185-870: Edgemere Landfill is a former municipal landfill located in Edgemere on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens , New York City . It is located on a man-made peninsula on the Jamaica Bay shoreline, at the eastern end of the Rockaway peninsula. A portion of the site is open to the public as Rockaway Community Park (formerly Edgemere Park ). The entire site is owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation . The landfill began operations in June 1938, merging several islands in
370-514: A "secret tour" of the five landfills. At this time, the Department of Sanitation anticipated resuming landfilling at Edgemere that fall, which was opposed by local residents. In March 1940, the board released its report, which supported continued landfilling at the five Queens landfills including Edgemere as long as "sound sanitary practice is continued", as the landfilling process helped control rat and mosquito populations in marshland. On June 22, 1940,
555-525: A Federalized National Guard unit in the southern United States and died in late 1942. The renaming was vetoed by Mayor La Guardia and reinstated by the New York City Council ; in common usage, the airport was still called "Idlewild". In 1944, the New York City Board of Estimate authorized the condemnation of another 1,350 acres (550 ha) for Idlewild. The Port of New York Authority (now
740-415: A combination of impermeable liners several metres thick, geologically stable sites and collection systems to contain and capture this leachate. It can then be treated and evaporated. Once a landfill site is full, it is sealed off to prevent precipitation ingress and new leachate formation. However, liners must have a lifespan, be it several hundred years or more. Eventually, any landfill liner could leak, so
925-522: A daily basis, making up 7.6 percent of the city's waste. In comparison, 4.4 percent of the city's waste was burned in city-owned incinerators, 8.1 percent was disposed of in apartment incinerators, and 73.4 percent (14,000 tons per day) was taken to Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island. In March 1990, the city and state began removing 7,000 drums of toxic waste from the Edgemere Landfill. That year,
1110-579: A digital and static photography exhibit in collaboration with the Cradle of Aviation Museum ; a mural representing Queens by local artist Zeehan Wazed; a series of photographs by Terminal 4 employees, and the first-ever freestanding hologram device in an airport in partnership with Proto hologram which shows animals from the Bronx Zoo and has been used to beam in comedian Howie Mandel as a live hologram to surprise passengers. Terminal 5 opened in 2008 for JetBlue ,
1295-426: A fire broke out at the Edgemere Landfill, lasting six days before it was brought under control. The bill renaming the park was signed into law in 1971. The park was dedicated as Rockaway Community Park on June 17, 1973. While portions of the park including basketball courts and beach land were available for use at the time, most of the site had yet to be developed. Jamaica Bay Council president Jerome Hipscher desired for
1480-469: A food court, filling station , and originally four Tesla Superchargers . The original 4 Tesla Superchargers were later replaced with a new station with 12 stalls. Taxis and other for-hire vehicles (FHV) serving JFK are licensed by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission . In 2019, PANYNJ approved the implementation of "airport access fee" surcharges on FHV and taxi trips, with
1665-693: A known nesting region for the herring gulls, along with "all of Nova Scotia and Maine ". At the time, it was estimated that 20 to 30 thousand herring gulls resided in the area around Jamaica Bay , attracted by the Edgemere Landfill and the Pennsylvania and Fountain Avenue Landfills in Brooklyn. That year, the Department of Sanitation opened the landfill for public use on a trial basis, accepting large items such as appliances, furniture, plumbing, and automobiles. In July 1966 in response to complaints from residents,
1850-410: A large suitcase. The theft was not discovered until the following Monday. The Lufthansa heist took place on December 11, 1978, at the airport. The robbery netted an estimated US$ 5.875 million (equivalent to US$ 27.4 million in 2023), including US$ 5 million in cash and US$ 875,000 in jewelry. It was the largest cash robbery committed on American soil at the time. James Burke , an associate of
2035-535: A new United terminal. Terminal 6 was used by JetBlue from 2001 until JetBlue moved to Terminal 5 in 2008. The Sundrome was demolished in 2011. The airport was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 24, 1963, a month and two days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy ; Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. proposed the renaming. The IDL and KIDL codes have since been reassigned to Indianola Municipal Airport in Mississippi , and
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#17328589278722220-453: A new terminal and longer runways from 1960 to 1966. By the mid-1970s, the two airports had roughly equal airline traffic (by flight count); Newark was in third place until the 1980s, except during LaGuardia's reconstruction. Concorde , operated by Air France and British Airways , made scheduled trans-Atlantic supersonic flights to JFK from November 22, 1977, until its retirement by British Airways on October 24, 2003. Air France had retired
2405-459: A park trail. The first building of the Edgemere Houses was opened on November 27, 1960. By 1962, plans remained to develop a marina at Edgemere Park. The next year, tennis courts were completed at Edgemere Park, with a playground planned. In 1965, it was claimed that the Edgemere Landfill contained more American herring gulls feeding and residing at the landfill than Cape Ann , Massachusetts,
2590-401: A plan for each major airline at the airport to be given its own space to develop its own terminal. This scheme made construction more practical, made terminals more navigable, and introduced incentives for airlines to compete with each other for the best design. The revised plan met airline approval in 1955, with seven terminals initially planned. Five terminals were for individual airlines, one
2775-547: A power plant, and other airport facilities. The terminals are connected by the AirTrain system and access roads. Directional signage throughout the terminals was designed by Paul Mijksenaar . A 2006 survey by J.D. Power and Associates in conjunction with Aviation Week found that JFK ranked second in overall traveller satisfaction among large airports in the United States, behind Harry Reid International Airport , which serves
2960-621: A shuttle bus, or use the AirTrain JFK to get to the other terminal, then re-clear security. Terminal 1 opened in 1998, 50 years after the opening of JFK, at the direction of the Terminal One Group, a consortium of four key operating carriers: Air France , Japan Airlines , Korean Air , and Lufthansa . This partnership was founded after the four airlines reached an agreement that the then-existing international carrier facilities were inadequate for their needs. The Eastern Air Lines terminal
3145-591: A streetcar line via the Far Rockaway Branch tracks in 1897. Up until the 1880s, the Edgemere and Arverne areas were largely undeveloped and were among the last to be developed on the peninsula. Edgemere, originally called "New Venice", was developed by Frederick J. Lancaster beginning in 1892, with the Hotel Edgemere opening in 1894. The Arverne neighborhood was developed by Remington Vernam . The Arverne Hotel
3330-896: A subsidiary of the Schiphol Group and was the first in the United States to be managed by a foreign airport operator. Terminal 4 currently contains 48 gates in two concourses and functions as the hub for Delta Air Lines at JFK. Airlines servicing Terminal 4 include SkyTeam carriers Aeromexico , Air Europa , China Airlines , Delta Air Lines , Kenya Airways , KLM , Virgin Atlantic , and XiamenAir ; Star Alliance carriers Air India , Avianca , Copa Airlines , and Singapore Airlines ; and non-alliance carriers Caribbean Airlines , El Al , Emirates , Etihad Airways , Hawaiian Airlines , JetBlue (late night international arrivals only), LATAM Brasil , LATAM Chile , LATAM Peru , Uzbekistan Airways , and WestJet . Like Terminal 1,
3515-483: A total of 1,283 departures a week, including about 250 from Eastern Air Lines , 150 from National Airlines and 130 from Pan American . By 1954, Idlewild had the highest volume of international air traffic of any airport globally. The Port of New York Authority originally planned a single 55-gate terminal, but the major airlines did not agree with this plan, arguing that the terminal would be far too small for future traffic. Architect Wallace Harrison then designed
3700-500: A tour of the Edgemere Dump on February 11, 1939, Commissioner Carey claimed that it was "four and a half times more expensive" to dispose of waste through incinerators than to bury it in landfills. He also spoke of the benefits of landfilling, including reclaiming marshland and eliminating mosquitoes. On March 28, 1939, Sanitation Commissioner William F. Carey and Health Commissioner Dr. John L. Rice were indicted on charges of violating
3885-440: A viable and abundant source of materials and energy . In the developing world, waste pickers often scavenge for still-usable materials. In commercial contexts, companies have also discovered landfill sites, and many have begun harvesting materials and energy. Well-known examples include gas-recovery facilities. Other commercial facilities include waste incinerators which have built-in material recovery. This material recovery
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#17328589278724070-551: Is CO 2 . The gas also contains about 5% molecular nitrogen (N 2 ), less than 1% hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), and a low concentration of non-methane organic compounds (NMOC) , about 2700 ppmv . Landfill gases can seep out of the landfill and into the surrounding air and soil. Methane is a greenhouse gas , and is flammable and potentially explosive at certain concentrations, which makes it perfect for burning to generate electricity cleanly. Since decomposing plant matter and food waste only release carbon that has been captured from
4255-565: Is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area . JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island , in Queens , New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay . It is the busiest of the seven airports in the New York airport system , the sixth-busiest airport in the United States , and the busiest international commercial airport in North America . The airport, which covers 5,200 acres (2,104 ha),
