Controversial plan for Valentino Pier Comfort Station, by George Fiala

UPDATED   – see the end of this story.

Valentino Pier park has become the latest flash point in Red Hook’s transformation from a sleepy backwater community into a destination spot. First, fences sprouted up suddenly, taking park regulars, including attendees of the Red Hook Flicks, by surprise. It turned out that the Parks Department decided to implement some repairs/improvements to the park, including replacing the gravel paths with asphalt, and taking steps to protect the retaining wall from pools of salt water splashed over it during high tides and spray.

An artists rendering of the comfort station
An artists rendering of the proposed comfort station

The community was upset and Council member Carlos Menchaca hastily arranged a town meeting with  Brooklyn Park Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey. At that meeting Jeffrey apologized with the lack of community outreach, and belatedly introduced the changes to a crowded meeting at the Red Hook Library. After a smaller second meeting, Menchaca decided to advise Parks to go ahead with the plan – a scheduled one month project.

At that meeting, Jeffrey’s mentioned that a second park renovation was in the works, this being a comfort station. He said that the comfort station was still in the planning changes, and agreed to present it before the Community Board next meeting of the Parks Committee.

Commisioner Jeffreys addressing the meeting. Parks committee president Glen Kelly is in the background.
Commisioner Jeffreys addressing the 9/17 meeting. CB 6 Parks committee chairman Glen Kelly is in the background.

That meeting took place this past week and Jeffrey intr0duced a park planner and an architect who presented plans for the 4 stall bathroom. Faced with all sort of building code and FEMA regulations, it turns out that this bathroom will cost the city upwards of $2.4 million. The money had originally been allocated by Councilwoman Sara Gonzales, and was supplanted with an additional $500,000 from Borough President Eric Adams, and Gonzales successor Carlos Menchaca to make it FEMA compliant.

Many in the audience that night, which included park enthusiast Allison Reeves, architect and NY Rising leader Gita Nandan, and CB 6 member and local real estate broker Victoria Hagman, felt that the park plan was a bit over the top, especially –  as one audience member calculated –  for  a cost of $4,000 per square foot.

There are many in Red Hook, especially NY Foundry owner and daily park user Paige Tooker, who feel that the park is perfect, and no changes at all are needed or wanted. Others felt that a more modest proposal was in order.

The Parks representative insisted that this is what comfort stations cost nowadays, and did not seem to think that anything less could be built. Lee Wellington, Menchaca’s chief of staff, told the Star-Revue that capital fund grants must be used for the designated project, or else the money is probably lost.

An informal survey of park goers today revealed a wide spectrum of thoughts on this proposal.

Many we spoke with were not from the area, and more than a few felt that every park should have a bathroom of some sort. One woman told us that  many mothers bring their toddlers to the park, and a diaper changing room would be fabulous. Another, asked if she thought a more modest idea, such as a port-a-potty, might suffice, told us that she would NEVER use a Port-A-Potty. We encountered locals who said that if they felt the urge, they could go back home. Just about everybody felt that $2.4 million for basically 4 toilets seemed like a lot of money.

In other words, most people feel a comfort station would not be a bad idea, but that a park the size of Valentino does not need something too extravagant.

The grassy area to the left of the main entrance to the park is where the proposed comfort station would be located.
The grassy area to the left of the main park entrance is where the proposed comfort station would be located.

There is already a petition on the subject of the bathroom proposal. Paige Tooker, who was active in No Toxic Red Hook, circulated the following:

The Parks Department has proposed a large ‘Comfort’ station for Valentino Park ! 
Last week on September 15th at a meeting at the library,  Kevin Jeffries (the Brooklyn Parks Commissioner) announced a plan for paved paths and a paved bulkhead in the park, but at a meeting on September 17th at Miccio the Parks Department  gave a slide show presentation for a  large heated ‘comfort’ station with an interior dimension of 650 square feet (not including ramps and stairs).  They say that the construction will take approximately 16 months. Apparently the cost is to be about $250,000 which is an estimated $4,000 per square ft.  It will be built near the entrance of the park on Coffey Street. The building will be elevated .
The land parcel along Coffey and Ferris will be landscaped with more trees if this goes through.More pavement is also planned on the paths and over the entire top of the bulk head/railing. There was also talk of patterned  pavement.
This is a definite project for Valentino unless we come forward and oppose it!

In response, resident and local activist Andrea Sansom wrote:

Below is a petition from another neighbor regarding the proposed Comfort Station for Valentino Pier-Park.
Some of you will have attended the meetings on both the bulkhead repair and the proposed comfort station. As I understand it, they are two unrelated proposals and the bulkhead repair would forestall more costly major future work.  The proposed Comfort Station, however, looks to have a massive footprint which would turn the park into a public bathroom. If such facilities are indeed needed, is it possible for the restrooms to not be elevated but wet flood-proofed instead? 
It’s the required access ramp that seems to be taking up so much space. Would FEMA disallow a wet flood-proofed public facility if it were anchored and made of flood-tolerant materials with vents, etc.?  I would rather have a park with unmarred views and space (it’s a small park as it is) than public facilities. Does anyone know why this Comfort Station has come up in the first place?
As of right now, the first project appears ready to go forward. It probably was set in stone by the time it was presented to the community. For the future, the Parks Department promised to let the community in on projects before they are decided upon. The bathroom project is still in the planning phase. One would imagine there is still time for community input to be heeded. Further community meetings are to be expected, and the Star-Revue will let you know about them as we do.
Update regarding the comfort station: The President of the Red Hook Civic Association, John McGettrick, is scheduled to have a meeting with Councilmember Menchaca this week. He told the Star-Revue that he has received numerous calls about the proposed bathroom.
The Star-Revue has emailed Menchaca’s office the following questions, and is awaiting a response:
1 – What is the next step in this process.
2 – Has the councilman heard from constituents.
3 – In case there is overwhelming negative opinion regarding certain aspects of the planned structure – can it be scaled down?
4 – Are there any meetings planned to discuss the parks plan.

 

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One Comment

  1. I thought the budget was a quater million not 2.5 million!
    What happens in the winter when the park is not a tourist attraction, when key lime and Hometown are shuttered and the traffic is mostly locals?
    We’ll be stuck with this monstrosity .
    I agree the foot print for this is way to large for such a small park.
    Is it really not possible for the parks depatment to supply us with a modest lutrine?

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