[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."
