Demonstrators Disapprove Of Proposed NYC Park Rules

NEW YORK (1010 WINS ) -- Demonstrators gathered at City Hall Wednesday to voice their disapproval for a new set of "Park Rules" published in The City Record saying they don't do enough to protect community gardens.

The group, led by the New York City Community Garden Coalition says the proposed rule should have extended protections for the gardens established under a 2002 State Attorney General's Memorandum of Agreement.

That agreement, which expires this September, included specific protections for community gardens. One such provision states that in the event of a development project that causes a garden to be "disturbed or temporarily closed," reasonable efforts would need to be made to restore affected gardens "to the condition that existed prior to the commencement of any construction."

The organization says it has been involved in the process of drafting the rule, but is not in agreement with the draft published by the Department of Parks and Recreation. The NYCCGC hopes that the Bloomberg administration will reconsider their position.

The advocates at the City Hall gathering chanted "save the gardens" and carried signs that read "keep the agreement…gardens are the lungs of the city," 1010 WINS senior correspondent Stan Brooks reports.

In a press release, NYCCGC President, Karen Washington, says "the city must realize the importance of community-controlled green spaces…for the overall health of the city and its residents."

A public hearing concerning the proposed rule will be held August 10 at the Chelsea Recreation Center, 430 West 25th Street, at 11:00 a.m.