A New Park 07-00

July 2000

We need a new park. Not just any park, but a multi-million dollar park, complete with lighting, bathroom facilities (just ask any parent who has had to search for a bathroom for their child), functional water fountains, a track, adequate parking facilities, reconstructed surfaces on the basketball courts and softball fields, and other controlled recreational activities on the land where so many have played for generations. The new park should have a safe, nearly indestructible aesthetic design. The planning of this park should encompass areas south of Avenue U, including the complete reconstruction of P.S. 277 Park, the open fields and other areas to provide higher quality recreation, within a safe, friendly environment. In our park, there are only facilities for softball, baseball, handball, paddleball and soccer; and they are poor to mediocre quality, at best. For years, the quality of those facilities having been failing. The recreational needs of our community far outweigh the current design of our park. We see children playing basketball, hockey and wiffle ball in the streets, mixed in with cars riding by at 40 miles an hour. We also see children leaving Gerritsen Beach to participate in sports programs in other communities because they are not available in Gerritsen Beach. Hundreds of children competitively ride mountain bikes in the community, yet there is no established location in our parkland where they can ride. Instead, they make ramps in the street where cars wiz past. There is a need for an established location. There is no established location for horseshoes, volleyball, shuffleboard, or a place that people with pets can congregate, or benches with shade for the seniors to come together and socialize. Many Gerritsen Beach residents that we have spoken are happy that the Parks Department has been giving some attention to the fields. However, the main issue is that the parklands have been receiving a band aide, and definitely have not been properly addressing our community?s vast needs. In April 1998, we reported that the Parks Department contracted to reconstruct the open field along Gerritsen Avenue from Channel Avenue just past Everett Avenue. The scope of the contract entailed the reconstruction of the three baseball diamonds with new clay and new sod for one soccer field. Improper planning has resulted in a poorly reconstructed field. Even after $300,000 was pumped into reconstruction, the baseball fields still overlap the soccer fields. Men and young children play two entirely different games in close proximity to each other. If the soccer fields were extended another 50 feet toward the water, this would cure this potential hazard. The reconstruction of the fields has not alleviated All Terrain Vehicles (ATV?s) and motorcycles from entering areas where the children play. The reconstruction plans did not call for enclosure of the fields to prevent ATVs from entering into the field area. When the new sod was laid, the ATVs rode over the sod and ripped it apart. The result is many patches of uneven exposed soil and no grass. Any vehicle can come onto the fields should they penetrate the existing guardrail that surrounds the park area. Since laws regulating ATV?s are not strong, and enforcement has been inconsistent, securing the fields may be the best course of action, until ATV users take responsibility to ride safely and responsibly. Why don?t we have a new multi-million dollar park, when so many other areas in New York City have been receiving them? Most likely, the answer lies in the old adage ?The squeaky wheel gets the oil.? Gerritsen Beach is split into two different Community Boards. The residents of Gerritsen Beach are located in Community Board 15, which we have some representation. We have never had adequate representation for a multi-million dollar park in Community Board 18, where the parkland is located. If our community acted in a unified voice and had adequate representation and rapport with Community Board 18, we could have received better improvements in our recent reconstruction projects. How can we accomplish a goal of a multi-million dollar park, complete with all of our community needs addressed? First, we need to continually educate our community?s residents about how a park reconstruction is accomplished. Second, we need to continually educate our elected officials and the Parks Department of our comprehensive needs. Third, it has to be universally supported by the community. Here is a basic outline how reconstruction can come about: The Parks Department will communicate with politicians about specific geographical areas that need attention. The politicians decide what project needs the most attention. When specific parks are chosen, Parks Design will make a proposal to the Community Board (in our case, CB 18). CB 18 will reject or approve a plan through their Park?s Committee. Historically, they never reject. They may make modifications, but never reject. It is at this stage local community groups can get involved in the modification process. It must be noted that the CB approval or modification is nonbinding. Parks could still go with their intended plan, but generally work with the CB for needed modifications within the limits of funding. Once CB 18 approves it, the politicians provide funding through the budgetary process. Once the approved budget is accepted by the legislature, Parks rushes to get the project complete. Parks is normally the first agency to get cut in the case of emergency budgetary cuts. After this step, the contract goes to bid and work is eventually started. An important point must be made here. Even after the CB approves and the project is put into the budget, a project could still be cut. The quicker it gets underway, the less chance it will have to get cut. The system is obviously not perfect. It is understandable, but not acceptable, why Gerritsen Beach does not get its due say in these matters. Since the division of our community among Community Board lines, Gerritsen Beach has been inherently getting little attention to our park. In the last several years, we have been taking a lead in trying to change this. Gerritsen Beach residents are becoming more educated to the processes of how to get our fair share of tax dollars. We are opening up effective channels of communication with our elected representatives and governmental agencies. They are starting to understand our needs more and more. This is our community?s backyard. Some improvements are going in the direction of taking away recreation and forcing minimally supported change. We need the opportunity for our children to have a safe place to play and have fun. There are some simple solutions to fix the problems. The communities that are the users of the park have to be involved to the planning and implementation stages to make sure our American culture is not negatively affected. We already paid for a new park in our taxes. Now our community has to take that one last step and demand that our tax dollars be better spent on our needs. We deserve it. What is your opinion? We would like to know. Call us at 718-648-3745 or write to our corporate address at 3201 Quentin Road, 2nd Floor, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11234.

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