- Sarah Crean on Exclusive: Proposed policy would allow industries to self-audit pollution-generating activities
- David Howard King on Bronx senator's health quest
- Cristian Salazar and Carla Murphy on Stops lawsuit given class status
- Cristian Salazar on NYC Council passes banking bill
- David Howard King on Senate Dems Look to Nat'l Issues
News about Parks:
Links to web sites, articles or reports that illuminate the most recent Parks news.
Bloomberg Defends Queens Soccer Stadium (NY Post, May 14, 2013)
Advocacy Group Opposed To Flushing Meadows Soccer Arena (Capital, May 14, 2013)
Minority Parks Department Workers Get Settlement (Daily News, Mar 28, 2013)
Sen. Squadron's Switch On Park Pays Off (NY Post, Mar 26, 2013)
Ellis Island Museum Unlikely To Reopen Next Year (Associated Press, Mar 25, 2013)
City Park Staff to be Bolstered (Wall Street Journal, Mar 8, 2013)
$100,000 In Solar Equipment Swiped From Brooklyn Bridge Park (NY Post, Feb 27, 2013)
Queens Wants Its Own 'High Line' Park (NY Times, Jan 8, 2013)
Many Cemeteries Damaged, but Greenwood Bore the Brunt of the Storm (City Room, Nov 26, 2012)
More Than 200 Parks Remain Closed After Storm (Wall Street Journal, Nov 23, 2012)
Improved Streetscapes Give Businesses a Boost, Mayor's Office Says (Daily News, Oct 24, 2012)
Bronx activists warn Queens to be wary of soccer stadium deal (Daily News, Oct 10, 2012)
Parks Department lost $200,000 after doubling fees at recreation centers (NY Post, Sep 26, 2012)
Neighborhood expresses concerns over Flushing Meadow soccer stadium (WNYC, Sep 24, 2012)
City breaks ground on final section of High Line park (Crain's, Sep 21, 2012)
Residents opposed to development plans in Flushing Meadows Park (Daily News, Sep 19, 2012)
City's crime rate not dropping in public parks (Salon.com, Sep 18, 2012)
A law to expose city parks’ inequalities is neglected (NY Times, Aug 27, 2012)
Opposition to proposed bike arena in Brooklyn (NY Times, Jul 31, 2012)
City acquires last segment of High Line from railroad (NY Times, Jul 25, 2012)
City and federal officials will jointly manage Jamaica Bay (NY Times, Jul 18, 2012)
Brooklyn's McCarren Park Pool returns (Wall Street Journal, Jun 29, 2012)
Training to Spot Tree Decay Urged for Parks Workers (NY Times, May 31, 2012)
Critics Delay State Park Ban on Smoking (Albany Times Union, May 30, 2012)
Promised Parks Stalled on the Greenpoint-Williamsburg Waterfront (Capital, May 22, 2012)
Getting Lessons on Water by Designing a Playground (NY Times, May 8, 2012)
Only One-Fifth of Croton Water Plant Workers are from the Bronx (Daily News, May 1, 2012)
Smoking Ban Enforcement Steps Up in Parks (Wall Street Journal, Apr 19, 2012)
Smoking Banned in State Parks (Daily News, Apr 10, 2012)
Owner Had Right to Clear Zuccotti Park, Judge Says (NY Times, Apr 9, 2012)
New Promenade Planned for Stretch in Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues (Daily News, Mar 30, 2012)
At Prospect Park, a Transformation is Five Years Behind Schedule (NY Times, Mar 20, 2012)
Traffic-Free Plaza Roils Little India in Queens (NY Times, Mar 19, 2012)
Visions for the Last Section of the High Line (NY Times, Mar 13, 2012)
Plastic Wood Approved for Part of Coney Island Boardwalk (WNYC, Mar 13, 2012)
After Two Years and $2.3 Million, Queens Park Still Awaits Public Toilet (Daily News, Feb 20, 2012)
Wood May Give Way to Plastic on Coney Island Boardwalk (NY Times, Feb 20, 2012)
Lawmakers: South Queens Needs New Railway More Than Park (Daily News, Feb 13, 2012)
Yankee Stadium Parking Garages Hardly Used (Daily News, Feb 3, 2012)
As City Plants Trees, Benefits and Some Burdens Grow (City Limits, Feb 1, 2012)
Bloomberg Eyes Wetlands As Part Of Long Term Strategy (WNYC, Feb 1, 2012)
Occupy Lawyers Drop Zuccotti Park Legal Challenge (Associated Press, Jan 24, 2012)
Groups: Barricades at Zuccotti Park Illegal (Associated Press, Jan 10, 2012)
Park Plan Gives Added Access to East River (Wall Street Journal, Dec 15, 2011)
Audit: Parks Miss Millions in Concession Fees (Wall Street Journal, Dec 6, 2011)
Cyclist, Pedestrians at Odds in Prospect Park (Daily News, Nov 27, 2011)
Nonprofit Offers Plan for Forest Hills Tennis Stadium (Daily News, Nov 5, 2011)
After Storm, Central Park Sprints to Get Ready for Marathon (NY Times, Nov 1, 2011)
Early Snow Could Cost Central Park 1,000 Trees (Associated Press, Nov 1, 2011)
Most City Parks Earn High Marks (NY Times, Oct 31, 2011)
Concerns Over Maintenance Costs for Bloomberg's Million Tree Initiative (NY Times, Oct 19, 2011)
Protestors Asked to Leave for Cleaning, Then Abide by Rules on Return (Wall Street Journal, Oct 13, 2011)
UN Expansion Creates 'Missing Link' in Greenway Plan (Wall Street Journal, Oct 6, 2011)
Concrete Makeover for Coney Island Boardwalk Opposed by Community Board (Daily News, Oct 4, 2011)
Semi-Corporate Zuccotti Park May Be Boon to Protesters (Capital, Oct 2, 2011)
City, UN Near Land Deal Where Both Get What They Want (NY Times, Sep 30, 2011)
Tax on Plastic Bags Could Aid State/s Parks (Albany Times Union, Sep 26, 2011)
Restoration of Final Meadow at Central Park Completed (NY Times, Sep 20, 2011)
Hiw Private Citizens Saved New York's Public Places (City Journal, Sep 8, 2011)
Setback for Plans for Restaurant in Union Square Park (NY Times, Sep 7, 2011)
City Lost 1,200 to 1,500 Trees in Storm (NY Times, Sep 2, 2011)
City Seeks Proposals for Bubble on Brooklyn Waterfront (Crain's, Aug 26, 2011)
Methane from Fresh Kills Brings $12 Million a Year (Bloomberg, Aug 24, 2011)
City's Beaches Cleanest They've Been in Four Years (Daily News, Aug 23, 2011)
How Private Citizens Saved the City’s Public Spaces (City Journal, Aug 18, 2011)
Brooklyn Bridge Park Eyes Addition (Wall Street Journal, Aug 18, 2011)
Statue of Liberty to Close for Up to One Year for Renovations (Wall Street Journal, Aug 11, 2011)
City’s Cable Deals Will Bring Wi-Fi to 32 Parks (NY Times, Aug 11, 2011)
City Looking for Developers to Build in Brooklyn Bridge Park (NY Post, Aug 5, 2011)
Agreement Clears Way for Brooklyn Bridge Park (WNYC, Aug 3, 2011)
City to Chop Down Trees Around Jerome Park Reservoir (Riverdale Press, Aug 3, 2011)
Deal Reached for Brooklyn Bridge Park (NY Times, Aug 2, 2011)
City Takes Steps to Stop Foraging in Parks (NY Times, Jul 30, 2011)
City Hall Resists Banning Cars on Some Roads in Central Park (NY Times, Jul 12, 2011)
More Central Park Pathways Opened to Cyclists (NY Times, Jul 9, 2011)
Dive In -- City Public Pools Found to be Ultra-Clean (NY Post, Jul 9, 2011)
Mapping (Almost) Every Tree In Central Park (NPR, Jul 7, 2011)
Proposal to Ban Cars from Central Park Loop Screeches to Halt (Daily News, Jul 7, 2011)
Agreement Reached to Protect Pouch Camp (Staten Island Advance, Jul 7, 2011)
Report: More Housing Likely in Future for Brooklyn Bridge Park (NY Post, Jun 10, 2011)
Twenty City Parks to Get Free Wi-Fi (Associated Press, Jun 10, 2011)
Hundreds Gather For First Animal Rights Day (Daily News, Jun 6, 2011)
Protesting Quiet Zones in the Park (NY Times, Jun 6, 2011)
Park's Quiet Zones Anger Performers (WNYC, May 31, 2011)
Budget Cuts May Leave Kids Bored This Summer (Associated Press, May 30, 2011)
Second Section of High Line to Open Next Month (NY Times, May 28, 2011)
Ban on Smoking in Parks Goes into Effect (Daily News, May 25, 2011)
Markowitz Finds New Home for Seaside Concerts (WNYC, May 24, 2011)
Bloomberg Pledges to Finish Staten Island Track (Staten Island Advance, May 24, 2011)
Horseback Riding May Return to Central Park (Daily News, May 4, 2011)
Local Officials Push City for Solution to Housing at Brooklyn Bridge Park (Daily News, Apr 28, 2011)
Council Questions Distribution of Park Officers (NY Times, Apr 28, 2011)
Council Members Question Why Distribution of Park Officers (NY Times, Apr 28, 2011)
Budget Cuts Threaten Community Gardens (NY Times, Apr 28, 2011)
Parks Workers Protest Budget Cuts (WNYC, Apr 1, 2011)
In Yankee Stadium Shadow, Three Unfinished Public Ball Fields (NY Times, Apr 1, 2011)
Parks Deptartment Disavows a Speed Limit for Bicycles (NY Times, Mar 24, 2011)
Error Prompts City to Void Speeding Tickets for Cyclists (Wall Street Journal, Mar 23, 2011)
Bill Would Further Restrict Cars in Central, Prospect Parks (NY Post, Mar 23, 2011)
Editorial on Saving Pouch Camp (Staten Island Advance, Mar 10, 2011)
Boy Scouts Look to Sell Part of Staten Island Camp to City (Staten Island Advance, Mar 5, 2011)
Mayor Signs Bill Banning Smoking in Parks (NY 1, Feb 23, 2011)
New Security Plan for Statue of Liberty is Delayed (NY Times, Feb 17, 2011)
The New Public Landscapes of Governors Island: An Interview with Adriaan Geuze (, Feb 14, 2011)
Alliance for New York State Parks Calls for "Pennies for Parks" Fee on Plastic Bags (, Feb 14, 2011)
Pricey Message for Park Bikers (Wall Street Journal, Feb 11, 2011)
