Two Rescued In Coney Island Waters -One In Critical Condition

UPDATE

A suicidal man was rescued after after jumping into the waters off of Coney Island on Friday morning. He was rushed to Coney Island Hospital where police said he was in a serious condition. (Photos: Danny Iudici for NY Daily News)

A heroic Brooklyn father named Lawrence Bowers dove into the waters to try and save the man, according to the New York Daily News. Bowers kept battling his way towards the man and was about a foot away when a rescue team of scuba divers arrived in a helicopter.

Brooklyn

Two men drowning in the waters off of Coney Island were rescued near West 19th Street and Riegelmann Boardwalk this morning.

One is in critical condition the other is in serious but stable condition at Coney Island Hospital.

The incident occurred at approximate 7:18am according to fire officials.

EMS brought one man to shore. The other victim was transferred from a private boat onto FDNY Marine 3 (boat) at 7:39 a.m. - Geoffrey Croft

Read More:

Hero dad dives into waters off Coney Island in bid to save suicidal man

New York Daily News - June 22, 2012 - By Matt Lysiak and Christina Boyle

Boardwalk Slight - Coney-Brighton Beach Residents Demand If Rockaway Can Have Wood Why Can't We

"Research, what research. We didn't have time to do research; we had to spend the money!" - Parks Department Chief Engineer John Natoloi - November 2010

Boardwalk War: The city is using wood exclusively to repair a ten block section Rockaway Rockaway Beach boardwalk - after refusing to use wood solely to rebuild the Coney Island Boardwalk. In March the Mayoral appointed Public Design Commission unanimously approved the Parks Department's plan to use concrete on the historic Coney-Brighton Boardwalk instead of wood in what critics called a "sham" hearing. (Photo: Elizabeth Graham)

In November 2010, Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance President Rob Burstein attended a walk-through meeting on the boardwalk with politicians including Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Parks officials to go over the numerous "pilot projects" recently done which used recycled plastic lumber or concrete instead of wood.

Mr. Burstein asked Parks Department Chief Engineer John Natoloi what research had been done that suggested that concrete was the best, or even an appropriate material to spend $15 million dollars on the boardwalk.

"Research? What research? We didn't have time to do research; we had to spend the money!"

he famously replied.

"With respect to the diligence and quality of the Parks Department's efforts to appropriately care for our Boardwalk, this statement speaks for itself," said Mr. Burstein.

Brooklyn

A city decision to repair an outer-borough boardwalk with wood has opponents of the Coney Island Boardwalk’s upcoming concrete makeover accusing the Parks Department of turning back on its word, according to the Bay News.

Agency officials have said repeatedly that repairing city boardwalks with wood was no longer a viable option — sparking the move to replace the iconic Coney Island Boardwalk with concrete and plastic lumber.

But the city began repairing a 10-block stretch of the longer, but far less exciting, Rockaway boardwalk with lumber last week — a move that has Coney Boardwalk advocates spitting nails.

“It’s an unbelievable slap in the face to our communities,” said Rob Burstein, the president of the Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance. “It shows that it’s possible to have a wooden boardwalk.”

Parks Department Chief Engineer John Natol seen here with Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski inspecting the repairs being made to the boardwalk last week near Beach 101st St. in Rockaway Beach. (Photo: Anthony Delmundo/for the New York Daily News)

Friends of the Boardwalk founder Todd Dobrin was also outraged.

“I’m furious,” said Dobrin, who has been fighting the city’s plans to take away the Boardwalk’s cherished planks. “Every boardwalk should be treated equally.”

But city officials say they’re not flip-flopping.

“Under a full reconstruction of the Rockaway boardwalk, we would consider using concrete,” said Parks Department spokeswoman Meghan Lalor, who said repairs on the Rockaway boardwalk, which drew 3.6 million visitors last year, will replace planks Hurricane Irene turned into kindling last year.

A one-mile section of the 5.5-mile walk has already been paved over with concrete, Lalor noted.

Councilman Eric Ulrich (R–Queens) doled out $1.6 million in taxpayer dollars to help repair the Rockaway boardwalk.

That news wasn’t lost on critics who slammed Councilman Domenic Recchia (D–Coney Island) for supporting the city’s plan to replace the Boardwalk between Coney Island Avenue and Brighton 15th Street with concrete and recycled plastic lumber.

“We need elected officials to support the Boardwalk here the way that they did in Queens,” Burstein said.

