“They’re not addressing the real issues, they’re creating more of the same issues,” said Michael Greco, a 48-year-old electrician and construction designer who warned months ago that this would happen. “The planks are coming up because of the [police and Parks Department] cars and the ice formation, which leaves the water with nowhere to go. It’s just poor planning all around.”

Philip Abramson, a spokesman for the Parks Department, said the real problem was the installation of the boards and the screws.

“Screws were originally inserted directly into the concrete sub-structure, leading some of them to pop out,” he said. “During the current work, we are inserting the screws into wooden pieces which are embedded into the concrete structure.”

To date, the Parks Department has reconstructed some of the most heavily used areas of the worn-out boardwalk. The Steeplechase Pier and the north side of boardwalk between West 10th Street and Stillwell Avenue were rebuilt last year; the south side is currently being worked on.

While some areas, such as the front of the Coney Island amusement park, won’t be renovated and will retain the traditional wood decking, other areas will be renewed using concrete decking, which the department says will look like real wood.

“Before you fix something, you have to know why it broke. I don’t think they’re fully aware of the use that boardwalk gets,” said Greco, referring to heavy foot traffic, vehicle travel, and seasonal environmental changes.

“When it rains, snows, or ice melts, the wood absorbs water and cracks,” he said. “The application of that type of hardware is wrong.”

Greco suggested to the Parks Department the use of galvanized steel beams and “through-bolting” the top of the planks for permanent, unbreakable results and easier maintenance, but they declined his proposition, claiming to be bound by contracts.

Parks officials suspected Greco, as a construction designer, had some vested interest in making his suggestions, but Greco insisted to them, and to Bay Currents, that he was not pursuing any contract. “I just want the boardwalk to be preserved,” he said.  “If you don’t put love into something from the beginning, you’re not going to get love out of it.”