Community News
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson held an announcement
that the 2020 budget will include the largest investment in city
parks in nearly three decades.
Investing in City Parks
Lawmakers in Long Island City tout historic level
of funding for New York City parks
www.qns.com I LIC COURIER I JULY 2019 23
BY MAX PARROTT The city’s new 2020 fiscal year bud-get
includes the most money for
public parks in nearly 30 years, City
Council Speaker Corey Johnson
and Parks Commissioner Mitchell
Silver announced on June 27 at
Queensbridge Park in Long Island City.
“That means everything from patrol officers to prun-ing.
From Staten Island to the Bronx every borough
will benefit, in every season,” said Johnson.
While this does mean more money for summer
fun — the city pools are going to be open an extra
week this summer — it represents an even greater
payday for two driving forces in New York City politics:
environmentalists and organized labor.
Of the $44 million investment in the 2020 budget for city
parks, $19.1 million will go to park maintenance workers,
$4 million for Forestry Management and $8.2 million to
support all 550 GreenThumb community gardens citywide.
All of the lawmakers who spoke paid homage
to Lynn Kelly, the “inimitable, relentless” executive
director for New Yorkers for Parks, who spearheaded
the effort to secure the historic level funding. New
Yorkers for Parks formed a coalition with DC37,
the union that represents park workers and the
New York League of Conservation in order push
the city council.
“That is how you get things done. You put pressure
on elected officials and work for what’s right. And you
make sure justice is served,” said Councilman Jimmy
Van Bramer, addressing Kelly.
The funding for parks workers includes the salaries
for 200 parks employees and 100 gardeners, of which
$9.6 million will go to baseline 150 parks workers.
“Baselined is city-speak for made permanent. That
means that every year we had to advocate for those
jobs because every year they didn’t know if their jobs
were going to get renewed. Now they know they can
pay their rent on time and buy groceries,” said Kelly.
Max Parrott/QNS
The environmental branch of the coalition celebrated
the investment in parks for their own reasons. Julie
Tighe, president of the League of Conservation Voters,
said that the parkland, and trees in particular, serve to
help clean the city air and absorb storm water runoff
into the bay.
“Nature is an important place to fight climate
change,” said Tighe.
She noted the $4 million for forestry management is
especially important because many of the city’s forest
preserves are also are seeing more invasive species
as the climate changes.
The funding will also include $1 million for tree
stump removal, $1.7 million to extend the city’s pool
and beach season, $4 million for additional 50 Urban
Park Rangers and $6 million for additional 80 Parks
Enforcement Patrol officers.
“We will work hard to ensure that the benefits are
equitably applied across the parks system to those
areas most in need,” said Commissioner Silver.
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