REMARKS
Council member addresses staffing and budget needs for park management
1:49:25
ยท
55 sec
Council Member Shekar Krishnan discusses staffing and budget needs for managing natural areas in parks, particularly in response to situations like the Prospect Park fire. He emphasizes the importance of increasing funding for forestry and natural areas.
- The council member inquires about the involvement of Parks Department staff in the fire response.
- He suggests that restoring and increasing funding for natural areas would help address similar situations citywide.
- The Prospect Park Alliance representative agrees that increased funding would be beneficial.
Shekar Krishnan
1:49:25
And I know the alliance obviously have the staff, in place to to address the issue too.
1:49:30
But how much, national areas or more broadly, forest division staff forest street division staff and the parks department did you have working with you all to respond to this situation?
Leila Mougoui Bakhtiari
1:49:40
So the alliance is a partnership.
1:49:42
We work together.
1:49:44
For example, the forestry, division of of parks helped us with any access or any trees that needed to be removed the day after the the fire, and most of the natural area restoration is done by the Alliance staff.
Shekar Krishnan
1:49:59
Would you say that increasing the budget for forestry and for and replacing, putting the funding back that was cut for natural areas and also increasing it, would help address this situation, not just at Prospect Park, but for, protected areas throughout the city?
Leila Mougoui Bakhtiari
1:50:13
Absolutely.
1:50:13
Yes.
Shekar Krishnan
1:50:14
Thank you.
Leila Mougoui Bakhtiari
1:50:15
Thank you.
Shekar Krishnan
1:50:16
Oh, councilor Holden.
1:50:19
Yeah.