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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Constance Lesold, Member of the Public
5:36:12
·
3 min
Constance Lesold, an 87-year-old senior citizen, testified in support of additional funding for the Parks Department and proposed rebuilding the Eastern Parkway Coalition to increase public involvement in parks. She emphasized the need for more public engagement and highlighted past successful initiatives.
- Advocated for restoring a trolley program in Prospect Park to improve accessibility for seniors
- Suggested combining administration of Eastern Parkway and Ocean Parkway to increase attention and involvement
- Strongly opposed the creation of a skateboard park in Mount Prospect Park
Constance Lesold
5:36:12
My name is Constance Lesold, and I support all the requests that have been made today for additional funding for the Parks Department.
5:36:25
It seems that it's very hard to get everything that you need.
5:36:33
I would like to help with that as I have moved back to New York City and I would like to rebuild the Eastern Parkway Coalition which was a vital part of work owned parks in the seventies, eighties, nineties, and
Gale A. Brewer
5:36:49
some of
Constance Lesold
5:36:49
the things we did continue to this day.
5:36:53
For example, the community garden over the Franklin Avenue shuttle, which we worked very hard on, has is now almost 50 years old, started by a summer youth program and the Eastern Parkway Coalition and costing the city very little.
5:37:12
It's part of the parks department and run by a wonderful woman named Gloria Briggs.
5:37:20
It's now the Union Street Garden.
5:37:24
We wanna rebuild the coalition because I feel that we need, in addition to all the wonderful organizations we already have in coalitions and parks, We need more that will bring the public in.
5:37:41
Somehow we are not getting the public in and involved to the extent that we could.
5:37:49
And for example, I believe that what we were doing earlier with Prospect Park and the conservancy was a positive thing.
5:38:03
When Tupper Thomas was in that job, she was also in the beginning the administrator for Eastern Parkway, and that brought a lot more attention to the Parkway.
5:38:15
If she if that was restored along with Ocean Parkway, we would get more involvement of the public, I feel, in in helping you to get the funding you need, etcetera etcetera.
5:38:32
I also speak for senior citizens in that we need to have restored in the budget the program we had in the past where we had a little trolley that went around Prospect Park.
5:38:45
I'm 87 now and somewhat disabled.
5:38:49
I can't get around the whole park.
5:38:52
Having such a program, would bring seniors more into the park, would bring others in too, so
Justin Brannan
5:39:01
Thank you.
Constance Lesold
5:39:02
Thank you, and remember, we are not going to support any kind of skateboard park in Mount Prospect Park.
Justin Brannan
5:39:13
Thank
Constance Lesold
5:39:13
you.
5:39:14
This is very basic, and please do not put any money into any such thing because it's not going to happen.
5:39:20
I don't care how much money you bring from the state and from the West Coast, it is not going to happen.