q u e e n s Whitestone, Fort Totten, Bay Terrace, Clearview, c i t y College Point, Murray Hill, Auburndale, c o u n c i l 2009 d i s t r i c t 19 Douglas Manor, Douglaston, Little Neck

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.

s h o w c a s e : Bayside Fields The 2008 Spotlight on Recreation is a new project of New Yorkers for Parks award-winning Report Card on Parks. This report exam- ines the conditions of athletic felds, courts, and playgrounds in a random selection of neighbor- hood parks. Each outdoor recre- ation feature was inspected on three separate site visits, once each in June, July, and August to show the performance of these specifc features over the course of the summer. Bayside Fields was surveyed for this project. Francis Lewis Park, Whitestone The athletic felds’ rating re- The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, flected a need for improvement. Visit www.ny4p.org for more PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in information on the Spotlight sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways on Recreation: A Report Card structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access on 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 felds 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 d o l l a r s $300 o f

$200 m i l l i o n s $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*

f i s c a l y e a r *2010 = Projected budget By the Borough: Queens

QUEENS Beaches and Lifeguards Park Inspection Program Ratings: Parks by the Queens vs. Citywide (% rated acceptable) Numbers Queens offers a diverse array of parks and open Queens Citywide spaces. From small urban playgrounds to the seven 100% 2,090 mile long Rockaway Beach, Queens residents can Acres of natural areas enjoy a variety of open space opportunities. Rockaway 90% Beach on the Atlantic Ocean provides recreation and 260 a reprieve from the summer heat for residents across Playgrounds 80% New York City. As described in The Report Card on Beaches, New Yorkers for Parks’ independent evalu- 180 70% Comfort stations ation of City beaches, maintenance poses a unique 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 challenge to the Parks Department due to heavy usage The Parks Department conducts 5,000 park inspections annually 776 during the summer months. Unlike parks, beach through their internal rating system, the Park Inspection Program. Drinking fountains operations require strict safety precautions such as lifeguards. Although the Rockaway Beach community 244 has struggled with the continuing lifeguard short- Athletic felds age that leads to closed areas of the beach, the Parks 316 Department recruited a record number of lifeguards Basketball courts in 2008, nearly hitting their target. 805 Four non-profit partner groups fundraise for Greenstreets Queens parks, in addition to 10 groups that raise money to support parks citywide. 10 Pools

Queens Park Staffing 20 Gardeners & Assistant Gardeners 236 City Parks Workers At left: Austin Playground, Jamaica & Associate Park Above: Astoria Park, Astoria Service Workers 61 Queens has the 2nd lowest percentage of land devoted to parks of the fve boroughs. Park Supervisors Queens Citywide Park acreage 7,321 29,000 19 Recreation Directors & Percent of borough devoted to parks 11% 14% Specialists Queens has the 3rd highest number of residents per acre of parkland of the fve boroughs. 5 Total population 2.2 million 8 million Playground Associates Residents per acre of parkland 305 276 28 Queens has the 2nd lowest tree canopy coverage of the fve boroughs. Parks Enforcement Patrol Tree canopy (trees on public and private land) 20% 24% (PEP) Offcers & Urban Park Rangers Number of street trees per mile of sidewalk 49 41 Clearview Park, Bay Terrace

Queens City Council0 0.4 0.8DMilesistrict 19

Clason Point District Statistics 13 18 13 a c r e a g e o f c i t y p a r k s Total district acreage 7,584 WHITEST Total parkland acreage 760 Parks & playgrounds acreage 623 ONE BR Percent City parkland of total district acreage Percent parkland 10% 8 Citywide 14%

CLINT P PO ARSONS BL 6 AV WELLS CO LITTLE BAY POWELL’S 154 PL VE BL ONVILLE ST 11 Ranking of City parkland p o p u l a t i o n 1 COVE 11 AV 10 acres/resident Population 154,903 Malba 15 (1=highest, 51=lowest) 9 AV 9 AV 14 AV 14 Population under 18 29,741 4 Beechhurst CROSS ISLAND P Percent under 18 19% ARKWAY 14 AV CR 10 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents 5 131 ST 11 Nassau County Ranking of City parks & 2 3College Point 215 ST OSS ISLAND PY 15 AV 6 Bay Te rrace playgrounds acres/child Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 children 21 College Point 12 13 LITTLE NECK BAY Industrial Park 9 16

160 ST Whitestone20 AV AV 5 23 l a n g u a g e a c c e s s CD 19 Citywide WILLETS PT BL 17 WEST DR Most common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish ONE EP 19

