Last week, we were disheartened to learn that East River State Park might close for the winter due to the State budget cuts. This park has quickly become an integral part of our community, and closing it even for just one season could jeopardize the progress we have made over the past few years. It is worth noting that while other neighborhood parks are facing program cuts, they are not facing total closures. It seems highly counterproductive to close a park that took so much effort to open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We believe there is a way to keep the park open in a cost-effective and safe manner. City parks are able to operate without having a staff member on site at all times, and perhaps this is how the State should consider running this park during the winter months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Assembly Member Lentol is actively leading the effort to keep the park open. In the meantime, we strongly encourage readers to send letters to Governor Patterson and the State Parks Department, urging them to keep the park open throughout the winter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"