I heard a variety of views during recent community meetings and conversations on the proposed comfort station at Valentino Pier Park. Some expressed the strong need for a bathroom in that area while others described issues with the comfort station as proposed. Ultimately, I have decided to pull the funding from this currently proposed project. The roughly $2 million […]
Valentino Pier
Our Beloved Valentino Park, by John McGettrick
Valentino Park & Pier, at the foot of Coffey Street in Red Hook is no doubt one of New York City’s smallest but also one of the most extraordinary assets. Its unobstructed vistas of the harbor – including the Statue of Liberty, the Verrazano Bridge, Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, the Manhattan skyline, State Island and New Jersey – are what […]
Valentino Update, by George Fiala
A Facebook group calling themselves “People for Red Hook Public Parks” held a meeting last night at 351 Van Brunt Street, hosted, but not attended, by Victoria Hagman. It was self-described as a community meeting but a reporter for the Star-Revue was not allowed to sit and report on the goings-on. When asked why not, the answer was that the […]
Controversial plan for Valentino Pier Comfort Station, by George Fiala
UPDATED – see the end of this story. Valentino Pier park has become the latest flash point in Red Hook’s transformation from a sleepy backwater community into a destination spot. First, fences sprouted up suddenly, taking park regulars, including attendees of the Red Hook Flicks, by surprise. It turned out that the Parks Department decided to implement some repairs/improvements […]
Valentino Pier repaving to go on as planned, by George Fiala
As reported recently, Red Hook residents were surprised one day when fencing went up around Valentino Pier. Call were placed to Councilman Menchaca’s office, and he quickly arranged for a community meeting at the Red Hook Library. Kevin Jeffreys, head of the Brooklyn division of the Parks Department made a presentation that explained the reason for the fencing, and he […]
Parks apologizes for hasty fencing at Valentino Pier, by George Fiala
Red Hook park lovers were fuming last week when, without warning, fencing was put up around Valentino Pier park. It turns out that the Parks Department had planned some minor renovations that would close some parts of the park for about a month. Many residents, still upset at the cavalier attitude in which the Coffey Park renovation was handled, couldn’t […]
Valentino Pier community meeting
We just received a note from our councilman Carlos Menchaca. It has the details of a promised community meeting about proposed renovations to Valentino Pier. Here is the email in full: “Please join me this Thursday at 7:00pm at the Red Hook Library for an update from the Parks Department on the fencing around Valentino Pier. The fencing was put […]
Message from Carlos about Valentino Pier
FYI: Please see the following statement from CM Menchaca regarding the fencing placed around Valentino Pier Park and new capital funding for this Park “This morning my office was informed by community residents that fencing was placed around Valentino Pier. This is deeply concerning for several reasons. First, our office received no advance communications from the Parks Department about […]