Welcome to the Greentank Webpage. Here you will find information about this exciting adaptive reuse initiative for Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and an invitation to help save the tank.
New: Greentank Movie
Take The Tour with project architect, Meta Brunzema, DEP plant superintendent, Jimmy Pynn and members of the Greenpoint Community
QuickTime/30 MB
Don't have QuickTime?
Get the free Windows player: http://www.softwarepatch.com/internet/quicktime.html
Macintosh player: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/mac.html
Download the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Report, "Greentank: Adaptive Re-Use of the Greenpoint Sludge Tank Feasibility Study Phase 1"
Here:
GreentankFINAL.pdf
UPDATE December, 2007:
SAVE THE TANK
It's plain silly to say the Greenpoint sludge storage tank, which has a relatively small footprint indeed, is standing in the way of affordable housing and shorewalk development in North Greenpoint. For anyone interested, or who needs a reminder, information about the tank and the MWA study can be downloaded as a PDF at the above link.
Visitors to this webpage who play the video will soon learn that Newtown Monitoring Committee member and president of Barge Park Pals, Mike Hoffman was an original proponent for the tank's reuse, urging that the community and DEP save the tank for a possible pool, and recreation facility, as well as bathrooms for the Barge Park. (This remains a sensible proposal)
It's unfair of NCMC to suggest that the tank is "Considered an eyesore by many in the community and representative of Greenpoint's role as host to many of the city's environmentally unfriendly waste management facilities" NCMC's position on the tank evidently stems from its president, Irene Klementowicz's personal opinion that any reuse of the tank, no matter how proven feasible, is distasteful to her. She worked hard to exert her influence, and has used the tank as a scapegoat to try and secure extra waterfront park land in a trade to the developers, when the community easily had the leverage to demand what it pleased, and keep the tank as well.
The "community" oposition to the tank is almost purely NCMC's invention, and groups like GWAPP and NAG, who were also supporters of the proposal for the tank's adaptive reuse have backed out in a cowardly way, as there is no public record of their having sought consensus for a retraction from their coalition or group members. And why should the far away Friends of BEDT Park (another ruined opportunity) in the NorthSide care one way or the other about the tank?
The tank proposal and study was indeed supported by a number of community groups, and before adding their names to Laura's petition, readers might also consider that the more than $7 million she says is allocated to demolish the tank is $6 million more than what it was first estimated to cost. Do not forget that these are taxpayer funds, and that North Greenpoint continues to have no public community facility with anything near the amenities offered in the Greentank Initiative. Finally, what will it cost to build such a facility from scratch...and when? Readapting the tank, in these times when citizens are beginning to realize the true value of recycling, seems far more intelligent, and the cost for a tank conversion to a state-of-the-art multiuse community facility has been estimated at well less than half of the presently stated demolition cost.
The decision to reevaluate the tank proposal is up to the people. The DEP was willing to hand the tank over to the community, and whatever the present situation, it can still very likely be reversed.
Keith Rodan
Greentank Outreach Coordinator
keithgreenpoint@aol.com
Here is the cyberharbor email that initiated our above response:
Hello All
Please read the attached letter from the Newtown Creek Monitoring
Committee to Commissioner Lloyd. Demoliton of the sludge tank along the
Greenpoint waterfront will also delay all of the rezoning committments
made for N Greenpoint, including shorewalk development, Barge Park
expansion and development as well as the affordable housing committments
linked to the sludge tank property. If your organization is concerned
with delays in waterfront parks and open space development, please
consider signing onto this letter asap.
Thank you.
Laura Hofmann
Laura Hofmann
Barge Park Pals
127 Dupont St. 2E
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11222
phone: ( 718 ) 349 - 1913
fax: same - call first
bargeparkpals@webtv.net
bargeparkpals@msn.com
Thus far, only NAG, GWAPP, Friends of BEDT, and NY Community Council have come forward as signers on NCMC's letter, although this impacts affordable housing and parks development.
-----Original Message-----
From: movethesludge@aol.com
Sent: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:11 am
Subject: Get the Sludge Out!
As Laura Hoffman has correctly noted, the sludge tank delay impacts affordable housing and park development. NCMC has written the attached letter and requests that other community groups agree to be listed among the senders. Please forward for support.
