Parks to Keep Playgrounds On Summer Hours

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

Parks Department officials announced last week that 69 school playgrounds will be open for public use this summer, including weekends and evenings, starting July 1.

MARK ROSENTHAL: Improves quality of life.

The playgrounds are usually closed when school is out of session. The city's plan will allow neighborhood use of dozens of basketball courts, handball courts and jungle gyms that are usually fenced off for the summer.

Parks worker union officials praised the plan, which will require increased cleaning and maintenance of the facilities.

'More People Working'

"This will provide more recreation, and it will mean more people working," said Mark Rosenthal, the president of Local 983 of District Council 37.

Mayor Bloomberg's plan to open a total of 290 schoolyards for neighborhood use is part of PlaNYC, a multi-billion dollar design to make the city more livable and environmentally friendly by 2030, by which time the city's population is expected to increase by one million people.

Mr. Bloomberg's budget includes $96 million over two fiscal years for joint open-space projects between Parks and the Department of Education, which will rebuild 121 school playgrounds that have fallen into disrepair or have inadequate recreational facilities.

"This will mean there won't be broken glass all over the basketball courts," said Mr. Rosenthal, "because someone will be there to clean it up. And it will keep the people who shouldn't be on the playgrounds out of there."