Posted By: C. Harrison/Dec 4, 2015/11:55am
Borough President Address The Citywide Policy Dilemma In An Opinion Piece Today
According to Queens Borough President, Melinda Katz, New York City is the international destination of choice for millions of visitors every year, and rightfully so. We are also however a city of communities, young and old, where over 8.5 million New Yorkers call home.
Mrs. Katz said, a big part of that home includes public parkland, the jewels of the neighborhoods that make up this international City for residents and visitors alike. Parks are by design, an oasis available to all from the bustle of urban life, no matter the corner of the world from which one hails.
“In particular, Queens-aka, “The World’s Borough,” has become a premier destination for entertainment, culture and tourism. So much so that several big-names for profit companies like AEG live, Madison Square Garden and others in recent weeks have filed applications with the City to shut down major portions of ours parks to the public next summer in order to accommodate large-scale, paid-admission, multi-day events.”
“It would to precedent-setting. These proposals to rent out parkland at the expense of public access are significant not only because of its size, but because its never been done before. In this particular case, It means that Flushing Meadows-Corona-Park, which hosts thousands daily in the summer for outdoor activities like soccer, softball, baseball, tennis, cricket, bicycling, family picnics, BBQs, Birthdays, weddings and other special events-would ostensibly be shut off to the public for up to two weeks at a time during the peak season of the summer months.”
“But the real question is a citywide dilemma, what is the policy for renting our parkland at the expense of public access? At the very least, city policy ought not be decided upon by a single application policy and public vetting must come first. Lets put aside for a moment the strain that an additional 75,000 people-shelling out upward $300 a ticket; and to be clear, not to the City but to the for profit companies; would place, on our over capacity municipal transit system, roads and infrastructure.”
Borough President Katz further explained that the, “logistical challenges of setting up a proposed and rather meager eight-foot opaque fence around the perimeter of the multi-stage event so as to block public access from taxpayer funded open spaces like the Unisphere, baseball and soccer fields and more. “Or the struggle of getting thousands of locals in and out of Citi Field right next door for the New York Mets, already scheduled 2016 home games, with which the proposed festival dates conflict.”
“The fact that the borough’s not for profit culturals residing in the park-including the New York Hall of Science, the Queens theatres in the Park, the Queens Museum and the Queens Zoo-all would have to change their public programming calendars and effectively shutdown to transform into “staging areas” as requested by the big name companies.”
“The damage inevitably imposed by an event of this magnitude on a park’s landscape which, once reopened to the public, would have to be tolerated by thousands of families for subsequent months until the City’s regularly scheduled maintenance in the fall. Or how and when limited resources inevitably expended for events of such scale would be returned to New York City, Queens and its families. Or real community base support for the proposals from civic groups, community boards, representatives-has yet to arise.”
Borough President Katz, said putting all that aside, still leaves principals and that its not just about Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
Katz, pointed out that, the uproots is really over renting 200 acres of Parkland as never been done before, but not for the lack of trying. Countless not for profit organizations request have been denied in the past because of proposed dates conflicted with the Met, or because proposed event were not free to the public and because of a whole host of other sensible reasons. The use of public Parks, especially like Flushing Meadows-Corona Park-must be considered and planned under a fair and consistent citywide policy. The absence of one renders the entire process arbitrary and unfair
The recent proposals expose holes on a matter where there should be official guidelines. Lending parklands at the expense of public access, should not start now, and fails to pass this test.
This above article was first published in El Diario—sent to this Publication, via the Borough President office..
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Flushing Meadow-Corona Park, is one of Queens better Parks. It is the prized Park, of Queens. In recent years yes, Queens have seen a spike of international high end activities events- taking place at that particular Park, which is good for the county of Queens and also good for our communities and neighborhoods.
But, if the Mets, Tennis, baseball, softball, cultural events as well as other scheduled events are taking up most of the summer scheduling right now — if other event planners that are trying to come into the Park – cannot fit into these tight schedules at that Park–These new conglomerate corporations with proposals that are looking to get in, cannot. Simply put.
