay for improvements at the park, and he told Centola Monday he may be able to get at least partial matching funds this year if the civic leader can convince Borough President Helen Marshall to dedicate money for the project. Centola said he and his fellow community members will lobby her to put $750,000 toward the field work, and that he and Halloran are hoping to enlist landscape contractors to help foot the bill.

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“There hasn’t been a lot of attention to Little Bay Park,” Schreiber said.

Little Bay Soccer Fields

We had a meeting today with Councilman Halloran, his Chief of Staff, St. Luke's CYO Athletic group, and the Parks Department about Little Bay Fields under the Throgs Neck Bridge.

More Hazardous conditions on 5th avenue

These are pics of DEP removing hydrant because it was leaking. Our concern is with the fact that it now stinks like Diesel on the block (did they get it all?) and if hydrant was leaking, why did they back fill yesterday

Over two weeks after a serious Haz Mat situation occurred on 5th avenue in Whitstone Queens. DEP was on scene once again today to replace the Hydrant that was run over by a Tractor Trailer illegally turning onto our residential street. At that time it was reported that after the truck hit the hydrant, he attempted to back out of the street, in effect running the hydrant over twice. IF THIS WAS A PERSON , IT WOULD HAVE INSURED DEATH!!! In his attempt to back out he ruptured his gas tank and spilled approximately 75 - 100 gallons of Diesel fuel on our street, our sewer system, and our soil.


A company apparently hired by the trucking company came yesterday to remove soil and back fill with sand. They left four large rocks that were under ground above ground, around the hydrant? Today DEP had to dig out the Hydrant because it was leaking. Could this have been a danger if one of the homes on the block caught fire? Has this Hydrant been leaking since March 6th, the date of accident? How is it that those digging and back filling yesterday did not notice the leak? Have lives been once again placed in danger by jeopardizing a Fire Hydrant?

Now that DEP dug out the hydrant, the smell of diesel has neighbors crying foul. "Our entire block smells like Diesel", a DEP worker was seen coming out of the hole and overheard complaining "it should never have been back filled , it stinks down there, they need to get more out!".

This is of great concern to us, as you can imagine.

This traffic problem needs to be resolved.






Did this compromise homes , residents, and Firemen if their was a fire?

Did they get all the Diesel?

What about the Diesel that went into the Sewers?

Our Forgotten Waterfront Park

CLEAN UP, CLEAN UP, EVERBODY DO YOUR SHARE!!

NICE WATERFRONT PARK!

THIS TREE HAS BEEN LIKE THIS SINCE THE LAST STORM!


While the MTABT has been very responsive to our community and the cleanup of the play ground during the warm months, many of our neighbors feel the Parks Department has been asleep at the wheel with regards to the rest of the park.

THIS RECEPTECLE HAS BEEN LIKE THIS SINCE FRIDAY, TODAY IS SUNDAY.

AS HE SAW US TAKING PICTURES HE STOPED TO ASK IF WE NEEDED A PHONE NUMBER. GREAT CLEANUP!

THIS HOLE HAS BEEN THERE TWO YEARS

Hundreds if not Thousands of Newlyweds come to our park yearly to get their wedding photos taken in Our park. Scores of young families take their children to the park .

Should your children have to play in this park?
Are we not deserving of the same services other communities receive?

You Decide.

Francis Lewis Park Playground

As many of you know, yesterdays unofficial twister hit our park pretty hard. The parks department is well aware of the situation and promises to move quickly.

On another note, the MTABT has informed us that they are ready to move the playground to its new location as soon as the Parks Department is ready. We are recommending that everyone call their elected officials and contact the Parks Department (311) in order to expedite the project.

THANK YOU TO: Ray Webb, Manager of the MTABT Whitestone Bridge and his crew for expeditiously removing a fallen tree across the service road of the Whitestone Expressway. This alleviated a traffic mess as well as what could have been a dangerous situation. KUDOS...