From the Daily News:The Parks Department should be ashamed.
If you want to see the arthritic hand of your government at work in the city's parks, become a Little League dad like me.
In the past two years, I have been on almost every sandlot in eastern Queens, as my kid has played for a Little League team and a CYO baseball team, in spring, summer, and fall seasons. We've played in Cunningham Park, Alley Pond Park, Harvey Park, McNeil Park, Golden Fields, Crocheron Park, College Point Fields, Flushing Park, Peck Park and more.
And I am very sad to report here that almost every single field is a disaster.
Many Little League games are played during the week, starting at 6 p.m. And in its infinite wisdom, Parks closes the public bathrooms in Alley Pond and Crocheron and other parks at 5:30, just in time for scores of kids - who must hydrate while playing sports - and all their families - who sip soft drinks and coffee - to arrive for a game.
This time, 11 taxpaying fathers who work all week, and who also pay soaring sales and real estate taxes to this city, had to lug heavy buckets of dirt, dig irrigation trenches, rake, shovel and till the field with their own garden tools to make it playable for the children of Queens. As the men toiled, several Parks trucks drove past. Did a single worker stop to help? Or loan a broom, rake, shovel, wheelbarrow, or, God help us all, a helping hand?
Nope.
The game was played. But Mike Bloomberg sure didn't score any runs.
4 comments:
Why should we waste money on your urchins when there is excellent Tennis at Flushing Meadow and Golf at Bethpage Black for all who have the ducets.
Do you think games are for children?
We will be in the luxury boxes in Yankee and Shea Stadiums spitting down at you.
The Queens Parks Commissioner responsible (irresponsible is actually more like it) for the disgrace is Dorothy Lewandowski, who got her job by taking the jobs of minority women.
She will take food and tuition money away from children in minority families, but still refuses to produce anything useful to justify that arrogant theft. Question: does Lewandowski enjoy the agony and embarrassment that youngsters suffer when they are kept out of public bathrooms in public parks?
Sissy Benepe and Commissar Death and Taxes (I love the Middle Class) defended Lewandowski and never compensated the victims of this loutish and incompetent woman's violations of their civil rights to promotions and pay raises.
Park users are victims of this trio's incompetence. How much thought goes into unlocking bathroom doors? Apparently more thought than Lewandowski or her masters are capable of.
What a shame. The parks in Manhattan are nice....why is that? They have money to fix up the highline.
I feel sorry for the kids. This is a disgrace!
Mayor Bloomberg should send a Thank You letter to the Dads that fix up the fileds so these kids can play.
Personally, I hope that it rains and rains and rains. The taxpayers at Bethpage Black can't use their own course because wealther golfers buy tee times from scalpers for hundreds of dollars (legal, since this is a "participatory" event.)
The adults all sit in luxury seats in stadia built on land stolen from children's parks in the Bronx and are eyeing up additional land-grabs in Queens.
Rain, Rain, Rain. The rich can sit at home with the rest of us or watch the rain fall from their boxes.
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