Fresh Kills park taking shape

Fresh Kills park taking shape
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The New York City-based Freshkills Park Alliance and New York City’s Parks Department are hosting an open house event Sunday, Sept. 18, at the site of the former Freshkills Landfill on Staten Island in that city.

The Discovery Day event is described by the Alliance as “free event [when] 700 acres and eight miles of trails in the normally closed site will be open, with opportunities to explore and learn about the landfill-to-park project.”

The event’s organizers say visitors can bring their own bicycles or borrow one at the park to bike across paved pathways, including a three-mile loop along meadows and wetland ponds. NYC Audubon, the Staten Island Greenbelt, NYC Sanitation and other groups will lead educational walking tours and activities.

Although the park is in a remote location, by New York City standards, free shuttle buses will make trips to and from a taxi stand at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Vehicle parking also will be available about one mile from Freshkills Park. “From there, visitors can take a shuttle bus or walk or bike one mile to the main event area,” say the organizers.

At 2,200 acres, Freshkills Park is almost three times the size of Central Park and is the largest park to be developed in New York City in more than 100 years. At times when it was open (before closing in 2001), the Fresh Kills Landfill was the largest landfill in the world.

As part of its conversion process to a park, the landfill has been covered with layers of soil and infrastructure, and the site has “become a place for wildlife, recreation, science, education, and art,” according to the Alliance. Since the park is being developed and opened in phases, free tours and events offer a way to provide early access for learning and sightseeing.

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Source: Recycling Today
Fresh Kills park taking shape
<![CDATA[The New York City-based Freshkills Park Alliance and New York City’s Parks Department are hosting an open house event Sunday, Sept. 18, at the site of the former Freshkills Landfill on Staten Island in that city.   The Discovery Day event is described by the Alliance as “free event [when] 700 acres and eight miles of trails in the normally closed site will be open, with opportunities to explore and learn about the landfill-to-park project.”   The event’s organizers say visitors can bring their own bicycles or borrow one at the park to bike across paved pathways, including a three-mile loop along meadows and wetland ponds. NYC Audubon, the Staten Island Greenbelt, NYC Sanitation and other groups will lead educational walking tours and activities.   Although the park is in a remote location, by New York City standards, free shuttle buses will make trips to and from a taxi stand at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Vehicle parking also will be available about one mile from Freshkills Park. “From there, visitors can take a shuttle bus or walk or bike one mile to the main event area,” say the organizers.   At 2,200 acres, Freshkills Park is almost three times the size…