$1.4 million for a playground on Dean St.

dailyheights

Check out some of the big money being thrown around for jungle gyms these days...

1. The the budget for the teardown/rebuild of Underhill Playground (Underhill Ave. Btw Park and Prospect), underway after months (years?) of delay, is said to have a budget of $700,000. To be fair, that's about what you'd pay for a floor-and-a-half of unremarkable PH brownstone these days. Yet at the same time, enough to feed an entire Peruvian village for 80 years and still have enough left over to buy half of them associate degrees at CUNY.

2. So now that we have some perspective, let's take that number and double it, because that's what the persistent Friends of Dean Playground have pulled down for their renovation project. Thanks, Mr. Boymelgreen. (Learn more about this on Thurs., Dec. 1 from 7:30-9:00 pm at the meeting of the DEAN STREET BLOCK ASSOCIATION, to be held at Iglesia Evangelical Latina, 506 Bergen Street.)

So what's a Prospect Heights parent to do while waiting for the seeds of playground gentrification to bear fruit? You could check out Mount Prospect Park, a short trek across Eastern Parkway, where on any given weekday afternoon you'll find a relatively new and fairly elaborate toddler habitrail supervised by a gaggle of Caribbean babysitters (along with some mommies and the occasional stay-at-home dad).

anonymous

Subject: mt. prospect

At Mt. Prospect you will also find vandalized swings, Colt 45 tops--which my 1 y.o. put in his mouth-- & used condoms because there are no gates.

anonymous

It seems that many folk on this site post while shooting from the hip, or just do a quick google search and post their brilliant responses.
One of the reasons why these playgrounds (Or any city projects) are escalating is that the city has mandatory prevailing/ union wage contracts. Add that the quadrupled cost of construction insurance since 9/11 and this affects the cost of construction (Our insurance alone ballooned from $28k to $80k the past four years).
Not to mention other factors (Price of raw materials).
We cannot have a park for the neighborhood children to enjoy when they're running and jumping on unsafe plywood surfaces. So if we want to have safe conditions, lets not worry about how much and where the city allocates its money.
If that park becomes unsafe and there is no money to renovate, then maybe they should sell it to some developer.
As for the other blog about Letisha downsizing PH: She'd be committing political suicide.
Many of the developers who have funded her campaign would be more inclined to fund the other person next election.
The south slope downsizing was from R-6 to R-6B. That's exactly what most of PH is already. Not to mention it took nearly 24 months to pass (Great politics). It doesn't go into effect until January 1st 2006 and it won't affect the projects that have passed plans examination (The projects that haven't started as of yet).
And while we're posting about this, I'd also like to mention that the children of the neighborhood were not responsible for the shattered windows on The Washington, but according to the developer it was the Coalition (Another soft cost to add to your budget: paying off the muscle or @ least the muscles mess)

easternpkwy

Subject: Playgrounds

Mt. Prospect: in all fairness, things have gotten a lot better there recently...it has actually been staffed for the last few months, and kept in much better condition. This does not stop the overnight abuse, but we are working on that...

Dean St: I believe the 1.4 million is not just for 'playground' equipment like jungle gyms and swings, but for redoing the entire facility, which (correct me if I am wrong) includes basketball and handball courts.

And Dean St Block Assoc, the Parks Dept, and Leviev Boymelgreen are to be congratulated for working together on a project that will be administered and designed by the City, but paid for entirely by the developer...I love public-private partnerships!

j0518

Dean St. playground, during the summer when the b-ball games are at their peak, feels so much to be like The Cage at W 4th St. there's a sense of excitement there with the people watching what is probably some pretty damn good streetball. i heard someone say Jay-Z's been there a few times. i'd love to see it preserved and improved upon, especially with what else unfortunately looms on the horizon.

muteflute

RE: Guest

Whoa there, guest-cowboy. I don't think that the beginning of this thread was meant to be any more than tongue-in-cheek-critical. That's a lot of money to be spending on playgrounds, let's face it. And yes, construction is expensive, but there's no reason playgrounds have to be as RIDICULOUS as they have gotten...

...which, in the spirit of shooting from the hip, I hate. I am SO SICK of these sanitized, "safe" playgrounds. What happened to pebbles or wood chips or asphalt? Why does the ground have to be so frickin' soft and bouncy? What happened to good old wood? Why does it all have to be high-sheen painted metal? My hypothesis: related to the recent inability of parents to watch out for their kids and their propensity to sue over crap, playgrounds which were fine with attentive parents are now unacceptable. I broke my arm falling off a playground structure. My parents didn't sue. That's life, folks. Build a nice, simple, lovely structure over a nice, newly-paved surface and the kids will be really happy. And who needs those stupid tic-tac-toe boards anyway? what happened to chalk on asphalt?

...end of rant...

candicissima

muteflute wrote: And who needs those stupid tic-tac-toe boards anyway? what happened to chalk on asphalt?

