Latest news with #ParksDepartment
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC Garden of Hate: Officials negotiating with community garden over ‘Poppies for Palestine'
The city has backed off a bid to oust an anti-Israel community garden in Queens, and is negotiating a compromise instead — a deal critics suspect was likley made to appease a future Zohran Mamdani mayoral administration. City attorneys on Thursday told Judge Hasa Kingo any agreement with the management at Sunset Community Garden in Ridgewood would require vast changes to the unconstitutional wording of the group's 10 'community agreements' — which forced incoming members to pledge 'solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized people' of Palestine. A special section of the green space was labeled 'Poppies for Palestine.' Advertisement 8 Controversy has swirled around the Ridgewood green space since The Post's first report last fall. Helayne Seidman 8 The garden is home to a pair of 'altars' honoring Latina trans advocate Cecilia Gentili. Helayne Seidman 8 A sign just inside the garden's entrance reads, 'Hands Off Sunset.' Helayne Seidman Advertisement Critics were aghast at the city compromising with haters. 'If you break the law and discriminate against minorities and the marginalized, as long as you only discriminate against Jews and people who defend Jews, it's OK,' said Ridgewood resident Sara Schraeter-Mowersglad, who called the ongoing negotiations between the city and the garden 'a very dangerous precedent.' Christina Wilkinson, who opposes the garden's woke agenda, said city workers told her 'they think Mamdani will win in November and they don't want to deal with this with him in charge and are in fear for their jobs.' Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman and socialist Democratic mayoral frontrunner, has been staunchly pro-Palestine. Advertisement 8 A special section of the garden for Palestine. Instagram @sunsetgardenridgewood 8 A social media post from a garden member claims 'cis' people have no understanding of community. Helayne Seidman The Parks Department had been pushing for new management at the garden, located at Onderdonk and Willoughby avenues, and revoked their license in May. Parks officials wanted the group to vacate the green space by June 6 for 'violat[ing] the terms of their license' with their 'ideological litmus test and the installation of an altar without prior Parks Department approval,' according to court documents. Advertisement But the matter wound up in court last month. City attorney Blake Ahlberg told Kingo the Corporation Counsel's office needed more time to deliberate and discuss the compromise, due to the 'high-profile' nature of the case. Kingo opined that the language in the community agreements violated both the New York and U.S. constitutions. 'Compelled speech isn't free speech,' he said. 8 Attorney Jonathan Wallace, right, leaves court Thursday with one of the garden's members, Aphroditus. Michael Nagle 8 Wallace spoke with Corporation Counsel Leslie Spitalnick (in white) and attorney Blake Ahlberg (pictured behind her.) Michael Nagle Kingo said he would drop the case if both sides failed to reach a compromise by the next court hearing on Aug. 1. The garden's critics, like Wilkinson, also told The Post any deal with the pro-Palestinian group would undermine the Park Department's authority. Advertisement 8 The message is clear. Helayne Seidman 'If [the garden's leaders] are left in charge, it's only a matter of time before they violate their license again, and now [the Parks Department] has no teeth, because the city attorneys have indicated that they have no intention of backing them up,' Wilkinson said. In June, garden organizer Laura Merrick renamed Sunset Community Garden to Jardin de Santa Cecilia in honor of Latina trans advocate Cecilia Gentili. The space is now home to a pair of 'altars' honoring Gentili. Both Merrick and the Parks Department refused to respond to requests for comment.
