It was a popular hangout for teenagers in the 1960s and 1970s, as the deep bowl shaped depression did not allow sound to escape to neighboring streets, and the adolescents were free to engage in underage drinking and playing loud music. There were also dozens of rusted out carcasses of old cars, as stolen cars were left in the quarry, many of which were also burned. Assemblywoman Elizabeth Connelly prevented the remaining exposed quarry from being completely covered by structures due to her ongoing efforts to preserve the land in the 1980s. Friends of the Graniteville Quarry Park helped to make the park a recognized park area. While the city did own the land, in a deal brokered by Ellen Pratt, leader of the Protectors of Pine Oaks nonprofit, the city-owned land sat for decades before Kathy Romanelli and Marco Justine formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called The Friends of the Graniteville Quarry, in 2001. Over forty tons of trash were removed from the site, and it became an official city park. The Friends of Graniteville Quarry organizes a bi-annual cleanup, complementing the efforts of the Parks Department. The nonprofit, with help from community children, planted 1,500 flower bulbs, funded by a grant Councilwoman Debi Rose obtained for the park. Benimoff, a full professor at the nearby College of Staten Island, takes students there on field trips each year to learn about the site, and about the unique geological formations to be found there. The buses all stop within a block of the quarry.