By Dennis Holt
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BROOKLYN — Amid questions about new proposals to fund the operation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, Regina Myer, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp., last week made public a more detailed construction schedule for Pier 6.

Pier 6, at the foot of Atlantic Avenue, is one of the two main entrances to the park, Pier 1 being the other. With not enough capital funding in hand to build the entire park, park planners have decided that the logical course is to start with construction of the two main entrance areas.

When more funding becomes available, the middle portions will be built. Plans for the large Pier 1 and part of Pier 2, however, have already been announced. A photo published in the Eagle last week showed 60,000 cubic yards of dirt ready to be scattered around Pier 1.

Myer came to the Parks Committee of Community Board 2 last week to report on the foreseeable prospects and offered new details about Pier 6.

The work that can be seen now is the rather unexciting but critical business of laying pipes for utilities and retention tanks for storm water runoff. When completed, few people, other than repairers, will see them again.

The next thing will be very visible, though. It is the key physical element of Pier 6 — a 35-foot-wide pedestrian entryway bisecting the park at its inception. It will proceed about two-thirds of the way onto the pier, curving slightly to an elevated platform that will overlook the harbor. Construction on this project will begin soon.

Also this spring, construction will start on three sand volleyball courts, a 1.6-acre playground with a big swing set, and a 1,000-square-foot concession stand, almost sure to become a most popular place.

In the summer, the planned dog run will be installed and most of the trees will be planted. They will include honey locusts, black locusts, oaks and catalpas.

In the fall, all the playground equipment will arrive, and long-leaf yellow pine cladding (protective material) will go on the concession stand. The rest of the pier, including the water taxi dock, must await new funding. A goal is to have most, if not all, of Pier 6 ready by the end of the year.

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009 All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law. Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net