COLLEGE POINT BL 18 Percent of homes speaking this language 8% 18% AV WHITEST 27 MANOR RD 7 Y ST

BELL BL WESTMORELAND ST c i v i c e n g a g e m e n t CD 19 Citywide MURRA 19 23 FOREST RD 29 AV 29 Registered voters 81% 76% Little Neck 120 ST AV 21 22 BAYSIDE 24 30 143 ST Number general parks-related 148 ST 20

169 ST Douglaston 154 ST 311 calls per 1,000 residents 26 10 F AV ARRINGT 41 123 ST CLEAR Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance

LEA

Bayside 254 ST ITM VITT ST per 1,000 residents 2 1 VIEW EXPRESSW ARS BL ON ST 25 FLUSHING CREEK AV 170 ST ALE ON AV DEEPD 41 AV CROCHER p a r k r e s o u r c e s CD 19 Citywide 37 AV Auburndale 28

256 ST Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide. UNION ST 31 Flushing AY 193 ST District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $2.9 million $4.2 million A 26

UBURND THERN BL NOR OAKLAND LAKE CLO V AV AN 47 p a r k s i n s p e c t i o n p r o g r a m r a t i n g s ALE LA 27 VERD WYCK EP Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections. ALE BL

167 ST FY 2004 FY 2008 21 JASMINE 208 ST AV AV 53 100 65 AV Flushing HOLLIS COUR 39 AV GRND CNTRL PY SR E 20 Cemetery 80 93% KISSENA BL AV GRAND CENTRAL PY 88% 88% 50 86% T BL FRANCIS LEWIS BL 60 LITHONIA AV DOUGLAST COMMONWEAL 40

AV rated

cent parks ROSE KISSENA AV 23 56 20 Oakland Gardens “acceptable” LAKE r Pe ON PY

215 ST Corona WRENCE ST 59 AV 0 TH BL LA CD 19 Citywide

69 AV 62 RD 80 RD 59 AV CR

REEVES O o p e n s p a c e CD 19 Citywide 9 24 ER BL 7 AV S 77 AV T Number of community gardens per 1,000 acres <1 4 From Queens Community Board 11: Vacant lot acreage 487 8,512 LEGEND nn DPR community gardens Parks, playgrounds Percent vacant 6% 4% 1/2 Mile nn Other community gardens and beaches Council District Border nn DPR beaches h e a l t h Number of hospital admissions per 10,000 residents: CD 19 Citywide It is imperative that the Queens 1 MacNeil Park 17 Clearview Park & nn New York City Department of nn State and federal parkland Golf Course Parks and Recreation (DPR) Asthma 29 31 2 115th Street Playground nn City-owned vacant land ‘‘ 18 Clearveiw Playground parks, playgrounds and Diabetes 10 11 Forestry Division be funded at a 3 College Point Park Q DPR schoolyards-to- greenstreets 4 Powell’s Cove Park 19 Playground Twenty-One playgrounds sites greater level for street and park nn DPR natural areas e d u c a t i o n CD 19 Citywide 5 Poppenhusen Playground 20 Bowne Park (Schoolyards-to-playgrounds is a citywide PlaNYC initiative Percent fourth graders meeting standards in math 95% 81% 6 136 St Playground 21 Bayside Fields tree pruning and maintenance. to open schoolyards to the public during afterschool hours.) Percent fourth graders meeting standards in reading 84% 63% 7 College Point Field 22 Raymond O’Connor Park 8 Francis Lewis Park 23 John Golden Park 24 Crocheron Park Statement of Needs for Fiscal Year 2008 9 Harvey Park 10 Whitestone Playground 25 Auburndale Playground ’’ 11 Cross Island Parkway 26 Francis Lewis Playground 27 Marie Curie Park 12 Clintonville Playground 13 Willets Point Playground 28 Alley Pond Park 14 Little Bay Park 29 Udalls Park Preserve 15 Fort Totten Park 30 Admiral Park 16 Bay Terrace Playground 31 Louis Pasteur Park

