QUEENS CITY Woodhaven, Ozone Park, Lindenwood, COUNCIL 2009 DISTRICT 32 Howard Beach, South Ozone Park 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 : Rockaway Beach The Report Card on Beaches is modeled after New Yorkers for Parks’ award-winning Report Card on Parks. Through the results of independent inspections, it tells New Yorkers how well the City’s seven beaches are maintained in four key service areas: shorelines, pathways, bathrooms, and drink- ing fountains. The Report Card on Beaches is an effort to highlight these important facilities and ensure that New York City’s 14 miles of beaches are open, clean, and safe. Rockaway Beach is Police Officer Nicholas DeMutiis Playground, Ozone Park one of the seven public beaches The Bloomberg Administration’s physical barriers or crime. As a result, owned and operated by the City’s Parks Department. In 2007, PlaNYC is the first-ever effort to studies show significant increases in this beach was rated “challenged.” sustainably address the many infra- nearby real estate values. Greenways Its shoreline was impacted by structure needs of New York City, are expanding waterfront access broken glass. Visit www.ny4p.org including parks. With targets set for while creating safer routes for cyclists for more information on the stormwater management, air quality and pedestrians, and the new initia- Report Card on Beaches. 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 Vito Locascio (Loring) Field, Lindenwood QUEENS00.5 CI e TY COUNCIL DISTRICT 32 L T PL GH PL DR E ST ST A JUNIPER BL N PARSONS BL 68 ST 63 ST JEWEL Forest Hills 147 ST From Queens Community Board 14: 49 ST 66 RD District Statistics NEWTOWN CREEK 138 ST St John’s Cemetery AV GRAND CENTRAL PARKWAY 60 DR AV 126 ST ACREAGE OF CITY PARKS ENGLISH KILLS 78 ASCAN 84 RD 70 ST Middle Village WERS ST AV Briarwood AV Total district acreage 7,410 AV COOPER 85 29 Lutheran Cemetery 24 44 ST The decimation of the Parks AV Total parkland acreage 331 FLUSHING LINDEN ST AV Parks & playgrounds acreage 274 RUM ST DE KALB 30 77 Kew Gardens Percent City parkland ‘‘ 125 ST AV Department and its personnel has 67 ST Ridgewood 70 Jamaica of total district acreage Percent parkland 4% Glendale 81 RD BABBAGE ST 34 133 ST IRVING MYRTLE JEFFERSON ST 6 ST Citywide 14% had a particularly disastrous effect AV AV AV 109 ST 86 AV ARCHER 27 Cypress Hills Cemetery 118 ST * 95 AV 21 on its parks and beaches, and most FOREST PY 112 ST Ranking of City parkland POPULATION AV 91 AV 95 129 ST 117 ST acres/resident STOCKHOLM ST 76 ST AV Population 162,816 HANCOCK ST CYPRESS HILLS ST REMINGTON ST (1 highest, 51 lowest) ELDERTS LA = = importantly, our community. The 106 GROVE ST LINCOLN Population under 18 39,522 1 AV * Cemetary of the Evergreens Wood av n ATLANTIC BUSHWICK Percent under 18 24% 109 ST yearly reduction in seasonal hires AV AV 123 ST 2 ST SICLEN VAN AV AV 90 ST Ozone Park 19 Acres parkland per 1,000 residents 2 140 ST Ranking of City parks & RIDGEWOOD 78 ST 126 ST must stop. The beach cannot be AV EUCLID playgrounds acres/child CHAUNCEY ST Acres parks & playgrounds per 1,000 children 7 VERMONT ESSEX ST 3 4 102 RD SUNNYSIDE AV * AV properly maintained without 111 28 S CONDUIT 108 AV 5 FOCH BL LANGUAGE ACCESS CD 32 Citywide AV Most common foreign language spoken at home Spanish Spanish 32 117 ST adequate seasonal help. * AV Aqueduct GLENMORE SACKMAN ST 6 37 Racetrack Percent of homes speaking this language 15% 18% 78 9 South Ozone Park 114 ST 41 * 124 ST CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CD 32 Citywide * MONTAUK 10 11 Statement of Needs for Fiscal Year 2008 12 CROSS BA AV 157 AV Registered voters 76% 76% RIVERDALE 13 HAWTREE * AV BASIN 14 Y BL BERGEN BASIN Number general parks-related ’’ 130 PL 311 calls per 1,000 residents 13 10 SPRING CREEK P ST * ERSKINE ST AV 78 ST 15 * AV FEDERAL CI LENOX RD SHEFFIELD SHELLBANK Number of parks-related 311 calls for maintenance E 46 ST VANDALIA LINDEN BL 161 AV BASIN 42 BETHEL LO Parks, playgrounds FLATLANDS per 1,000 residents 1 1 E 101 ST 84 ST E 92 ST AV E 59 ST LOUISIANA PENNSYLVANIA SNYDER AV HENDRIX CREEK 165 AV PARK RESOURCES CD 32 Citywide and beaches E 103 ST 31 AV Does not include capital funding allocated to multiple districts or citywide.