Savings Prevent Further Cuts to State Park (Albany Times Union, Feb 9, 2011)
Sutton Place's Exclusive Gated Garden Will Finally Open to the Public (, Feb 3, 2011)
Trump to Ask City if He Can Run Tavern on the Green (NY Post, Jan 27, 2011)
Ominous Calm Settles Over Pouch Camp (Staten Island Advance, Jan 27, 2011)
State Park Attendance Increases Sharply (, Jan 12, 2011)
Interview with Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe (, Dec 28, 2010)
Who Pays for Parks? (, Dec 24, 2010)
Park Advocates Slam City for Neglecting Rabies Concerns (Brooklyn Papers, Dec 12, 2010)
Using Border Collie to Scare Away Prospect Park Geese (Daily News, Nov 18, 2010)
Cops Bust Chess Players (NY Post, Nov 18, 2010)
Delays, Violations Plague Renovation of East River Park (WNYC, Oct 19, 2010)
Governor's Island Draws Record Visitors (NY Post, Oct 14, 2010)
Park as Process: Brooklyn Bridge Park (, Oct 1, 2010)
Cable Channel Highlights Effort to Save Pouch Camp (Staten Island Advance, Sep 29, 2010)
Games Set to Begin for Aqueduct (NY Times, Sep 28, 2010)
Ridegwood Reservoir: Bushwick's Wilderness (Brownstoner, Sep 28, 2010)
Final Days for Staten Island Beach Bungalow Colony (Staten Island Advance, Sep 26, 2010)
Brooklyn Park Back on Track (NY Post, Sep 24, 2010)
Union Square Pedestrian Plaza Unveiled Today (WNYC, Sep 23, 2010)
Bloomberg Would Ban Smoking in Parks and Plazas (NY Times, Sep 16, 2010)
New York's Really Wild Side (New York Magazine, Sep 15, 2010)
Bloomberg to Limit Smoking in City Parks, Beaches (Daily News, Sep 15, 2010)
The Reclaiming of Prospect Park West (StreetsBlog, Sep 12, 2010)
Trees Chopped Down to Make Way for Fashion Tents (Daily News, Sep 10, 2010)
Staten Island Paper Finds Fault with Parks Department (Staten Island Advance, Sep 4, 2010)
City's Use of Fake Grass Could be a $300 Million Mistake (City Limits, Sep 4, 2010)
Art Vendors in Parks Get a Reprieve (NY Times, Aug 31, 2010)
Markowitz Uses Inmate Labor for Concert Series (NY Post, Aug 17, 2010)
City Trying to Reclaim Early Park Drawings (Associated Press, Aug 13, 2010)
Community Gardens Supporters Turn Out (, Aug 13, 2010)
Community Gardens Belong to Gardeners (Daily News, Aug 13, 2010)
Fear of New Community Garden Rules (am New York, Aug 5, 2010)
City Purchase of Goodhue Center in Limbo (Staten Island Advance, Jul 26, 2010)
Two Brooklyn Rivals Brought Together by Park (NY Post, Jul 22, 2010)
Artists Protest New Rules (NY Post, Jul 20, 2010)
City Slow to Remove Dangerous Trees, Audit Finds (NY Post, Jul 18, 2010)
Judge Refuses to Block City's New Limits on Arts Vendors (NY Times, Jul 17, 2010)
Garden Honors Parks Defender David Oats (Daily News, Jul 15, 2010)
After High Line's Success, Other Cities Look Up (NY Times, Jul 15, 2010)
Goose Slaughter Enrages Park Lovers (Brooklyn Papers, Jul 15, 2010)
Tavern on Green May Be Place to Shop, Not Eat (City Room, Jul 14, 2010)
City Bringing Two Piers to Greenpoint (NY Post, Jul 13, 2010)
Parks See Big Attentance Jump (Crain's, Jul 2, 2010)
Bikers Shut Out at South Beach (Staten Island Advance, Jun 30, 2010)
Work Begins on Field Where Yankee Stadium Once Stood (Daily News, Jun 30, 2010)
Tree Death 'Act of God,' Bloomberg Says (Daily News, Jun 29, 2010)
Focus on Trees After Central Park Accident (NY Times, Jun 28, 2010)
Crown Opening a Victory, Weiner Says (Daily News, Jun 27, 2010)
Critics Still Wait for Yankee Stadium Parks (Daily News, Jun 22, 2010)
Governors Island: Creating Destination Recreation (, Jun 21, 2010)
Parks Department to Close Four City Pools (, Jun 21, 2010)
City Scales Back Plan to Thin Out Art Vendors in Parks (NY Times, Jun 18, 2010)
Private Schools Play for Free on Disputed Randalls Island Fields (NY Times, Jun 14, 2010)
World's Most Expensive Real Estate at Central Park (Daily News, Jun 4, 2010)
Deal Could Rescue Parks (Albany Times Union, May 28, 2010)
Funding Parks' Upkeep (NY Observer, May 27, 2010)
Paterson Plan to Open Parks Hits Obstacles (Albany Times Union, May 25, 2010)
Times Square Plazas Slow Bus Trips (NY Times, May 21, 2010)
Summer to Bring Dusk Dining on Liberty Island (NY Times, May 18, 2010)
Turf War Blamed for Delays at DUMBO Park (Daily News, May 13, 2010)
City Seeking Ideas to Fix High Bridge (Daily News, May 7, 2010)
Debate Over Wetlans Stall Fix Up of Ridgewood Reservoir (Daily News, May 7, 2010)
Central Park Tennis Bubble Popped (, Apr 29, 2010)
Traveling Along the High Line (, Apr 26, 2010)
Part of Coney Boardwalk to be Replaced with Cement (NY Post, Apr 23, 2010)
High Lead Levels in Jerome Park Ballfields (Daily News, Apr 22, 2010)
Scouts' Restructuring of Debt Could Save Pouch Camp (Staten Island Advance, Apr 20, 2010)
Possible Financial Deal for Pouch Camp (, Apr 19, 2010)
Budget Places State Parks at Risk (Legislative Gazette, Apr 19, 2010)
Trying to Follow Nature's Call in the Park (NY Times, Apr 18, 2010)
Many 'Open' Playgrounds Remain Closed to Kids (Daily News, Apr 18, 2010)
Dromm Calls for More Park Space in Jackson Heights (Daily News, Apr 16, 2010)
City Takes Over Governors Island (NY Times, Apr 12, 2010)
Bloomberg Gets Control Of Governors Island (Daily News, Apr 12, 2010)
Governors Island Now the City's (NY Post, Apr 12, 2010)
City and State Agree on Governors Island (1010 WINS, Apr 12, 2010)
Brooklyn Bridge Park Responds to Playground Complaints (NY Post, Apr 8, 2010)
New Brooklyn Playground Gets Overheated (Daily News, Apr 7, 2010)
Pouch Camp Supporters Rally at City Hall (Staten Island Advance, Apr 6, 2010)
After 30 Years, Tupper Thomas to Leave Prospect Park (NY Times, Apr 6, 2010)
As City Takes Over Projects, Concerns Raised About Privatization of Parks (City Hall, Apr 6, 2010)
City Tries To Break Tavern on the Green Impasse (Crain's, Apr 4, 2010)
McMahon Asks for Federal Help to Save Pouch Camp (Staten Island Advance, Mar 25, 2010)
Disparity in Brooklyn Park Staffing (Daily News, Mar 24, 2010)
Schumer Urges Boy Scouts to Save Pouch Camp (Staten Island Advance, Mar 24, 2010)
Advocates Protest Park Inequality (am New York, Mar 18, 2010)
Protests Give Lift to State Parks (Albany Times Union, Mar 11, 2010)
City Takes Over Brooklyn Bridge Park (NY Post, Mar 11, 2010)
Scouts Rally for Pouch Camp (Staten Island Advance, Mar 7, 2010)
Advocates Rally To Protest Closing of State Parks (, Mar 5, 2010)
Design Input Sought for Pedestrian Plazas (NY 1, Mar 4, 2010)
Bipartisan Groups Oppses Cuts to State Parks (Albany Times Union, Mar 4, 2010)
State Prepares to Close 55 Parks. Historic Sites (NY Times, Mar 2, 2010)
A Federal Ally for Threatened Parks (Albany Times Union, Feb 25, 2010)
Bronx May Finally Get PGA Golf Course (Daily News, Feb 24, 2010)
State Park Closings Hit Queens, Manhattan (Associated Press, Feb 21, 2010)
Closings Loom for State Parks, Historic Sites (Associated Press, Feb 18, 2010)
The New Yankee Stadium is Built, But Where Are the Promised Ballfields for Kids? (Daily News, Feb 17, 2010)
Uncertain Future in Privately Funded Parks (NY Times, Feb 7, 2010)
City Closes Popular Bronx Homeless Shelter (NY Times, Feb 5, 2010)
Staen Island's Pouch Camp Could be Put Up for Sale (NY Times, Jan 24, 2010)
City's 'Sidewalk Sheds' Get a Makeover (Associated Press, Jan 22, 2010)
Harris Field's Costs Skyrocket (NY Post, Jan 19, 2010)
Nonprofit Will Create Playgrounds for 70 City Schools (Crain's, Jan 13, 2010)
Country Club Could Save Staten Island Scout Camp (Staten Island Advance, Jan 4, 2010)
City Cuts 24 Schoolyards from Parks Plan (Associated Press, Dec 17, 2009)
Three Williamsburg Parks and David Yassky (NY Observer, Nov 25, 2009)
Recyclable Products at Parks Get Dumped (NY Post, Nov 9, 2009)
As Yankees Triumph at Home, Bronx Teams Remain Homeless (NY Times, Oct 25, 2009)
Bronx kids are still payng the price for the Bloomberg's adminstraiton's deal with the New York Yankees.
City Contemplates High Line Ownership (NY 1, Oct 20, 2009)
City Spends Millions to Open up Schoolyards (NY Post, Oct 18, 2009)
Bronx Ballpark Delayed Until 2011 (Daily News, Oct 13, 2009)
Bloomberg Supports Park Smoking Ban (Daily News, Oct 1, 2009)
New Yorkers Express Doubts About Ban on Smoking in Parks (, Sep 16, 2009)
Water Filtration Plant Costing $1 Billion More than Estimated, Audit Finds (Daily News, Sep 2, 2009)
No Fees for Highline Neighbors (NY 1, Aug 22, 2009)
Trees Ravaged During Storm (Daily News, Aug 21, 2009)
East River Esplanade Takes Step Forward (Metro, Aug 19, 2009)
High Line plan Taxing for Local Community (The Villager, Aug 16, 2009)
Some community members believe that the High Line’s recently proposed improvement district will unfairly force local residents and property owners to pay for the elevated greenway, charged a group of Chelsea neighbors who don’t think the community should have to pony up for the public “park in the sky.”
