Parks Dept. defends Coney Island Boardwalk project
Responding to protests by residents of Coney Island and Brighton Beach over the reconstruction of the historic Reigelmann Boardwalk, officials from the New York City Parks Department are vigorously defending the controversial project.
In an email to the Brooklyn Eagle, Parks Department spokesperson Maeri Ferguson wrote that the new boardwalk will be environmentally friendly and will be better able to withstand future natural disasters like Superstorm Sandy.
“The new boardwalk will mirror the look and feel of a traditional boardwalk while adding critical strength and resilience – which will protect the Coney Island community and stand up to floods and hurricanes,” Ferguson wrote in the email.
Reconstruction of the 900,000 square foot Reigelmann Boardwalk began in November and is expected to be completed by the start of beach season in 2016. The boardwalk, which stretches for 2.7 miles from West 37th Street in Coney Island to Corbin Place in Brighton Beach, opened in 1923.