PS Many thanks to NAG and the Friends of BEDT Park for agreeing to sign on to the attached letter.
Background info:
Dateline : Thursday, November 22, 2007Tanked? DEP Delays Demo of Sludge
Facility
By Shane Miller
A proposal to transform an old sludge tank on the Greenpoint waterfront
into a park and affordable housing has been put on hold, pushing the
expected completion of the project back at least two years to 2012.
That was the news the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
delivered at a recent meeting of the Newtown Creek Monitoring Committee.
As part of the 2005 rezoning of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, the city
agreed to tear down the unused tank, which sits at the end of DuPont
Street, and replace it with housing and open space. It was supposed to
be complete by 2010.
Mike Hofmann, who sits on the committee, said that DEP representatives
said the project was being put on hold because of budgetary constraints,
despite the fact that over $7 million was allocated towards demolition
of the sludge tank when the rezoning was announced.
"It's possible they are trying to renege on the rezoning," hypothesized
Hofmann. "In two years, there is going to be a different mayor."
Built in 1966, the tank is 65 feet high and 80 feet in diameter, the
tank holds treated sewage from the nearby wastewater treatment plant
until it can be loaded onto barges. A new system being implemented as
part of massive upgrades to the plant would pump the sewage onto ships
directly from the plant, eliminating the need for the tank.
When contacted by the Star, a DEP representative said that the reason
for the delay was that vessels for the new removal system were slow in
coming from the manufacturer. The spokesperson said that the new
timeframe called for the tank's demolition in 2011, but even that was a
rough estimate.
We are hopeful that we can still meet this timeframe, but we have
encountered an issue that may have an unanticipated impact on the
schedule: the design, manufacture, and delivery of new sludge vessels,"
said Mercedes Padilla of DEP. "Early estimates show this will take
longer than originally anticipated."
Padilla added that the department was exploring ways to shorten the time
frame, but until a new dock and vessels can be put in place, the sludge
tank has to remain.
Considered an eyesore by many in the community and representative of
Greenpoint's role as host to many of the city's environmentally
unfriendly waste management facilities, the tank nonetheless captures
the imagination of some in the neighborhood.
Before the housing and open space plan, their was a - if not
controversial, then somewhat surprising - proposal to turn the tank into
swimming pool with a café on top, a plan that has met with lukewarm
community support. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance has also
published a report studying options for adaptive reuse of the tank.
• • •
Greentank, a great opportunity for Greenpoint, and a showplace for the world
With the revival of interest in old and historic waterfront buildings along the East River, can the DEP tank in Greenpoint, which will go out of service in a few years, be preserved and adapted for community use? Now you can download the entire Greentank report by clicking on the above link. Also: is this a place that matters to you? Visit PLACE MATTERS at: www.placematters.net and click on Explore/Census. Enter Greentank, or scroll down list to entry. Please add your nomination to the place record!
HIGHLIGHTS OF REPORT AND OTHER GREENTANK INFORMATION:
The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is pleased to publish “Greentank: Adaptive Re-Use of the Greenpoint Sludge Tank” Feasibility Study Phase 1. The positive findings of this study reveal that the Tank is in good structural condition and that standard methods can be used to prepare the tank for a new life. This marks the second milestone in the development of a proposed "East River Industrial Heritage Trail."
WHAT IS GREENTANK? This concept/study proposes an adaptive re-use of an existing storage tank in Greenpoint, Brooklyn to become a multi-use community center on the North Brooklyn waterfront
Built in 1966 by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the 65' high by 80' diameter reinforced concrete tank, located on Dupont Street, opposite Greenpoint Park, (shown above) serves as a sludge holding tank and pumping station for the Newtown Creek Sewage Treatment Plant. Due to the construction of a force main directly to sludge boats the tank is expected to be phased out of service beginning in 2006
The idea to recycle and renovate the tank and it's surrounding site into a community facility is taken from Greenpoint's197-a plan,(1997) developed by the Pratt Institute for Community and Environmental Development (PICCED) and the Brooklyn Waterfront Coalition, composed of many community groups.
