Court Square Civic Association

News

Announcements & Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes: 09.26.17

Meeting: Dream of Green
Committee: Parks & Recreation
Date: September 26th, 2017
Time:7pm
Location: MoMa PS1

Guests:
Dorothy Lewandowski (Queens Commissioner, NYC Parks)
Emily Walker (Outreach Director, New Yorkers for Parks)

Agenda:

  • Opening Remarks - Amadeo Plaza, Founder and Outgoing President
  • Welcome – Pedro Gomez, President
  • Councilmember’s Remarks – Matt Wallace, Chief of Staff, Jimmy Van Bramer’s Office
  • Parks and Recreation Panel Discussion
    • Panelists: Emily Walker – Outreach Director, New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P), Dorothy Lewandowski – Queens Commissioner, NYC Parks
  • Q&A Session

Action Items:

  • CSCA to meet with Jimmy Van Bramer to discuss:
    • Participatory budgeting for refurbishing of Murray Park Dog Run
    • Reenvisioning of Court Square Park from a passive community space to an active one – this should not be tied to the potential rezoning
    • DOT/Parks repurposing of Greenstreets space at Hunter and 27th into a dog park
    • Converting DOT parcels into community areas (space at the end of Dutch Kills street is a priority)
  • CSCA to partner with NY4P on:
    • Learnings from their work with Jackson Heights residents to enlarge Travers Park
    • More specific studies or data on open space ratio in Court Square so we can leverage them when making a case for public spaces
    • Potential funding sources for greenspaces from groups like Trust for Public Land
    • Public space recommendations for the 44th Drive/East River development site
    • How to best approach developers on including public amenities in their buildings
  • Parks Department agreed to immediately take action on the following:
    • Installation of “No Dog” signage around green spaces in Murray Park
    • Removal of team banners on fences around Murray Park
    • Installation of Dog Waste Bags in Court Square greenspaces
    • Reporting on condition of turf area at Murray Park as residents noted a strong chemical smell emanating from this during the hot summer months
  • Parks Department agreed to look into the following:
    • Replacing trees that have been removed throughout Murray Park
    • Installation of skating surface near Court Square Park so skateboarders don’t damage seating around the fountain
    • Potential short-term solution to making the dog run at Murray Park more usable as it’s currently a mud pit that many people don’t want their dogs running in
  • Other Discussion Items:
    • Residents must make sure to log issues with 311 so they are being tracked. The Parks department monitors trends and takes action when things are reported. Leagues that use Murray Park should not be leaving trash behind. If the 311 data supports it, their permits can be revoked.
    • Norman Chan is our Parks contact. We should reach out to him if we need to escalate problems.
    • The Parks Department relies on residents to maintain dog spaces – we need to make sure we’re doing our part to maintain this space in Murray Park.
Amadeo Plaza