As we enter our 21st year of advocacy for Brooklyn Bridge Park, we can report progress in several important areas:

The Park has a new and smiling public face in the person of Regina Myer, who is the newly appointed President of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation ("BBPDC"). Ms. Myer approaches her new job with the right set of skills as well as the enthusiasm and optimism needed to build this park. The BHA first got to know her as the Director of the Brooklyn Office of the Department of City Planning, where we found her to be honest, fair and responsive to the community. Ms. Myer has been reaching out to the community, and is responding to what she has heard with a practical focus on getting some of the park parcels built early in the construction process.

As a result of dramatic increases in construction costs over the past three years, the estimated cost to build the Park has grown substantially. Happily, Mayor Bloomberg's recent budget proposal includes an additional $75 million over the next four years for the construction of Brooklyn Bridge Park. While the City and State have already set aside funds for the original construction budget, these newly proposed funds are critical to seeing the project through and should jump-start site preparations.

Phase 1 of the park's construction has begun and is expected to last up to nine months. We will soon see site preparation and building demolition, with the exception of those elements that will be incorporated into the park. We regret to say that the Purchase Building is coming down, despite all efforts by preservationists to keep it in the Park.

Hours of operation are to be 7:00 am to 3:30 pm, Monday thru Friday, with limited overtime. Materials will be delivered via Furman Street. This is of vital importance to the residents of Willowtown, who are understandably concerned that truckers might use Joralemon Street for waterfront access. That would be an absolutely unacceptable alternative, as the BHA has often stated. Ninety percent of the debris will be removed by barge. Noise detectors will be located on site to ensure that vehicles and machinery comply with NYC noise regulations, and the contractor will try to minimize dust. Main entrances will be equipped with a security camera to monitor all activities.

The buildings earmarked for demolition contain lead paint and asbestos, which will be removed prior to demolition by licensed contractors and monitored by an independent environmental company. For further information regarding this phase of construction, you can email brooklynbridgepark@empire.state.ny.us.

Tobacco Warehouse: There has been some talk about permanently roofing over the Tobacco Warehouse for an indoor theater and performance venue. This is of great concern to the BHA Board and others in the surrounding neighborhoods because the warehouse walls were preserved with the intention of leaving it open, as an "urban ruin" in the State Park. The Tobacco Warehouse occupies one of the most important areas within the northern section of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Indeed, due to its architectural beauty and unobstructed views skyward toward the Bridge, it has become an iconic public open space. We believe it should be kept this way, with no roof at all and no permanent or closed structure constructed within its walls.

The public should have free access to the space, with park friendly programming that might include things like outdoor art installations, open-air performances, chess competitions, and other similar programming. In any case, we take the view that any enclosure or permanent occupation of the space would negate the rationale for preserving the walls in the first place, and it would compromise the essential character of the building and the park plan that we've worked hard to maintain.

Empire Stores: The State Parks Department has cordoned off the area around the Empire Stores, out of concern for public safety in the face of structural weaknesses in the Empire Stores. We are in touch with the preservation office in Albany to ascertain the extent of the deterioration, and we hope that State engineers will take all the necessary actions to stabilize the magnificent civil war-era warehouses. The General Project Plan for the Park calls for these buildings to not only be preserved but also used to generate revenues towards the maintenance of the park.

Traffic and Access Study: We look forward to the release this spring of the long-awaited traffic and access study for the park, funded by federal traffic funds arranged by Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez.

We will not have the Floating Pool Lady this summer, but we look forward to other interesting summer programming for the park.