Since Marianna Koval joined the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy in 1998, through her programming and fundraising efforts she's helped keep the dream alive, even during those uncertain years when planners faced legal battles and endless construction delays. Koval was instrumental in starting popular activities like the Movies With A View series and the Floating Pool to bring people into the park, while lobbying hard to have construction on the piers started before developers for the far more controversial residential high-rises and commercial properties within the park were designated, which was a time-consuming and money-draining process that strained public support. Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation president Regina Myer, far more affable than her predecessor Wendy Leventer, finally got a shovel in the ground and an additional $75 million for construction, putting an end to fears that the project would die. Koval continues to develop plans for interim uses during construction, a skating rink beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, and ultimately for a role in operating the park once built. Within the next few months Myer will preside over designating developers for properties within the park, including a hotel, all intended to fund its maintenance. If Myer can pull off completing the park, with its stunning views it could trump Central Park as the must-see park in the city.
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Koval photo by Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance; Meyer by Brooklyn Paper.
