Bashin’ The Borough:
The Transformation of Staten Island’s Fresh Kills
When asked to describe landfills, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, an environmental activist, describes them as “extraordinary urban sites composed of all the things we want to forget...a social sculpture we have all produced” (qtd. Lippard 144).
Trash has played a serious role in the history of Staten Island, New York’s smallest borough. For nearly 70 years, Fresh Kills Landfill, New York City’s primary output for trash, produced over 150 million tons of trash (Lippard 144). Before Staten Island became the well-known borough that it is today, the disposal area began its daily fillings. Eventually, Fresh Kills took in more than 30,000 tons of trash per day (144), while surrounding facilities shut down due to the recent environmental regulations and the owner’s incapability to upgrade the systems consistently (“Freshkills Park”). Thanks to the city’s Consent Order, Fresh Kills was allowed to stay open as long as elements of the dump were changed to meet new regulations. Daniel L. Master, Counsel to Borough President, states, “When you tell people you come from Staten Island, the first reaction of the person is ‘oh that’s where the largest dump in the world is,’ that doesn’t make you feel very good about the place you live” (“The Fresh Kills Story: From World’s Largest Garbage Dump to a World-Class Park”). After people had expressed their hatred for Fresh Kills, big changes were being made to the Staten Island.
After a new state law was passed, forcing landfill to stop accepting solid waste, Fresh Kills Landfill was officially closed (“Freshkills Park”). The islanders rejoiced when the news was announced. When asked his thoughts on the dumps, resident Chris Richie replied, “Everybody makes fun of us [Staten Islanders] because of Staten Island and the dump [Fresh Kills]” (“The Fresh Kills Story”). Fresh Kills remained closed until the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when Governor George Pataki allowed for the disaster remains to be sent to Fresh Kills. After ten months of the wreckage being sorted (for families to have a proper goodbye to their loved ones) by the FBI, New York Police Department, and the Office of Emergency Management, 1.2 million tons of material were transferred to Fresh Kills’ forty-eight acre West Mound (“Freshkills Park”). After the numerous ethical concerns from the crash (for the sorting of trash and dead bodies in the same place) and the landfill permanently closing, a new idea emerged.
In 2003, the state of New York officially announced that Fresh Kills Dump would transform into Freshkills Park, a public space three times the size of the famous Central Park (“Freshkills Park”). With the many ideas tossed around to transform Fresh Kills Landfill, the final proposal included meadows, playgrounds, playing fields, and educational research facilities (“New York’s Fresh Kills Landfill”). From an international design competition held in 2001, Field Operations was selected as the park’s planning and design consultant. Over a decade later, the first phase of the transformation was complete. The first announcement was the Owl Hollow Fields, consisting of walking pathways, parking, and lawn space. In 2009, after the final Generic Environmental Impact Statement was released, The Department of Parks and Recreation held its first public presentation on the developing park. In addition to the spaces like the Owl Hollow Fields, facilities such as the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge and pathways adjacent to scenic native seed plots were mentioned. The following January, Freshkills was awarded a $1.25 million grant from the state of New York, which was soon placed in the park’s construction budget. In October 2010, 1800 enthusiastic individuals previewed Freshkills Park’s first phase. During the sneak-peek, Renee Parham-Wilson, Staten Island resident, commented, “It’s just beautiful. You can hear the birds and see things you’d never expect from a garbage dump” (“The Fresh Kills Story”). In January 2011, the Freshkills Board presented another section of the park, New Springville Greenway – a three-mile bike path on the eastern edge of Freshkills Park. After the years of designing and construction, it was time for the park’s first phase to be officially open to the public (“Freshkills Park”).
After getting a $850,000 grant for East Side Development, the renovation of Schmul Park was completed, which included new handball and basketball courts, a playground, and climbing equipment. The park later reopened, after the renovations, in 2012. The following year, the Owl Hollow Fields opened, making it the first brand new portion of the park to be completed. The Freshkills team states that “Schmul Park will also serve as a pedestrian entryway to North Park,” a subsection of the land (“Freshkills Park”). Most recently, in August 2015, the New Springville Gateway opened. The addition of this gateway allows for easy bike access to the park while riding through Freshkills’ lush forests and scenic fields (“Freshkills Park”). While Freshkills is scheduled to be completed around 2030, the park is receiving praising reviews from the islanders. Local Xenia Diente comments, “Seeing all the people walking around in this greenery is absolutely beautiful; it’s very exciting” (“The Fresh Kills Story”). Although a lot of work has already been put to make Freshkills Park a reality, there is still much more work to be done.
