UPDATE: Woman's Body Found In Little Bay Park

(Photo: WCBS 880/Monica Miller)

Queens

The skeletal remains of a woman, possibly in her 40's has been discovered in Little Bay Park NYC Park Advocates has learned.

The body was found at approximately 10:00 am this morning in a heavily wooded area near the Cross Island Expressway  & Utopia Parkway and 14th Avenue  by park workers scouting a Million Tree NYC event scheduled for tomorrow. 

The badly decomposed body was found clothed and intact with no ID.

Authorities said the body was too decomposed to determine the cause of death.

The Medical Examiner will determine ID and cause of death.  

- Geoffrey Croft

Read More:

Decomposing Body Found In Queens Park  

WCBS - August 5, 2014 

Woman’s body found in wooded area in Queens, alongside Cross Island Parkway: NYPD 

New York Daily News - August 5, 2014  -  By Thomas Tracy

Adrian Benepe's New Employer Says NYC Parks Are Great!

March 12, 2013. An abandoned vehicle in the long- suffering Pugsley Creek Park in the Bronx.  New York City’s park system ranked second, behind Minneapolis’s, in a "survey" of the nation’s 50 largest cities conducted by former parks commissioner Adrian Benepe's new employer The Trust for Public Land.  Apparently park conditions were not a factor in determining the results. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.

Nation-Wide

New York City’s park system ranked second, behind Minneapolis’s, in a survey of the nation’s 50 largest cities by the Trust for Public Land according to another effusive New York Times parks article. 

The trust, a nonprofit conservation group, looked at a number of factors, including park access, size, services and public investment to determine scores that ranged from a single park bench to five (a perfect score). New York, which last year came in third, scored 4.5 benches.

The success of New York City in the survey, to be released on Wednesday, was an affirmation of the tenure of Adrian Benepe, who served as New York City parks commissioner for more than a decade before decamping last fall to the Trust for Public Land, where he is senior vice president and director of city park development.

May 31, 2013. An abandoned park safety light in the long-suffering High Bridge Park in upper Manhattan.

“You can’t have a great city without great parks,” said Mr. Benepe, who, under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, oversaw 1,700 parks and beaches during a period of expansion and major capital investment. Mr. Benepe noted that in this year’s survey, the ParkScore Index, New York pulled ahead of Boston, which it had tied last year. “It’s strong across the board, but particularly with park access,” he said of New York. (The survey was data-driven, so Mr. Benepe did not recuse himself from the judging.)

Park access measures the percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk, or a half mile, of a park. In New York City, according to the survey, 96 percent of residents fall within those parameters. New York also scored high on park spending per resident. From 2008 to 2010, New York’s park expenditures — a combination of capital and operations — averaged $160 per resident.

One area of weakness for New York was median park size. Median park size is a little over an acre in New York, while the national median is five acres. “While New York has some really huge parks, a half-acre park cancels out a 1,000-acre park when you do medians,” Mr. Benepe said. “Sometimes, history is destiny with how cities develop.”

But the city scored high on the percentage of total area dedicated to parks; almost 20 percent of New York City is public parkland, second only to San Diego.

Other high-scoring cities included Boston, which tied with Sacramento and San Francisco for third place. The worst performing cities, which all received only a single park bench on the scale, were Indianapolis; Charlotte, N.C.; Louisville, Ky.; and Fresno, Calif.

The Trust for Public Land provides data, analysis and interactive maps for each city on its Web site. The site identifies neighborhoods that are most in need of parks and provides local obesity rates.

May 13, 2013. Dangerous, Decrepit Conditions - Little Bay Park, Queens.  Rocks have replaced grass in these heavily used soccer fields. How many more children have to get hurt until the Parks Department responds to the community's demands for action park users have been asking.  Little Bay Park earned an A-plus in New Yorkers for Parks latest "Report Card" including a grade of 93 for its bathrooms even though the park does not have any - unless they count  torched port-a-potties that have been melted to the ground.  (Photo: Malba Gardens Civic Association)

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: June 7, 2013

An article in some editions on Wednesday about a national survey of park systems in which New York City ranked second, behind Minneapolis, misstated the amount of money per resident that the city spent on parks from 2008 to 2010. It was $160, not $8. (The $160 was $8 more than what was spent from 2007 to 2009.)