4440-845: Is complimentary, external transfers at the latter two locations are paid via OMNY or MetroCard and provide access to the New York City Subway , Long Island Rail Road , and MTA Bus services. As of 2022 , only the Q3 bus serves Terminal 8. The Q6 , Q7 serve JFK's cargo terminals. The Q10 and B15 serve the Lefferts Boulevard station on the AirTrain and it includes a free transfer. The B15, Q3, and Q10 buses will return to Terminal 5 in 2026 due to construction. Bus fares are paid via OMNY or MetroCard , with free transfers provided to New York City Subway services. Vehicles primarily access
4625-559: Is connected to the Saarinen central building through the original passenger departure-arrival tubes that connected the building to the outlying gates. The original Saarinen terminal, also known as the head house, has since been converted into the TWA Hotel . Northwest Orient , Braniff International Airways , and Northeast Airlines opened a joint terminal in November 1962 (later Terminal 2). It
4810-484: Is one of the three major landfills located along Jamaica Bay. The other two are the Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue Landfills located in Brooklyn. Located directly across the landfill to the north are the ends of Runways 4L and 4R of John F. Kennedy International Airport . During the landfill's operation, the presence of gulls feeding off the garbage at the site posed a hazard to planes operating to and from
4995-548: Is possible through the use of filters ( electro filter , active-carbon and potassium filter, quench, HCl-washer, SO 2 -washer, bottom ash -grating, etc.). In addition to waste reduction and recycling strategies, there are various alternatives to landfills, including waste-to-energy incineration, anaerobic digestion , composting , mechanical biological treatment , pyrolysis and plasma arc gasification . Depending on local economics and incentives, these can be made more financially attractive than landfills. The goal of
5180-667: Is rapidly displaced by CO 2 in the effluent gas. Hydrolysis of the biodegradable fraction of the solid waste begins in the acid formation phase, which leads to rapid accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in the leachate. The increased organic acid content decreases the leachate pH from approximately 7.5 to 5.6. During this phase, the decomposition intermediate compounds like the VFAs contribute much chemical oxygen demand (COD). Long-chain volatile organic acids (VOAs) are converted to acetic acid (C 2 H 4 O 2 ), CO 2 , and hydrogen gas (H 2 ). High concentrations of VFAs increase both
5365-401: Is still in use; runway 31L (originally 9,500 ft or 2,896 m) opened soon after the rest of the airport and is still in use; runway 1R closed in 1957 and runway 7R closed around 1966. Runway 4 (originally 8,000 ft, now runway 4L) opened June 1949 and runway 4R was added ten years later. A smaller runway 14/32 was built after runway 7R closed and
5550-651: Is the Beach 60th Street station on the IND Rockaway Line ( A train), located to the southwest of the park at Beach 59th Street near Rockaway Beach Boulevard . The name Edgemere is derived from an Anglo-Saxon term, meaning "edge of the sea". The term Rockaway is derived from a word in the Algonquin Native American languages. Several meanings have been given, including "sandy place", "the place of laughing waters", "the place of our own people", or "neck of
5735-518: Is the first stage by which wastes are broken down in a landfill. These are followed by four stages of anaerobic degradation. Usually, solid organic material in solid phase decays rapidly as larger organic molecules degrade into smaller molecules. These smaller organic molecules begin to dissolve and move to the liquid phase, followed by hydrolysis of these organic molecules, and the hydrolyzed compounds then undergo transformation and volatilization as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ), with rest of
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5920-544: Is the largest in the New York metropolitan area. Over 90 airlines operate from Kennedy Airport , with nonstop or direct flights to destinations on all six inhabited continents. JFK is located in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Midtown Manhattan . The airport features five passenger terminals and four runways. It is primarily accessible via car, bus, shuttle, or other vehicle transit via
6105-403: Is the longest decomposition phase. The rate of microbiological activity slows during the last phase of waste decomposition as the supply of nutrients limits the chemical reactions, e.g. as bioavailable phosphorus becomes increasingly scarce. CH 4 production almost completely disappears, with O 2 and oxidized species gradually reappearing in the gas wells as O 2 permeates downwardly from
6290-628: Is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal , although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was simply left in piles or thrown into pits (known in archeology as middens ). Landfills take up a lot of land and pose environmental risks. Some landfill sites are used for waste management purposes, such as temporary storage, consolidation and transfer, or for various stages of processing waste material, such as sorting, treatment, or recycling. Unless they are stabilized, landfills may undergo severe shaking or soil liquefaction of
6475-597: Is triangular in shape, on the Conch Basin coastline between Beach 51st Street and Elizabeth Avenue. These two plots are also considered the "West" and "East" natural areas of the park. The southernmost portion of the western plot is used as the Rockaway Youth Task Force Community Garden. Just south of the eastern parcel is Conch Playground, located adjacent to Public School 105 between Beach Channel Drive and Elizabeth Avenue. The developed portion of
6660-614: The "Metoac" or "Mantinecocks" . The Rockaway primarily controlled the eastern and southern shores of Jamaica Bay in present-day Queens and Nassau County, while the Canarsie controlled the northern and western shores in modern-day Brooklyn. In 1685, the Rockaway Peninsula was sold to English Captain John Palmer by two tribal chiefs, Tackapausha and Paman. Palmer was said to have purchased the land for "31 pounds , 2 shillings ". The land
6845-523: The Boeing ;747 's weight. The International Arrivals Building, or IAB, was the first new terminal at the airport, opening in December 1957. The building was designed by SOM . The terminal stretched nearly 2,300 feet (700 meters) and was parallel to runway 7R. The terminal had "finger" piers at right angles to the main building allowing more aircraft to park, an innovation at the time. The building
7030-498: The Delta Air Lines hub, in 2008. On March 19, 2007, JFK was the first airport in the United States to receive a passenger Airbus A380 flight. The route, with an over-500-passenger capacity, was operated by Lufthansa and Airbus and arrived at Terminal 1. On August 1, 2008, it received the first regularly scheduled commercial A380 flight to the United States (on Emirates ' New York–Dubai route) at Terminal 4. Although
7215-486: The JFK Expressway or Interstate 678 ( Van Wyck Expressway ), or by train. JFK is a hub for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines as well as the primary operating base for JetBlue . The airport is also a former hub for Braniff , Eastern , Flying Tigers , National , Northeast , Northwest , Pan Am , Seaboard World , Tower Air , and TWA . The facility opened in 1948 as New York International Airport and
7400-679: The Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme has been established for local authorities to trade landfill quotas in England. A different system operates in Wales where authorities cannot 'trade' amongst themselves, but have allowances known as the Landfill Allowance Scheme. U.S. landfills are regulated by each state's environmental agency, which establishes minimum guidelines; however, none of these standards may fall below those set by
7585-637: The Las Vegas metropolitan area . Until the early 1990s, each terminal was known by the primary airline that served it, except for Terminal 4, which was known as the International Arrivals Building. In the early 1990s, all terminals were given numbers except for the Tower Air terminal, which sat outside the Central Terminals area and was not numbered. Like the other airports controlled by
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7770-523: The Lucchese crime family of New York, was believed to be the mastermind behind the robbery, but was never charged with the crime. Burke is also alleged to have either committed or ordered the murders of many in the robbery, both to avoid being implicated in the heist and to keep their shares of the money for himself. The only person convicted in the Lufthansa heist was Louis Werner, an airport worker involved with
7955-577: The Lucchese crime family stole $ 420,000 (equivalent of approximately $ 3.8 million in 2023) from the Air France cargo terminal at the airport. It was the largest cash robbery in the United States at the time. It was carried out by Henry Hill , Robert McMahon, Tommy DeSimone and Montague Montemurro, on a tip-off from McMahon. Hill believed it was the Air France robbery that endeared him to the Mafia . Air France
8140-406: The New York City Board of Estimate that the city purchase the Edgemere Landfill, keep it in operation for 15 years, and eventually develop it into a park. At the time, it was estimated that keeping the site in operation would save the city $ 1 million annually in waste disposal costs. In 1955, the city began plans for a housing project in Edgemere. The plans included an adjoining park on the site of
8325-559: The New York City Council passed a bill mandating the Department of Sanitation to begin using the available incinerators in the city. The bill was introduced by Councilman James A. Burke representing Hollis, Queens . Burke then proceeded to submit the bill to Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in an attempt to bypass the Board of Estimate. Many of the city's incinerators, including the Arverne incinerator, had been closed under Carey's watch. On July 16, 1939,
8510-676: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ) leased the Idlewild property from the City of New York in 1947 and maintains this lease today. In March 1948, the City Council changed the official name to New York International Airport, Anderson Field , but the common name remained "Idlewild" until December 24, 1963. The airport was intended as the world's largest and most efficient, with "no confusion and no congestion". The first flight from Idlewild