At the moment, Field Operations is currently busy developing the park’s next phase: the North Park Comfort Station, and Pathway. The comfort station will include a 21-acre spot of land connecting visitors by walking and running paths to the scenic Main Creek and the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge Center adjacent to native seed plots. The entire process is estimated to be completed by June 2017, after developing it for almost five years through the design, procurement, and construction stages. After finalizing the design of this space, the phase was announced in March 2016. The procurement immediately began, and bids for funding have been opened and evaluated. At this time, Field Operations is working hard putting the finishing touches on North Park before the 12-18 month construction process begins (“Freshkills Park”). The development for Freshkills has come a long way since its smelly and repelling state; however, it isn’t the first landfill to be renovated into an attractive public landmark.
Elings Park, located in Santa Barbara, California, has undergone a significant change from its former function of a city of landfill. After the closing of the landfill in 1965, Jerry Harwin, Michael Pahos, Caesar Uyesaka, and Foster Pratt, local Santa Barbarians, began dreaming up a recreational park, which became known as “Jerry’s Dream,” named after Jerry Harwin, the Recreation Commission Chairman. The fundraising quickly began, and by 1972, phase one of what was called Las Positas Park was completed, and the Las Positas Tennis Courts opened. Eventually, on November 17, 1985, Las Positas Park was officially opened with a crowd of 200 people. There, Jerry Harwin was awarded Santa Barbara’s first ever Outstanding Service Award by former mayor Sheila Lodge. When opened, the park had a sports and recreation area, the Wells Fargo Amphitheater, and Godric Grove, an outdoor area with gardens, trees, and a big lawn typically used for weddings today. The construction of Elings Park shows how it is possible to make a dump a thriving park at any scale of size. Today, with so much environmental awareness, we have learned how precious our natural resources are and how we all play a vital role as global citizens.
Over the years, a lot of exciting the development, construction, and openings have occurred for Freshkills Park. From the triumphant last barge of trash to the first preview of Freshkills Park, Staten Island has undergone some significant changes. Through individuals who help change the way a person, or city, or a state may think, by doing the smallest underrated tasks like just saying ‘thank you’ to someone, changes so many lives, even by just making them smile. Thanks to the transformations that have been made to Staten Island, hundreds of thousands of people can now have a happier and healthier life as they no longer have to stress about getting sick from trash fumes, or being viewed as the repressed part of New York. While Staten Island has been changed so much, this is still only the beginning. Freshkills Park is estimated to be completed by 2030 (“New York’s Fresh Kills Landfill Gets and Epic Facelift”) Just look at how much it has physically and emotionally changed the Staten Islanders! However, even with the transformation of Staten Island, there are still things to worry about: that 30 million tons of trash must go somewhere, and it is still someone’s problem. The next time you toss your trash, keep in mind that it does matter, and it’s still an issue.
After a new state law was passed, forcing landfill to stop accepting solid waste, Fresh Kills Landfill was officially closed (“Freshkills Park”). The islanders rejoiced when the news was announced. When asked his thoughts on the dumps, resident Chris Richie replied, “Everybody makes fun of us [Staten Islanders] because of Staten Island and the dump [Fresh Kills]” (“The Fresh Kills Story”). Fresh Kills remained closed until the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when Governor George Pataki allowed for the disaster remains to be sent to Fresh Kills. After ten months of the wreckage being sorted (for families to have a proper goodbye to their loved ones) by the FBI, New York Police Department, and the Office of Emergency Management, 1.2 million tons of material were transferred to Fresh Kills’ forty-eight acre West Mound (“Freshkills Park”). After the numerous ethical concerns from the crash (for the sorting of trash and dead bodies in the same place) and the landfill permanently closing, a new idea emerged.
In 2003, the state of New York officially announced that Fresh Kills Dump would transform into Freshkills Park, a public space three times the size of the famous Central Park (“Freshkills Park”). With the many ideas tossed around to transform Fresh Kills Landfill, the final proposal included meadows, playgrounds, playing fields, and educational research facilities (“New York’s Fresh Kills Landfill”). From an international design competition held in 2001, Field Operations was selected as the park’s planning and design consultant. Over a decade later, the first phase of the transformation was complete. The first announcement was the Owl Hollow Fields, consisting of walking pathways, parking, and lawn space. In 2009, after the final Generic Environmental Impact Statement was released, The Department of Parks and Recreation held its first public presentation on the developing park. In addition to the spaces like the Owl Hollow Fields, facilities such as the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge and pathways adjacent to scenic native seed plots were mentioned. The following January, Freshkills was awarded a $1.25 million grant from the state of New York, which was soon placed in the park’s construction budget. In October 2010, 1800 enthusiastic individuals previewed Freshkills Park’s first phase. During the sneak-peek, Renee Parham-Wilson, Staten Island resident, commented, “It’s just beautiful. You can hear the birds and see things you’d never expect from a garbage dump” (“The Fresh Kills Story”). In January 2011, the Freshkills Board presented another section of the park, New Springville Greenway – a three-mile bike path on the eastern edge of Freshkills Park. After the years of designing and construction, it was time for the park’s first phase to be officially open to the public (“Freshkills Park”).
