Photo Courtesy of Councilman Ulrich’s Office
“These derelict vessels cause a lot of environmental problems, as well as aesthetic problems when you look at the shoreline,” said Dan Mundy (r.), vice president of the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers and president of the Broad Channel Civic Association.
By Forum Staff
On Friday afternoon, City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) joined representatives from the City Department of Parks & Recreation and the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers for a demonstration that removed an abandoned boat in Jamaica Bay. Earlier this year, Ulrich secured $55,000 in funding for a clean-up initiative, which will remove derelict vessels from the bay. The funds were allocated to the City Department of Parks & Recreation through the “NYC Cleanup Initiative.”
Many vessels are abandoned when an owner can no longer afford to maintain them, and thus leave them to drift into Jamaica Bay instead of doing a proper removal. Despite having removed about two-dozen abandoned boats from the waters and marshlands of Jamaica Bay over the past several years, the Parks Department estimates more than 100 vessels remain in New York City’s waterways.
Photo Courtesy of Councilman Ulrich’s Office
Many vessels are abandoned when an owner can no longer afford to maintain them, and thus leave them to drift into Jamaica Bay instead of doing a proper removal.
During the boat tour, Ulrich and members of the media were given the opportunity to see the Parks Department remove an abandoned house boat from the Bay. Prior to being towed by a tug boat, the abandoned vessel needed to be patched to ensure it did not sink. Weather conditions – in this case, an ideal high tide – also play a role as to when tows are feasible. The clean-up effort was contracted out to Custom Marine. According to the Parks Department, it is a multi-year contract, bid through the New York City Dept. of Administrative Services.
“The Broad Channel Civic Association and the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers both want to thank Councilman Ulrich for funding this clean-up in conjunction with New York City Parks,” said Dan Mundy, vice president of the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers and president of the Broad Channel Civic Association. “These derelict vessels cause a lot of environmental problems, as well as aesthetic problems when you look at the shoreline. There is no City, State or federal agency designated to address this, so if the councilman hadn’t stepped up, these abandoned boats would stay here forever and just continue to harm the environment.”