8695-515: The Q22 and Q52 SBS bus routes, which operate on Beach Channel Drive at the south end of the Edgmere Houses. The Q22 operates across the Rockaway Peninsula between Far Rockaway to the east and Roxbury to the west. The Q52, which terminates at Beach 54th Street, travels north via Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards through Broad Channel to "mainland" Queens. The closest New York City Subway station
8880-634: The Susquehanna River . He was sentenced to one year in prison for the crime. The mine would later become a Superfund site. Mahler's firm had also received contracts to clean up some of the sites that it had previously contaminated with oil, including one in College Point . In 1982, New York City spent $ 2.5 million to clean up the company's Long Island City plant, located near the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge just north of Newtown Creek . In 1985,
9065-486: The TWA Flight Center in 1962, designed by Eero Saarinen with a distinctive winged-bird shape. With the demise of TWA in 2001, the terminal remained vacant until 2005 when JetBlue and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) financed the construction of a new 26-gate terminal partly encircling the Saarinen building. Called Terminal 5 (Now T5), the new terminal opened on October 22, 2008. T5
9250-576: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Permitting a landfill generally takes between five and seven years, costs millions of dollars and requires rigorous siting, engineering and environmental studies and demonstrations to ensure local environmental and safety concerns are satisfied. The status of a landfill's microbial community may determine its digestive efficiency. Bacteria that digest plastic have been found in landfills. One can treat landfills as
9435-574: The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and VOA concentrations, which initiates H 2 production by fermentative bacteria, which stimulates the growth of H 2 -oxidizing bacteria. The H 2 generation phase is relatively short because it is complete by the end of the acid formation phase. The increase in the biomass of acidogenic bacteria increases the amount of degradation of the waste material and consuming nutrients. Metals, which are generally more water-soluble at lower pH, may become more mobile during this phase, leading to increasing metal concentrations in
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#17328589278729620-736: The landfill gas utilization and generation of electricity . Landfill gas monitoring alerts workers to the presence of a build-up of gases to a harmful level. In some countries, landfill gas recovery is extensive; in the United States, for example, more than 850 landfills have active landfill gas recovery systems. A Solar landfill is a repurposed used landfill that is converted to a solar array solar farm . Landfills in Canada are regulated by provincial environmental agencies and environmental protection legislation. Older facilities tend to fall under current standards and are monitored for leaching . Some former locations have been converted to parkland. In
9805-603: The zero waste concept is to minimize landfill volume. Countries including Germany , Austria , Sweden , Denmark , Belgium , the Netherlands , and Switzerland , have banned the disposal of untreated waste in landfills. In these countries, only certain hazardous wastes, fly ashes from incineration or the stabilized output of mechanical biological treatment plants may still be deposited. John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport ( IATA : JFK , ICAO : KJFK , FAA LID : JFK )
9990-476: The $ 1.4 billion replacement for the International Arrivals Building, opened on May 24, 2001. JetBlue 's Terminal 5 incorporates the TWA Flight Center , and Terminals 8 and 9 were demolished and rebuilt as Terminal 8 for the American Airlines hub. The Port Authority Board of Commissioners approved a $ 20 million planning study for the redevelopment of Terminals 2 and 3,
10175-566: The 20th century, but gained wide use in the 1960s and 1970s, in an effort to eliminate open dumps and other "unsanitary" waste disposal practices. The sanitary landfill is an engineered facility that separates and confines waste. Sanitary landfills are intended as biological reactors ( bioreactors ) in which microbes will break down complex organic waste into simpler, less toxic compounds over time. These reactors must be designed and operated according to regulatory standards and guidelines (See environmental engineering ). Usually, aerobic decomposition
10360-674: The Bronx; and the Brookfield Avenue Landfill across from Fresh Kills in Staten Island. The waste was dumped into trenches dug into the landfills. The waste had originated from plants owned by Ford Motor Company , Exxon , Chrysler , Ingersoll Rand , Alcan Aluminum , and others, including the Ford stamping plant in Buffalo, New York . In March 1982 Kenneth Mansfield, a plant manager and truck driver for an oil refining and disposal company operating in
10545-575: The Cornell property in 1809, in 1830 John Leake Norton purchased land from the Cornell family, consisting of Edgemere and Far Rockaway. Norton formed the Rockaway Association with several prominent New Yorkers, and the association constructed a hotel on the former site of the Cornell house called the Marine Pavilion . The pavilion was opened on June 1, 1833. Although it burned down on June 25, 1864,
10730-571: The Department of Sanitation announced that the Edgemere Landfill would operate for an additional 21 years until 2007, pending the approval of the NYSDEC. The DSNY argued that the landfill only took in 550 tons of garbage daily, compared to the 22,000 tons accepted by Fresh Kills. They stated that only waste from the Rockaways would be dumped at the landfill. The move to keep the landfill open was opposed by Queens Borough President Claire Shulman . In July 1987,
10915-437: The Department of Sanitation for recreational use in 2010. A "natural area" is situated to the north of the developed park, located in the "neck" area between the park and the former landfill. Two smaller parcels of undeveloped parkland extend south on the west and east sides of the park towards Beach Channel Drive . The westernmost parcel is a rectangular plot between Beach 58th Street and Somerville Basin. The easternmost parcel
11100-457: The Department of Sanitation's Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling (BWPRR) began a pilot composting program at the Edgemere Landfill, handling 1,000 tons of leaves. Another composting facility would be opened that year at Fresh Kills. The Edgemere Landfill was closed on schedule in July 1991. This left Fresh Kills Landfill as the city's only landfill, joined by six municipal incinerators and
11285-624: The Edgemere Airport (also called Rockaway Airport) was opened on the New York City Waterfront Company land between Beach 46th Street and Beach 54th Street. The airport was operated by Lawrence resident and commercial pilot Harry Gordon, and was said to be the first privately owned airfield in the Rockaways. Prior to the construction of a hangar, planes for the airport were kept at Roosevelt Field in Nassau County. The airport
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#173285892787211470-776: The Edgemere Dump be used for the airfield. On January 15, 1941, Mayor LaGuardia publicly rejected both the Bayside and Edgemere proposals, due to costs and potential hazards to Bayside residents. Meyer's farm would later become the Bay Terrace neighborhood, while John Golden's estate would become John Golden Park. On July 26, 1941 the Civil Aeronautics Administration approved Rockaway Airport along with Nassau Airport in Hicksville, Long Island as civilian pilot training facilities. Meanwhile, Idlewild Airport (today's JFK Airport )
11655-401: The Edgemere Landfill, which had been in operation for nearly twenty years at this time. The New York City Board of Estimate approved the park project on April 29, 1955. On October 4, 1955 the City of New York began condemnation proceedings in order to acquire the Edgmere Landfill site adjacent to the future Edgemere Houses site. The park was to be named "Edgemere Park". At the time, the property
11840-468: The European Union, individual states are obliged to enact legislation to comply with the requirements and obligations of the European Landfill Directive . The majority of EU member states have laws banning or severely restricting the disposal of household trash via landfills. Landfilling is currently the major method of municipal waste disposal in India. India also has Asia's largest dumping ground in Deonar, Mumbai. However, issues frequently arise due to
12025-401: The Jamaica Bay marshland and connecting them to the main Rockaway Peninsula. Shortly afterward, a portion of the site was used as the Rockaway Airport . Edgemere Park was conceived for the landfill site in the 1950s by New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses , as part of the infrastructure for the adjacent Edgemere Houses housing project. The site, along with several other planned parks in
12210-419: The Midwest and in Charleston, South Carolina . The initiatives were motivated by an incident in November 1975 , when an ONA DC-10 aircraft crashed upon takeoff after colliding with seagulls , which were sucked into the right-wing engine destroying it. Following the crash, on March 8, 1976, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended closing the landfill due to potential dangers for aircraft from
12395-496: The New York City Penal and Sanitary Codes, specifically of "unlawfully dumping raw garbage and maintaining a public nuisance" and of "dumping under or on top of water, or on land, any refuse in which...offensive and unwholesome material is included." The charges were based on the operation of city-run "garbage graveyards" in Queens. The five dumps in question were the Edgemere Dump; the Lefferts Dump at Lefferts Boulevard and Sunrise Highway ( Conduit Avenue ) in South Ozone Park , near
12580-444: The Parks Department began pesticide spraying at Edgemere Park in order to combat mosquitoes, rats, and phragmites . To eliminate the phragmites, the chemical Dalapon was used. It was suggested that physically uprooting the phragmites would be a better solution, but the equipment necessary to harvest the plants could not be used in the park as much of it still consisted of marshland. The rats, meanwhile, were said to have been brought by
