WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city THE CITY News Journal Update - $11.4M will nearly double size of Bronx park, Brooklyn students baffled by migrant shelter controversy, Midtown casino proposal draws ire

 

Dear New Yorkers,

As Mayor Eric Adams gets ready to present the city budget next Tuesday — including restoring some anticipated cuts — the City Council has taken at least one matter into its own hands.

This week, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Bronx Councilmember Amanda Farías announced $11.4 million in new funding to renovate and expand Harding Park in the Southeast Bronx.

Speaker Adams, who represents a district in southeast Queens on the City Council, told Bronx residents: “Under this Council, we have prioritized equitable investments for communities that have gone too far, for too long, with too little.”

Harding Park takes up part of a block of Bolton Avenue in Clason Point. It has a basketball court, playground, picnic area, swings, fitness equipment, spray showers, as well as game tables beneath a pergola, all on what’s now a lot of 0.86 acres.

The funds will be used in part to nearly double the size of the park by expanding it into what’s now a vacant and trash-filled 0.7 acre lot controlled by the Parks Department.

At a Wednesday night meeting, residents suggested improvements the new funds could pay for, including better nighttime lighting, timely park closures, a dog run, separate entrances to areas for kids and adults, bike trails and racks, bottle refill stations, a running track and even a pickleball court.

“There’s nowhere in this area to play, and pickleball is a game that older people can play because it's not as strenuous [as tennis],” said resident Wanda Lucena, 74, who has lived in the neighborhood with her husband for 40 years.

The new funding for Harding Park begins what parks officials say will be an estimated three- to four-year process to complete the project.

Read more about the funding here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Friday's Weather Rating: 3/10. Much of the day will be decent, with high temps in the upper 40s and partly sunny skies. Rain moves in after sunset though, and it gets heavy overnight with localized flooding and gusty winds. The vibes are trending in the wrong direction again.

Our Other Top Stories

Students at James Madison High School Madison in Brooklyn returned to classes yesterday with little fanfare — after the school had received hate calls and even a bomb threat for serving as an emergency shelter Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning for migrant families with children. As 70 mile an hour gusts of wind bore down on New York City on Tuesday, officials had hastily evacuated 1,900 parents and children from a tent shelter located at Floyd Bennett Field, busing them to the high school to shelter in the school gym, auditorium and cafeteria in chairs and on the ground for the night. The migrant families’ stay lasted for less than 12 hours, all of them outside of the school day, though the school shifted to remote learning on Wednesday. One student said the hostility was “definitely uncalled for.” A town hall last night over a proposed casino on the east side of Midtown Manhattan — which drew hundreds — proved to be testy. The hearing mostly focused on a proposed casino near the United Nations pitched by the developer Soloviev Group. It’s one of a number of potential casino projects vying for limited state licenses in the city and downstate. Community members and elected officials alike spoke in opposition — and frequently spoke over the developers. One rep for a local member of Congress recommended getting used to the idea: “It may be blood money, but the money is coming.”

Reporter’s Notebook

Mayor Reverses Cuts to Job Training Program

Mayor Eric Adams this week reversed measures to eliminate a crucial job-training program that carries out most cleaning and maintenance work at New York City parks — part of a longer list of reinstatements following November’s budget slashes.

The Parks Opportunity Program — whose end was first reported by THE CITY in November — will stay after all, the mayor announced Thursday. Thousands of New Yorkers have gone through the program, which provides training and counseling in addition to employment within the Department of Parks and Recreation. The union that represents the workers, District Council 37, sued the administration last month after the cut was announced and praised the change Thursday.

“This decision is a positive step in a budget cycle that’s presented immense challenges for our members and the administration, and we look forward to collaborating on additional solutions,” Henry Garrido, the union’s executive director, said in a statement.

Adams and his team have recently reversed a number of previous cuts, including adding back police academy classes, although they are expected to order another round of cuts next week in connection with the mayor’s preliminary budget proposal for the coming fiscal year.

— Katie Honan

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Friday, Jan. 12: NYC Winter Jazzfest, which runs through Jan. 18. Tickets for individual performances start at $20, and shows take place at various locations throughout the city. Friday, Jan. 12: The first day of expanded Free Fridays at the Whitney Museum, which is now open for free admission from 5 to 10 p.m. every Friday. Saturday, Jan. 13: Birding with NYC Audubon. Free (RSVP encouraged) from 10 to 11:30 a.m., at both Prospect Park in Brooklyn and at Brookville Park in Queens.

THE KICKER: Frustrated with the subway? Remember that the system also has a good side — including the stations with world-class public artwork.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Friday.

Love,

THE CITY

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