City-Wide
Fans of the city’s recreation centers can breathe easy, at least for the moment: The city has agreed to delay a plan that would have doubled admission fees at 32 centers, according to the New York Times.
The decision was part of a deal between the Bloomberg administration and the City Council that was announced Thursday. At the Council’s urging, the city agreed to avoid certain cuts in the current fiscal year, including the elimination of 200 child welfare positions and programs for homeless youth.
The city had proposed raising annual fees for recreation centers with pools to $150 from $75. At centers without pools, adults would have paid $100 instead of $50.
Advocates said the increases would have unfairly hurt poorer communities, where diabetes and obesity are more common.
“We’re proud to be fiscally responsible and keep core services to the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” said the Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn. The same negotiations also led the city to back off on plans to increase parking meter rates.
Read More:
City Will Not Raise Recreation Center Fees
New York Times City Room - January 6, 2011 - By Javier C. Hernandez
Bloomberg Proposes Doubling Recreation Center Fees - Tennis and Ballfield Fees Soar
A Walk In The Park - December 9, 2010
Sure hike the fees so that only Billionaires can play in our parks. What's the matter with this Mayor? He is so out of touch - let our youngsters instead play on Park Avenue - play ball against the building walls and hang basketball hoops off the light poles. Just wait till it get hot outside - wilding is a popular game in NYC!
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