12765-543: The Port Authority and Delta/IAT had agreed to terms extending Concourse A by 16 domestic gates, renovating the arrival/departure halls, and improving land-side roadways for $ 3.8 billion. By April 2021, that plan had been scaled-back to $ 1.5 billion worth of improvements as a result of financial hardships imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic . The revised plan called for arrival/departure hall modernization and just ten new gates in Concourse A. Consolidation of Delta's operations within T4 occurred in early 2023, along with
12950-416: The Port Authority, JFK's terminals are sometimes managed and maintained by independent terminal operators. At JFK, all terminals are managed by airlines or consortiums of the airlines serving them, except for the Schiphol Group -operated Terminal 4. All terminals can handle international arrivals that are not pre-cleared. Most inter-terminal connections require passengers to exit security, then walk, use
13135-483: The Rockaway Chamber of Commerce petitioned the federal Civil Aeronautics Administration to create a civilian pilot school at Rockaway Airport. In January 1941, Bayside resident Charles G. Meyer proposed converting his farm along Little Neck Bay into a city-operated airfield to train civilian pilots. Several wealthy residents of Bayside protested his plan, including actor and movie producer John Golden . As an alternative, Golden suggested to Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia that
13320-635: The Tallapoosa/Pelham Bay Landfill in the Bronx, and the Fresh Kills and Brookfield Avenue Landfills in Staten Island, based on unreleased DSNY internal records. It concluded that "hundreds of tons" of chemical wastes had been deposited at the landfills with the permission of the Sanitation Department, which had been legal until 1979, along with the illegal dumping of "millions of pounds" of toxic wastes such as waste oil. It also confirmed
13505-415: The age of landfill, type of waste, moisture content and other factors. For example, the maximum amount of landfill gas produced can be illustrated a simplified net reaction of diethyl oxalate that accounts for these simultaneous reactions: 4 C 6 H 10 O 4 + 6 H 2 O → 13 CH 4 + 11 CO 2 On average, about half of the volumetric concentration of landfill gas is CH 4 and slightly less than half
13690-679: The air, soil, and ground water of the local area for runoff from the drums. That month, the landfill was designated a Superfund site. On May 18, 1983, the Toxics Project of the New York Public Interest Research Group released a report documenting the dumping of chemical toxic waste at city landfills from 1964 to 1979. The year-long study covered the Edgemere Landfill in Queens, the Pennsylvania and Fountain Landfills in Brooklyn,
13875-692: The aircraft in May 2003. Construction of the AirTrain JFK people-mover system began in 1998, after decades of planning for a direct rail link to the airport. Although the system was originally scheduled to open in 2002, it opened on December 17, 2003, after delays caused by construction and a fatal crash. The rail network links each airport terminal to the New York City Subway and the Long Island Rail Road at Howard Beach and Jamaica . The airport's new Terminal 1 opened on May 28, 1998; Terminal 4,
14060-695: The airport averaged 73 daily airline operations (takeoffs plus landings); the October 1951 Airline Guide shows nine domestic departures a day on National and Northwest. Much of Newark Airport 's traffic shifted to Idlewild (which averaged 242 daily airline operations in 1952) when Newark was temporarily closed in February 1952 after a series of three plane crashes in the two preceding months in Elizabeth, all of which had fatalities; flights were shifted to Idlewild and La Guardia, which could have planes take off and land over
14245-699: The airport via the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678) or JFK Expressway , both of which are connected to the Belt Parkway and various surface streets in South Ozone Park and Springfield Gardens . The airport operates parking facilities consisting of multi-level terminal garages, surface spaces in the Central Terminal Area, and a long-term parking lot with total accommodation for more than 17,000 vehicles. A travel plaza on airport property also contains
14430-523: The airport was officially accepted by Civil Air Patrol Major General John F. Curry in February 1942. Civilian flying, however, was banned by the federal government during World War II and Gordon abandoned the airport at this time. In early 1944, the airport was leased by the United States Coast Guard as a helicopter training base. Following the war, in February 1946 Rockaway Airport was reopened by war veterans Joseph Alta and Perry Fuhr. Alta
14615-607: The airport. Bird species found at the landfill include the American herring gull and the laughing gull , and the short-eared owl . At the base of the main landfill is the only open portion of Rockaway Community Park, located on the north side of Almeda Avenue across from the Ocean Bay Apartments housing project, formerly known as the Edgemere Houses. The developed park occupies approximately 15 acres (6.1 ha) of land. An additional 25 acres (10 ha) of land were released by
14800-642: The airport. On May 18, 1976 the Sanitation Department informed officials from Queens Community Board 14 and the Gateway National Recreation Area that the Edgemere Landfill would remain in operation until 1985. At the time, the DSNY refuted the assertion that the dump contributed to the bird hazard of JFK Airport. Mosquitoes and foul odors were also blamed on the landfill. In 1977 the Parks Department and Department of Sanitation garnered controversy over
14985-577: The alarming growth rate of landfills and poor management by authorities. On and under surface fires have been commonly seen in the Indian landfills over the last few years. Landfilling practices in the UK have had to change in recent years to meet the challenges of the European Landfill Directive . The UK now imposes landfill tax upon biodegradable waste which is put into landfills. In addition to this
15170-447: The area around Little Bay. The land was located north of the former Amstel Canal, now Amstel Boulevard and Beach Channel Drive . The property was previously owned by Remington Vernam . The land, which consisted of salt marshes and beach, was to be filled in order to construct bungalows ; part of the site was already filled by dirt dredged from Jamaica Bay. In 1920, the New York City Board of Estimate planned to create Amstel Boulevard on
15355-510: The atmosphere through photosynthesis, no new carbon enters the carbon cycle and the atmospheric concentration of CO 2 is not affected. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change . In properly managed landfills, gas is collected and flared or recovered for landfill gas utilization . Poorly run landfills may become nuisances because of vectors such as rats and flies which can spread infectious diseases . The occurrence of such vectors can be mitigated through
15540-440: The bodies of three boys from the Edgemere Houses were found on the beach surrounding the Edgemere Landfill. Their deaths were suspected to have been caused by drowning or a lightning strike. In late 1975, the city began experimenting with methods to discourage birds from feeding off the Edgemere Landfill, in order to prevent them from interfering with planes at John F. Kennedy International Airport . The experiments included poisoning
15725-527: The ceremony, Moses spoke about his plans for the adjoining Edgemere Park. The first portion of the park would be a 300-foot (91 m)-wide "buffer between the Edgemere State Housing Project and the operations of the Department of Sanitation". The plans for the remainder of the park, which would be the "largest park on the Rockaway peninsula," included an 18-hole golf course and a marina. Moses planned to create several parks on wetlands by filling
15910-479: The city at the end of December 1941. Construction began in 1943, though the airport's final layout was not yet decided upon. About US$ 60 million was initially spent with governmental funding, but only 1,000 acres (400 ha) of the Idlewild Golf Course site were earmarked for use. The project was renamed Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport in 1943 after a Queens resident who had commanded
16095-565: The city filed suit under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (a.k.a. the Federal Superfund Act) against the 14 companies who originally generated the toxic waste later dumped in the city landfills. In February 1983, nearly 3,000 55-gallon metal drums of waste were discovered inside the Edgemere Landfill. The drums were discovered in the "neck" area of the peninsula just south of
16280-400: The city periodically undergo larvicide treatment and spraying to combat mosquitoes, although pesticide spraying only occurs when a virus such as West Nile is detected in the local mosquito population. Mosquito magnets are also present in the park to help control the population. The park is also afflicted by the presence of invasive plant species such as phragmites . In addition many of
16465-504: The city reached an agreement with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to close the landfill by 1991, unless a permit could be awarded to the landfill. Under the agreement, landfill operations could continue until July 1991 while the state conducted an investigation of the site. Dumping in the area where the waste drums were discovered, however, was banned. By this time, the landfill's daily intake of garbage
16650-522: The city would abandon the landfill system favored by his predecessor Carey and instead utilize incinerators, with half of the Borough of Queens' waste to be disposed of via incinerator immediately. On January 17, 1949, the Department of Sanitation opened a "Super Dump" in Howard Beach , located along Jamaica Bay stretching west of Cross Bay Boulevard . The new dump, proposed by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses ,
16835-561: The city's growing recycling program. By this time, the president of the Bayswater Civic Association had nicknamed the landfill "Mount Edgemere". This was similar to the "Mount Corona" nickname given to a 90-foot (27 m) mound of ash in the former Corona Ash Dumps, now the site of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park . Following its closure, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection assumed responsibility for
