Bay Improvement Group Blasts Removal Of Pier Flag Pole

City workers ripped out a flag pole at the end of Pier 3 on Emmons Avenue, near Bedford Avenue, sparking anger with a local group that says they fought to renovate and redesign the waterfront more than a decade ago.

Sheepshead Bites first reported on the removal of the flag pole at Pier 3, which helps captains identify the piers as they come into the marina, earlier this week. Since then, the Department of Parks and Recreation, which oversees the Sheepshead Bay marina, has told Sheepshead Bites there is no plan to replace the flag.

They added that the decorative pier marker pole was removed because of severe leaning, aggravated by heavy winds. They removed it to protect against it falling over and damaging the pier, vessels or any persons nearby.

Bay Improvement Group President Steve Barrison, though, is demanding that the city repair the missing flagpole and do better upkeep on other elements of the Sheepshead Bay waterfront. Barrison said BIG was on the forefront of fighting for an overhaul of the Emmons Avenue roadway, streetscape and marina in the 1990s. That renovation cost several million dollars, money that goes to waste if the area is not maintained.

“We at BIG and the community would like to see the flag poles that have been damaged either replaced or repaired,” Barrison told Sheepshead Bites. “They are part of what was an overall pier renovation streetscape design which cost $11 million and then $13 million to complete, and some simple uniformity in the design respects that investment. In the same manner broken railings along the esplanade should be fixed to match the existing design or, find a crafts person to manufacture the matching parts if necessary. Other cities seem to have no problem overcoming these kind of repair issues, why can’t we here in NYC? We must support our waterfront everywhere we can in our city especially in our Sheepshead Bay Special District waterfront. This is our park for all to cherish and enjoy.”