The newly-renovated schoolyard at the P.S. 130 Lower School (E. 5th Street at Fort Hamilton Parkway) was supposed to be open to all neighborhood residents after school hours and on weekends and holidays. But city government budget cuts have made that impossible.
To fix that, the P.S. 130 PTA is asking Windsor Terrace and Kensington residents to join it in signing a petition to the City Council. The petition asks the council to restore funding for custodial costs so
the space will be open to the entire community during those times, as it was intended to be.
The play space was funded
by participatory budgeting and donations from City Councilmember Brad Lander
and Assemblymember Robert Carroll, co-designed by P.S. 130 students, and
developed by the Trust for Public Land.
It was created as a
gift not only to P.S. 130 but to the wider community. If funding is restored, it can be open to the whole community after school hours and on weekends and holidays.
The P.S. 130 PTA's petition "Fund the Trust for Public Lands Schoolyards" is posted at https://www.change.org/p/honorable-mayor-bill-deblasio-fund-trust-for-public-lands-schoolyards?redirect=false. It says
Dear Mayor DeBlasio, New York City Council, and Chancellor Porter:We write to you today, as parents, PTA members, and community members near PS 130 and other affected schools/communities, to urge you to adopt the City Council’s recommendation [i] of including funding (approximately $1.8M) to open 23 Trust for Public Land schoolyards to the public during after school hours, on weekends, and on holidays.This investment will open schoolyards across the city, like the one at P.S. 130 The Parkside Lower School at 70 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11218, to the surrounding community, providing vitally needed open space.The P.S. 130 schoolyard was designed by and for the students and community as part of the Trust for Public Land’s NYC Playgrounds Program, a longtime partner of the DOE, SCA and DEP, and opened officially yesterday, June 16, 2021.This beautiful $855,000 renovation includes a turf field, running track, game tables, a drinking fountain, new play equipment, basketball practice hoop, a pre-K area and playhouse, shade trees, and color seal art designed by students.The schoolyard, with custodial funding, could be a refuge for our children and families after an incredibly difficult and stressful year.We urge you, the New York City Council, and the Chancellor in the strongest possible terms, to support the allocation of custodial funds that would allow this public asset to be open, adding it to the 200-plus Open Playground sites that already provide neighborhood access.This is a small investment that pays big dividends in community health, equity, and climate resiliency that we urge you to prioritize in setting your budget for next year.For the sake of our community’s wellbeing, please allocate the funds needed to keep this playground, and others like it, open to our community.[i] This allocation is noted in paragraph 1, page 18, of the City Council’s Preliminary Budget Response for FY22.