17020-400: The city, continued operations as a landfill in order to fill the marshland for park development. The small portion of Rockaway Community Park adjacent to the Edgemere Houses was developed in the 1960s. During its operation, the landfill was a dumping site for toxic chemicals and waste oil , and served as a hazard to nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport by attracting birds. Following
17205-519: The city. Specifically, the airport failed to meet the requirements for 1,800-foot (550 m)-long and 300-foot (91 m)-wide runways, and for an "unobstructed approach" to the airport. At this time, work commenced on expanding and developing the airport. The pilots training at the airport included members of the Women Flyers Of America. The airport would later become the headquarters of Women's Flyers Association of America. In October 1940,
17390-538: The cleanup of the site and other former landfills. 75 percent of cleanup costs would be covered by the New York State Superfund program. The closure of the Edgemere Landfill, and the previous decommissioning of the Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue Landfills, helped to reduce the bird strike hazard at JFK Airport. Landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It
17575-625: The closure of the Edgemere Landfill on weekends between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning. As opposed to traveling to the Fountain Avenue Landfill in Brooklyn, Parks Department garbage trucks collecting waste from Rockaway Beach would deposit their loads onto a parking lot at Beach 64th Street and Larkin Avenue in Arverne (now part of the Arverne by the Sea development) and wait until Monday to deposit
17760-418: The combined park and landfill site is 255.40 acres (103.36 ha) in size. The size of the landfill is often stated as 173 acres (70 ha). Its shoreline extends 2 miles (3.2 km). The landfill is covered by grassland, with several roads circumscribing the site, and running across the landfill. The grass is mowed once a year, allowing for the inspection of the landfill to search for gas leaks. The peak of
17945-418: The compacted waste and the cover material is called a daily cell. Waste compaction is critical to extending the life of the landfill. Factors such as waste compressibility, waste-layer thickness and the number of passes of the compactor over the waste affect the waste densities. The term landfill is usually shorthand for a municipal landfill or sanitary landfill. These facilities were first introduced early in
18130-416: The conflict and to investigate the operations of the five landfills. The board included Eugene Lindsay Bishop and Kenneth F. Maxcy . In addition, Carey announced that dumping at Edgemere would end on June 25 and cease until the fall. The charges were dropped by District Attorney Charles P. Sullivan due to a lack of individuals to testify in the trial. On September 21, 1939, the arbitration board conducted
18315-443: The correlation of the bird hazard with the presence of the landfills. During the 1970s, the landfill was said to have received hazardous waste on a daily basis. Meanwhile, waste oil was added to the garbage at Edgemere and other landfills in order to control dust. Between March and October 1979, 5,000 to 6,000 gallons of oil and petroleum byproducts were deposited in the Edgemere, Pennsylvania and Fountain Avenue Landfills, with most of
18500-399: The discovery of toxic waste drums in the landfill in 1983, the landfill was declared a Superfund site. It was closed in 1991 and capped afterwards. The peak of the landfill is the tallest point in the Rockaways, measuring 70 feet (21 m) high. The landfill is claimed to be "the longest continuously operating dump in the United States", accepting waste from 1938 to 1991. It is also one of
18685-608: The dumping of trash at the landfill. That month, $ 29,250 was allocated for additional landfilling on the Edgemere Park land in order to create a playground and sports fields. During the fall of 1966, Edgemere Park was used as a practice field for the Far Rockaway High School football team, as their own home field was not usable during the season. On July 1, 1967, the Department of Sanitation again allowed local residents to drop off bulk refuse such as furniture or appliances at
18870-464: The east end of the bay. Smaller bodies of water within the bay form the peninsula's western and eastern sides. To the west is Somerville Basin which runs between the peninsula and Dubos Point in Arverne to the west. To the east is the Norton Basin which runs between the landfill and Bayswater to the east. At the south end of Norton Basin are two smaller water bodies, Conch Basin (formerly Little Bay) to
19055-413: The facility is Airbus A380 -compatible with service currently provided by Emirates to Dubai (both non-stop and one-stop via Milan ), and Etihad Airways to Abu Dhabi . Opened in early 2001 and designed by SOM , the 1.5-million-square-foot (140,000 m ) facility was built for $ 1.4 billion and replaced JFK's old International Arrivals Building (IAB), which opened in 1957 and was designed by
19240-413: The first permanent structure in the area. The house was located in the vicinity of Central Avenue (Beach 20th Street), Beach 19th Street, and Empire Avenue in modern Far Rockaway. This is the location of the contemporary Hebrew Institute of Long Island at Beach 17th Street and Seagirt Boulevard. The family also created a nearby burial ground on Caffrey Avenue and New Haven Avenue. After the partition of
19425-613: The former canal right-of-way between Beach 35th Street and Beach 71st Street, where it would connect with Hammels Avenue and eventually feed in Beach Channel Drive. The route would cut across the New York City Waterfront property. All three roads now make up modern Beach Channel Drive. Garbage landfilling at Edgemere by the New York City Department of Sanitation began on July 15, 1938. The landfill replaced an incinerator in nearby Arverne. By this time, garbage incineration
19610-523: The fumes emitted from the landfill. The fumes were thought to either come from the mud from the bay used to cover the garbage, or the disinfectants used on the waste. The next day on July 15, dumping was halted at the landfill. According to Commissioner Carey, the odors at the site were caused by the use of mud to cover the garbage, and clean sand would be used in the future. Operations resumed on October 10, 1938. Meanwhile, residents continued to oppose dumping at Edgemere, citing fires and rat infestations. During
19795-566: The future site of JFK Airport; Bergen Landing; and the future sites of Juniper Valley Park and Baisley Pond Park , respectively located in Middle Village and South Jamaica . The owners of the Edgemere and Lefferts landfills were also named in the indictment. Carey and Rice, both cabinet members under Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia , surrendered to the Long Island City Courthouse and were released without bail. A change of venue
19980-436: The ground around landfills must be tested for leachate to prevent pollutants from contaminating groundwater . Rotting food and other decaying organic waste create decomposition gases , especially CO 2 and CH 4 from aerobic and anaerobic decomposition, respectively. Both processes occur simultaneously in different parts of a landfill. In addition to available O 2 , the fraction of gas constituents will vary, depending on
20165-525: The ground during an earthquake . Once full, the area over a landfill site may be reclaimed for other uses. Operators of well-run landfills for non-hazardous waste meet predefined specifications by applying techniques to: They can also cover waste (usually daily) with layers of soil or other types of material such as woodchips and fine particles. During landfill operations, a scale or weighbridge may weigh waste collection vehicles on arrival and personnel may inspect loads for wastes that do not accord with
20350-621: The hotel catalyzed the development of the Rockaways into a resort town. The Far Rockaway Branch Railroad of the South Side Railroad of Long Island was opened in 1869 between Valley Stream and Far Rockaway , and was extended to the Seaside House in Rockaway Park in 1872. The New York, Woodhaven & Rockaway Railroad opened their line from Brooklyn and "mainland" Queens to Rockaway Park in 1880. The Ocean Electric Railway opened
20535-462: The land to English settler Richard Cornell , whose family would later found Cornell University . In return, Palmer received land in "Madnan's Neck", now Little Neck, Queens and Great Neck, Nassau County . Cornell had previously purchased what would become Flushing, Queens . Cornell constructed a house overlooking the Atlantic Ocean known as the "Cornell house" or "Cornell homestead", said to be
20720-478: The land with municipal waste before developing the land into parkland. These included the future Edgemere Park and Spring Creek Park, as well as sites in Marine Park, Brooklyn ; Ferry Point, Bronx ; Fresh Kills, Staten Island ; and Kissena Corridor Park in Queens. In December 1959, the Board of Estimate allocated $ 144,650 to add an additional 160,000 cubic yards of sand to the Edgemere Landfill, which would extend
20905-558: The land". This was the name of the Lenape tribe, who were a subset of the Canarsee ( Canarsie ) tribe, that occupied much of the area around Jamaica Bay. Prior to the creation of the landfill, the site of Edgemere Park consisted of numerous separate islands within a much larger Little Bay between Dubos Point to the west and Bayswater Point to the east. It was originally known as "Little Bay Marsh". Norton Basin (also called Norton's Creek) originally
21090-427: The landfill bioreactor strata gradually decreases. Microbial populations grow, density increases. Aerobic biodegradation dominates, i.e. the primary electron acceptor is O 2 . The O 2 is rapidly degraded by the existing microbial populations. The decreasing O 2 leads to less aerobic and more anaerobic conditions in the layers. The primary electron acceptors during transition are nitrates and sulphates since O 2
21275-469: The landfill can be significant and can be mitigated by wheel washing systems . Pollution of the local environment , such as contamination of groundwater or aquifers or soil contamination may occur, as well. When precipitation falls on open landfills, water percolates through the garbage and becomes contaminated with suspended and dissolved material, forming leachate. If this is not contained it can contaminate groundwater. All modern landfill sites use