Fort Greene Park to get $300,000 Facelift through Federal aid (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 15, 2009)
The U.S. House of Representatives approved $300,000 in funding to renovate and restore Fort Greene Park. The funds were included in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010, which now goes to the Senate.
Dangerous Park Conditions Go Untended (NY 1, Aug 13, 2009)
A study obtained by NY1 shows dangerous conditions at city parks have gone unfixed for too long. Investigators for State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found it sometimes took weeks to correct about 50 percent of the hazardous conditions it surveyed in parks across the five boroughs.
City Beaches Earn Mixed Report Card (Crain's, Aug 11, 2009)
Independent Study Backs Limits on Great Lawn (Metro, Aug 6, 2009)
High Line’s Opening Celebrated with Street Fest (NY 1, Jul 12, 2009)
More People, Not Many More Parks (WNYC, Jul 10, 2009)
Crown Opens for First Time Since 9-11 (NY Post, Jul 5, 2009)
Replacement of Parks in (Slow) Motion (Daily News, Jun 30, 2009)
Queens Parks Dept. Calls Foul-Field Gripes Fair (Daily News, Jun 30, 2009)
Dorothy Lewandowski, Parks Department Queens borough commissioner, and Philip Sparacio, department chief of operations in the borough are taking action to correct deplorable conditions at the Little League fields in Queens.
Parks Department is a Disgrace to City (Daily News, Jun 16, 2009)
"Every coach and parent I've talked to who uses these public fields [Little League fields in Queens] - where our children are supposed to learn, love and excel in the great American pastime of baseball - says the same thing: The Parks Department is a DISGRACE!," says Denis Hamill.
Mayor Bloomberg's Priorities Out of Whack (Daily News, Jun 16, 2009)
"They shut down blocks of a major traffic artery in the heart of Manhattan so people can lounge in beach chairs on Broadway.
More and more, it feels like "Alice in Wonderland," but underlying the absurdity, it's like a tale of two cities, a story of the haves and the have-nots."
What the High Line's Success Can Teach Us (City Limits, Jun 15, 2009)
"Savvy and serendipity played a big part in the realization of this long-awaited park. But the project's success contains lessons for other public efforts of every kind."
Parks Advocates Envy Highline Security (Daily News, Jun 10, 2009)
Former West Side Railway Opens as High-Rise Park (Newsday, Jun 9, 2009)
Privatized Pavilion’s Opponents Make Another Pitch to Board 5 (The Villager, Jun 9, 2009)
More verbal fireworks broke out on Monday in the battle over private use of public space regarding the pavilion at the north end of Union Square Park.
Mott Haven Residents to City: No trees! Just Leaf Us Alone! (Daily News, Jun 8, 2009)
Some Mott Haven residents are fuming over city plans to plant trees on their block. The problem, they say, is that the tree roots eventually crack their sidewalks, leaving them stuck with the repair bill.
Elevated: The Twin Pleasures of the High Line: A Petite New Park, and a District of Lively Architecture. (New York Magazine, Jun 7, 2009)
The High Line’s levitating parkland has been so long and so rapturously anticipated that the nine-block segment that opens this week can hardly compete with its own story.
High Line Park to Open Tuesday (AM New York, Jun 5, 2009)
EPA Rethinks Play Padding (Chicago Tribune, Jun 5, 2009)
For years, the Environmental Protection Agency has endorsed the recycling of ground-up tires – the material used for the Obama family’s new White House playground – to cushion the surfaces of children’s playgrounds and sports fields. Now, the agency is having second thoughts. EPA scientists are worried that they don’t have enough information about potential health risks from chemicals in the rubber, which is popular because it decreases playground injuries and is low maintenance and weatherproof.
Bronx Still Waiting on City’s Fields of Dreams (Metro, Jun 2, 2009)
Broadway Closing Gets Mixed Reviews (AM New York, May 27, 2009)
Park Projects Victim to Slashed Spending Cuts (NY Post, May 26, 2009)
New York's biggest park projects are on hold after budget cuts. Projects to revive Manhattan's Fort Washington Park, Dreier-Offerman Park in Brooklyn, Soundview Park in the Bronx and Highland and Rockaway parks in Queens have been gutted from a combined $206 million in 2007 to $102.9 million, city documents show.
Preservationists at Odds With City Over Ballfields in Ridgewood Reservoir (Daily News, May 22, 2009)
The City Parks Department has exaggerated the need for new ballfields in the forests of Ridgewood Reservoir, preservationists charge, pointing to newly unearthed documents.
Downtown Brooklyn’s Columbus Park Gets Ready For Its close-up (Daily News, May 22, 2009)
"Columbus Park in downtown Brooklyn is ready for its close-up.
Downtown business leaders will soon fill the pedestrian plaza in front of Borough Hall with French cafe-style tables and chairs - similar to the ones in Bryant Park in Manhattan - as part of a larger plan to revamp the underused park, sources told the Daily News. "
Yankee Stadium area's Heritage Park Still Unfinished (Daily News, May 19, 2009)
None of the replacement parks have yet been completed, despite city promises most would be done by now. it will be late 2010 before work can even begin on Heritage Field, the park to replace most of the ballfields swallowed up three years ago to make way for the $1.5 billion new Yankee Stadium.
Washington Square Park Re-Opens For a New Generation (Daily News, May 19, 2009)
After almost a year and half of major reconstruction and landscaping, a spiffier Washington Square Park reopened to the public Tuesday - as popular and controversial as ever.
Coney Island Synagogue to Use City Noise Law to Foil Markowitz’s Concert Hall (Daily News, May 17, 2009)
"Coney Island residents and park activists are turning up the heat on Borough President Marty Markowitz's planned $64 million amphitheater in Asser Levy Park.
Members of an Orthodox synagogue across from the glitzy 8,000-seat project will announce plans today to use a little-known city law to bar concerts in the new center every night of the week. "
City Eyes WiFi in Parks (NY Post, May 14, 2009)
Williamsburg, Greenpoint Residents Say City Hasn't Delivered On Park Spaces Key to Rezoning Set-up (Daily News, May 14, 2009)
"Four years after Williamsburg and Greenpoint were rezoned to allow luxury waterfront condo towers, residents charged none of the parks they were promised have opened."
Jamaica civic Groups Push For More Parks and Open Spaces (Daily News, May 12, 2009)
"Community leaders have joined forces to push for more open space in downtown Jamaica — starting with a park city officials had planned to put across from the AirTrain station."
Brodsky, Yankees Headed for Extra Innings (Albany Times Union, May 7, 2009)
DEP Backtracks On Vow Not To Use Explosives For Excavations at Jerome Park Reservoir (Daily News, May 6, 2009)
"Less than nine months after telling a judge it would not use blasting on a Bronx water tunnel project, the city has gone back on its word - possibly lighting the fuse on a new lawsuit."
Parks Pay Off (Forbes, May 5, 2009)
Urban green spaces return both financial and feel-good dividends.
City-Backed VC Park Group Undermines 'Friends' (Norwood News, Apr 30, 2009)
"The city’s Parks Department announced last week that it was setting up a Central Park-like Conservancy in Van Cortlandt Park."
Disabled Mets Fans Decry Stadium Subway Stop (Staten Island Advance, Apr 14, 2009)
Bronx Kids Await Ballfields (Daily News, Apr 10, 2009)
Many school sports teams in the Bronx have no place to play, thanks to the new Yankee Stadium.
City Zoos Face Buyouts and Layoffs (NY Times, Apr 7, 2009)
City Considers Concerts at Coney (NY Post, Apr 4, 2009)
The city is in talks with the nation's top concert promoter to bring major acts to the Coney Island beach this summer that could draw 100,000 people, The Post has learned.
New Stadium Park in On-Deck Circle (Daily News, Mar 23, 2009)
A portion of the new Macombs Dam Park soccer field that is being built atop a stadium parking garage is set to open to the public in April, according to the city Parks Department, which is responsible for the project.
Silver Puts Mayor’s Governors Island Idea on Hold (Downtown Express, Mar 20, 2009)
Parks Department Gets Public Input on Ridgewood Reservoir's Future (The Forum, Mar 20, 2009)
Bailing Out Governor’s Island (NY Observer, Mar 19, 2009)
Lack Of Parks Surround New Stadium, For Now (NY 1, Mar 19, 2009)
'Serial Attack' on Trees in Inwood Hill Park (NY Times, Mar 14, 2009)
For at least the second time in a year, someone is killing the trees of Inwood Hill Park. Parks department employees have discovered 17 destroyed trees in recent weeks, including pines, sugar maples and hackberries, and two young tulip trees, which were chopped down and left to rot.
Bloomberg Seeks Full Control of Governors Island (Daily News, Mar 13, 2009)
Bloomberg Seeks to Revive Randalls Island Plan (Daily Politics, Mar 11, 2009)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to revive his failed plan to let 20 of Manhattan's richest private schools pay for exclusive after-school use of scores of public ballfields on Randalls Island. A year ago, a state Supreme Court justice rejected the original contract, ruling that the Parks Department had failed to follow the city's land-use law, which would have required the local community board and City Council to vote on the deal.
Central Park Tennis Operator Owes City Money (NY Post, Mar 11, 2009)
The operator of the Central Park tennis concession owes the city $110,347 because it underreported its income over a six-year period, according to an audit by Comptroller Bill Thompson.
N.Y. Water Taxi to Build a Beach on Governors Island (Tribeca Trib, Feb 27, 2009)
Initial Contract for Ridgewood Reservoir Approved (The Forum, Feb 27, 2009)
Mayor: Hudson River Park’s Money Should Go to Governors Island (Downtown Express, Feb 20, 2009)
More Funding Problems at Brooklyn Bridge Park (Brooklyn Papers, Feb 19, 2009)
City Will No Longer Use Crumb Rubber Turf (Daily News, Feb 10, 2009)
The controversial material made from recycled tires will no longer be used in synthetic-turf fields for parks and schools, officials said yesterday. While insisting crumb rubber isn't toxic, the officials said they stopped using it because it overheats on hot days and could pose a health risk.
Council to Hold Hearing on Artificial Turf (NY Times, Feb 9, 2009)
The City Council is scheduled to hold a hearing today on a bill that calls for a moratorium on the use of rubber crumbs in the city’s public sports fields until an environmental impact study of the pellets is done. It also calls for replacing all rubber infill used in the city’s playgrounds.
