Don’t try to tell this no-nonsense Brooklyn judge about the Coney Island boardwalk!
Judge Martin Solomon turned his courtroom into a seaside sideshow yesterday, sternly lecturing activists suing the city to preserve Coney Island’s rickety wooden boardwalk on the walkway’s history.
After the group’s lawyer, Anne Railton, argued that by law the city must conduct an environmental review before replacing any of the 2.7-mile wooden walkway with cement and plastic planks, the judge fired back, “I would say I know a little more about this than you do.”
“You know, when they built this boardwalk 100 years ago, they didn’t envision cars on the boardwalk or hypodermic needles underneath it,” added the judge, who even noted that seven homeless people living under the boardwalk have been documented by Census workers.
Solomon also boasted to the roughly 70 people in court that he knows “more about the boardwalk than probably anybody here.”
“Has the Parks Department considered the slip-and-fall lawsuits? There’s a bunch of trial attorneys in here; they’re just waiting for the plastic to go in,” he said.
Opponents of the city’s plan contend that cement and plastic planks are much slipperier than wood — and more expensive to maintain.
City lawyers said the Parks Department intends to use “higher-friction plastic” to prevent falls.
The suit, filed in July, seeks to block the Parks Department from moving forward with its plan to replace five blocks of the 89-year-old boardwalk that extend into Brighton Beach.
Critics also say a cement boardwalk would strip Coney Island of a historic treasure.
“The judge was abrupt and very strict,” said Todd Dobrin, president of the grass-roots group Friends of the Boardwalk.
“Our lawyers tried to say this case is about more than just the facts, but he’s a no-nonsense judge.”
Solomon said he plans to rule within 60 days.