We had many photos of the lousy conditions at the Long Island College Hospital Playground on Henry Street in Cobble Hill. We don’t know if the specific broken equipment in the photos has been repaired, but there are a bunch of emails that are circulating via the BoCoCa Parents groups about the problems. They are illuminating. Here is one:
No one seems to be maintaining them. The puddles are everywhere, they’re always muddy and they don’t evaporate. The rubber tiles are trapping water beneath them and every time you step on them stagnant water comes up that the kids can’t help but stomp around in. Who knows what’s growing in it. Plus, the water fountain doesn’t drain and overflows and adds to the puddles.
And there’s this:
I spent almost two years talking with the Parks Dept. and the LICH staff. There is a lot of history to the two playgrounds. I had an article written in the Brooklyn Papers last year about the situation but that did not seem to help either…I have called again this year with little response. If you search on the NY Times web site you will see the community was not in favor of the playgrounds over 10 years ago since it would lead to this condition with no one responsible. LICH signed an agreement with NYC under Guillani to maintain the parks and now no one is around to remember.
One big problem certainly does appear to be generally lousy drainage:
The drainage system seems to be non existent. The mud puddles NEVER completely go away even after two or three days of dry weather. This leaves half the playground unusable because it’s covered with mud puddles and no parent wants to have to hose down their child after every visit. Strangely, the landscaping around the playground seems to be well maintained, but I never see anyone caring for the playground.
Or, is the the problem the hospital itself?
they are a nightmare to deal with. My obgyn recently left them because they are so incompetent. My husband and I have had an outstanding bill with them for close to a year and of course it was paid and they sent it to collections. It’s a nightmare. I have no suggestions except moral support…
So, will they clean it up for a week again?
3 responses so far ↓
1 spnder // Jun 30, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Maybe noone is taking people from the BoCoCa Parents group seriously because noone takes anyone seriously that used the term “BoCoCa.”
Just a thought…
2 Reader // Jun 30, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Regarding the LICH playgrounds:
There is just no incentive for them to maintain the parks since the city refuses to enforce the agreement. Hopefully, more press coverage will get their attention, but LICH and Continuum Health Partners are such lousy institutions that it’s just hard to say. I mean, how much worse can you get when a hospital is suing its own parent company?
I really think the way to fight this is to fight dirt with dirt. Start putting up pictures and names in the playground of the executives that run the hospital and caption them. Here is an example!
Rita Battles, President/Chief Executive Officer
Would she let her kids play here?
I agreed to maintain this park.
3 Anonymous // Jun 30, 2008 at 8:29 pm
put some gloves on yer lilly white hands and clean the place up yourselves! CG does It’s Your Park day, or does that conflict with Music Together or Pilates?