Plan Would Let Governors Island Buildings Burn for 30 Minutes (Downtown Express, Feb 6, 2009)
Fashion Week Shows to Move to Lincoln Center (Newsday, Feb 4, 2009)
Costs Soar at Brooklyn Bridge Park (Brooklyn Papers, Feb 2, 2009)
New Brooklyn Condo a Bird Killer (NY Post, Feb 2, 2009)
Date Set for World Trade Center Memorial Opening (Crain's, Jan 30, 2009)
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey plans to allow public access to the Sept. 11 memorial by Sept. 11, 2011, and keep it open permanently.
Buildings (and Parks Department Legacy) Deteriorating, Advocates Say (City Hall, Jan 29, 2009)
Reflecting Pool Taking Shape at Ground Zero (Associated Press, Jan 28, 2009)
Upkeep Price Tag For Brooklyn Bridge Park Soars (NY Post, Jan 28, 2009)
Cost Increase at Yankee Stadium Parks (NY Times, Jan 28, 2009)
Controversial Hotel at Brooklyn Bridge Park Canceled (Brooklyn Papers, Jan 15, 2009)
A ballyhooed hotel that would have funded a large part of the maintenance budget for the controversial Brooklyn Bridge Park has been quietly abandoned by the condo-and-greenspace development’s planners.
Deal for Wireless Access in City Parks Collapses (NY Times, Jan 8, 2009)
City May Revive Summer Streets (NY Post, Jan 3, 2009)
The Department of Transportation is considering bringing back the Summer Streets Program, which drew tens of thousands of people to walk, bike, and shop along a seven-mile stretch of Park Avenue that was closed to cars for three consecutive Saturdays.
Reasons to Love New York: 3) Because Robert Moses Would Have a Coronary If He Were to See Our Streets Now (New York Magazine, Dec 14, 2008)
Partnership to Take Over Van Cortlandt Park (Riverdale Press, Dec 12, 2008)
Land Grab. Parks department plans to take over green space left from filtration plant construction for a parking lot. (Norwood News, Dec 11, 2008)
Parks Employees Get Stadium Box (NY Post, Dec 7, 2008)
The city's luxury box at Shea Stadium was used almost entirely over the last four years by employees of the Parks Department - which oversees the ballpark - while other city agencies were largely shut out.
Site of former Elmhurst landmarks gets new greenery (Daily News, Dec 6, 2008)
Golfer's Parking Lot on Croton Filtration Site Stirs Opposition (Riverdale Press, Dec 5, 2008)
Advocates Scale Back Car-Free Prospect Park Push (Brooklyn Papers, Dec 4, 2008)
City Overstated Stadium's Benefits (Daily News, Dec 3, 2008)
City Knows Who Killed Sapling (Daily News, Dec 2, 2008)
A Japanese pagoda sapling died last summer on the lower East Side block when workers at a nearby restaurant supply shop allegedly poured noxious cleaning fluid around its roots.
Cost of Water Filtration Plant Doubles (Associated Press, Dec 1, 2008)
Yankees Get Two Fields, Kids None (Daily News, Dec 1, 2008)
While the Yankees will soon have two baseball stadiums at their disposal, the community whose parks were absorbed for the new stadium could be left without any regulation ballfield in the neighborhood for a year or more.
Controversy Over Washington Square Park Continues (NY Times, Nov 26, 2008)
Many Greenwich Village residents still have doubts about the way the city has redone Washington Square Park.
How Trash Becomes Green Space (New York Magazine, Nov 25, 2008)
City Takes Another Swing at Ferry Point Links (Daily News, Nov 25, 2008)
Potential developers toured Ferry Point last week to tee up the city's second try at turning the former landfill into a lavish golf course.
Work to Begin on Van Cortlandt Park Trails (Norwood News, Nov 24, 2008)
Friends of Van Cortlandt Park (FVCP), a non-profit organization founded in 1992, has hired the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference to study trail renovation needs in the park, which at 1,146 square acres is the city’s fourth largest. Work will probably begin this summer.
A Brighter Future for University Woods Park? (Mount Hope Monitor, Nov 14, 2008)
The Intrepid's Million Dollar Makeover (Daily News, Nov 10, 2008)
Croton Park Filtration Plant Cost Overruns Unaccountable (Riverdale Press, Oct 24, 2008)
Governors Island Development Moves At Glacial Pace (NY Observer, Oct 22, 2008)
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Will Run Artists’ Space on Governors Island (NY Times, Oct 19, 2008)
The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has been selected to run an artists’ studio and exhibition space on Governors Island that will include a year-round artist residency and weekend events.
Pier Bridges Dropped from Brooklyn Bridge Park Design (Brooklyn Papers, Oct 16, 2008)
Stadium Appraisals Under Fire (Newsday, Oct 16, 2008)
Business Improvement District for Hudson Park? (Downtown Express, Oct 10, 2008)
Union Square Web Site Spoof Prompts Suit (Metro, Oct 10, 2008)
Bats Flourish in Brooklyn - And That's Good (WNYC, Oct 10, 2008)
East River Park Another Year Behind Schedule (The Villager, Oct 5, 2008)
New Yorkers will be waiting another year for East River Park to be complete — and maybe more if a state agency succeeds in halting the project.
Temporary Brooklyn Bridge Park Proves Popular (NY Post, Oct 2, 2008)
A small temporary park that offered a preview of one of the state's most highly contested projects - the Brooklyn Bridge Park - was a surprise summer hit with 192,675 people visiting from around the world.
Broadway's New Pedestrian Access (USA Today, Sep 26, 2008)
Visitors to Governors Island Double (Associated Press, Sep 12, 2008)
Study: Too Much of Downtown Off Limits (Crain's, Sep 12, 2008)
Officials Hope to Keep Astroland Open (Daily News, Sep 9, 2008)
Roads Being Considered for Fresh Kills Park (Staten Island Advance, Aug 29, 2008)
After Delays, Underground Water Plant Takes Shape (NY Sun, Aug 29, 2008)
Park Rehab Done, But Maintenance Missing (Metro, Aug 27, 2008)
Bloomberg Says City Should Look at No-Car Parks (NY Sun, Aug 27, 2008)
As bicycle activists prepare to press Mayor Bloomberg to ban cars from Prospect Park, the mayor said yesterday that the city should look at the proposal and added: "It would be great if we could keep cars out of all parks."
Ban on Cars in Propsect Park Urged (NY Sun, Aug 26, 2008)
Advocates would like the city to try completely banning cars and trucks from Prospect Park for threee months next summer.
Enjoying the Danger on the Broadway Esplanade (NY Times, Aug 26, 2008)
While the new esplanade along Broadway in Midtown seems to have become an instant hit with office workers and tourists, many worry about being hit bycars and trucks.
City Creates 'Pedestrian Living Room' (New Yorker, Aug 26, 2008)
From Times Square to Herald Square, the blacktop has been decreased by a third, replaced on the eastern side with a pebbly mixture of light-colored gravel and epoxy. Tables and chairs and umbrellas will be arranged to form makeshift cafés in the middle of the street. A green bike lane separates the domesticated zones from the curb, like a moat patrolled by speeding bicycle messengers.
Complaints About Waterfall Damage Multiply (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 22, 2008)
McCarren Pool Parties in Come to an End (Metro, Aug 22, 2008)
Squadron Contests Plan for Condos in Brooklyn Bridge Park (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 19, 2008)
Questions Raised about Bronx Park Construction (Metro, Aug 15, 2008)
Parks Department Threatens to Ticket Barefoot Kids (Daily News, Jul 30, 2008)
The city has found a way to deal with complaints that super hot playground mats burn children's feet: Punish the parents. Parents at parks around the said they've been threatened with fines for allowing their kids to run barefoot among the slides and swings.
Tides Takes Lives Over Weekend (Daily News, Jul 28, 2008)
City Faces Lawsuit Over Scalding Playground Mats (Metro, Jul 21, 2008)
Signs of Life at Neglected Bronx Park (NY Times, Jul 12, 2008)
University Woods, a 3.3-acre park in the Bronx, has been neglected — a point acknowledged even by the parks department.
But during the past year or so, a Bronx community group fashioned in the mold of the Central Park Conservancy has been seeking to transform University Woods into an unlikely urban getaway.
City to Close Two Broadway Lanes for Bikes, Walkers (Daily News, Jul 11, 2008)
Closing Two Lanes on Broadway for Parks, Bikes (NY Times, Jul 11, 2008)
Bronx Kids Left Out in Left Field (Daily News, Jul 10, 2008)
Hearing to Examine Proposed Blasting at Reservoir (Daily News, Jul 10, 2008)
Community Boards 7, 8 and 12 are sponsoring a public hearing July 15 to address the Department of Environmental Protection's recently announced plan to use blasting at the Jerome Park Reservoir in part of the controversial Croton Water Treatment Plant project underway at Van Cortlandt Park.
Effort Targets Illegal Activities in Parks (NY Sun, Jul 9, 2008)
Parks In Poor Condition (NY Post, Jul 7, 2008)
Study to Consider Crown Reopening (Daily News, Jul 7, 2008)
More Money to Parks This Year (NY Post, Jul 7, 2008)
With New York City parks plagued by barren weed-strewn areas that are nesting grounds for crime, the Bloomberg administration is planning more than 400 projects to clean up green space.
High Line to Open by Year's End (NY 1, Jun 26, 2008)
Common Ground in Central Park (New York Magazine, Jun 23, 2008)
Thompson, Marshall Push to Keep Queens Reservoir Wild (NY Observer, Jun 20, 2008)
City Considers Multi-Million Dollar Bronx Golf Course, Again (Metro, Jun 17, 2008)
Erosion Threatens Central Park's Famed Walls (Metro, Jun 11, 2008)
Concrete Plant in Bronx to Be Transformed into Park (NY Post, Jun 10, 2008)
Playing Space Tight in Bronx This Summer (City Limits, Jun 2, 2008)
A stream of cash pouring into the Parks Department budget has created a rehabilitation bonanza at Bronx parks, but the mostly welcome windfall is also displacing community sports teams and visitors to parks across the borough.
Weekend Ferry to Governors Island Returns for Summer (NY 1, Jun 1, 2008)
Costs and Delays Mount for Replacing Parks Lost to New Yankee Stadium (NY Times, May 27, 2008)
Two City Parks Receive $25 Million Donation (NY 1, May 23, 2008)
Brooklyn Bridge Park Costs Continue to Rise (NY Post, May 22, 2008)
Study Finds No Evidence of Risk in Synthetic Turf (NY Times, May 15, 2008)
Rock for Trees (NY Post, May 7, 2008)
The city's plan to plant a million trees won a star-studded endorsement yesterday from The Police, with the rock band pledging to chip in $1 million during a ceremony in Times Square.