Read More:

New York Parks Rank No. 2 in a Survey of 50 U.S. Cities

New York Times - June 5, 2013 - By Lisa W. Foderaro 

Little Bay Park's Bathroom Indignities Continue

The Indignity Continues - Little Bay Park, Bayside Queens. An ecological dock on the waterfront is being proposed but there's no permanent toilet facility. The city’s more than seven-year delay in building comfort stations in Little Bay Park has been a source of contention. To add insult to injury, the porto-potties (above) are not always present. (Photo: Lori Gross)

Queens

If you build it, they will come—but where will they go?

That's what some are asking about a new proposal to build an Ecological Dock on the waterfront at Little Bay Park, where there's no permanent toilet facility, according to Bayside Patch.

Neighborhood activists have become increasingly frustrated with the NYC Parks Dept., because though $1.3 million dollars was allocated to build to build permanent washrooms in 2005 by then Councilman Tony Avella, D-Bayside, that money has not been put to use.

An additional $4.12 million in Congressional funds from Congressman Gary Ackerman, D-Bayside, for the purpose of expanding parking and to reconstruct an overpass near the entrance, was bundled with the bathroom funds, and also goes unused since it was allocated in 2004.

Last year, following inquiries by community members, NYC Comptroller John Liu did an audit, revealing that the Parks Dept. sometimes did not renew contracts, or offer them for contractor bidding in a timely fashion, though the Parks Dept. said they were not culpable.

The Parks Dept. had said that the replacement of porta potties—which are not always present at the park—with permanent bathrooms, is tied up with the approval of other agencies, like the Dept. of Environmental Protection.

The group that wants to install the new dock, which would be used for ecological education for kids, purports to have gotten fairly quick permission from the DEP to go ahead with their project.

"We’ve been able to permit them through State DEP very quickly," said Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance President and CEO Roland Lewis. His group expects to have the floating concrete dock built as sometime around the summer of 2014.

On first hearing that there was no bathroom in Little Bay Park, Lewis became concerned.

"If you’ve ever been around 20-30 school children, it’s very important that a bathroom be there," said Lewis, adding that his group would be, "happy to add our voice to the cries for the bathroom as well."

If that's the case, he may make fast friends with Warren Schreiber, President of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, and a proponent of the park upgrades.

"After comprehensive online research I am now of the opinion that an Eco Dock would be a wonderful recreational addition to Little Bay/Fort Totten Park. However, at this time, I can not in good conscience personally support this proposal," said Schreiber.

He believes that the projects will attract a larger number of park visitors, and should not move forward until parking lot expansion, and bathroom installation are completed.

"Seven years and still not a shovel-in-the-ground!" he added.

The Parks Dept. could not immediately render an update on the project, and were looking into it for Patch when an inquiry was made a few hours prior to publication, on April 20.

In November of 2011, the Parks Dept. had said the project was still awaiting approval by several other agencies, including the State Historic Preservation Office, because archaeological material was found nearby.

In subsequent inquiries by Patch to Friends of Fort Totten, the Bayside Historical Society, the Dept. of Transportation, and the State Historic Preservation Office itself, revealed that there have been no artifacts found within a half mile of the site.

"There’s been no archaeological material found at that site," said State Historic Preservation Office Spokesman Dan Keefe in November.

A Parks Dept. spokesman said at that time that there "must have been a miscommunication."