Project Description/Proposed Features: As a multi-use community facility, it would serve all area residents, and could become a magnet for visitors from near and far. The site is in an outstanding location and if its roof became an observation deck, visitors will see broad East River views and the Manhattan skyline. Fully converted, it can become all these things: A community center, assembly hall and performance space; an environmental learning center, field station and local history center; an exhibition space/gallery, observation deck, cafe and solarium.
NOW: You can read the recently-released official Phase 1 Feasibility Study Report as a PDF document you can download from Waterwire (see above). This includes the tank's environmental remediation assessement, and recommendations for subsequent renovation and development as a community facility. The study presents schematic designs, cost estimates for construction, a projected annual maintenance budget for the facility, and a timeframe for the project conversion. It also evaluates public/private models for financing and operating this type of community facility.
Phase 1 Feasibility Study Highlights
The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, a network of over 1000 officials, environmentalists, designers, industry and community leaders is joining with Greenpoint residents in an effort to preserve, renovate and re-use a unique City-owned sludge tank on Dupont Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Currently, the tank holds sludge from the Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant, which is pumped periodically into nearby sludge boats that dock at the East River. The tank will be phased out of service by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection after the construction of a force main that will pump the sludge directly into the boats.
Adapted for re-use, the tank's containment vessel, base and roof deck could offer as much as 13,800 square feet on three levels for a variety of uses for community residents and visitors, and would help to revitalize the Greenpoint neighborhood.
The positive findings of this study reveal that the tank is in good structural condition and that standard methods can be used to prepare the tank for a new life. The reuse of this engineering marvel provides a unique opportunity to create an enriched and diverse community fabric that values existing structures and celebrates New York City's history, which is preferable to common development formulas such as "tower-in-the-park". A next phase of study of the Greentank will help show how this and other underutilized waterfront structures can be adapted into useable places and spaces that celebrate our innovation and ingenuity, while accomodating our current and future needs for public and open space.
ARCHITECTURAL PLANNING
The Tank's rare construction type and unique spaces are highly adaptable to a wide variety of uses and can offer a valuable architectural and cultural amenity to the neighborhood. This study provides preliminary layouts based on program options with the most stringent requirements for egress and health/safety.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
The Tank can be safely cleaned with standard cleaning methods and outlines the necessary procedures to ensure the health and safety of residents, workers, and tank users. Health and safety issues, procedures, and costs are compared to those required for a full demolition of the tank.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Dewhurst Macfarlane and Partners, P.C. performed a visual inspection of the existing tank on February 28, 2003, and a structural analysis to review the feasibility for possible modifications. "based on our field inspection and structural analysis of the sludge tank, we find that this structure is generally suitable for the future renovation as described in the "Proposed Renovations-Structural Aspects" section"...Dewhurst McFarlane and Partners, P.C.
EXAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENTALLY-SENSITIVE ADAPTIVE RE-USE PROJECTS:
• New York city Bridgemarket beneath the
Queensboro Bridge
• Village of Irvington Waterfront Park, New York
• California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco
• Emscher Park: International Building Exhibition, Germany
INITIAL PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS:
Ground floor machine room will be cleared of mechanical equipment and converted into public spaces, i.e. multipurpose event space, restrooms etc.
Arcade at ground floor might be fully or partially enclosed, i.e. snack bar, gallery, and offices…
Tank space will be cleaned and renovated as a community room, i.e. theater, community room or pool – windows will be cut into the tank walls.
An ADA compliant new elevator & stair will provide access to upper level(s).
An accessible roof deck is planned for viewing of the river, skyline and future riverfront park.
TO VIEW THE GREENTANK FEASIBILITY STUDY PHASE 1 REPORT AND DOWNLOAD A PDF COPY, See Download PDF at top of this page
or visit: http://www.waterwire.net/ContentLibrary/GreentankFINAL.pdf
Project Sponsorship: Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, Carter Craft, Director of Programs
Tel: 212 935-9831
Email: carter@waterwire.net
Project Management: Meta Brunzema Architects P.C., Meta Brunzema
Email: mbapc@rcn.com
What Are Your Interests?
We are currently embarking on a new phase in community outreach for this project. Based on what you've learned so far, please let us know what your ideas are for how this structure can be adapted for recreational use as a community center.
Email your comments and suggestions to outreach coordinator, Keith Rodan, at:
keithgreenpoint@aol.com