Bronx Water Plant With a Towering Price Tag (NY Times, Apr 24, 2008)
A Newfangled Way to Count the Trees in the Park (NY Times, Apr 6, 2008)
Tompkins Square Park Activists Fight Police - Again (AM New York, Apr 4, 2008)
New Partnership Eyed for West Side Pier -- Without Cirque de Soleil (The Villager, Mar 30, 2008)
Costs and Disruptions Rise for Yankee, Met Stadiums (Village Voice, Mar 27, 2008)
Council Members Seek to Limit Fake Turf (Daily News, Mar 26, 2008)
Three City Council members will propose a bill that would ban any more artificial turf fields that use tiny bits of "crumb-rubber infill" in city parks and require existing fields to be torn up and replaced within a year.
Legislation Would Erect Fence To Artificial Turf (NY Sun, Mar 26, 2008)
New Brooklyn Vistas, and a Fight Over Plans for Them (NY Times, Mar 24, 2008)
In a City Park, a Crime Against Nature (NY Times, Mar 22, 2008)
Plan For Brooklyn Power Plant Rejected (NY 1, Mar 21, 2008)
Costs to City for Yankees Stadium Skyrockets (Village Voice, Mar 20, 2008)
Students Protest Washington Square Park Redesign (Village Voice, Mar 14, 2008)
Food Vendors to Remain at Red Hook Soccer Field (NY Times, Mar 12, 2008)
Latin Food Vendors to Stay at Brooklyn Soccer Field (NY Times, Mar 12, 2008)
Vendors Need $30,000 to Taste Full Victory (Daily News, Mar 12, 2008)
Brooklyn Bridge Park May Be Scaled Back (NY Post, Mar 10, 2008)
Stuck in Traffic? A Sculpture Park May Ease the Pain (NY Times, Mar 8, 2008)
Groups Urge a Moratorium on City Use of Artificial Turf (NY Times, Feb 29, 2008)
Modern Pool for Public Is Opening in Flushing (NY Times, Feb 29, 2008)
City Settles Bias Case (NY Times, Feb 27, 2008)
Moving to close the books on a long and ugly chapter in New York’s employment history, the city has agreed to pay more than $20 million to settle a federal class-action lawsuit charging that the Department of Parks and Recreation systematically discriminated against black and Hispanic employees in awarding jobs and setting salaries, lawyers for the plaintiffs said Tuesday.
City Workers Object to Electronic Payroll System (City Room, Feb 22, 2008)
Workers Blast "Big Brother" Scheme (Metro, Feb 22, 2008)
East Side Residents Push for New Park (AM New York, Feb 22, 2008)
Aquarium Renovation Plans Scaled Back (Daily News, Feb 22, 2008)
Parks Department Vow Continued Use of Controversial Crumb Rubber Turf (Daily News, Feb 22, 2008)
A Plan for a New Riverfront Park Faces a Struggle (NY Times, Feb 22, 2008)
Call for Mob Probe of Croton Water Plant (Daily News, Feb 21, 2008)
Garodnick, Others Keep Up the Heat for East River Park (The Real Estate, Feb 20, 2008)
Randall's Island Case Back in Court Today (Metro, Feb 19, 2008)
Preliminary Mayor's Management Report (, Feb 15, 2008)
An interim look at the performance of various city agencies was released yesterday in a report called the Preliminary Mayor's Management Report. Published annually, it takes a look at the city's performance in the first four months of the fiscal year and forecasts performance expectations. Much of the information can be broken down by individual agency, issue, or community. Some significant highlights were: Sewer back up complaints jumped by 23 percent; the average response time to heat complaints rose by 50 percent (although stays within the goal of seven hours); and major felony crimes in schools were nearly a third lower than the same quarter last year.
Heliport Owner Would Move Landing Pads Into Hudson (NY Times, Feb 15, 2008)
Bronx Politician, Yankees Fued Over Stadium (Daily News, Feb 15, 2008)
The borough's politicians and the baseball team fight over who is to blame for the fact that Bronx residents have yet to reap many promised benefits from construction of the new stadium.
Pool to Rise from the Deep (Daily News, Feb 15, 2008)
The city unveiled plans to reopen the McCarren Park Pool, a sprawling recreation area that has been dry for 24 years. The $50 million project, expected to be finished by 2011, will feature a recreation center, restaurant and space for an ice rink in the winter, city officials said.
Developers Want Easier Access to High Line Air Rights (The Real Estate, Feb 14, 2008)
Pint-Sized Parks Make Safer Streets and Cleaner Rivers (StreetsBlog, Feb 14, 2008)
Swimming in McCarren Pool (New York Magazine, Feb 14, 2008)
The recent plan call for turning the site back into a place for actual swimming by summer 2011.In the winter, people will be able to ice-skate there, too.
Despite Court Ruling, Construction Continues on Randall's Island (Daily News, Feb 13, 2008)
Mayor Calls for Greener Bronx (Daily News, Feb 12, 2008)
Parks commissioner Adrian Benepe writes that new and renovated parks are transforming communities in the Bronx and improving the quality of life. In the last five years, he saysm more than $158 million has been invested in Bronx park improvements, including new waterfront parks, greenways and recreational facilities.
Parks Could Get Cameras (NY Post, Feb 11, 2008)
City Looks to Brighten Parachute Jump (Associated Press, Feb 8, 2008)
Cost of New Yankee Stadium Up to $1.3 Billion (NY Sun, Feb 8, 2008)
Toxic Turf Ban Fight in Albany (Metro, Feb 7, 2008)
Park Rehab Causes Alarm With Uncovered Graves (Metro, Feb 6, 2008)
Judge Voids City Plan to Let Private Schools Build and Use Fields on Randalls Island (NY Post, Feb 1, 2008)
Deal Over Randalls Island Sports Fields Is Voided (NY Times, Feb 1, 2008)
MTA Eyes Park for Fulton Transit Center (Daily News, Jan 31, 2008)
Village Residents Fight Planned Entertainment Complex on Pier (NY Times, Jan 30, 2008)
Village Wants to Keep Its Fields as They Are on Pier 40 (NY Times, Jan 30, 2008)
Brooklyn Bridge Park Construction Begins (NY Sun, Jan 30, 2008)
Bronx Parkland Lost to Yankees (, Jan 29, 2008)
A parks advocate writes that, despite the mayor;s promises, Bronx residents are losing parkland because of the new Yankee Stadium.
City Wants to Sell Naming Rights of Parks Department Attractions (NY Post, Jan 25, 2008)
Developer Quits Pier 57 Project Due to Investigation (NY Sun, Jan 25, 2008)
New Rules May Grill Red Hook Vendors (Daily News, Jan 25, 2008)
City Parks Officials Seek Safety Review of Synthetic Surfaces (NY Times, Jan 24, 2008)
Union Square Rehab to Slim Down Farmers’ Market (Metro, Jan 24, 2008)
City Questions Use of Turf (Metro, Jan 23, 2008)
City Intends to Renovate Landmark Pier as a Hub (NY Times, Jan 22, 2008)
New York's East River to Host Artist Eliasson's 'Waterfalls' (Bloomberg, Jan 16, 2008)
City Land 'Giveaway' in South Bronx (NY Post, Jan 15, 2008)
Don’t Feed the Pigeons Here. But Over There, OK (City Room, Jan 15, 2008)
Bronx Golf Course Moves Forward At City's Expense (NY Times, Jan 14, 2008)
Dispute over Ridgewood Reservoir (Daily News, Jan 13, 2008)
The Ridgewood Reservoir could one day feature a lighted bicycle loop, an environmental learning center and "meandering meadows," as part of a potential $50 million restoration of the heavily wooded former reservoir on the Brooklyn-Queens border. But the parks department's own hired consultants warned against any "major disturbances" of what is one of the city's last remaining swaths of untamed woodland.
Neighbors Fight for Harlem Garden (Daily News, Jan 13, 2008)
The 116th Street Block Association, a nonprofit founded by locals in 1976, plans to build 55 apartments on the garden site for families making $40,000 or less. The project threatens a community garden and so pits nighbor versus neighbor.
City Trees To Be Cloned, Planted in Boroughs (NY Sun, Jan 10, 2008)
Harlem Residents To Square Off Vs. City Over Randalls Island (NY Sun, Jan 10, 2008)
City Settles Great Lawn Protest Lawsuit (NY Times, Jan 9, 2008)
Bronx Groups Have Not Received Promised Funds from Yankees (NY Times, Jan 7, 2008)
Officials Call for Investigation Into Cost Overruns at Filtration Plant (Norwood News, Jan 4, 2008)
City Wants More Power Over Brooklyn Bridge Park (NY Observer, Jan 3, 2008)
In Winds of Winter, High LIne Park Takes Shape (NY Times, Jan 2, 2008)
Taxpayers May Have to Pay for Ferry Point (NY Post, Dec 30, 2007)
Taxpayers may have to ante up $20 million to $25 million to complete the Ferry Point golf course in The Bronx, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said. The private developer who began the project during the Giuliani administration abandoned it.
Prospect Park Crime Among City's Lowest (Daily News, Dec 27, 2007)
Washington Square Park Plan Threatens Trees (AM New York, Dec 21, 2007)
'Iconic' Design Chosen for Governors Island (NY Sun, Dec 20, 2007)
Brooklyn Bridge Park Coming Soon (Daily News, Dec 20, 2007)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/arts/design/20gove.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin (NY Times, Dec 20, 2007)
More than 10 years after the Coast Guard left Governors Island in New York Harbor, a team of architects has been selected to design a grandly whimsical green 40-acre park on its southern half that public officials hope will ultimately attract commercial development.
A Pushcart Vendor Defies the City (NY Times, Dec 19, 2007)
Group Calls for Audit of Filtration Plant (Daily News, Dec 19, 2007)
The citizen panel overseeing work at the controversial Croton Water Treatment Plant in Van Cortlandt Park has voted to call for an outside audit of the project's disastrous finances.
Brnx Resident Dispute Plan to Replace Parkland (Daily News, Dec 18, 2007)
Opponents of the city's decision to hand 22 acres of public parkland to the Yankees for the team's new stadium have taken issue with the Parks Department plan to replace the parks, which it is required to do by law.
