By Bill Parry
A lawmaker from western Queens has reservations about the city’s plan to place a ferry landing at Gantry Plaza State Park.
State Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood) fired off a letter to Maria Torres-Springer, the commissioner of the city Economic Development Corporation, saying the proposed location at the northern end of the park “is not the best use of” scarce public green space.
“I have some concerns about the placement of a ferry in Gantry Park,” Nolan said. “If this site is ultimately chosen, then the city of New York or the ferry operator should make the necessary accommodations to ensure that Gantry State Park is preserved.”
The EDC is in the process of choosing between the Gantry location, at the top of Center Boulevard and North Basin Road, and another site north of Anable Basin off 44th Drive. Nolan prefers the second choice.
“The increased traffic through the park may detract from the enjoyment of parkgoers and cause undue wear and tear on the park facilities,” Nolan wrote to Torres-Springer. “How will the lines of people be handled at this location? The park should not be a queuing location for the ferry.”
If the EDC chooses the Gantry location, Nolan wants the city or the ferry operator to make accommodations in order to minimize the impact. She listed the need for bathrooms at the north end of the park, funds to compensate the state Parks Department for the additional wear and tear, more staff to insure the safety of the public and to keep the park clean.
Nolan also wants the ferry operator to assign staff to ensure that loading and unloading is orderly and makes a minimal impact on the park.
Rob Basch, the president of the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, agrees with most of Nolan’s points, but he has additional concerns. In numerous meetings with the EDC, Basch requested that the ferry landing be designed so that the boats do not have to back out of their slips.
“We’re very concerned with the horn blaring,” Basch said. “If the ferries have to back out of the landing, the law requires four blasts of the ship’s horn. That would be quite a lot every half hour. If there’s a way to design the landing so the ferries can come in sideways, that would be beneficial.”
He also wants the city or the ferry operator to build some type of shelter like the one at the current landing in Hunters Point South Park.
“I think they (the EDC) is leaning towards the location at Gantry,” Basch said. “That means there is going to be a lot more people going through there and tramping through our gardens. It also means there’s going to be a lot more trash, so I hope they can allocate more funding for cleaning crews.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
