How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
Community Board 2 met in the Silver Center last night to discuss the construction in Washington Square Park.
At the meeting, representatives from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation announced that Phase II construction of the park is expected to be completed by next fall. Official designs will be presented to the board in February 2010.
The board discussed issues directly related to the proposed removal of six trees on Thompson Street, a move tied to NYU construction. The university has asked the parks department for approval on transplanting four trees and removing two more along the stretch between Washington Square South and West Third Street to run a boiling water pipe under the sidewalk near the university's new Center for Academic and Spiritual Life.
CB2 Parks Committee Chair Tobi Bergman said the issue is not about "saving the trees" but about preserving the landscape of the street and keeping "what the trees bring to the city."
Other attendees were concerned that the issue wasn't brought to the board in a timely fashion and that there was a lack of information presented to them. The board's consensus was to strongly recommend that the parks department reject NYU's proposal; it will vote on the issue in two weeks.
Neighborhood resident Susan Goren said the university's plans are all but official. She added that she is "honestly distrustful" of the plans.
Additionally, the board discussed other construction updates. The board said the park's bathrooms will be completely remodeled but built upon the same foundation. The northeast playground will be remodeled.
Other plans include moving the dog run to the south section of the park and relocating the Garibaldi statue to the north side.
Among the board's main concerns are accessibility to bathrooms, lawns and benches for seniors and the disabled. Some attendees mentioned that the benches constructed in Phase I made it difficult for seniors and handicapped to sit; they also noted that the handicapped are unable to access the lawns due to the fencing.
Goren said she is unhappy with the park's reconstruction.
"My heart and soul is in this community. Now they're destroying," Goren said. "It's designed so that you can take your picture or send your e-mail and get the hell out."
