QUEENS CITY COUNCIL 2009 DISTRICT 25 Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Maspeth, Corona 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 : Lost Battalion Hall Park New Yorkers for Parks’ award- winning Report Card on Parks project was designed in 2002 and is the only independent, annual survey of the maintenance of parks in all five boroughs. It tells New Yorkers how their parks are doing in key service areas, like bathrooms, playgrounds, and pathways. Every summer New Yorkers for Parks inspects park properties across the city to advocate for improvement. Lost Northern Playground, Jackson Heights Battalion Hall Park received a grade of C on the 2005 Report The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, Card on Parks. Visit www.ny4p. PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in org for more information on the sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways Report Card on Parks. structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access 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: 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 fields 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 five 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 five 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 five boroughs. Parks Enforcement Patrol Tree canopy (trees on public and private land) 20% 24% (PEP) Officers & Urban Park Rangers Number of street trees per mile of sidewalk 49 41 C.C. Moore Homestead Park, Elmhurst QUEENS CITY COU0NC0.5 IL DI 1MilesSTRICT 25 RIA N BL From Queens Community Board 3: District Statistics 19 AV WORLD’S FAIR MARINA BOWERY BAY ACREAGE OF CITY PARKS Total district acreage 1,513 There is a severe shortage LaGuardia Airport Total parkland acreage 34 ST Parks & playgrounds acreage 19 ‘‘ 45 Percent City parkland of recreation space in CB 3. 19 RD of total district acreage Percent parkland 2% Citywide 14% All of our neighborhood parks 81 ST 22 49 Ranking of City parkland POPULATION are fully utilized and there are 78 ST acres/resident Population 164,636 (1=highest, 51=lowest) Population under 18 35,658 DITMARS BL Astoria Heights JA very few locations where our CKSON MILL RD 23 AV Percent under 18 22% ASTORIA BL S 50 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents <1 young people can play. BQE EAST Ranking of City parks & 87 ST 97 ST playgrounds acres/child Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 children 1 AV 1 27 HUMPHREY WORLD’S FAIR AV 25 MARINA LANGUAGE ACCESS CD 25 Citywide GRND CNTRL PY ET EB Statement of Needs for Fiscal Year 2008 S ST Most common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish ASTORIA BL 2 94 ST Percent of homes speaking this language 32% 18% ’’ 76 ST East Elmhurst CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CD 25 Citywide Parks, playgrounds 72 ST Registered voters 78% 76% AV 86 ST 110 ST 84 ST Number general parks-related and beaches AV 311 calls per 1,000 residents 6 10 32 100 ST 88 ST 1 Grand Central Parkway 8 Veterans Grove Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance 2 Bulova Park 9 Josephine Caminiti Playground 3 per 1,000 residents 0 1 25 91 ST * 109 ST 3 Playground Ninety XC 10 Lewis Simeon Park 81 ST 21 4 34 AV PARK RESOURCES CD 25 Citywide 101 ST 4 Northern Playground 11 Newton Playground 93 ST Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide. 90 ST 5 Travers Park 12 Hoffman Playground 76 ST JUNCTION BL District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $1.6 million $4.2 million 6 Frank D. O’Connor 13 Lost Battalion Hall 5 Playground AV 37 DR 14 Horace Harding Playground 37 103 ST 108 ST PARKS INSPECTION PROGRAM RATINGS 7 C. C. Moore Homestead Park 64 ST Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections. 75 ST FY 2004 FY 2008 AV 100 35 AV Jackson Heights 104 ST 94 ST AV ELMHURST 38 96% LEGEND nn DPR community gardens 80 90% 88% 86% 1/4 Mile nn Other community gardens 60 Council District Border 40 DPR beaches nn rated AV TIONAL ST C 41 cent parks ASE ST r NA nn New York City Department of nn State and federal parkland 38 AV T AV 20 “acceptable” 97 PL Pe 4 ST ROOSEVEL ELBER Parks and Recreation (DPR) 6 TSON ST 0 nn City-owned vacant land AV parks, playgrounds and AV 95 ST CD 25 Citywide ON Q DPR schoolyards-to- AV greenstreets 41 AXTER B AV Corona BRITT playgrounds sites