BROOKLYN CITY Borough Park, Ocean Parkway South, COUNCIL 2009 DISTRICT 44 Bensonhurst West, Bensonhurst East, Homecrest Parks are an essential city service. They are the barometers of our city. From Flatbush to Flushing and Morrisania to Midtown, parks are the front and backyards of all New Yorkers. Well-maintained and designed parks offer recreation and solace, improve property values, reduce crime, and contribute to healthy communities. SHOWCASE : Gravesend Park The 2008 Spotlight on Recreation is a new project of New Yorkers for Parks award-winning Report Card on Parks. This report examines the conditions of athletic fields, courts, and playgrounds in a ran- dom selection of neighborhood parks. Each outdoor recreation feature was inspected on three separate site visits, once each in June, July, and August to show the performance of these specific features over the course of the summer. The baseball fields in Gravesend Park were surveyed Friends Field, Ocean Parkway for this project. The fields’ scores The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, reflected the need for improve- ment. Visit www.ny4p.org for PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in more information on the Spotlight sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways on Recreation: A Report Card on structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access Parks Project. including parks. With targets set for while creating safer routes for cyclists stormwater management, air quality and pedestrians, and the new initia- and more, the City is working to tive to reclaim streets for public use update infrastructure for a growing brings fresh vibrancy to the city. population while addressing envi- ronmental concerns. Through ambi- New York City’s population is tious goals to increase access to parks projected to increase by one million and open spaces, New York’s fiscally new residents by 2030, and demand prudent administration affirms that for our 29,000 acres of parkland investing in parks is good business. will only grow. It is imperative that creative efforts to expand our open Park innovations have flourished in spaces continue—but perhaps more recent years. The creation of Hudson importantly, existing parks must be River Park and the revitalization of protected, maintained and adequate- Bryant Park allow access to areas ly funded to best serve current and that were previously off-limits due to future New Yorkers. City Council District Profiles City Council District Profiles Citywide CITYWIDE Parks by the A New Master Plan for Parks Numbers Significant steps have been made toward PlaNYC’s parks and open space targets, which include ensuring 29,000 that every New Yorker lives within a 10-minute walk Acres of parkland of a park and planting 1 million trees. Important 1,700 projects like the development of regional parks and Parks the “schoolyards-to-playgrounds” initiative, which opens schoolyards after hours to the public, increase 1,000 recreation space, thus resulting in an even greater Playgrounds need for maintenance funds. 2,300 PlaNYC shows the City’s commitment to Greenstreets improving open space and recreation opportunities. 12,000 Now, we must take the next step and create a master Acres of natural areas plan for New York City’s parks, which does not exist today. A master plan would respond to particular 600,000 neighborhood and regional needs and outline how Park trees best to expand the park system to serve current 2 million and future residents. Street trees Any expansion to the parks system requires 14 maintenance funding. Most city parks rely on Miles of beaches public funding, but this is not a predictable source as evidenced by the current economic recession. 800 While spending on park maintenance increased by Athletic fields 50 percent under Mayor Bloomberg between 2003 50 and 2008, a gloomy economic forecast can be expect- Recreation centers ed to result in cuts to the Parks budget in 2009 and beyond. Public-private partnerships will be affected 66 by the recession as well. Innovative funding streams Pools —as well as improved management strategies— can help ensure that the parks system will 6 weather these storms. Top: Breininger Playground, Queens Ice rinks Above: Central Park, Manhattan 22 Historic house museums Historical City Funding for the Parks Department (Adjusted) 1,000 $500 Monuments, sculptures and $400 historical markers DOLLARS $300 OF $200 MILLIONS $100 IN $0 ’89 ’90 ’91 ’92 ’93 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10* FISCAL YEAR *2010 = Projected budget By the Borough: Brooklyn BROOKLYN Waterfront Reclamation Park Inspection Program Ratings: Parks by the Brooklyn vs. Citywide (Percent rated acceptable) Numbers Brooklyn’s Prospect Park was Frederick Law Brooklyn Citywide Olmsted’s self-declared masterpiece. But until 100% 973 recently, Brooklynites have been sorely lacking in Acres of natural areas recreational opportunities along the waterfront. 