Recchia declined to comment on this story.

In 2010, the Parks Department proposed replacing the entire Boardwalk with concrete and plastic lumber — except for a four-block section in the historic amusement district between W. 15th and W. 10th streets — as part of its $30-million renovation of the aging 2.7-mile span, which opened in 1923.

The agency tested the materials on two sections of the walkway in 2011, claiming that concrete was sturdier and cheaper than using real wood.

But preservationists balked at the suggestion, claiming the plan would ruin the look and feel of the historic Boardwalk and turn the rest of the strip into a sidewalk.

The Public Design Commission gave the Parks Department the OK to tear out the Boardwalk in Brighton Beach — and install a 12-foot-wide concrete lane for emergency vehicles and a 19-foot-wide lane built out of recycled plastic boards for pedestrians — after agency officials testified that wood was no longer a viable option.

Yet residents say the current repair project in Queens proves otherwise.

“I can’t understand their reasoning,” said Brighton Beach resident Arlene Brenner. “It’s ridiculous.”

Separate and unequal: Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance President Rob Burstein is furious that the city is repairing the Queens boardwalk with wood but paving over large sections of Brooklyn’s seaside walkway with concrete in yet another "pilot" program. (Photo: Elizabeth Graham)

Read More:

Boardwalk Warble - City's use of wood in

Rockaway boardwalk repair angers Coney's faithful

Bay News - May 23, 2012 - By Daniel Bush

Concrete Coney Island Boardwalk Plan Approved Over Strong

Community Objections In "Sham" Hearing

A Walk In The Park - March 13, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft

Design Commission Refuses To Approve Coney Island Boardwalk Concrete Plan

A Walk In The Park - October 24, 2011

New Coney Island Concrete "Boardwalk" Falling Apart

A Walk In The Park - October 4, 2011

Coney/Brighton Beach Concrete "Boardwalk" Uproar Continues

A Walk In The Park - July 2, 2011

Brighton Beach's New Concrete “Boardwalk” Already Cracking

A Walk In The Park - June 14, 2011

CB 13 Rejects Coney Island/Brighton Beach Concrete Board Walk

A Walk In The Park - March 24, 2011

Concrete Coney Island Boardwalk Plan Approved Over Strong Community Objections In "Sham" Hearing

There is nothing more frusterating than watching a process that is outside of your control.

It was standing room only at the Public Design Commission hearing on the reconstruction of the Coney Island boardwalk. Critics of the controversial plan said they wanted to be heard as well as listened to but that was not to be. The Mayoral appointed commission as expected voted unanimously to approve the Parks Department's plan to use concrete on the historic boardwalk instead of wood. Forty-five members of the public testified against the Parks Department plan and vs. three in favor. At one point it appeared one of the commissioners - Byron Kim - was making some headway, but in the end he too was ignored.

(Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)

Brooklyn

By Geoffrey Croft

In a nearly four- hour, and at times contensious meeting, the City's Public Design Commission unanimously approved the Parks Department's controversial plan to use concrete on the historic boardwalk in Coney Island. The plan was approved over the objections of the near unanimous members of the public who attended the proceedings.

Due to the city's refusal to allocate adequate funding to maintain the iconic Coney Island boardwalk the city is proposed installing a 12 foot wide concrete sidewalk down the middle flanked on each side by plastic composite planks. The test area will run from Coney Island Avenue to Brighton 15th Street.

The issue has received a considerable amount of attention.

Critics including Brooklyn residents, environmentalists, and preservation advocates filled the room to capacity.

To divert attention away from the lack of maintenance funding issue the Parks Department is contending the reason for the switch to plastic is to accommodate emergency vehicles, a use, critics point out the wooden boardwalk has accommodated for close to a century.

Landscape architect Alex Hart, assistant deputy chief of design for the NYC Parks Dept., presented the proposal to six commissioners while dozens of Brooklyn residents, environmentalists, preservations, and advocates looked on, filling the room to capasity.

He and other Park officials stated they have had trouble finding a reliable supply and acceptable quality of more environmentally friendly hardwood.

Alex Hart, assistant deputy chief of design for the Parks Dept., presents the agency's controversial proposal to the Public Design Commission on reconstruction of Coney Island's boardwalk.

"We would greatly prefer to use wood on this surface but there is nothing out there right now that will work for us," said Hart.

The city also claims that concrete is the most cost-effective solution.

