The city Parks Department holds early access and discovery days throughout the year for learning and exploration opportunities. While Fresh Kills is no longer a harbor of garbage, Grayson said he hopes the ability for Staten Islanders to enjoy its natural beauty also helps shed a light on the need to be conscious of sustainability. Brandon, Staten Island. Freshkills Park is currently under construction with plans to open some of the park by the end of 2021. Fresh Kills (from the Middle Dutch word kille, meaning "riverbed" or "water channel") is a stream and freshwater estuary in the western portion of the New York City borough of Staten Island. Sign Up Fresh Heads | Fresh Threads. Subscribe now. “While we’re going to continue to make great decisions as a city to make sure we don’t host refuse here anymore,” he said it is important to remember that the garbage that would have went to the landfill still exists. On March 22, 2001, after 53 years of operation, the Fresh Kills Landfill received its final load of garbage. A few cranes and front loaders paw and snuffle in the distance. All rights reserved (About Us). The Fresh Kills Landfill was a landfill covering 2,200 acres (890 ha) in the New York City borough of Staten Island in the United States.The name comes from the landfill's location along the banks of the Fresh Kills estuary in western Staten Island.. I am a born and bred NYC person growing up in Manhattan and moving to Staten Island before the bridge was built. March 15, 2020. The transfer station—an integral part of New York City's Solid Waste Management Plan—is expected to process an average of 900 tons per day of Staten Island-generated residential and municipal waste. “It gives the opportunity for a big, outdoor experience that’s just not available anywhere else in the city,” said Hirsh. Contracts are in place to remove garbage from the five boroughs to states like Pennsylvania, Virginia and even Ohio. (Staten Island Advance/ Alexandra Salmieri). Updated Jan 03, 2019; Posted Jul 03, 2016 . ®️ Beautiful day in the neighborhood. Photographers of all ability are welcome; students even have their own category for entry! Before Fresh kills Landfill came to be, most of the 2,200 acre land was a salt or intertidal marshland. He said that during Hurricane Sandy, the “Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island absorbed a critical part of the storm surge.” The park’s “hills and waterways spared nearby neighborhoods like Travis, Bulls Head, New Springville and … “But, there’s a lesson to be learned there,” he added. A significant portion of the Fresh Kills landfill was used as farmland by the locals. FRESH KILLS, Staten Island–– Viewed from above, Fresh Kills Landfill appears partly as green, softly rolling hills and partly as a landscape in re-design. Whose health suffers? Ellman-Larsen worries that its existence would have created a further socio-economic divide on the Island. “It was even worse if you were close to it.”, If garbage continued to pile up — Nygren was resolute: “It would be even more of an impetus to move.”. Register Online. To observe the 10th anniversary of the closing of the infamous Fresh Kills landfill, at 2,200 acres one of the world’s largest, the office of Staten Island’s borough president has been working on a film that includes archival film and video of the site, which … Although the park is not yet open to the public, it is on track to be New York City's largest when complete. Reminiscing back to her childhood, Ellman-Larsen said she recalls the odor vividly. “It’s an issue of equity — Who has to suffer? The effects of the city continuing to dump its trash on the borough’s West Shore could have also had wide-ranging implications regarding equity on the Island. Fresh Kills Barbershop! Thank you so much :)." Staten Island Transfer Station occupies a small portion of the site of the former Fresh Kills Landfill near the old Plant #2 at 40°34′49″N 74°11′38″W / 40.580267°N 74.193994°W . Now and then I went to Staten Island for the ferry ride, art, friends, the Buddhist centre – but I’ve never seen Fresh Kills. 17. Once upon a time — well, a decade ago — there was Fresh Kills, the garbage dump. REGISTER NOW. (Courtesy Staten Island Museum). 718-698-3181 [email protected] Join Now. “If it had continued to go on, while there may be some improvements of the physical reality of it, you would have had a fairly angrier and much more engaged [population],” Hirsh said. A little less than two decades ago, the last steaming load of garbage arrived at Fresh Kills Landfill. A veteran of the DSNY for over two decades, Grayson also remembers the pungent aroma that spread in the area surrounding the dump. m_gallery = "historic_fresh_kills_landfill_"; Construction of the park began in 2008 and is slated to continue in phases for 20 to 30 years. The now-dubbed “Jobs Coast” relies on the willingness of companies to plant their roots in the ground not far from where the dump used to create a litany of issues. Already “one of the biggest things you can see from space,” Grayson said the size of the landfill would have been complemented with the “excessive birds” that came for the easy-pickings and the garbage that drifted from the area into residential neighborhoods. m_gallery_creation_date = "Saturday, July 02, 2016, 5:29 PM"; m_gallery_title = "Historic Fresh Kills Landfill Photos"; The return of the landfill to nature, including the extensive capping and constant environmental monitoring, are an enormous undertaking for the city's Parks Department. 