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The millions of people who walk on the 2.7-mile boardwalk that stretches along Coney Island’s shore each year may not know just how much work goes into maintaining the historic esplanade.
For those heading to play on the beach, watch the Mermaid Parade or ride the Wonder Wheel, there’s a team of Parks Department carpenters and maintenance workers making sure the 101-year-old Riegelmann Boardwalk is ready for another busy summer.
For the last three years, the special crew has been dispatched March through November specifically to inspect and make repairs to the wooden beams that make up the promenade at the People’s Playground.
It’s all overseen by Donald Grupski, a supervisor of the carpentry department. On a recent Friday, he took THE CITY on a tour of the entire length of the boardwalk, as his crews tackled damaged or completely deteriorated boards.
“This is a very well-built, strong boardwalk. But in areas that are weak, deteriorated — the biggest thing these crews are working on is repairing broken beams,” he said. “There are dozens of broken beams.”
Grupski gets to his office on West 25th Street between Surf Avenue and the beach at 6 a.m., Monday through Friday. There, he checks the work orders that came in the night before from supervisors who inspect every inch of the boards, looking for necessary repairs.
“In the prime of the season when everybody’s working we can do 100 boards a week,” he said, noting that some workers can do 25 to 30 boards a day and sometimes one broken board will lead to the realization that more are damaged.
Grupski can tell about how old the wood is by what’s used to keep it in place; nails are usually more than 50 years old, while screws are much newer, he said.
He sometimes spots needed repairs on his own. When he looks down the boardwalk, he can often spot a hole from blocks away: If there’s a garbage can where it’s not supposed to be, it’s usually because someone used it to cover up damage, he said.
One morning this month he noticed a collapsing portion in the center of the boardwalk, known as a “carriage beam.”
“One beam turned into six,” he said. “We never know what we’re gonna be in for.”
Grupski is an expert on the different woods used throughout the city, having worked in construction before joining the Parks Department more than 20 years ago — drawn in by consistent pay and benefits.
“If it’s not a hardwood or a durable hardwood the water lays in there and soaks into the top of the beam so the top two inches of the beam gets mushy,” he said of the boardwalk.
He’s worked on other projects, too, like the renovation of McCarren Park and has built cabinets and woodwork for renovated recreation centers.
But Grupski’s focus now is squarely on the boardwalk. Like some local residents, he believes it should stay wood — as opposed to plastic or concrete — and would love a full renovation. What the Brighton Beach and Coney Island boardwalk is made of has been a contentious issue with local residents and elected officials.
During Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration, the Parks Department began to move away from using hardwoods cut from South American rainforests. The Parks Department has also evaluated using different materials for the boardwalk.
Repairing the boardwalk is costly and often delayed. The Parks Department has paid for the special boardwalk maintenance crew with $1 million from the mayor’s office, letting them get more work done, officials said.
Before the special boardwalk team, repairs were made piecemeal.
In the days leading up to Memorial Day, Grupski said he anticipates the “massive” summer crowds that stream off the subway, up the wooden ramps he maintains, and on to the boardwalk.
He and his workers have to make sure they’re done with all their work — and off the boards — by lunchtime due to the crowds.
“[When] there’s a train at Stillwell, people call it, ‘The snake’s coming,’” he said. “All day is a constant stream of people — the place gets mobbed.”
If you see any damage on the boardwalk, the Parks Department says call 311. If that doesn’t work, read our guide on how to navigate local bureaucracy.