NYS to Close or Cut Hours at 55 Parks

WNYC News | Jul 12, 2010

New York, NY —

The state budget cuts will mean 41 parks and 14 historic sites across New York will be either closed or face reduced hours starting Monday.

In Jamaica Bay, Queens, Bayswater Point State Park will be closed and Harlem's Riverbank State Park will be closing its swimming pool and the park will operate on reduced hours to save the state money.

Geoffery Croft, President of NYC Park Advocates, says the state may be breaking the law with the closures. “In Riverbank, those parks were built as a provision for that community getting that waste treatment facility. So this may be illegal,” Croft says.

The legislature has voted to restore $11.3 million in parks funding that was cut from Gov. David Paterson's budget proposal, but there's no agreement yet on a budget.

Here is a full listing of parks and sites that will be affected starting Monday.

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