Grace Industries, the company that reconstructed the Long Beach boardwalk after Sandy, will build the protective berm that will surround the plant. It will be 18.25 feet above mean sea level, but range from 3 to 10 feet above the ground; it will not be simply an 18-foot-high wall, as some media outlets have reported.

Parts of the structure will be an earthen berm, filled with clay, and other parts will be concrete. “What’s there now is a non-functioning berm,” said Peter Glus, vice president and director of New York City business development for Arcadis, an international consulting firm. “The new levy will be a clay core, with U.S. Army Corps of Engineer standards. Along the back side of the plant it will be concrete … we tried to treat the wall with a state-of-the-art look so it’s pleasing to the eye.”

The existing berm will be removed and recycled, Glus added. Its replacement is expected to cost $37.2 million.

Part of the project will involve planting trees to replace those that will be removed during construction, and low-lying shrubs will be added as well, to enhance the look of the berm. “You don’t want trees with large roots systems degrading the function of the berm,” Glus explained said.

Park construction, traffic

Over the next nine months, work will take place in Bay Park from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with trucks delivering materials and equipment between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Much of the park will be fenced off. The main access road will be First Avenue, which is a concern for some residents.

“We’ll try to mitigate any impact to the community in terms of trucks traffic and laborers coming in,” said DeNicola. “We’re hoping to open up another roadway so we don’t choke the roadway … but unfortunately, for now, there is only one road into this plant.” He estimated that 300 vehicles would be coming in and out over the course of the construction, with an average of 10 to 15 a day.

“Listen, none of us want this,” said Walker. “We didn’t want Sandy, we don’t want to have to be doing this, but we are … and we’re going to do it the best way we can.”