Blinding Headlights Make Part of West Side Greenway Unusable (StreetsBlog, Dec 14, 2007)
Turf Concerns Get Council Hearing (Metro, Dec 13, 2007)
Report Throws Water on Washington Square Fountain Move (Metro, Dec 13, 2007)
New Williamsburg Park Overwhelmed by Goose Droppings (Gowanus Lounge, Dec 12, 2007)
In a Park Known for Battles, a Lost Fight Over Its Renovation (City Room, Dec 6, 2007)
State Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Take Land from Energy Company for Parkland (Brooklyn Papers, Dec 6, 2007)
Washington Square Park Plan to Move Forward (Metro, Dec 4, 2007)
Renovation at Washington Square Park (NY Times, Dec 4, 2007)
Beaver Lodge Seen on Bronx River (Daily News, Dec 4, 2007)
A new beaver lodge has been spotted on the banks of the Bronx River where it winds through the New York Botanical .Garden, according to the Bronx River Alliance. It's the second to show up in the borough recently,
Greenpoint-Wiliamburg Park Could Become a Reality (Daily News, Nov 29, 2007)
A planned 28-acre park on the Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront will finally be built if a state Assembly bill to be introduced Thursday is passed.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Stalled (Daily News, Nov 27, 2007)
Ciyt Buys East River Island (Daily News, Nov 27, 2007)
South Brother Island is slated to be a bird refuge.
Politicians Seek Probe of Water Plant Costs (Daily News, Nov 27, 2007)
All but three members of the Bronx delegation to the state Assembly have formally requested hearings - some possibly with subpoena power - to investigate the stunning cost overruns on the water filtration plant being built under Van Cortlandt Park.
Chicago's Alley Go Green (NY Times, Nov 26, 2007)
Chicago has decided to retrofit its alleys with environmentally sustainable road-building materials under its Green Alley initiative, something experts say is among the most ambitious public street makeover plans in the country. In a larger sense, the city is rethinking the way it paves things.
Washington Square Park Rehab Ready to Go (Metro, Nov 20, 2007)
Pier D Stands Out in the West Side’s Industrial Past (City Room, Nov 19, 2007)
Yankee Stadium Gobble Up Last Bit of Parklent (Daily News, Nov 13, 2007)
The last patch of parkland to be taken for the new Yankee Stadium project was fenced off last week, so construction of a parking garage could begin.
Mosholu Driving Range Re-opens (Norwood News, Oct 30, 2007)
The driving range at Mosholu Golf Course has re-opened after being shut down for most of the summer because of safety and liability issues.
Parks Department Wants to Raze the Ridgewood Reservoir (Metro, Oct 25, 2007)
Turf Moratorium (Metro, Oct 25, 2007)
Anger Oer City Plans to Destroy Forest (Daily News, Oct 21, 2007)
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe delivered a shock to nature lovers and community activists last week when he said the city is planning to level more than 20 acres of dense forest in Ridgewood Reservoir to make way for recreational facilities, attendees of the meeting said.
New Walkway Along Hudson River (NY Post, Oct 18, 2007)
Man Eyes More Manhattan Acreage (NY Times, Oct 16, 2007)
Mayor Kicks Off Tree Planting (NY Sun, Oct 10, 2007)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg kicked off his campaign to bring 1 million trees to New York over the next decade by planting a Carolina Silverbell on a street corner in the Bronx yesterday. The program, Million Trees NYC, is designed to expand the city's urban forest by 20 percent and in the process make the air cleaner, raise property values, save energy and keep hot streets cool.
City Recreation Centers Experience Membership Decline (Daily News, Oct 10, 2007)
Fewer people are joining city recreation centers that recently went from free to fee. The city's recreation centers experienced a nearly 20 percent drop in membership last year - and new fees in low-income neighborhoods are to blame.
City Golf Course May HaveBeen Used as Illegal Landfill (Daily News, Oct 9, 2007)
Critics suspect the developer of a city golf course in the Bronx charged contractors to take excavated fill from construction sites and dump it at the site at Ferry Point.
City's High Bridge to Get Makeover (Daily News, Oct 7, 2007)
High Bridge, a long-shuttered elegant 19th-century pedestrian bridge,is expected to reopen in 2011 - more than 40 years after it closed.
Yankees Billed Taxpayers for Souvenirs, Bar Tabs (Associated Press, Oct 4, 2007)
Group Stumps for Tree-Planting in Ridgewood (Daily News, Oct 2, 2007)
Some 23 members of the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association conducted a sweeping survey of the neighborhood to see where new street trees can be planted. Now they want the city to follow through
Officials Boost Columbia Expansion (NY Sun, Sep 27, 2007)
Manhattan President Supports Columbia Expansion (NY Observer, Sep 27, 2007)
City to Preserve Staten Island Wetland (Staten Island Advance, Sep 27, 2007)
The city has announced that Arlington Marsh Cove will be ceded to Parks Department and maintained as parkland
Bronx Residents Don’t Like Temporary Replacement for Macombs Dam Park (Village Voice, Sep 26, 2007)
With Financing in Doubt, City Cancels Plans for Randalls Island Water Park (NY Post, Sep 24, 2007)
The Bloomberg administration has canceled its plans to build a $215 million water theme park on Randalls Island, a plan first drawn up by the Giuliani administration.
City Cancels Plans for Randalls Island Water Park (Daily News, Sep 22, 2007)
The city pulled the plug yesterday on an eight-year plan to build a suburban-style water park on Randalls Island. The decision was a victory for area residents who opposed the 26-acre water park, which was first proposed in 1999 and was approved in April 2006.
Randalls Island Proposal Troubled (AM New York, Sep 18, 2007)
Controller Faults City on Extending Water Park Deadline (Daily News, Sep 18, 2007)
The Parks Department broke a city law by giving a secret extension to the developer of a Randalls Island water park after the company blew the deadline to line up financing, a top city official charged yesterday.
Minority Contractors Say Filtration Deck Stacked Against Them (Norwood News, Sep 6, 2007)
Despite laws requiring large firms to award a percentage of subcontracting jobs to certified minority contractors on large public projects like the Croton Water Treatment Plant in Van Cortlandt Park, small contractors are finding that the certification process, high insurance costs and a lack of political connections make it tough to win bids.
Croton Water Plant Called a Monstrous Boondoggle (Daily News, Sep 4, 2007)
Floating Pool Attracted 63,000 (Daily News, Sep 4, 2007)
Thousands of New Yorkers swam on a pool docked on the Broklyn waterfront or relaxed on an adjoining "beach" this summer.
Floating Pool May Set Sail for New Borough Next Year (NY Post, Aug 30, 2007)
Is Gentrification Transforming the City’s Public Spaces? (City Room, Aug 16, 2007)
Cutting the Lawn (NY Times, Aug 13, 2007)
On city playing fields, artificial surfaces are quickly replacing grass.
Creating a New Park in Brooklyn (Daily News, Aug 10, 2007)
Profile of Marianna Koval, executive director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy
Queens Parks Net $111 Million in Funding for Playgrounds (Daily News, Aug 9, 2007)
City Designates Pools Landmarks (Newsday, Aug 3, 2007)
Coney Island Park Gets $40 Million Makeover (NY Post, Aug 2, 2007)
A downtrodden park near Coney Island that has been underused for nearly half a century will be getting a spectacular $40 million makeover starting next year, Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday.
Mayor’s Tree Proposal Requires Help From Residents (NY Sun, Aug 1, 2007)
To accomplish Mayor Bloomberg's goal of planting 1 million new trees throughout the five boroughs by 2030, the city is counting on New York residents to do about half the work and foot a large chunk of the bill.
Central Park Road Closed Another Hour (Newsday, Aug 1, 2007)
Randall's Island Rebirth (Metro, Jul 24, 2007)
Speedy Web Surfing in City Parks (AM New York, Jul 24, 2007)
City Beaches Get Poor Marks from Parks Group (AM New York, Jul 18, 2007)
Schoolyards Become Local Parks (Metro, Jul 3, 2007)
Bloomberg: Fear Holiday Swim, Not Terror (Daily News, Jul 3, 2007)
After acknowledging the NYPD is on heightened alert, Bloomberg said New Yorkers have more to fear from unguarded beaches and pools than from terrorists.
Brooklyn Heights to Get Floating Pool (NY Post, Jun 21, 2007)
As Threats Mounts, Communities Fight to Save Their Gardens (City Limits, Jun 20, 2007)
Mats Make Beaches Wheelchair Accessible (NY Post, Jun 19, 2007)
Gehry to Design Manhattan Playground (NY Post, Jun 7, 2007)
Transportation Commissioner Considers Closing Central Park to Cars for Summer (NY Post, Jun 6, 2007)
A New Vision for Gateway Park (Metro, Jun 5, 2007)
Petition Drive for a Pool in Prospect Park (Metro, May 31, 2007)
Cost for Bronx Water Filtratio Plant Skyrockets (Daily News, May 31, 2007)
n 2004, the city decided to build a water filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park, arguing it was cheaper than other locations. But the the cost of the project has skyrocketed from $1.3 billion to $2.1 billion - and that may just be the start.
Williamsburg Park to Open on Weekends (Metro, May 23, 2007)
Public School Playgrounds Open for Summer (NY Post, May 18, 2007)
Dog Off-Leash Hours Made Official in Parks (NY Post, May 11, 2007)
Gateway Recreation Area Rated Worst National Park (NY Times, May 9, 2007)
Crime Rate Plunges In City's Parks (Daily News, May 7, 2007)
Crime in many of the city's largest parks plunged 75% in the first three months of the year compared to the final three months of 2006, police said yesterday.
Brooklyn Named Most Paved-Over Place in Nation (Daily News, May 4, 2007)
How the Abandoned High Line Became a Glamorous Brand (New York Magazine, May 2, 2007)
A Shady Plan by the Mayor That (NY Times, Apr 22, 2007)
The city intends to plant a million trees during the next 10 years, one of 127 initiatives that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will announce on Sunday.
Public Advocate Calls for Testing of Turf in Parks (Metro, Apr 17, 2007)
Parks Department Officially Cuts the Leash on Dogs (AM New York, Apr 11, 2007)
Parks Department Rejects Proposal to Study Risks of Artificial Turf (Metro, Apr 4, 2007)
Parks Department Battles Graffiti (NY Post, Mar 23, 2007)
Lawmaker Vows Tougher Legislation on Park Vandals (NY Post, Mar 23, 2007)
Graffiti in the city's parks increased three-fold between 2005 and 2006, prompting a City Council member who sponsored laws cracking down on graffiti vandals to promise even tougher legislation.
The Reopening of City Hall Park (Village Voice, Mar 14, 2007)
Council Moves Toward Ban on Metal High School Bats (NY Times, Mar 13, 2007)
Court Approves Washington Square Park Redesign, Reversing Injunction (NY Sun, Mar 9, 2007)
Officials Begin Campaign to Find Lifeguards (NY 1, Feb 22, 2007)
Randalls Island Ball Field Plan Approved (Daily News, Feb 15, 2007)
Vote Nears On Randall (Metro, Feb 13, 2007)
Thirty private groups — from St. Francis College in Brooklyn to St. Barnabas Gaelic Football Association in the Bronx — already keep padlocks on 64 athletic fields in 46 parks. That means a bit more than 10 percent of the city’s natural-grass ballfields are reserved for exclusive use.
