Ballfields at $120 Million Randalls Island Largely Unused, Not Attracting Neighborhood Kids by Daniel Beekman - NY Daily News

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If you build it, they will come - but not to Randalls Island.

Dozens of new ballfields in the sprawling park beneath the RFK-Triborough Bridge went unused last summer by the kids who need them most, the city parks boss admits.

And with school almost out for summer, advocates are complaining the $120 million revamp of Randalls Island Park in early 2010 created a playground for the rich and took crucial dollars from neighborhood ballfields.

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe cited the low traffic earlier this year to justify plans for a private sports camp.

"Fields on Randalls Island have gone largely unused during weekday daytime hours in July and August, and thus availability should not be an issue," he wrote City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito in January.

The deal called for Florida-based IMG Academies to operate the camp on Randalls Island after donating $200,000 to the Randalls Island Sports Foundation. But plans for the $895-a-week camp fell through in April, with IMG citing low enrollment.

Mark-Viverito (D-East Harlem/Bronx) slammed the pricey park rehab, claiming thousands of trees were cut down to make way for the artificial turf fields.

"Why would you build so many fields and then have a problem in terms of utilization?" she asked. "It was shortsighted and now we're paying the price."

"From day one, we were concerned there was no need to build so many" new fields, said Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates. "Now that has come to fruition. The result is the fields are empty."

The park boasts fancy golf and tennis centers, but no basketball courts, he added.

During the rehab, the city took heat for a $2.2 million-per-year pay-to-play scheme involving Manhattan private schools. It was struck down in court after East Harlem and Bronx community groups sued.

"The fields were built mostly to accommodate the private schools," Croft said. And Marina Ortiz, of East Harlem Preservation, called the park "a private playground ... designed to bring in revenue."

There's a move afoot now to try and spread the word about what's in the park. Randalls Island fields go unused partly because they are isolated and more people need to be made aware of the space, said Frances Masrota of Manhattan Community Board 11.

A renovated E. 103rd St. pedestrian bridge is set to reopen soon, while the M35 bus runs between the park and E. 125th St. - but few youngsters make the trip.

The Parks Department has assigned a representative to attend Board 11 meetings and share info related to Randalls Island to try to spread the word on what's there.

The fields are "generally permitted to capacity" in the evenings and on weekends, Parks spokesman Zachary Feder said. The park foundation also offers a free summer program, he noted, and softball leagues.

Forest Park Carousel A Step Closer To Reopening by Geoffey Croft - A Walk in the Park

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Fans of the Forest Park Carousel are one step closer to realizing their dreams. On Friday the Parks Department released an RFP for potential concessionaires to reopen the beloved carousel which has been closed for four years. The City is seeking a fifteen-year term to renovate, operate and maintain the historic ride. The carousel contains 49 horses, a lion, a tiger, a deer, and two chariots arranged in three concentric circles according to the proposal. The carousel also contains a non-operational original carousel band organ. Community activists have been trying to pressure the city to reopen it for years.

The Forest Park Carousel holds some of the last surviving creations of master wood-carver Daniel Carl Muller. The Forest Park location is approximately 8,000 square feet and will consist of the carousel, snack bar, ticket booth, and a seating area. Alcoholic beverages will also be allowed to be served.

The City is also encouraging bidders to operate additional rides in an open area east of the carousel. Parks envisions an amusement venue that would include small rides that cater to ages twelve (12) years old and younger. Proposals are due on Friday, May 13 at 3:00 PM

In 2008 the concessionaire paid $ 20,000 to the City from gross receipts of $72,000. In the last agreement, the fee paid to Parks was the higher of the minimum annual fee or percentage of gross , receipts. However, this time around the City is asking proposers to submit a flat fee offer only and not on a percentage of gross receipts.

