January 26, 2012 Public Design Commission of the City of New York 253 Broadway, Fifth Floor New

York, NY 10007

Dear Commissioners, My name is Edwin Cosme. I am currently the President of the Coney Island Board of Trade, and the Founder and President of the Coney Island Sports Foundation. As a lifetime resident of Coney Island and in both of my professional capacities, I firmly reject and oppose the Parks Department's proposal to reconstruct our Boardwalk, in whole or in part, using concrete slabs. The Coney Island Sports Foundation stages various running events on the Boardwalk throughout the year. Each of these attracts many hundreds of runners and contributes to our economic vitality and well-being. A large part of the reason we attract so many runners to our races is the opportunity to run a race on a forgiving wood surface. Even casual walkers and recreational joggers and runners shy away from exercising on concrete altogether. There have been many complaints already from all of these groups regarding the two sections of concrete that were installed previously, with no community input. Approval of this ill-conceived plan would deter many of the recreational walkers and runners from coming to the Boardwalk, since exercising on concrete increases the stress to the body's joints tremendously, thereby increasing the risk of injury. In a day and age when we emphasize the importance of well-being, good health and exercising, the installation of concrete where large numbers of people come to engage in these healthful pursuits, should be seen as unhealthy, dangerous, and unacceptable. If approved, this plan would result in the elimination of many of these running events that we sponsor, since so many would no longer wish to attend. This will have a direct negative economic impact for not only our organization, but for all businesses in the area. I strongly urge you to take into account the negative components for our community's health and business interests, and to reject this plan!

Edwin Cosme, President Coney Island Sports Foundation 1726 Mermaid Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11224 917-710-1004