Read More:

As Plans For Park Bathroom Languish, Dock Construction May Zoom Ahead

There may be a dock to sit on before there's a proper John at Little Bay Park

Bayside Patch - April 20, 2012 - By Lori Gross

Little Bay Park Toilets Still Waiting Seven Years Later

A Walk In The Park - December 1, 2011

Little Bay Park Toilets Still Waiting Seven Years Later

State Sen. Tony Avella, third from left, leads a press conference on Tuesday regarding the city’s seven-year delay in building a comfort station in Little Bay Park in Bayside Queens. With him are Phil Konigsberg, left, Carol Gresser, Warren Schreiber, Joe Branzetti and Lu Kernahan. Behind them are three portable toilets in lieu of a permanent restroom, (Photo: Liz Rhoades)

Queens

Community leaders are fed up that the comfort station they were promised seven years ago at Little Bay Park has not been built and all they’ve got instead are three graffiti-laden portable toilets, according to the Queens Chronicle.

In 2004, then-City Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) allocated $1.3 million to construct the bathrooms in the park which is adjacent to Fort Totten. At the same time, Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) secured a $4.12 million federal transportation allocation with $1 million of it going to reconstruct and expand Little Bay’s parking lot and $3.2 million to reconstruct the Cross Island Parkway Bridge overpass at 212th Street.

None of the improvements have been started and community leaders and elected officials gathered at a press conference in the park Tuesday morning to vent their outrage. Avella said the fact that there’s been no shovel in the ground for any of the projects “is totally unacceptable and typical of the Parks Department” and its work delays.

“It’s unfair to the community,” Avella added, “and unfair to the taxpayers. Costs go up the longer you wait.”

Warren Schreiber, president of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, noted that Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe attended the funding announcement seven years ago, but wonders where he is now. “The $1.3 million was for nothing but three portable rest rooms,” Schreiber said. “Nobody knows where the money is.”

He and Avella have received little information from Parks, which is blaming other city and state agencies for the holdup. The senator said he was told unofficially that the state Department of Transportation and the state Historic Preservation Office, looking into a possible archeological investigation at the site, have slowed things down.

Avella is hoping to introduce a bill that would force city agencies to provide transparency by publicly listing the status of all their projects. “It’s simple legislation and I think the City Council would support it,” he said.

Michael Feiner, president of the Bayside Hills Civic Association, said parkgoers deserve a comfort station. He was supported by Joe Branzetti, president of Friends of Fort Totten Parks. “It’s time for the excuses to stop and for the city to get it done,” Branzetti said.

Carol Gresser, Democratic district leader for the area, called the lack of action “an insult to people in the community,” adding, “Show us the money.”

Phil Konigsberg, first vice president of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, said he used to carry around a sign that applies to the issue: “People will come but where will they go?” Konigsberg believes that having a public restroom is not a luxury and that the number of people coming to Little Bay has increased tremendously over recent years.

Area resident Lu Kernahan said any talk of archeological significance there is a joke. “The parkland is a result of a 1930s landfill project,” Kernahan said.

Ackerman’s aide, Jordan Goldes, attended and later offered the following statement from the congressman: “These were important funds that I fought hard to secure for our community. It’s well past time for these projects to move forward. Hopefully, all agencies involved can cut through the bureaucratic red tape so that shovels can finally get into the ground as soon as possible.”

A Parks Department spokesman said the funding is secure and has not been reallocated: “Because the project contains federal grant funds, the state is obligated to review all plans before Parks can bid or begin to build here.We’ve been working closely and actively with State DOT to address their comments and requests.”

He indicated that the outstanding issues include:

• State approval to build close to a coastal zone, submitted to the Department of State and currently under review.

• State approval of Parks Department plans to handle archaeological finds, if any are discovered on site, because archaeological material was recently found within half a mile of Little Bay. Parks is working with the State Historic Preservation Office.

• Permission from several agencies and others to use an FDNY-owned sewer line. The Fire Department has given approval, but the consultants are still putting together the Department of Environmental Protection application.

No timeline was given, but Avella said that since word had gotten out to city agencies about the press conference, Parks officials and the state DOT have agreed to meet with him to clarify steps that will be taken to complete the projects.

