Jackson Heights Life

Jackson Heights is getting a new park!

City planners met with administration and students at I.S. 145 yesterday.  My source (one of my 7th graders who participated in the meeting) said that the the planners discussed building new basketball and handball courts, synthetic grass soccer and baseball fields, benches, fountains, and plants (including trees along Northern Blvd. to block traffic noise).  The new schoolyard will be closed when school is in session, then open to the community when school is not in session (after 4:00 PM, weekends, and vacations).  While the schoolyard isn't huge, this project will probably double the amount of field space in the neighborhood.

I'll try to find out more, including the time line for the project from the Principal today.

Thanks for the great news, Mr. C!

This is certainly tremendously needed. 

I think it's wonderful that your school's students are being consulted... I hope their input is being taken seriously, because our community is severely lacking in social and recreational spaces geared for that age group.  But FYI, there are some emerging environmental health concerns about synthetic turf that the school should investigate before proceeding with this. 

There are also two very active park advocacy groups in the community (JH Green and Friends of Travers Park) who I'm sure would love an opportunity to be briefed on the project.

This is great news, and a great step forward for JH.

Though, cynically, I will note that in most cities other than NYC this is how it's always been (free public access to schoolyards). It's a little humorous to me that we're lauding this as a visionary move when in fact there are millions of schools in the rest of the country where this is already the case. In any event, go Mike.

I'd like to add my gratitude to IS 145 for their participation in this initiative.  I think it's a win-win for the school's students (both during and after school hours) and the rest of the community.

The P.S. 69 Parents Association had quite a different reaction to the Mayor's proposal to open their playground, circulating a petition last June that said "This could attract Drugs, Gang Activity, Violence, Graffiti, Vandelism, The Homeless, Strangers, and Child Molestors to a space very close to our children.  Making the space unsafe for our kids."  Quite an appalling and counterproductive viewpoint, in my opinion.  (Maybe we should shut down all of the playgrounds!)

I agree that's it's win-win to have the playgrounds open.  I grew up here in the 70s and 80s, and we always played in the 69 and 145 schoolyards (back when 145 had a bigger yard, as there was only a mini building in the yard that now houses that whole new extension, and when 69 was just the original building, neither the extension nor the pre-K building). 

That said, there are concerns that should be adressed IMHO.  The one thing back then was that (and it was a different time) there was no supervision at all.  The city parks I believe always have someone on duty in those huts.  If theses sites were opened, the staffing that exists in public parks should be comparable.

Also, or as an alternative, the city would need to (financially) supplement the school's custodial forces a bit.  The yard by the school I work in is open to the public (albeit unofficially, by nature of breaks in the fences), and the first classes at line up can find and have found beer bottles, dog poop, and condoms (used).  It would be another full time job to maintain these sites on weekends and holidays for schools that already ares trapped staffwise in the custodial department.

However, the logistics necessary doesn't change my vote:  Kids need places to play.