| No. 65 |
STATE OF THE PARKS EDITION:
Friday, January 18, 2002 |
- Commissioner Henry J. (StarQuest) Stern gives his 9th Annual State of the Parks address in the Arsenal Gallery today at 11:00 AM. This year's address will highlight the top 40 accomplishments of the years 1994 to 2002, which have seen Parks grow into a true 'Emerald Empire'. StarQuest will also present Emerald Awards to 12 Friends of Parks. The Arsenal Gallery is on the third floor of the Arsenal, located at 64th Street and 5th Avenue inside Manhattan's Central Park. View last year's State of the Parks address>>
- StarQuest speaks at the Chicken Soup Loop race on Sunday, January 20 at 9:30 AM. The race starts at the East Drive at E. 97th Street in Manhattan's Central Park, and finishes at the East Drive at E. 102nd Street. Approximately 2,500 participants are expected to turn out for this event.
- Bid documents are available today for contractor pick-up for the project to reconstruct the former Seaview Hospital Morgue and surrounding landscape in Staten Island for re-use as a recreation center and indoor track. Bids are due from contractors on Tuesday, February 5. Documents may be picked up from the Olmsted Center, located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens.
- Operations reports that the final vehicle out of service rate for 2001 was 5.5%. This rate is the second lowest rate in 20 years - the lowest was in 1998 at 4.9%. In 1981, vehicle out of service was 16% and in 1994 it was 14%. First Vehicle Services (FVS), our private vendor for the Bronx and Brooklyn, achieved 4.9% out of service. Our in-house forces in Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island came in at 5.5%. Bronx is our best performing garage at 3.7%, followed by Brooklyn and Staten Island at 4.9%.
- Parks brought enhanced visual, literary and dramatic arts programming to 17 recreation centers during the 2001-2002 school year. This season's Afterschool Showcase is scheduled for Monday, January 21 at St. James Recreation Center. The showcase is a mid-season opportunity for children to show-off the semester's work through dramatic performances, art presentations, and poetry recitations. Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation and the Human Resources Administration (HRA) co-fund this project. St. James is located at E. 192nd Street and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx.
- On Wednesday, January 16 Community Resources met with representatives from the Historic House Trust of New York City, the Merchant's House Museum and the Library of America to begin planning the 5th annual Great New York Writers in Great New York Places. This increasingly popular series celebrates the literary history of New York City at significant architectural and historical sites, including historic houses in Parks. Proposed topics for this year are sports writers, the works of John Steinbeck, and more. Past venues have included the Apollo Theater in Harlem, the National Arts Club, and the Empire State Building.
- The Urban Park Services (UPS), joined by the National Geographic Society, met with the Chicago Parks Department at Mayor Daley's request on Wednesday, January 16. They discussed Chicago Parks adopting the Rangers' programs such as The Natural Classroom, as well as setting up a parks enforcement division based on the UPS model.
- The Computer Resource Centers (CRC) announces a new E-mail Pen Pal program between elementary school students in Parks' afterschool program from the Hamilton Fish, Sorrentino, and Lost Battalion Hall recreation centers. This activity helps children practice their reading and writing skills while learning about the Internet. CRC looks forward to expanding this project to other recreation centers, as well as other age groups. To learn more about CRC, log on to www.nyc.gov/parks.
- Queens Recreation, in conjunction with the Urban Park Rangers, runs a weekly Saturday program for children entitled 'The Outdoor Challenge'. Participants from Recreation facilities around the city enjoy a variety of activities including hiking, orienteering, art, poetry, skating and canoeing. On Saturday, January 19, participants from Queens Recreation's REACH (Recreation, Education, Athletics, and Crafts for the Handicapped) program will attend. 'The Outdoor Challenge' is held at the Salt Marsh Nature Center, located at 3309 Avenue U in Marine Park, Brooklyn.
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