Petition to Save Multiuse Space in Sara D Roosevel...

Published October 31, 2007

We, the undersigned, support improvements to Sara D Roosevelt Park and hope to continue to see it as a venue for many different types of recreation. Currently, there is a proposal and petition to convert the playspace located on Broome Street between Chrystie and Forsyth Streets into a dog run. While we would welcome a dog run to the area, this location is currently used by a number of different groups on a regular basis and its loss would strip many neighborhood users of a safe, protected place to recreate. The undersigned are current users of this space and those who support its current uses. We include youth groups, neighborhood children and their parents, and those who use the court for organized games. Many of us depend upon that court as it is one of the only places in the city that suit our needs because of its unique, guarded construction. Neighborhood kids use it for baseball and kickball games, residents use it for Tai Chi and martial arts practice, and there is a regular group of roller hockey and bike polo users who employ the space most weekends and have hosted international tournaments in this space, obtaining all proper permits. Each of these groups values the unique enclosure that this court offers and, in some cases, the enclosure is a necessary element to the games being played. In addition, these users routinely clean up the court and surrounding area and leave it in cleaner shape that when we found it. Many maintenance requests have been fulfilled for that space only because of the persistence of those who currently use it. Again, we support changes in the park and even a dog run, but to locate it here would weigh the needs of a single group as heavier than those of its current users. It is for these reasons that we implore you to save this valuable multiuse space.

By Dave Currence

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