Last week, we had a post about the generally crappy conditions at the LICH Playground on Henry Street in Cobble Hill. The playground was built as a part of a deal with the city during the Giuliani Administration that allowed the hospital to build its current parking garage on Hicks Street. There are periodic complaints that the playground isn’t quite up to par. There have been major rat issues and general upkeep complaints. Our post on Friday led a reader to send us a bunch of photos documenting the conditions there and to write:
These photos show the problematic conditions at the park. Your post reminded me that I had taken them on a relative’s camera—the hazard of having toddler twins is a short memory in some areas—and we’ve been subsequently careful about bringing our kids to the park. The cleanliness of the park leaves something to be desired and it is not an issue of kids using the park and making a mess. It goes beyond garbage to general disrepair of the items, though the park did look amazingly lovely when the trees bloomed. There are two parks and this is what we refer to as the “southern” park on Henry Street between Amity and Pacific Streets. There is another LICH Park on Henry between Pacific and Dean for which I do not have photos and generally do not use given our kids younger age.
What’s a little alarming about the photos is the broken playground equipment that might hurt children. The hospital signed an agreement with the city to maintain the playground, but residents often voice complaints that they can get no response from the hospital or that conditions improve briefly, then return to a state of neglect.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Steve // Jun 30, 2008 at 11:01 am
Instead of complaining about the park, how about doing something to address the problems? Carroll Park between Smith and Court has a very active volunteer group that sheppards the park ensuring it’s maintained in fairly good conditon. Why not organize a parents group for this park, too?
2 Red Hook // Jun 30, 2008 at 12:28 pm
They’re not complaining – you are. They’re doing an excellent job of documenting and alerting people of the problem!
3 Bkln Chicken // Jun 30, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Carroll Park is owned and maintained by the Parks Department. LICH Playground is owned and “maintained” by LICH, which doesn’t answer to elected officials or the community. The problems with LICH playground are partly maintenance and partly structural drainage issues. So, they are potentially really expensive to fix.
4 Leo's mom // Jul 1, 2008 at 11:26 am
Thank you for posting photos of the aging equipment and cruddy conditions at the LICH playground.
It took more than a year to get one of the swings replaced at the park, but LICH finally replaced it.
Hopefully, this round of complaints will put pressure on LICH to make further improvements. Keeping the park clean is at the top of my wish list!
5 Yutzy // Jul 1, 2008 at 7:55 pm
The photos do a good job of documenting the poor condition of the playground equipment, but not the water issues. In summer, with its frequent rainstorms, the park is a health hazard. Huge puddles and water under the rubber mats linger for more than a week after a good downpour. There are already lots of mosquitos and I’m sure they’ll continue to breed. Bococa Parents Group had as posting asking for a few parents to meet with a rep from the hospital if anyone is interested.