A coalition of native elected officers, together with Council Member Chi Ossé, joined New Yorkers for Parks and group advocates at Herbert Von King Park on April 21 to name on Mayor Eric Adams to revive funding for the NYC Parks Division and reinstate 800 important parks jobs.
Picture by Gabriele Holtermann
Council Member Chi Ossé, New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P) and native park advocates rallied Monday at Herbert Von King Park in Bedford-Stuyvesant, calling on Mayor Eric Adams to revive funding for town’s Parks Division and 800 parks-related jobs.
Park advocates say underfunding and understaffing have led to unsafe parks and playgrounds, dirtier loos, un-mowed lawns, and untrimmed timber — considerably affecting high quality of life for New Yorkers.
Adam Ganser, govt director of NY4P, instructed Brooklyn Paper that 800 important park jobs have been misplaced over the previous three years attributable to pay cuts and hiring freezes. These losses, he mentioned, have led to a “visible deterioration” of New Yorkers’ most cherished out of doors gathering areas.
Adam Ganser referred to as for extra park staff and extra funding in New York CIty parks.Picture by Gabriele Holtermann
In response to Parks Division Very important Parks information — which evaluates parks based mostly on cleanliness, security, resiliency, structural parts like play tools, panorama options reminiscent of lawns and timber, and the situation of facilities — 62% of metropolis parks rating a 95 out of 100. In Brooklyn, nevertheless, solely 25% of parks attain that benchmark.
“These are really quality of life issues,” Ganser mentioned. “And when you have your park spaces not feeling safe and not feeling clean and comfortable, people don’t want to be there, and that’s a real problem in New York, where everybody is really relying on these spaces.”
The Parks Division manages 1,700 metropolis parks, greater than 1,000 playgrounds, 161 miles of waterfront and seashores, 50 recreation facilities, 65 swimming pools and over 2 million timber. But the division has been chronically underfunded, with its funds hovering round 0.6% of town’s complete for the previous 40 years.
Ganser mentioned it’s unlucky that the mayor has not fulfilled his 2021 marketing campaign promise to allocate 1% of town funds to metropolis parks.
Council Member Chi Ossé referred to as for a good and efficient metropolis funds for NYC parks. Picture by Gabriele Holtermann
“You know we were coming out of COVID. It was clear and still is so clear, how important parks are in a dense urban environment like New York City. So coming in and committing to that 1% was a watershed moment for parks,” Ganser mentioned. “This will potentially be the last budget that this mayor is negotiating, and it’s a real opportunity [for him] to step up and move towards fulfilling that commitment to our city’s parks.”
Council Member Ossé referred to as New York Metropolis parks the “lifeblood” of town.
“The fact that this mayor, consistently over the past four years, has denigrated and defunded our parks is dead wrong,” Ossé mentioned. “We have the political power to make sure that we can make our parks well-funded like they should be. I’m here to advocate for 1% for parks.”
Morgan Monaco, president of the Prospect Park Alliance, mentioned investing in New York Metropolis parks is essential within the face of local weather change.
“Climate change is happening right now in our city, and our parks are one of our biggest defenders against the impacts of climate change,” Monaco mentioned.
Native park advocates joined in for the trigger. Picture by Gabriele Holtermann
Amy Andrieux, govt director of the Museum of Modern African Diasporan Artwork, emphasised the significance of New York Metropolis parks in constructing group and serving as a sanctuary for residents.
“But parks don’t take care of themselves,” mentioned Andrieux, vowing to face with park staff. “We will stand with you and fight for you until every sense of funding is restored to our parks because we need our parks, and we need you. Because what is New York City without parks? It’s not very New York City at all.”
In an announcement, the Adams administration mentioned it continues to put money into metropolis parks, working to make them safer and cleaner for all New Yorkers.
“At the start of this year alone, we invested more than $18 million to expand cleaning to 100 more areas that need it most at 64 parks, staff a new recreation center in East Flatbush, and expand the fight against rats,” a spokesperson for the mayor instructed Brooklyn Paper. “We remain dedicated to making meaningful investments to make sure our parks remain our city’s greatest backyards.”
