We got a “D”.
Below is the extensive report done by New Yorkers for Parks. As you may remember we met with them a while back and they gave us a pretty good idea of their findings. Now it’s official.
The Report Card on Parks: Spotlight on the Community Parks Initiative.
In no way does it reflect the hard work of staff and volunteers of Sara Roosevelt Park who work diligently and long hours (many with no pay, some with little pay) to make this park a good place to be.
Our electeds have also funded us on many projects that are ongoing.
We think we need some decisions and action on furthering the ability of the neighborhood to pitch in on the park in an ongoing way that is institutionalized and protected.
Everywhere we have stable local participation we have a unique and beautiful park. Everywhere we have a beehive of activity – be it the Gardens, the Bird Sanctuary, the BRC Senior Nutrition Center,
or Parks workers who maintain THIS park – we have hubs of purpose and often unique beauty.
Let’s work with each other, the workers here, our electeds and Parks to change this ‘grade’.
NYs for Parks Recommendations: “Renew Sara D. Roosevelt Park Sara D. Roosevelt Park needs significant capital improvements, as well as increased maintenance attention. At over 80 years old, Sara D. Roosevelt Park is an incredibly successful, well-loved urban park. With multiple playgrounds, athletic areas, passive recreational space, and community gardens, “Sara D.” is highly popular and heavily used. The low score the park received in this Report Card points to the day-to-day consequences of its popularity and to the need for additional maintenance as well as comprehensive capital renewal. Recent small-scale improvements have transformed sections of Sara D. Roosevelt Park, creating vibrant, multi-generational spaces. These success stories include the renovated Hester Street Playground, a new synthetic turf field in partnership with Nike at Stanton Street , and a restored park building at Delancey Street which houses the BRC Senior Center. The popularity of these features proves that any improvement made to Sara D. Roosevelt Park will have a tremendous value for the neighborhood. However, not all parts of Sara D. Roosevelt Park shine. Remaining athletic fields, playgrounds, and many pathways show wear-and-tear signs of heavy use, and are in need of refurbishment. It is clear that the current maintenance capacity of NYC Parks is not meeting the operational needs of this property. Adding maintenance staff and plumbers will improve daily conditions of critical features, like comfort stations and spray showers. The remaining park buildings should be restored to uses by the public. Sara D. Roosevelt Park is a perfect site for capital improvements: it is a very heavily used neighborhood park serving several high-needs communities, providing much-needed open space in a dense area of the city.” *1 The Stanton Street field was under construction at the time of this survey, and is not included as part of Sara D. Roosevelt Park’s evaluation.
A “D” is our starting point. Not our end point.
Thanks for all your work.
K
K Webster
President
Sara Roosevelt Park Coalition