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By Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Daily
The parks around Jamaica Bay will soon be open for business.
Inspired by the success of similar programs in the Rockaways, the Parks Department has joined with the National Parks service to bring food concessions, as well as kayak and bike rental stations, to city and federal parks lining Jamaica Bay — and they’re now asking for local entrepreneurs to send in their own business proposals to make the city’s plan happen.
“Millions of people visit the Rockaway Beaches each summer, and we’re seeking concessions that will allow both visitors and locals to further explore the natural beauty of the Jamaica Bay region,” said city Parks Commissioner Veronica White. “We are hoping to offer opportunities for New Yorkers to bike, eat, and paddle, and are looking to receive proposals from companies or individuals with strong backgrounds in delivering these amenities to the public.”
In Brooklyn, Floyd Bennett Field is expected see most of these new amenities, with a grand total of three proposed bike rental stations, and two kayak rental locations.
On the other side of Flatbush Avenue, the parks department has picked out spots for both a bike rental and a kayak rental station in the northern-most portion of Marine Park, along Avenue U. Plumb Beach goers should plan on seeing the same amenities as Marine Park, plus a food concession stand. In Canarsie, the park is expected to receive a food concession stand, the pier will receive both a food concession and a bike rental station, and Fresh Creek Park will round out the neighborhood with a kayak rental station.
Locals say the new amenities will give park patrons a more fulfilling experience of Brooklyn’s green spaces, as long as the new facilities are pleasant to the eye and are able to avoid vandals, according to Marine Park resident John Manzola.
“If it’s an eyesore to the park, then it would affect me, but renting bikes and kayaks would enhance the activity around the creek,” said Manzola, referring to the amenities proposed for Marine Park. “As long as it’s not an eyesore and doesn’t get vandalized, it seems like a good idea.”
In Plumb Beach, some are sceptical that city kayaks are seaworthy enough for Jamaica Bay’s choppy waters, according to Plumb Beach Civic Association President Kathleen Flynn.
“I don’t see kayaks going off of Plumb Beach,” said Flynn. “It’s a little rough for kayaks going out, and most of the time it’s too choppy in the Bay.”
Furthermore she says that she’d like to see the park’s bike path repaired before a bike rental station is installed, saying the path to the west was washed out.
“They would have to repair the bike lane, which was washed away in the noreasters and then by Sandy,” she said.
Flynn believes the new concession stands, however, will do fine, considering the prospering food trucks that often park along Plumb Beach, especially in the warm season.
“Concessions should do well,” said Flynn. “There’s two food trucks parked there all the time and they seem to be doing well.”
Entrepreneurs looking to setup shop in Brooklyn’s green spots should send in their proposals no later than April 8.
As part of the deal, the Parks Department and National Parks Services will take a percentage of each business’s revenue, although there’s no set amount at this point.
The city’s and fed’s take will be determined, “in a holistic way,” according to a Parks Department spokesman.
Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.