They have premade hopscotch markings? Well, that just takes all the fun out of it! It was a good time just making the thing!

When I was a kid (not so long ago), they had the bouncy surfaces in the park and it was fun to play around in. I've gotta admit that $1 million+ for a playground is pretty crazy. Retractable roofs for a rain day or something?

anonymous

A million dollars buys you nothing of value these days. Sure it's worth a million to those you don't have it but look @ what people are being paid:
Wall street execs are banking, on average, 1/2 a million this holiday season as a year end bonus.
The hourly wage for a flag person on a construction site is $21/hr, starting.
A licensed heavy machine person is listed close to $54/hr (Not including overtime = 1-1/2 X).
I can remember when my neighbor (Who drove an bus) afforded two homes on my block. Can that bus driver afford that today?
And yes, a park @ that price is well below the norm ($).
Before you go off and "shoot from the hip" about child safety, I'd suggest to have children first. A wise pre-socratic philosopher once said: You must acknowledge before you reject".
And the reason your parents did not sue was because our free society wasn't so over litigative to begin with. Most of the lawsuits are from liberal scum. Then they form unions and straphangers groups which cost everyone money as they sue the crap out of the city. If I were you, I'd look straight into the mirror and argue with your reflection

kate

Anonymous wrote: If I were you, I'd look straight into the mirror and argue with your reflection

It's just not as fun as arguing with an anon. guest on DH.

And by the way, when I was a kid the whole town got together to build the local playground. I offered my services on Dean and Underhill to no avail.

candicissima

I shouldn't feed the troll, but...that licensed machinist is probably in a union, you know. Likewise for that theoretical construction worker. And bus driver. And they'd probably be as far away as they can be in a lot of ways from the "liberal scum" you're linking them with. You don't even know exactly what you hate, Guest, because you have no idea what you're talking about. I'd rather have someone posting their Googled random facts than talking from their ass about stuff they don't even know.


-- a "liberal scum" from a family filled with union members 8)

anonymous

Is the only topic at the meeting going to be the playground?

muteflute

man, I wish the only topic were playgrounds! except that some people (ahem, troll) seem too fixated on bashing liberals, unions, non-parents, and so on.... I mean, hell, I'm in a union, I make very little money, and i DO argue with my reflection an awful lot (but it's because i can see him! I can't see you!), so I guess that makes me irredeemable! But that all doesn't make me any less legitimate in pointing out that (in no particular order):

a) many workers are unionized for a reason (and that reason is?)

b) you're right, I don't have a child, but I was brought up by attentive and reasonable parents who taught me to be careful. I wasn't raised to think that "society" owed me anything, including "safe" playground equipment (what does that even mean??)

c) there's something strange in arguing both that a) the cost of playgrounds are legitimate on safety grounds, b) we shouldn't argue with safety, and c) it's all the fault of unionized construction workers

and

d) lumping executives, flag-waving construction workers and heavy-machinists together in a "wow, look at how much these jerks are making!" comparison is ludicrous

and here I am, trying to work on my paper. I should just go get a drink, for all the work I'm doing.

muteflute

wow, I got all exercised by the persistent troll that I totally misunderstood that lost post. Sorry about that, anonymous; I have no idea.

anonymous

I didn't realize how much Underhill Playground was in need of renovation until I started going there with my 14 month old this summer. The platforms on the climbing equipment were made of wood and many of the slats were missing or had long splinters hanging off of them. The swings were not fenced off and the jungle gym was about three feet away from the swings. A small child could run under the platform of the jungle gym and right into the path of a moving swing, but a parent couldn't get around the equipment in time to remove the child. I'm sure a few knocks on the head from the feet of another child on a moving swing would toughen up my child in no time.

And nothing says summer like an inch long splinter lodged into a child's hand.

muteflute

one of the memories I have of my childhood was the long, protracted wars my father had, digging out the splinters from my hands with pins...

anonymous

Danae O wrote: And nothing says summer like an inch long splinter lodged into a child's hand.

Now your quoting Sallinger? And where is his credit?

As for the MUTE, a sterile park is something only a parent can appreciate. Try following a two or three or four year old around a tot lot when you have to avoid the potential hazards.
It's bad as it is that older children run around colliding with the smaller children, but it's borderline criminal to allow a neglected park to be open to the public.

The city is obligated to maintain it. If they don't, then they're no better than a slum lord.

It's bad as it is that we have to maintain, for the city, our front sidewalks even though they don't belong to us (Legally).

Try growing up before you act like it

You see where it says BE NICE AND REGISTER at the top? You've failed on both counts. Registering is a sign of good faith; if you don't bother, no one will take you seriously. If you don't have an email address to use, try hotmail.com.

muteflute

Anonymous wrote: As for the MUTE, a sterile park is something only a parent can appreciate. Try following a two or three or four year old around a tot lot when you have to avoid the potential hazards.
It's bad as it is that older children run around colliding with the smaller children, but it's borderline criminal to allow a neglected park to be open to the public.

