NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, joined Deputy Borough President Ed Burke, Assemblyman Michael Cusick, NYC Department of Sanitation Chiefs Steve Montanino and Chief Adam Conanan, Staten Island Parks Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone, and Freshkills Park Administrator Eloise Hirsh to cut the ribbon on the New Springville Greenway located along Freshkills Park on Richmond Avenue. Read the Daily Plant Article.
2015: Roads Preliminary Design Report
The October 2015 report contains the results of a series of evaluations and studies undertaken to determine a schematic design for improved roadway connections between the West Shore Expressway Service Roads and Richmond Avenue within the Park.
2015: BioBlitz
In partnership with CUNY Macaulay Honors College, over 400 Macaulay students, nature lovers and citizen scientists canvassed 300 acres of North Park during BioBlitz to count the plants and animals that call the park home.
The data collected from the 24-hour survey will help Freshkills Park begin to document the resurgence of wildlife and the biodiversity at the site, and will be used throughout the year in CUNY Macaulay Honors College classes and projects.
2015: New Springville Greenway Complete
Construction on the New Springville Greenway was completed in the summer of 2015. The 3.2-mile path along the eastern edge of Freshkills Park creates north/south bike access parallel with Richmond Avenue.
2015: Video: “Make Freshkills Park Your Park”
Edited by Will Ellis, with videography by Will Ellis and Arbuckle Industries.
“Freshkills Park is one of the largest most ambitious public works projects in the city’s history, and a symbol of renewal and environmental restoration.The Freshkills Park Alliance is working with New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Sanitation to bring the public into this place before the entire 2,200 acres of the park are open.” Learn more about the Freshkills Park Alliance.
2014: Video: 2014 Sneak ‘Peak’ Greenway Adventure
Highlight reel shot and edited by Will Ellis: willellisphoto.com.
Sneak ‘Peak’ was a one-day festival celebrating Staten Island’s landfill-to-park masterpiece, Freshkills Park, an icon for the 21st century. On September 28, 3,000 people came to see the park in its current glory, learn about its future and experience land transformation and renewal.
2014: West Mound Capping Begins
After East Mound capping completed in 2011, West Mound was the last remaining landfill section to be capped. At 545 acres, West Mound is the site’s largest, with the West Shore Expressway to the east and the Arthur Kill to the west. It’s bordered by the LFG Purification Plant, Leachate Treatment Plant, and SI District 3 Garage and Borough Repair Shop. An earthwork monument is envisioned atop the mound in remembrance of the September 11 recovery effort that occurred in this location.
2014: Partnership with Ariel Sharon Park
Freshkills Park entered into a sister park partnership with Ariel Sharon Park in Tel Aviv, a similar landfill to park conversion in a large city.
2013: Solar Array Plan Announced
It was announced that Freshkills Park will host New York City’s largest solar array, large enough to power more than 2,000 homes.
2013: Main Creek Wetland Restoration Complete
On June 6, the Main Creek Wetland Restoration pilot project was completed. This project stabilized the shoreline, created new salt marsh habitat, and removed invasive species.