The city has issued a long-awaited report on public access to Jerome Park Reservoir, but angry locals say their requests have been watered down, according to the New York Daily News.
The path around the 93-acre reservoir has been fenced off since World War II, with northwest Bronx activists pushing for access to the 105-year-old urban oasis since the 1990s.
The Department of Environmental Protection report recommends opening the path for a trial period of three days. But it stops short of committing to permanent access, citing security concerns.
Damian McShane, chairman of Community Board 8, described the agency's fears as "overstated," while Anne Marie Garti, founder of the Jerome Park Conservancy, called the report "nonsense."
"For years, the DEP has tried to prevent the community from having access to the reservoir," said state Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Riverdale). "They are talking about a pilot project for three days, three years from now. That's meaningless."
Local activist Karen Argenti blasted the report as an affront to people living near the reservoir.
"It assumes we want to destroy the reservoir - not enjoy and protect it," she said.
The reservoir has been empty and offline since 2008 due to the construction of the Croton Water Filtration Plant in adjacent Van Cortlandt Park.
But it will hold water again after the plant is completed in 2012, said the DEP.
The path runs between two fences separating the reservoir from the neighborhoods of Kingsbridge Heights, Bedford Park and Fort Independence Park.
Only DEP workers are allowed between the fences, with local walkers, joggers and runners relegated to the sidewalk beyond.
Public activity between the fences could put the reservoir's water quality at risk, said a DEP spokesman. It could also open the watershed system to sabotage, he said.
But Dinowitz referred to the agency's security worries as "unsubstantiated." Two fences aren't much safer than one, Argenti said.
"The reservoir is beautiful and it's public property," said the Rev. Richard Gorman, chairman of Community Board 12.
During negotiations over the filtration plant in 2004, the DEP promised the reservoir would become a park similar to the Central Park Reservoir, said Garti.
No comments:
Post a Comment