TESTIMONY
Zachary Hendrickson, Member of Brooklyn Community Board 4, on Cuts to NYC Parks Department Funding and Jobs
8:02:13
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128 sec
Hendrickson expresses concern over proposed $55 million in cuts and 600 job eliminations at the NYC Parks Department, which he says will devastate parks despite being a tiny portion of the city's $100 billion budget proposal.
- He works with grassroots community partners who volunteer to care for local parks and open spaces
- Last year, Parks supported 68 organizations across the five boroughs to run free programs
- But Parks has no money for basic maintenance like tree pruning, new gardens, court repairs
- Parks has fewer employees now than in 1975 despite more sites to maintain
- He urges the City Council to hold the Mayor accountable to his 1% parks budget promise
- He asks the Council to use all its power to fully fund Parks, even threatening a budget veto
Zachary Hendrickson
8:02:13
AFTERNOON, MY NAME IS Zachary HENDrickson.
8:02:14
I'M A MEMBER OF BROOKLAND COMMUNITY BOARD FOREIGN BUSHWICK AND I'M A GRANCE manager responsible for overseeing a program with a goal of supporting an equitable and resilient network of parks and open spaces to benefit the well-being of all New Yorkers.
8:02:26
Today, New York City Parks faces over $55,000,000 in cuts and the elimination of over 600 jobs.
8:02:32
These cuts will have a devastating impact despite accounting for a tiny part of the city's over a $100,000,000 executive a $100,000,000 executive budget proposal from mayor Adams, and they're made all the more cruel and unnecessary Sherry given the city has 1,000,000,000 of dollars currently sitting in reserves.
8:02:47
The people of New York deserve better.
8:02:49
At my job, I have the immense privilege to work with grassroots community partners volunteers scraping together time in the evenings and on weekends to care for local open spaces and bringing joy to their neighborhoods.
8:03:00
Last year, we supported 68 organizations across all five and with just a few $1000 each, they held weeks of free skateboarding classes for young people in Brownsville, organized produce giveaways in Harlem, and so much more.
8:03:13
Every day is a reminder of just how much goodness there is in this city, and yet I'm also reminded of just how badly our city has let some people down.
8:03:20
People know what their neighborhoods need, and it's horrible to have to tell them there's nothing we can do to help.
8:03:25
Parks has no money to send more tree pruners to bushwick Park's has no money for a new green thumb garden bed in the Bronx.
8:03:32
And, yes, weekly cleanups have gotten harder because Park's has fewer employee than we did in 1975, and maintenance and operations workers are being asked to cover more sites with fewer staff.
8:03:41
Last year, one community partner pleaded with me saying, I see the cracks in the basketball court get wider and wider every year, pretty soon we won't even be able to play anymore.
8:03:51
You're saying there's really nothing we can do.
8:03:53
So today, I'm doing what I can.
8:03:55
I implore the city council to hold mayor Adams accountable to his campaign promise to allocate 1% of our city budget parks and secure more permanent baselined jobs.
8:04:05
I urge the council to use all your powers at your disposal to achieve this goal and should it come down onto it.
8:04:10
I call on all of you especially council member Christian, to vote no on any budget that does not fully fund.
Christopher Marte
8:04:16
Times expired.
8:04:16
Thank you.
Zachary Hendrickson
8:04:17
Words are not enough.
8:04:18
Communities need funding to grow.
8:04:20
Thank you.