Battery Park sewer line complete; park restoration planned

Mayor L. Douglas Wilder announced the sewer’s completion at a ceremony yesterday in Battery Park, which he said would be protected from renewed flooding by sewage during heavy rains.

“This is a permanent fix, not a patchwork job,” Wilder declared.

The project replaces the massive sewer that collapsed below a defunct city landfill during the rains preceding Ernesto at the end of August 2006. Contaminated water backed up into Battery Park and adjoining neighborhoods, displacing 68 families in southern Barton Heights and Brookfield Gardens, as well as homes next to the park.

The city has spent more than $4.5 million to purchase flooded properties and either demolish or repair damaged buildings…

…Yesterday’s ceremony marked a “rededication” of Battery Park, but neighborhood leaders said the process of repairing and expanding the park has barely begun.

“It’s premature to use the word ‘rededication’ of the park,” said Floyd Robinson, president of the Battery Park Civic Association.

The association is conducting the first of four community workshops today at the Richmond Police Academy to talk about how to restore the park. The community preservation workshop is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and last until 2 p.m.

Residents hope to see major changes in the park, including the relocation of its basketball courts, the establishment of a community center for senior citizens at the former A.V. Norrell School, and creation of a natural amphitheater in the park.

“We want to make this park a signature park,” Robinson said at yesterday’s ceremony.