M. wrote: “Do you know what the giant pavers outside of Stuy High School are for? Feels like they have been there for some time.”

That’s Battery Park City property, so I asked Nick Sbordone at BPCA. They are extra pavers for their ongoing permeable paver pilot program, now installed at four locations in Battery Park City: at the top of South Cove, by the cul-de-sac at South End Avenue; on the South Esplanade, near The Upper Room; near the Rockefeller Park North Lawn; and on the BPC Esplanade, south of the volleyball court area. The pallets are being staged alongside Stuyvesant, and will be moved to offsite storage.

The permeable paver pilot project will replace existing impermeable pavement (like asphalt) with ones that allow stormwater to infiltrate into the park’s soil profile and help mitigate run-off. The pilot will assess the permeable pavement’s efficacy in reducing stormwater run-off and decreasing pooling of storm water, as well as price, installation issues and maintenance costs.