Just a heads up for your calendars or Post-it notes… Councilmember Rosie Mendez is hosting a meeting this coming Tuesday evening to discuss ideas for improving the Tompkins Square Park Playground near East Seventh Street and Avenue B … as the above-flyer says, Mendez has allotted some $900,000 to renovate this space… this is the first step in the improvement process…
The meeting is Tuesday night at St. Brigid's on Avenue B (enter the community center space on the East Eighth Street side) from 6:30-8 p.m.
27 comments:
A good thing !
I think they should include Habitrails™ for the rats in the design; it's more nature study for the children that way.
I don't have kids (surprise, surprise!) so I will probably not make this meeting.
Scuba Diva, you're great. Always so sardonic, like my favorite author S.J. Perelman. Keep it up, please!
what about money for the dog run?
Dear Gojira @ 9:55, I'm a fan of Scuba Diva as well, and need to read more Perelman - thanks for the reminder. SD's bitterness is tempered by gentleness. Some of us dedicated EVG-ers would enjoy Comments more if you would be inspired to follow her example! Sometimes you sound almost nihilistic, and that's a downer. Thanks for reading.
Yes. If we could all post on the exact same keel, and have the same attitude, maybe we could even arrive at the exact same opinions. That would just be great.
Thank you all for cooperating.
We need an adult playground instead - perhaps a cafe with wine and beer in memory of the Life Cafe.
"what about money for the dog run?"
There are 2 dog runs this park, one for big dogs one for smaller. I don't want my child mixing with dogs in a playground once that happens you cannot stop someone for bringing in a pitt bull.
Forgive me if I'm coming from an ignorant place (childless), but what's wrong with the current state of the playgrounds at Tompkins? They seem fine to me. Politicians should concern themselves with REAL PROBLEMS, LIKE HOMELESSNESS. This playground face lift is a waste of money. Also, there are at least TWO PLAYGROUNDS IN THE PARK CURRENTLY THAT ARE NEVER USED AND MOSTLY LOCKED. What's up with that?
Anonymous 12:53, I agree with you. The two playgrounds on that side of the park are file the way they are. My thought was, if anything has to be done, to join them across where the benches are now.
Newsflash - this is for all the moneyed mommies in the hood. I see them every morning with their fancy strollers coming in and out of 9th street Espresso ( both locations). The kids are usually sleeping or crying and the mommies are talking about their apartment redecorating or their second homes. I'm starting to think about going back to the bodega for my morning coffee as between their giant strollers blocking the door and their screamin kids it's almost not worth it.
Not sure how this became a priority for Rosie, would have loved to see this money go to GOLES or MFY legal services etc. to assist tenants being harassed by their landlords. Shiny new playgrounds are just another way for the RE crowd to market the hood to the moneyed.
Beer Garden! There are still a few places left in the East Village that don't revolve around alcohol. We need to fix this!
$900,000 to renovate a playground? Let me guess: everything is getting an antimicrobial silicone with steritouch coating; self-swinging swings; iPhone/Pad/Stroller charger stations; a pedophile panic button; and a full-time safety czar.
Seriously, how much would it cost to maintain a year-round gator pit?
$900,000?
What is wrong with the playgrounds as they are ?
Anon. 10:55 - Tell ya what, you post your way and I'll post mine, okay? And BTW, if my "nihilistic" posts distress you, you do have the option, when you see my name, to skip over them, y'know. Just sayin'. xoxo
At 12:53, Anonymous said...
Forgive me if I'm coming from an ignorant place (childless), but what's wrong with the current state of the playgrounds at Tompkins? They seem fine to me. Politicians should concern themselves with REAL PROBLEMS, LIKE HOMELESSNESS. This playground face lift is a waste of money. Also, there are at least TWO PLAYGROUNDS IN THE PARK CURRENTLY THAT ARE NEVER USED AND MOSTLY LOCKED. What's up with that?
I was talking to an early-childhood educator earlier this evening, and she said the playgrounds were all fine.
Sounds like Ms. Mendez has some money to spend but needs to allocate it "appropriately."
First, does every damn thing in downtown Manhattan have to be under construction at once? Now you want to gentrify our park as well? It's too much. Secondly, Tompkins is perfectly good as it is and the neighborhood enjoys it happily. There are more urgent things that money could be spent on. This is obvious. And yes it does sound suspiciously like it's primarily for the purpose of attracting more luxury condo people when what we really need are less luxury condo people.
@3:05 PM - Actually you see many of the families from Ave D in the kid areas. You should actually look in before parroting a standard "rich yuppies invading" line. Yes I have kids. Yes I've been on Ave. B as long as anyone my age (old). My kids have outgrown the kid areas but they are very crowded after school and weekends across the income brackets.