Operating under the Parks Department's standard 'we have the capital funds but we have to spend it immediately before we lose it' policy the agency lobbies local elected officials, community boards and agencies for support in order to receive the necessary approvals.

City Councilman Domenic M. Recchia Jr. Chair of the City Council Finance Committee did his part. He testified in favor of the plan repeatedly saying it "has to move forward."

"It doesn't make people happy," he said of his support to loud hisses and boos from the crowd.

He acknowledged the condition of the boardwalk was due to not having adequate expense funding. The expense money, "couldn't be there, " he said. Mr. Recha, who represents the Coney Island district did not say why the money could not be there or mention how much money he allocates annually for boardwalk maintenance. He did state however he'd rather see funds be spent on other services.

He testified (erroneously) that if the boardwalk was wood it would cost one million dollars a year to maintain. (A figure he also cited to the NY Times a few week earlier.) After his testimony he was informed that the million dollar figure he cited was actually the amount in funding the parks department receives for boardwalks at three locations not just Coney Island. When asked for a comment on the misstated figure afterwards he said to shut off the tape recorder and he ran away.

After the nearly hour long presentation critics got their turn. Loud boos rang out when it was announced the public would only get two minutes to speak.

At one point Jackie Snyder, Executive Director of the Commission told a staff member to call DCAS security. A uniformed officer stayed throughout the remainder of the hearing keeping an eye on the crowd. (When the meeting was over the officer aggressively cleared out the hallway where community members were doing interviews.)

Speaker after speaker testified against the plan, pleading with the commission to reject it. They also implored the Parks Department to perform due diligence and explore alternatives.

The numerous contradictions were also noteworthy:

Critics repeatedly poked holes in the agency's claims. They pointed out the hundreds of cracks already found in the newly installed concrete, and that concrete collects sand and water and ices up during the Winter which creates unsafe conditions. They also testified that the concrete is blinding and boiling hot in the Summer. The public also questioned the financial sense of the Parks Department continuing to build projects through trial and error at the taxpayers expense and using capital funds - borrowed money - instead of simply maintaining the wooden boards.

"City officials have insisted on the need for a concrete section because they say the recycled-plastic lumber could become too slippery when wet to accommodate emergency vehicles. But throughout the hearing, speakers from the public castigated concrete, some holding up pictures that showed experimental concrete sections of the Coney Island Boardwalk that were cracked, chipped or covered in ice," wrote the New York Times.

Friends of the Boardwalk's Todd Dobrin displayed a ten foot wide panel with numerous photographs showing the boardwalk in various states of decay including the Parks Department's previous work on their Coney Island/Brighten Beach "pilot" construction projects recently which were approved by the Commission.

"It creates an esthetic and maintenance nightmare, " said Rob Burstein, president of the Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance of the proposed Parks plan.

Tim Keating, of Rainforest Relief has been trying to get the city to stop using rainforest wood for fifteen years and discounted much of what Park officials stated. He suggested using black locust wood for the boardwalk slabs over recycled plastic supports.

"This could be used to maintain an open air boardwalk without concrete slabs that would allow sand and rain and snow to fall through," he testified.

"The concrete is blinding in summer. And hot," said Coney Island/Brighten Beach resident Arlene Brenner.

"Concrete in place of wooden planks does not make a boardwalk it make a sidewalk which is a very different new York environment," a woman testified. A sentiment shared by many.

All told 45 members of the public testified against the Parks Department plan, including representatives from many groups.

Three testified in favor of the plan: the chair of CB 13 - Eddie Mark, the administration's go-to-guy when they need public support for issues the community is against, (The CB overwhelming voted against the plan (21- 7). Fresh Meadows Queens resident Gene Ridder, and Parks Department partner New Yorkers For Parks. The group, now headed by a former HUD official, was repeatedly singled out and criticized by various members of the public during the hearing.

After hours of public testimony the Commission then began asking questions of the parks department.

In what some thought was a ray of hope a few members began questioning aspects of the plan, but that hope quickly dissipated. They suggested that Parks remove two feet of concrete - from 12 feet to 10. And in another misguided thread commissioners challenged the Parks Department to relocate the concrete swath now set to run through the middle of the boardwalk away from the beach closer to the land.

Commission member James Polshek called the design “silly, ” adding that it reduces the beauty of the boardwalk by cutting a cement path through its center. He proposed moving the cement section to the edge of the boardwalk along street side so the area “continues to resemble a boardwalk.”

