Trying to add "windows" to the mangroves

The plans to open "windows" in the mangroves at Peacock and Kennedy Parks is still on, but as usual, DERM is giving the City a hard time.

Ed Baker from the Parks Department wrote an email stating that "a fair amount of additional field work was required for the mangrove issue, and we are now finished with that. All the drawing and necessary documentation are completed. However, there are two pending issues with DERM, essentially some demands that we view as capricious and unnecessary, as well as costly.

"One asks for the height of all mangrove trees: I have pointed out that we are only 'windowing' from ground plane to a height of 6’0”, so heights in excess of 6’0” are essentially irrelevant. Second, DERM has asked for a plan that indicates the location of each mangrove tree: this would require a topographic survey for which there are no funds available (perhaps a cost of $15,000 or more for the two parks). So we will be submitting our final packages next week.

"There have been on-site meetings with the consultant regarding the floating dock and shoreline stabilization, and my understanding is that the projects are proceeding. The elevation of that section of the westerly walk in the northern portion of Kennedy – parallel to South Bayshore -started last week, and my assumption is that this project should be completed this week.”

We could have used DERM at the BP oil drilling site in the Gulf, perhaps this oil disaster would never have happened, of course with DERM at the helm. the whole oil rig procedure would never have happened.