21460-457: The landfill measures 70 feet (21 m) high, the highest point on the Rockaway Peninsula. Because of this, it is one of the only sites in the area not in a flood-prone zone. The peak is still lower than the highest point of the former Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, which is 170 feet (52 m). During its operation, the Edgemere Landfill received a total of 9 million cubic yards (6.9 million cubic metres) of waste. The landfill
21645-579: The landfill shut down, citing the fact that the landfill was operating without a permit. At the time, it was referred to as the "most toxic landfill in the world" due to the historical dumping of oil and chemicals. It was also stated that 167,000 gallons of toxic liquid seeped from the landfill on a daily basis. It was compared to the Love Canal landfill, another Superfund site located in Niagara Falls . In 1989, Edgemere handled over 1,500 tons of city garbage on
21830-451: The landfill's waste-acceptance criteria. Afterward, the waste collection vehicles use the existing road network on their way to the tipping face or working front, where they unload their contents. After loads are deposited, compactors or bulldozers can spread and compact the waste on the working face. Before leaving the landfill boundaries, the waste collection vehicles may pass through a wheel-cleaning facility. If necessary, they return to
22015-713: The landfill. By July 17, 1,000 tons of waste were deposited through this program at Edgemere, and at 20th Avenue in College Point . On March 24, 1968, the playground at Edgemere Park was opened, with a basketball tournament taking place. In May 1970, the Rockaway Cultural, Educational, Recreational, and Historical Society proposed to rename Edgemere Park to Rockaway Community Park. Other potential names included Brotherhood Memorial Park, Jeanne Dale Katz Park, Martin Luther King Jr. Park, Tackapouscha Indian Historical Park, and William F. Brunner Sr. Park. On October 9, 1970,
22200-465: The landfill. The alterations to the basins and landfilling activity changed their biodiversity compared to other water bodies in the area. The Edgemere Landfill was one of several landfills created under then-Sanitation Commissioner William F. Carey. In addition to replacing incinerators, the landfill replaced the practice of dumping city garbage in the ocean. This practice was banned by a United States Supreme Court ruling in 1933. Following complaints from
22385-456: The leachate. The acid formation phase intermediary products (e.g., acetic, propionic, and butyric acids) are converted to CH 4 and CO 2 by methanogenic microorganisms. As VFAs are metabolized by the methanogens, the landfill water pH returns to neutrality. The leachate's organic strength, expressed as oxygen demand, decreases at a rapid rate with increases in CH 4 and CO 2 gas production. This
22570-495: The local community, on July 14, 1938 Andrew J. Kenny threatened to seek an injunction to stop the dumping at Edgemere. Kenny was the president of the Rockaway Chamber of Commerce and the Queens sewer superintendent. That same day, Sanitation Commissioner Carey was confronted by local residents while inspecting the landfill site. One of the complaints was that paint on the side of houses had either peeled or became discolored due to
22755-402: The main landfill were to create a marina and a golf course on the site. Contemporary plans for Rockaway Community Park seek to eventually develop the main landfill as part of the park. The landfill cannot be developed as parkland or for permanent structures until 2021. A portion of the site on the Conch Basin continues to be operated by the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY). Part of
22940-409: The main landfill, when a tractor spreading dirt struck the drums by accident. While most of the drums were empty, many contained lead-based paint and resin. The drums were said to have been buried beginning in 1968, around 15 years prior, when there were fewer regulations concerning the disposal of chemicals. Following the discovery, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection began testing
23125-504: The manager and primary tenant of the building, functioning as its operating base at JFK. The terminal is also used by Cape Air . On November 12, 2014, JetBlue opened the International Arrivals Concourse (T5i) at the terminal. The terminal was redesigned by Gensler and constructed by Turner Construction , and sits behind the preserved Eero Saarinen -designed terminal originally known as the TWA Flight Center , which
23310-580: The metropolitan area, pled guilty to federal charges of conspiracy concerning the dumping. Mansfield and company owner Russell W. Mahler later pleaded guilty in New Jersey District Court for dumping oil and chemical wastes into the Hudson River . Mahler also pled guilty to disposing of waste oil in the abandoned Butler Mine Tunnel in Butler Township, Pennsylvania , which in 1979 overflowed into
23495-622: The new gates opening. Delta also opened a new Sky Club in Concourse A. The airline plans to open a lounge exclusive to Delta One customers by June 2024. It would be the largest in the airline's network. In 2019, American Express began construction of a Centurion lounge that subsequently opened in October 2020. The structural addition extends the headhouse between the control tower and gate A2, and includes 15,000 square-feet of dining, bars, and fitness facilities. In 2024, Terminal 4 announced an expansion of its Arts & Culture program with
23680-477: The north side of Almeda Avenue across from the Edgemere Houses. The park would include baseball fields and eight clay tennis courts along with landscaping and paths. Conch Playground, then known as P.S. 105 Playground, was opened in August 1960. On October 17, 1960, Parks Commissioner Newbold Morris (successor to Robert Moses) announced plans for improvements to Edgemere Park, including baseball fields, tennis courts, and
23865-546: The northern natural area. The main landfill itself is used as a birdwatching site, due to its proximity to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge . One of the major issues afflicting the park is the large presence of mosquitoes, leading the park to be underutilized. The presence of the mosquitoes in the park and at nearby Dubos Point has been attributed to their location along Jamaica Bay, and their significant vegetation. The park and other known mosquito breeding grounds in
24050-452: The now-renamed Kennedy Airport was given the codes JFK and KJFK, the fallen president's initials. Airlines began scheduling jets to Idlewild in 1958–59; LaGuardia did not get jets until 1964, and JFK became New York 's busiest airport. It had more airline takeoffs and landings than LaGuardia and Newark combined from 1962 to 1967 and was the second-busiest airport in the country, peaking at 403,981 airline operations in 1967. LaGuardia received
24235-492: The oldest landfills in New York City, and was the second-to-last city landfill to remain in operation. The final landfill, Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, closed in 2001. The Edgemere Landfill is located on the north side of the Rockaway Peninsula in the Edgemere neighborhood near Arverne at the east end of the Rockaways. The landfill site consists of a smaller peninsula, which extends northward into Jamaica Bay at
24420-434: The park facilities are in disrepair, including the playing fields and courts which have overgrown with vegetation. Meanwhile, the north side of Almeda Avenue adjacent to the park lacks a sidewalk, making it difficult to access the park. There are also noise disturbances from nearby JFK Airport. The issues with mosquitoes and phragmites have affected the park since the 1960s when the park was created. The original park plans for
24605-490: The park near the housing complex features a grass sports field with a baseball diamond and cricket pitch. The cricket pitch is the only one on the Rockaway Peninsula. A second baseball diamond previously existed. The park also contains basketball, handball, and tennis courts and a playground. Two fishing piers are located on the Sommerville Basin coast at the west end of the northern natural area. A walking trail runs through
24790-537: The park to be developed into "a miniature Central Park ". It was also proposed to integrate the park with the new Gateway National Recreation Area created by the National Park Service . In September 1973, the Edgemere Landfill was described as "the highest land area on the entire Rockaway Peninsula. It is a hugh mound of sand-covered garbage and waste material which has obliterated the marshy shoreline where marine life thrived for many years." On August 29, 1974
24975-589: The planning. The money and jewellery have never been recovered. The heist's magnitude made it one of the longest-investigated crimes in U.S. history; the latest arrest associated with the robbery was made in 2014, which resulted in acquittal . All lines of AirTrain JFK , the airport's dedicated rail network, stop at each passenger terminal. The system also serves Federal Circle , the JFK long-term parking lot, and two multimodal rapid transit stations: Howard Beach and Jamaica . While AirTrain travel within airport property
25160-450: The prohibitive cost of removing the enormous installation. Pan American World Airways opened the Worldport (later Terminal 3) in 1960, designed by Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton. It featured a large, elliptical roof suspended by 32 sets of radial posts and cables; the roof extended 114 feet (35 m) beyond the base of the terminal to cover the passenger loading area. It
25345-591: The purchase. Sheridan proceeded to file a $ 1 million defamation suit against Crisona, while Sheridan's $ 22,000 commission for the job was withheld by City Controller Lawrence E. Gerosa Shortly afterwards, in July 1958 Brown resigned from his post. By July 1958, the Rockaway Airport was closed and demolished to make way for the housing project. On October 16, 1958, ground was broken on the Edgemere Houses project, with Robert Moses, Borough President James Crisona, and Governor W. Averell Harriman in attendance. During
25530-423: The revenue earmarked to support the agency's capital programs. JFK has five active terminals, containing 130 gates in total. The terminals are numbered 1–8 but skipping terminals 2 (demolished in 2023), 3 (demolished in 2013) and 6 (demolished in 2011). The terminal buildings, except for the former Tower Air terminal, are arranged in a deformed U-shaped wavy pattern around a central area containing parking,
