Fill for lawns and grading begins to arrive.

photos by Julienne Schaer

Per Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, “the first of 60,000 cubic yards of fill and topsoil began arriving on Pier 1 last week. This fill, which will be imported onto the site through the spring, will be used to create the grading and lawns, including a 25 foot hill, on Pier 1. Landscaping will begin in the spring, with the first section of Pier 1 slated to open winter 2009.” Also reported last week, Mayor Bloomberg is seeking to grab control of Brooklyn Bridge Park. It is currently a partnership of the state and city of New York, but Bloomberg is frustrated with this slow moving project and decided that a city owned park will hold more local interest and be built quicker. There’s currently a $120 million funding gap for the $350 million park, but Pier 1 construction has already begun. Two playgrounds, a dog run and rolling meadows with lush landscaping along the waterfront are slated to be completed by the summer of 2010, according to a Daily News article.

{Mayor Bloomberg announces city will move to take control of Brooklyn Bridge Park from state, 13Mar2009, NY Daily News}
{Bloomberg Grabbing for Governors Island, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 12Mar2009, Observer}