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Q&A
Newtown Creek long term control plan and green infrastructure opportunities
2:41:13
ยท
4 min
Council Member Restler commends DEP's efforts on the Newtown Creek long term control plan and discusses opportunities for green infrastructure in the district.
- Appreciation for DEP's work in reducing CSO overflow in Newtown Creek and East River
- Highlight of the McCarran asphalt lot project as a successful green infrastructure initiative
- Discussion of potential partnerships with Parks Department and DOE for green infrastructure in schoolyards
- Council Member's interest in maximizing green infrastructure opportunities in park and playground renovations
- Commissioner's acknowledgment of the scale of the Newtown Creek project ($3 billion) and the need to focus on delivering promised outcomes
Lincoln Restler
2:41:13
I'd like to shift to Newtown Creek and, again, echo the earlier sentiments complimenting your you and your team for putting the resources in this budget for the Newtown Creek long term control plan.
2:41:29
I'm impressed by the work that you all did to dramatically reduce sewage CSO overflow, not just into Newtown Creek, but into the East River, into Dutch Hills in council member Wan's district, and reduce the construction impacts on Greenpoint Avenue.
2:41:45
And you you and your team have been, I think, good partners for us in trying to identify green opportunities in our community.
2:41:55
I'm especially grateful to Melissa and John who have been working with us on the McCarran asphalt lot and doing a terrific job.
2:42:04
It's one of the most it's one of the projects in District 33 that I'm most excited about.
2:42:08
$15,000,000 project to dramatically expand green infrastructure and build new park space for our community.
2:42:16
Both in the context of the Newtown Creek long term control I guess in the context of the Newtown Creek long term control plan, how can we work together to identify green infrastructure opportunities around our district, around this area, I should say, to, you know, help mitigate flooding and make our our, you know, flood prone community more resilient?
Rohit Aggarwala
2:42:37
Well, I'd say council member, I I I think, know, as as often happens, our our main task is to deliver what we've already promised.
2:42:50
Right?
2:42:50
And and I am I'm I'm glad you're happy with it.
2:42:54
I I was very pleased with it.
2:42:56
I give a ton of credit to DC Lakata and and DC Barrio at at Betsy whose team also contributed significantly to that.
2:43:07
But we knew that proposing that modification we had to find some near term things we could do in the neighborhood and and I'm pleased that they met your and and the community's approval.
2:43:18
I I will say that is a $3,000,000,000 project.
2:43:22
Like it is, you know, probably the third largest single project we've undertaken as an agency.
2:43:31
If I'm thinking about the UV plant, the the filtration plant, I guess the City Tunnel 3.
2:43:38
But it's a gargantuan project and our teams have already been working.
2:43:42
I mean we are we've got alignments.
2:43:48
We're working on property acquisition.
2:43:51
I mean, there is so much blocking and tackling.
2:43:53
And I guess I would I would ask your forbearance in giving us the space to deliver what we have promised before we think about what's what's more.
Lincoln Restler
2:44:06
I that's fair.
2:44:08
I think that we we you know, to come back to my kind of earlier point a moment ago on the sewer backups, we know the geographies in our district where we have problems.
2:44:23
And so we really want to be I I mean, I'll just as a council member, I really wanna be able to look those constituents in the eye and say, this is the plan for how we're gonna improve the conditions in your life and in your home, and this is the timeline that we're gonna be able to achieve it.
2:44:38
And I recognize that you don't have a magic wand and you don't have an infinite budget and that you are doing impressive things at scale.
2:44:46
I'm not minimizing any of that.
2:44:48
But it's my job, right, to do my absolute best to push for those people and to deliver solutions for them.
2:44:56
So, you know, I talk a lot with other city agencies, and I think you all have a it seems like a pretty good working relationship with the Parks Department and the side I mentioned, you know, the McCarran Asphalt lot.
2:45:07
Melissa and John have been doing a phenomenal job.
2:45:10
I'm really grateful.
2:45:10
I don't wanna lose sight of that.
2:45:14
I've been talking more to DOE, and I think they are eager to figure out how to partner with DEP more effectively.
2:45:23
How do we take d DOE schoolyards and maximize green infrastructure opportunities in those locations.
2:45:30
I really think there's a real opportunity there for us to do more.
2:45:33
I could certainly highlight sites in our district.
2:45:35
You know, we're putting resource part of the reason that I'm interested in putting resources into renovating parks and playgrounds in my district right now in Greenpoint is to see that we can layer and maximize DP, green infrastructure, and flood mitigation work as a part of those projects.
2:45:51
Right, that I might otherwise put those resources into other places.
2:45:54
So I'm interested in figuring out how to maximize those kinds of opportunities as much as possible.
2:46:00
Does that is that a clear way to set up the question?