After getting a $850,000 grant for East Side Development, the renovation of Schmul Park was completed, which included new handball and basketball courts, a playground, and climbing equipment. The park later reopened, after the renovations, in 2012. The following year, the Owl Hollow Fields opened, making it the first brand new portion of the park to be completed. The Freshkills team states that “Schmul Park will also serve as a pedestrian entryway to North Park,” a subsection of the land (“Freshkills Park”). Most recently, in August 2015, the New Springville Gateway opened. The addition of this gateway allows for easy bike access to the park while riding through Freshkills’ lush forests and scenic fields (“Freshkills Park”). While Freshkills is scheduled to be completed around 2030, the park is receiving praising reviews from the islanders. Local Xenia Diente comments, “Seeing all the people walking around in this greenery is absolutely beautiful; it’s very exciting” (“The Fresh Kills Story”). Although a lot of work has already been put to make Freshkills Park a reality, there is still much more work to be done.
At the moment, Field Operations is currently busy developing the park’s next phase: the North Park Comfort Station, and Pathway. The comfort station will include a 21-acre spot of land connecting visitors by walking and running paths to the scenic Main Creek and the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge Center adjacent to native seed plots. The entire process is estimated to be completed by June 2017, after developing it for almost five years through the design, procurement, and construction stages. After finalizing the design of this space, the phase was announced in March 2016. The procurement immediately began, and bids for funding have been opened and evaluated. At this time, Field Operations is working hard putting the finishing touches on North Park before the 12-18 month construction process begins (“Freshkills Park”). The development for Freshkills has come a long way since its smelly and repelling state; however, it isn’t the first landfill to be renovated into an attractive public landmark.
Elings Park, located in Santa Barbara, California, has undergone a significant change from its former function of a city of landfill. After the closing of the landfill in 1965, Jerry Harwin, Michael Pahos, Caesar Uyesaka, and Foster Pratt, local Santa Barbarians, began dreaming up a recreational park, which became known as “Jerry’s Dream,” named after Jerry Harwin, the Recreation Commission Chairman. The fundraising quickly began, and by 1972, phase one of what was called Las Positas Park was completed, and the Las Positas Tennis Courts opened. Eventually, on November 17, 1985, Las Positas Park was officially opened with a crowd of 200 people. There, Jerry Harwin was awarded Santa Barbara’s first ever Outstanding Service Award by former mayor Sheila Lodge. When opened, the park had a sports and recreation area, the Wells Fargo Amphitheater, and Godric Grove, an outdoor area with gardens, trees, and a big lawn typically used for weddings today. The construction of Elings Park shows how it is possible to make a dump a thriving park at any scale of size. Today, with so much environmental awareness, we have learned how precious our natural resources are and how we all play a vital role as global citizens.
Over the years, a lot of exciting the development, construction, and openings have occurred for Freshkills Park. From the triumphant last barge of trash to the first preview of Freshkills Park, Staten Island has undergone some significant changes. Through individuals who help change the way a person, or city, or a state may think, by doing the smallest underrated tasks like just saying ‘thank you’ to someone, changes so many lives, even by just making them smile. Thanks to the transformations that have been made to Staten Island, hundreds of thousands of people can now have a happier and healthier life as they no longer have to stress about getting sick from trash fumes, or being viewed as the repressed part of New York. While Staten Island has been changed so much, this is still only the beginning. Freshkills Park is estimated to be completed by 2030 (“New York’s Fresh Kills Landfill Gets and Epic Facelift”) Just look at how much it has physically and emotionally changed the Staten Islanders! However, even with the transformation of Staten Island, there are still things to worry about: that 30 million tons of trash must go somewhere, and it is still someone’s problem. The next time you toss your trash, keep in mind that it does matter, and it’s still an issue.
Works Cited
“The Fresh Kills Story: From World’s Largest Garbage Dump to a World-Class Park.” Youtube.
Youtube, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
“Freshkills Park.” NYC Parks. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, n.d. Web.
16 Mar. 2017.
“Park History.” Elings Park. Elings Park, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
Royte, Elizabeth. “New York’s Fresh Kills Landfill Gets an Epic Facelift.” Audubon. Audubon,
n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
Wrobleski, Tom. “Here’s my Freshkills input: Open the roads!” silive.com silive.com, n.d.
Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
“The Fresh Kills Story: From World’s Largest Garbage Dump to a World-Class Park.” Youtube.
Youtube, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
“Freshkills Park.” NYC Parks. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, n.d. Web.
16 Mar. 2017.
“Park History.” Elings Park. Elings Park, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
Royte, Elizabeth. “New York’s Fresh Kills Landfill Gets an Epic Facelift.” Audubon. Audubon,
n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
Wrobleski, Tom. “Here’s my Freshkills input: Open the roads!” silive.com silive.com, n.d.
Web. 16 Mar. 2017.