Via the EVG inbox...
On Monday, Feb. 27, NYC Councilwoman Rosie Mendez and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation will hold a community meeting pertaining to the Tompkins Square Park Avenue B Children’s Playground Renovation.
Councilwoman Mendez allocated capital funds to renovate the Avenue B Children’s Playground. The Parks Department has supplemented the funding with its “Parks Without Borders” Initiative that would lower the fences from its present height of 7 feet to 4 feet.
This initiative to lowers the fences at the Avenue B Playground has raised many concerns from residents and NYC Councilwoman Mendez. Please join us at the meeting to share your concerns for the initiative.
The meeting takes place Monday night from 6:30-8 at Saint Brigid-Saint Emeric on Avenue B at Eighth Street. Use the entrance on Eighth Street.
For a little more background, here's a piece from DNAinfo earlier this month:
The Parks Department currently plans to lower the fences around the two playgrounds at the southeast corner of the park from seven feet to four feet as part of a larger reconstruction project, claiming the high fences could obscure bad behavior and actually make the playgrounds less safe.
But community representatives say lowering the fences would expose children using the playgrounds to "vagrants" and drug paraphernalia in the park.
Capt. Vincent Greany, commanding officer at the 9th Precinct, also told DNAinfo that he believes the fences should not be lowered.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Your chance to brainstorm ideas to renovate the Tompkins Square Park Playground (27 comments)
Reminders: Meeting on possible improvements to the Tompkins Square Park Playground
Join Rosie Mendez to discuss improvements to the Tompkins Square playgrounds tomorrow night
28 comments:
They have money and don't know what to do with it, so that is the
best they could come up with on how to waste it.
Inane discussion, waist of time and potential waist of money. Let's get our priorities right Rosie.
This would be a real waste of money, keep the fences as is and use that money on something more urgent.
Three random comments above.
Any one of them displaying more intelligence than the people actually elected to responsibly deal with this.
Since when does suspect behavior happen 7 feet in the air? This sounds like an excuse to dole out a contract for the work.
Agree, with other posters this just feels like a weird wasteful project. Solar panel lights for Tompkins basketball courts and Brian Watkins Tennis Center please! And maybe a red light camera or twenty.
This is so absurdly pointless and strange. Why is this even a discussion? Just leave the fences. The only reason to lower them would be so teenagers can happen in the middle of the night… I don't see the point otherwise - they are transparent. Such a strange thing to think of.
10:03
These are all very good ideas. Maybe a couple of bikes for cops so they can actually patrol the park and surrounding areas (i) without almost running over anyone while driving on walkways and (ii) so they can't hide in their cars and play on their phone for an entire shift.
The fence height is fine! Please use money to fix broken equipment & find something to replace the removed tire swings.
Leave them..better for child safety..
i love that there is community input for the height of a playground fence (i am not for or against it at this time, and I agree the money could be better spent)
however, why are more important issues not discussed with the community?
like how much the low line is costing and what effect it will have on existing tenants (residential and commercial) and the rapid real estate escalation as happened by the high line? – should the hours of the library change? – what should the percentage of "affordable" housing in new development be? – what is affordable? - should air rights be sold for an increase in development heights? – why is there no consistency in regulations for development and/or preservation of so called affordable housing? – why, after 30 years of attempts, is there absolutely NO PROTECTION AT ALL for small businesses (city-wide)? – etc.
I've got kids in the park every day. I don't see any upside to lowering the fences and there's the potential of raising the bum and teenage mischief factor.
"... claiming the high fences could obscure bad behavior and actually make the playgrounds less safe."
What? The fences don't obscure the view at all. Don't usually tend towards conspiracy but does someone have a fence lowering contract they want to cash in? Or generic city money that's been allocated without an existing project. Expand the kids pool if there's a need to spend money.
Someone has a "friend" who needs some $$$ replacing the fences. They're SEE THROUGH. This is the biggest waste of money when lots more needs to be done.
Waste of money. Spend it on improving the bathrooms!
Make them higher and call it the Tompkins Square Child Zoo
The fences are see-through as another poster pointed out, so how do they obscure the view.
Also, lower fencing would make it possible for dogs to jump into the playground, putting the kids at risk for bites.
And lower fencing would also make it quite easy for any weirdo to lure a kid over and lift him or her right over the fence.
I can't believe they would consider lowering the fences at all, and I don't even have kids!
But, seriously for the safety of the kids, I would leave the fences as is.
Why replace them at all? Is someone getting a kickback from the fencing company?
The reason this discussion is happening is because the Parks Department has supplemented CM Mendez's discretionary capital funding with money designated to the Parks Department's 'Parks Without Borders' initiative, which seeks to overhaul park entrances and access points (more here, google provides: https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/planning/parks-without-borders). To all of the commenters above complaining that this is a waste of time - show up to the meeting! That's your chance to actually be heard, and share your concerns directly with someone from the Parks Department. Commenting here does little to ensure that CM Mendez or folks from the borough office of Parks will hear your concerns. Don't think the fences need to be changed? Think there's a better use of that money? Show up and speak up about what you want to see, otherwise it's all hot air on the neighborhood blog.
@12:36 PM
"Tompkins Square Child Zoo" for the win!
As a parent that would be truth in advertising.
I agree. There are a lot of good ideas here and if we don't start speaking up about preserving the park as it is (instead of blowing cash to nonexistent problems, i.e. fence height) then we'll lose that public space. We must start showing up and making our opinions heard clearly and with respect. I'm so very worried about these small improvements eventually taking the form of a "public private partnership" where suddenly the entire north section of Tompkin's, the black-topped free form area largely used by adults, is ripe for development with the promise of a new little "restaurant" or "shake shack". We cannot let such a thing happen.
Tear down the fence. They will not divide us!
If it's not broke no need to fix it....money better spend planting new trees to replace the old Giants being lost.. remove those "sandboxes" they are unsanitary for a child to play in with rats a squirrels in them after hours...Renovate the North side asphalt jungle make it green this is a park after all those hideous tall chain fences should go along with the asphalt that belongs on a street. The relatively new East River Park offers multiple athletic fields let the park be a place of nature.
The park is sorely lacking in disco balls yet all they care about is the fences. THIS IS SUCH BULLSHIT.
That nice Tall Fence serves an important purpose: it actually helps to muffle the sound of the screams of all those wild children inside. That's why they call it the Tompkins Square, Park Children Zoo.
Here's an idea Rosie:
BUILD A NEW BANDSHELL IN THE OLD BANDSHELL LOCATION.
Can we consider rat extermination??
Central Park has low fence playgrounds but really the park can use funds for other needed means. Bathrooms for sure and of course return of bandshell would be amazing !!
What is happening is that Parks Dept is saying the fences must be lowered regardless of what the community wants. Rosie does not want the money spent to lower fences--this meeting is your opportunity to show parks they cannot come here and force lower fences against community wishes. there is much better use for the money and lowering fences around playgrounds is not safe.
Come to the meeting and fight for community having a say. The people who live here know what is needed--and it is NOT spending money to lower perfectly fine fences.
With fake news comes fake issues. Give it a rest. It's just a distraction from more important issues.
cmarrtyy, fake news is a lie. this is not a lie.The issue of people in a community having a say on how their money is spent (many thousands of dollars) is important. Some believe it is very important for people living in a community to have input into making decisions for their community and for understanding what is safe in their community. It is fine this is not of concern to you--but why should you tell other people it is not important and they should stop speaking about an issue.
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