Wooden Boardwalk Advocates Headed To Court Against The Parks Department
Rob Burstein, president of the Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance, Todd Dobrin, president of Friends of the Boardwalk, and the concrete boards on their beloved wooden boardwalk are headed to court.
Burstein sent out a letter to his supporters detailing the legislative actions law firm of Goodwin-Proctor will be taking against the Parks Department.
According to the letter:
The suit alleges that they failed to perform the required environmental impact studies to assess the numerous negative impacts that their intended plan will have for our community and all who make use of the Boardwalk were it to be implemented, and asks that the Court compel them to do so before going forward.
Burnstein and Dobrin also write an op-ed piece yesterday in the New York Daily News highlighting safety issues the concrete slabs that replaced the wooden board have created.
They write:
Already, thousands of settling cracks have appeared in the concrete pilot project sections of the Boardwalk, and chunks of concrete have broken off in a number of places.
Concrete stores heat, making it uncomfortable to sit on and increasing the temperature of the whole area. The sun glare is blinding, and the hard surface is damaging to the joints of the countless runners and pedestrians who use the Boardwalk daily.
The Parks Department says it cares about safety. Its actions, though, speak louder than its words.
For those who want to take action, Burstein has asked supporters to show up on October 4 – the court date – at the courthouse to showcase a “widespread level of concern.”
The court hearing starts at 9:45 a.m. at the Kings County Supreme Court located at 360 Adams Street in downtown Brooklyn. The Hearing Part number is 38 and the name of the judge hearing the case is Martin Solomon. The group will meet outside the hearing room at 9:30 a.m. and then enter and sit together.
Contact Burstein at 718-449-7017 or email him to confirm your attendance at robburstein@hotmail.com.