QUEENS CITY Flushing, East Flushing, Murray Hill, COUNCIL 2009 DISTRICT 20 Auburndale, Queensboro Hill 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 : Kissena Park The Daffodil Project, a partnership between New Yorkers for Parks and the NYC Parks Department, was cre- ated as a citywide beautification project and living memorial to September 11. Each year, thanks to the generous donation of B&K Flowerbulbs, the two groups distribute hundreds of thousands of free daffodil bulbs for volun- teers and community groups to plant in New York City’s parks and open spaces. In 2008 the Friends of Kissena Park, a Margaret Carman Green, Flushing neighborhood conservancy group, The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, planted more than 1,000 daffodils in Kissena Park. Visit www.ny4p. PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in org for more information on sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways The Daffodil Project. 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 Captain Mario Fajardo Park, Flushing QUEENS CITY COUNC0 IL DI0.5 STR1 MileIs CT 20 1 College Point 215 ST CR OSS ISLAND PY 15 AV Bay Te rrace LITTLE NECK BAY College Point Industrial Park 160 ST Whitestone 20 AV AV District Statistics WILLETS PT BL 23 ACREAGE OF CITY PARKS Total district acreage 3,324 ONE EP COLLEGE POINT BL Total parkland acreage 397 WHITEST 27 AV Percent City parkland Parks & playgrounds acreage 394 Y ST of total district acreage Percent parkland 12% 1 BELL BL 2 MURRA Citywide 14% 29 AV 18 POPULATION 120 ST Ranking of City parkland 19 AV acres/resident BAYSIDE Population 157,456 (1=highest, 51=lowest) 143 ST 148 ST 169 ST 3 154 ST Population under 18 31,730 Percent under 18 20% 123 ST F ARRINGT 14 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents 3 Ranking of City parks & LEA 19 CLEAR Bayside playgrounds acres/child Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 children 12 VITT ST ON ST VIEW EXPRESSW FLUSHING CREEK 170 ST LANGUAGE ACCESS C D 2 0 Citywide ON AV OCHER 41 AV CR Auburndale Most common foreign language spoken at home Chinese Spanish 37 AV 4 AY Percent of homes speaking this language 19% 18% UNION ST Flushing 10 193 ST THERN BL CIVIC ENGAGEMENT C D 2 0 Citywide NOR A 5 UBURND Registered voters 80% 76% 6 47 AV Number general parks-related V 20 ALE LA AN 311 calls per 1,000 residents 11 10 WYCK EP 7 Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance 167 ST per 1,000 residents 1 1 JASMINE 11 AV 53 AV 208 ST GRND CNTRL PY SR E PARK RESOURCES C D 2 0 Citywide V Flushing A HOLLIS COUR Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide. Cemetery 50 AV KISSENA BL District-specific capital funding, 2004–2009 $4.5 million $4.2 million 21 T BL LITHONIA 9 AV FRANCIS LEWIS BL PARKS INSPECTION PROGRAM RATINGS KISSENA LAKE AV Results of the Parks Department’s internal inspections. ROSE FY 2004 FY 2008 56 AV 12 100 23 80 93% WRENCE ST 88% Corona 59 86% LA AV 13 2 79% 8 60 15 ST 40 rated cent parks AY 69 AV r AV 20 “acceptable” 62 RD Pe 59 AV 0 REEVES 160 ST AV C D 2 0 Citywide WESTSIDE CE HARDING EXPRESSW 24 ST MAIN HORA OPEN SPACE C D 2 0 Citywide Number of community gardens per 1,000 acres <1 4 From Queens Community Board 7: Vacant lot acreage 28 8,512 LEGEND nn DPR community gardens Parks, playgrounds Percent vacant 1% 4% 1/4 Mile nn Other community gardens and beaches Council District Border nn DPR beaches HEALTH Number of hospital admissions per 10,000 residents: CD 20 Citywide Our 64 parks are extensively utilized 1 Flushing Fields 8 Flushing Meadows nn New York City Department of nn State and federal parkland Corona Park Parks and Recreation (DPR) Asthma 11 31 2 Hart Playground nn City-owned vacant land ‘‘and in need of additional maintenance, 9 Kissena Corridor West parks, playgrounds and Diabetes 4 11 3 Cadwallader Colden greenstreets Q DPR schoolyards-to- rehabilitation, spruce up and, in some cases, Playground 10 Murray Hill Playground playgrounds sites nn DPR natural areas EDUCATION C D 2 0 Citywide design and redesign.