NYCkayaker Newtown Creek launch at 2nd Street, LIC

[Erik Baard]

Dear Paddling and Rowing Friends,

The exciting recent news that the city will be assuming control of  
Hunters Point from the state's Queens West Development Corporation  
should be acted upon as quickly as possible.

I have long advocated for the end of 2nd Street on the Newtown Creek to  
be a paddling and rowing boat launch. Given the population density  
expected for Hunters Point, this could serve more boaters and still  
co-exist with the planned day worker-oriented Vernon Street end park  
(designed in cooperation with New Yorkers for Parks).

 From 2000-2004 I explored this possibility and got nowhere because the  
land and access from the street was not part of the city grid and state  
agencies and the Port Authority pointed to each other without  
resolution when I tried to discuss access through the chain link fence.  
Also, a shipping container couldn't be placed at the end of street  
because beer trucks and construction equipment was shuttling through  
and parkingfor some regularity. Penny Lee, Dorothy Morehead, Eric  
Gioia, Cathy Nolan, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, Friends of Gantry  
Neighborhood Parks, LIC Business Development Corp, Community Board 2,  
Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, and others are familiar with my  
mini-quest. Support for this concept within the neighborhood and city  
agencies has been broad.

I will take new photos this week (years-old photos are hard to find and  
had a camera problem on-site today) but the site is quite ideal.  A  
gradual slope of riprap rock lines this small, sheltered, curved notch  
(not quite a full cove) just inside the mouth of the creek, where  
Riverkeeper reports water quality levels are far better than the  
creek's interior. The street end makes logistics far simpler than most  
launches in the city.

Please see the satellite image here, and follow second street down to  
the prominent notch just inside the creek from Hunters Point.

http://maps.google.com/maps? 
f=q&hl=en&q=2nd+street+11101&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=17&ll=40.739998, 
-73.958738&spn=0.003991,0.008411&t=k&iwloc=A

This could be a boon to our paddling and rowing community and  
accelerate the creek cleanup!

Sincerely,

Erik


Erik Baard
718 554 3361

LIC Community Boathouse
http://www.licboathouse.org

Nature Calendar
http://www.naturecalendar.com

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