Asbestos has been found in Kaiser Park.
City Councilmember Domenic Recchia made that announcement at last week’s meeting of Community Board 13, which was held at Coney Island Hospital on Ocean Parkway.
“In the comfort stations, they went to dismantle the house and they found asbestos so the contractor stopped,” Recchia explained.
The city Parks Department hired a company specializing in asbestos removal to clear the area of asbestos, which is known to cause lung diseases.
The contractor will soon resume work on the comfort stations, Recchia said.
The stations are being renovated as part of the city’s plan to create a new field house. When the $2.2 million project is complete, the field house will have a new roof, doors, windows, interior walls, plumbing, locker rooms, work stations and benches. There will also be a community room. And, the facility will be fully accessible to the handicapped.
The revamping of Kaiser Park, which spans 26 acres along Neptune and Bayview avenues, West 24th to 32nd streets, and Gravesend Bay, began three years ago when the Parks Department started work on a new track and field costing $3.2 million.
In 2006, the new track and field opened. It featured a 400-meter Mondo-surface track with a synthetic turf infield.
City Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe praised the project, saying, “Kaiser Park now boasts sports facilities that are second to none. Area residents, athletes, and the students of the Mark Twain School can train to be future champions or just cultivate a lifetime habit of fitness and health.”
Earlier this year, the Parks Department completed a $1 million project to install new lighting for the track and field.
The projects were funded with monies secured by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Recchia.
Kaiser Park now offers a variety of activities and amenities, such as a fishing pier, handball, basketball and tennis courts, a track and field, and desirable views for bird-migration watching.
Early next year, the city will ask for bids from contractors to construct new basketball courts, Recchia said.
