Jackson Heights Life

Dear Friends & Neighbors,
 
I wanted to share with you the latest news about Travers Park and the 78th Street Play Street.

Throughout my campaign last year, among the most frequent concerns expressed by the community was the severe lack of open space in our area.
I believe that all New Yorkers should have access to quality parks and adequate recreational opportunities.
Our City Council district has the least amount of access to greenspace and park land of any in the city. I am committed to addressing this challenge as a top priority.

Over the past few months, I have received a number of emails and phone calls from residents about the construction at Travers Park.
Many people contacted my office to inquire about when the work would be completed and also about the safety and security of the construction site.
With these concerns in mind, I spoke personally with Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe and asked for special consideration to accelerate the construction at Travers Park.
 
Although the contract didn't require that the work be completed until October, I am happy to report that my work with Commissioner Benepe
and Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski has enabled us to have the large playground area open much sooner.
In fact, the large playground area is open as of today.
The staging area for construction will continue to be closed off for approximately six more weeks to allow for smaller fixes to the park including resurfacing.

Travers Park is an excellent playground but is not sufficient in size or layout to service our community. 
We have benefited over the last two years from the 78th Street Play Street which provided additional open space for residents to enjoy on Sundays.
This successful initiative was organized by the Jackson Heights Beautification Group, Friends of Travers Park and the Jackson Heights Green Alliance.
 
These groups have approached me with an innovative and cost-free way to temporarily expand open space for our community --
having the 78th Street Play Street (between Northern Blvd and 34th Avenue) car-free everyday for the summer months of July and August this year.
 I believe this is an excellent grass-roots program which I am committed to supporting.

Here is how you can help: Community Board 3 will vote on Thursday, May 20th to either support or not support the July/August car-free experiment on 78th Street.
We need every voice to come out and let the Community Board know your opinion on whether to expand the Play Street operation to July and August everyday.

78th Street Play Street Hearing
Community Board 3
Thursday, May 20th 7:30pm
IS 227 Louis Armstrong School
32-02 Junction Blvd (between Northern and 32nd Avenue)
 
Please join me in working toward a solution to the vital challenge of inadequate open space in our community.
Working together we can bring the changes we need.
 
Sincerely,
Daniel Dromm
New York City Council Member, 25th District
 
May 8th, 2010