But it was commissioner Byron Kim who raised the only real points that addressed the public's concerns. He repeatedly challenged the validity of the Parks Department's claims that they could find no other alternative woods that meet the quantity or quality they agency requires.

Two separate suppliers gave testimony they could supply sustainable wood,

one coming all the way from West Virginia.

The Parks Department could provide no specific information on the depth of its research into this area or for many of its other claims, nor did commissioners ask them to.

Mr. Kim also suggested that since this was a pilot program why doesn't the Parks Department test different woods.

In a back and forth between commissioner Kim and the Parks Department the agency admitted that the concrete recently installed had created public safety issues including icing up during the Winter.

In a somewhat surreal moment, Signe Nelsen, the acting president of the Commission said in the future the Parks Department should consider planting their own trees grow their lumber.

Ms. Nelsen also praised the Parks Department for what she described as a quick response in addressing the agency discontinuing using rain forest wood. A comment Tim Keating of Rainforest Relief took particular offense at.

"It took the Parks Department fifteen years after we first notified them to finally decide to renovate the boardwalk without using tropical wood," he said.

In the end, as expected the Mayoral appointed commission ignored the nearly unanimous public testimony against the plan. They also ignored the lone commissioner who suggested testing alternative woods.

Instead of tabling the plan and requiring the Parks Department to perform due diligence, the commission fell in line with the administration and approved it with several non-binding stipulations. They asked the Parks Department to look into the feasibility of moving the concrete section to the land side of the boardwalk, removing two feet of concrete, and exploring alternative wood.

The not binding recommendations means that the Parks Department can proceed without incorporating any of the suggestions.

Critics were not pleased.

“They changed their story every time, ” Todd Dobrin said of the Park Department.

“First they said it was for the emergency vehicle, and we showed they could go on the wood. Then it was about slippage, and we said, ‘What about the snow and ice, which can’t drain off the concrete?’ Then they come up with cost. We said, ‘What about paying to remove all the ice and snow and to maintain the concrete?’ Then they said they couldn’t find the supplies, so we brought in three different suppliers.”

"It's disheartening to be subjected to the whims and decisions of the Parks Department and the Design Commission, " Rob Burstein, president of the Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance said after the vote. "There is no serious exploration of the material provided."

"What good is the Design Commission when a nearly unanimous public testified against the plan and they approve it anyways," said Natural Resources Protective Association Chairperson and Brighten Beach resident Ida Sanoff. "It's a disgrace."

"It was a sham," said Tim Keating of Rainforest Relief of the meeting. "It was predetermined and in places seemed rehearsed. There was nothing that was said that could have prevented the outcome.

The saddest part for me is how poorly the boardwalk is being engineered. New York City missed a golden opportunity to create a truly sustainable boardwalk and a model that could be emulated in towns and cities across the country. In no way have they accomplished that."

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Coney Island Boardwalk Soon To Be Hard Pressed

NY 1 - March 13, 2012 - By Jeanine Ramirez

WOR News Talk Radio 710

John Gambling Show - March 13, 2012

Controversial Coney Is. concrete boardwalk plan approved

New York Post - March 12, 2012 - By Rich Calder

Coney Island Boardwalk getting makeover in concrete and fake wood

Boardwalk lovers angry over vote

New York Daily News - March 12, 2012 - By Erin Durkin

Plastic Wood OK'd for Part of Coney Island Boardwalk

WNYC - March 12, 2012 - By Denise Blostein

Pave Paradise and Put Up a Sidewalk: City Approves Concrete Coney Island Boardwalk

