Solar-powered trash compactors, composting toilets and maybe even a little wind power thrown in.
Welcome to the next generation of public parks.
The two acres of wind-swept land located on Brigham Street in Sheepshead Bay may be a pitiful sight today, but the community has be working diligently to turn it into a 21st century oasis for young and old alike.
Community Board 15 received an update on New Yorkers for Parks and the Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic Association’s efforts last week at Kingsborough Community College.
“Our overall goal was to create a waterfront development for the whole community,” New Yorkers for Parks Pamelea Governale said.
In addition to the solar powered trash compactors and composting toilets, the Brigham Street park is shaping up to be especially accommodating to senior citizens with an onsite comfort station and wide walkways for wheelchairs.
Anglers will also have ready access to the waters of Sheepshead Bay while the park’s core will be attractive to active youngsters.
Organizes say that the new park will be easily secured during off hours and that crosswalks will help ensure pedestrian safety to and from the park.
“I want to thank you for never giving up and making this one of the most spectacular parks in the city,” said Community Board 15 member Dr. Oliver Klapper.
New Yorkers for Parks and the Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic Association has been working with Community Board 15 very closely throughout the summer hammering out park features.
Assemblymember Alan Maisel recently allocated $50,000 towards the completion of the project. The entire park carries an estimated price tag of anywhere from $4 to $7 million dollars.
The Prospect Park Alliance is serving as the fiscal conduit for the project and will assist organizers with furthering designs, and conducting site analysis.
Test borings to determine the toxicity of the soil still need to be performed.
Previously marshland, the site was completely filled in back in 1966. In 1996 the DEP opened a sludge pump underneath the site to handle overflow from the nearby sewage treatment plant on Knapp Street.
No longer in use, the DEP still reserves the right to use the sludge pump at some point in the future.
Organizers say the outflow pipe will be fenced off from the rest of the park.
