Showing posts with label East River Waterfront Esplanade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East River Waterfront Esplanade. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

East River Seawall Collapses Near Gracie Mansion After Deferred Maintenance























On Friday a fifty-foot section of the esplanade in Carl Schurz Park crumbled into the East River. The section is yards away from the Mayor's residence.   The adjacent section of the seawall collapsed during Hurricane Irene in November 2012.  The wall was built in 1934.  (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge
Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

Residents and advocates have long complained about the deplorable condition of the East and Harlem River Esplanade up to 125th Street.

The City's decades long neglect of its waterfront infrastructure came sharply into public view over the weekend when a fifty-foot long section of sea wall collapsed near Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence since 1942,  eight years after the wall was built.

On Friday between 1 and 2 pm the section of the esplanade crumbled into the East River in Carl Schurz Park leaving park users shocked and unnerved.

City officials cordoned off the area with metal barriers and caution tape and have stationed NYPD and PEP officers round the clock.

Now that the wall collapsed and created a serious safety hazard near Gracie Mansion and generated intense media attention the city said it would be "expediting" the repairs.

It will spend $ 15 million dollars to repair the seawall within a several block radius according to the Parks Department,  phase one of a $ 40 million dollar allocation for repairs.



Looking North.  Metal barriers,  caution tape and round the clock police now stand guard.


Monday morning employees from The Department of Design and Construction were seen inspecting the area.

The Parks Department trotted out architect Kevin Quinn to speak to the media. He was accompanied by three employees from the press office.  Therese Braddick, Deputy Commissioner for Capital Projects for NYC Parks took off just before Quinn spoke to the media.

Quinn said the decades-long neglect and resulting safety hazards of its waterfront infrastructure wasn't due to city neglect.

Multiple media outlets said the Parks Department press office tried to blame the collapse on Friday's rain.

The city was forced to repair a large section of the seawall adjacent to Friday's that had collapsed during Hurricane Irene in November 2012.


November 2012 - The city was forced to repair a large section of the seawall adjacent to Friday's which had collapsed during Hurricane Irene. 
November 2012 - A section of railing and its foundation in the East River.


The very next section also crumbled into the East River several years ago and instead of fixing it the city erected construction fencing which has also fallen into the East River.




May 8, 2017.  An adjacent section of the esplanade collapsed years ago. Instead of fixing it the city erected construction fencing which has also now fallen into the river. Now that a large section of wall collapsed closer to Gracie Mansion and generated intense media attention the city said it would be "expediting"  the repairs.


















East 90th Street, Carl Schurz Park   (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge
In November we reported on a large section of the esplanade near 113th Street that had further collapsed, more than five years after the city delayed repairing it.

November 2016 -  Harlem River Esplanade collapse,  E. 113th Street.


Read /View More:

Crumbling Wall at Popular NYC Waterfront Park Sparks New Concern
WNBC -  May 8, 2017 - By Andrew Siff

 Part Of Seawall Near Gracie Mansion Collapses Into River
WCBS - May 8, 2017
Fox5 NY - May 8, 2017 -  By Kaylam Mamelak 

New York Post - May 7, 2017- By Jazmin Rosa, Julia Marsh and Max Jaeger 

A Walk In The Park - November 7, 2016  - By Geoffrey Croft










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Saturday, September 15, 2012

Police Arrest Pier 15 Rape Suspect - Also Charged With Rape Of 14-Year-Old

























Jackie Barcliff, 44, was wanted for the brutal attack of a 56-year-old women on Pier 15 on the East River Waterfront Esplanade near the South Street Seaport early Monday morning. Barcliff was also charged with the rape of a fourteen year-old girl on August 12th.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

The fiend wanted in the brutal attack of a 56-year-old Occupy Wall Street participant early monday morning turned himself in earlier this afternoon to Manhattan Criminal Court after seeing his photo in the news according to the police.

Police say Jackie Barcliff, 44, raped the woman and then threw her off the second story of the pier and where she landed 20 feet below. The woman suffered a broken arm and a fractured pelvis from the fall. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital and under went surgery. According to the police they met that same day at an OWS related event and she recognized Barcliff from previous OWS demonstrations.

