Almost five years after Hurricane Sandy swept across the eastern seaboard, an important milestone was reached in Rockaway this weekend when the final segment of new boardwalk was opened, creating a beautiful thoroughfare along the beach for five-and-a-half miles.
To mark the picture-postcard occasion, a small group of elected officials gathered on Saturday at a boardwalk event headlined by Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver.
While there were many smiles and much back-slapping, I couldn’t help but think of the scene in “Jaws” where the mayor holds a press conference to tell everyone that it’s safe to go back in the water, even though the killer shark is still out there.
Directly behind where Silver stood on Beach 94th Street is a mere sliver of sand protecting the boardwalk from the ocean. The erosion in that portion of the beach is so bad that the lifeguard stationed there barely has a place for his chair to be stationed.
Having no real beach next to the only public parking lot in the peninsula is obviously a hassle -- but not having a real barrier beach in that area during hurricane season is a hazard.
More than most New Yorkers, I have a direct stake in this because I live half a block away from that small beach and that very big ocean. (And I’m looking at it as I write this.)
Preservation of the beach has been a federal responsibility for years but it’s up to the city to be ringing the warning bell. And it’s up to the Congressman who represents the district, Greg Meeks, to speak up about this rather than just speak in platitudes during the ceremony.
The boardwalk is an expensive gem that’s a symbol of a rebuilt city. Now it’s up to all of us to preserve it and consider ways to secure the sand – including building protective jetties that have worked so well in other portions of the beach.
The boardwalk and the Rockaways have come a long way in a short amount of time and we obviously should celebrate. But let’s not see those accomplishments get washed away because we just smiled while the beach got smaller and smaller.
Bob Hardt