With construction underway at Pearly Gates Playground in Westchester Square, neighbors have begun to collect petition signatures to remove a new park entrance planned for St. Peter’s Avenue.
For years, community leaders have fought for the park to be renovated, which was full of underutilized space and dilapidated equipment due to years of neglect and weather damage. A total of $1.5 million has been allocated for the project: $524,000 through former Borough President Adolfo Carrion and $984,000 through the City Council.
According to the Parks Department, the design plans for the renovated park were approved by Community Board 10 in March of 2008. The approved plans included new playground equipment, plantings, a comfort station, fencing, pavement, seats and better lighting and drainage. The park was to be divided into segments: a play area for toddlers and children aged five to 12 and a basketball and handball area for older children and adults.
The plans also included two park entrances on Tratman Avenue and a single entrance on St. Peter’s Avenue.
But residents recently began to rally against the St. Peter’s Avenue entrance, arguing that the busy street is dangerous and that a third entrance will invite unwelcome night activity.
“Before they redid this park they never locked the gate, so what will make them do it this time around?” Overing Street resident Kenneth Correa said. “It’s going to create too much noise and undesirable behavior [at night]. Also, the third entrance is in front of a busy street. People talk constantly about the accidents they see. For the younger kids crossing the street, the residents feel [that St. Peter’s Avenue is] too dangerous. The people that live here don’t want it.”
According to the Parks Department, the St. Peter’s Avenue entrance will make the park safer and more accessible.
“The entrance allows park users direct access to the basketball and handball courts without entering through the children’s playground area,” a Parks Department spokesperson said. “This is standard design, as most parks and playgrounds have a minimum of two gates, and often three gates, to allow greater accessibility and so that the park can be gated and locked at night.”
CB10 member and St. Peter’s Avenue resident Hannah Acampora delivered the petition to CB10 at a parks committee meeting on Monday. February 8.
Some meeting attendees explained that, in the past when there was no St. Peter’s Avenue entrance, people cut holes in the fence. A real St. Peter’s Avenue entrance will save the Parks Department money spent on constant repairs, they argued.
“When they closed the fence, the kids would cut holes in it,” Westchester Square – Zerega Improvement Organization president Sandi Lusk said. “With all due respect to the residents, because I do not live on that block, the idea was to not have older children walking through the little kids area. Safety is very important to us. Things are moving along and for the first time we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel for what we have worked so hard for in Westchester Square.”
According to Correa, neighbors will continue to collect petition signatures. More than 50 peopled have signed already.
CB10 district manager Ken Kearns promised that CB10 would look into the matter and would dicuss the St. Peter’s Avenue entrance with the Parks Department.
Reach reporter Amanda Marinaccio at (718) 742-3394 or amarinaccio@cnglocal.com