August 24, 2006
Midterms for Parks and It's Not Good
New Yorkers for Parks released a 2006 Progress Report on neighborhood parks that were examined in the 2005 Report Card on Parks, and the news is depressing. While five of the top ten parks are still in great shape, the other five have deteriorated, most dramatically, Tenney Park in Queens which had been given an A+ in 2005, but now warrants an F in 2006. And parks that were in bad shape are just getting worse. NY4P notes that daily maintenance is a big part in keeping parks great, and had a few suggestions to keep them in better condition:
- Double park maintenance during peak season. Once-a-day cleaning is clearly insufficient for parks such as University Woods in the University Heights section of the Bronx and Martinez Playground in East Williamsburg. These parks have perennially scored the lowest on NY4P’s Report Card on Parks, and twice-a-day cleaning would provide a minimum level of care.You can read the Progress Report and past Report Cards here.
- Provide a full-time gardener in every Community Board District. “We are encouraged by the Mayor and City Council’s move in the last budget cycle to increase the number of gardeners in parks. We now call on our elected officials to take the next step, which would provide a gardener for every community board—virtually doubling the amount of dedicated workers in our parks,” said NY4P’s Executive Director Christian DiPalermo. A recent study by the Trust for Public Land found that New York currently ranks below the national average in parks spending per resident. In fact, New York City spends less per resident on parks than San Francisco, Chicago and Minneapolis.
- Borough Presidents should take the lead in encouraging civic engagement and private investment in parks to raise the level of safety and cleanliness. “Borough Presidents already play an integral role in building and repairing parks in their boroughs. The next logical step is for them to take the lead in creating more community stewardship to work with the Parks Department to ensure that each and every park is receiving the attention it needs,” DiPalermo said.
Photograph of Tenney Park from New Yorkers for Parks
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Tenney Park is trapped forever in 2005. Or Jen Chung is.
I love 2005!
how about banning cars from the parks?
i lick parks! we ridz our bikes & sk8 n it! no cars, it makes me mad when i try to sk8 and bam-o and honks and whatnotz!
clearly ken was hit by a car while riding his bike in the park.
i have never once seen anyone in my park in brooklyn cleaning. yet bryant park is filled with staff people at all hours...
Did you know that the 98% of the entire workforce on the ground at Parks is from welfare-to-work programs. That's sick.
Parks is a big fat bloated agency that should trim the fat from the top down.
Parks has all but abandoned maintenance of bike greenways south of 125th St. Check out Harlem River greenway between 155th and Dyckman--weeds, garbage, park benches engulfed by overgrowth; Van Cortlandt Park: weeds have been gradually taken over parts of the greenway, within eyeshot of the Parks office, yet they haven't been cut in 2 summers now. Fort Washington Park: needs another "no cars in the park" campaign. Cars drive on the greenway, park on the grass. Parks & NYPD's actual policy in Ft. Washington Park? Wink & Nod at the scofflaws and then tell everyone who complains that it's someone else's job, or that nothing more can be done.
Did you know that the 98% of the entire workforce on the ground at Parks is from welfare-to-work programs. That's sick.
Um, why? It seems to me that most of the parks are in projects anyway.
the "greenway" that leads to the ocean parkway greenway in brooklyn is also in desparate need of repairs... weeds, cracks, uneven sidewalks - scary!