From the NY Post:
The Big Apple's parks are so deep in red ink, city swimming pools are about to run dry.
Mayor Bloomberg's $63.6 billion preliminary spending plan for the next fiscal year anticipates the Parks Department's budget dropping by 9.4 percent, to $239.1 million -- resulting in massive layoffs and service cuts, including the closing of some pools.
It's part of across-the-board cuts all city departments face as the mayor tries to close a $4.9 billion budget gap.
By the end of the next fiscal year, the Parks Department's full-time staff could be gutted by 20 percent, from 3,722 to 2,974, according to the city's financial plan for fiscal years 2010-2014.
And this does not include thousands of part-time and seasonal jobs also in danger of being lost, either through hiring freezes or layoffs.
Geoffrey Croft of the watchdog group New York City Park Advocates said the city already lacks enough workers to maintain its 29,000 acres of parkland, and called the cuts "just another slap in the face to the public."
"Taking care of parks simply isn't a priority with this administration," he said.
The proposed reduced Parks budget represents less than four-tenths of 1 percent of the mayor's entire spending plan -- a paltry sum, Croft said, considering parkland takes up about 14 percent of city land.
In 1960, 1.4 percent of taxpayer spending was set aside for parks. Park funding increased with the rest of the city budget over the next five decades, but didn't rise at the same pace as other departments'.
The city has turned to borrowing billions of dollars to keep the parks from returning to the nightmare days of the fiscally strapped 1970s.
Photo from Jaunted
14 comments:
He is the green mayor from Wall St.
He's like oil and water being from shell game central and saying its the greenest city in the country? Yeah OK there pathological liar.
Do these cut affect the highline park? I think not.
The city has turned to borrowing billions of dollars to keep the parks from returning to the nightmare days of the fiscally strapped 1970s.
Close our parks and watch folks begin to take to the streets as their playground. Then watch them burn down everything in site, riot and loot their neighborhoods. History repeats itself, just different faces doing the deeds.
The Highline park is not a real park; it's an artificial steel and concrete walkway decorated with bushes.
i guess he won't be giving out money to save saint saviour's anytime soon. if this mayor promotes yet another site in manhattan we should all protest. how is this man creating jobs when he's letting go of people?? this city is going to hell.
Funny you should show Astoria Park where the Vallone Clique ignored the community's wish for term limits and delivered the community like so much cattle.
Of course, the fact that they dutifully marched off the cattle car doessn't help the cause in winning our sympathy, either, which just might explain why that park looks like shit.
But boy oh boy, the community is rezoning so you can add mom out back... in that 9 story building you want to add to you house.
They did get that right.
I'd stay away from "diverse, vibrant" Flushing Meadows Corona Park...unless, of course, you've got a pistol carry permit....which isn't likely.
Maybe Mayor Mike will sell off NYC's public parks just like he's doing with TDC Rockefeller group's purchase of Municipal Parking Lot #1 in downtown Flushing.
If that's to be then I want a a cut in my tax bill that covers maintaining these previously PUBLIC facilities!
"The Highline park is not a real park; it's an artificial steel and concrete walkway decorated with bushes."
http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/highline/
It seems that the parks dept disagrees with your assessment so until you are appointed the parks commissioner your opinion about the high line not being a park is incorrect.
Consider this:
http://curbed.com/archives/2009/08/03/high_line_backlash_mo_money_mo_problems.php#more
According to this article, parks dept spends an average of $9,555 per acre in parks upkeep and an expected $522,408 per acre on the highline. Will the city still spend more on the highline located in Manhattan (the affluent center of the NYC universe) than outer borough parks. That was the point I was making.
Why do the parks need to be closed at all -- especially the pools? Use the welfare recipients to maintain the parks. They get their checks -- let them work for their money. How about the prison population? We feed and clothe them and put a roof over their heads. Why can't they maintain the parks? Let the Park's Department oversee these people and keep our parks and pools open. There is no reason to close them when we have so many able-bodied people collecting checks while sitting at home doing nothing.
Why do the parks need to be closed at all -- especially the pools? Use the welfare recipients to maintain the parks. They get their checks -- let them work for their money. How about the prison population? We feed and clothe them and put a roof over their heads. Why can't they maintain the parks? Let the Park's Department oversee these people and keep our parks and pools open. There is no reason to close them when we have so many able-bodied people collecting checks while sitting at home doing nothing.
I wouldn't mind them closing the pool in Astoria park. The old men that work there are pedophiles that ogle the little kids taking showers and the pool is full of used condoms.
oh gaaaddd! gross!
Call the Health Department. Your tax dollars are paying for that. If true, thats Disgusting.
taxpayers paid approximately $3 million to convert the P.S.159 playground to a park with 19 trees,in august 2009. it was locked 24/7 since.
it was opened during the snowfall recently,plowed, and served as a parking lot for teachers cars. the cars
jump the curb on the Clearview Exp. service rd.,cross the sidewalk to park.(no curb cuts).
so far no teen has been permitted to play in the play space. this school is in Bayside. 205 street/33rd ave.
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