Bay Ridge

Denyse Wharf gets a springtime spruce up

Volunteers clean historic Bay Ridge spot

May 27, 2016 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Volunteers who spent the day removing debris from Denyse Wharf didn’t have a chance to enjoy the view of the Narrows. Photos courtesy of Thomas Greene
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As part of his ongoing effort to convince the city that Denyse Wharf is a perfect spot for a marine science lab, a retired high school assistant principal led a group of volunteers in a cleanup of the Revolutionary War pier at the foot of Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Bay Ridge on a recent Saturday.

Thomas Greene, who served for many years as the assistant principal of science at Fort Hamilton High School in Bay Ridge, organizes groups of volunteers, mostly teenagers, to conduct major cleanups at Denyse Wharf twice a year, in the fall and spring.

The wharf is largely unused and is badly in need of renovation, according to Greene.

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Greene is also the founder of Friends of Denyse Wharf, a group dedicated to maintaining the pier in the hope that one day, the New York City Department of Education will grant his wish and build a marine science lab there.

Greene has been advocating for a marine science lab at the location for nearly 30 years but the city has so far refused his request, citing budgetary concerns and other issues.

There was some hope 15 years ago when a feasibility study done at the request of then-Councilmember Marty Golden by the School Construction Authority concluded that the wharf could be a viable site for a lab. But the project never moved forward.

Named after a Dutch farmer who owned the land, Denyse Wharf dates back to the Revolutionary War and later became the property of the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hamilton in Bay Ridge.

In order to conduct his cleanups, Greene acquires permission from the fort, which still owns Denyse Wharf.

“This gem of a property is like a diamond in the rough,” Greene said in a statement. “The adjacent beach gets littered with marine debris carried in by the tides. So, twice a year for the past 27 years, students from the local schools, with permission from the Army, have cleared the beach of tires, driftwood, plastics, glass and metal.”

The city’s Department of Environmental Protection provided a dumpster to cart away the trash.

The Friends of Denyse Wharf would like to see a marine science lab with a pedestrian space created at the site to enable the public to observe students engaged in hands-on activities related to studies of marine life, environmental pollution and climate change.

Under the group’s vision, the lab at Denyse Wharf would be open to all schools for field trips and outdoor classes that would emphasize environmental science covering biology, chemistry, earth science and physics.

“We urge that our elected officials respond to a real educational need to improve science achievement in the schools by meeting with school officials to move this project forward,” Greene said.

 


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