$900,000 grand is a lot. Would love to see the spiral slide repaired but that's probably against current Parks Dept rules and regs.
There was mention a year or two ago about some group wanting to tear up the handball and basketball courts and the exercise apparatus and put in a "cafe" because "no one uses the exercise apparatus". As the exercise area is very popular all hours with all the various tribes, from the old school long timers to the recently arrived, it sounded more like "no one who is anyone". Because what we need is an expensive Bryant Park cafe area.
Gojira compliments Scuba Diva's style in a friendly exchange and Anon 10:55 pops in specifically to criticize Gojira for being too negative at times. Anon 10:55, you are the bummer you seek to critique. Good day, sir. Or madam.
$900,000 to improve a playground?? Is this a joke? What about hiring some more people to clean-up the park. I see trash every day in Tompkins.
Hmmm...I agree with an earlier comment: What the residents in this neighborhood REALLY need is more assistance trying to fend off the vampire landlords who are convinced that every single apartment in this neighborhood suddenly has more value, renovated or not. Those of us lucky enough to have maintained long-term rent stabilized apartments are very much at risk and constantly facing unneeded harassment from our building owners from outright threats to illegal entry and discontinued services, such as heat/hot water. When I had to go again to housing court to defend my home I called every assistance program and they were all OVERWHELMED. There was no pro bono lawyers, no financial assistance, and the meager advice I got was of little help. The most assistance came from two places: A nice (believe it or not) lawyer who wanted $5K but explained the concept of "rent jamming" to me for free over the phone, and the MET Council on Housing. GOLES (god bless them) and other local tenant associations are able to help some, but I expect most people who appear "smart" enough to handle the law must do so on their own and it's a fight, believe me. There needs to be some more support for elderly folks and those who for whatever reason have grown exhausted in the struggle. But nearly a million for playgrounds that are largely fine? That's just insulting in the face of all of this gentrification. SHAME ON YOU ROSIE!
Thank you, Anon. 9:57!
Perhaps someone could open a cafe on Avenue A -- plenty of storefronts (down two cafes!) for rent.
And agree: $900K is quite a hefty sum for playground renos given the more pressing concerns of homelessness in the park...ought to be quite evident!
Anon 9:52 pm - Point well taken: many on this site, myself included, can fall into parroting the same standard tropes. I also spent many a summer day wt my son (who is now fully grown and gainfully employed - yah!) in tsp and i believe the many friends he made over a wide social spectrum were invaluable to him. If they feel the need a spruce up the playgrounds a bit l'm okay wt that. But 900k is a lot of cake!
Perhaps l've grown more cynical than you over time, but l'd like to know where this money is coming from. Could this perhaps be an end run from the same real estate overlords and rich stroller pushers who wanted the Bryant Park style cafe? Is the money strictly allocated for the existing playground areas or are there plans for expansion? If there are expansion plans, why do l suspect the exercise area will be one of the targets? Certainly many in the real estate/stroller crowd view it as a 'blight' and an 'eyesore.' lf they realized taking out the courts was an overreach, they still may have designs on the exercise area.
The exercise area serves a valuable public purpose. As you noted, it is one of the most heavily utilized sections of the park. Many who enjoy it regularly live in public housing or the shelter system. They have very limited space for any sort of workout and many have very limited funds for any other form of social activity. Some are recovering from alcohol/drug addiction. That section of the park is vital to them. It is a way to feel good about themselves. In a world that seems to offer limited possibilities, it is a way to take positive steps.
If there is a spare 100k kicking around to pretty up the existing playgrounds, then they can knock themselves out. But the park is fine as it is. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
The park is for EVERYONE.
- Special Ed
@flo
This thread is old but I'll mention I'm very suspicious that there might be a stealth remove the handball court and exercise area agenda here. I can't go to the meeting but I have a pal who says he might attend. The exercise area gets a lot of newcomer attention as well so there would be many tribes involved in fighting an encroachment. The handball courts are the obvious target as just recently the number of handball players has declined significantly, and the handball players are all shall we say from the lower classes (read: my friends)
I suspect the $900k is because that's what's on the table and Parks learned the lesson of Moses: If the money's there, find a way to spend it.
The exercise area is for people either out on parole or between stints in prison. I guess they have to have somewhere to go, but it's a seedy place, and I avoid it.
Anon 9:34 am
Awesome! Talk about painting wt a broad brush!
Now if only you and your cohorts would avoid the rest of the east village that'd be a start...
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