New York Observer - March 12, 2012 - By Matt Chaban

NYC to vote on Coney Island boardwalk makeover

WABC News - March 12, 2012- By Tim Fliesher

Coney Island Boardwalk Makeover Plan Gets Approved

1010 WINS - March 12, 2012 - Sonia Rincon

City: Concrete, plastic to replace Boardwalk’s wood

Brooklyn Daily - March 12, 2012 - By Daniel Bush

Coney Island boardwalk getting concrete-and-plastic makeover

USA Today - March 12, 2012

Controversial Coney cement boardwalk plan facing vote today

The Brooklyn Blog - March 12, 2012 - By Rich Calder

Coney Island Boardwalk Faces a Vote

The Wall Street Journal - March 12, 2012 - By Luara Kusisto

Design Commission Refuses To Approve Coney Island Boardwalk Concrete Plan

A Walk In The Park - October 24, 2011

New Coney Island Concrete "Boardwalk" Falling Apart

A Walk In The Park - October 4, 2011

Coney/Brighton Beach Concrete "Boardwalk" Uproar Continues

A Walk In The Park - July 2, 2011

Brighton Beach's New Concrete “Boardwalk” Already Cracking

A Walk In The Park - June 14, 2011

CB 13 Rejects Coney Island/Brighton Beach Concrete Board Walk

A Walk In The Park - March 24, 2011

Brighton Beach's New Concrete “Boardwalk” Already Cracking

The concrete section of the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Brighton Beach is already cracking despite being open for only a few months. This is just one of the issues locals wanted to avoid. In a "pilot" program the Parks Department has replaced sections of the historic boardwalk in Coney Island and Brighton Beach with concrete instead of with traditional wood or with a sustainable material. The City refuses to allocate proper funds to maintain the wooden boardwalk. On March 21, CB 13 voted against the proposal.

Brooklyn

THE COMMUTE: This week’s Commute is for those of you who walk or run on the Riegelmann Boardwalk, which is in danger of extinction as we know it. The latest proposal calls for a 12-foot wide concrete strip for motorized vehicles, yielding to opposition from those who opposed a boardwalk entirely made of concrete. Now here is the latest development, according to Sheepsheadbites.

The new concrete boardwalk, laid last year, has already developed numerous hairline cracks after only one winter. The 300-foot segment between Ocean Parkway and Brighton 1st Road is already showing signs of age, although the city favored concrete over choices such as natural wood,kebony-treated wood and recycled plastic lumber. Also, the concrete is staining and shows off gum spots remarkably well.

The City Lies

This all flies in the face of the city’s claims that concrete was the most sturdy and economical choice and would last virtually forever, something they suggested on multiple occasions.

“Concrete is less expensive to use, can last decades rather than up to 10 years, and requires virtually no maintenance,” Parks Spokesperson Meghan Lalor said last fall. “It is significantly more effective than the other choices.”

Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey said the material costs less, is not slippery, is easier to repair and is less likely to break or rot than its alternatives. There was no mention as to how snow would be removed or if the concrete walk would be salted or plowed and how much wear and tear that would cause.

In actuality, the wood in use now was guaranteed for 20 years with some sections lasting as few as 12 years – not 10 as the city asserted. The problem with wood, however, is that much of it came from tropical rain forests, justifiably sparking opposition from environmentalists. But the city’s opposition to other materials seems a little less substantial.

The makers of Recycled Plastic Lumber claim it can last as long as 50 years, but the city says the material is too slippery when wet. I walked on the small section installed along Steeplechase Pier and can tell you it is also slippery even when dry. Apparently the original wood grain texture giving it some traction has already worn away leaving an ultra-smooth surface. Also, I do not understand why the slats were installed with no space between for the water to drain. But, overall, these are issues that can be remedied with minor design tweaks.

Recently two groups have sprouted to preserve the Riegelmann Boardwalk: Todd Dobrin’s Friends of the Boardwalk, and Rob Burstein’s Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance, which is circulating an online petition.

What Should Be Done?

Concrete apparently is not as durable as the city claimed it would be because the hairline cracks will only get worse with age and eventually will have to patched – unless, of course, the city wants to be faced with huge lawsuits, since falls on concrete are much more severe than falls on wood. Concrete is also criticized because it is more difficult to walk or run on than wood and that it is hotter than wood to walk on with bare feet. I am in favor of the recycled plastic lumber as long as a variety can be found that will not become slippery after only a few years, and if it could be installed to look like the traditional boardwalk. I do not believe we should have to destroy the rain forest to obtain a lumber that is usable for the boardwalk. Other varieties such as kebony-treated lumber should be considered. However, the makers of kebony have not come forth to show that pricing is economically feasible as they have alleged.

What I Think Will Happen

A small section composed of recycled plastic lumber with a concrete driving strip will be constructed. The city will not acknowledge the fact that concrete is not holding up as intended, but will state after a year that recycled plastic lumber is too slippery and not suitable for further use, and will revert to their original plan to complete the remainder of the boardwalk (except for five blocks within the amusement area which they may increase to 10) entirely of concrete. They will buy the cheapest grade of recycled plastic lumber on the market to ensure that it fails, and will make no attempt to find a type that will not get slippery or wear out too fast. They also will do no investigation of using non-tropical woods or kebony (or similarly treated) wood.

