Asked to reflect on the role that parks and public spaces (as well as the people who watch over them) have in making Battery Park City what it is, Mr. Pomponio says, “the master plan for Battery Park City was brilliant—leave one-third of the 92 acres as parks, and developers will come and so will the residents. And they did.”
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he says, “the parks and open spaces were returned to normal, and the residents came back. After Hurricane Sandy, we saved the parks and open spaces, and residents came back.” During the recent pandemic, he recalls, “residents needed the parks and open spaces to get through COVID-19, so we opened the lawns early and kept them open late into the year.”
Looking back on the autumn morning 20 years ago that is etched into the community’s collective memory, Mr. Pomponio says, “September 11, 2001 started like any other day, and then in the blink of an eye, it all went to hell. Once the dust had settled, all staff were asked to help with evacuation efforts. No one questioned it; they just knew it had to be done. I couldn’t have been prouder than I was at that moment.”
“Our staff took BPCA green electric trucks and drove to Pier 40,” he recalls, “and in formation drove Fire Department staff and equipment into Ground Zero. We just kept making trips back and forth for what seemed like hours. Other staff assisted doctors and nurses set up a triage center at Ground Zero. I remember being so close to it that I could feel the heat from the fire on my face.”
Within days, he says, “the Police Memorial turned out to be a place for first responders to rest and reflect,” which meant focusing cleanup efforts there first. “After the Police Memorial was done,” he remembers, “we spent weeks looking for the black box”—a reference to the data collection devices on large aircraft, which federal officials believed might have been ejected into Battery Park City. “We were also collecting personal effects and saving them. And then, we just started cleaning the parks and open spaces until they were back to some sort of normal.”
“The staff did not do this work for recognition,” he observes. “They did it because they viewed it as their duty.”
Looking to the community’s future, Mr. Pomponio emphasizes that, “there’s a real focus on preserving the feel of our parks. There is certain feel to Battery Park City that makes everyone who comes here feel that they are in a special place—an oasis within the chaotic and never-ending energy of the outside world. What will remain the same is the community and residents who are passionate about this place they call home, and the staff who are passionate about the work that they do.”
Asked what is next for him personally, he says, “it’s all about family now. Both my kids are married, I have four beautiful grandchildren that I want to see grow. I want spend more time with my beautiful wife, and with my mom who is 88.”
Matthew Fenton
