Several readers have asked us what was happening with the sandbox in the playground on Avenue A and East Ninth Street in Tompkins Square Park... the sandbox has been closed in recent weeks...
We didn't hear back from anyone at the Parks Department... we also asked Chad Marlow, who helped launch
the Tompkins Square Park & Playgrounds Parents' Association (TSP3A) in 2011 to address such issues...
Marlow confirmed that the Parks Department had closed the sandbox because of a recurring problem — the sharp lip is exposed when the sand level gets too low ... kids are apparently removing the sand for various reasons...
Marlow said that the parents lobbied to have a sign placed next to the sandbox ...
"The jagged edge in the sandbox and its proximity to the sprinklers are serious design flaws, but they are manageable if parents and caregivers enforce the rules for their own kids and others," said Marlow, who noted that the sand is on order.
In other Park matters, we asked Marlow for an update on the rats
travaganza... that made headlines this time last summer... TSP3A first raised concerns of the growing rat population last summer.
[
Last night, photo by Bobby Williams]
Back in March,
The Villager reported that Park officials had brought Ratstravaganza under control.
However, as you may have noticed, there seem to be more rats around... not quite a return to the
bad old days of
July 2011. Still.
"Sadly, moronic actions like when people are dumping mass quantities of bread for the pigeons — and rats — to eat undermines our efforts," Marlow said.
"Contrary to popular opinion, these old bread dumps are not being done by the food charities but by the restaurants across Avenue A," Marlow said. "It takes a year to improve things and a few weeks to ruin them again. So sad."
Previously.
[Photos courtesy of Chad Marlow]
