Posted on June 30, 2025
“What’s Happening Staten Island” is a series about construction projects and other community happenings around the borough.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island elected officials say a dredging project at a local park’s pond will also improve storm drainage for part of the North Shore.
City Council discretionary funds worth $1.56 million will pay for the city’s first dredging effort at Randall Manor’s Allison Pond since 2003.
Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, a Democrat representing the North Shore, said the dredging will improve storm resiliency in the area, and compared it to mass drainage projects in other parts of the Island.
“This is about more than just a pond. This is about protecting homes, streets, and lives from the kind of persistent and consistent flooding that North Shore residents know all too well,” Hanks, who contributed $1.3 million to the effort, said. “Just as the Blue Belt transformed flood protection on the East Shore, the future North Shore flood resilience starts right here — with Allison Pond.”
According to Hanks’ office, invasive phragmites and silt buildup over the years have reduced the popular pond’s depth from three feet to as little as six inches in some parts.
Councilmember David Carr, a Republican representing the Mid-Island, who contributed $250,000 to the effort, said it was important to ensure resiliency of the Island’s communities, comparing Allison Pond to Willowbrook Pond in his own district.
“Preserving our natural infrastructure and protecting Staten Island neighborhoods from worsening storms and climate events is not a partisan issue—it’s a shared priority,” Carr said. “That’s why we need to protect neighborhoods, like Bulls Head with Willowbrook Pond and Randall Manor with enhanced flood mitigation measures. I’m proud to work with Councilmember Hanks to ensure that the Alison Pond project gets the resources it needs.”
The pond is the namesake of George William Allison, an early 20th century public works engineer, who supervised a series of Works Progress Administration projects around the Island.
City Parks Department officials have identified Allison Pond as an important part of Harbor Brook, a vital part of North Shore drainage into the Kill van Kull.
Christopher Travis, president of the Randall Manor Civic Association, thanked the councilmembers for their funding. District Attorney Michael McMahon, who resides near Allison Pond Park, said it was an important development for the neighborhood.
McMahon was the North Shore’s city councilmember the last time Allison Pond saw a dredging.
“A critical component of our North Shore’s waterways, Allison Pond serves as a natural conduit to the cherished creeks and channels of Randall Manor, Goodhue, Snug Harbor and beyond. Sadly, years of neglect have allowed the pond to fall into disrepair and succumb to pernicious phragmites,”McMahon said. “I commend Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks for securing over $1 million in capital funding in this year’s city budget to dredge the pond once again. Her efforts, along with that of Councilman David Carr, have made it possible that Allison Pond not only survives but thrives, ensuring that future generations of Staten Islanders can enjoy Allison Pond and its neighboring waterways for years to come.”
