No big news from Parks Department

The Parks Department came to Red Hook in August for a community update regarding the long-closed Red Hook ballfields.

Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Marty Maher led the sparsely attended proceedings, held at the Rec Center on Bay Street.

“The good news is that none of the time frames are affected,” Maher said. “We started construction; the completion times are the same. Phase One is in construction and Phase Two is going to start this coming fall. I don’t think we have any bad news.”

Eric Mettes, who was the Design Chief for Brooklyn but has moved on to Queens, summarized the current anticipated cleanup timeline. According to Mattes, during Phase One the fields will be raised above flood elevation and new perimeter fencing will be put on raised curbs. In this process, in Fields 5 through 8 there will be 62 new trees, 900 shrubs, and 5,000 or more perennials and ornamental grasses.

Phase One will include four synthetic turf fields with similar material as professional ballfields. There will be ramps with handrails, a planting bed and permeable pavers with bonded aggregate.

So far, in Phase One, the construction has included contractor mobilization, site clearing, tree removal, and soil stockpiling, as well as installing the sub-surface support piles. The next part of Phase One will include soil removal and disposal, installation of drainage and utilities and grading of protective soil cap that will serve as the foundation of ball fields.

Several public safety measures will address dust monitoring during construction. According to Mattes, there will be soil pile tarps, frequent spraying of exposed areas with water, and perimeter fencing to create a dust curtain around Fields 5 through 8.

There will also be an equipment decontamination area where vehicles and the equipment on the vehicles will be washed before leaving the site. Along Hicks Street there will be a construction fence and a stabilized construction entrance, and just inside will be the decontamination area.

The issue of trucking was been brought up many times. The announced route is along Bay Street, away from residential buildings.

Trucks will be able to come to the site on Court Street, then make a left on Bay Street and turn right on Hicks to enter Fields 5 through 8. To leave the site, trucks will exit on Hicks, take a right on Bay Street and then turn left on Smith Street.

In response to a question from maritime business owner Jim Tampakis, Maher said that it will not be possible for equipment to be brought to the site via ships.

Phase Two will also include an equipment decontamination area where vehicles and equipment will be washed before leaving the site. There will be one decontamination area and stabilized construction entrance on Bay Street, closer to home plate of Field 9, and another decontamination area off of Clinton Street.

The truck route for Phase Two will entail trucks going down Court Street, making a left on Bay Street and then entering the site near Henry Street or on Clinton Street. When leaving the site, trucks will turn right on Bay Street and then turn left on Smith Street.

Phase Three will include synthetic turf that will be able to be used for softball, baseball and soccer where Fields 1 through 4 currently are. In what is now Soccer Field 3 there will be synthetic turf that can be used for football, soccer and rugby. Surrounding the field will be new bleachers, a refurbished track, new adult fitness equipment, new handball courts and a comfort station.

Phase Four will not be completed until spring of 2023, which will be when all the construction and remediation of the Red Hook Ball Fields will be complete.

Nathan Weiser