From Hot Dog To Bottle Service

Not only were they dealing drugs at Dyckman Marina in Inwood Hill Park but concessionaires were throwing parties with bottle service, something that apparently will end when the next concession opens:

Jerry O’Rourke, operator of the marina and a co-owner of the restaurant, who ran the businesses on concession from the Parks Department, was arrested on Dec. 12, along with eight other people, on charges of helping to operate a large-scale drug ring out of the marina and nearby buildings. Mr. O’Rourke, who is a retired New York City police officer, pleaded not guilty.

The attention of the neighborhood has turned to discussions among those who express amazement or outright disbelief at the allegations, and those who say the activities were an open secret.

Whatever the truth of the charges, though, local residents are already turning to another question: Whither the marina? The marina was a mainstay of the neighborhood, and Mr. O’Rourke was known for staging salsa and merengue concerts. Those gatherings sent sounds echoing off the Palisades across the water and bred a satellite party scene along Dyckman Street, where young men would park tricked-out cars vibrating with bass. The noise provoked constant complaints from neighbors, occasionally leading the police to restrict car access to the end of the street.

Last week, there seemed to be an inverse correlation between local residents’ ages and their interest in seeing this scene recreated. “People had fun there,” said Javier Fernandez, 28, who was wiping down a Town Car inside Hand Car Wash on Dyckman Street. Speaking from beneath the brim of a baseball hat embossed with red flames, he added, “Everyone who lived here went to concerts there.” But many older residents seemed to hope for a more sedate marina, a place free of the packed concerts and $100 bottle service.

“I think the community is relieved at the possibility of a new concession,” said Sarah Morgridge, an aide to City Councilman Robert Jackson, who represents the area. Ms. Morgridge, 58, remembers the marina of 10 years ago as “a place you could grab a hot dog and be down by the water.” The Parks Department said that it planned to solicit proposals for a new concession at the site, and that it would ensure an end to the late-night parties.

Location Scout: Inwood Hill Park.