Boston Globe
06-07-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
As drones spot sharks, New York beaches are shut down
Advertisement 'We've always surfed in harmony with them,' said Kate Leddington, a longtime surfer who recently moved to Charlottesville, Va., after years in Brooklyn and was on the beach at Rockaway on Saturday. 'There's sharks out there always — it's just now they're using drones to see them.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up On Wednesday, in preparation for the holiday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that state agencies now have 28 camera-equipped drones to search for sharks, as well as 48 trained drone operators. State and city protocol dictates that when a shark sighting is confirmed, swimming cannot resume until at least one hour later. Beachgoers can remain on the sand during that time. The city, which oversees Rockaway Beach, has a fleet of its own operated by the police and fire departments and the emergency management office. Once an alien sight at the beach, the devices have become nearly as commonplace as Jet Skis. Advertisement On Tuesday afternoon, a shark was spotted at Beach 100th Street in Rockaway Beach, according to the Parks Department. Following protocol, officials paused swimming for 1 mile around the sighting area. Twenty minutes after that ban was lifted, another shark was spotted nearby, and swimming was stopped again until 4 p.m., officials said. On Friday morning, two more sharks were spotted on drone footage just off the shore of Beach 32nd Street on the eastern side of the Rockaways, the Parks Department said. This time, officials closed the entirety of Rockaway Beach until 12:30 p.m. By 12:15 p.m., the sharks were still roaming the area, prompting officials to keep the beach closed until 2:30 p.m. A few hours later, a shark was spotted miles away at Beach 113th Street, causing another closure, they said. In a post on the social platform X on Friday, Kaz Daughtry, New York City's deputy mayor for public safety, thanked the city's emergency management department, lifeguards, and operators for keeping New Yorkers safe. 'These sightings were very close to beachgoers,' he wrote in a caption accompanying a video of sharks slithering through shimmering teal water. On Saturday morning, another shark sighting closed yet another stretch of Queens beach. This time, 1 mile of coastline from Beach 86th to Beach 106th Streets was off-limits to swimmers until around 12:30 p.m. after a shark was reported off Beach 91st Street, the Parks Department said. The sightings continued into the evening, when drones spotted another shark about 100 feet from swimmers, prompting officials to close the beach just as lifeguards were wrapping up their shifts, Daughtry wrote on X. Advertisement Then on Sunday, the drones spotted a shark at Beach 102nd Street around 2:30 p.m., leading to an hourlong closure of a more than 30-block stretch of the beach, officials said. This weekend's sightings come one week after a 20-year-old woman was probably bitten by a shark at Jones Beach on Long Island in the first attack of the season at a New York state beach. There have been several other high-profile shark encounters on Long Island over the past few years, though experts maintain that the chance of a violent encounter with a shark remains low. Janet Fash, a longtime chief lifeguard at Rockaway Beach, said she thought that shark appearances in the Rockaways had grown more frequent in the past few years. She attributed the surge to a number of factors, including a newly built rock jetty that has created a cove of sorts near a section of beach where people fish. 'Maybe it's the bunker fish, maybe it's that cove getting deeper and they're coming in,' Fash said. On Saturday, hours after the morning's shark sighting, swimmers and surfers standing under brilliant summer sunshine on Rockaway Beach said they were mostly unfazed by the recent close encounters. Maxence Lachard, 30, said he had been surfing near Beach 86th Street that morning when parks security officers told him to get out of the water. Calmly, he made his way to shore, and when the coast was clear, he went back out. 'No risk, no fun,' Lachard said. Later that afternoon, with beachgoers on high alert for sharks, something emerged from the shallow surf with a blue fin on its back. Advertisement This 'shark' was Baloo, a Yorkie poodle, dressed up as if for doggy Halloween by its owners, Doby Espinoza and Oscar Europa. Espinoza, 31, reassured people that his bark was worse than his bite. Baloo is 13, and all his teeth have fallen out. 'People are safe!' she said. 'It's a toothless shark.' This article originally appeared in
New York Post
28-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
Call the Fun Police! Water balloon ban pitched for city's parks and playgrounds
She's throwing a wet blanket on summertime fun. A Noho tech entrepreneur is pushing the city to ban 'single-use' water balloons in public parks and playgrounds. 'Every summer, New York City parks — especially popular playgrounds and splash pads — become littered with broken plastic water balloon pieces. It may seem like harmless fun, but the impact is serious,' reads Di Di Chan's petition, which has so far collected about 200 signatures. Advertisement 3 Water balloons help kid's cool down, inventor Josh Malone said. bignai – The petition calls on the Parks Department and the City Council to outlaw single-use balloons — which burst when they hit their target — for reusable ones, made from much thick rubber and magnetic closures. Chan, 40, also would like to see the city 'post educational signage on [the] environmental impact' the leftover rubber from single use soakers create 'at splash pads and playgrounds.' Advertisement It was unclear if Chan has children. Chan then offered an Orwellian take, insisting, 'This isn't just about banning something — it's about building better habits.' 3 The plastic left from waterballoons could pose a tripping hazard, the petition insists. AdKrieger – Leftover balloon remnants threaten wildlife who may ingest the pieces, she claimed, without providing specifics. Advertisement Furthermore, single-use balloons create choking and tripping hazards for small children, she insisted in the petition. 'Every summer, New York City parks — especially popular playgrounds and splash pads — become littered with broken plastic water balloon pieces. It may seem like harmless fun, but the impact is serious,' reads the petition. The petition calls for reusable water balloon swaps as well as volunteer cleanups. Advertisement Chan — the co-founder of FutureProof Retail, a firm that teams with retailers to create customized line-free mobile checkout and order-ahead shopping apps — could not be reached for comment. 3 Malone said it is up to kids and parents to collect water balloon remnants and keep the parks clean. jbrown – Josh Malone, inventor of Bunch O Balloons, insisted the ban was not necessary. 'Water balloons provide a way to play and cool off outdoors during heat waves,' Malone said. 'If you are playing in a public place, you should clean up any mess and leave the park the way you found it. Same as cleaning up after a pet or after eating a popsicle, also activities that shouldn't be banned.'