The city is obligated to maintain it. If they don't, then they're no better than a slum lord.

It's bad as it is that we have to maintain, for the city, our front sidewalks even though they don't belong to us (Legally).

Try growing up before you act like it

OK, last one.

First, ad hominem attacks are FUN and useless. If you're interested in making a point, why don't you just make it without attacking everyone else who also has a (possibly legitimate) point of view?

Second, you've misunderstood my thoughts. I don't have a nostalgia for falling-down, obviously-dangerous playgrounds; I don't accept garbage and used condoms as "usual" for a playground. I was simply saying that building a RIDICULOUSLY expensive playground for "safety's" sake is dumb. Maintaining one is not. I couldn't agree more that the city is manifestly irresponsible for allowing a playground to degenerate to the point of unsafe-ness. That doesn't make me a hypocrite for pointing out that there's no need to build a ridiculously expensive one in its place.

Third, what exactly are you proposing, anyway? Do you want to have age-appropriate playgrounds, so that older kids won't accidentally run into your child? Do you want a police officer to hang out there, just in case? Do you padding on all metal surfaces, just in case someone bangs their chin on them? Where do you stop? Kids have to live in the real world, too, and you can't expect "society" or "the state" to protect them from everything. That's YOUR job, like it or not.

Fourth, the city has paved your sidewalk. It improved it. It exists because the city made it. Therefore, it has a claim to it. In addition, the city is interested in making sure that people have a safe place to walk (this sounds insidiously like your argument). Would you prefer paying more taxes and having the city do it, at high cost?

Fifth, at least I act like it.

Over and out.

anonymous

How was the meeting? What was discussed?

anonymous

muteflute wrote: [quote=Anonymous]As for the MUTE, a sterile park is something only a parent can appreciate. Try following a two or three or four year old around a tot lot when you have to avoid the potential hazards.
It's bad as it is that older children run around colliding with the smaller children, but it's borderline criminal to allow a neglected park to be open to the public.

The city is obligated to maintain it. If they don't, then they're no better than a slum lord.

It's bad as it is that we have to maintain, for the city, our front sidewalks even though they don't belong to us (Legally).

Try growing up before you act like it

OK, last one.

First, ad hominem attacks are FUN and useless. If you're interested in making a point, why don't you just make it without attacking everyone else who also has a (possibly legitimate) point of view?

Second, you've misunderstood my thoughts. I don't have a nostalgia for falling-down, obviously-dangerous playgrounds; I don't accept garbage and used condoms as "usual" for a playground. I was simply saying that building a RIDICULOUSLY expensive playground for "safety's" sake is dumb. Maintaining one is not. I couldn't agree more that the city is manifestly irresponsible for allowing a playground to degenerate to the point of unsafe-ness. That doesn't make me a hypocrite for pointing out that there's no need to build a ridiculously expensive one in its place.

Third, what exactly are you proposing, anyway? Do you want to have age-appropriate playgrounds, so that older kids won't accidentally run into your child? Do you want a police officer to hang out there, just in case? Do you padding on all metal surfaces, just in case someone bangs their chin on them? Where do you stop? Kids have to live in the real world, too, and you can't expect "society" or "the state" to protect them from everything. That's YOUR job, like it or not.

Fourth, the city has paved your sidewalk. It improved it. It exists because the city made it. Therefore, it has a claim to it. In addition, the city is interested in making sure that people have a safe place to walk (this sounds insidiously like your argument). Would you prefer paying more taxes and having the city do it, at high cost?

Fifth, at least I act like it.

Over and out.

What rock have you recently crawled out of because a $1.4M reconstruction of a playground is not EXPENSIVE.
And by the way, have you seen how much work is being done or are you not at all familiar with labor?
You're probably sitting on a comfortable cushion all day and comparing apples with tofu.
When you do business with the city MUTE, you have to be bonded and only a small portion of the GC's are bonded. For a $1.4M rask, you have to be bonded for that and then some.
I didn't know that they were handing all this knowledge of construction and all its amenities in your neighborhood. Maybe you'd be interested in taking on a task like this, or are you even qualified to

emily

Guest, please see my note to you above.

Everyone else: please don't feed the trolls!

anonymous

EmilyM wrote: Guest, please see my note to you above.

Everyone else: please don't feed the trolls!

Read loud and clear.
Twisting my arm tactic not an option.
Having a freedom to post (Your option) priceless

dan.h

Dude.
Having your views is one thing. What youre doing is assinine. Cool it.

anonymous

dan.h wrote: Dude.
Having your views is one thing. What youre doing is assinine. Cool it.

Go find something or someone else to lecture with your condescending remarks

anonymous

I thought DUDE was out

anonymous

I just don't know how someone can make a comment like: It's too expensive (Regarding $1.4M for par renovation).
Where TF have you been living? (Rhetoric)