170 were here. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). Book Now "Best experience in a Barber shop I've ever had. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – If you want to know what made Staten Islanders feel like they lived in a forgotten borough, look no further than the Fresh Kills Landfill. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. “What is New York doing with its garbage? Certainly never move to this area and don't let your children walk through this park as if it's pure fresh air because it's not! The Fresh Kills landfill is now more commonly known as Freshkills Park. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — It’s March 22, 2001. But, even if Fresh Kills continued to be a dumping ground for garbage, advances in environmental technology and sanitation practices, along with stricter federal regulations, would have likely changed the projection of the landfill; however, its most noticeable effects would have still caused issues. The city’s long-term solid waste management plan is to have all garbage either barged or taken out by rail, in order to reduce its carbon footprint, Grayson explained. The waste is compacted inside the 79,000-square-foot (7,300 m ) facility into sealed 12-foot-high (3.7 m) by 20-foot-long (6.1 m) interm… If the Fresh Kills landfill persisted, it is likely that homes would have been cheaper closer to its bounds, said Ellman-Larsen. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). That rebrand has been — and still is — an ongoing effort. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Lower Manhattan can still be seen from several of the covered mounds. All rights reserved (About Us). “We don’t host it here, but someone hosts it,” noted Grayson. (Staten Island Advance). REGISTER NOW. Winners will have their photos published in the Staten Island Advance and displayed in a gallery space. Fresh Kills Landfill site, Staten Island, New York City, United States: Nearest city : New York City: Coordinates: Coordinates: Area: 2,200 acres (8.9 km 2) Created: 2008: Operated by: New York City Department of Parks and Recreation: Open: 2012 (partial) 2035-37 (full) Freshkills Park is a public park being built atop a former landfill on Staten Island. At about 2,200 acres (8.9 km 2), it will be the largest … Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Facts-first reporting from the source you trust. “It wasn’t immediately when you crossed the [Verrazzano-Narrows] Bridge, but once you started heading on the Staten Island Expressway, it was like, ‘oh yeah.’ ”. … The last barge carrying 505 tons of garbage is leaving the Fresh Kills landfill, ending its 53-year reign on Staten Island. It is the site of the Fresh Kills Landfill, formerly New York City's principal landfill. Event Information. Additionally, Staten Island’s minority communities, who live in more densely-populated areas of the borough, have bore the brunt of the pandemic. Staten Island (/ ˌ s t æ t ən ˈ aɪ l ə n d /) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York.Located in the southwest portion of the city, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and from the rest of New York by New York Bay.With an estimated population of 476,143 in 2019, Staten Island is the least-populated of the … My children grew up here and we had a good life even though they have left Staten Island for other more interesting boroughs. “It makes you think about equity, and who has to live near garbage and who doesn’t and who would be forced to live there,” she said. The interior of the park is currently only accessible during scheduled park programs which provide early … It also has a significant history as the site of the Fresh Kills Landfill, which was the largest landfill in the world before closing in 2001. Subscribe now. m_gallery_type = "photo"; Gallery: Historic Fresh Kills Landfill Photos. The scarred landscape of the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island is at rest. Today, Fresh Kills has been rebranded as Freshkills, and the park that is now at the site of the old dump is poised to accept visitors: the North Park will open in spring 2021, the rest by 2036. When completed, Freshkills Park will be almost three times the size of Central Park and the largest developed park in New York City in over 100 years. Another byproduct of its continued hypothetical existence, would have been the effect on the morale of Staten Islanders. (Staten Island Advance/ Alexandra Salmieri). Carrie Ellman-Larsen lived in one of those neighborhoods growing up. Now, the legacy of Fresh Kills is a long ways from the nightmarish storyline that could have played out. I'm so anxious in new places, especially services like Barbers but Alexa was AMAZING. Sunday, May 10, 2020 at 9:30 am Registration Time: 8:00 • Race Start: 9:30. STATEN ISLAND N.Y. –– A lot can change in 20 years and Fresh Kills is slowly transforming from dump to park. ... C wrote a review Aug 2016. m_gallery_permalink = "http://photos.silive.com/4499/gallery/historic_fresh_kills_landfill_/index.html"; Date & Time. m_gallery_id = "20684206"; “Garbage just doesn’t appear, people create it,” said Grayson. “Fresh Kills is no longer a dump and it’s a green space and it’s amazing, and that’s a great thing to celebrate,” said Grayson. Toggle navigation. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. ‘Kill’ is a Dutch word for stream. Her family’s home on Nome Avenue in New Springville was where she spent her days from the age of 2 until she was 18. This changed in 1964, when the opening of the … Facts-first reporting from the source you trust. Staten Island “is the Borough of Parks, but this park is actually an icon of environmental restoration,” said Hirsh. We focus on the importance of community, health, and happiness. “I think Staten Islanders would be amazed to know how internationally known Fresh Kills is — not for its huge dump-ness — but actually for the fact of its resurgence.”. Since then, the landscape has been engineered with layers of soil and infrastructure, and the area has become a place for wildlife, recreation, science, education, and art. STATEN ISLAND, NY – September 14, 2020 – According to an online news report published on CNN.com, nineteen years after the 9/11 attack, Staten Island residents fear Staten Island’s Fresh Kills inactive landfill contains 9/11 Ground Zero debris is causing cancer rates to spike in the borough. Many people remember Fresh Kills for the mounds that were covered in garbage from five boroughs but now the sprawling hills are home to tall grasses and various types of wildlife. “Sometimes, on hot, humid days, the smell was just so rancid and so terrible, you could smell it everywhere,” said Ellman-Larsen. The ever-growing mass of garbage, the flocks of birds, the remnants of litter outside its bounds, the smell — what if these not-so-subtle features of the borough still existed today and the dramatic transition of Fresh Kills never happened, leaving Staten Islanders with “the dump?”, “In all honesty, had we kept the landfill open and continued to go with it, it would clearly be one of the highest points on the east coast,” said Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Commissioner Edward Grayson. Mounds of garbage were capped, buried and covered along the water ways in Fresh Kills. We still have plenty of availability this weekend to get you looking and feeling … I've never felt so comfortable and excited to have a haircut before. Although population was growing in most locations at a steady rate after the end of the Second World War, Staten Island communities remained unaffected by the growth. The deadline to enter the Fresh Kills photo contest, which documents the incredible transformation happening at what was once the site of the world's largest garbage dump. Hirsh called the creation of the park “an incredible natural asset,” adding that it will improve with the push to fully open the park in the coming two decades. A packed-high barge turned slowly out of the Arthur Kill — that long, dishwater-brown tidal strait that separates Staten Island from New Jersey — and then docked at the Sanitation Department’s pier, an event celebrated less as a matter of ecological stewardship at the time than a triumph of not-in-my … Membership and Pricing; What is functional fitness? © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. m_gallery_json = "https://blog.silive.com/photogallery/4499/20684206.json"; Staten Island, New York 37 contributions 19 helpful votes. “It’s very clear, I could smell it now,” she said. Register by Mail. Old school Barbershop with a modern twist catering to men, women and children of all ages. Reviews; About Freshkills Fitness; Join. Staten Island AdvanceThe last barge of refuse arrives at the Fresh Kills landfill on Thursday, March 22, 2001. “It permeated the air,” she said. (Staten Island Advance/Rob Sollett). “It would be a mountain.”. Home; About Us. Birds swarm over Fresh Kills in this 1993 file photo. At the peak … old garbage dump. Staten Island NY | Freshkills Fitness is a brand new fitness gym that offers a comfortable place for all people to come and create goals for self-improvement. Make a Donation. methane gas has been removed but i just see it has a i remember it as a dump. “Think of it as Bear Mountain in the city.”