Malliotakis, Morano Announce Agreement Between NYC and National Park Service to Fund Great Kills Park Remediation

Image October 20, 2026 Press Release (STATEN ISLAND, NY) — Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) and New York City Council Member Frank Morano today announced that New York City has signed a funding and implementation agreement with the National Park Service (NPS) to advance the remediation of radioactive contamination at Great Kills Park on Staten Island. The agreement follows a July 28, 2026, letter from Malliotakis and Morano to National Park Service Acting Superintendent Minka Sendich and New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Garcia urging both agencies to finalize the necessary agreements and expedite the cleanup. The agreement marks a critical step toward the remediation of the Great Kills Ball Field that was condemned and closed to the public in March 2009 following the discovery of radioactive contamination. Under the agreement, New York City is responsible for funding and completing the remediation, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stands ready to perform the cleanup work on the City's behalf. Once the remediation is completed, construction of the levee and tide-gate portions of the East Shore Seawall can move forward, bringing the project closer to completion and ultimately providing critical coastal storm protection for Staten Island residents and their homes. "Staten Islanders have waited more than twenty years for this contamination to be addressed, and this agreement is an important step toward finally getting the cleanup underway," said Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis. "Council Member Frank Morano and I have pushed the agencies involved to work together and eliminate unnecessary delays so we can move this project forward. Remediating Great Kills Park is critical to completing the East Shore Seawall and protecting our communities from future storms like Superstorm Sandy." “After more than 20 years, it looks like we're finally moving from finger-pointing to actual progress at Great Kills Park. I want to give tremendous credit to Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, who's been absolutely relentless in fighting to get this done. I'm proud to have worked alongside her to help break this logjam. This agreement is a major victory for Staten Island, but it's not the finish line. Now we need to turn signatures on paper into shovels in the ground. Cleaning up Great Kills Park isn't just about reclaiming a treasured public space. It's also about completing the East Shore Seawall and protecting thousands of Staten Islanders from the next Superstorm Sandy. Nicole and I aren't going to let up until the job is done," said Council Member Frank Morano. Read Malliotakis and Morano's July 2026 letter HERE .