Riverside Park Is City (NY Post, Jan 10, 2007)
Effects of Maintenance Cuts at (Metro, Jan 3, 2007)
High Line Threatened By Plans For Development, Advocate Says (Metro, Dec 8, 2006)
Health Board Gives Dogs Time and Space to Run Free (AM New York, Dec 6, 2006)
MTA Gives $11M To Parks Dept. For Use Of Playground To Start Constructing Second Avenue Subway (Metro, Dec 5, 2006)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will pay $11 million to the Parks Dept. for the use of a playground at 96th Street to serve as a staging area for construction of the Second Avenue Subway.
“We couldn’t build a new playground, because there isn’t any real estate available in a neighborhood like that,” said Joshua Laird, chief of planning for the Parks Dept. “So we’re fixing up other parks in the area that are going to receive more use.”
Yet the three parks getting the money — Thomas Jefferson, Marcus Garvey and Harlem River Park — are between 16 to 31 blocks away from the Marx Brothers Playground at 96th and Second.
The Parks Department Reveals A Plan To Reopen High Bridge Pedestrian Span (NY Post, Nov 18, 2006)
Parks revealed a plan yesterday to reopen the High Bridge pedestrian span, connecting Washington Heights and The Bronx, which has been closed since 1970.
USS Intrepid Stuck In Mud (Metro, Nov 7, 2006)
Mayor Considers Changes to Controversial Randall (Daily News, Nov 3, 2006)
Top aides to Mayor Bloomberg have agreed to consider changes to a deal the Parks Department quietly negotiated earlier this year with a group of Manhattan's richest private schools for use of planned new athletic fields at Randalls Island Park.
City Holds Tense Hearing Over Dog Leash Law (NY Sun, Nov 2, 2006)
Mayor Agrees To One More Fashion Week In Bryant Park (NY Post, Oct 13, 2006)
Can Beautiful Parks Survive Without Proper Funding? E.G. Barretto Point Park In The Bronx (Metro, Oct 9, 2006)
Group Threatens Lawsuit To Reopen Cordoned-Off Area Of City Hall Park (Daily News, Sep 26, 2006)
Parks Bias Case Gets Green Light (Daily News, Sep 23, 2006)
Black and Hispanic workers in the city's Parks Department will get their day in court to press their case that they were paid and promoted less than whites.
Helicopter Survey Finds High Level of Radium in Staten Island Park (Daily News, Sep 22, 2006)
Judge Rules Discrimination Suit Against Parks Department Has Merit (Metro, Sep 22, 2006)
Council To Hold Hearings On Concessions In Parks (Metro, Aug 22, 2006)
Tennis Center In Flushing Will Be Renamed After Billie Jean King (Associated Press, Aug 4, 2006)
Compromise Reached On Black Gay Pride Party At Jacob Riis Park (Daily News, Aug 4, 2006)
National Park Service Approves Yankee Stadium Plan (Metro, Jul 19, 2006)
Politics Influenced Concert Decision (NY Sun, Jul 19, 2006)
A New York City parks department official took the upcoming mayoral election into account in denying permission for a concert of John Lennon's music last year on Central Park's Great Lawn.
After Delays, Wireless Web Comes to Parks (NY Times, Jul 6, 2006)
New Downtown Green Space Unveiled (Metro, Jul 6, 2006)
Funding Needed for Lower East Side Park (Metro, Jun 14, 2006)
Battle over Yankee Stadium Continues in Bronx Community Board (Metro, Jun 8, 2006)
Parks Get Smaller Share of City Budget (Metro, Jun 7, 2006)
Port Authority Donates Land For Brooklyn Bridge Park (Metro, Jun 1, 2006)
Governors Island Will Host Celebrity Golf Tournament (Daily News, May 25, 2006)
State Pays $200,000 to Woman Injured by Beach Umbrella (Daily News, May 18, 2006)
New York Parks To Offer Free Web Access (NY Sun, May 16, 2006)
Forget paying a fee to log in at the coffee shop or hacking into a neighbor's wireless connection: Starting this summer, New Yorkers will have free access to the Internet at locations in the city's largest parks, officials said yesterday.
City To Confine Horse-Drawn Carriages To Central Park (Newsday, May 11, 2006)
The horse-drawn carriage -- its velvety banquette seats, the legendary views of Central Park, the clip-clop, clip-clop sound of horseshoes on pavement -- is a venerable city institution, harking back to the simpler days of old New York.
City to Limit Car Traffic in Central Park and Prospect Park (NY Times, May 9, 2006)
Bloomy Gloomy on World Fair in City (Daily News, May 6, 2006)
Bring the World's Fair back to New York City? No thanks. Less than a week after advocates began drumming up support to bring the World's Fair back to New York, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday he wasn't interested.
Children Face Perilous Playgrounds, Statewide Survey Finds (Metro, Apr 21, 2006)
Legal Snag Possible for New Water Park (Metro, Apr 12, 2006)
Though plans for a $168 million water park on Randalls Island won approval yesterday from the Franchise and Concession Review Committee as expected, there was an element of surprise at the meeting. Attorney John Siegal showed up with his client Barry Akrongold, a developer who claimed he was eliminated from the bidding process.
Yankees Win New Stadium in Council Vote (NY Times, Apr 6, 2006)
The New York Yankees' effort to build a new stadium cleared its biggest hurdle yesterday with lopsided City Council votes supporting the team's ambitious plan to knock down the Bronx institution known around the world as the House that Ruth Built.
Parks Law May Trip Up Yankee Stadium (Metro, Mar 28, 2006)
When the City Council holds its first public meeting today on the proposed new Yankee Stadium, a little-known federal law will hang over the proceedings. It could derail the project, or at least slow it down.
In May 1979, the National Park Service gave $422,650 for improvements at Macombs Dam Park, and this grant gives the agency final say over whether the Yankees can use 22 acres of parkland for a new stadium.
The Yankees want to build the new ballpark next to the current one because “there wouldn’t be revenues coming in” if the team moved to Shea Stadium, as it had during its 1970s renovation, team president Randy Levine has said.
But this reasoning may not meet the federal requirements set forth in the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, which says a park receiving federal money can be converted to another use only if “all practical alternatives” have been evaluated. The converted parkland must also be replaced with parks of equal value, “usefulness and location.”
New Yorkers Will Pay to Sweat at 6 Previously Free Centers (, Mar 18, 2006)
Starting July 1, the city's Department of Parks and Recreation plans to set membership fees of $50 to $75 a year at St. Mary's and five other recreation centers, all of them in low-income neighborhoods in the Bronx, Manhattan or Brooklyn. Children 17 and under would still be admitted free, and adults would have the option of paying the mandatory annual fee in two or four installments. Residents 55 and over would pay only $10 a year.
A Look At The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, Along 14 Miles Of Waterfront (Metropolis Magazine, Feb 28, 2006)
Design of Flight 587 Memorial Finally Gets Green Light (NY 1, Feb 9, 2006)
Plan Opposed For Restaurant In Renovated Union Square Park (NY Sun, Jan 31, 2006)
The Bloomberg administration's revised plans to put an expanded eating establishment in the northern end of Union Square Park is angering some lawmakers, park advocates, and area residents.
Sides Clash on Proposed Yankee Stadium Project (Metro, Jan 12, 2006)
Up Close: Community Rage Over Yankee Plan (Metro, Jan 12, 2006)
New Plan for River Park in Brooklyn (Metro, Dec 14, 2005)
A plan to turn a swath of the Brooklyn waterfront into an Olmstead-like park became clearer last night when the park's designer unveiled a new model of the plan. It includes basketball courts, piers for kayaks and even space for a farmer's market under the Brooklyn Bridge.
Flight 587 Memorial Designer Selected (Newsday, Nov 17, 2005)
Ground Zero Memorial to be Open Round the Clock (Daily News, Nov 9, 2005)
Plans Revised for Washington Square Park, Except for Fountain (NY 1, Sep 19, 2005)
10 City Parks Getting Wi-Fi (, Sep 13, 2005)
A free Wi-Fi network is quietly being installed at 10 parks across the city - and eight hot spots in Central Park will be online by mid-October.
Wi-Fi - wireless fidelity, although the full name is rarely used - lets computer users with the right equipment log onto the Web wirelessly, is already running in Battery Park, near the Battery Gardens restaurant.
A Manhattan contractor, Wi-Fi Salon, is also outfitting Orchard Beach, Flushing Meadows and Van Cortlandt, Pelham Bay, Prospect, Riverside, Union Square and Washington Square parks.
Mayor Orders Cleanup of Possible Stadium Site (Newsday, Aug 26, 2005)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg Thursday ordered the immediate cleanup of the Fountain of the Planets -- the site Queens politicians and the New York Jets have targeted for a new stadium.
Queens BP Would Swap Parks for Stadium (Daily News, Aug 26, 2005)
Queens Borough President Helen Marshall said she would gladly give up a portion of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, including the Fountain of the Planets, in order to get a football stadium for the Jets on the site. But Mayor Michael Bloomberg said trading parkland for a stadium would be a tough decision.
First Steps Announced To Turn Fresh Kills Garbage Dump Into A Park More Than Twice The Size Of Central Park (NY 1, Aug 23, 2005)
The city on Monday announced a $6 million, 28-acre park to be built on Staten Island, the first step of a $100 million plan to turn the former Fresh Kills landfill into a park two-and-a-half times the size of Central Park.
The new park, to be called Owl Hollow Fields at Fresh Kills, will include 10 acres of recreation space, with two synthetic and two natural turf soccer fields, along with fitness and nature trails.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2006 and be completed by the fall of 2007.
On Land Acquired for Parks, Big Plans Followed by Neglect (NY Times, Aug 12, 2005)
Health And Safety Violations At 50 Of City (Newsday, Jul 26, 2005)
Our Shameful Parks (, Jun 29, 2005)
Watchdog study names city's filthiest top 10. New York Daily News.
Mayor Unveils Fort Totten Park (, Jun 29, 2005)
Just in time for both his re-election race and the coming start of summer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg Monday announced the opening of a 49.5-acre shoreline park within Fort Totten in Bayside.
Parks Dept. Settles U.S. Suit Charging Bias In Promotions (, Jun 29, 2005)
The New York Parks and Recreation Department agreed yesterday to broad changes in its promotion practices, reaching a settlement in a federal discrimination lawsuit claiming that the agency routinely bypassed its black and Hispanic employees in awarding jobs.
Extreme Makeover (, Jun 29, 2005)
Washington Square Park renovation battle gets personal—and private.