Tools for Action Let your elected officials know how important parks are to you. City Council Member: Tony Avella [email protected] Queens Community Board 7 (718) 359-2800 Queens Community Board 11 (718) 225-1054 City of New York 311 or www.nyc.gov State and Federal Representatives www.elections.state.ny.us New Yorkers for Parks www.ny4p.org Francis Lewis Park, Whitestone John Golden Park, Bayside MacNeil Park, College Point

b o a r d c h a i r p h o t o g r a p h y Supporters About New Yorkers d a t a s o u r c e s Catherine Morrison Golden David Silverstein, Manager Altman Foundation for Parks All data is from 2008 unless noted. “Citywide”: Parks by the Numbers - NYC Department of Arthur Ross Foundation Parks and Recreation (DPR); Budget chart - Adopted Budgets, NYC Office of Management and e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r District 19 Photographer: New Yorkers for Parks is the only Greenacre Foundation Budget (OMB), FY 1989-2009, Preliminary Budget, OMB, FY 2010. “By the borough”: PIP Ratings, Christian DiPalermo Bill DesJardins independent watchdog for all the By the numbers & Staffing - DPR; Trees -“Trees Count!” Street Tree Census report, 2005-2006, DPR; Henry and Lucy Moses Fund city’s parks, beaches and playgrounds. This page: Population - Census2000; Language access - Infoshare.org; Civic engagement - NYC Board Ben Carlson d i s t r i c t p r o f i l e s s ta f f John N. Blackman, Sr. Foundation The city’s oldest and leading inde- of Elections and NYC Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DOITT), Tim Francis Cheryl Huber, Director Abby R. Mauzé Trust pendent expert on park conditions, FY 2008; Park resources and PIP ratings - DPR: Community Gardens - Council on the Environment of Christine Kaelin NYC; Vacant land - MapPLUTO copyrighted by the New York City Department of Planning, BYTES Alyson Beha The Armand G. Erpf Fund efficiency and funding, New Yorkers Susan McCartney of the BIG APPLE; Health - NYS Department of Health, 2006 via Infoshare.org; Education - NYC and Andrea Marpillero-Colomina The Dana Foundation for Parks has worked for 100 years Laura Napier NYS Departments of Education, 2007-2008, analysis by the Annenberg Foundation. The Rhodebeck Charitable Trust to ensure greener, safer, cleaner g r a p h i c d e s i g n e r Mark Sanders Norman and Rosita Winston parks for all New Yorkers. m a p d a t a Michael Bierman David Silverstein Foundation NYC Parks properties - DPR; State parks - NYS Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; National parks - National Park Service, 2006; Council District boundaries - BYTES of the Big Apple, DCP, 2005; Schoolyards-to-Playgrounds - DPR. The Future of New York City Parks

With the promise of Fresh Kills Park parks, the money is directed to the City’s in Staten Island and the completion of General Fund. New Yorkers for Parks has regional parks citywide, New York City’s long advocated for City Hall to allow the park system will expand over the coming Parks Department to retain a portion of decades in a manner not seen since the this revenue to offset maintenance costs 1930s. With sound planning and sufficient throughout the system, as is done in other funding, our park system will flourish. cities such as Chicago.

Although the City has an obligation to Property Taxes: Business Improvement fund parks, we have seen that in times of Districts have a long history of funding fiscal crisis, parks suffer. We must ensure park maintenance through tax revenues, that all parks—particularly those that with Bryant Park as the lead example. cannot rely on private funding—receive Friends of Hudson River Park is pursuing adequate public support. this structure. Such arrangements place some of the costs of park maintenance While “friends of” groups and the robust on businesses or residents whose property volunteer program administered through values benefit from a well-maintained park. Partnerships for Parks have a positive im- pact on park maintenance, more dollars are Public-Private Partnerships: More than needed. Park advocates have long debated 30 park-specific non-profits around the how to ensure funding streams outside of city fundraise for specific parks—such as the city budget to maintain our parks in all the Battery Conservancy and the Riverside fiscal climates. The funding mechanisms Park Fund. Groups typically raise money below have been successful in New York for capital projects or ongoing park main- City and elsewhere. Now is the time to tenance; however, this strategy has worked carefully examine these strategies to plan only in high-income areas. for the future. Zoning Bonuses: Developer incentives Concessions: More than $50 million is to improve open space can produce earned annually from concessions such as successful results. In West Chelsea, the food stands and ice skating rinks operated City passed a special zoning amendment on City parkland. Some public-private that allowed developers to build higher in partnerships are allowed to keep a portion exchange for contributing to an ongoing of concession revenues earned in particular maintenance fund to benefit the new parks through unique agreements with public High Line Park. This structure the City. But in the vast majority of should be explored citywide.

New Yorkers for Parks The Arthur Ross Center for Parks and Open Spaces 355 Lexington Avenue, 14th Floor New York, NY 10017

Tel: 212-838-9410 / Fax: 212-371-6048 Top: Madison Square Park, Manhattan Middle: Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens www.ny4p.org Above: Vidalia Park, Bronx