Thinking about a better Southpoint Park, I recall a tour of the 2011 project while it was underway. Piles of rubble evolved into slopping meadows. My escort, RIOC’s Information Technology Director Michael Moreo, proudly showed how RIOC repurposed building stone from the old, burned out City Hospital, transforming into retaining walls.
But there was more. Discovering contaminated wastes under the landfill, the state agency found a smart way of handling the hazards. Michael was proud for RIOC in a way we seldom see anymore, but that can change too.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Roosevelt Islanders loved Southpoint, opened in 2011 – “Park” got added later – its meadows, shady groves, the Smallpox Hospital glowing at night, the wild sheltering shoreline…
There were a few complaints. Public restrooms, while welcome, were an eyesore, and Disabled Association president, the late Jim Bates, wanted more comfortable seating for physically challenged Roosevelt Islanders.
Some suggested that RIOC should come up with a concession stand, taking advantage of visitors walking through on the way to increasing popular FDR Four Freedoms State Park.
All that was within RIOC’s grasp.
But when it mapped out an upgrade plan in 2019, devoted originally to repairing damaged shorelines, the state agency added dramatic changes. None of those requested by the community, though, made it into the plan. There were protests, but RIOC pushed it through anyway.
RIOC and its construction partner Langan apparently determined that a better Southpoint Park demanded turning it into a mini-Brooklyn Bridge Park. Although this wasn’t well received by Roosevelt Islanders, the ultimate result was worse.
The east side was even worse.
Saving grace…
Fortunately, though, while the wreckage along both shorelines is irretrievable, RIOC ran out of cash before destroying the interior. That opens the door to changes we can make for a better Southpoint Park.
Suggestions for a Better Southpoint Park
With Southpoint shaved and fenced in, few find their way along the paved trails, and why should they? Except for the hidden grove sheltering Wildlife Freedom Foundation‘s animal sanctuary, nature’s been stunted like you’d find for a golf course.
Let’s wake it up.
Take down the fences…
Before RIOC ripped up the park, Cornell Tech had a suggestion: remove the long barrier fence blocking entry along the South Loop Road.
That would make possible a natural flow from the meadows set aside for campus growth into the park. And why restrict park access anyway?
Why not let visitors wander in and discover?
Introduce wild meadows…
Central Park Conservancy pioneered the idea of letting nature do its thing, bringing it closer to people.
Shaving slopes and lawns make little sense, except for golf courses and shopping malls. That’s not what we are.
Roosevelt Islanders should have the pleasures of escaping into nature, however briefly, a little forest bathing maybe.
…and urban forests
iDig2Learn already gained RIOC’s interest in a small urban forest near Strecker Lab inside Southpoint Park, but why stop there?
The advantages of urban forests are plentiful.
This is one example among many possible. As you can see, they don’t take up a lot of space and, after an initial start up, are self-sustaining.
Pack up the noisy mowers and polluting leaf blowers because, in perspective, they make no sense.
An urban forest relies on a an underground universe of root systems and fungal networks, living in harmony. Soon, healthy growth and natural beauty evolve.
Finally, A Better Southpoint Park: We Can Do This
The 2020-21 alleged restoration project demolished the shorelines, probably permanently. Countless plant and animal species will never return, but saving the rest of the park is in reach.
Costs associated are far less than what was wasted on the shorelines, and consider the benefits of a natural space that’s more than just access to Four Freedoms. And if RIOC finds budget space for a poorly planned bike ramp and lane, it can find much less for a real restoration.
Imagine an alluring natural space, free to walk, free to roam. Imagine a better Southpoint Park, easily within reach.
Before I Find the Eggs
Trader Joe’s has its own choreography.
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