Read More:

Portable toilets vs. a comfort station

Residents tired of waiting seven years for Little Bay Park bathrooms

Queens Chronicle - December 1, 2011 - By Liz Rhoades

Investigate Missing Park Funds In Queens

In April 2004, local papers reported details of a $4.12 million federal transportation allocation that had been secured by U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), according to a letter published in Times Ledger.

Funds included $1 million for the reconstruction and expansion of the Little Bay parking lot and $3.2 million to reconstruct the Cross Island Parkway Bridge overpass at 212th Street. The funding came from the federal TEA-21 bill and was signed off on by then-President George W. Bush.

More good news followed approximately a year later in July 2005, when then-City Councilman Tony Avella announced that he had provided a $1.3 million allocation for a comfort station in Little Bay Park.

Seven years have now passed and neither project have had a shovel in the ground. It is not unreasonable to question what has happened to $5.42 million that was intended to benefit the community.

In response to a recent inquiry initiated by the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, it was learned that the city Parks Department and the city have taken “our” money, which came from different sources and bundled most of the distribution into one.

This was done without any notification of elected officials, community boards or civic groups. Parks claims that due to the ensuing confusion the wrong permits were applied for, which further delayed both undertakings.

As we are all too aware, co-mingling funds is never good practice. It inevitably results in a loss of accountability and a worst-case scenario can be an intentional or unintentional misuse of the financial allocation.

There must be a prompt public accounting for the $5.42 million in federal and city funding. In addition, the allocations must only be used for the intended purposes and in the designated locations.

Community Boards 7 and 11, along with the borough president’s office, are urged to begin an immediate official review and investigation of this matter. It is also requested that the office of the city comptroller commence a comprehensive audit in regard to these funds and actions of the agencies involved.

It is obvious that the planned park and traffic enhancements have somehow been derailed. It is time to get them back on track.

Warren Schreiber

President

Bay Terrace Community Alliance Inc.

Bayside

Investigate Missing Park Funds In Queens

Times Ledger - October 31, 2011

Little Bay Park Neglect

“This is a disgrace. This has been an ongoing issue, I can’t even remember how long ago it was that I got the money for the comfort station. It’s ridiculous. This is probably one of the worst examples, but it’s systemic with the Parks Department lately, that you allocate money and it takes years for a shovel to get into the ground.” - Sen. Tony Avella

Doing The City's job. Students from Queens School of Inquiry clean up Little Bay Park earlier this year. Poor drainage on the soccer fields and a lack of bathroom facilities are among the issues plaguing the park. (Photo by Christina Santucci)

Queens

Community leaders and elected officials are working through a number of avenues to improve Little Bay Park in Bayside, saying the park has been neglected for too long, according to the Times Ledger.

Located in the shadow of the Throgs Neck Bridge, the 55-acre beachside greenspace offers sports fields, a bike path and a roller hockey rink, but it has seen little in the way of improvements since 1999, when $1.2 million in city money funded the creation of the path and rink.

On Monday afternoon, City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Malba Gardens Civic Association President Al Centola met with representatives of the city Parks Department at the park — bounded by the beach, Cross Island Parkway, Utopia Parkway and Totten Avenue — to discuss ways to fix the soccer fields, which suffer from poor drainage and other woes because of their location near the salty waters of Little Bay.

Centola hopes at least one of the park’s two soccer fields can be fixed in time for next year’s season, but the cost to do the needed work is proving prohibitive. Halloran said it costs $2.3 million per field to outfit them with artificial turf, or $1.5 million for sod. The price tags are so high because of the need to do extensive drainage upgrades before undertaking such work.

“We’re trying to get that redone because the field is a mess there. There’s no real field, there’s dust and dirt that turns into mud when it rains,” Centola said. “We’re pushing for turf but it’s more expensive, so we’ll settle for sod if it’s done right.”