90% Thanks to several large waterfront projects new 291 attention has been brought to Brooklyn’s coast. Playgrounds 80% The expansive Brooklyn Bridge Park will offer unprecedented access to the water, and the 172 70% Comfort stations Bloomberg Administration’s rezoning of the 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront promises The Parks Department conducts 5,000 park inspections annually 852 new recreational opportunities and greenspace. through their internal rating system, the Park Inspection Program. Drinking fountains Five non-profit partner groups fundraise for 246 Brooklyn parks, in addition to 10 groups that Athletic fields raise money to support parks citywide. 343 Basketball courts 480 Greenstreets 16 Pools Brooklyn Park Staffing 20 Gardeners & Assistant Gardeners 208 City Parks Workers At left: Herbert Von King Park, Bedford Stuyvesant & Associate Park Above: Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino Park, New Utrecht Service Workers 66 Brooklyn has the lowest percentage of land devoted to parks of the five boroughs. Park Supervisors Brooklyn Citywide Park acreage 4,481 29,000 30 Recreation Directors & Percent of borough devoted to parks 10% 14% Specialists Brooklyn has the 2nd highest number of residents per acre of parkland of the five boroughs. 13 Total population 2.5 million 8 million Playground Associates Residents per acre of parkland 550 276 27 Brooklyn has the 3rd lowest tree canopy coverage of the five boroughs. Parks Enforcement Patrol Tree canopy (trees on public and private land) 21% 24% (PEP) Officers & Urban Park Rangers Number of street trees per mile of sidewalk 45 41 Gravesend Park, Gravesend brOOklyn0 CI0.5 ty COU 1Miles ncIL DIstrIct 44 N D VA E PL E 7 ST From Brooklyn Community Board 12: AV OOD E 16 ST District Statistics AV 7 GREENW AV TON PL 6 CA ACREAGE OF CITY PARKS AV Total district acreage 2,105 KERMIT PL CHURCH Comfort Stations cannot be Total parkland acreage 35 38 E 8 ST ALBEMARLE RD Parks & playgrounds acreage 35 ‘‘ ALBEMARLE RD Percent City parkland utilized without Parks personnel of total district acreage 39 ST Percent parkland 2% ALBEMARLE RD MINNA ST Citywide 14% present. Therefore, many remain 40 ST BEVERLY RD 37 ST E 3 ST 48 CHESTER POPULATION closed and not utilized. It is im- AV Ranking of City parkland E 8 ST 8 E 4 ST 40 acres/resident AV 9 Kensington Population 161,056 STRA (1 highest, 51 lowest) AV OU RD = = perative that personnel be assigned 38 ST * Y TEL Population under 18 46,935 TFORD RD COR * Percent under 18 29% to these locations… Parks should R UGBY RD DORCHESTER RD D E 19 ST 48 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents <1 MARLBOR AHILL RD Ranking of City parks & TON PY AV YOU RD be cleaned on a day-to-day basis, E 2 ST TEL playgrounds acres/child COR Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 kids 1 10 42 ST 51 ST FT HAMIL OUGH RD especially those with Children’s 54 ST 39 * AV LANGUAGE ACCESS CD 44 Citywide E 7 ST AV playgrounds. DITMAS NEWKIRK Most common foreign language spoken at home Russian Spanish AV 45 ST Percent of homes speaking this language 11% 18% AV 11 AV AV CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CD 44 Citywide AV F NEW UTRECHT FOSTER Statement of Needs for Fiscal Year 2008 Borough Park WEBSTER Registered voters 71% 76% OOD RD 1 GLENW 49 ST AV WESTMINSTER RD Number general parks-related 311 calls per 1,000 residents 10 10 ’’ PARKVILLE SET ON PL Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance Parks, playgrounds ST E 7 ST AV H per 1,000 residents 0 1 59 ST 56 ST D AHILL RD and beaches PARK RESOURCES CD 44 Citywide OOD AV Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide. 1 Di Gilio Playground 5 Bealin Square & Seth Low ELMW 45 E 16 ST District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $4.3 million $4.2 million Playground 7S OLD NEW UTRECHT RD 2 Gravesend Park T AV 14 51 ST 6 Col David Marcus 3 Friends Field E 2 ST Memorial Playground 65 ST 55 ST PARKS INSPECTION PROGRAM RATINGS 4 Ocean Parkway Malls D Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections. AHILL RD RY CT E 4 ST CA FY 2004 FY 2008 V 2 44 100 E 13 ST LEGEND nn DPR community gardens 66 ST 80 90% 70 ST 88% 86% 62 ST 83% 1/4 Mile nn Other community gardens 60 ST AV 60 20 57 ST Council District Border 40 nn DPR beaches rated OCEAN PY cent parks r nn New York City Department of nn State and federal parkland 20 AV L “acceptable” AV Pe 63 ST Parks and Recreation (DPR) E 10 ST nn City-owned vacant land 0 3 LOCUST parks, playgrounds and 43 CD 44 Citywide greenstreets Q DPR schoolyards-to- AV M playgrounds sites 68 ST OPEN SPACE CD 44 Citywide nn DPR natural