Last month the Brooklyn Parks Department gave an Zoom update on the progress of the Red Hook ball fields and the four phase construction project.
Phases one and two are complete with the exception of a soccer field that will be finished this summer. Davey Ives, the chief of staff of the Brooklyn Parks Department, gave the update.
Ball fields 1-4 are set to open by June and soccer field 2 was going to open during the summer. However the soccer field and track around it won’t open for at least another year due to an unexpected problem with a drainage pipe.
Chris Syrett, the capital design and construction team leader, reminded viewers that the work had to be done because of historical lead contamination. Before Robert Moses built the parks, metal refineries were operating on that land in Red Hook.
There are many steps that the EPA has taken to ensure long term that the site will be up to standards and well maintained.
They will keep checking
Long term controls will include inspecting the area for years to come to make sure that the cover treatment of the area and ball fields is maintained. This includes multiple layers going below surface level.
“We have the simple section of the remedial treatment for most of the park, which is a synthetic turf cover for the fields, a drainage layer and clean fill beneath that and a demarcation layer,” Syrett said. “In some areas, we removed the soil and it’s just grass for passive recreation.”
In order for Parks and the EPA to take necessary precautions during construction they did continuous air monitoring when the soil was disturbed.
All of the data from the air monitoring that they did is available on the Parks website. In addition, Parks and the EPA put exposed soil in piles using a tarp and dusted and watered down areas whenever necessary.
Phase One, which includes ball fields 5-8 across the street from the Rec Center, has been completed since last year. Those fields includes a new synthetic turf just like the rest of the complex.
Phase two includes ball field 9, also close to the Rec Center, and soccer field 2. Ball field 9, a baseball field, has been open since last year.
Soccer field 2 is close to opening. They are putting the finishing touches on the drainage. When it opens phase two will be complete.
Phase three includes baseball fields 1-4 (in the back near IKEA), soccer fields 3 and 5 and the track. The great news that Parks had to announce was that ball fields 1-4 and one soccer field will open soon.
Memorial Day has been the target day for the contractors to open those fields. It will likely be a little after Memorial Day since they were still waiting on some items to be delivered.
Bad pipe causes delay
The Parks Department was working closely with DEP during design. Once construction started DEP determined that two large pipes underneath the track were not reconstructable.
Parks included items in the Phase 3 reconstruction contract to reline and repair the pipe. However, during construction, DEP saw that the pipe required full replacement. They are replacing the one outfall pipe with two 48’’ diameter pipes.
Replacing the two massive sewage pipes is a complex project. The water table is very low, which requires dewatering. Due to these issues, they anticipate the track and soccer field opening in the fall of 2024.
“It is unfortunate that we have to replace the pipes and it will take longer than any of us want,” Syrett said. “They are enormous. We have to first remove the existing pipes and put down dry piles to support the new pipes. We also have to keep constantly dewatering the site.”
They have been working closely with DEP to get the proper design for the construction and have been pushing the contractor.
Restrooms and handballs courts are open
The rest rooms near the track, which had to be closed for a short amount of time recently, are open to the public. The handball courts are also open.
Phase four includes soccer fields one and six. This design is complete but the phase is currently in procurement.
Parks has been working closely with DEC on this phase of the project. However, this phase is delayed since last fall they were informed from DEC that there was consent agreement for this property with two adjacent land owners.
Douglas MacNeal, with NY State DEC, said that industries directly to the south and east of fields one and six also create contamination. This has migrated under Field 1 in particular.
“We have an existing order with both of those responsible parties to address that contamination,” MacNeal said. “We have been working with them and Parks to get a plan in place that will allow them to address the contamination to ensure future safety of park users while allowing the Parks Department to move forward.”
DEC is working with LANXESS and Honeywell on agreements to address the contamination at Field 1. Field 6 is not part of this area of concern.
Syrett believes that it will be about an 18 month construction for these two fields. This might shift a little due to the remediation that the other responsible parties are taking part in.
The Parks Department hopes to begin construction on phase four during the summer but a lot of the above agreements have to fall into place.
As of now, they think field six will close sometime this summer. Many factors add up to the procurement process taking so long.
They need to know that the contractor can do the work, it depends on their timing and on ordering all of the materials. It’s contingent on agreements between the responsible party, the DEC and Parks.
This time the politicians showed up
Council member Alexa Aviles who missed the last Parks update, thanked Parks for holding this meeting and for answering questions and talked about how important parks are in Red Hook.
“Green spaces are incredibly important and as we move into the summertime, where Red Hook has lost so much space given the construction happening in the NYCHA houses, it is even more important for us,” Aviles said. “To community members, keep asking these questions and if we did not get to something please be sure to contact our office so we can coordinate with Parks to get the responses that we all need.”
Aviles requested that Portosans be added to the complex as the additional fields open. If the pool is in use, it limits the available public restrooms.
Ives said they will try. The restroom by the track is now also open but Aviles wants bathrooms available at the other end so seniors and kids do not have so far to walk.
A few community members Zoomed and with some question. One was about the amount of trees that have been planted. There was a question about wanting to reduce the fencing that is around the handball courts. The fencing is there because the area is an active construction site. It’s narrow and Syrett said they can look into it.
Tiffany, who is a project manager, said they are trying to get the more permanent fencing installed, so they can remove the temporary fencing so there is not so much in front of the restroom and near the handball courts.
There were questions about permits and which fields will be made available for adults. All the fields that have opened or will be opening can handle adults but the permitting office tries to prioritize the youth as much as possible.
They are rethinking a little how they will permit the fields since they have been closed for so long.
Parks added that if anyone from the NYCHA buildings is looking for field time, please reach out to the Parks permits offic and let them know.
From time to time, the track will be permitted for events and this will include school events or track meets.
There was a question about making sure people are actually using legit permits.
“We only have a handful of parks enforcement patrol officers, so we are kind of limited, but you can call the office,” Ives said. “We do spot site visits to make sure the correct people are using the permits.”
They will likely be having the next parks update meeting in the fall.
