At Fort Greene Park, the soccer field is a dust bowl, the tennis courts are cracked, and portable toilets have long replaced the broken bathrooms, according to the Brooklyn Paper.
Now the Fort Greene Park Conservancy will host a town hall meeting on Thursday to find solutions to these problems, as well as come up with future projects and programming.
“We want to have as much community input as possible,” said Ruth Goldstein, a founder of the conservancy. “This is our town square and everyone should be involved in what happens here and how it happens.”
Billed as “Hear and Be Heard,” the forum will be the first of several public meetings and invites soccer players, tennis contenders, joggers and anyone else who enjoys the park to share their ideas.
The conservancy will design a master concept — a list of priorities and possible plans — based on the local input and will present it to the Parks Department at a later date. The hope is that the city will adopt a master plan based on the concept.
Goldstein said that the town hall won’t solely focus on park problems, though they will be a major part of the discussion.
One longtime problem area is the grassless, muddy lawn where soccer players host pick-up games.
The players’ cleats contribute to the field’s disintegration, so the conservancy is seeking their feedback on a new dedicated footy area or a possible Astroturf field.
Other grounds in need of fixing include the cracked tennis courts and the visitors center’s bathrooms, which have been replaced with portable toilets since 2009.
Goldstein said that safety will also be a topic. Last month, police officers boosted their patrols in the park after a spate of muggings.
In addition to the gripe session, the conservancy will also introduce its schedule of summer events, including deejay parties, children’s concerts, urban bat tours, jazz performances, and spoken word events.
Fort Greene Park town hall meeting at the Fort Greene Park visitor’s center [Washington Park and Myrtle Avenue, (718) 398-4024], June 23, 6 pm. For info, visit fortgreenepark.org.
Read More:
Fort Greene Town Hall meeting to save Fort Greene Park
The Brooklyn Paper - June 21, 2011 - By Kate Briqelet
Screw the crappy fake grass -- it doesn't last, so it doesn't solve the problem. Besides, it gets hotter than heck and stinks to high heaven.
ReplyDelete