By Dennis Holt
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK – Local residents and observers are reacting cautiously to the city’s announcement that it wants to take over control of Brooklyn Bridge Park and its announcement of a $55 million commitment in new construction funds.

City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe made these announcements at meeting called by State Sen. Daniel Squadron and held at Long Island College Hospital on Monday.

Benepe did not offer many details of the governance would change or offer any timetable, except to say there would be a change in the city’s representation on the board of directors of the park development corporation. Currently the state’s Empire State Development Corporation controls the project and the property.

In effect, the city offer amounts to a challenge to the state to honor its financial commitment, and Benepe flatly said that the state does not have the money.

About $139 million of city and state money has been spent redeveloping Piers 1 and 6. About $22 million of unspent money remains, and after that there are no building funds.

In announcing the city’s request to take over the project, Benepe indicated that for the foreseeable future the city would want the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, headed by Regina Myer, to continue construction operations.

As expected, a large crowd was drawn to the meeting, primarily because some presumed that the city would not rely on housing to pay for the $15 million in yearly operating expenses when the park is fully operational. These hopes were somewhat premature.

Although Benepe said no requests for proposals for housing would be issued for “several years�; if only because the revenues would not be needed in the short term, he did not make a firm commitment that would never happen. He did say the city would make every effort at finding substitute funding sources, which encouraged most in the audience.

Winter Indoor Recreation `Bubble’

Of importance to all, Benepe outlined what the $55 million would be spent on. Of course, work on Piers 1 and 6 would continue until both were open to the public. Then, in this order, Pier 2 would be built; the water channels, most involving Piers 1 and 2 would be finished; then the sound barriers would be built; next the Squibb Park entranceway would be built, and finally a “bubble� for winter indoor recreation would be introduced.

During this work, attention would also be turned to the DUMBO part of the park to construct the facility to house Jane’s Carousel.

Over the next three years, all the parts of the park from Pier 1 to Pier 6 would be linked and the active recreation parts completed.

In his remarks, Benepe, a strong supporter of the waterfront park, said that Brooklyn Bridge Park “will be the most exciting park built anywhere in the last 100 years.� He also reported, without making any promises, that a second floating swimming pool was being built. (This was very popular two summers ago.)

But the key point made obvious Monday night was that of the challenge to the state, which is having serious budgetary problems. This comes down to the city taking charge or the state being responsible for an unfinished park.

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