A site tour is scheduled for Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 11:00 AM at Forest Park. — Geoffrey Croft

The beloved carousel in Forest Park Queens has been closed for four years. The metal security gate is closed in the background. (Photo By Manny)

Read More:

Shuttered Carousel In Forest Park Temporarily "Opened"

A Walk In The Park - November 3, 2010

Parks Department Refuses To Reveal Amount Of Carousel Donation

A Walk In The Park - March 19, 2010

Community Fights to Reopen Forest Park Carousel

A Walk In The Park - July 24, 2010

Press Release

PARKS ISSUES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO RENOVATE, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN CAROUSELS AT FOREST AND FLUSHING MEADOWS CORONA PARK

Parks & Recreation announces that a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) has been issued for the renovation, operation, and maintenance of the carousel and snack bar and the optional development, operation and maintenance of a family amusement venue at Forest Park, Queens, and the renovation, operation, and maintenance of the carousel and operation of three mobile food units and two souvenir carts at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens. (see attached PDF)

“Taking the family on a carousel ride in a park is a treasured New York City experience,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “We hope to receive proposals from companies with strong backgrounds in developing, operating and maintaining carousels and amusement venues, so that the carousels at Forest Park and Flushing Meadows Corona Park can continue to delight New Yorkers for many generations to come.”

The Forest Park Carousel holds some of the last surviving creations of master wood-carver Daniel Carl Muller. He crafted figures for twelve carousels in his lifetime; this carousel is one of only two that remain. The Flushing Meadows Corona Park Carousel is one of the City’s four vintage carousels, it is an example of the "Illions" style. The Flushing Meadows Corona Park Carousel is a combination of two earlier Coney Island carousels, the Feltman Carousel (ca. 1903) and the Stubbman Carousel (ca. 1908). The Flushing Meadows "hybrid" debuted at the 1964 World's Fair. Both carousels are much loved by the communities that surround them and are an important part of the childhoods of many people who have grown up in Queens.

All proposals for this RFP must be submitted no later than Friday, May 13, 2011 at 3:00 pm. Parks will hold two recommended proposer meetings on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, one at each location. At 11:00 AM on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, we will be meeting at the Forest Park location, which is located at the Woodhaven Boulevard entrance to the park. At 1:00 PM on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, we will be meeting at the Flushing Meadows Corona Park location, which is located near the entrance to Flushing Meadow Corona Park at 111 Street and 55 Avenue. All interested parties are urged to attend.

Hard copies of the RFP can be obtained, at no cost from Friday, April 8, 2011 through Friday, May 13, 2011, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., excluding weekends and holidays, at the Revenue Division of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, which is located at 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 407, New York, NY 10065.

The RFP is also available for download from Friday, April 8, 2011 through Friday, May 13, 2011, on Parks’ website. To download the RFP, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/businessopportunities and, after logging in, click on the “download” link that appears adjacent to the RFP’s description.

For more information or to request to receive a copy of the RFP by mail, prospective proposers may contact the Evan George, Project Manager, at (212) 360-3495 or at evan.george@parks.nyc.gov.

Central Park Director and Other New York City Park Execs See Pay Jump By Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein - NYPOST.com

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Maybe money grows on trees in Central Park.

Douglas Blonsky, the head of the Central Park Conservancy, got a 20 percent raise, bringing his salary to $433,940, according to the nonprofit's just-released tax filings for 2009-10.

Several other directors also raked in the green.

• Debbie Landau, the head of the Madison Square Park Conservancy, got a $15,000 raise in 2009, plus a bonus of $20,000, bringing her salary to $200,000 during a year in which the conservancy's revenue declined by $246,715.
• Aimee Boden, the head of the Randalls Island Sports Foundation, got a 6 percent hike from $166,274 to $176,200 -- including a $15,000 bonus -- in 2009. The city pays $126,609 of her salary and the nonprofit pays the rest.

The directors of some groups earn more than Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, whose salary is $205,180.* Bryant Park Corp. Director Daniel Biederman's salary for the year ending June 30, 2008, was $220,027, up from $210,374 a year earlier. He also earned $220,027 as head of the 34th Street Partnership.

"Blonsky oversees 843 acres. Our parks commissioner oversees 29,000 acres. It doesn't make sense," said Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates, a watchdog group.

The bulk of Blonsky's raise of $73,766 came from a $69,400 payment for accumulated vacation time, said Kari Wethington, a spokeswoman for the conservancy.

The Madison Square Conservancy refused to comment on Landau's raise. The group also employed Landau's sister, Maggi, with Landau paying her $125,000, plus a $12,500 bonus in 2009. She has since left.

The city Parks Department in 2009 began paying the bulk of Boden's salary for running Randalls Island, the location of Icahn Stadium and dozens of athletic fields. The Parks Department said it upped her salary to be more in line with her work.

A spokesman for Bryant Park Corp. and the 34th Street Partnership, a Business Improvement District, said the boards of both groups believe Biederman's "salary is justified given the renaissance that both districts have undergone."