Record funding for NYC Parks in 2020
Queens offi cials join City Council speaker in hailing huge budget at Queensbridge Park
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson held an announcement that the 2020 budget will include the largest investment in city parks in nearly three decades.
Photo: Max Parrott/QNS
BY MAX PARROTT
The city’s new 2020
fiscal year budget 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
pruning. 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 cityspeak
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.
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.
Reach reporter Max
Parrott by email at
mparrott@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 224-
5863, ext. 226.
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