Related posts

• Twenty Bones To Mark The Coney Concrete-Walk
• Parks: Coney Island Boardwalk Will Be Concrete
• Coney Island Boardwalk Rehab Begins Immediately
• Concrete Coney Boardwalk? New Jersey Laughs At Us

Read More:

New Concrete “Boardwalk” Is Already Cracking

Sheepsheadbites - June 13, 2011 - by Allan Rosen

CB 13 Rejects Coney Island/Brighton Beach Concrete Board Walk

A Walk In The Park - March 24, 2011

Teen Found Stabbed On Coney Island Boardwalk

Brooklyn

A hour before the deadly shooting in Brighton Beach Boardwalk yesterday that claimed the life of a 16-year-old East Harlem girl and wounded four others, a 17-year old male was found stabbed three times in Coney Island Beach according to law enforcement sources.

PEP officers found the teen sitting on a bench with two stab wounds to his chest and one to his neck at W. 19th St & Riegelmann Boardwalk by the Pier at approximately 4:10PM. The perpetrator is unknown and the incident possibly stemmed from an altercation on the boardwalk.

The victim was transported by EMS to Coney Island Hospital conscious and breathing. –Geoffrey Croft

CB 13 Rejects Coney Island/Brighton Beach Concrete Board Walk

“We don’t want any concrete!” said Robert Burstein, a member of the board and founder of the Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance, a boardwalk advocacy group. “They are prioritizing vehicles over people.”

This is what locals want to avoid. Traditional wood to prototype concrete in Brighton Beach. The Parks Department, are attempting to replace the historic boardwalk in Coney Island and Brighton Beach with concrete. The City refuses to allocate proper funds to maintain the wooden boardwalk. On March 21, CB 13 voted against the proposal. (Photo by Paul Martinka)

On the Boardwalk, there’s one word — plastic.

Brooklyn

Concrete-hating Community Board 13 has rejected the Parks Department’s latest proposal to keep a cement path along the Riegelmann Boardwalk, but cover some of the iconic waterfront walkway with recycled plastic lumber, according to the Brooklyn Paper.

The board voted on March 21 against the proposal, which is an alternative to the agency’s original plan to convert the entire three-mile stretch into cement. Most locals say that making a third of the Boardwalk concrete would still turn the iconic wooden walkway into a highway.

“We don’t want any concrete!” said Robert Burstein, a member of the board and founder of the Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance, a boardwalk advocacy group. “They are prioritizing vehicles over people.”

The city says it will present a new plan to the board next month, according to spokesman Philip Abramson, but it will still insist on installing the less-expensive cement, which he says is strong enough for the police cars patrolling the area and trucks that use it to make deliveries.

But locals say that recycled plastic lumber, which, at the very least, resembles the famous wooden planks, could easily withstand the weight of vehicles.

“It’s unacceptable and unnecessary when there are alternative materials the city could use,” Burstein said.

In addition to loathing the look of the scored and colored concrete, many fear the material could scorch pedestrians’ feet and may not protect the waterfront from the ocean during a storm.

“People are not going to be able to walk barefoot over that. They’re going to burn their feet,” said Brighton Beach activist Ida Sanoff, who added that “if waves hit a hard concrete surface, it’s energy will not dissipate and there’s an opportunity for great property damage.”

But the city says that cost is the biggest factor when it determines what material should be used

According to the city, concrete costs $90 per square-foot, compared to $114 per square foot for a concrete slab topped with recycled plastic lumber.

“Concrete is less expensive to use, can last decades rather than up to 10 years, and requires virtually no maintenance,” said Meghan Lalor, a spokeswoman for the Parks Department, last fall. “It is significantly more effective than the other choices.”

The Parks Department also disputes residents’ notions that artificial wood is just as durable as concrete. Over the summer, city officials had installed both concrete planks and a “faux-wood” called recycled plastic lumber to test both materials. The agency concluded that the concrete was more durable than the faux wood, and didn’t get slippery.

The city hasn’t announced when the concrete boardwalk will be installed.

Read More:

Concrete jungle! Panel rejects city’s latest plan for cement boardwalk

The Brooklyn Paper - March 23, 2011 - By Alex Rush

Critics Reject Parks Dept. Coney/Brighton Beach Concrete Boardwalk Spin

A Walk In The Park - November 10, 2010

Coney/Brighton Beach Boardwalk To Sidewalk Uproar

A Walk In The Park - October 29, 2010