New York’s Staten Island. On Staten Island, Christmas arrived a bit early on Friday as residents learned that a contentious fence in Clove Lakes Park would be taken down.
A group of political leaders from Staten Island, led by Borough President Vito Fossella, declared that Mayor Eric Adams will be tearing down two unsightly fences near the Martling Avenue Bridge.
As the coalition of Staten Island elected officials readied itself to file a lawsuit, the mayor’s decision to overrule his Department of Transportation (DOT) was made Thursday evening.
“I commend the people of this community for their rightful protests,” Fossella remarked. Our voices were heard clearly and loudly. We made it clear that we would not be stopping.
Over the bridge section of Martling Lake, the Parks Department is installing chainlink fencing on both sides of the road. This is among Staten Island’s most iconic and picturesque locations. The view will now be blocked. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) November 1, 2024Advance of Staten Island
When the fence, which was put up in early November, is expected to be taken down was not specified by the gathering of elected leaders.
The DOT was contacted for comment, but by the time of publication, the mayor’s office had not heard back.
At the morning press conference on Martling Avenue, there were many jokes and puns. District Attorney Michael McMahon even claimed that Fossella was experiencing a moment akin to one that had occurred in Berlin almost 40 years prior.
According to McMahon, this is Vito Fossella’s Ronald Reagan moment as Borough President. It was a wonderful day when he and his coworkers said, “Mr. Mayor, tear down this fence.” The fence was taken down.
Assemblymen Charles Fall (D-North Shore/Brooklyn/Manhattan), Sam Pirozzolo (R-Mid-Island), Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore), Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore), and David Carr (R-Mid-Island/South Brooklyn) joined McMahon and Fossella.
When we dissected the bureaucracy and reasoning behind the fence’s placement, we discovered that there was no actual need for it to exist and that it should be taken down, Carr said. All the credit for listening to the people and us and overriding DOT should go to the mayor. Additionally, I would like to thank Councilwoman Hanks and Borough President Fossella for their outstanding collaboration and leadership on this matter.
Since the fence was put up, the group of elected officials has opposed it with considerable assistance from the neighborhood.
Erin Jansky, who lives in Westerleigh, even went so far as to create a change.org petition, which as of Friday had gathered around 2,000 signatures. Many of the signatories recalled their idyllic experiences at the bridge, which is a portion of the Martling Dam, which was constructed between 1928 and 1929.
One of my favorite places to fish was here! One user, Leroy, commented, “My daughter caught her very first fish there and now we can’t utilize that spot due to that awful looking fence.” The barrier has nothing to gain from being there, and everything to gain by having it taken down!
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