Risking Life to Save Limbs (, May 18, 2005)
U.S. Forest Service smoke jumpers climb trees in Central Park to search for the Asian long-horned beetle.
Growing Up Denatured (, May 18, 2005)
When a bird sings in the forest, does it make a sound if no child hears?
Opponents can (, May 18, 2005)
Critics of the Washington Sq. Park refurbishment plan wore green ribbons around their wrists and pointed their thumbs down to show their disapproval. They held up defiant banners and posters with slogans like “The Fountain Stays Put.” But their protests didn’t change Community Board 2’s resolution in favor of the renovation plan for the landmarked square, which passed the board by an overwhelming majority last Thursday night.
It's back to the future for Yanks (, May 18, 2005)
Bombers' new digs will look like scene from Ruth's heyday.
Parks Dept Plans To Limit Gatherings In Central Park's Great Lawn To 50,000 (, Apr 27, 2005)
The city's Parks Department wants to limit gatherings on the Great Lawn in Central Park to 50,000 people, a move that would end an era in which hundreds of thousands of people turned to the park as a place to protest, or to see the pope, Pavarotti and Simon and Garfunkel, officials said yesterday.
The proposal, which has not been widely disseminated and requires no other approval but the department's, would also cap the number of events on the Great Lawn to six each year, with four of those reserved for the annual performances of the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic. Parks officials say those musical programs draw "passive" audiences who go easy on the lawn's Kentucky bluegrass.
The other two events would have to be held during a four-week period in August and September.
The Parks Department said the rules would simply formalize what has been its informal policy since 1997, when the city spent $18.2 million to restore the 13-acre Great Lawn, which for years had been more dust bowl than lawn.
Details Of The High Line, "Urban Oasis 30 Feet In The Air," Go On Display At Museum Of Modern Art (, Apr 19, 2005)
he mile-and-a-half path of concrete planks will weave among plants and wildflowers like a curvilinear boardwalk meandering through a floating garden. Some entrances will emphasize a gradual ascent from the grit and congestion of the city's streets to an oasis of pastoral calm. The 22-block stretch is to include the unexpected: an adjustable chair that can become a table or a chaise longue; a walkway flanked by a wetland with lily pads.
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These details and others have been refined over the last several months by designers who plan to create an elevated public walkway out of the High Line, an abandoned railway that runs 30 feet above the city between 10th and 11th Avenues in Manhattan, from 34th Street to Gansevoort Street in the meatpacking district. The most recent digital drawings and renderings, including a 20-foot-long architectural model, go on display at the Museum of Modern Art tomorrow.
'Gates' Ignited Tourism Boom, U.S. Fed Finds (, Mar 14, 2005)
The Federal Reserve reported yesterday that tourism in New York City "has been exceptionally strong in early 2005," and it attributed much of the spike to "The Gates."
The Park With Horse Power (, Jan 4, 2005)
The Park with Horsepower. Central Park traffic controversies, from horse-drawn carriages to cars.
GARDENS GET NEW ROOTS: BRONX DEAL PAVES WAY FOR HOUSING (, Jan 4, 2005)
South Bronx community gardeners and the City Department of Housing Preservation and Development reached a settlement that will relocate several gardens and preserve them as parks so the land can be used for affordable housing.
Construction planned for 50-mile bikeway around Island (, Nov 23, 2004)
The first phase of the Staten Island bikeway will focus on a 6-mile stretch from Fort Wadsworth to Great Kills.
Central Park is going greener and cleaner - with fewer cars and a lower speed limit. (, Nov 22, 2004)
To make more space for runners, skaters and wildlife lovers, the city is launching a new phased-in overhaul of the park's traffic pattern.
Look for a new 25-mph speed limit, down from 30 mph, and fewer vehicle entrances.
You will need at least one passenger to use the park's West Drive, between Lenox Ave. and Seventh Ave., during the morning rush hour.
And starting Jan. 3, the park will be closed altogether to vehicles from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Study of the Feasibility of a Car-Free Central Park Loop Drive (, Nov 13, 2004)
In the debate about whether to close Central Park’s loop drive to car use, one of the key issues is what will happen to the cars if drivers cannot use the park. Will they clog parallel streets? This study by the Regional Plan Association and Transportation Alternatives shows that, even using worst case scenario assumptions, closing the loop drive to drivers would actually decrease the overall level of traffic around the park
Bloomberg: High Line Park Closer To Reality (, Oct 7, 2004)
Plans for the West Side's High Line are looking up, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday.
The city and the state have applied to the federal government to transform the elevated railway into a public promenade, Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg also announced that landscape architecture firm Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, have been selected to create a master plan for the High Line.
The tracks, built in the 1930s to remove trains from Manhattan's streets, span 22 blocks from W. 34th St. south to Gansevoort St.
Mayor: Take a long walk on a long bridge (, Oct 4, 2004)
Bloomberg states that Pedestrians should be able to cross the majestic Verrazano Bridge - just the way they can walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and other spans citywide.
The Protesters' About-Face (, Aug 18, 2004)
An agreement on where to hold the largest protest planned for the week of the Republican convention came apart this week. The organizers, who had reluctantly agreed to take their rally to the western edge of town, are now demanding sites in Central Park. Their frustration is understandable, but they gave their word, and the convention is now less than three weeks away. While the demonstrators' original arguments for access to the park were good ones, they have no justification for backing out on the deal they made with the city.
On City's Dirtiest Beach, Not So Much Filth (, Aug 18, 2004)
Hanging over the city yesterday was a haze created by current weather patterns and continuing reports of imminent terrorist attack. Hazy, crazy, but hardly lazy; that is the summer of '04.
Bottom of the 9th for Bronx Pols (, Aug 18, 2004)
What does a controversial $1.2 billion water filtration plant and a political family feud in the Bronx have to do with a new Yankee Stadium? More than most New Yorkers realize, say some Bronx officials.
Battery Park Given a Slice of Pie in South Ferry Subway Project (, Jun 22, 2004)
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver agreed to stop blocking the South Ferry subway station renovation after the MTA agreed to set aside $15 million for improvementse to Battery Park.
Conservation groups seek more funding in mayor's budget (, May 20, 2004)
Eight organizations are pressing for increased emphasis on parks programs and education about recycling. Staten Island Advance
Finished, Finally! Recreation Center Planned in the 70's Opens in Chelsea (, May 19, 2004)
It was the depths of New York City's fiscal crisis of the 1970's, and one of the lesser-known casualties was a half-built public recreation center for the residents of Chelsea. It had been designed to give the children in the neighborhood's brownstones and public housing a place to splash, shoot baskets and escape the scorching asphalt of summer.
Lawn vs. Demonstrators (, May 19, 2004)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg lobbied hard to attract the Republican convention to New York this summer. Now it's coming, and with it swarms of protesters. The city is obliged to offer hospitality to both the conventioneers and the demonstrators. A group opposed to the Bush administration's policies has applied to hold a march and a rally in Central Park, but the city has turned down the request without offering a reasonable alternative site. The city's position shows a lack of respect for the First Amendment, and is an invitation to disorder.
City audit faults park patrols (, Apr 13, 2004)
An audit of the Parks Enforcement Patrol by New York City Comptroller William Thompson found that officers failed to keep records of and follow up a significant percentage of complaints they investigated
Water Hazard? (, Mar 25, 2004)
Plan to Put Filtration Plant Under Park Angers the Bronx
Fresh Kills park session draws 300 (, Mar 25, 2004)
Residents supply planners with a myriad of suggestions on how best to utilize former landfill acreage.
Falling (Safely) for Artificial Turf (, Mar 20, 2004)
The New York City parks department is carpeting sports fields with tougher and cheaper-to-maintain artificial turf.
Flower Child -- Profile Of Tessa Huxley (, Mar 14, 2004)
Profile of Tessa Huxley, executive director of the Battery Park City Conservancy, and her fiercely dedicated management of some of the city's finest parks.
Dump Dreaming -- Turning Fresh Kills Landfill Into A Park (, Mar 14, 2004)
The city is beginning to work on a master plan for a park at the former Fresh Kills landfill.
Money for Hudson (, Dec 18, 2003)
Money for Hudson Park Trust Is Running Out
Washington Sq. Park Renovation Proves Slow Going (, Dec 10, 2003)
Two years ago, community interest was generated around renovating Washington Sq. Park. There was a well-attended Community Board 2-sponsored meeting at which designer George Vellonakis presented a preliminary redesign for the landmark park, and there was talk of creating a fundraising group to pay for the work and the parkís maintenance.Two years later, not much progress has occurred.
Landfill park in 5 years? (, Sep 29, 2003)
City officials were to introduce grand plans today to pump life back into the Fresh Kills landfill in as few as five years, with an emphasis on converting much of the 2,200-acre site into parkland and linking its roadways to public streets, the Advance has learned.
The Greenprint Summary (, Mar 20, 2003)
The Daily Plant (put out by the parks department).
Christo Challenges Bloomberg on Art in the Parks: Closing 'The Gates" to Intro #160 (, Mar 20, 2003)
Two months after mayor Bloomberg granted permission for The Gates, Christo and Jeanne-Claude are biting -- or at least nibbling -- the hands that feed them. They have just written a difficult letter to their old friend, admirer, and collector. "PLEASE, Mr. Mayor, change your mind about Intro #160," the letter says. Village Voice.
Lots of unbuilt housing (, Mar 20, 2003)
When the city decided in 1996 to auction vacant lots it owned, the policy was supposed to be a win-win: The city would get money, and neighborhoods would get new housing built by private developers. But a report published yesterday suggests the idea has been more of a loser, especially in poorer areas of Brooklyn and the Bronx, where most of the city's vacant lots have long been concentrated. Daily News.
Bloomingdale Park Breaks Ground On Ballfields (, Feb 21, 2003)
The Staten Island Advance report on the apparent end to the controversy over the ballfields.
Deal Near To Buy Gov Isle (, Jan 22, 2003)
City and state officials are finally very close to a deal to buy Governors Island from the federal government for a nominal sum, a city official reported yesterday.
$17M Deal for Ballfields (, Dec 9, 2002)
Under a compromise plan announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city will spend $17 million over the next two years to build ballfields at Bloomingdale Park and at the Charleston retail site.
The Missing Link (, Jul 1, 2002)
Just three days before the end of his term, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani let New Yorkers know that he was hard at work securing yet another monument to his legacy. On December 28, 2001, he announced that the city was negotiating with the Professional Golf Association to bring a major tournament to Ferry Point Park, a luxury golf course under construction atop a former landfill in the Bronx. The tournament had a lofty goal: It would be a charity event, raising money for the families of police, firefighters and rescue workers killed in the line of duty.