. Now, kayakers are welcome to spend the day in the water on certain days of the year. This worst-case scenario was averted after then-Borough President Guy Molinari worked with then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Gov. I have lived on Staten Island for over 50 yrs now. Borough residents who lived near the Fresh Kills landfill couldn’t open their windows during the spring and summer months and couldn’t hold barbecues without expecting a whiff of foul odor, he said. How do we leave a better footprint? A visitor surveys the last remnant of open water in what once was Long Pond, with garbage dumped by the New York City Department of Sanitation in the background, circa 1950. m_gallery_pagetype = "embed"; Fresh Kills, Staten Island Then and Now “This is the area the grasshopper sparrows really like,” Field says, nudging the dried fibers with her boot. After this, garbage would be compacted and shipped away in containers. “But then there were some days I couldn’t smell anything, and maybe I’d have a friend come from somewhere else, not Staten Island, and they’d go, ‘What’s that smell?’ and I would say, ‘What smell?’ ”, “It was equal parts desensitized and then it was just so bad,” she added. To preserve the historical significance of our fight to close the landfill, the Office of the Borough President, in coordination with Staten Island Community Television, will be co-producing a documentary entitled Fresh Kills: Then and Now. I was interested in this book because of its truthful depictions of many of Staten Island's areas and flaws but … “Especially in the summertime, you knew when you were on Staten Island,” said Grayson. Become a Sponsor. STATEN ISLAND N.Y. –– A lot can change in 20 years and Fresh Kills is slowly transforming from dump to park. “It just filled the air, it was almost soupy because it was humid out.”. The railroad was financed with a loan from Cornelius Vanderbilt, the sole Staten Island-to-Manhattan ferry operator on the East Shore, his first involvement in a railroad. Black and Latino communities are often located in areas of higher pollution, experts have said, and the coronavirus (COVID-19) has shed a light on health inequities present across the country. Anyone who has had the opportunity to visit the park -- either during public Discovery Days or private tours -- is invited to enter their photos in our contest. Joseph Ostapiuk | jostapiuk@siadvance.com. Hearing the story of Fresh Kills Landfill can be disheartening, but it ends on a positive note. Get Moving Experience the spectacular landscapes and panoramic views of NYC’s newest and largest park, while helping the Staten Island community. The Staten Island Rail Road was incorporated on August 2, 1851, after Perth Amboy and Staten Island residents petitioned for a Tottenville-to-Stapleton rail line. I imagine an even-more divided Island.”, A Sanitation truck dumps its load at the landfill in 1989. And the push to revitalize the West Shore of the borough would likely have been futile if the knowledge of Fresh Kills’ closure was not guaranteed. The city last studied adverse health issues for Staten Island residents near Fresh Kills in 1997, but its sample size was small and it was before 9/11, Borelli said. as a life long resident of staten island i have to just say this was part of a dump as recently as 10yrs ago. A look at an unbelievable transformation: Fresh Kills then and now. © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. Staten Island Railway: Locale: Staten Island, New York, USA: Termini: Arlington Yard Fresh Kills Transfer Station: Operation; Opened: 1928: Owner: Conrail Shared Assets : Operator(s) Conrail Shared Assets: Technical; Number of tracks: 1-2: Track gauge: 4 ft 8 1 ⁄ 2 in (1,435 mm) The Travis Branch is a branch of the Staten Island Railway in New York City, that operates from Arlington Yard to Fresh Kills, which is … Schedule; … The Fresh Kills landfill is now more commonly known as Freshkills Park. How do we build a disposal plan and a personal footprint and a personal interaction with the waste stream that is the right thing for the next 20 years?”. m_gallery_blog_id = "4499"; This 1996 Advance photo shows garbage being unloaded at the Fresh Kills landfill. Julie Nygren, who grew up in Eltingville in the 1970s, said she recalls “smelling the stink of that dump” during hot summer nights, even miles away from the landfill. The North Mound, Fresh … The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. In a recent blog post, The New York Times‘ architecture critic Michael Kimmelman made a great case for what our friends at the 2,200-acre Freshkills park have been doing. Now, the legacy of Fresh Kills is a long ways from the nightmarish storyline that could have played out. Now there is “Fresh Kills: Then and Now,” the documentary. You're running out of time: The deadline to enter the Fresh Kills photo contest, which documents the incredible transformation happening at what was once the site of the world's largest garbage dump, is tonight at 11:59 p.m. Flip through the photos above, and those Staten Islanders who endured the sights and smells of the Fresh Kills Landfill are sure to re-live some unpleasant memories. Location. But don't despair -- keep going until you hit the end of the gallery, and prepare to be amazed at the natural beauty of today's Fresh Kills Park. As New Yorkers, Grayson said residents should think about where garbage goes and how each person’s footprint can be shrunk. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. March 15, 2020. The line was completed to Tottenville on June 2, 1860. 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