311 complaints shed light on poor condition of Cambria Heights parks and playgrounds
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Parks conditions are deteriorating in Cambria Heights, according to 311 callers, residents and local leaders. Photo courtesy of Rene Hill
By Milette Millington
Equipment is falling apart and conditions are deteriorating in the parks and playgrounds of Cambria Heights, with complaints to New York City’s 311 system nearly doubling in the months after the city slashed Parks Department funding.
The 311 hotline recorded 97 maintenance complaints in Cambria Heights, mostly related to parks and playgrounds, between July 1 and August 31, 2020, records show. By contrast, there were 55 complaints during the same period in 2019.
Former Queens Community Board 12 Chairperson Rene Hill said the maintenance issues are evident to anyone visiting Cambria Playground.
“The children’s area is in need of rubber tiles. The tiles are a danger because they are worn and a child can trip on them. Some areas of the park are renovated but they should have taken care of children’s play areas first,” said Hill, a candidate for City Council.
“The leaves need to be raked and black garbage bags at the entrances have not been picked up,” she added.
Parks Department spokesperson Charisse Hill said major staff shortages likely contributed to the conditions.
“In Queens, this summer we had 449 less people doing maintenance compared to last year,” Charisse Hill said.
She said Cambria Playground was the subject of five complaints of excess trash and litter this summer, while most of the Cambria Heights calls came through in August, when there were “no fixed post staff stationed at this site.”
Elected leaders and borough officials said budget cuts were to blame for the workforce reduction and the persistent maintenance issues. The city cut $84 million from the Parks Department, a 14 percent decrease, in the budget that took effect July 1.
“The rise in 311 complaints regarding parks is largely due to budget cuts stemming from the COVID-19 crisis that have had harsh and swift impacts disproportionately in communities of color,” said Jalissa Quigley, a spokesperson for local Councilmember I. Daneek Miller.
At the same time, more and more people headed to the parks to get a break from COVID isolation, said Shurn Anderson, the director of economic development for the Queens borough president.
“Families were encouraged to enjoy the outdoors over the summer. More families were unable to travel so they stayed home and they used the public parks and playgrounds,” Anderson said.
“As a result, parks were heavily used over the summer, and there weren’t enough parks personnel to keep up with cleanliness and the parks suffered,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the eroding conditions in Cambria Heights will have economic and quality of life effects — and she called on residents to pitch in and help keep the parks safe and clean.
“A strong, beautiful and clean neighborhood benefits the economy of any community,” she said. “The responsibility to maintain one’s community belongs to all of us especially in times of crisis.”