25715-519: The same architectural firm. The new construction incorporated a mezzanine-level AirTrain station, an expansive check-in hall, and a four-block-long retail area. Terminal 4 has seen multiple expansions over the years. On May 24, 2013, the completion of a $ 1.4 billion project added mechanized checked-bag screening, a centralized security checkpoint (consolidating two checkpoints into one new fourth-floor location), nine international gates, improved U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities, and, at
25900-507: The service was suspended in 2009 due to poor demand, the aircraft was reintroduced in November 2010. Airlines operating A380s to JFK include Singapore Airlines (on its New York– Frankfurt – Singapore route), Lufthansa (on its New York– Frankfurt route), Korean Air (on its New York– Seoul route), Asiana Airlines (on its New York–Seoul route), Etihad Airways (on its New York–Abu Dhabi route), and Emirates (on its New York– Milan –Dubai and New York–Dubai routes). On December 8, 2015, JFK
26085-512: The site at $ 150,000, exactly one tenth of its purchase price. Crisona noted that Sheridan's appraisal was based on the land's potential for industrial development, but claimed that it could not be developed for 20 to 30 years due to its status as a landfill. He also compared the price of Edgemere Park to that of other properties in the area, which were appraised at much lower prices. Crisona criticized Sheridan, Corporation Council Peter Campbell Brown , and Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. for their roles in
26270-613: The site is used as a gas extraction facility to collect gases emitted from the landfill. The site also contains the DSNY Queens East District 14 Garage. The garage opened in 2009. On December 14, 2010, the DSNY renamed the garage the "Stephen Dixon Garage" after Stephen Dixon, a worker from the garage who died on duty in March 2009. The previous garage was located at Beach 72nd Street and Amstel Boulevard in Arverne, now used as an Access-A-Ride depot. The park and landfill are served by
26455-491: The site up to 2,000 feet (610 m) north into Jamaica Bay. The Board also planned to lay out Almeda Avenue between Conch Place (Conch Basin) and Beach 58th Street (Sommerville Basin), and to lay out Beach 51st Street, Beach 54th Street and Beach 58th Street in the area north of Beach Channel Drive. These streets would eventually serve the new housing project and park. In July 1960, the Board of Estimate approved of plans to begin developing 12 acres (4.9 ha) of Edgemere Park on
26640-536: The soon-to-be-demolished Terminal 2 hardstands and Terminal 3. Delta sought funding from the New York City Industrial Development Agency, and work on Phase II was completed in January 2015. By 2017, plans to expand Terminal 4's passenger capacity were being floated in conjunction with a more significant JFK modernization proposal . In early 2020, Governor Cuomo announced that
26825-417: The state and among 144 that required top priority to be cleaned up. That year, the city began negotiations with the state to close the Edgemere and Fountain Avenue Landfills. In 1985, it was anticipated that the Edgemere Landfill would close the next year. By December, however, the Department of Sanitation began negotiating with the NYSDEC to obtain a permit in order to keep the landfill open. In February 1986,
27010-452: The supply of food waste at the site, shredding food waste accepted by the landfill into small pieces, narrowing the area in which garbage was dumped, and installing a horizontal-wire grid over the landfill to discourage birds from landing on it. This was in addition to the existing shotgun patrols at the airport who would discharge firearms or set off fireworks to scare the birds away. The shredding method had already been tested on landfills in
27195-428: The terminal building was being expanded to 215,501 square feet (20,021 m ). Further expansions would come in following years, including a control tower in 1952, as well as new and expanded buildings and taxiways . Idlewild opened with six runways and a seventh under construction; runways 1L and 7L were held in reserve and never came into use as runways. Runway 31R (originally 8,000 ft or 2,438 m)
27380-613: The time, the largest Sky Club lounge in Delta's network. Later that year, the expansion also improved passenger connectivity with Terminal 2 by bolstering inter-terminal JFK Jitney shuttle bus service and building a dedicated 8,000 square-foot bus holdroom facility adjacent to gate B20. Also in 2013, Delta, JFKIAT and the Port Authority agreed to a further $ 175 million Phase II expansion, which called for 11 new regional jet gates to supersede capacity previously provided by
27565-478: The trash in Edgemere. In November 1979 following 11 bird strike incidents at JFK Airport in a period of six weeks, the Federal Aviation Administration began collecting evidence in preparation to sue the city in order to close the Edgemere, Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue Landfills. FAA Regional Director Murray Smith had previously met with Mayor Ed Koch on October 5 of that year to discuss
27750-531: The troposphere. This transforms the oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) in the leachate toward oxidative processes. The residual organic materials may incrementally be converted to the gas phase, and as organic matter is composted; i.e. the organic matter is converted to humic -like compounds. Landfills have the potential to cause a number of issues. Infrastructure disruption, such as damage to access roads by heavy vehicles, may occur. Pollution of local roads and watercourses from wheels on vehicles when they leave
27935-432: The use of daily cover . Other potential issues include wildlife disruption due to occupation of habitat and animal health disruption caused by consuming waste from landfills, dust, odor, noise pollution , and reduced local property values. Gases are produced in landfills due to the anaerobic digestion by microbes. In a properly managed landfill, this gas is collected and used. Its uses range from simple flaring to
28120-497: The use of oil at the landfills to control dust, which occurred weekly for six months in each year. This oil was contaminated waste product. The study further concluded that the landfills were not designed to contain chemical wastes, and violated state and federal regulations. In 1984, the Edgemere Landfill was listed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) among 895 hazardous-waste sites in
28305-404: The waste depend on how well microbial populations function in syntrophy , i.e. an interaction of different populations to provide each other's nutritional needs.: The life cycle of a municipal landfill undergoes five distinct phases: As the waste is placed in the landfill, the void spaces contain high volumes of molecular oxygen (O 2 ). With added and compacted wastes, the O 2 content of
28490-485: The waste going to Fountain Avenue. In 1981 it was discovered that, beginning c. 1972–1974, DSNY supervisors were paid $ 100 per truck to allow the dumping of liquid toxic waste at five of the city's landfills including the Edgemere Landfill, and into the sewer system. The other sites were the Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue Landfills in Brooklyn; the Tallapoosa Point Landfill at Pelham Bay Park in
28675-435: The waste remaining in solid and liquid phases. During the early phases, little material volume reaches the leachate , as the biodegradable organic matter of the waste undergoes a rapid decrease in volume. Meanwhile, the leachate's chemical oxygen demand increases with increasing concentrations of the more recalcitrant compounds compared to the more reactive compounds in the leachate. Successful conversion and stabilization of
28860-448: The water, rather than over the densely populated areas surrounding Newark Airport. The airport remained closed in Newark until November 1952, with new flight patterns that took planes away from Elizabeth. L-1049 Constellations and DC-7s appeared between 1951 and 1953 and did not use LaGuardia for their first several years, bringing more traffic to Idlewild. The April 1957 Airline Guide cites
29045-416: The weighbridge for re-weighing without their load. The weighing process can assemble statistics on the daily incoming waste tonnage, which databases can retain for record keeping. In addition to trucks, some landfills may have equipment to handle railroad containers. The use of "rail-haul" permits landfills to be located at more remote sites, without the problems associated with many truck trips. Typically, in
29230-434: The west at the base of the landfill site, and a smaller Norton Basin to the east next to Bayswater Park. All three water bodies end at about Beach Channel Drive . The landfill site can be described as a large "head" section, which contains the main landfill mound and extends into Jamaica Bay, and a "neck" section which connects the peninsula to the Rockaways. According to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation ,
29415-399: The working face, the compacted waste is covered with soil or alternative materials daily. Alternative waste-cover materials include chipped wood or other "green waste", several sprayed-on foam products, chemically "fixed" bio-solids, and temporary blankets. Blankets can be lifted into place at night and then removed the following day prior to waste placement. The space that is occupied daily by
29600-564: Was an Army Air Force pilot in the China Burma India Theater of the war. Fuhr was a Navy test pilot. Alta had previously operated a flight school at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. Beginning on January 6, 1947, the airport was used as the receiving point for a helicopter mail service originating at LaGuardia Airport or Newark Airport , and serving both the Rockaways and Five Towns in Nassau County. On January 11, 1946, new Sanitation Commissioner William J. Powell announced that
29785-468: Was built to relieve LaGuardia Field , which had become overcrowded after its 1939 opening. In late 1941, mayor Fiorello La Guardia announced that the city had tentatively chosen a large area of marshland on Jamaica Bay , which included the Idlewild Golf Course as well as a summer hotel and a landing strip called the Jamaica Sea-Airport, for a new airfield. Title to the land was conveyed to
29970-483: Was commonly known as Idlewild Airport . Following the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, the airport was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport as a tribute to the 35th President of the United States. John F. Kennedy International Airport was originally called Idlewild Airport ( IATA : IDL , ICAO : KIDL , FAA LID : IDL ) after the Idlewild Beach Golf Course that it displaced. It
