[Photo from 2012 in Tompkins Square Park by Bobby Williams]
A report issued by NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer's office late last week found that the city's 1,428 park bathrooms are — paraphrasing — pretty shitty for a variety of reasons, especially apparent if you've ever been inside the ones in Tompkins Square Park.
Anyway, let's get right to that report:
[M]any NYC Parks comfort stations have fallen into disrepair, subject to poor maintenance and hazardous conditions. Among the 1,428 NYC Parks bathrooms, nearly 400 sinks, toilets, walls, ceilings, changing tables, and other features were damaged or missing during their latest inspection. Over 50 “hazards” were identified that presented the chance of moderate to debilitating injury. And, in nine Community Districts, more than a quarter of NYC Parks bathrooms were deemed “unacceptable.”
And...
[F]ar too many NYC Parks bathrooms remain in unseemly condition; repelling children, families, seniors, and everyday New Yorkers, rather than providing relief. In total, 100 bathrooms across the City were found to be in “unacceptable” condition during their most recent inspection. This included 15 percent of NYC Parks bathrooms in Manhattan and 12 percent in Brooklyn ...
The report breaks down the city into community districts, and leading the pack with the largest share of “unacceptable” park bathrooms is District 3 — Chinatown/the Lower East Side (including the East Village), where 40 percent of the facilities were found to be unacceptable...
... due to a) multiple features being unsatisfactory, b) one feature having a serious safety hazard, or c) the playground having a failed cleanliness rating.
Stringer's report offers recommendations for fixing these park restrooms.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Parks Department disputed Stringer's findings. Gothamist has the story:
"This administration has invested in the construction and reconstruction of more than 15% of our park comfort stations—27 have been completed, and 76 are active capital projects. Since 2015, we have worked to standardize their design and each facility includes changing tables — in the men’s and women’s restrooms.
"Through our robust PIP inspection program, and park management and staff oversight, we closely monitor the conditions of each of our 690 comfort stations. Our reporting shows that they are open on average 94% of the time (FY16, FY17 and FY18) during the season."
There is no oversight or management of the TSP bathrooms. I file 311 complaints regularly with no results despite the complaints being closed and classified as "resolved." Never any TP, toilets clogged, sinks don't work, toilet seats missing, doors don't close, needles and trash everywhere. Not to mention the drug use and prostitution. Every once in a while, there's a new coat of paint, which apparently the parks dept considers adequate maintenance.
ReplyDeleteCool we haven't lost our edge.
ReplyDeleteAs a male resident who lives near Tompkins Park, I try to avoid the toilets like the plague when I am in the park. I did have to visit the urinal once a long time ago as an emergency, but now I either do my business before I leave or after I get home. It was that bad. That area is atrocious and disgusting. Where is our tax dollars going to? You think if the city was able to conjure up a couple of billion dollars to tear up our beloved East River park, one would also think there were funds allocated to update the public bathrooms in and around the EV and LES. I just don't get it.
ReplyDelete@8:57
ReplyDeleteYou really didn't need to include the word, "bathrooms" in your first sentence.
I'm a 45 year EV resident a, regular TSP visitor and an actor. I've grown accustomed to the scuz factor, and was amused when working on a recent project, watching the horrified reactions of crew members who'd never experienced such deplorable facilities.
ReplyDelete