After four months of discussion with community leaders, residents and elected officials on possible programming for the year-round recreation center coming to Pier Five at Brooklyn Bridge Park, the nonprofit New York City Fieldhouse Inc. has tweaked and updated its ideas for programming. According to a press release the group sent out:

Under the new plans, the Fieldhouse is exploring elevating the cycling track. This innovation has the potential to increase recreational space on the floor of the Fieldhouse, from 22,000 square feet as originally envisioned to more than 25,000 square feet. In addition, there has been a considerable reduction in the number of fixed seats, from 2,499 to 1,200.

Some more decisions reached: The Fieldhouse will operate from 6 am to midnight daily; fees will be “comparable” to other nonprofit rec centers in the city; there are talks for a boat facility at the Fieldhouse for recreational use; and also bike rentals will be available. However, some nearby residents still don’t like the proposal.

“No matter how they say it, this is first and foremost a cycling arena,” the New York Daily News quoted Co-Chairman of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Council Peter Flemming as saying. “It’s a bad thing for this park.” The Daily News story continued:

The fieldhouse won’t have parking — so even with fewer spectators expected at cycling events, Brooklyn Heights residents fear snarled traffic. “It’s potential nightmare,” said Jane McGroarty, president of the Brooklyn Heights Association. Track cyclists can’t pedal to the facility because their bikes don’t have brakes and their fans will drive from New England and the mid-Atlantic states, said McGroarty, who also worries that rec-center fees will be a “challenge for working people with children in Brooklyn.”

The year-round programming will include children’s programs, athletic space for public and private schools, recreational and league sports, cycling programs, athletic tournaments, classes and tutorials, and community events.
BBP Rec Center Has Critics Fuming Despite Design Changes [NY Daily News]
Some Heights Residents Question Velodrome for BB Park [Brownstoner]
Rendering by Design Trust for Public Space


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