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Vesuvio Playground is located across the street from Gothamist HQ, on the corner of Spring and Thompson Street. Back in May, we reported that the entire half-block long playground had been entirely shut down for renovation, with reopening set for January 2007. Why it would take seven months to repave a playground was beyond us-- until we noticed that there were never more than three guys working on the site at once, and for days at a time the entire site was completely deserted. People in the neighborhood told us that the Parks Department routinely awards projects to whoever submits the lowest bid, even if they're a tiny company with no ability to finish a job on time. That appears to be the case here-- as the "updated" sign above shows, the reopening has been pushed back to May, and progress seems to be going as slow as ever.
All the while, of course, no one in the neighborhood can use this park-- not the families with little kids who used the playground area, the old people who spent all day on the benches, or the high school kids who hung out by the tables after school. Basically the entire ecosystem of the neighborhood has been disrupted, with no end in sight. And for what? So the Parks Department can save a few bucks? Outrageous.
If anyone in the neighborhood knows who we can complain to, let us know.
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yeah, those poooor soho residents. boo hoo.
Call 311
Incompetent, slow construction workers? GET OUT.
You know, it's the same thing down here with Battery Park in the Financial District (not to mention the other 58 projects going on around it), but it's really not that big of a deal. You should complain if the park falls apart after being open for 3 months (not out of the range of possibility) or if they delay it through the summer. But basically, they're reconstructing a park during a smart time of the year, and they ran into a bit of an overrun. It can often get much worse. Tell that to some people out in Crown Heights or Bed Stuy and see if the city is renovating any parks within 5 miles.
I have to admit that the Parks Department is among the least satisfying agencies to deal with in NYC. But you're getting at least some kind of benefit here.
Maybe if the city threw more than a couple of bucks in the general direction of the Parks Department they wouldn't always have to blindly accept the lowest bid from contractors. Operations cost a lot, and the Parks budget is stretched pretty thin. I guess in the past, under more creative leadership (Henry Stern), the constant lack of funding was often turned into a positive, but, of course, if you want your parks improved, it takes money.
Try making a donation if you're so upset, or better yet, complaining to the mayor's office about the tiny sliver of funding that Parks gets.
That place had been a health hazard for years until they tore it up. Rats were darting out from under the pool, the ground was all broken up, fences were rusty and patched, and there was a lot full of garbage bags, beer bottles and vermin next to the swings. I don't really care how long it takes so long as they do it right and create a safe, sanitary environment.
There's a playground there?