Halloran’s office allocated $300,000 in city funds last year that can be used to pay for improvements at the park, and he told Centola Monday he may be able to get at least partial matching funds this year if the civic leader can convince Borough President Helen Marshall to dedicate money for the project. Centola said he and his fellow community members will lobby her to put $750,000 toward the field work, and that he and Halloran are hoping to enlist landscape contractors to help foot the bill.

But just securing funds does not mean that work will actually break ground anytime soon at the park, as state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Bay Terrace Community Alliance President Warren Schreiber have discovered.

In 2004, U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) secured more than $4 million in federal funding to complete road work in Bayside and expand the park’s parking lot. Within a year of that allocation, then-Councilman Avella obtained $1.3 million in city money to build a comfort station at Little Bay.

Neither project has broken ground, leaving both leaders incensed at the Parks Department.

“This is a disgrace. This has been an ongoing issue, I can’t even remember how long ago it was that I got the money for the comfort station,” Avella said. “It’s ridiculous. This is probably one of the worst examples, but it’s systemic with the Parks Department lately, that you allocate money and it takes years for a shovel to get into the ground.”

But Halloran said there is hope in sight as both projects have gone to bid and work may begin as soon as fall, according to the Parks Department.

“All the things that have to be done for those projects to go forward has been done. We’re just waiting on bids from contractors,” Halloran said.

Schreiber said he is not holding his breath for the work to begin in the near future.

“There hasn’t been a lot of attention to Little Bay Park,” Schreiber said.

Read More:

Bayside park neglected for too long: Officials

Times Ledger - September 22, 2011 - By Connor Adams Sheet

Little Bay Park Gets Dog Run But No Bathrooms For People

A Walk In The Park - October 30, 2010

Little Bay Park Gets Dog Run But No Bathrooms For People

Here was a brand-new, half-million-dollar dog run in one of the most scenic parks in the city, but no dignified place for human beings, taxpayers, to relieve themselves while on a morning stroll, jog or pedal. No place for a Little League boy to legally relieve himself between innings. Okay, so no one's calling the vice squad if a boy pees in the bushes.

But it really is a different situation for girls - and their soccer moms, many of them pregnant - to answer nature's call.

The Little Bay Park Dog Run cost the city half a million dollars, but the park has no bathrooms for the dogs' two-legged owners. "I'm disgusted," former City Councilman Avella said. "I earmarked that money in 2005. Then Rep. Gary Ackerman secured federal money to expand the parking lot. Parks delayed the bathrooms until the parking lot expansion was completed. They (parks department) told me that the state Department of Environmental Conservation froze the project because the planned rest rooms area was considered protected wetlands. Parks never told me so I could intervene. Instead, they let the issue lay there awaiting an approval letter from DEC." (Photo: DelMundo/NY Daily News)

Queens

The city put in a $500,000 dog run. But no facility for people to run to when nature calls, according to the New York Daily News.

Last week, I walked east from Utopia Parkway through gorgeous, 50-acre Little Bay Park - sandwiched along the Cross Island Parkway between the Throgs Neck Bridge and Fort Totten - as the sun spilled out of a baby blue sky. Joggers panted past. Bicyclists zoomed. Walkers nodded in the crisp fall morning. I was putting in a few miles of my own when nature called.

I looked around for a rest room.

I saw a lumpy Little League field where my son sometimes plays ball and remembered there was never a rest room here. I did see six workers putting the finishing touches on a state-of-the-art dog run near the Utopia Parkway exit of the Cross Island that will open next month. The dog run has a water supply, one fenced area for large dogs, another for smaller dogs, and a third for all dogs to mingle, beautifully landscaped, with a place for dogs to relieve themselves.

I walked toward two men talking. One guy looked like he was in charge.

I asked, "Any dog can go in there, run, play, go to the bathroom, whatever?"

"Yep," he said. "Open to all dogs."

"Cool. Where's the rest room for people?" I asked.

"There isn't one," he said. "There's Porta Potties at the other end of the park."

Read More:

City goes to the dogs as Little Bay Park finishes pristine dog run, with no bathrooms for people New York Daily News - October 26th 2010 - Denis Hamill