Jackie Barcliff age 44 the Occupy Wall Street Rapist is led from Manhattan Special Victims this evening.
Jackie Barcliff, 44, who turned himself in for raping a woman at Pier 15 on Monday morning also attacked a 14-year-old girl last month, according to police. (Photo: Kevin Heckman/For New York Daily News)


He was charged with Attempted Murder 1, Rape 1, and Criminal Sex Act.

This was the third reported rape on parkland in a little over a week including the brutal attack on a 73-year-old woman on Central Park.

Subsequent to an ongoing police investigation, the suspect has also been arrested for an August 12th rape of a fourteen year old girl within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct. In that incident, the male offered the victim a place to stay for the night, and during the night he raped her.

The connection was made because both victims knew Barcliff by “Bliss,” his nickname, police sources told the Daily News.

Barcliff, a serial parole violator, is homeless but latched onto the Occupy movement and was known as a troublemaker at events. He was arrested Dec. 2 during a protest at Liberty Plaza for assault and resisting arrest. He was sentenced to 200 days in jail in that case and was freed on June 25 on early release for good behavior.

Charges for the August 12 incident: Rape 1, Rape 2.



















East River Waterfront Esplanade. On Monday, police officers guarded the entrance to Pier 15. A 56-year-old woman fell approx. 20 feet from the top level of Pier 15 after she was pushed over the railing according to police. The pier was closed all day while police investigated the crime scene. (Exclusive Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advcates)



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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Woman Raped & Thrown Off Second Story of Pier 15



















East River Waterfront Esplanade. A 56-year-old woman fell approx. 20 feet from the top level of Pier 15 to the ground below. Police are investigating whether the woman was raped and if she was pushed over the railing. (Exclusive Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)

UPDATE: Police confirm she was raped and thrown off the second story of the pier.

The double-decker Pier 15 - located along the waterfront near the Financial District - was closed off all day yesterday while the NYPD's Crime Scene squad conducted their investigation. Police caution tape was strung across the entire width of the Pier and officers guarded the entrance. Click on image to enlarge.

The upper level closes at dusk. According to the police the incident occurred at approximately 2am Monday morning.

The Parks Department had Park Enforcement Patrol coverage (PEP) coverage exclusively dedicated to the Pier for the first time on Sunday but they left by 8:00pm - five hours before the incident occurred. Sunday was the first day PEP began it's "Contract Park" obligations where officers are assigned exclusivity to one park. The two officers are contracted to work just one shift leaving the Pier for vast majority of the day not secured. The public, including elected official and advocates have been calling for a dramatic rise in the hiring of officers to provide security in parks city-wide which have seen a dramatic rise in crime.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

A 56-year-old woman fell approx. 20 feet from an elevated platform early yesterday morning at Pier 15 along the East River near the South Street Seaport, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

Police are investigating the incident as a possible rape.

The woman is a member of Occupy Wall Street. The incident occurred about 4 am Monday morning.

According to a law enforcement source the woman met a man and they went looking for somewhere to drink. They two settled on a lawn area on the top floor of the pier. The woman somehow passed out and when she awoke she was on the ground....20 feet below. Her pants had been removed.

The woman suffered a broken arm and a fractured pelvis from the fall. She was taken to Bellevue and under went surgery yesterday.

The suspect is described as a male black in his 50's. The police have have a street name for the suspect.



















Pier 15, located between Fletcher & John Streets at the Southern end of the South Street Seaport extends 500 feet out into the East River and is part of the city’s $167 million East River Waterfront two-mile East River esplanade project.


Pier 15 - located at South St. between Fletcher & John St. in the Financial District was closed off all day yesterday while the NYPD conducted its investigation. The normally bustling Pier was eerily quiet as officers guarded the entrance, police caution tape was strung across the entire width of the Pier. Throngs of tourists filed passed the pier, some took photos of the crime scene vehicle which was parked off to the side under the FDR drive.

The 50, 000-square-foot structure opened in December 2011 and South streets, is part of the city's $167 million East River Waterfront project. The for-profit Pier was built by the city's Economic Development Corporation.




















The NYPD's Crime Scene Unit vehicle on Pier 15.



















Investigators from the NYPD worked on the roof-top where a 56-year-old woman was pushed yesterday.

Read More:

Metro New York - September 11, 2012 - By Carly Baldwin

1010 Wins
September 11, 2012

A Walk In The Park - September 13, 2012






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