Time Out
27-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Time Out
This popular amenity is returning to NYC public pools for the first time in 5 years
Rise and shine, swimmers: Adult lap swim is finally back in New York, and it's ready to make waves. After a five-year, pandemic-induced pause, the city's beloved early morning swim program is resurfacing at public pools starting July 7. But before you grab your goggles and cap, there's a small catch: It's only happening at five locations across the five boroughs. From 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, adult swimmers can take to the lanes at Van Cortlandt Pool (Bronx), Kosciuszko Pool (Brooklyn), Hamilton Fish Park Pool (Manhattan), Astoria Pool (Queens) and Lyons Pool (Staten Island). The program—once a summertime ritual for fitness junkies, retirees and early birds alike—had been suspended since 2020, citing staffing shortages. This summer marks its splashy return. 'This is a very important community program,' said Emily Chase, assistant commissioner for public programs at NYC Parks, at a kickoff event Thursday. 'It's a great place to meet people and be part of an amazing, diverse New York City community.' Before the pandemic, lap swim was offered citywide with 'Early Bird' and 'Night Owl' sessions. Now, it's back, but still in a limited lane due to a lack of lifeguards. Though the city now boasts 680 certified guards—10% more than last year—it's still less than half of the 1,400 employed in 2019. Certification continues through July, so officials are hopeful more pools may dive in later this summer. Still, the revival is making a splash with locals. Swimmers can register for free right at the pool and even join the city's swim challenge. If you clock 15 miles or more this summer, you'll score a commemorative tee. The lap swim revival is just one part of the Parks Department's broader summer rollout, which also includes expanded Learn to Swim programs and the unveiling of the brand-new Gottesman Pool at Central Park's north end, a $160 million facility replacing the outdated Lasker Rink and Pool. The space can accommodate 1,000-plus swimmers in the summer and transforms into a turf field and skating rink in the fall and winter.
CBS News
27-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
NYC public pools open for summer 2025 today. Here's what's new and how to find one near you.
New York City's free, public pools officially open for the summer today, including a brand new pool in Central Park. The Parks Department operates more than 75 outdoor pools across the five boroughs. Here's everything to know about how to find one near you. The city also has a dozen indoor pools that are open all year, and public beaches have already opened for the season. Click here to find a city cooling center, or here for other water features, like sprinklers and fountains. When do NYC public pools open? The outdoor pools open at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 27 -- the first day of summer recess for city public school students. Pools will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with an hour break for cleaning between 3 and 4 p.m. The Parks Department says there is often a line to enter the pools, but on busy days it takes steps to make sure more people have a chance to swim by adding sessions, limiting the amount of time in pools, or handing out bracelets to come back later and skip the line. The commissioner says they are in good shape with lifeguards after last year's shortage. "So far this year, we have about 680 certified lifeguards on staff, which is already more than what we had last year at this time," Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa said Thursday. Pools will remain open through Labor Day, and the larger ones will stay open until Sept. 7. Find a public pool near me in NYC The pools range in size, but the most popular ones are the 14 Olympic-sized pools: Brooklyn: Betsy Head Pool, Kosciuszko Pool, McCarren Park Pool, Red Hook Pool and Sunset Park Pool Betsy Head Pool, Kosciuszko Pool, McCarren Park Pool, Red Hook Pool and Sunset Park Pool The Bronx: Crotona Pool and Van Cortlandt Pool Crotona Pool and Van Cortlandt Pool Manhattan: Gottesman Pool at the Davis Center, Hamilton Fish Pool, Highbridge Pool, Jackie Robinson Pool and Thomas Jefferson Pool Gottesman Pool at the Davis Center, Hamilton Fish Pool, Highbridge Pool, Jackie Robinson Pool and Thomas Jefferson Pool Queens: Astoria Pool Astoria Pool Staten Island: Lyons Pool Click here to find a pool near your neighborhood. Brand new Gottesman Pool in Central Park The Gottesman Pool is making its debut this summer at Central Park's new Davis Center. Located in the park's northeastern-most tip, the center replaces the old Lasker Rink, a facility that was built in the 1960s and had become run down. The new space features a turf field in the spring and fall that is then rolled back to reveal a swimming pool for the summer. It will then be transformed into a skating rink for the winter. NYC public pool rules City pools have strict rules about what you can and can't wear or bring with you. Swimsuits are required, and only plain, white shirts and hats are allowed. You're also required to bring a lock to keep your belongings safe. The Parks Department says sunscreen is available at all locations. You're not allowed to bring food, glass bottles, electronic devices or newspapers. Officials also recommend leaving valuables, like jewelry and credit cards, at home. Learn to swim The city offers free swim lessons for multiple age groups. While some of the registration deadlines have passed for this summer, you can sign up for the next lottery here. The city also has a variety of swim programs, including adaptive swim for people with disabilities, senior water exercises and youth swim teams. See our past list of best pools and beaches for the summer around NYC here.