30155-549: Was connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a creek called the Wave Crest Inlet, which separated the western peninsula from the mainland. The area around Jamaica Bay including the Rockaways was characterized by marshland. As late as 1872, the neighborhoods of Edgemere and Arverne were populated by cedar trees. The area around Jamaica Bay including the Rockaway Peninsula was initially inhabited by the Canarsie and Rockaway Native American groups, who were often referred to erroneously as
30340-406: Was considered "obsolete". The property continued to be owned by the New York City Waterfront Company. Borrow pits with depths of 64 feet (20 m) and 51 feet (16 m) were dug into the Norton Basin and Little Bay respectively, with the dirt extracted used to create a base for the landfill. Around 2 million cubic yards (1.5 million cubic metres) of dirt were dredged from underwater for
30525-463: Was considered to be "barren", consisting of meadow and marsh used for grazing. At the time, the peninsula stretched from the modern Rockaway Turnpike west to the modern Wavecrest neighborhood, making up the greater Far Rockaway area of Queens and what is now Five Towns , Nassau County (then called "Rockaway Neck"). The peninsula would later be extended west to Rockaway Point by the natural accretion of sand from tidal action. In 1687 Palmer sold
30710-458: Was contracted to transport American currency that had been exchanged in Southeast Asia for deposit in the United States. Their aircraft regularly delivered three or four $ 60,000 packages at a time. Hill and associates obtained a key to a cement block strong room where the money was stored. They entered the unsecured cargo terminal and entered the strong room unchallenged. They took seven bags in
30895-481: Was created for civilian training and leisure flying. Following a lawsuit by Gordon, on December 26, 1939 city Commissioner of Docks John McKenzie was ordered by the Manhattan Supreme Court to award a permit to the airport. On July 8, 1940 after 15 months of operation, McKenzie issued a letter informing Gordon that the airport would be closed in 30 days due to not meeting facility requirements for airports in
31080-435: Was demolished in 1995 and replaced with the current Terminal 1. American Airlines opened Terminal 8 in February 1960. It was designed by Kahn and Jacobs and had a 317-foot (97 m) stained-glass facade designed by Robert Sowers, the largest stained-glass installation in the world until 1979. The facade was removed in 2007 as the terminal was demolished to make room for the new Terminal 8; American cited
31265-524: Was demolished in 2023. National Airlines opened the Sundrome (later Terminal 6) in 1969. The terminal was designed by I.M.Pei . It was unique for its use of all-glass mullions dividing the window sections, unprecedented at the time. On October 30, 2000, United Airlines and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced plans to redevelop this terminal and the TWA Flight Center as
31450-457: Was designed by William Nicholas Bodouva + Associates. It and Terminal 4 are the two terminals at JFK Airport with the capability of handling the Airbus A380 aircraft, which Korean Air flies on the route from Seoul–Incheon and Lufthansa from Munich . Air France operated Concorde here until 2003. Terminal 1 has 11 gates. Terminal 4, developed by LCOR, Inc., is managed by JFKIAT (IAT) LLC,
31635-438: Was erected in 1888. A rail station in the neighborhood at Gaston Avenue was opened in 1888, and a second at Straiton Avenue in 1892. The Wave Crest Inlet, also called Wave Crest Lake, was filled in during 1911 in order to further develop the Edgemere neighborhood. In 1916, the New York City Waterfront Company acquired 359 acres (145 ha) of land on the north shore of the Rockaway Peninsula in Arverne and Edgemere, including
31820-579: Was expanded in 1970 to accommodate jetways. However, by the 1990s the overcrowded building was showing its age and it did not provide adequate space for security checkpoints. It was demolished in 2000 and replaced with Terminal 4. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines opened Terminal 7 (later renumbered Terminal 9), a SOM design similar to the IAB, in October 1959. It was demolished in 2008. Eastern Air Lines opened their Chester L. Churchill-designed Terminal 1 in November 1959. The terminal
32005-402: Was for three airlines, and one was for international arrivals (National Airlines and British Airways arrived later). In addition, there would be an 11-story control tower, roadways, parking lots, taxiways, and a reflecting lagoon in the center. The airport was designed for aircraft up to 300,000-pound (140,000 kg) gross weight The airport had to be modified in the late 1960s to accommodate
32190-418: Was granted on May 18, 1939 and the trial was moved to the Bronx. On May 31, the trial was postponed until October of that year. Around this time, dumping was resumed at the Edgemere Landfill. On June 19, 1939, the indictments were dismissed by Justice Isidor Wasservogel . As a consolation, a board of four health experts and a sanitary engineer was appointed by U.S. Surgeon General Thomas Parran Jr. to arbitrate
32375-710: Was increased to around 1,000 tons of garbage. By comparison, Fresh Kills Landfill received 23,500 tons daily. With the eventual closure of Edgemere and Fresh Kills imminent, the city planned to replace the landfills with several " resource recovery facilities" in the future. This included waste-to-energy incinerators , one of which would be located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard , which would generate electricity from burning garbage. In addition, gas recovery plants to extract methane would be created at several inactive landfills including Fresh Kills and Pelham Bay. In December 1987, local community groups and politicians filed suit to have
32560-624: Was intended to receive most of the garbage from southern Queens and replace smaller landfills in other areas of the borough. The new Super Dump would either reduce the load on or entirely replace the Edgemere Landfill. The Howard Beach dump would operate until the completion of the South Shore Incinerator in Spring Creek, Brooklyn . Afterwards, the reclaimed land would become part of the planned Spring Creek Park . In November 1952 and again in January 1953, Parks Commissioner Moses proposed to
32745-673: Was located on the site of present-day Terminal 1. Terminal 1 is served by SkyTeam carriers Air France , China Eastern Airlines , ITA Airways , Korean Air , Saudia , and Scandinavian Airlines ; Star Alliance carriers Air China , Air New Zealand , Asiana Airlines , Austrian Airlines , Brussels Airlines , Egyptair , EVA Air , Lufthansa , Swiss International Air Lines , TAP Air Portugal , and Turkish Airlines ; and Oneworld carrier Royal Air Maroc . Other airlines serving Terminal 1 include Air Serbia , Azores Airlines , Cayman Airways , Flair Airlines , Neos , Philippine Airlines , VivaAerobús , and Volaris . Terminal 1
32930-456: Was on July 1, 1948, with the opening ceremony attended by U.S. President Harry S. Truman and Governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey , who were both running for president in that year's presidential election . The Port Authority cancelled foreign airlines' permits to use LaGuardia, forcing them to move to Idlewild during the next couple of years. Idlewild at the time had a single 79,280-square-foot (7,365 m ) terminal building; by 1949,
33115-436: Was one of the first airline terminals in the world to feature jetways that connected to the terminal and that could be moved to provide an easy walkway for passengers from the terminal to a docked aircraft. Jetways replaced the need to have to board the plane outside via airstairs that descend from an aircraft, truck-mounted mobile stairs, or wheeled stairs. The Worldport was demolished in 2013. Trans World Airlines opened
33300-406: Was ordered to cease training of pilots. Upon the onset of World War II , in 1941 Gordon offered use of the airport and a supply of planes and pilots to the United States military in order to monitor and patrol the coast of Long Island during the war. In October 1941, soldiers from Fort Tilden in the western Rockaways began using the airport for ten days to conduct air raid drills . The offer to use
33485-415: Was purchased by the city via condemnation on December 12, 1957, costing $ 1,496,564. The purchase of the property by the city was criticized in 1958 by Queens Borough President James J. Crisona , with Crisona believing that the city paid too much for the property. The city paid $ 1.5 million for the site following an evaluation by city real estate appraiser James C. Sheridan. However, the city tax rolls assessed
33670-478: Was referred to as "the largest remaining undeveloped area in the Rockaways". Moses developed several public housing projects on the Rockaway peninsula during this time, all of which included an adjoining park. Construction on the other adjoining infrastructure for the Edgemere Housing Project, Public School 105 and Rockaway Beach Hospital (the future Peninsula Hospital ), began in 1957. The landfill site
33855-551: Was still owned by the New York City Waterfront Corporation. Plans for the park included eight tennis courts, along with a boat basin and ice skating rink. By this time, the site occupied 264 acres (107 ha). Many of the small islands that once existed in Little Bay were now joined together and connected to the main Rockaway peninsula by landfilling. However, much of the future park site was still underwater. It
34040-452: Was the first U.S. airport to receive a commercial Airbus A350 flight when Qatar Airways began using the aircraft on one of its New York– Doha routes. The airport currently hosts the world's longest flight , Singapore Airlines Flights 23 and 24 (SQ23 and SQ24). The route was launched in 2020 between Singapore and New York JFK, and uses the Airbus A350 -900ULR. The Air France robbery took place in April 1967 when associates of
34225-521: Was used until 1990 by general aviation , STOL , and smaller commuter flights. The Avro Jetliner was the first jet airliner to land at Idlewild on April 16, 1950. A Sud Aviation Caravelle prototype was the next jet airliner to land at Idlewild, on May 2, 1957. Later in 1957, the USSR sought approval for two jet-powered Tupolev Tu-104 flights carrying diplomats to Idlewild; the Port Authority did not allow them, saying noise tests had to be done first. (The Caravelle had been tested at Paris.) In 1951,
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