Community Magazine January 2014

Life in the Big City New York City Municipal Schedule Occasion Day Date Alt Side GarbageCollection Parking Banks & Post Offices New Year’s Day Wednesday January 1 Suspended Suspended Holiday Closed Martin Luther King Jr Day Monday January 20 Suspended Suspended Normal Closed Observance Friday January 31 Suspended Normal Normal Open First Phase of New Governors Island Park Complete Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg marked the completion of the first phase of the new Governors Island Park in a ceremony on November 14, 2013. Phase one of Governors Island Park is 30 acres of new parkland that will open to the public in May of 2014. The new park is a $260 million project to upgrade Governor Island’s infrastructure and construct the new park spaces. “At the beginning of our Administration, Governors Island was little more than an abandoned and neglected green space with derelict buildings,” said Mayor Bloomberg stated in a release. “Twelve years later, Governors Island has become a major attraction for NewYorkers and visitors, as its 172 acres continue to grow more dynamic, more resilient and more beautiful each day.” The new park includes a six-acre plaza called Liggett Terrace; Hammock Grove which features 1,500 new trees and 50 hammocks; and the Play Lawn, 14 acres for play and relaxation that include two softball fields. The Hills, an additional 10 acres of parkland made from recycled construction and fill materials, are currently under construction with the goal of completion in 2015. The Hills will rise 25 to 80 feet above the Island and will provide visitors with a 360-degree panorama of the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor and the Lower Manhattan skyline. New welcome areas have also been added at the Island’s ferry landings, including lighting, seating and signage throughout the Historic District. The newpark is designed byWest 8, whichwas selected inMay 2007 in an international design competition. The Governors Island Park and Public Space Master Plan is available at govislandpark.com. Governors Island, which reopened to the public in 2005, saw close to 400,000 visitors during the 2013 season. New York City Doubles Solar Energy A new solar power station is planned for Freshkills Park, Staten Island and is expected to increase New York City’s renewable energy capacity by 50 percent, greenbiz.com reported. SunEdison will build and operate the system on 47 acres of parkland that will be leased to the company. The station is expected to produce enough energy to power more than 2,000 homes. “Over the last 12 years, we’ve restored wetlands and vegetation and opened new parks and soccer fields at the edges of the site,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “It is only fitting that Freshkills, once a daily dumping ground, will become a showcase of urban renewal and sustainability.” PlaNYC was created by Mayor Bloomberg in 2007 as an effort to increase green energy and reduce emissions. The plan also includes a goal of replacing all the city’s street lights with energy-efficient LED lighting by 2017. Solar power fuels the vast majority of newelectric generation placed in service in October 2013, and more than 99 percent of all new electric generation comes from renewable energy sources. Officials said the solar array would boost understanding of how more renewables can integrate into the city’s energy supply. Prospect Park’s Skating Center Now Open Replacing the old Wollman Skating Rink, the new Lakeside Center in Prospect Park was opened to the public this December, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported. The $74 million, year-round ice skating and roller skating facility center, known as the Samuel J. And Ethel LeFrak Center at Lakeside, includes two rinks for ice skating, roller skating and water play appropriate for the season. Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA) and the Prospect Park Alliance’s lead landscape architect, Christian Zimmerman, the center was built on the site of the old rink’s parking lot, adding five acres to the lake as well as three acres of existing parkland. The original Music Island, which was destroyed when Wollman Rink was built in 1960, has been reconstructed and was dedicated in October 2012. In addition to a $10 million gift from the LeFrak family, Lakeside was supported by the Office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York City Council, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and other local politicians. The skating rink is open on Monday through Thursday from 11am to 6pm, Friday and Saturday between 9am and 10 pm, and Sunday 9 am to 8 pm. Admission is $6 weekdays; $8 weekends and holidays, with skate rentals at $5 per person. Every Monday (excluding holidays), children 12 and under can skate for free between 3 and 6 pm when accompanied by an adult. An eight-week Learn to Skate program is also being offered. 102 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE